A daredevil is hoping to use his skills harnessed on the Sussex coast to become the first person to kiteboard across the Irish Sea.

Jason Furness from Hove is credited with bringing the sport to these shores in the Nineties.

Strapped to a tiny board and being dragged by a giant kite, he was the first person to cross the English Channel by the method in 1999.

Jason, 31, with his fellow enthusiasts Andy Preston and Chris Calthrop, made the crossing after completing the hair-raising journey from Hythe in Kent to Wissant in France on their boards.

The group had to contend with giant waves and came close to being arrested as they approached the French coast.

Jason now travels the globe promoting kiteboarding, which is now the world's fastest-growing watersport.

He headed for Ireland last week to take part in a competition and to help raise the popularity of kiteboarding.

He said he did not think the conditions were suitable for the attempt across the Irish Sea at this stage but he is planning to make the crossing soon.

Until a date is set, he is preparing by concentrating on training.

Experts can achieve speeds of 50 miles per hour and reach heights equivalent to a five-storey building.

Unheard of on these shores five years ago, kiteboarders are now a common site off the south coast.

Jason, 31, said: "Brighton is definitely one of the homes of kiteboarding, with me being the first to try it here in 1997.

"People looked at me as if I was was off my face.

"But it's now becoming a very big sport.

"There are lots of places like Shoreham and Lancing where it goes on locally, all along the coast it's huge.

"It is very easy to pick up, even if you haven't done board sports previously.

"Although it's easy to learn, you have to wait for the wind to be right and the conditions."

The sport has its origins in France and Hawaii where it is extremely popular.

Jason got into the sport from kite-buggying which, as it sounds, involves sitting in a buggy and being pulled by a kite.

After winning national, European and World titles at kite-buggying, Jason switched to its sister sport on the ocean waves.

To raise the sport's profile, Jason said he was planning to kiteboard past Fatboy Slim's recent beach concert but there was not enough wind. He has, however, sailed past the Houses of Parliament.

Kiteboarding is next set to make an impact on film with a sequence planned in the forthcoming James Bond movie.

There are also a number of competitions around the country, with the climax of this year's competitive kiteboarding circuit being the extreme sport festival, White Air, on the Isle of Wight in October.

The ferry company Wightlink is offering reduced fares for people attending the festival.