Kitesurfing FAQ

This is a copy of the Kitesurfing FAQ originally developed by Hung Vu (with some contributions from Mark Frasier) for the Kitesurfing School web site.  You may find a more up-to-date version at

What is kitesurfing, kite surfing kiteskiing, kiteboarding or flysurfing?

Nose Grab: Photo by Steve Slaby Kitesurfing, kite surfing, kiteboarding or flysurfing (if you speak French), is a new exciting water sport for the new millennium. Kitesurfing is a very, very young sport. In 1998, there were probably only a couple-dozen kitesurfers in the world (there was a "world cup" back then in Hawaii but some of the winners were starting learning kiting a few weeks/months before the "world cup"). The population of kitesurfers has been growing rapidly to around 1.5 million kitesurfers world wide by the end of 2012 (wikipedia). The idea behind kitesurfing is very simple. A kitesurfer stands on a board with foot straps or bindings and use the power of a large controllable kite to propel him and the board across the water. This simplicity also makes kitesurfing challenging. Your body is the only connection between the kite and the board and you have to control them both at the same time: piloting the kite on the sky and steering the board on the water.

How does it work and how did it all start?



As soon as traction kite was introduced, a number of kite flyers started thinking of using kites to replace conventional sails in water sports such as windsurfing. To make this popular, you need a kite that can be launched directly from the water. After years of research, a number of water relauncheable kites were introduced: Wipika inflatable kite (introduced by the Legaignoux brothers in the 80's), Kite Ski frame kite (introduced by Bill & Cory Roeseler in the 80's) and in late 1990's FOne closed cell foil kite (Raphael Salles), Concept Air closed cell foil kite (Michel Montmigny and Benoit Tremblay), Arc (Peter Lynn). While the fundamental technologies are different and the degrees of relauncheability vary, these kites share the same characteristic that allows a kite flyer to launch them from the water after a fall. There are also a number of other pioneer kitesurfers with their passion and devotion has helped to make the sport feasible and spread rapidly in the early days: Laird Hamilton, Manu Bertin, Laurent Ness (Axelair), Robby Naish (Naish Kites), Don Montague (, Flash (Marcus) Austin, Dave Culps (, Stefano Rosso (Yahoo Kitesurf group), Hung Vu ( and more. Thanks to all those pioneers, a new sport named kitesurfing was christened and destined to be the most exciting sport for the new millenium.

Is kitesurfing safe?

There have been a few known fatal accidents while kitesurfing so for kitesurfing or any other disciplines of power kiting, safety has to be taken seriously. Make sure you follow the safety guidelines at and always use a safety release system.

Can a kitesurfer go upwind?

Yes. With proper equipment and skill, a kitesurfer can easily go upwind. However, all beginners are likely to go downwind. Check a pioneer beginner's log at to see how long it would take for a beginner to learn to go upwind.

How does a kitesurfer go upwind?



So to go upwind on a kiteboard simply "ride" on its windward edge.

Can I kitesurf in very light wind?

Yes. You can cruise in wind as low as 5 knots with the equipment currently available on the market (large kite and large directional kiteboard). For jumping you may need around 7-8 knots.

Can I kitesurf in very strong wind?

Yes. You can kitesurf in very strong wind over 40 knots with equipment currently available on the market. At the kitesurfing competition in Leucate, France, 1999, a number of kitesurfers could maintain control in 50 knot gusts. However, kitesurfing in 30+ knots is very dangerous so make sure you have the skill to do so.

Can I relaunch the kite from the water?

Yes. You can relaunch the kite from the water after a fall. The degree of relaunch-ability may vary depending on the type of kite you are using.

What equipment do I need to kitesurf?

To kitesurf you need:

A kitesurf kite (with a certain degree of water relaunch-ability),
A kiteboard,
A kite control device,
Accessories (safety release system, harness, life jacket, wet suit, helmet, water shoe, etc.)

What types of kite can I use?


Inflatable kites
Flat Inflatable kites (Bow kites)
Framed single skin kites
Ram air foil kites

What types of kite control device can I use?

Modern kitesurfers use a control bar with a center power trim line (chicken loop line) to control the kite and its power by changing its Angle of Attack (AOA)

What types of board can I use?



Directional board

Bidirectional boards have no distinct "head" nor "tail". Both "tips" of the boards are identical. A bidirectional board is also called twintip (longer and narrower bidirectional board) or a wakeboard (shorter and wider bidirectional board, similar shape as a wakeboard). A bidirectional board can travel in both direction. To change direction on a bidirectional board, you simply go reverse.

Most modern kitesurfers use a bidirectional board (or twintip) due to its ease of jibing and more control when jumping. Directional boards are only used in special cases (very light wind, wave, etc.)


Yes. You can use your kite in the winter with your skis on snow or on ice. Check for more information on kiteskiing on snow and ice.

You can also use a snowboard with your kite. Kitesnowboarding is very similar to kitesurfing (especial in more than 1' of powder snow). Check for more information on kitesnowboarding on snow.



