Spin the Globe: Tala El-Ajou

Spin the Globe will bring you unforgettable riders, from all around the world, that we've met on our travels. This time we're talking to the french arabian globetrotter Tala El-Ajou.

CoreNation: Hello Tala, please introduce yourself and tell us all about your kite addiction.

Tala: Hello, I'm 24 years old and a complete free spirit. I was born in Paris but my family has always lived abroad,I would call myself a citizen of the world. I'm half french/half Saudi Arabian, so quite an odd mix. I grew up in Dubai and the UK. I then went to University in Florida to study Marine Biology, as I always had felt a connection to the sea and wanted to know everything about the underwater world. I then moved to Cabarete in 2009 where I became a kite instructor and lived there for 9 months. I picked up my first kite probably about 7 years ago in Dubai but  got dragged across the beach which traumatized me from ever touching a kite again. Then 2 years ago I decided to try it again , and now I cannot think of any reason not be on the water everyday when I can. I started riding strapless a few months ago and completely fell in love with it. Goodbye my twin tip…

Where have you been kiteboarding so far? What are your top destinations?

I kite mostly in Uruau, Brazil now and it it such a great spot. You have the lagoon thats empty or the sea that has a great shore break with some nice waves when the wind really picks up! I've also had the most sensational sunset sessions there too. I've also kited in Portugal which was great, and the canary islands, especially Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. Gran Canaria is just a wind machine, and a great wave spot too. I use my 5m there most of the time and its just great fun for wave riding. Capetown as well ranks as one of my top destinations as there is an endless number of spots to go to. My parents live there part time so I go quite often. The city itself is so vibrant and so full of life, you just can never get bored there! I can´t forget about Cabarete too, just at the back of kite beach where the reef is there are some nice waves, and if there is no wind there is so much other stuff to do. Cabarete has a great downwinder from kite beach to the surf beach called Encuentro. There are so many places around the world that have yet to be discovered, I can just keep going on and on about the spots I want to see.

CORE stands for Performance, Safety, Quality and Service. Which attribute would you add and why?

I would add Safety as the most important, especially since my first experience with  a kite and not being able to quick release. The safety of kites have come from such a long way and improving every year and CORE especially has for me one of the safest kites around. The quality as well is outstanding, I can say for myself that my poor CORE kites have withstood a lot of crashes on the beach, on the rocks and in the waves and I have never ripped any kites.

What do you enjoy besides kiteboarding and why?

Before kiteboarding took over every other sport in my life. I used to Scuba Dive a lot, especially during my university days, and even spent a summer doing coral reef research in the seychelles where we would go diving at least twice a day , everyday for 6 weeks. While I was living in Cabarete I also took up surfing when there was no wind and loved it. You just had to get up early enough to catch the best waves, and surfing is so much harder that it seems!

Tala, thanks for the interview.