About
Ben Wilson
Ben Wilson is an Australian big-wave kitesurfer and entrepreneur. He, his wife, Lauren, and their three daughters live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. This slice of paradise is known for its sun, surf, fishing and famously long downwind kiting.
For over 20 years as a professional kitesurfer, Ben travelled to the world’s best locations and taught many thousands of kiters in camps and clinics from Bali to the USA. These days his sold-out Kite Weeks to Namotu, Fiji and SoloSports, Mexico are known around the world as the ultimate bucket list trip.
Ben Wilson
In 2018 Ben became Namotu’s General Manager, a place he considers his second home, and where continues to run his Namotu Kite Weeks.
Namotu also sparked Ben’s love of fishing many years ago. Now he hosts charter fishing trips in Fiji and more recently, an Australian fishing show called Reel Destinations. Together with fellow Namotu fishing guide, Dyllon Schulz, they showcase Queensland’s best fishing, boating and camping spots as well as some recipes (Ben is also a chef).
See more…
The Beginning of Wave Kitesurfing
“I spent about six years as a professional freestyle kiteboarder, going all around the world to flat-water spots. It was a great ride but one day I felt like I wasn’t doing what I loved anymore. I’d become so busy chasing windy freestyle spots that I wasn’t even surfing. Kiteboarding had lost its shine and I wanted to get back to Namotu. Back to the ocean and the waves. I started to think kiteboarding wasn’t really for me.
In those early days, one of the most defining moments happened at the Zoo, a massive closeout shore break in Western Australia. We had some incredible sessions there charging these crazy waves and the photos received plenty of airtime. It was then we started to think there was real potential in surf-style. The other big breakthrough was during one of the ASP comps in Fiji. There was a session Ben Koptke shot at Namotu Lefts that ended up on four magazine covers. Nobody had seen people kiting on surfboards before and after that the rest was history.”
Big Wave Kiting
Ben was one of the first to use a surfboard in harmony with a kite. In 2011, he broke a world record, riding the largest wave ever kitesurfed at Cloudbreak, Fiji.
Ben continues to chase big swell and believes that the largest waves can only be ridden with a kite.
For Ben, kitesurfing is the ultimate extension of surfing, providing the opportunity to enjoy even blown out onshore conditions. His passion for the last 15 years has been sharing this with kiters and surfers from around the world.
“For me, there’s nothing like being in the ocean and the waves and I think a lot of people out there are the same. ”
Kitesurfing for Surfers
“Ever since I started kiting on my surfboard my passion has been to bridge that gap between the two sports. I want to see more surfers embracing kiting and coming to the realisation that the kite allows them to surf more waves in more conditions with the bonus of punting crazy tricks.”
We started our own brand, BWSURF in 2010 with a vision to bring more surfers to the sport. It was a tough job but we managed to get some really incredible athletes over the line… Josh Kerr (pictured left) along with other WSL surfers and guys like Kohl Christensen, Josh Mulcoy and Ben Bourgeois all added kiting to their sporting quiver.
Now after 10 years running BWSURF it’s time to go back to my roots… Back to Slingshot.”
Fishing & Boating
Ben started fishing while working as a chef on Namotu in the late 90’s. He was hooked and has appeared on shows including IFish TV, Local Knowledge and more recently as co-host on Reel Destinations.
Check out the first episode of Reel Destinations free on YouTube or find out more about fishing trips on Namotu.
