The launching area for kitesurfers at Kailua Beach is a scant 43 yards at best, not much room at all for practitioners of the rapidly growing but still fringe sport to get their equipment (which usually includes some 25 feet of kite line) in order and on the water.

But no one is complaining — not loudly at least. Interactions between the various recreational sport camps who crowd the beach each day has always been fraught with tension, and kiteboarders are, in the words of kiteboard instructor Mark Shissler, "the last kids on the block."

"We yield to everybody," he says, laughing. "At least that's my philosophy."

But how long can Hawai'i's growing kiteboard community be held in check? Shissler, one of six kiteboard instructors at Kailua's Hawaiian Watersports shop, isn't sure what to make of the industry's claim that kiteboarding is the fastest-growing water sport in the U.S., but he does know, for sure, that local interest has been booming for the past several years.

In kiteboarding, athletes harness wind power via a large, inflatable kite to propel themselves along the water on small wakeboards, larger surfboards, or custom-made kiteboards.

Brothers Bruno and Dominique Legaignoux of France, are generally credited with first developing the idea of kiteboarding (also called kitesurfing) in the late 1970s. They later patented the first inflatable kite design in 1984. The use of kites in water sport took off in the early 1990s with the introduction of the "KiteSki" system developed by father-son team Bill and Corey Roeseler.

Kiteboarders today typically use one-directional surfboards, dual-directional wakeboards, or kiteboards, each equipped with foot grips or bindings. They wear a harness, usually around the waist, which attaches to a board and to a control bar used to steer the kite.

Wakeboards — short, wide boards that curl upward on each end — are generally more maneuverable and are considered ideal for jumps, flips and other acrobatic feats. However, many of these maneuvers are also possible on shorter surfboards.

Some people use longboards, retrofitted with foot grips, which can make the most of light-wind conditions.

"It's a matter of personal preference," Shissler said. "Everybody surfs, but not everybody wakes."

While the sport is safer than it used to be thanks to technological advancements like releasable leashes and new control bars that allow for immediate "de-powering," injuries can and do occur when kitesurfers launch themselves too high and crash, lose control of their kites and are dragged, or collide with reef, rock outcroppings or other people.

And that — not just steady business — is why Shissler is adamant that beginners take lessons to learn the sport properly.

"This isn't something you can learn from watching a video or doing it on your own," he says. "Everyone is responsible for taking care of the safety of others, and to do that, you have to really understand what you're doing."

Shissler says that aside from a reckless few, the majority of kiteboarders take these responsibilities seriously.

"We're self-policing," he says. "If any of us see someone doing something dangerous or irresponsible, we'll go talk to that person to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Beginners often learn with a wakeboard, because it does not require turning to move backward or forward, Shissler said.

In his lessons, Shissler methodically instructs students on how to control the kites, reading wind and wave conditions, and executing safety procedures, how to enter and exit the water properly, how to maneuver boards upwind, and other essentials. Based on the average learning curve, beginning kiteboarders typically require six to nine hours of instruction before they're ready to kiteboard on their own, Shissler says.

Still, it's not a cheap hobby to pick up.

At Hawaiian Watersports, the only certified International Kiteboarding Organization instruction center in Hawai'i, a 90-minute introductory lesson ranges from $125 to $175; six-hour packages (consisting of two three-hour lessons) run about $475.

Those ready to commit to the sport can expect to spend $1,200 to $1,850 for a kite, $550 to $750 for a board, $90 to $160 for a harness, $75 for a flotation device, $50 to $75 for a helmet, and about $30 for a leash.

Because the technology of the sport advances so quickly, there is an abundance of used equipment available on the market.

For all of the safety concerns (moderate), cost (considerable) and hard looks from fellow beachgoers (occasional), kiteboarders say the experience can be transcendental.

"It's a combination of everything," says Chris Zehetner, a 35-year-old Kailua resident and former competitive downhill inline skater. "You experience the elements — wind, wave — and you manage energy."

And while some enjoy the low-key pleasure of using the breeze to glide along the ocean, Zehetner, who also surfs and windsurfs, says it's turbulent, high-wind conditions he finds irresistible.

"I like the wind," he says. "I don't like to cruise."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.