Firstly I’m a strong advocate of the ‘try it before you buy it’ principal when it comes to purchasing new kite gear.
You are probably going to be on it for at least a season so why not make sure it does what you want.

Our local conditions vary greatly (usually from one half hour to the next) and in general are not user friendly with directional changes, gusts and holes, strong tidal influences and of course numerous tight launch/landing sites complete with oysters and rocks.
So in all, if you were trying to be positive about it, you could say it’s a great place to test the useability of kites in general without getting bogged down in the hype (i.e. either the gear allows you to make the best of the crap conditions and try new things, or you end up swimming).

The 06 Waroo marked the arrival of a kite that turned our some what difficult conditions into useable and enjoyable sessions, with its great gust handling and ease of use.
The proof being of course the increase in confidence amongst the Waroo fliers in general, and their overall rapid progression in comparison to those of similar levels still on C’s.

So what can you expect when you get hold of a Waroo PRO then?

Well build quality has of course taken another giant leap up, as it does every season, and truly deserves the term ‘Surf Tuff’. A quick look over the kite and that becomes obvious to all. No need to say more, go look for yourself.
Plenty of nice design tweaks, you can check them all out on www.bestkiteboarding.com

Pumped up hard, you realise just how rigid and narrow the Dacron encased Cuban Fibre leading edge is. Flip the kite over and it maintains it shape.
Self launching is less of a drama, with the kite sitting very steadily on its wing tip, maintaining its shape and place in the window through the gusts and lulls while you race back to the bar.

Airborne and with the first pass over head you instantly become aware of just how much lift this puppy is going to generate. The stiffness and precision of it all starts to sink in and I haven’t even got on the board yet.
Pull the bar in and I’m lifted out of the water and onto the board. A down stroke and the board is planning, bottom turn and the kite maintains its pull as it begins the up stroke.
Level the kite out in mid window, set the board’s edge, sheet out a little and ACCELERATE!


The kite ‘cuts’ through to the windows edge and keeps going, pulling you up wind with it, an unreal feeling.
Drifting the kite up for the first jump, sheet in, and BAM! There’s that ‘C’ kite explosion upwards, harness hook first with you ragged out behind it. The PRO really puts the exhilaration back into going big compared to the more sedate lift of the 06. Don’t jump close to the beach, it will catch you out!
Height and float feels much improved leaving plenty of time to consider what to try for.
Sheet out to scrub off some speed and height, pull in again for a second lift and a smooth touch down, very useable with excess power on tap.

The pull from the PRO is far more present right through the turns, setting you up for some huge carves.
Loop it and compared to the 06 you instantly feel the extra power the PRO generates combined with a much smoother delivery. Gone are the shudders and flapping as you invariably sheet out.
Unhooked and the PRO is more lively and easier to steer while giving a more consistent pull.
Drop the bar or sheet out and the PRO responds equally as well as the 06 putting you back in control and keeping your confidence high.

The other noticeable difference is the PRO feels constantly loaded. Sheet in or edge and the lines always feel tight and ready to take your weight in a no whip trick allowing you to go from one move straight into another.
Gusts were smoothed out just as on the 06 but the PRO has far better bottom end to carry you through the lulls particularly when the apparent wind speed is kept up.

In summary you get all the user friendliness of the 06 but with far more power, precision and feed back resulting in a more exhilarating ride.
I highly recommend taking one for a test ride, although once you’ve flown a PRO your old gear will feel limp and somewhat bland!

Joel Keen.