Thanks in no small part to its spectacular natural scenery and balmy weather, South Africa has become a veritable hotspot for all kinds of extreme sports in recent years and is the ideal destination for a gap year kitesurfing jaunt.
A mix between paragliding and surfboarding, the sport's popularity has grown substantially over the last decade and sees participants both attached to a harness and strapped to a wakeboard to make the most of the surf and the wind.
Although it might take a bit of practice to get your technique up to scratch, kitesurfing's leading exponents have been known to register leaps of hundreds of metres when weather conditions are at their most favourable.
There are kitesurfing spots located across South Africa, but the welcoming breeze and pleasant waters of Cape Town have proved particularly popular, earning international recognition among the extreme sports community.
And once you're finished soaring above the sea, there's always the cultural, culinary and historical delights of the city itself just waiting to be explored.