Kiteboarders are outdoor athletes in a harsh
environment; they have an overwhelming urge as they
progress to ride longer in stronger winds. They deliberately expose their bodies
to a combination of extreme conditions that can produce a deadly cocktail. Being
Kiteboarders are outdoor athletes in a harsh
environment; they have an overwhelming urge as they
progress to ride longer in stronger winds. They deliberately expose their bodies
to a combination of extreme conditions that can produce a deadly cocktail. Being
totally saturated then standing in the full force of
the wind while performing a strenuous activity is recipe for disaster.
Kiteboarders beware, severe Wind-chill and Hypothermia kills! Fortunately for us
the invention of the kiteboard was preceded by the invention of the wetsuit.
Wetsuits provide an insulating layer to reduce the loss of body heat while wet.
Wetsuits will not prevent heat loss totally, but they will significantly
increase your riding time, comfort and enjoyment.
Water is a very efficient conductor
of heat so you lose heat faster when in the water; even warm water has
this ability. Wind blowing across the skin conducts heat away much faster
then still air and the faster the wind blows the greater its ability to
suck the heat out. This is called wind-chill. This situation is exacerbated
with wet skin.
A wetsuit will make you more comfortable and
safer in cold water. It is difficult to
concentrate on riding when your teeth are chattering and your body is
aching. Beyond a certain point the body looses so much heat energy that the extremities become cold and numb, the muscles will function
less efficiently and you will become less coordinated. If a rider persists
beyond the pain barrier, the heat loss can lead to the body's core temperature
dropping mild Hypothermia can be recognized by slurred speech, blue lips,
apathy, this is a dangerous condition to be in on the water because it
can quickly lead to severe Hypothermia which results in unconsciousness
followed by death. The average person would give up riding for the day
before reaching severe hypothermia because of the pain and discomfort,
but if they get stuck in the water or lose their equipment they don't
have the choice. Hypothermia will happen to anyone no matter
how fit they are. In fact obese people with a thick layer of body fat have
a slightly slower rate of heat loss, but it gets to everyone in the
end. What if you become stranded a long
distance from shore?. You may have to wait for a rescue. In cold water it may
not be possible to swim as far as you think. Swimming may actually increase your
rate of heat loss by 35-50%. You'll wish you had adequate Floatation and
A wetsuit provides an insulating
layer between the skin and the air or water. The neoprene material in a wetsuit
has a thousands of tiny air bubbles that create closed-cells within the
material. That is why they float so much. The suit traps a layer
of water against the skin, which the body warms up. The air bubbles reduce the
amount of heat conducted to the outside water, it is the trapped water
and air layer that insulates the body from excessive heat loss.
The wetsuit must fit closely
to the body to work properly but not be so tight as to restrict movement.
A common mistake that new kiteboarders make is to use any old wetsuit, usually
a borrowed one that doesn't fit. While sometimes it is true that something
is better than nothing, there are occasions where an incorrectly fitting
wetsuit can be dangerous. A kiteboarder's wetsuit should allow for freedom
of movement. Many newer suits have specially designed stretch panels along
the back and under the arms to allow the rider the necessary mobility.
A good fitting wetsuit should allow you to grasp your hands together over
your head easily. Remember that 