Hello - I am a beginner and looking to progress in Kitesurfing. I will be in Europe next month. What are some of the best places with shallow water? Also looking for a place where wetsuit is not needed and the instructors are IKO certified and speak English. Thanks in advance.

Hello guys! I’m new to this world, I was admiring kitesurfing since I was young but I could not afford the costs! Finally I’m getting lessons and it’s going great! Second lesson and I’m controlling the kite pretty good!

Glad to be part of this finally!

Hi all! I will be working (many hours per day) remotely from the Canary Islands. However, I will have some hours on my 3 Sundays and perhaps I can make early morning sessions.

I’ve never done kite and only did windsurf in a camp when I was like 6 years old.

Is it worth it for me to take some lessons? Will I reach a point when it becomes fun?

To be honest I’m not planning on « getting into it and become a master », but just to disconnect in the sea for a bit and have some fun. I also tried surfing and…I was a disaster!

Which one is « easier »? Any good recommendations?

Thanks!

I am broke af and am about to buy a 13m cabrinha fx2 $580 new (not ever very windy in my area), an ocean rodeo control bar 2.0 $300, Saline C-2 harness, along with a pump and wind gauge. I’m getting the kite from a local shop that is going out of business so I’m getting it new for cheap. Unfortunately I will have used my budget and won’t have the money to spend on a board. I already have a $500 pro zap wave skimboard 56” (photo). Could I learn to ride on this board until I got a two tip board in about a month? Thanks, I’m a rookie at this

Hi Everyone,

I hope all is well.

I am an experienced kitesurf freerider willing to discover the world of foiling. I want to learn, which board and foil would be advised for my beginner profile, knowing that I would rather struggle (a little bit) at first than having to buy a second board later...

I am wondering if this same board can also be used for pumping and swell surfing when I go to France? Is there a versatile foil that could do both?

Thank you in advance to all of you for your help.

Weight 76 kg

Size 175cm

Location: Swiss lakes

Hey guys,

I've currently got a 12m 2018 north dice and a 2015 9m new as a begginer, I normally take out the 12m (I hate the evo) but I've just tried out my dads 12m 2018 rebel and loved it to bits.

I am really struggling upwind with the dice, and I either have way too much or way too little power.

This is definitely a skill issue however would it be worth selling my evo and dice for a new quiver of 2 rebels? (Or any other kites you recommend) or do I just tough it out with my current set-up.

Thanks guys!!

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure what I'm asking for here, but I'm mostly looking for people having been in a similar situation/ lending some advice.

I have been kiting for 20+ years. I like big air but still don't know how to front roll or ride unhooked (and am not super eager to figure it out). I occasionally foil, but it's not my riding style of choice, so mostly a low wind alternative. I have never wing-foiled. I get less than 20 sessions per year in at the moment.

I currently have 8, 10, 13m Dices from 2017, which I guess makes them old now. I replaced the lines once (very early on) because they ripped. Overall happy with the set but not sure I like them better than my set of RRDs, which somehow seemed to be much better quality (the bar looked brand new after 9 years of using it).

I am considering to buy a new quiver. I'm zero a fanboy of any brand and find it very hard to figure out what is right for me. I usually ride in/ around Toronto. Wind rarely gets over 25kn and usually is much lighter than that.

I have considered: trying to wing foil (thoughts anyone?) as there seems to be a TON of people doing that here. Somehow it looks "not fun" to me, but I've never tried so not sure.

I have also considered going for Flysurfers, but have never ridden one. They look slow but people seem to jump very high (even in very little wind?!). Also there seem to be issues with relaunch from the water with them. I pretty much never crash my kite, but there are some spots here where you have to drift-launch so that might suck?!

As stated above, fun for me is big jumps on a twin tip. I love angry power sessions but those rarely come by here. I just feel my kites need an update to revive my lifelong passion again a bit.

Hello, im a beginner at kitesurfing and i was on the market for a kite. I was looking at mostly used kites and i came across a 2021 dice for 690€.

Told about the kite to my instructor and he said he would get back at me. He later told me he found a 2024 rebel sls for 1200€.

