Kom godt igang med wave kitesurfing

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Se de lignende artikler vi har modtaget omkring speed kitesurfing og race kitesurfing.

Vi glæder os til at høre fra dig :-)

Indtil at vi har fået skrevet teksten, er der her lidt vejledning på engelsk (seabreeze.com) og lidt danske videoer.

Wave Tips part 1

In the first article I thought I'd answer some of the most common questions I get asked from kiters that are getting into the waves. - Hope you find the info helpful - Ben Wilson

What sort of kiteboard should I get?

Definitely get a surf board, There are 2 options here epoxy and polyester ( regular surfboard construction). Both have their benefits the epoxy is lighter and tougher and will handle smaller hits and knocks without getting damaged. Epoxy is also more bouyant which can make them a little bouncy in chop. Poly boards have a bit more flex and sit in the water giving them a smoother feel in the chop. You have to be way more careful with a poly board and generally they will not last as long an epoxy. Remember both boards will still break if you place extreme force on them.

My advice to newcomers is to get an epoxy designed by a surf shaper. In the long run you will get better value out of an epoxy as it will last longer.

If you are broke just grab yourself the same board that you would surf and get going on that - you can pick up boards that will work for as little as $100 which makes it pretty affordable to get into the waves.

What do I ride? - I ride both - When you see me on a polyester board I am trialing new kiteboard designs that will appear in the next production board.

What size surfboard?

I ride the same size board as I surf. This is ideal because I can travel with fewer boards and I can surf the board in the morning and kite it in the afternoon. However you need to be fit to surf a smaller board.

A good rule of thumb is to get a board 2'' longer than you. Eg I am 6'foot and I ride a 6'2. If you are built like a brick then get a board with a bit more volume or a touch more length.

Do I need straps on my surfboard?

This is tricky and is different for everyone. We have had some people come to our wave clinics who have never been on a directional before and start riding strapless straight away. So it is possible to learn without straps. Most people feel more comfortable in straps and then progress to strapless.
Straps are useful in some situations and I still use them from time to time. If its really nuking like 30+ and really bumpy I sometimes strap up to get the most out that session. Straps also let you experiment with airs and you can then progress those moves to strapless kitesurfing.

Why do you unhook so much?

Unhooking gives me a much more natural stance when I riding and I use the power of the wave to ride the wave instead of the power of the kite. Being hooked in tends to pivot you on your waist where the harness is. This doesn't allow for a natural surfing style as when I am unhooked i have a fully open stance and can surf the wave the same way as i do without the kite.

I tried unhooking and can't hold the power.

90% of the people we have come across don't have their kite trimmed correctly to unhook.

What you need to do is have your kite in its optimal position when the bar is pulled down against chicken loop. That way when you unhook the kite keeps flying perfectly.

If you unhook and kite begins to stall or fly backwards it means it is oversheeted - Pull on the depower strap until you achieve optimal kite position with the bar sheeted fully in.

What size kites...will my freestyle kite work in the surf?

Yes it will but generally you don't need as much power from your kite as you are on a bigger board and you really just want enough power to get you around in the surf.

I am using the REVS from Slingshot and really just use 2 sizes. I am 84 kg. The 11m works for me from 10 kts up to 20. If I can't unhook on the 11 then I change to the 7m.

Again we see a lot of people with too much kite up when they surf. The smaller the kite the quicker it turns and its also easier to shut down the power when you are on a wave.

Wave Tips part 2

In this episode we will deal with how to get out in the surf, catching waves, and basic turns

Getting off the beach

1. Make sure you are in at least knee deep water so you don't rip your fins out when you get up on the board.
2. Head slightly downwind initially to generate speed.
3. Keep up a moderate amount of speed but control it so you don't get launched when you hit the first wave or whitewater.
4. To get over whitewater bend your knees and suck up the wave and let your board ride up over the foam. Kite position is really important. Keep your kite at 45% or better still have your kite pulling down as you hit the foam. This will pull you down and help you stick to your board. A combination of these 2 skills will ensure you stay on the kiteboard with or without straps.
5. If the wind is light you will need to move your kite to generate enough speed to penetrate the waves.

