Reflections: Kite for the Ocean

Last year, I chose the Kauli Seadi Beach Hotel, conveniently located beside a kite center, for a brief getaway with my daughter and husband. Kauli Seadi, three-time world windsurf wave champion, 11-time Brazilian windsurf champion, Brazilian SUP champion and Brazilian wingfoil champion, together with Nana Seadi, a captivating, versatile and skilled kitesurfer, entrepreneur and the nurturing mother of Keala, constitute the Seadi family, breathing life into the world of wind sports. Their passion for wind sports led them to choose São Miguel do Gostoso as their home base, a choice I deem wise, as this coastal haven is, in my humble opinion, one of the premier kite spots in Brazil.

However, our adventure extended beyond São Miguel. Upon arriving at the kite center, Kauli shared his recommendations for picturesque lagoons, exhilarating downwinders and hidden gems in the vicinity. We decided to set sail to the Parrachos, an isolated coral-reef bank situated 6km from the coast, boasting turquoise waters that would leave us in awe of its beauty. Just before setting off I received a message: “Hey Karina, make sure you subscribe to a group called K4TO on Strava, because for every kilometer you kitesurf in the next month, you can help remove a kilogram of ocean waste. And I know you’d want me to tell you that!” Curiosity ignited… Who had come up with this brilliant idea, and how were they planning to execute it?

Despite my curiosity, Kauli was already in the water with his jet ski, supporting kiters and ready to capture photos of our memorable ride. So I quickly found the K4TO group online, subscribed, then got in the water. As I kited, I couldn’t stop thinking about this dazzling initiative and how I was going to convince every kiter riding alongside me to join in. The ocean transcends physical boundaries; it is a powerful, indivisible force that connects continents and ecosystems, unites humanity, and empowers us to take global actions. This profound connection with the ocean serves as a constant reminder that, despite our differences, we are all inhabitants of the same blue planet. There is no Planet B and we now have a deeper understanding of both the strength and fragility of the ocean. Kite for the Ocean is a global movement drawing attention to the impacts we are causing to the planet.

After a full day of kiting with Kauli and gang, I was in heaven. Not only because that’s how I usually feel when I’m in the ocean, but I was in this paradise, doing what I love and somehow helping to clean the ocean… somebody pinch me! I got on the phone to find out more about this collective of entrepreneurial and activist kiters, deeply passionate about the ocean and committed to its protection. Together, utilizing the power of wind and kiting, they aim to accelerate sustainable practices, exchange ideas, and inspire concrete actions to build a better world. “At first, we aimed to organize an event that would seamlessly blend sustainability and technology, initially uncertain about how it would unfold, but our home, Ceará, is the kiting mecca. In September 2019, in Cumbuco, 596 kiters broke the first world record during the world’s largest kite parade, drawing media attention to ocean conservation matters. Fast forward to September 2022, at the same beach, kiters surpassed their own record at the world’s largest kite parade, with 884 riders in the water simultaneously. This year, instead of breaking our own record again, we proposed a new challenge aimed at significantly cleaning our waters,” explained Romulo Alexandre Soares, one of the many K4TO co-founders. The initial challenge involved kiters sailing 44,000 kilometers, equivalent to circumnavigating the earth once, to motivate sponsors and local partners to remove 44 tons of ocean waste.

So that week I kited every day and started to spread the news to close friends, kiters I’d never met before, WhatsApp kite groups… I was all about the K4TO cause. And that earned me an invitation to be one of the 11 ambassadors for this genius initiative. Of course I accepted! What the creators didn’t quite anticipate when partnering with Strava was the participation of kiters from 14 countries, creating history by bringing together the largest group of people kiting simultaneously. Between August 26th and September 24th, 711 individuals kited at least 5km each, covering an astounding total 81,197.84 km. This achievement marked a new record – in 2023, the largest group of people kited together in history. I’ve had the privilege of being featured in the Guinness World Records Book previously, but this specific record fills me with immense pride due to its meaningful purpose.

“A significant part of K4TO’s success this year can be attributed to the fact that kiters worldwide could join the K4TO Strava club, making their efforts count. In fact, K4TO is the largest kitesurf group on this app, boasting members as young as five years old and as seasoned as 84,” said Mariana Zonari, K4TO co-founder. The idea of breaking a world record initially emerged to bring attention to the urgent need for awareness and to facilitate concrete actions for environmental preservation, given the rapid and concerning climate changes happening worldwide. The waters of all oceans are interconnected, so this local concern also plays a crucial role globally. A poignant example occurred during our mangrove cleanup when we discovered packaging waste from beverages that are sold only in France and Japan.

Leandro Monma, another K4TO co-founder explained more about the K4TO initiatives: “What I found most significant with K4TO was the demonstration of the influence that Cumbuco holds in the global kiting community. Beyond its perfect climatic conditions, Cumbuco brings together private companies, public entities, tourists, investors, associations, the local community, fishermen, tour operators, bars and restaurants, artists, athletes and kite schools to collaborate for a greater cause. That is the development of sustainable tourism in the Cumbuco region and a positive impact on ocean preservation, removing 44 tons of solid waste by May this year from seas, estuaries, rivers and beaches through beach cleaning campaigns, mechanized cleaning (mechanically sifting beach sand), and eco-barriers in rivers.”

We haven’t even got to May and the goal of 44 tons has already been hugely surpassed, with over 73 tons being removed by the time this magazine went to print. As a passionate advocate for social and environmental causes, actively engaged in numerous initiatives both in Brazil and around the world, I find myself eagerly anticipating the transformative impact that K4TO will undoubtedly bring over the coming years.