The rebel is kind off out of budget but he said it is truly worth it since you are getting practically a new top of the line kite (used twice) for an insanely low price.

Any advice on what i should do? Thank you.

Hey all!

I am looking at getting my first power kite. Long term I'd like to use it skiing (their reddit is dead) and some possible kite boarding.

I am not new to kites in general. I've had a prism 1.9m (2 line) for about 10years and flown the shit out of it. I have recently gotten into 4 line kites and am in love with the extra control.

Is the kite pictured above a good next step?

It looks like most people use 3 line kites not 4, I'm guessing the bar is easier than the two handles?

Recommendations please if I can mix in some SUKing with the trainer that would be even better.

Relatively new to kitesurfing and started to ride upwind! However, I've noticed my legs tire quickly. Is this normal? I typically ride for 20-30 minutes before needing a break. Any tips on improving endurance or correcting form? Appreciate any advice! Thanks.

Note that I have taken lessons but only recently started to ride upwind. I never rode long enough in the lessons to experience leg fatigue.

Hi All, I’m a newer kiter. I’m buying some gear but I don’t live near a shop. I’ll be arriving in Egypt in a few weeks. I’m considering buying a harness when I arrive so I can try them on first.

Does anyone have experience with buying gear in Egypt? I’m covered on my kite etc. just trying to get the last piece of the puzzle.

Cheers.

Experienced kiter here with some advice for you guys, I'm frugal and don't have a big budget. You don't need to spend thousands to get gear, second hand is a bit of a minefield and close out sales a rarity.

There are smaller brands that make decent kites and have a smaller marketing presence and no dealers. Their kites are not the most advanced woth the latest materials but are good enough to start with.

The downside is that they don't have brand recognition and can be harder to re-sell, but as a beginner it's very likely that your gear won't be worth much so just accept that it's pretty much a loss.

So, one big small time player just released their new lines but kept their prices down. They ship worldwide and have good customer service (I'm not affiliated with them) kites around 500€, Bar €350, pump 20€... All good in my book, tried and tested materials.

I thought I'd share because I see a lot of posts and this is a good place to start and compare with what you can get at your local and decide if this is good for you:

https://www.gong-galaxy.com/en/blogs/magazine/gear-our-new-range-of-kites

Hey! I am in Fuerteventura now, and the wind conditions are great. I am located near Flag Beach. But the waves are too big, and I’m not able to and do not dear to go out. I am quite new to kiting.

Any flat water recommendations in fuerte/lanzarote? 🙏🏻

So I had a full week of lessons on 2021 in Rhodes, Greece where I learned how to waterstart and was doing some decent runs. I later took 2 trips, to Mui Ne, Vietnam and Lagos, Portugal, where I planned to kite for multiple days but the wind failed me. Last weekend, I finally got the chance to kite again in Gran Canaria and was able to waterstart but still can't go upwind.

I am looking for a place, ideally in Spain or Portugal, (or anywhere close to a European airport) to go kitesurfing for 3 days in June where I hope to learn to go upwind. The ideal location for me would be somewhere with flatwater likely to have 3 consecutive days of wind. I know I still need lessons until I can go upwind, but I don't feel like I need much more advice but need more practice.

I have been looking at Fuerteventura (Costa Calma or Correlejo), La Manga, (north of) Porto, and Tarifa (because it's so famous but I've read it's not very beginner friendly).

I lean towards La Manga to go kitesurfing in the lagoon but I'm also worried there might not be enough wind. Any advice would be great!

Safe for a solo female traveler?

I want to replace the main inflate valve on my leading edge. To do this I need to open the zipper and pull out the bladder. However the zipper is stuck. I soaked it in water to dissolve possible salt built up. I then tried some WD 40 and I also tried soaking in vinegar solution. Nothing has worked. Any ideas?

*Edit

Fucking finally got it loose!!! Soaking in vinegar, picking with toothpicks and with dental floss took out a lot of grime. Then the blunt side of razor blade to open break up the corroded slider and finally wd40+ flat nose pliers

I have a Cabrinha bar ( recent) . would it work on a Reedin Kite? Would it be a good idea to complete a Cabrinha 8m with a Reeding Model v3 10 m ?

