Storm Kitesurfing – Essential Safety Guidelines

Here on the south coast we are finally getting some wind. If you are thinking of kitesurfing in these conditions here are some things for you to remember.

1. Use kite size appropriated for the condition, when in doubt, try your smallest kite first
2. Use shorter line to restrict the power zone and the time the kite stay in the power zone. Start from 20m and go down or up as appropriated.
3. Launch and land unhooked (unless you use the flat LEI kite or bow kite)
4. Ride unhooked when you are near hard objects (unless you use the flat LEI kite or bow kite).
5. Wear a helmet
6. Use a smaller board for heavy air as you want more control of the board due to the extreme wind and wave condition. This is one of the reasons why the Hawaiians use boards 2 sizes smaller than the rest of us.
7. Use shorter lines. The shorter the lines, the more control you have over your kite in heavy air. Use the shortest line possible to get you on the board during water start (normally around 15 meters for kitesurfing) and jumping. The only problem with shorter lines is that shorter lines make jumping much more technical so you need to time your timing just right.
8. Use a slower kite. In heavy air, the kite is moving very fast so a fast kite is simply too dangerous (remember that kite power is proportional to the square of kite velocity). However, don’t use a kite that is too slow such that you can’t generate enough lift to jump.
9. A more stable kite. A nervous kite is simply too uncontrollable in strong wind.
10. Use a shorter control bar to have minimum control input errors.
11. Helmet (a must in heavy air)
12. Try to keep the kite as stable as possible. Rely on minimum movement of the kite to generate power. Try and keep your hands close together this will make handling easier as it keeps the input to a minimum.
13.Try to keep the board as stable as possible. In high wind, the chops are bad; a stable board will cut through the chops; an unstable board will get bounced-around.
14. Use a bidirectional board in heavy air so you don’t need to jibe as all. If you use directional board, jibe as quickly and as forcefully as you can.
15. Use your body angle to control the power of the kite (i.e., lean backward more if you are overpowered)
16. Use the edge of the board to control the power of the kite ( i.e., edge more if you are overpowered)
17. You can jump much higher in heavier air; make sure you know how to land smoothly by reading the landing page.
18. Use the techniques described in Kitesurfing in an Overpowered Situation to handle the gusts. Do not rush to shore to change to a smaller kite unless you are out of control and the “gust” stays for more than 30 minutes.

Information grabbed from http://kitesurfingschool.org/heavyair.htm