Kiteboarding school in Tulum; sky is the limit.

When Heather Froeming and Marco Cristofanelli first came to The Riviera Maya neither one of them would have expected they would eventually be the owners, and operators, of a kiteboarding school in Tulum....

Marco Cristofanelli was raised in Rome, Italy, and came to The Riviera Maya in 2000 to have an extended holiday. He decided to take a job at a local resort in Akumal as a PADI Dive Instrucr, and to learn both Spanish and English. It was at this point that he also discovered the beauty of cave diving. He decided to become a Full Cave Diver,  and ended up working as a dive instructor,and full cave diver, for The Akumal Dive Center.

Heather Froeming, originally from San Diego, California, first came to Akumal after finishing college in 1998. At the time 307 was a dirt road, and the area was still pretty much undiscovered. But she found herself in Akumal and fell in love with the beaches and lifestyle. She first took a job with Centro Ecologico Akumal (CEA), a local non-profit which focuses on beach conservation, and turtle protection. She worked with CEA to start a local recycling program, and spent many hours riding around in the back of a truck picking up recyclables in and around the area. Heather worked for CEA for a year and a half, and then continued to travel between here and the States for the next 5 years. In 2003 Heather decided to make the move permanent and she arrived in Akumal to manage The Vista Del Mar Hotel and Akumal Dive Adventures, and it was at this time that she met Marco…..  

As most of you know Akumal is more of a village then a town so it was inevitable that Heather and Marco would eventually meet. Although they were friends first they officially became a couple about a year and a half ago, and decided to go into business together just last year.

You see, Marco is a bit of an adrenaline junkie and started kiteboarding about 2 years ago. He knew it was time to make a career change when he would be in the dive boat taking a group out to dive, and all he could think about was how many knots per hour the wind was flying at. So this is how Extreme Control was born. Heather and Marco moved into an ideal spot on Tulum Beach, and now have a facility outside of La Vita e Bella; a beach cabana hotel.

Although their first love is kiteboarding they offer a variety of water sports and excursions that will certainly fulfill anybodies needs or desires. In addition they are constantly coming up with new ideas and concepts, one of which being a kiteboarding camp. Kite Kamp “Uolis Nah” is set to accomodate either newbies to the sport to the more advanced flyers looking for fierce winds and big air. In addition, they offer great studio apartments near all the amenities of Tulum.

Although kiteboarding is the newest water sport, only being around for the past 10 years, it is also the fastest growing water sport, which is being considered for an Olympic category in the coming years. So if you are interested in trying to fly yourself or if you are wanting to take your skill to the next level Extreme Control can help you get there. They are IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) affiliated, and Marco is a certified instructor, so you will be in competent capable hands if you too want to fly high!

If you are interested in finding out more information on kiting or if you are interested in information about diving, snorkeling, or kiting camps, visit them on Tulum Beach or check out their website at: www.extremecontrol.net

Their summer hours are daily 11:00 AM to sunset. If you can’t find them at their beach palapa, and it is windy, look to the horizon and they will certainly be flying!

Want to learn the lingo? Click here for kiting terms and lingo.

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