A CHAMPION kite surfer who was left in a coma after a stunt went wrong is back competing at the top level.

Friends and family of Lewis Crathern, 31, feared for his life after a kitesurfing accident while competing in South Africa in February.

He spent a week in a medically induced coma after falling 15 metres into the water at the Red Bull King of the Air competition.

But at the weekend Lewis made a triumphant return to his hometown of Worthing by winning the UK WOO Kite Club Championship.

After taking the top spot, he told how Worthing is the best place in the world for the sport.

He said: “Worthing was classic, it has been a while since it has been like this. When these conditions occur it’s simply the best place to kitesurf in the world.”

The athletes harness the power of the wind with a large kite and ride across the water on what is known as a kiteboard.

The sport combines aspects of wakeboarding, snowboarding, surfing and windsurfing into one extreme sport.

Lewis famously kite surfed over Worthing Pier in 2009 and Brighton Palace Pier in 2010.

However, his most recent headlines came following his crash in South Africa.

Local kitesurfing instructor Chris Miles, 45, agrees with Lewis’s glowing verdict of Worthing beach.

He said: “I know it sounds crazy but it is a great place to learn. Worthing has great flat conditions and it is not too shallow or too deep.”

Chris who teaches beginners at BEKS Kitesurfing School in Littlehampton thinks waters around Worthing trump more exotic kitesurfing locations.

He said: “If you go kitesurfing in the Philippines they have sea urchins, while the Dominican Republic is quite wavy and gets deep very quickly. You don’t have to deal with those problems in Worthing.

“With the temperatures we have right now in the water it’s great. When we do have wind, it is really nice - it’s perfect.”

Winds peaked at 40mph on Saturday making for perfect conditions.

Lewis’s praise for Worthing will be of great comfort to Worthing Borough Council. Councillors recently made a bid for £1.7 million in funding to support the town’s rapidly growing watersports business.

Kitesurfers were due to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio, but this was reversed by the governing body. It is hoped the sport will feature in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.