Carlos Aldaravi has flown over the waters of Valdevaqueros Beach in Tarifa, Spain, for more than a minute.
The kiteboarder from Santa Pola set a new world record after pulling off a big air that lasted over 60 seconds.
People at the legendary wind sports beach cheered the Spaniard's accomplishment, which also included 20 kite loops. The previous world record was 37 seconds.
According to the kitesurfer, the wind was blowing in the 30-to-50 knots range, and he was flying a seven-meter kite.
"It's hard to describe what I felt. It's pure adrenaline," expressed Aldaravi.
The Spanish daredevil flew over the choppy waters for over one kilometer (0.6 miles).
"Whenever I rode my kite, I asked myself if I could get a one-minute air, but then I would always end up thinking it was impossible."
But Carlos kept training, and he always knew that Tarifa would be the place where he could eventually do it one day.
Tarifa is the European capital of wind and the premier go-to destination for all kiteboarders and windsurfers.
Big air kiteboarding is one of the most dangerous disciplines within the sport. Don't try this if you're not an experienced kiteboarder.
Years of Practice
Aldaravi might have unofficially broken it a few years ago. After all, this was not the first time Aldaravi managed to pull off a big, long air.
In 2018, Aldaravi performed a similar stunt during the Spain Kiteboarding League (SKL), even though the rider was not competing.
After watching Carlos Aldaravi kiting from left to right for a long time, the crowd on the beach, the athletes, and the judges were mesmerized.
They couldn't believe their eyes.
Aldaravi found the perfect wind gust, got to the sky, and rode his kite above sea level from the El Tumbao area almost to Punta Paloma for over half a minute.
For the occasional beachgoer and even beginner kiteboarder, it looked like Carlos was struggling to get down to the water surface or having some kind of equipment failure.
On the following morning, the SKL invited the fearless kiteboarder from the Alicante region for an expression session.
The event's organizers also wanted to know whether anyone had filmed Carlos Aldaravi's kite flight.
Unfortunately, there was only a short clip featuring the final part of the stunt, and the rider's tracking system failed to record the feat.
In 2019, Carlos made the headlines for repeating his high-flying skills, and it was clear that it was only a matter of time before he shattered the world record.
His time was now. Carlos was ready, and the smartphone too.
The one-kilometer, 60-second plus high-flying kite antic became a reality in 2021.
"When I was up in the air, the feeling was that it only lasted five seconds. Some people say I'm crazy and that I'm going to kill myself one day," concluded Carlos."
"You've got to be lucky and get a nice wind gust, but also the technique to hang on and not fall."
Carlos Aldaravi has no plans to stop pushing the limits of the sport.
Actually, he is already working on a couple of world records that he is looking forward to smashing.