Short skis for use in pure ice or tricks
Medium skis for all conditions
Long racing skis for speed
A bidirectional board
A small directional board
A larger directional board for light wind
Furthermore, you can use other winter toys:

Telemark skis

Who are selling kitesurfing equipment?

You can find a list of most kitesurfing vendors at Links.

How much does it cost?

A kitesurf board normally costs between $500 to $700 and a kitesurf kite normally costs between $700 to $1200 including lines and bar. A larger kite may cost more and smaller kite may cost less


You can buy used kitesurfing equipment. You can also make your own kite and convert your old surfboard in to a kiteboard. You can also build a kiteboard out of wood. Check and the boardbuilding group at for information on how to build your board.

Where can I buy used kitesurfing equipment?

You can buy used kitesurfing equipment at Furthermore, kiters normally post used equipment for sales at various kitesurfing groups and forums at

How hard is it to learn how to kitesurf?


How can I learn to kitesurf?

You should learn kitesurfing from a reputable local kitesurfing school. If none is available in your area, you may want to travel to learn kitesurfing. Click to see a list of kitesurfing schools in the world. If you have to learn kitesurfing all by yourself, at least see some instructional video and/or take a look at the Kitesurfing School web site at

What is the wind window?


How does a kitesurfer control the power of a kite?

A kitesurfer controls the power of the kite using the bar and the trim line (chicken loop line) to change the kite's AOA (therefore changing its projected surface). The kitesurfer can also control the power of the kite using the speed control method as described at Kite Power Controlling.

How many kites do I need?

The number of kites you need is dependent on the conditions at your local beach. Ideally, you should have 3 kites: a light wind kite (5 to 15 knots), a moderate wind kite (10 to 20 knots), a high wind kite (15 to 30 knots). For an typical kiter, this means a quiver consisting of 18m, 12m and 8m inflatables.

Most kitersurfers doesn't go out in wind less than 12 knots and therefore can be satisfied with only 2 kites. For such kiters, this means a quiver consisting of a 16m and a 10m inflatables.

What line length should I use?


The standard line length is 23 - 25m. In high wind, you may want to use shorter line length for more control of the kite; however, don't go shorter than 15m as you will loose much of the "jumpability" of the kite.

What line strength should I use?



Modern kites normally sold with lines and bar so you normally don't have to worry much about lines and bar.

Should I choose a control bar or handles?

Modern kitesurfers choose control bars over handles for ease of operation while jumping. Almost everyone now uses control bar except for some kiteskiers using old foils.

How do I change direction on a bidirectional kiteboard?

Kitesurfers never change feet when they change direction on a bidirectional kiteboard. They simply go from a heel-down to toe-down position when jibing or simply reverse the direction.

Is it easier to jibe or to go from heel-down to toe-down position on a directional board?

Kitesurfers change feet similar to windsurfing when they change direction (jibe) on a directional board.

Some kiters prefer to go heel-down in one direction and toe-down in the other direction especially for tiny directional boards.

Should I choose a bidirectional or directional kiteboard?

Most modern kitesurfer choose a 2-strap bidirectional board due to its ease of jibing and more control when jumping.

For some special cases, some may want a 2-strap or 3-strap directional board (very light wind, wave, etc.).

Should I choose bindings or foot-straps?

Use foot-straps unless you want binding for whatever reason.

Bindings attach your feet firmly to the board, therefore provide more precise control and "feel" of the board. However, they could be clumsy and very hard to get in or out when you are on the water.

Modern kitesurfers prefer foot straps for ease of entry/exit and also for certain advanced tricks where you take 1 or both of your feet off your board while in the air (it looks very cool!)

How many kiteboards do I need?

Normally you need only one kiteboard (normally a bidirectional board 40cm shorter than your height). If you live in a light wind area (5 to 15 knots) with some super high wind days (20 to 30+ knots), you may want to consider having 2 board: a larger one for regular days and a smaller one for super high wind days.

How big a kiteboard should I choose?

If you live in a high wind area (15+ knot most of the time) you should choose a bidirectional kiteboard around 40cm shorter than your height. If you live in a light wind area (5 to 15 knots most of the time), you should choose a larger kiteboard (10cm shorter than your height for bidirectional board or 30cm longer than your height for directional).

If you ride in waves, use a directional board from 5' to 6'1" depending on your height.

How big a kite should I choose?

For inflatable, the most popular size is 12 m2 flat surface.

The equivalent flat inflatable kite is a 10 m2.

Different kite types have different aerodynamics and therefore there is almost no correlation between the sizes among them. From experiences, for foil to inflatable comparison, use the approximated 8/12 factor (i.e., a 8 m2 flat area foil is somewhat equivalent to a 12 m2 flat area inflatable).

Same kite types are somewhat similar aerodynamically and their powers are proportional to their sizes (a 10 m2 kite deliver twice as much as power as a 5 m2 kite of the same type). Furthermore, kite size and rider weight are proportional (you should use a kite 1/2 the size of the same type of kite someone twice your weight uses in the same wind).

What is a safety release system?

A safety release system is a system that allows the kitesurfer to disable the kite anytime.

