The former president tried out a fairly new sport which outfits a surfer on board with a handheld kite, while in the Virgin Islands over the weekend

Presidents don’t get to have very much fun. Beyond the day-to-day stresses of the job, security concerns keep a whole bunch of activities off-limits, and whatever Barack Obama might be missing about the Oval Office, those restrictions don’t appear to be one of them.

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The former president tried out some high-adrenaline water recreation in the Virgin Islands over the weekend, in a friendly competition with billionaire Richard Branson off the coast of Branson’s Moskito island.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Barack Obama kitesurfs during his stay on Moskito Island, in the British Virgin Islands. Photograph: Jack Brockway/AP

Pictures in a post on the Virgin Group website show the 44th president in apparent joy, learning to kiteboard (also known as kitesurfing) – a fairly new sport which outfits a surfer on board with a handheld kite for propulsion.

“One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became president, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii. When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: ‘This will be the last time you surf for eight years.’ For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved,” Branson wrote in the post.

The pictures emerged just a few day after Obama, several weeks into a post-presidency vacation with former first lady Michelle Obama, was spotted looking relaxed on a beach sporting a backwards hat – to the amusement of many on the internet.

Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) Obama's on vacation with the hat backwards. He's never coming back. pic.twitter.com/RUakcwwgtT

Branson challenged the ex-president to learn how to kiteboard before Branson himself could learn to foilboard, another young watersport that resembles water skiing. According to Branson’s post, it was a challenge Obama easily won.

“After all he has done for the world, I couldn’t begrudge him his well-deserved win. Now he has left, I’m going back into the water to practice for the next challenge,” Branson wrote.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Barack Obama and Richard Branson. Photograph: HANDOUT/Reuters

Obama has mostly kept a low profile since leaving the White House, as is tradition, but did break his silence to issue a statement about Donald Trump’s travel ban executive order. He has stated he will speak up if our “core values are at stake”.

In an interview released on Tuesday, Trump claimed he and his predecessor genuinely liked one another, despite an extremely fractious election campaign last year.

Trump told Fox News: “I don’t know if he’ll admit this, but he likes me. I like him.”

During the election Trump repeatedly criticized Obama, wrongly claiming he had founded Islamic State and at one point hosting a bizarre press event to back away from false claims Obama was born outside the US. Obama said Trump was not qualified to lead the country.

Despite that, Trump said the two were able to “hop into the car” and drive down Pennsylvania Avenue together during his inauguration with no ill will. “Politics is amazing,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report