Kite Surfing

Kite surfing, also known as kitesurfing and kiteboarding, and sometimes as flysurfing in Europe, involves using a power kite to pull a small surfboard (on water), a wheeled board on land, or a snowboard over snow.

Generally, the first step of kite surfing is to fly one's power kite into neutral position, in which the kite is straight overhead, and therefore not pulling except against one's body weight.

A safe way to launch involves lying down in shallow water, and strapping the board onto the feet. More experienced kiters can launch from dry sand or beach. Then, in a (hopefully) coordinated movement, the kite is flown toward the water, in the direction that the board points. If the board doesn't dig into the water or a wave, the kite pulls the surfer up into a powerful planing motion similar to wakeboarding.

Kitesurfers should never venture onto the water in offshore winds (because of the possibility of being 'flown' out to sea), although an exception to this rule is if you have someone with a boat or other watercraft, which can assist you back to shore. The best wind directions are cross-shore. Gusty onshore winds are equally dangerous because one can be lifted and thrown into hard objects onshore. In a strong wind with flat water, it's possible to traverse at 50 km/h (30 mph) or more.

To get going and to be able to stay upwind, you need about 8 - 10 knots (15 to 19 km/h) on a big kite (16 m²), which will allow you to perform low jumps and freestyle manoeuvres. An experienced rider generally carries a 'quiver' of different sized kites, appropriate for each wind condition.

A beginner can turn by going to the shallows or another stopping place, putting the kite up into neutral, and then turning the kite in the opposite direction. A quicker, more skilful turn moves the kite toward the wind, to swing the surfer's path in a half circle, centred on the kite. As the turn ends, the kite is flown over in front of the surfer again.

An unskilful turn will lift the board out of the water, which is often followed by a tumble if the surfer is unable to put the board down at the right angle. The kite can power up after tumbles and pull uncontrollably under water or against objects, so it is important to use safety equipment such as a deadman system, where the kite lines can be detached from the surfer's harness. Safety knives are a must to quickly cut lines in the event of dangerous entanglements. After a tumble, untangling and re-flying the kite can sometimes be difficult, and so experienced kite surfers try to keep the kite in the air.

If the kite is only turned partially, or is not straightened at the right rate, a turning surfer can swing up and fly, then get hurt when they re-contact the surface. Even in water, flying a power kite can be a brutal contact sport. The kite is usually twenty metres (sixty feet) in the air, and a careless turn in high winds can easily swing one five metres (two stories) into the air an...