Catching Waves - From out the back

This technique is used when there is a decent swell and the wind is cross on or side shore.

1. Turn in front of a swell and get enough speed to stay on the moving wave.
2. As the waves steepens you will feel the power of the wave replacing the power of the kite.
3. Turn your kite down low in front of the wave and unhook as you begin to take the drop. Keep the kit low and make small adjustments as you ride along the face.
4. Initailly start out on the shoulder of the wave but as your confidence increases you will be able to take off closer to the pocket of the wave.

Whip at technique

This is great fun and basically involves doing a turn on the face of the wave to catch it.

It works in most wind directions.

1. Ride out with moderate speed
2. As you see a wave you want to ride bear away slightly downwind to get more speed.
3. Initiate the kite turn as the wave passes under the kite and spot you turn on the wave
4. Turn on the face off the wave maintaining speed and ensure your kite finishes low and in the direction that you are heading.
5. Unhooking is best done just after the turn when you start kitesurfing the wave.

Hot tip - If it is light wind unhook before the turn to generate more power and speed to catch the wave.

Bottom Turns

1) Head down the wave with feet in the sweet spot of your board. You will have unhooked just before this.	2) Keep your weight down over your heels and push hard on you back foot. The body position is like sitting back on a chair. Begin to look over your shoulder (leading) and this will create a nice smooth arcing turn.
3) As you come up off the turn get your weight forward to carry on forward speed. If you don't you will stall and fall out the back of the wave.	4) Look at the spot where you want go next . hot tip - the amount of back foot pressure is directly related to how tight the turn is. A good bottom turn sets you up for the whole wave.

Top Turns

1) Look at the spot on the face where you want to turn	2) Plant your back foot and get your weight over your toes and initiate the turn. Looking back down the wave will help you complete the turn
3)Keep your weight forward to maintain speed, you can use your back hand for balance and support if you have let go of the bar.	4) As you head back down the wave flatten out the board to get ready for the next turn and keep your knees bent to absorb the drop. Hot tip Keep your kite down low and forward to help so you don'ride underneath it

Vokse dit board

Top 20 wave riding tips

Here are Kiteboarding magazine’s top 20 wave-riding tips after four days of sage-like guidance from wave master Ben Wilson - aug. 2010

1. If you are rolled by a wave, let the bar out; don’t steer the kite while disoriented.

2. When body dragging in for your board, point your kite away from shore when waves roll through.

3. Always turn your kite before you turn your board.

4. If you want to stay on a wave, keep the kite low.

5. If you lose tension in your lines, grab the front lines above the bar and pull.

6. In light side-on wind conditions, double your wave count by riding waves upwind.

7. Move your back foot up on the board and over the rail to maximize upwind efficiency and the volume of your board.

8. Pick a wave early so you can feel it out as it shapes up.

9. It’s better to be too far upwind on a wave than too far downwind.

10. Visualize what you think the wave is going to do before you ride it.

11. When riding unhooked, grab the bar with your front hand with the chickenloop in between your index and middle fingers.

12. Make sure your lines are tuned so you cannot over-sheet when pulling the bar all the way in.

13. Lower your center of gravity for better balance, especially when dropping into a wave.

14. Suck up and be light on the board when going over whitewash.

15. To enhance upwind performance, turn your torso so it is over the chickenloop.

16. Only wear a seat harness in the waves if you have back problems.

17. If overpowered when unhooked, grab the chickenloop with both hands and hook back in.

18. When learning to ride strapless, start by taking just the back strap off of the board.

19. When riding unhooked in sideshore to side-on conditions, once the kite is parked, make subtle adjustments to the kite.

20. If the whitewash is too big to get over, consider chicken jibing — decide early, rather than too late