3 min read

Meet our kite surfing ambassador, Mike Mac Donald

Here at Blowfish Restaurant and Dolphin Beach Hotel we’re big on good food, good times and during the windy season, we’re BIG on kite surfing.

For those of you who haven’t visited us recently, you might be pleasantly surprised to find out that we’ve transformed the wine cellar into a stunner of a kite shop! The man behind this transformation is Mike Mac Donald. A visionary, entrepreneur par excellence, marketing guru, and above all a professional kite surfer.

Our Kite Surfing Ambassador, Mike MacDonald

As a born and raised Cape Townian, Mike has always had a love for the ocean and started surfing at a young age. He dreamed about mastering the waves at all the big surfing spots around the world. With Cape Town’s famously windy conditions, Mike picked up kitesurfing in his early twenties - this became his new passion. His love for kitesurfing grew and he began working to take part in King Of The Air, the biggest kitesurfing competition in the world!

Mike did what many of us are too afraid to do - he did everything in his power to make his dream a reality and become a professional athlete. He quit his job working as a software engineer and devoted himself to his career in big air kitesurfing. Naish SA, a local kitesurfing company, became his sponsor and to fund his travels and his training, Mike started Foresight, a company that sells lighting and photography equipment. This entrepreneurial success is still running and the perfect place if you are in need of equipment.

Four years later at the age of 27, Mike finally competed in King Of The Air. He broke the WOO World Record not once, but twice, with his highest jump measuring 34.1m! Mike became well known in the kitesurfing community for this. Around the same time, Mike started making videos on Youtube to inspire others to learn how to kitesurf, to show his mistakes, and his amazing journey. With little kitesurfing content around, he soon went viral. CORE, his sponsors, couldn’t have been more proud. You can check out his channel @gethighwithmike.

Mike and Jasmine on their wedding day in Seattle, Washington USA in 2021

Not only is Mike a world-class athlete, but he also coaches kitesurfing and does workshops around the globe. The waters of Egypt, Indonesia, Bali, Oman, Greece, France, Spain, Brazil, and the US have hosted Mike and allowed him to show off his skills. It was during one of his trips to the US that he met Jasmine Cho, a professional kite surfer in her own right and the love of his life.

Mike doing a kiteloop board off in Langebaan

Mike is the CEO and founder of Big Air Kite League, a world tour of kite surfing championships. Taking place in the greatest destinations for the sport, the competition attracts the biggest and best kite surfers and ends in Cape Town each year. Spectators can expect incredible jumps, stunning aerial tricks, racing speeds, and the cream of the kitesurfing crop. Be sure to follow BAKL on social media to see when the events are taking place.

During the windy season, Mike and Jasmine enjoy the Cape Town life for four and a half months. Mike still views his home as the best kitesurfing destination and believes that “Dolphin Beach is the best kite spot in the best kiting destination in the entire world!”. We’re so excited to have Mike on board and as part of our team. We can’t wait to see what you do next!