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Obama kiteboards with Richard Branson on epic vacation

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY Network

Life post-White House isn't so bad, if new photos and video of former President Obama living it in up in the British Virgin Islands are any indicator.

Video and photographs show Obama horsing around with businessman Richard Branson and learning to kitesurf while vacationing with Michelle in the British Virgin Islands.

Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, said in a blog post that he invited the Obamas to stay on Mosikto Island following the end of Obama's second term as president.

Branson said that Obama told him that just before he became president, the Secret Service said he wouldn’t be able to 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 said in a post.

According to the blog post, Branson and Obama started a friendly competition to see whether Obama could learn to kitesurf, before Branson mastered a foilboard, which is a surfboard with a hydrofoil on the bottom.

Looks like the start of a beautiful bromance.

So, who won?

"As you can see in the video, Barack and I both fell many times, but we kept trying again and again and made progress over the days," Branson said in the post.

The businessman said he felt like his chances of winning were high, until the former president showed him up.

"We were neck and neck until the last run on the last day, when I got up on the foilboard and screamed along for over 50 meters, three feet above the water," Branson said in the post. "I was feeling very pleased with myself, only to look over and see Barack go 100 meters on his kiteboard! I had to doff my cap to him and celebrate his victory."

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