I already kite since several years.

Hi!

I will be moving to Singapore in September for 6 months. Do you know if there are nice kite spots and a kite community there?

Or will I have to travel to nearby countries to kite?

Thanks

Hi all! I am approaching to kite surfing! I've done 4 lessons and managed to get some upwind riding (my kite never fell down during the lessons, just had more difficulties tryint to start but I bet it's normal).
I am trying to figure out how much would it cost to get some cheap equipment. The instructor said it's roughly 1500 euros for a used one. That's a ton of money :I

I live in Italy, specifically in the south of Sardinia, the big island on the west.
I imagine you will get a lot of crashes when you start and try to improve, so I think it's better to spend the minimum required to learn the sport and then upgrade months later when you know what do you want and where do you want to go.

Do you have any suggestion in trying to reduce the amount of money needed?

Looking to update my quiver and see some great prices on cabrinha 2022 drifters/switchblades/contra’s. Aside from the pulley problem was that year a bad batch and people are avoiding them? I see there isn’t much inventory of the 2023 left.

Hey guys, I just bought a Duotone Click Bar 2023 and a Lieuwe Shotgun board. Now, I also want to get my first 2 kites and was thinking maybe a 9m and an 11m kite to start with so that I don't depend on rentals anymore.

Which first 2 kites would you recommend to me? I’m looking at the Core kites (which one for a beginner?) or the Duotone Evo 2023 9m plus a Duo SLS 2023 11m kite, perhaps?

I’m still a beginner practicing my sliding transitions, etc., and will probably never wanna go too crazy. Just some nice and easy/safe jumps without taking too many risks. But I'd like to stick with these kites for some time, so they shouldn't be "purely" for beginners...

Kitemana recommended me these:

Evo 2023 Kite
Kite : Blue / Vanilla; 11m

Evo 2023 Kite
Kite : Blue / Vanilla; 9m

Or maybe the bigger one could be the Neo SLS 2023 11m? Or Dice SLS 2023 11m? Just to have something else and make the bigger one faster? Or do you think better 2 Evos? Or Core?

Any recommendations would be super appreciated. :) Thank you!!

Hi guys, I am looking to buy second-hand kites located in Germany or the Netherlands. What forums or services are commonly used by kiters in those countries for selling second hand gears?

I bought a crazy foil a few years ago and I tried learning on it. Not heavy on training bc I would opt to have fun when wind was at least 9m type on the TT. Now I bought a shorter mast and will be attempting to learn.

What would be the difference between a Crazy Foil and say a Phantasm by Slingshot In regard to learning?

Today I had my first real kite-mare moment.

I have been kiting for a couple years now, mostly in San Diego (light wind, big kites and foils, occasionally TT).

Over the last year I’ve been coming out to Maui once or twice a month to kite on Kanaha.

I have a 7m kite and a twin tip I use in Maui. I’ve had a lot of fun enjoying the crazy wind compared to the weak fan we get in San Diego - but today, I did not have fun.

I ended up going out further from shore than usual into the blue water and waves and did a jump that ended with my kite in the water.

I lost my board, and then the kite went inside out while I was trying to relaunch after a wave hit it, and then it started to death loop and drag me along with it. After trying to untangle the kite a bit, my bar started to get lines around it. I got drug along some more and pulled the eject.

All that was holding on was my safety line and I was expecting the kite to remain depowered, but because my lines had gotten so screwed up, it launched and pulled me hard again, so I let loose of the safety line too.

I was just out there all alone… pretty damn far from shore, no board, no kite, and I had a long ways to swim. I start swimming and I’m looking at these smoke stacks that are south of me on the island, and I’m making no progress at all.

Another kiter luckily saw me and came over and said he’d go get the lifeguards.

I keep swimming but it seems like I’m getting further from shore. At this point I was pretty stressed out, so I started thinking, you better just calm down and try to swim with the wind and the waves, and conserve energy. Eventually hopefully I maybe would make it to shore… maybe. My impact vest seemed to give me decent enough bouyancy.

