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It's vacation time for Obama, faces Branson in water sports

Necker Island - Obama challenged Richard Branson to a kitesurfing contest while on vacation in the Virgin Islands

Former US president Barack Obama is trying some new and dangerous water sports that the Hawaii native had to miss out on for safety reasons while serving in the White House.

Obama, whose eight years as president ended last month when he was succeeded by Donald Trump, learned to kiteboard while vacationing last week on a Caribbean island owned by British billionaire and adventurer Sir Richard Branson, who published an account of their trip on Tuesday.
Photographs and video on the website of Branson's Virgin Group show the former president, a life-long surfer, figuring out the increasingly popular sport in which people ride a board while being pulled behind a kite.

"Being the former president of America, there was lots of security around, but Barack was able to really relax and get into it," Branson wrote.
Obama and his wife, Michelle, were spotted last week in the British Virgin Islands, and people posted photos of them on social media. Branson owns 120-acre (48-hectare) Moskito Island, which is part of the archipelago.

Kiteboarding was chosen in 2012 as a sport for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, replacing windsurfing. The decision was criticized at the time because the sport can be lethal, and it was reversed within months.
According to Branson, Obama studied the pastime for two days and flew a kite from the beach, "as if going back to being a child again," before heading out into the waves. 
Branson was trying to learn a similar sport, foilboarding, which uses a modified board that rises a few feet above the water. He wrote that he challenged the ex-president over which of them would succeed first.

Doff my cap to @barackobama for winning our watersports challenge. I'm determined to win next time! https://t.co/5hwjOvy2TK pic.twitter.com/J8MlUyk8IK
- Richard Branson (@richardbranson) February 7, 2017

this picture is the equivalent of obama texting "new phone who dis" to america pic.twitter.com/b9JmODfT25
- Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) February 7, 2017

Not that he doesn't absolutely deserve it, but wow, Obama and I could not possibly be living more different versions of the year 2017.
- Punch More Nazis (@KendraJames_) February 7, 2017

These Obama vacation pics are the best man. He ain't fucking w/ y'all right now. He got dolphins to ride & shit
- Don Victor (@Don__Victor) February 7, 2017

The video of President Obama kitesurfing is the sunshine my heart needed today.
- Jordan (@jordangerous) February 7, 2017

"Wish you were here!" ????#obama #barackobama #kitesurfing #vacation #teamobama #presidentobama #richardbranson #meme #obamameme @barackobama pic.twitter.com/UCQeyjFjfI
- Obama Memes (@B_ObamaMemes) February 7, 2017