I have been kite-surfing for about 9 years. It is great sport/activity all around and a lot of fun. For me kite-surfing is a combination of 3 activities of which I already partook beforehand; flying, sailing and surfing.
The quality that is most helpful is a kinesthetic or proprioceptive ability. How can you adjust your body while it is in motion in all three dimensions while the surface under you is a moving like a carpet. There is a sense of balance that is needed in surfing, and it translates to kite-surfing, but it is different in that you have a kite counter-balancing your weight; as well as pulling your body in three dimensions. It is like flying in the sense that as you get better (after a few years) you do more aerial maneuvering and you will actually hang in the air for modest periods of time as your kite pulls you through the sky. However, it is more like sailing in that your kite acts like a sail in the wind to direct your motion. Tacking at 90 degree angles is the most efficient.
Kite-surfing will help you build a strong upper body (arms, shoulders, back), but a significant amount of endurance is required like water skiing. If your upper body is not strong, you adjust more slowly and your sessions will be shorter. Also a stronger core will help you balance your body with the forces acting upon it.
When you start, I recommend about 6 or so lessons (about 2 hours each) before you go out alone. The first (two) lesson(s) will normally be on land and you will learn to control your kite. After this you will move to the water. Very often a good location for wind surfing will be a good location for kite surfing, but here is the big caveat; you want an offshore breeze. This means that you want the wind to be blowing at your back and approximately ninety degrees to the beach. When you launch, it is like night and day with the wind at your back, as you get better you can have some the wind at a modest angle off of your back. One of the biggest errors that beginners make physically is that the try to muscle their way through the session and not let the wind to carry their body. You want to be slightly seated so as to not force your back to do the work (a little like windsurfing). The second biggest issue, which is solved with practice, is that your mind conceptual understand how to operate the kite, but when you translate it to action, there is a delay and that delay causes you to wipe out. The third issue is going out into open water before you have enough experience ridding in both directions in the relatively calm water near the shore. It is helpful to note that normally a good spot for surfing is not a good spot for kite surfing.
Your equipment is a board, a kite, a harness and lines (rigging). I recommend a vest unless you are a very strong comfortable in the open water), and a hat. Sun glasses are usually not practical until you have experience. Make sure your toe nails are rounded, especially your big toe as many kite surfers lose their big toe nail.
The boards and kites come in many shapes and sizes depending on your skill level, but here are the basics. The boards today are normally bi-direction and twin tipped (curved upward with small fins) which means that you can surf with either foot leading. You will want to learn to do this and be balanced (like surfing a right or a left). These boards have foot pads and straps that are used for free styling, wake riding, and cruising. The wake style board is shorter and has boots (bindings). The wake-skate board is also shorter, but does not have boots rather a gripped surface for tricks. There is a wave board with foot pads and mounts for straps that is better for open water cruising. Then there are race boards that are optimized for speed. In general a shorter board needs more wind compared to longer boards. When in doubt use a longer board, you will not turn as quickly or spin, carve or do tricks as well, but you can always get another board as you get better. Shorter boards also float less. The longer boards are more stable at higher speeds. Like a surfboard, the wider the board the more stability you will have and the easier it will be to learn, but you will be sacrificing speed and maneuverability. There is also a mutant board that is used for wave riding, but it is very specialized.
The kite is attached to your body via a harness. It is important that it fits well. If it does not fit well, your experience will be greatly diminished. There are two types of harnesses, the waist harness and the seat harness. The waist harness will general give you the best range of motion, but sometimes it can rough on your ribs, if you will jump and do more tricks this has more advantages. A seat harness is the best for support and comfort which will decrease fatigue, and is more advantageous for cruising.
There are two basic types of kites with many variations of these two types. First there is Leading Edge Inflatable (LEI) kite, and the second is called an Airfoil kite or Ram air kite. The LEI kite has internal air filled bladders in the struts and leading edge to make the kite have a rigid skeleton and float on the water. This is the most common and there are three major types; the Bow kite, the Hybrid kite, and the C-kite. The Bow kite is sometimes called the SLE (supported leading edge) kite. This kite has the largest wind range (depending on the speed of the wind you use a different kite). The Hybrid kites are the most common and are often referred to as Delta kites, but sometimes as an SLE. Hybrids generally turn faster and are able to slow down or depower more quickly and have a stable arc design. The C-kites are the ones where you go airborne and touch the sky. These turn very quickly and you can pop up easily. This type of kite is for the experienced kite surfer. This kite has a more narrow wind range and can be a challenge to launch.
