As a newbie to kitesurfing or kitesurfing, I know there are many like me who think it is a really cool extreme sport. Most of the people I know who already play extreme sports are nervous about trying kitesurfing because everyone remembers the YouTube video of the guy crashing into a building. Scary stuff, right? For those of you who don’t know what this sport is, let me explain. Kitesurfing is the fastest and most adrenaline-pumping version of surfing. You don’t have to wait for a wave that looks good to come, you are in full control of where you are going, how fast you are going and which wave to catch. When using a kite, you use the wind to propel you and your board through the water. I’d say it’s a close cousin to wakeboarding, but you don’t need the boat. If you fall, you don’t have to wait for the board to turn around and come looking for you. The difficulties of using the wind to control speed and movement are probably pretty obvious – you have to rely on the wind. The wind has to be of good speed, direction, blowing at a constant rate, and you have to have the kite of the right size for the wind. You also need to know how to control it. If you let the wind carry you, you could soar 60 feet into the air, freak out, and fall. Therefore, it is important to know what you are getting into and it is important to learn the basics so that you are safe and can have the most fun. I’ll go over some of those basics here and hopefully pique the interest of those of you who think it’s too crazy of a sport to try.
From the beginning, you must learn to use your kite to go through the water. The first thing most people do is called body dragging. Body dragging is when you let the kite drag you through the water, without using your board. This helps you understand the wind, but more importantly, it will help you have a good experience when you go out with your board. Like wakeboarding or surfing, sometimes you are going to fall off the board. So if that happens, you need to know how to get to your dashboard in the easiest way possible. To get to your board, you use the kite to drag your body through the water. You don’t want to drop your kite, swim to your board, and then try to get back on your kite. Your board will survive even if it reaches shore. You want to make sure you take care of your kite. It is your most important team. If you know how to use your kite correctly, you can lose your board a million times, get straight to it, and get back up for a good ride.
Another technique you’ll want to learn early on is how to control your speed no matter how fast the wind is blowing. Most of the time, you won’t let the wind decide how fast you go and where you go. You can control your speed by paying attention to the sweet spot. This place is where your kite is completely caught in the wind and where you will get the most power. Areas just outside this sweet spot will still draw the wind, but they will be at a different angle and allow you to keep moving, but also slow down. It is important to use a combination of all these areas. A good kitesurfer will rotate between the sweet spot and the two surrounding areas, one just above and one just below. You can do this very easily by turning the arms in an “S” shape. This will allow you to gain power and control it, gain power and control it, always moving through the sweet spot and then out of it again. This is how you avoid sailing through the air uncontrollably and bowing to the whim of the wind. You definitely want to control your kite and your speed.
Once you gain control of your speed and learn to properly handle the wind that has been given to you, then you can start playing. This is where you can use the wind to lift yourself up into the air, do a cartwheel, and land safely in the water. Of course there are many other things you must learn, and for that you must go to school. My husband and I chose Honolulu Kite School, which I highly recommend if you go to Hawaii. I recommend kitesurfing in Hawaii in general because of Kailua Bay. Many people go here because the winds are strong and extremely constant in direction and speed. It is difficult to learn in that bay, so definitely go with an instructor to a sandbar or something else.
Honolulu Kite School had a boat passing us, which was perfect! If you are an experienced rider, a technique lesson is not a bad idea, but you can also go straight to the bay and enjoy the best kitesurfing in the world.
