ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING KITESURFING

WHAT IS KITESURFING?

Do you know what is kitesurfing?

 

Kitesurfing is a sport where you use kite in combination with wind to produce power to ride on water. You are connected with a harness to a bar. The bar is connected to 24 m long strings which go all the way to the kite. You can use surfboard or twin tip board to slide and jump in water. Kitesurfing started back in 90’s in Hawaii. There were days with no waves and surfers couldn’t surf.  So they invented the kite to start surfing on flat water. Today people kite on flat water and you can also race with special designed boards or you can do freestyle like jumping and rotations. You can also kitesurf with surfboard and ride the waves. All you need to kitesurf is wind and equipment; you can even kitesurf on snow, ice, lake or beach with buggy.

 

 

WHY START KITESURFING?

Start kitesurfing and be free!

 

If you still don’t know why start kitesurfing here are some answers on your question.

Kitesurfing is the N. 1 fastest growing water sport in world. The life of kite surfers is simple, fun and exotic. Kitesurfers are traveling all around the world in search for best wind conditions and to enjoy time on water. You don’t need a lot of money to travel because there are plenty of low budget companies which offer cheap flights to many exotic kite destinations and you can find some good deals for accommodation. If you want to spend some more time at one destination, you can also easily find a short term job as for example in bar, restaurant, reception, kite center, etc. If you already know how to kitesurf you will easy find a job as a kite instructor and all you need is to send a few cv-s to kite schools where you would like to travel. You don’t have an idea of how many kite school are searching for staff in their kite centers and sometimes you don’t even need to have the kite certificate.

Kitesurfing is a healthy sport. You will be in good shape, with nice tan and you will be healthy. All what you were dreaming of can become reality, so you better think again if you want to become a kitesurfer :)

 

 

HOW TO START KITESURFING?

To start kitesurfing you don't need to be an expert in watersports!

 

If you want to start kitesurfing, the best way is to take lessons and learn all basics about kitesurfing. After you finish your kite course   you can rent our equipment with discount and continue to practice or you can always take some more semi-private lessons to learn some extra steps. After 1 week of practicing you will be able to kitesurf on your own and you can start to look for some kite equipment. We also sell second hand equipment so after you finish your course you can always buy the same kite you used for lessons. In this way you will already know how to set up your kite and you will not need to learn it again with some other model. At beginning you will feel a big difference between different kites so make sure that you buy a similar kite which you have been using during your kite lesson and/or rental. You can google a bit to see what equipment is best but you will find many different brands and models.

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LEARN KITESURFING?

Choose the best way to learn kitesurfing!

 

 

Have you ever wanted to learn kitesurfing but you didn’t know where to learn and how much money you will spend?

 

Great cause if you are reading this it means that you are just one step closer to learn kitesurfing! First of all you need to know if you want to just try kitesurfing or you want to become a kitesurfer. Best way to start kitesurfing is to start with lessons and to get in touch with kitesurfers from all around the world. The cheapest and easiest way for you will be to start with beginner lessons where you will spend around 300€ and you will learn all the basics you need. You don’t need to spend money for your equipment and if you start to practice alone there is a big chance that you will crash your kite and you will need to repair it or buy a new one. If you practice kitesurfing alone it can be dangerous because you don’t know all the basics about wind, places where to practice and safety rules on water. In kite schools you will meet people who are well connected with many kitesurfers and shop owners where you can buy good kite gear for reasonable prices. If you have any questions about how to start kitesurfing you can contact us and we will help you with all that you need to know.

 

 

 

 

 

IS IT KITESURFING EASY TO LEARN?

Yes, kitesurfing is easy to learn!

 

Well if you ask if kitesurfing is easy to learn the answer is yes, it is easy. Every sport needs some practice. Kitesurfing is impossible to learn in one day but after 3, 4 days of lessons you will start to ride with the board. If you are lucky and you have time and good wind during your holiday in one week you can really become a kitesurfer. Equipment is designed to be safe and easy to navigate. After 3, 4 days of lessons you can start to practice alone with someone supervising you from our school and once you learn how to kitesurf, you will never forget it.

 

 

 

IS IT KITESURFING A SAFE SPORT?

Today kitesurfing is a safe sport!

 

At beginnings of kitesurfing back in 90’s kite wasn’t a safe sport at all. There were many mistakes on the equipment and people had some serious injuries. Don’t be afraid of kitesurfing, as today it is a safe sport. If you learn it in a right way you will be 100% safe. Equipment is designed to be safe and easy to control. Even if you have some problems you can release everything in less than 1 second. Don’t buy old and cheap kite equipment from internet just because is cheap. That equipment is not safe and can break easily. In the end you will spend more money because after you inflate your kite and you start flying it you will realize that you made a big mistake. We have a lot of customers who come and ask for help with some old equipment and we really cannot help because everything is different from today and you will not be able to find extra parts for your kite. Remember kitesurfing with old equipment is not safe and you will break your kite on the first big crash. Spend a few hundred extra euros to buy a newer and safer equipment.

 

 

 

 

WHERE TO LEARN KITESURFING?

Find out where to learn kitesurfing!

 

If you want to learn kitesurfing but you don’t know where is the best place for that here are some answers for you.

Choose a place where there it is always windy. You will need some big space on sandy beach where you can prepare your kite material. You don’t want many people around you, especially swimmers and sunbathers. Make sure that wind is on-shore or side shore; never go into the water if it is off-shore. Best way to learn kitesurfing is to get advice from local people, cause you want to  know all about wind and current on that spot. Canary islands are well known windy destinations all year round with warm temperature which will make your first kite experience easy and fun. If you choose our kitesurf school we will bring you to best spots to practice kiting. You will get all the information you need about which time of the day is best for kitesurfing, currents, wind and safety. If you already know how to kitesurf but you are for the first time on the island you can always pass by and ask a few questions about our kite spot. Feel welcome to contact us for more information about where to kitesurf on Lanzarote.