The lifeguards come out on the jetski but go way past me. The other kiter that initially saw me went way past me and didn’t see me either. Then I was really thinking oh shit. This is not good.

No matter how loud I yelled or how much I waved my arms, the swells were too big and the wind was too much. I’m frickin wearing gray shorts, gray shirt, black cap, and not that it mattered - since it was gone, my kite is dark purple.

Luckily after another pass, the lifeguards saw me. They grabbed me and we went out and retrieved my kite and bar.

Another kiter evidently found my board as well and brought it to shore.

So lucky.

I didn’t die, all my equipment was found and undamaged.

From now on, I will be staying much closer to shore, wearing bright orange, and I got myself a PLB (personal locator beacon). I got a whistle as well.

Huge thank you to the Kanaha lifeguards and to the Maui kiting community for looking out for me. A couple kiters were even kind enough to help me get my lines sorted out afterwards so that I could go get back on the horse right away so I wouldn’t be scared to go again.

What did I learn?

1. Closer to shore is better.
2. Wear brightly colored clothing.
3. Try to keep the kite or at least get it to drag you towards shore before getting rid of it, unless it’s really going to injure you.
4. A whistle would be good.
5. The ocean is powerful and scary and your great day of fun could turn south very quickly.

I’m sure I’ll get some disapproval with this post - or people saying I’m stupid - and I agree, I sure felt stupid at the time.

My reasoning for posting this is because what happened today was something that I simply didn’t think would happen to me, and it did. I always watched the guys that went far out and said to myself “I’ll never go out that far, why do that?” Today I was out there for whatever reason and I wish I’d been better prepared.

I don’t want it to happen to me again, and if anyone that reads this thinks, “dang, that does sound shitty, maybe I’ll wear orange or bring a whistle” or something easy that might save/help them if a similar situation arose, then good, that’s why I wrote this.

Thanks for reading. And thanks again Tony and Freddy and Brad and Kristen and Justin and all the people out there today that made it so I can kite again (smarter) tomorrow.

Relatively B eginner kiter going to Belize in August with the family. Hoping to slip in a few days on the water while there. Anyone know if there’s an outfit renting gear in or near Placencia?

I'm from Brasil and speak fluent portugueses. Never been there tho, welcome any advice/suggestions

Hi guys, so I've been kiting for a few years now and want to get into foiling. Live in Ontario Canada so conditions during the summer are usually kinda lackluster for TT.

I bought this board and foil for $250 a few years ago and have only used it behind a boat. It was kinda sketchy at high speeds but I think I would be able to control speed better with a kite. Is practicing behind a boat good to learn? Is it much harder with a kite?

Would you consider this a good beginner setup? What would you recommend as an upgrade after I got comfortable on this?

Link to similar setup

https://www.thekiteboarder.com/2014/11/03/tkb-review-2013-lift-hydrofoils

First time posting, if incorrect forum, pls let me know.

For a bit of context I live on a small island in the Caribbean, I've been kiting for almost 3 years now. We have good days for my Reach 10m and TT. and mayor of days I'm on my 12m and TT as well, but on the other side of the season, we have plenty of 12-15 knots days. And I barely enjoy riding TT on those days, and I am right now looking for another LW kite, but I would like as well learn to foil and use my 10m, I saw a sale on a new Slingshot FKite -Surface area 1231, Cm2- pare it with WF-2, and 3 masts 24", 28" and 35.5"; (I do not think I need three masts, but better to have them than pay shipments and taxes later). All this for less than a new kite.

Any advices if this set up is suitable for a complety kite foil begginer?, and 10m reach is good to learn and progress?

I will try a friend's foil set for a while before buy anything, but it's a different set up, he has a F-one board hybrid board 156 x 51cm - and a front foil IC6-950 front foil and a IC6 300 rear foil.

Do not know if learning with X set up influence choosing decision of another one.

Any adivce on this topic is more than welcome.

Miller P.