Hey guys. To depower a kite, push the bar away from you to drop power immediately, or pull the depower strap in to reduce the kite’s base power level for the session. Two tools, very different purposes — and most beginners only know about one of them. I was riding a bigger kite once when … Read more
Hey guys. Kitesurfing sun protection is the safety habit almost every rider ignores — including me, if I’m honest. I tell everyone to use sunscreen before they get on the water. Then I rig my kite, launch, and forget it completely. I’ve paid for that more than once. Here’s the thing: a peer-reviewed study published … Read more
Hey guys. Too strong wind kitesurfing is dangerous — but the wind itself is only half the problem. The other half is riders who show up in 35 knots with a 12m kite while everyone else on the beach is on an 8m or 9m. That’s not bravery. That’s a serious hazard for the rider … Read more
Hey guys. Learning to read waves kitesurfing is one of those skills most people develop slowly and painfully — through sessions that went wrong rather than through anything they were taught. I’ve pulled riders out of currents more than once. Not because they were inexperienced — because they didn’t read the water before they got … Read more
Hey guys. Offshore wind kitesurfing is the condition that gets people rescued — or worse. I watched it happen once. A rider launched in offshore wind at a spot I know well, probably thinking he could handle it lop because he’d ridden in plenty of other conditions. His kite went down. He couldn’t relaunch. The … Read more
Hey guys. Kitesurfing etiquette comes down to two things: always help, and always know what’s happening around you. Everything else follows from those two. Some riders think they own the beach and the water. They launch without looking, they ignore other kiters in trouble, they ride through crowded areas without a second thought. They don’t. … Read more
Hey guys. Kitesurfing safety isn’t complicated. But some riders treat it like an optional extra — and that’s when things go wrong. I’ve watched riders launch into offshore wind without checking the forecast. I’ve seen people on the water who clearly don’t know the right of way rules and don’t seem to care. I’ve been … Read more
Hey guys. Kitesurfing alone is never fully safe. That’s the honest answer. You can kitesurf without anyone else on the water — experienced riders do it all the time — but someone always needs to know you’re in the water, where you are, and what to do if you don’t come back. I learned this … Read more
Hey guys. Can I teach myself to kitesurf? It’s the question kite schools don’t want you asking — and forums answer badly. Schools say no because they want your money. Forums say yes because nobody wants to admit lessons are worth it. The honest answer is somewhere in the middle. And it matters, because getting … Read more
Hey guys. I’ve watched a lot of incidents on the water over the years. Close calls, gear failures, riders getting into trouble they couldn’t get out of. The thing that strikes me every time — it’s almost never bad luck. It’s almost always the same pattern. Rider skips a gear check. Rider goes out in … Read more