Kite Surfing Tips

Kite Surfing can be a dangerous extreme sport and there have been several fatalities since the year 2000. An out of control kite surfing experience is known within the genre as a kitemare. Here are a few handy tips to help keep your kite surfing experience a safe and enjoyable one:

Know before you go
Check the weather and if storms are predicted don't go kite surfing.

'Get some space Make sure there's a fair distance between you and other people, rocky areas and power lines. The majority of serious accidents come from collisions with hard objects.

Avoid off-shore winds
Always important to bear in mind, as they can drag you out to sea at speed. Once you have covered a fair distance you may find yourself too tired to swim all the way back to shore.

Protect your interests
Do this by protecting yourself. Helmets and life vests can save lives in the event of a collision. In particular, use a helmet if you intend on using a board leash, as the leash can propel the board at your head, killing you outright. Many experts advise not using a board leash at all but instead learning to body drag upwind in order to regain your kite board.

Beware of lines
Not just power lines, as your own flying lines can be nasty if you get entangled and are unable to free yourself. You must cut lines which entangle you. Kite surfers have lost fingers and received nasty cuts from flying lines, for this reason a hook safety knife is a must have.

Keep the authorities in the know Particularly if you have lost a kite board at sea. Otherwise they could think they have lost a kite surfer and waste precious, life-saving resources on searching for a phantom.

Don't bite off more than you can chew
This means don't be tempted to fly too big a kite for the wind conditions just to make things easier for yourself. You could too easily find yourself being overpowered by the wind and become a danger to yourself and others.

Enter with caution, exit with caution
Critical as many accidents occur on the shore at the beginning or the end of a kite surfing session. Hard ground brings an added element of danger, so spend as little time here with the kite in the air as possible.