The Ram kites are generally lighter than LEI kites, they are not (as) buoyant, they are flatter and have a high aspect ratio that develops more lift (power) and allows for more airborne maneuvering. These are better in steady winds and slightly unstable with gusting winds. They are generally better on a (mountain) lake or at altitude. Foil kites are designed with either an open or closed configuration; open foils rely on a constant airflow against the inlet valves to stay inflated, but are very difficult to re-launch if they hit the water and get soaked. Closed foils are almost identical to open foils except they are equipped with inlet valves to hold air in the chambers, thus keeping the kite inflated even in the water. Foil kites are more popular for land or snow, where getting the kite wet is not a factor.
The last part is the kite lines that are connected to the kite bar which you use to maneuver. When you use shorter lines while you learn, you will have a much safer and easier experience. Shorter lines will give the kite less maximum power by reducing the distance it can travel. Using shorter lines allow the kite to steer faster with less lag-time, an give the rider a more responsive kite. This also gives better feedback to the rider. Short lines are easier to untangle, and need less room to maneuver. Normal lines are 4m (meters), 7m, 10m, 12m, and 15m. There are also 17m, 20m, 22m, 25m, 27m, and 30m that can be used in combination to allow the rider a greater range with wind conditions.
A normal kite is between seven and eighteen meters. In general, kites are sized by rider weight, wind speed, board size and type, and rider skills. The bigger the kite, the more power at a given wind speed. The bigger (heavier) the rider, the larger the kite needed.
Depending on water temperature you will need a shirt or polypropylene suit, boots and maybe a hood. The thing to be mindful of in cold water is your swim back in, if you are unable to sail in or do not have a spotting boat to come get you. I only do kite-surfing in warm water.
The quality that is most helpful is a kinesthetic or proprioceptive ability. How can you adjust your body while it is in motion in all three dimensions while the surface under you is a moving like a carpet. There is a sense of balance that is needed in surfing, and it translates to kite-surfing, but it is different in that you have a kite counter-balancing your weight; as well as pulling your body in three dimensions. It is like flying in the sense that as you get better (after a few years) you do more aerial maneuvering and you will actually hang in the air for modest periods of time as your kite pulls you through the sky. However, it is more like sailing in that your kite acts like a sail in the wind to direct your motion. Tacking at 90 degree angles is the most efficient.
Kite-surfing will help you build a strong upper body (arms, shoulders, back), but a significant amount of endurance is required like water skiing. If your upper body is not strong, you adjust more slowly and your sessions will be shorter. Also a stronger core will help you balance your body with the forces acting upon it.
When you start, I recommend about 6 or so lessons (about 2 hours each) before you go out alone. The first (two) lesson(s) will normally be on land and you will learn to control your kite. After this you will move to the water. Very often a good location for wind surfing will be a good location for kite surfing, but here is the big caveat; you want an offshore breeze. This means that you want the wind to be blowing at your back and approximately ninety degrees to the beach. When you launch, it is like night and day with the wind at your back, as you get better you can have some the wind at a modest angle off of your back. One of the biggest errors that beginners make physically is that the try to muscle their way through the session and not let the wind to carry their body. You want to be slightly seated so as to not force your back to do the work (a little like windsurfing). The second biggest issue, which is solved with practice, is that your mind conceptual understand how to operate the kite, but when you translate it to action, there is a delay and that delay causes you to wipe out. The third issue is going out into open water before you have enough experience ridding in both directions in the relatively calm water near the shore. It is helpful to note that normally a good spot for surfing is not a good spot for kite surfing.
