Kite surfing entrepreneur Gray Robinson wants to turn Bermuda’s off-season into the on season with a new partnership with Cambridge Beaches.

As the owners of Graykite Bermuda Kite Surfing School, he and his wife, Kari Robinson, will soon be launching a full watersport centre at the resort offering luxury experiences such as kite surfing lessons, wake boarding, yoga and illuminated paddleboarding alongside special accommodation packages.

“The kite surfing school is the engine that drives everything because that is what tourism wants,” Mr Robinson said.

The global kite surfing tourism market is projected to reach $9.6 billion, but Bermuda is still very much a hidden jewel when it comes to the sport.

“We are really trying to put Bermuda on the map,” Mr Robinson said. “The wind is phenomenal, and there is the island’s turquoise water.”

He is already seeing a stream of overseas visitors coming to Bermuda to take lessons with him. He is looking for trained staff to help him, particularly on weekends.

Mr Robinson feels that kite surfers are a good demographic to target. Kite surfing is an expensive sport with equipment costing anywhere from $5,500 to $8,000, so enthusiasts tend to be affluent.

“Generally speaking, people who kite surf have money to spend on extended vacations,” Mr Robinson said. “They want to spend a couple weeks or more at a destination.”

He also has a steady following of local clients who tend to be expatriates who work in corporate Bermuda.

The season for kite surfing is October through June, right when Bermuda’s tourism industry is starting to cool down.

Mr Robinson, Bermudian-born, has been teaching kite surfing since 2003 and has Graykite operations in Spain and South Africa.

He came home to Bermuda when the Covid-19 pandemic erupted. It coincided with an explosion in interest in the sport.

“I got really busy, really quick,” he said. “I realised there was a huge opportunity to officially set up a kite surfing school here.”

To scale up, Mr Robinson approached Clarence Hofheins, the general manager at Cambridge Beaches in Sandys.

Until then, Mr Robinson had been working mainly out of Somerset Long Bay and Daniel’s Head Park in Sandys.

“There are some spots in Bermuda that are very beginner-friendly,” he said. “Cambridge Beaches is one of them. The water is shallower, and flatter. In contrast, it can get a lot choppier on the South Shore.”

The more protected stretch of water also works better with his boat-assisted teaching method. Each student is set up with a two-way radio that allows him to instruct them while they are on the water.

To test the market, he and Cambridge Beaches held a competition last year called the Freestyle Legends Tour. They hosted high profile kite surfers from around the world.

At least 70 people took part, including 19 locals.

The success of that event laid the foundation for a larger Freestyle Legends platform and a world championship‑level kite surfing event planned for next February.

Cambridge Beaches will be a key partner, alongside the Bermuda Tourism Authority, BermudAir and Paradise Mobile.

Mr Robinson expects to have everything operational in the next month.

• For more information, seewww.Bermuda.graykite.surf