The flat inflatable is the kite with the best safety system. By simply letting go of the bar, a flat inflatable kite is fully depowered. For whatever reason, should the kite is not completely depowered, the kitesurfer can activate the main safety system to completely disable the kite.

How does a safety release system work?

For inflatable, the safety release system makes one line (either one of the front line or back line for a 4 line inflatable) about 1 kite span longer than the other lines (applicable to both 2 line or 4 line inflatable) to disable the kite when you stop holding the control bar. For foil, the safety release system pull on the brake lines to collapse the kite and have it gently landing backward. Both of the systems have a safety leash attaching to your harness or wrist to allow you to retrieve the control bar.

Normally you cannot disable your kite while hooking in and have to activate the safety release system to detach your harness from the control bar. The exception here is the flat inflatable kites. With flat inflatables, you can hook in all the time and simply let go of the bar to fully depower the kite. For whatever reason, should the kite is not completely depowered, the kitesurfer can further activate the main safety system to disable the kite.

Why do I need a safety release system?

You need a safety release system because:

If you drop the control bar, your kite may continue flying and injure someone or damage something downwind.
You may loose your kite
You may have a long way to swim to shore and may become shark bait.
You may become a paraglider by hanging on to your kite in very strong wind.
Furthermore, you may want to use a kite which can be fully depowered by simply dropping the control bar because:

You may not have time to activate your safety system while the kite is pulling you into a hard obstacle.
You may be unconscious while the kite is pulling you into a hard obstacle.

Can I build my own kiteboard or convert an old surf or windsurf board to a kiteboard?

Yes. You can build your own directional kiteboard or convert an old surf or windsurf board to a kite board. Your directional kiteboard should be from 5' to 6'10". As a general rule-of-thumb, the front foot straps should be placed just behind the center of the board. The back foot strap should be your-shoulder-width (or slightly larger) behind your front straps.

Many has built their bidirectional boards from wood very inexpensively. Check and the boardbuilding group at for more information.

How many fins should I have on my board?

Kiteboard can have from 1, 2, 3, 4 or even 6 fins. The fins are mainly used for directional control. While the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th fin may help to go upwind some what, it is the upwind rail of the board that act as the main fin for going upwind. More fins will definitely slow the board down. Most bidirectional kiteboard has 4 fins.

If you use a bidirectional board, you may want to ride it finless once you are used to edging. Check for information on riding finless.

Can I build my own kite?

Yes. You can build your own kite. Check the Kite Making section of the Kitesurfing School web site at for more information on how to build kites.

I am a windsurfer, why should I learn kitesurfing?


While windsurfing in less-than-15 knots is generally "windsuffering", kitesurfing in less-than-15 knots generates a lot of fun (some kitesurfers can go out in wind starting from 5 knots and some kitesurfers can even jump in wind starting from 8-10 knots). While windsurfers normally need 6' wave and 20 knots of wind to gain any decent altitude, some kitesurfers can gain higher altitude in 10 knots in flat water.


I am a windsurfer, is it hard to convert?


How fast is a kiteboard compared to a sailboard?


Furthermore, in light to moderate wind, a kitesurfer can fly the kite to generate more power during lulls. Thus a kitesurfer can go faster than a windsurfer in light and moderate wind conditions. In very strong wind (more than 25 knots), the dynamic "feature" of the kite makes it less efficient than a windsurfing sail. Thus a windsurfer can go faster than a kitesurfer in very strong wind.



Can I do tricks in kiteboarding as in wakeboarding?

Yes you can. Furthermore, the tricks are normally more challenging as you have to do them at twice the altitude and controlling the kite at the same time.


You can probably kitesurf in crowded water but it is dangerous. Try to get way upwind or downwind of the soon as you can.



A kitesurfer can use lines up to 50 m in length and normally flies the kite in the forward half portion of the wind window. This means a kitesurfer would need a space up to 50 m in width and 50 m in length. As the normal "clearing" distance between two windsurfers is around 5 - 6 m. This would allow only 10 kitesurfers to kitesurf in a space that can normally accommodate 100 windsurfers.

If all the kitesurfers follow the same rule and try to fly the kites at the same diagonal angle (with 15 degree margin for flying error as proposed in then the minimum clearing distance required is only 15 m. This would allow up to 40 kitesurfers to share the space that normally can accommodate 100 windsurfers.

I'm a kite buggier, is kitesurfing much different?


How fast is a kiteboard compared to a buggy?


Do I have to be the athletic type?


Is there a discussion group on the net for kitesurfing?

Yes. There are a number of discussion groups on the net. Stefano Rosso has set up the original Kitesurfing discussion group on the net since June 1998 and since then it has been the most popular email and web-based kitesurfing discussion group. You can find more information about this group by going to There are also a number of more recent discussion groups and forums, click for the list of all known kitesurfing groups and forums.

I am convinced now so how do I start?

It is wise to take lesson at a local reputable school. Check for a list of kitesurfing schools in Australia. It is also wise to review the HowTo and the Tips section of the KitesurfNoosa web site at and