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its possible to body drag in 3 inches of water, you need to be powered so your body planes a bit, it's ok if your legs drag on the bottom. I admit it, i'm lazy, why walk when you can body drag.

If you're not powered, you'll have 2 walk in shallow water my guess is you weren't powered enough.

If I body drag to shore and then walk back up wind to get my board it is recipe for disaster, i always lose track of my board and if the current grabs it goodbye board.

body drag is an important skill keep at it!

UKSurf wrote:What I do is park my kite and the edge of the window and hold it there with one hand, with the other hand and legs doggy paddle direcly towards the board. Seems to work alot better for me that just using the kite, give it a go and see.

+1

rocktor wrote:

UKSurf wrote:What I do is park my kite and the edge of the window and hold it there with one hand, with the other hand and legs doggy paddle direcly towards the board. Seems to work alot better for me that just using the kite, give it a go and see.

+1

are you kidding me? that sounds incredibly exhausting, no way am I gonna swim I just point at where I wanna go relax and moments later there's the board

swimming is for when you explode the kite

edt wrote:

rocktor wrote:

UKSurf wrote:What I do is park my kite and the edge of the window and hold it there with one hand, with the other hand and legs doggy paddle direcly towards the board. Seems to work alot better for me that just using the kite, give it a go and see.

+1

are you kidding me? that sounds incredibly exhausting, no way am I gonna swim I just point at where I wanna go relax and moments later there's the board

swimming is for when you explode the kite

You recover your board so quickly that way though. Remember times when you body drag and miss your board by an inch?

edt wrote:

rocktor wrote:

UKSurf wrote:What I do is park my kite and the edge of the window and hold it there with one hand, with the other hand and legs doggy paddle direcly towards the board. Seems to work alot better for me that just using the kite, give it a go and see.

+1

are you kidding me? that sounds incredibly exhausting, no way am I gonna swim I just point at where I wanna go relax and moments later there's the board

swimming is for when you explode the kite

Agree 100% with edt on this one

"Doggy paddling" is sometimes possible, if the wind is light and/or your board is drifting fine.

But more often, it is not possible at all, in higher winds (even when sheeted out) - and it requires a lot more effort no matter what, and you'll be tired.

Have seen and experienced some, who has been close to their board - and then tried to doggy paddle for so long, that they were totally wasted and could not do anything but bodydrag ashore and leave their board out there - because of being too tired, and demotivated

So as said, YES, sometimes especially if close to your board, you might succeed - other times you will fail miserably.

But a good superman (sideways bodydrag) will get you up there much faster and safer, with less effort.

Peter

PS: I definitely dont agree you can bodydrag "upwind" in 3 inches of water - as if you have sufficient power to plane without any "keel" effect, you can not really go upwind.
And this thread is about that it seems - a board down at the surface where there is no wind pushing it, and he needs to bodydrag upwind to his board

rocktor wrote:
You recover your board so quickly that way though. Remember times when you body drag and miss your board by an inch?

still too lazy to swim, lol I'll just do another tack no problemo. go for it if you want, I swim enough already when I explode a kite, no way am I doing extra swimming just for a board I would be swimming all day.

Peter_Frank wrote: I definitely dont agree you can bodydrag "upwind" in 3 inches of water - as if you have sufficient power to plane without any "keel" effect, you can not really go upwind.

Maybe you need a bit more than 3 inches I dunno exactly how much but definitely you don't need waist deep water. It feels like 3 inches

How come you can't walk up wind with the kite again ? I don't think you wanna body drag in shallows, you never know whats there you're scrapping up against... especially if the area was just dredged out

frankm1960 wrote:How come you can't walk up wind with the kite again ? I don't think you wanna body drag in shallows, you never know whats there you're scrapping up against... especially if the area was just dredged out

I know what you're talking about, but you don't want to walk in that garbage either it will put holes in your feet. Original poster was talking about practicing body dragging, of course he could walk it up if he had to.