Kite Surfing
These animals use something similar to a wakeboard (small board with footstraps)in that they are small and bi-directional. The board is attached to a large hand-controlled kite. There are several types of kites but the most common ones are inflatable. They use the kite to harness the wind and tear across the water, occasionally onto the face of a breaking wave itself. You don't need a breaking wave, but it certainly adds to the fun. Movement is controlled with a bar that is harnessed to the rider. 
These beasts can go fast. They can also get some serious air, fifty feet or more! I have to say that I've been quite jealous of them on blown-out spring days. The surf is sloppy as hell, but these creatures fly past me. This is when I see them the most, on days with a lot of onshore wind. Although I see them occasionally at the popular San Francisco Bay Area spots, lots of them descend onto Waddell Creek (between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz) with the wind surfers.
Although I don't see nearly as many kite surfers as surfers, they are rapidly reproducing and estimates are their worldwide population is now about 200,000. The main advantage as I see it is having a lot of fun on blown out days that would suck for surfing. The disadvantages being cost, equipment hassles, and accidently flying into a coastal bluff...kind of like some paragliders I see around here. Learning kite surfing involves the humilating initial stage that I witnessed in Pacifica of having to drag your body through the water...known appropriately as bodydragging. No board is used as the pup learns to control the kite. Guess it pays off as they rip past the surfers struggling against the blown out slop.
Kite surfers in California and Baja Return form Kite Surfing to Other Wave Riders
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