Who's been in my shoes? Being a beginner sucks!

[dyyylan]

When I say "chop" I'm saying 6-7ft waves. Most anything that would be over my head is intimidating. Not that I'm scared of it, I just hate the idea of dropping the kite, losing the board....and spending 20 minutes reeling everything back in...

I haven't made too many connections kiteboarding. And its partly my fault. I just don't want too look like a fool out there in front of others with much more experience. Its probably all in my head.

1. That is not chop, and certainly not the conditions to learn in. You need to be in less then 2' chop or your progression will certainly be very slow.

2. Trust me they already know that you lack experience... An experienced kiter can pick you out before you even pump up your kite. In fact by visibly struggling and not making connections and not asking for advice you likely already look like a fool. You are the typical guy that will be the outcast cause you were to proud to accept that you suck. Stop sucking, go meet some people. Help to launch and land some kites, introduce yourself and make it known you're new and any advice is welcome... Yes you will run into the odd idiot but the connections are well worth it.
Oh lord it's hard to be humble..... :p

Haha you've clearly never kited in south florida, the waves are so sloppy you can't really call them waves. it's basically breaking chop.

yeah I feel your pain man, especially this season the waves have been huuuuge and nuking wind. the conditions should get a little more manageable now.

bahia honda is great, that's actually where my display pic was taken. the water is relatively flat and there's hardly anyone around. launching/landing can be kind of sketchy because the beach is so narrow, but it's a lot less sketchy than most of the keys where there is hardly any beach.

feel free to hit me up if you need local info or people to ride with, we do lots of downwinders if you're willing to make the drive a bit south.

[Oldpeople]

boy if you are trying to learn in 6 foot waves my hat is off to you. Definitely find some place flat. and I mean flat ....one foot or less. you will be amazed at how easy everything will be and how fast you will learn. Any length of drive to find the right spot will be well worth it.
I cannot image trying to learn in your conditions !

[Laughingman]

When I say "chop" I'm saying 6-7ft waves. Most anything that would be over my head is intimidating. Not that I'm scared of it, I just hate the idea of dropping the kite, losing the board....and spending 20 minutes reeling everything back in...

I haven't made too many connections kiteboarding. And its partly my fault. I just don't want too look like a fool out there in front of others with much more experience. Its probably all in my head.

1. That is not chop, and certainly not the conditions to learn in. You need to be in less then 2' chop or your progression will certainly be very slow.

2. Trust me they already know that you lack experience... An experienced kiter can pick you out before you even pump up your kite. In fact by visibly struggling and not making connections and not asking for advice you likely already look like a fool. You are the typical guy that will be the outcast cause you were to proud to accept that you suck. Stop sucking, go meet some people. Help to launch and land some kites, introduce yourself and make it known you're new and any advice is welcome... Yes you will run into the odd idiot but the connections are well worth it.
Oh lord it's hard to be humble..... :p

Haha you've clearly never kited in south florida, the waves are so sloppy you can't really call them waves. it's basically breaking chop.

yeah I feel your pain man, especially this season the waves have been huuuuge and nuking wind. the conditions should get a little more manageable now.

bahia honda is great, that's actually where my display pic was taken. the water is relatively flat and there's hardly anyone around. launching/landing can be kind of sketchy because the beach is so narrow, but it's a lot less sketchy than most of the keys where there is hardly any beach.

feel free to hit me up if you need local info or people to ride with, we do lots of downwinders if you're willing to make the drive a bit south.

Well just Fort Myers, the causeway would be a good spot to learn but the beach is not learner friendly either. No one said it would be easy. No one said you can walk out your door on your day off and go kite... This is the reality the wind and the waves don't care if its your day off or if your drove 5 hours or spent $4000 on a vacation.

[downunder]

It sucks even more if you injure yourself

Cut my heel really deep and wide. 4 years ago on a shell walking my lines...Took me 6 mnth to recover.

Coz of this, took me one year to just stand on a board!

Wearing the 5 fingers shoes since. Don't care what others think but I recon it saved my foot a few times (coral).

You're doing fine. Good luck.

[bahflorida]

Hey guys,

Headed to Bahia Honda State park in lower Marathon this weekend (Dec 12-14). A little worried for Friday. Winds might be up to 24mph with wave height up to about 5ft. Do you think this will be overpowered for my 13.5 Kahoona? And too choppy as well?

Either way, I'd really like to give it a shot.
Any other advice would greatly be appreciated

[KiteCulture]

i can't remember how big you are, but for me (150 lbs) that's pretty strong for a 13.5 kite. I'd be on a 10, but could even go a little smaller depending on the kite. If you're not comfortable in those speeds, wait it out… or go earlier and get out before the wind really builds. Or later as it dies off a little. With some experience you learn to pick your days. I've sat on the beach when it was too strong, and when it wasn't strong enough.

[matth]

Find a way to buy a smaller kite. A 10m would be a good size to match your 13.5. Look around on ikitesurf , local forums, even ebay, you can find some excellent deals on lightly used gear.
Having one kite can be frustrating and dangerous. Do whatever it takes and grab a smaller kite.
Check Masskiting.com, my local group. There are kites for sale all the time , for short money.
Good luck....

[t3rse]

And being new be careful buying a used kite. It would be ideal if you could get an experience friend to go with. Kites that have been left in a hot car will lose valves...they will either leak or just pop all the way off. Look for unusual wear on the trailing edge meaning someone left it pumped on the beach all the time. Some problems are obvious, but some not so much. Crisp material...not transparent and cloth like...wear on bridles and pulley life...bridle mounting points...quality of repairs (most used kites have some repairs)...faded colors, expecially on non-ripstop material means it saw a lot of UV.

I exclusively buy used kites. I've ended up with turds, and I've ended up with steals. Don't ever buy one you don't inspect first. And just because it holds air sitting idle doesn't mean it will flying. Buying used, you will get to quickly learn how to service these things. It isn't hard if you aren't all thumbs.

But I agree with the above comments about you needing a smaller sail as well.

[kiteontario]

I've been kiting for almost 10 years, and I still have those sessions! Sometimes the chop bucks me around, sometimes I'm just not on my game. Kiteboaridng to me is all about chasing… and then you catch it, it's the best thing ever. We're always looking for that illusive session. That feeling when you actually jumped 20 feet once…. but 5 years later, still haven't done it again. We'll always be chasing those sessions and feelings.

I live a three hour drive form the beach and have a young family, so time is hard to come by. You may want to save up some of those weekend drives for a trip to Hatteras. One week there and your riding will improve 100%… or any vacation where it's just you and the wind. You then have all the time in the world. The other factor will be gear… and it will take you a number of years before you can actually articulate what you like in a kite, and which ones work well for you. Same for boards. Mine is custom made because I went to the builders place and told him what I wanted in a board - and I got everything I asked for. jellyfishboards.com

There will be frustrating sessions (there always will be because mother nature will rarely provide that perfect condition) but celebrate your successes. You'd be surprised how many people can't upwind body drag.

All I can suggest is to stick with it… keep chasing. ANd read read read, and watch watch watch. THere are plenty of instructional articles and tips out there to get you to that next level.

I just want to second the above. I'm late coming in on this discussion, but thought I'd add that spending a week (or two) of your vacation in Hatteras or somewhere similar in the spring or fall is a wise investment. We all have the issue of a free weekend to kite and experience less than perfect conditions. Then back to work Monday with excellent kiting conditions. Since it's hard to learn when the conditions are hit and miss, go work on your technique for a week when your "better half" isn't giving you the cold attitude because you spent the entire weekend at the beach and left her with the kids.