Your equipment is a board, a kite, a harness and lines (rigging). I recommend a vest unless you are a very strong comfortable in the open water), and a hat. Sun glasses are usually not practical until you have experience. Make sure your toe nails are rounded, especially your big toe as many kite surfers lose their big toe nail.
The boards and kites come in many shapes and sizes depending on your skill level, but here are the basics. The boards today are normally bi-direction and twin tipped (curved upward with small fins) which means that you can surf with either foot leading. You will want to learn to do this and be balanced (like surfing a right or a left). These boards have foot pads and straps that are used for free styling, wake riding, and cruising. The wake style board is shorter and has boots (bindings). The wake-skate board is also shorter, but does not have boots rather a gripped surface for tricks. There is a wave board with foot pads and mounts for straps that is better for open water cruising. Then there are race boards that are optimized for speed. In general a shorter board needs more wind compared to longer boards. When in doubt use a longer board, you will not turn as quickly or spin, carve or do tricks as well, but you can always get another board as you get better. Shorter boards also float less. The longer boards are more stable at higher speeds. Like a surfboard, the wider the board the more stability you will have and the easier it will be to learn, but you will be sacrificing speed and maneuverability. There is also a mutant board that is used for wave riding, but it is very specialized.
The kite is attached to your body via a harness. It is important that it fits well. If it does not fit well, your experience will be greatly diminished. There are two types of harnesses, the waist harness and the seat harness. The waist harness will general give you the best range of motion, but sometimes it can rough on your ribs, if you will jump and do more tricks this has more advantages. A seat harness is the best for support and comfort which will decrease fatigue, and is more advantageous for cruising.
There are two basic types of kites with many variations of these two types. First there is Leading Edge Inflatable (LEI) kite, and the second is called an Airfoil kite or Ram air kite. The LEI kite has internal air filled bladders in the struts and leading edge to make the kite have a rigid skeleton and float on the water. This is the most common and there are three major types; the Bow kite, the Hybrid kite, and the C-kite. The Bow kite is sometimes called the SLE (supported leading edge) kite. This kite has the largest wind range (depending on the speed of the wind you use a different kite). The Hybrid kites are the most common and are often referred to as Delta kites, but sometimes as an SLE. Hybrids generally turn faster and are able to slow down or depower more quickly and have a stable arc design. The C-kites are the ones where you go airborne and touch the sky. These turn very quickly and you can pop up easily. This type of kite is for the experienced kite surfer. This kite has a more narrow wind range and can be a challenge to launch.
The Ram kites are generally lighter than LEI kites, they are not (as) buoyant, they are flatter and have a high aspect ratio that develops more lift (power) and allows for more airborne maneuvering. These are better in steady winds and slightly unstable with gusting winds. They are generally better on a (mountain) lake or at altitude. Foil kites are designed with either an open or closed configuration; open foils rely on a constant airflow against the inlet valves to stay inflated, but are very difficult to re-launch if they hit the water and get soaked. Closed foils are almost identical to open foils except they are equipped with inlet valves to hold air in the chambers, thus keeping the kite inflated even in the water. Foil kites are more popular for land or snow, where getting the kite wet is not a factor.
The last part is the kite lines that are connected to the kite bar which you use to maneuver. When you use shorter lines while you learn, you will have a much safer and easier experience. Shorter lines will give the kite less maximum power by reducing the distance it can travel. Using shorter lines allow the kite to steer faster with less lag-time, an give the rider a more responsive kite. This also gives better feedback to the rider. Short lines are easier to untangle, and need less room to maneuver. Normal lines are 4m (meters), 7m, 10m, 12m, and 15m. There are also 17m, 20m, 22m, 25m, 27m, and 30m that can be used in combination to allow the rider a greater range with wind conditions.
A normal kite is between seven and eighteen meters. In general, kites are sized by rider weight, wind speed, board size and type, and rider skills. The bigger the kite, the more power at a given wind speed. The bigger (heavier) the rider, the larger the kite needed.
Depending on water temperature you will need a shirt or polypropylene suit, boots and maybe a hood. The thing to be mindful of in cold water is your swim back in, if you are unable to sail in or do not have a spotting boat to come get you. I only do kite-surfing in warm water.