The MaiTai Cabarete Freestyle Invitational, sponsored by OWC, kicked off this summer, crowing new champions in the men’s and women’s division. The inaugural kiteboarding freestyle competition was a huge success with participants from around the world competing for the title.
MaiTai Global is made up of innovators and influencers who combine their energy, network and resources to help each other achieve professional success while driving philanthropic activities. MaiTai Global has a vested interest in protecting the ocean along with their other eco-friendly initiatives and is especially committed to sustainability as a company itself. These efforts are in line with OWC’s environmental initiatives.
Bruna Kajiya was the Women’s Division champion, and recently we caught up with her for an interview about Cabarete and her environmental interests.
First of all, congratulations! What was your favorite part of the Cabarete event?
Bruna Kajiya: “Thank you! The event in Cabarete was a one of a kind in many aspects; we had very interesting social events and an amazing competition. My favorite moment was the finals, we had ideal conditions and the crowd was absolutely on fire, I could feel their vibration from the water, it was inspiring.”
Do you plan to compete in any other stops on the Clean Ocean Project tour?
BK: “Yes, I’ve been competing in the entire Clean Ocean Project Tour and last week I won the event held in Ferhman – Germany. I’m looking forward to the next event in Egypt and to finish the year in the paradisiac New Caledonia, for the very last tour stop of 2016. So far I’m leading the rankings and will keep up with the hard work to have more wins this season.”
What global conservation initiatives interest you most? Why?
BK: “I’m interested in conservation initiatives that are involved with ocean conservation, I feel the ocean is my second home, where I practice the sport I love so much and also developed a very strong connection from the early years of my life. I strongly relate to initiatives such as the Clean Ocean Project, especially because it’s all about taking matters into our hands and making changes locally, to then have a global impact by joining all of them together. This way it empowers people that are involved in the project, you fell you are actively doing your part and being joined but so many others doing theirs, it creates a strong feeling of community for a common passion.”
How do you envision technology and conservation coming together to make the world a better place for kiteboarders of the future?
BK: “I see technology as a great resource for conservation already, these days you can see how it’s helping monitor wildlife, changes in biodiversity, climate changes, etc. All this information is already extremely valuable for conservation projects to develop strategies. What I would love to see is to make all this technology available for everyone, that individuals can collect data from things that impact their daily routine and have tools to transform that, bit by bit. This way we become a big organism that can make progress in all corners of the earth.”
Have you ever had a hard drive fail and lost all of your photos or important data?
BK: “Yes, I did, and that was heartbreaking. I didn’t have any back up and ended up losing years of photos and videos from traveling around the world. In there were many experiences and special moments I wanted to be able to look back, and share later on in life.”
Related article: Using the 3-2-1 Rule to Protect Your Data
What’s one tech product you can’t be without?
BK: “My phone for sure, because I travel so much it’s hard to keep up with communication, my phone helps me keep in touch with my family, friends and work. Also document my trips and organize my them while on the go.”
Following in the footsteps of the World Surf League (WSL), the WKL represents the most elite and progressive professional kiteboarders achieving peak performance and exceeding boundaries while competing in international events and showcases. For more on WKL, please visit: www.worldkiteboardingleague.com. And for more on the event’s sponsor, OWC, visit: www.owcdigital.com.