 

 

 

 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN KITESURFING?

You can learn to kitesurf in a few days!

 

People always ask how long does it take to learn to kitesurf. Well it depends if you have time and money to practice kitesurfing every day or you will practice once per month. Best way is to take lessons and afterwards rent the equipment so you don’t need to spend money on buying your kite gear. Let’s say if you are lucky to live close to a kite spot and you can take kite lessons after work or school and you can practice only on weekends. Practicing only on weekends you will learn to kitesurf in one month. If you decide to start kitesurfing during your holiday and you start with lessons and after you continue to rent every day, you can learn kitesurfing in 1 week or a bit more. It depends if you already did some water sport like windsurfing, surfing or wake boarding, or maybe you have experience with snowboarding. That will help you a lot to understand how to ride with the board but you will still need to get a good kite control. We can’t guarantee if you are good in wake boarding that you will learn faster kitesurfing from someone who never tried any waterspouts because maybe he will have more kite control. Even if you are not friendly with any sport you can learn kitesurfing because kitesurfing is all about technique and you don’t need to be in good shape as you need to be for surfing or windsurfing.

 

 

 

WHICH EQUIPMENT DO I NEED TO START KITESURFING?

All equipment needed to start kitesurfing!

 

If you are not sure which equipment do you need to start kitesurfing here are some answers.

 

When you are buying a kite you should ask if bar and pump are also included in the price. Kites without the bar can be 200 - 300 € cheaper so be careful when you are buying stuff from internet. You will also need a harness and a wetsuit. Even in warm summer when it is windy you will need at least a short wetsuit. And of course you will need a board.

All what you need is:

 

KITE (the size you will need it depends on how strong is the wind)

 

BAR (you can choose short lines 19 m or long lines 24 m) we recommend you longer lines

 

HARNESS (ask for kite harness not windsurf harness) there is  a small difference but don’t make this mistake.

 

WETSUIT (Buy a new wetsuit which fits you best and think where you will go kitesurfing and if you need a thick one like 5 mm or only                     3 mm)

 

BOARD (At beginning you will need some bigger board; lets say if you have around 80 kg, you should choose a board 140 cm x 45 cm                or more). For girls or small people you can also use smaller board but never buy a board which is too small because it will be                hard for you to stand up on it.

 

PUMP (usually you will get a pump when you buy your kite so ask for the pump). If you don’t get a pump you can buy a new one for                 around 20 - 30 €

 

 

IS IT KITESURFING AN EXPENSIVE SPORT?

Kitesurfing is not an expensive sport!

 

If you think that kitesurfing is an expensive sport you should think about how much money do you spend for gym or snowboarding. Maybe kitesurfing will be a bit more expensive at beginning but once you finish your kite course and you have all the equipment, that’s it. Wind is for free and you don’t have extra costs. Of course if you buy older equipment there will be more chance that you will break it and you will spend some extra money for repairs. 

 

 

KITE COURSE: 12h: 380€

 

KITE RENTAL: Depends on how many days you rent the gear, but you can get some really good deals if you rent for more days.

 

 

Now we will talk about used kite equipment and prices. 

 

KITE: If you buy a kite which is 1 or 2 years old you can spend around 600€  for kite and bar. Of course it always depends on the brand but you can                    google a bit to see different brands and prices.

 

BAR: Bar depends how old it is but price will be between 50 - 200€. Make sure that the kite you have can be used with the bar which you want to buy.

 

HARNESS: Second hand harness you will find for around 50 - 90€ depending on the brand. Maybe is better option to buy a new harness which will                              cost you around 100 - 150€

 

WETSUIT: Highly recommended to buy a new wetsuit. You can get good offers in shops for last year models in stock and you can save 50% or even                          more.

 

BOARD: Depends on brand but second hand board will be around 150 - 300€ and if it is a bit older it is not a big deal.

 

PUMP: New pump will cost you around 20 -  30€. Just make sure that pumps and valves of your kite fit together.

 

 

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO LANZAROTE

Find best flights to Lanzarote!

 

If you are flying from Europe there are lots of cheap flights to Canary islands. We are also well connected with Fuerteventura with a ferry and it takes you only 30 mins between the island. If you buy earlier your flight ticket you will get better deals. Sometimes it is also good to wait for last minute deals (around 1 week before date of departure). Out of season you can get some extra good deals and you can find a return ticket for around 50 €. Even in high season you can find tickets for 40€ return, but that is for last minute deals. Canary islands are best connected with Spain mainland and there are every day flights to Canary islands. Best low budget companies are: Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling (allows you to take 50kg of sports equipment for only 45€) Thomson-flights, Tuifly, Jet2fly... 

 

 

WHEN IS THE BEST WIND ON CANARY ISLANDS FOR KITESURFING?

Best wind for kitesurfing on Lanzarote, March-October.

 

Kitesurfing on Canary island is good all year around. Here on Lanzarote we have best kite conditions starting from March till October. For more advanced kiters, winter is perfect time when we have epic waves on Famara beach. If you decide to come to Lanzarote which is one of the most windy places in the Europe you will have a big chance to spend every day in water. You can check wind statistics on www.windguru.cz or www.windfinder.com and see why every year more and more people are coming to Lanzarote for Kitesurfing, Surfing and Windsurfing.