Kite surfing is a combination of power kite flying, windsurfing, paragliding and wakeboarding. The sport needs a good grounding in the use of power kite flying skills.

The best locations for kite surfing have a combination of good open beaches and excellent windy weather, preferably cross shore!

Beginners guide

The best way to start is by having a lesson (or several). You could help yourself by learning how to control a power kite first. This will mean that your lesson can be more about learning kite surfing rather than learning how to fly a kite. There are many kite schools poping up all over the place. Find one which has been recommended or has BKSA accreditation. All schools provide equipment, so a lesson will also save you from going out and buying the wrong equipment.

What equipment do you need? You'll need a kite, a wet suit, a board, a harness, a helmet and possibly a de-power system. Most kite surfers use inflatable kites, these are useful as you can relaunch them. Once a foil kite hits the water, the cells fill, and you will not be able to re-launch.

You'll need good upper body strength, loads of stamina, strong swimming skills, local knowledge of the water, currents and wind, and lessons from a qualified instructor to get started. We can't stress enough how important it is to go out with an instructor (or at least an experienced kitesurfer). There all sorts of skills to be mastered. Most of all how to control the kite and be safe.

A school will teach you how to be safe. Your learning curve will be much faster you can skip many sessions of practising the basics since you will be taught and corrected in a controlled environment. You can use and abuse someone elses equipment before buying your own (which I am sure you will take far better care of) If you have all your beginner learning with a school, when you come to buy equipment you can go straight onto intermediate equipment.

Lessons tend to include the following

Safety rules
Choosing your spot, kite sizing and wind strengths
Introduction to equipment how to set up and perform safety checks
Solo and assisted landing
Emergency procedures
The wind window
Understand how the kites fly and generate power
Kite skills - Body dragging, re-launching, emergency landing on water, self rescue
Kite tuning

Serious surfing

Serious surfers check out the weather daily - winds over 10 miles per hour are a must for a successful kite surfing excursion. Avoid thunderstorms, fog, poor visibility and off-shore winds. As a beginner you should be starting off in cross shore winds, thus you can go from side too side of the beach area, and not get blown out to sea.

Kite surfing is an extreme sport (and yes people have died) so take it easy, learn your limitations - put Safety first - and enjoy!!