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Kite Surfing is relatively new to the UK, but in the past
5 years it has grown and grown....In 2001
there were a handful of people doing it, now there are kite
surfing shops and kitesurfing schools popping up all over
the place. The sport looks as if it is going to be absolutely
massive! And not without reason....it is fantastic!!! It's
another powerkite sport, but this time you use a special
purpose built kite (inflatable and water launchable, LEI)
to pull you along on top of the water on a specially designed
surfboard. It's much easier to learn than windsurfing, and
it all fits into your car.
Unfortunately it has to be said it is quite costly to buy
all the gear, kites range from £400 upwards, boards
from £200, not to mention a harness, lines, wetsuit,
and insurance. But all is not lost, there is a decent 2nd
hand market which will make it more affordable.
But cost aside once you have experienced a kite,
you will wonder what you've been doing all your life!! It
is mind blowing....although I have to say the first time I
flew my 5m Wipika LTR I found myself being dragged along the
sand on my front with my nose scrapeing against the sand....not
an ideal baptism.....but certainly the challenge was set!
Once you have a kite, you need to learn how
to fly and control the kite. The best way to acheive this
is to have a few lessons. You may feel that lessons are expensive,
but in comparison to the amount of kit you will need they
represent a very small percentage of your overall expenditure.
You will progress faster and learn all about safety and you
will be able to try a few boards and kites before committing
yourself to buy. For homework, start learning about the wind,
the direction and speed, so you know what wind strength you
can cope with and of course you don't want to be a beginner
kite-boarder surfing in an off-shore wind.......in fact you
should not even enter the water in an off-shore wind. Always
try to surf in a cross shore wind or on-shore. A good wind
speed to learn in is between 10 and 18 mph, anything less
and the kite won't fly, anything more and you be spending
all your time fighting the wind and not actually learning
how to control it. See our wind
speed page. Before entering the water you should be absolutely
sure that you can control the kite, practise, practise, practice
on dry land first, and only when you are master of the kite
should you get into the water. There are other basic safety
rules to adhere to, like always go out with a mate, be fit,
get insured, never let the kite take you out any further than
you are able to swim back in from, don't surf in a busy sea,
know the rules of the sea. Check out the local conditions,
talk to locals to find out everything you possibly can. Be
safe, be sensible, enjoy the sport. See our getting
started guide.
Kitesurfing can be practiced on dry land - dragging,
scudding, jumping
or using a skateboard or mountain
board. We often use the kite on the beach to get used
to it, and get the feel for the wind. It keeps you in practise
for the water. It is, of course, safer whilst you are learning.
(see our powerkite
page for more info). You can also bridge the gap between dragging
and surfing by body dragging. This method places you in the
water with your kite, but your body is in the water and the
kite pulls you....
Never enter the water with a kite and board unless you
are 100% certain you can control the kite and you know the
direction of the wind.
And of course look out for sharks when kitesurfing at Exmouth
Devon!
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