ALL-ACTION girl Claire Moriarty discovered a hidden facet to the south's best known island

THE Isle of Wight is harbouring a secret. On this sleepy island off England's south coast, tucked away near the quiet holiday resort of Sandown, a long stretch of beach is buffeted by the wind and waves rolling off the English Channel.

In the summer it is dotted with parasols and deck chairs, in the winter it is visited by the occasional dog-walker.

But for one week in autumn it is invaded by around 300 top windsurfers, kitesurfers, and even basic surfers, from around the world.

With gale-force winds and crashing waves, the location provides some of the best watersport conditions in the world, beaten by Hawaiian windsurfing beaches only in temperature and, perhaps,

glamour.

The event, called White Air, has been running for the past six years.

It includes have-a-go sessions for budding extreme sportsmen and women.

But, despite the growing popularity of these so-called extreme sports', only the most hardened watersport enthusiasts seem to know of it.

New sports are continually being created as people seek to go faster and higher in the search for the greatest adrenaline rush, the biggest thrill.

Kitesurfing, where people powered by a huge kite skim across the water on a five-foot board, has only been around for a few years.

But already the sport is being pushed to its boundaries.

"He's getting about 60 feet of air!" cried the commentator as one kitesurfer took off and floated high above the sea for seconds on end.

Mountain boarding is another recent invention.

Think of a skateboard, add some footstraps and replace the tiny wheels with chunky off-road tyres, then find a big hill to whizz down at uncontrollable speeds.

"Mountain boarding's great because you can still do it when it's not windy," enthused the young man at the Extreme Boarding stand.

"All you need is a mountain and some ramps."

Unfortunately, this year it was too windy to really experience the thrill of mountain boarding.

With a 30mph head-on breeze, and only a slight incline for a "mountain," it is difficult to reach any breathtaking level of momentum.

"It's normally better than this," said the embarrassed instructor, urging us to crouch down to minimise the effects of the wind.

Ramps for the boarding competition were under construction, but the wave sailing events and windsurfing races were compelling.

Jumps called tabletops', double forward loops' and even a move called the cheese roll', not too easy to work out but looking a bit like a barrel roll, were among the spectacular and daring displays from the windsurfers.

Kitesurfers focused on "getting air" and hanging upside-down until they hit the water again and sped off.

But, aside from the extreme action on the beach, the island is worth a trip just to soak up out-of-season Sandown.

The town has an air of faded grandeur.

The enormous old hotel had paint peeling off the doors but still carried a sense of the true English seaside holiday.

White Air, which is aiming to become the island's second biggest event after Cowes week, takes place in October.

Cars can be taken to the island on the Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth, which takes about 40 minutes, and Sandown is a half-hour drive from Fishbourne.

Written Claire Moriarty

January 22, 2003 12:30