Brazilian Brothers x Max Tullet: 35 Knots in Cape Town With the Rebel D/Lab

The Brazilian Brothers caught up with world-class pro rider Max Tullet at Kite Beach in Cape Town for a session that wasn't going to be subtle. With 35 knots of nuclear wind ripping through and two-to-three-meter waves stacking up offshore, the conditions were perfect for putting the brand-new Duotone Rebel D/Lab through its paces — and Max was the right rider to do it.

The Rebel D/Lab Experience

Heading into the lineup with proper wind and serious swell, Max couldn't have been more stoked on the new Rebel D/Lab. The lift and the flow are dialed in to a level that's hard to overstate, and the kite loops like a machine. After a few sessions on it, it's already become Max's favorite kite in the entire Duotone lineup — high praise from a rider who's spent serious time on every option in the bag.

Nuclear Conditions and Big Air

The wind in Cape Town was nuclear, plain and simple, and the waves out front were stacking up into the kind of kickers riders dream about. Max put the conditions to work immediately, throwing down technical big air and a few of his signature "naughty" tricks. This wasn't a casual test session — it was the Rebel D/Lab getting pushed in exactly the conditions it was built for, with one of the world's best riders behind the bar.

Post-Session Breakdown

Coming off the water after a heavy session, Max summed up the experience of riding a 9-meter Rebel D/Lab in 35 knots in one word: insane. From the beach, he made it look easy — sending huge loops and locking in clean landings in conditions that would have most riders rigging down or sitting it out entirely.

Technical Maneuvers

The highlight of the session was a dubby with the fin to a front flip — one of those moves where everything has to line up perfectly. Max admitted the kite went so far below him at one point that he genuinely thought it might not recover. But the Rebel D/Lab climbed right back up, caught him at the right moment, and he stuck the landing clean. The kind of trick that only works when the kite is doing its job and the rider trusts it completely.

Performance and Reliability

Asked to rate the day on the Cape Town scale, Max called it a solid eight or nine out of ten. The kickers were prime, the wind was honking, and the 9m Rebel D/Lab had everything it needed to show what it can really do. Max's verdict on the kite: fast, with incredible lift and a massive amount of flow. In his opinion, it's the best kite for big air kiteboarding currently on the market.

The reliability factor is what really sets it apart. You can trust the Rebel D/Lab to do exactly what you want, every time. Even on the deepest, lowest loops — the kind where you're hoping the kite finds you on the other side — it climbs right back up and catches you. For a rider pushing the limits of what's possible in big air, that consistency is everything.

Final Thoughts

Watching Max Tullet send a 9m Rebel D/Lab in 35 knots is the kind of session that reminds you why Cape Town is the proving ground it is. Nuclear conditions, perfect kickers, world-class talent, and a kite that holds up to every bit of it — that's the formula that turns a regular afternoon at Kite Beach into something special. The Rebel D/Lab clearly has the lift, the loop, and the trust factor that the top riders are looking for, and watching it perform in person leaves no question why Max calls it his favorite.

For anyone considering the Rebel D/Lab for their own big air sessions — or just curious about the kite making waves in the pro lineup — this was the conditions test, and it passed in style. The Brazilian Brothers will be back on the beach for plenty more sessions like this one, but for now, the takeaway is simple: when the kite climbs back up to catch you on a deep loop, you're riding the right kite.

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