Danni Durrant Tells Us About “The Land Down Under”

So Danni tell us a bit about how you first got the bug for kiting?

I started kite boarding back in 2007, with my parents and younger sister Chloe. We have always been an outdoorsy active family. A weekend trip to our local beach back at home in Norfolk, England, was when it happened for us. Seeing a few guys out on the mountain boards caught our attention. My dads especially. From wizzing around on the sand on wheels, we all naturally progressed onto the water. Been hooked ever since!

You moved over from England to Australia, which is a very different. How does the  the conditions compare?  Did you need different gear?

Hummm… This is a hard one, especially as I tend to evacuate a place when there’s first signs of a change in temperature. Australia is huge. So there will be places that you’ll need different sized kites for different spots and seasons. Like Perth for example; Gets pretty windy during their summer in comparison to the UK.

In the UK we tend to get all our stronger winds in Autumn and Winter. Melbourne, where I’m currently staying, relies a lot on the seabreezes during the summer. It works really well because of the difference between sea temp and air temp in the bay. Back at my home spot, seabreezes don’t tend to happen consistently through the summer, because as you all know, it doesn’t ever really has a summer like Australia. Then I haven’t had a summer back at home for a while. Who knows! It’s always different every year.

What is scene for woman like  in Australia? How fierce is the competition?

So I’ve kitesurfed in Melbourne, Perth, plus some spots along the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. It’s so great to see so many girls with so much energy for the sport. Even with my teaching, there’s a lot more girls coming into it. Just getting out there on the water.

Competition scene is a little different, for some reason there’s not much interest coming from the girls. Which is a shame!

Which country do you find that the girls do the most progressive tricks?

Every spot in a country is different. It will be influenced by the most inspiring rider on the water at the time. You have spots like Brasil and Perth, perfect locations for the sport, where people from all over the world will travel purely to train at.  So it’s hard to say.

Where is the best spot in Australia to go kiting?

It depends what you’re after. Waves, flat water or stronger winds. There’s still many places I’m yet to explore that are spoken highly of. For me currently it’s down to three places; Inverloch in Victoria, Cotton Tree/Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast and of course Perth. Perth I was lucky enough to visit over Christmas holidays.

With the different weather in Australia, has your kiting wardrobe changed?

Completely! Summer most places you can get away with your bikini and board shorts. I still mostly wear my 3/2 shorty wetsuit… You have got to be sun smart in Australia ;)

Winter in Melbourne is a different story. Just as cold as England!

What type of exercise and workouts do you prefer to maintain your fitness and be more effective in the water?

So I always have to be doing something as I find it extremely hard to sit still. I’ve been doing body weight exercises for a while now, within an interval training programme which works for me. That along with; cycling to and from work every day, a couple of sessions a week with some weights, eating clean keeps me feeling good.

What is the best thing about kiting in Melbourne?

There’s a good scene, less big fish and lots of options! You can drive for only a couple of hours for different wind directions, or if you fancy some waves. Being in a bay you’re not limited when the wind decides to blow off-shore.

Do you think it is easier to talk up the sport here in the warmer weather than in England?

Most definitely. All my students always look so shocked when they find out where I learnt and rode for the first 5 or so years.

What advice would you give girls planning a kiting trip to Australia?

Pack your kites as priority and try and keep your clothes as light as possible, there’s so many places worth riding and seeing over here. You don’t want to have to worry about too many bags!

So for making the big move across the world, pack ALL your kites don’t worry about clothes. Bring lots of sun-cream and go out and have fun. Don’t let anything stop you for going for it. Looking forward to seeing even more exciting things from Danni in the next year. She has just taken 2nd place in the Victorian state competition for female freestyle.

Don’t forget that you can follow Danni Durrant on Instagram and also learn more about Michelle Linnane and Croga Design here.

Published on: 14th February 2017