beginner kite surfer

[Jessattenborough]

Hi everyone,

I am new to kitesurfing! I have been watching kite surfers with admiration for a couple of years now, particularly since moving to my new house where I live near a popular kitesurfing beach in Altona Melbourne. I have had a couple of lessons so far - the first being just a lesson in assembling the gear and then some body dragging. The second was a lesson where I got to have a proper go at trying to kite surf. Needless to say it was hard! but I thrived on the challenge and definitely want to pursue it. I feel like I need to buy my own gear now, I think this is the next step! I need to have my own stuff and get familiar with it. I think making the $$ investment on the equipment will be the difference in getting me to fully commit to doing this.

So being an absolute novice at kitesurfing and not having the knowledge of the equipment yet, what should I buy first?
What size kite should I get for a first time?
What sort of board?
Is getting a trainer kite a good idea for me?

Any suggestions would be massively appreciated!

[sarc]

What size kite should I get for a first time?
- Ask experienced people at your local beach, they will be able to tell you (including judging your weight)
What sort of board?
- A cheap 2nd hand twintip. You will learn what you like in a few months, then buy that.
Is getting a trainer kite a good idea for me?
- Yes

Also get to seabreeze.com.au, Lots of 2nd hand gear there and you'll be able to get lots of friendly advice, maybe even meet a few locals onlne.

[Jwoo]

Your first gear should be used and cheap because you will definitely beat it up learning. As you improve you will discover what you like and then make the plunge to invest $$ in new gear. If you buy used gear, it's important to take someone with you that understands how a kite and the bar function. Not just someone that can kite, someone that understands the gear. I've seen many of my friends who are learning buy complete crap, or dangerous setups sold by people who don't care. You want something that's safe and will function properly. If you buy used gear online, make sure it's from a reputable kite shop, not some random E-bay seller.

[lovethepirk]

Jess,

Welcome! In my prior life I never went to the beach so I missed out on a lot, but I do remember traveling a couple years to the mornington peninsula and it was howling outside everyday, damn I wish I kited back then.

I bought a trainer kite when I started, but I did that way before I took lessons, I think it is a great thing if you are wanting to spend months having fun learning the pull of the kite in various winds. Since you are trying to waterstart already, I would skip the trainer kite for now, but if you buy one get a used one for cheap...I bought a new one and I could have saved some money had I know better, but I loved that little kite.

I completely agree with asking others around what the best kite will be to get...Also, ask some local experienced kiters what kites they own and what time of year they fly them most. This will give you an idea what size kites you will need in the future and which you should pick up soon for your current winds. The board size is very important too, don't overlook the size of the board, the local kiters can help you there as well.

Also, when you water start keep your hips forward and shoulders back and you will create a nice edge in the water with your board vs being wobbly and hauling ass at uncontrollable speeds and then wiping out. When handling waves and chop you have to deviate from a nice straight body line, but to get started I would say really push your hips forward and shoulders back.

[dylan*]

Some good advice so far, the only thing I would add is that if you have already flown a regular sized kite, a trainer kite is mostly pointless unless you plan on teaching someone else with it. The only real benefit to a trainer is to get you to understand the wind window and build up some basic reflexes, once you have that, you will probably never fly it again.

On the other hand, I like pulling the trainer kite out every so often when the wind is too light to ride, it's fun to just fly it around because it's so small and fast. And of course when a friend says they are interested in learning I can show them the basics and let them fly something.

[Jessattenborough]

awesome advice thanks guys really appreciate it!