Our Team

The guys who dreamt and made dreams come through. Dil and Leo’s friendship stems back 20 years. They met through kiting and their lives are now changed forever because of it.

Dil interestingly was Sri Lanka’s first local Kite Instructor though now ‘retired’ and enjoying learning new sports like Wingfoiling. He had his stint in the corporate sector, thereafter built KSL. He loves his art and gardening at KSL. When asked what his title is at KSL – he says he’s the Curator and Orchestrator!

Leo is the hardcore Kite of them both. Always riding and enjoying. He is the numbers man of KSL. Leo was an engineer before KSL took over his life. He now has also ventured into new businesses and is happily enjoying life in tropical Kalpitiya and Snowy France with his family, what a life!

These are your first points of contact at Kitesurfing Lanka be it through social media, e mail, phone or when you physically get to KSL.

Sonia and Sebastian head the office and guest relations aspects. Sonia also is a singer and does perform at KSL once in a while especially when we have bonfires. Sebastien has been with KSL for a number of years and enjoys his time at KSL and at his family farm.

Mihiri who works remotely is probably the first person you are in touch with when you e-mail us. Jude handles the entire operation and accounts of KSL. A calm and cool character, much needed to bring structure in this wild world.

We also have motorbike enthusiast Brendon who heads Digital Marketing for KSL and Anne who will work in Guest Relations. Anne is the freshest and youngest in the team but has blended in wonderfully with her outgoing personality and presence.

All characters themselves. They will take care of you at the two bars and the main restaurant. Thilak aka Mr. T has been with KSL since day 1 and now is in charge of the restaurant and making sure everything and everyone is doing well, if you are into fishing, then Mr T is the man to speak to.

Leon and Ranjith head the two bars. Ranjith is very well connected to the Sri Lankan music and tattoo art! Leon is new to KSL and having worked in a 5 star hotel setup, he is now learning to manage a chilled and rustic kite camp bar!

Always helpful, always smiling and happy. Our Kiteschool is headed by Sri Lanka’s Kiting Guru – Mischi. He has been with KSL for 10 years and in Sri Lanka since the inception of the sport which is over 17 years. Sri Lanka kiting scene and most of the local kiters have a lot to be grateful for as Mischi was the one who thought most of them including Dil!

Our Kite Rental is headed by the calm and cool Gihan. He is ever helpful and reliable. Gihan comes from a family of farmers. Do see if you can make a visit to his family farm which is a 5 KM bicycle ride from KSL. Gihan also run a side business called ‘’Kalpitiya By Jeep’’.

Tikiri who also has been with KSL for a long time, now sees a new season in life and work. A proud father of 2, soon to be 3; he transitioned from the office to understudy Mischi to be in Kiteschool. Tikiri has got his Assistant IKO license and loves to teach the sport. Tikiri is full of smiles and laughter.

Suresh also has seen KSL develop from scratch. He is our trusty rescue boatman as well as a trainee instructor. Suresh is a quiet type but always on the lookout for anyone that needs some rescue. In the low wind season, Suresh also run Dolphin and Whale Watching Trips for Kitesurfing Lanka.

The others in the team are also lots of fun. All of them except Saman kites. Ruwan also doubles up as a barber if you need a haircut! Be sure to talk to them and inquire about their adventures at KSL!

Our repair shop is easily the best there is in Asia! Nishantha and Shashikala are a husband and wife duo who previously worked in the textile industry. They know their machine and material and are always able to repair the kites and bladders. Do also support their sideline venture where they use old kite material to make pouches and bags.

Nirosha manages the Kite Shop which are stocked with Kites, Rashies and souvenirs. Nirosha studied art and specializes in Sri Lankan Art and Motifs; she also helps decorate and make the camp pretty. Niroshan is the wife of Ruwantha. We told you KSL is a family affair!

The heart of the camp. We have been blessed to have the best of Sri Lanka work at KSL and train and develop a new generation of staff that can head the kitchen. Chami who now heads our kitchen is the nephew of our very first chef Samson who now has retired. Chami has had experience working in the UAE and all over Sri Lanka.

We always believed in recruiting as much from the village and upskilling them. Almost all are trained from scratch. Most have not had formal education but now can prepare an array of dishes! You will be amazed at how good and healthy the food is.

Understudying Chami are Ashen, Shirantha and Maurinton who have done well to learn on the job and upskill themselves.

The core team that makes sure KSL stay pretty and nice. We take pride in the 8 acres of garden that we have. Do make sure you explore the gardens on either side of the bridge. We have counted more than 60 different flowers which include 8 types of Frangipani!

Theresa has been on the KSL land even before it became KSL. She tended to the coconut trees which are still here – 200 of them. In her free time, she weaves Cadjan which are used for roofing in the village. We organize by donation workshops that help her with some added income.

Balachandran was a silversmith but now is helping in the garden. Our goal is for him to revive his business whilst working at KSL. Saman or fondly known as SK is a carpenter and is an invaluable asset. He makes sure all the furniture and bungalows are maintained. Ari ‘’Uncle’’ is a professional gardener and had worked in the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, he is a wealth of knowledge in all things gardening.

Nissanka is our able-bodied all-round guy – gardener, plumber, electrician to even a coconut plucker. Always with a smile. Ruwantha also took a job rotation to help Dil and Leo manage the entire KSL property. It is never-ending maintenance for us.

There’s also Dil in the picture who is an assistant gardener to his dad Gihan who spends most of the low wind months making sure all the plants are attended to.

Faces not seen often are our house keeping team. They silently make sure the room and all KSL spaces are kept clean, neat and tidy. We are grateful for their efforts all year along. The team is headed by Tharindu who also is always at the KSL gym at 6 pm if you want to join him for a session.

Sandun is actually Thilak and Tikiri’s brother and you could see the resemblance!

Joseph is from the east of Sri Lanka in Batticoloa. He is visually impaired having lost his sight during a bomb blast during the Sri Lankan Civil War. He learnt massage technique through a Japanese venture in Sri Lanka where visually impaired persons were given training and employment.

We are grateful for his inspiration and work ethic to in spite of all, make a living and create a home for him family and community in Batticola.  His is always cheerful and can converse with our guest. One of the most memorable experiences he had was when our guests (Harsha and Seywon) took him to the beach to show what the kite was and also step into the ocean for the first time after losing his sight.

The success of our business is linked to the fact that we work with the locality to outsource as much services. A win win for all. Roy and Mervyn are from Kalpitiya and have been with KSL offering the transport service for over 10 years.

We are glad to see them developed from not owning any vehicles or renting to now fully owning their vehicles, if not 2! Our goal for them is to invest in hybrid vehicles.

We also have the local fishing community – Semuthu Fishing Society work with KSL to provide boats on a rotation basis. This partnership has been going on for 10 years and has benefited the locality of Kandakuliya Kudawa. There are 30 boatman that benefit from. We also contribute monthly to the traditional local fishermen so that they can keep the kite beach clean and that there is a money to be used as means of loans.

We also outsource the transport; tuk tuk’s and trucks to the locality. All the dolphin and whale watching tours are given to the locality too. Our belief is that the tourism pie is big enough for all to enjoy. We see an amazing example of how a win win partnership has transformed the village Kandakuliya Kudawa for the better. We do not want to stop here, but rather continue to train and develop everyone to create an even better tourism product that is mindful of the community and environment.