Learning to waterstart can be one of the trickiest things to learn in kiting, especially if you’ve had no prior board-sport experience. . In addition to being able to fly the kite blind (without looking at it) and with one hand, you now have to add the whole board part to it. There’s enough going on when you’re just flying the kite, but when you add the board into the mix, there’s so much to remember and so many pieces to put together. It can be hard enough learning to kite in flat shallow water, where you can stand (which makes it easier to relaunch your kite and recover your board ) … it can be even trickier if you’re learning in the ocean, in overhead water, with the chop and the waves.
This is where all those the hours flying a trainer kite will really pay off, even though it may FEEL like even all those hours flying the trainer still weren’t enough to prepare you for THIS ( a 2-line trainer is a bit different than a 4-line inflatable … but the basic kiteflying principles are the same). A handful of people get it right away, but for most of us, it take practice … sometimes a whole lot of practice. . Just keep practicing, over and over and over, and with time, you will eventually get it. It might not feel like it, but you will.
Prerequisites to attempting a waterstart
1) Being able to water relaunch your kite
2) Being able to self-rescue (wind up your lines, get you and all your equipment safetly to the beach)
3) Being able to fly the kite blind (without looking at it), and with one hand
4) Being able to bodydrag back to your board
Waterstarting
Orientation to the Wind
Winds should be side shore, or side-on. You’re not going to be able to do this if the winds are directly onshore … you’re going to end up on the beach. And if it’s offshore, DON’T GO OUT … you’ll end up out in the middle of the ocean without a way to get back.
For these purposes, assume that you’re standing on the beach, the wind is blowing at your back, and the water is to your right.
1) Getting into the water
You’ll be holding the bar, and flying the kite, with your left hand, and carrying the board with your right hand. Bodydrag out with your board past any beach break … and out a couple of line lengths. If something goes wrong, you don’t want to be too far out, but you want to be far enough away from the beach in case something goes wrong and you end up getting dragged to shore. As you’re bodydragging out, try to keep your kite at about a 45- 50 degree angle … but don’t go any lower than this … if it’s too low, it’s too easy to accidentally drop the kite into the water.
When you get to a good starting point, bring the kite back up to 12 o’clock. If the wind is light, you may need to keep the kite moving to keep it in the air. You are now sitting in the water, with the kite at 12.
Note: especially if you’re learning in deep water, it’s easier and safer in the beginning if you wear some sort of flotation device even an impact vest gives you a little flotation. In the beginning, you’ll most likely be doing a lot of swimming and floating.
2) Getting the board on your feet.
For these purposes, assume that you’ll be waterstarting with your right foot forward … going away from the beach. Holding the bar with your left hand, pull your board around in front of you with your right hand. To help keep the kite stable, it may help to hold the bar close to the center (unless the wind is light and you have to aggressively fly the kite to keep it in the air). Since your right hand is holding the board, it’s easiest if you put your left foot into the footstrap first … this makes you more balanced. Then, put your right foot in.
If there’s waves or chop, it’s going to make this part trickier. The water’s going to hit the board and try to make it swing around behind you, which will generally result in you turned around facing away from the kite, resulting in disorientation and a crashed kite, or at least getting dragged a bit and getting pulled away from your board, then having to start all over again. Try really hard to keep your board 1) between you and the kite, and 2) parallel to the kite (which is at 12 oclock).
3) Lay back and relax.
Once you’ve got the board on your feet, relax. Take a few deep breaths. Lay back in the water, and try to calm yourself down. check for correct orientation to the wind at this point. Make sure you know exactly where the wind is coming from, so you know where your wind window is. You want to make sure you’ll be diving your kite into the right place of the power zone.Before diving the kite look around and down wind for any approaching kiter or obstacles.allow 2 line lengths for safety.
4) Downstroking the kite through the powerzone
One very important thing to remember is this: the DOWNSTROKE into the power zone gets you UP on the board.
This is for a waterstart to the right (for a waterstart to the left, just reverse everything): you’re going to fly the kite from 12 over to 11 o’clock (to generate some power), then you’re going to dive it down into the opposite side of the wind window, aiming for about 2 or 3 o’clock… depending on the strength of the wind.
But before you go diving your kite right into the power zone, try to get a feel for how much wind there is, how much power you have in your kite. Fly your kite around a little, from 12 to 11, then just down a little into the power zone … not enough to get you going, just enough to see how much wind you have. The windier it is, the more powered up you are, the less aggressive you’ll need to be with the kite … meaning you may not even have to fly the kite all the way over to 11, and you won’t have to dive your kite so far down into the power zone on the downstroke. The farther you dive it down, the more power you’re going to get … and if it’s too windy for the stroke you’ve given it, you will most likely be yanked over your board and onto your face.
Err on the side of caution and not enough power the first few times, than on the side of too much power. It’s easier to recover if you’re on your butt with your board in front of you, than if you’re yanked over your board, with the board behind you, going for a ride behind the kite. So figure out how aggressive you need to be, given the conditions at that moment. If there’s not enough power to get you up on the board by the time the kite is halfway into its dive across the window, start all over again, this time being a little more aggressive. And I mean start all over again. If you don’t have enough power to get on the board, don’t keep sine-ing the kite from there and trying to generate enough power to get on the board. It’s not going to happen. Take the kite all the way back up to 12 o’clock and try it again, moving the kite from 12 to 11, then back down into the power zone. Be patient. Take your time.
5) Getting up on the board
As you are diving the kite into the power zone, tuck your left foot in towards your butt, straighten out your right leg, and point your board downwind. This is very important … pointing your board downwind. If you keep your board parallel, there will be too much resistance and you’re not going to go anywhere. Pointing your board downwind will help you get you on a plane/get planing much easier. (Get on a plane, get planing …. it just means, “getting up on the board to the point that you’re riding it, even if you’re going directly downwind.)
As the kite crosses on a diagonal down through the powerzone, let the pull of the kite pull you forward and up onto the board. Again, your back leg should be bent, your board pointing downwind, and let yourself roll forward with the pull of the kite, up onto the board. Think: rolling forward and up, like you’re getting up off a couch. Do not pull on the bar for leverage.
Reminder: As you dive the kite DOWN, that’s where you get the most power. So THAT is when you roll forward and try to stand up on the board … on the initial downstroke. Do not try to pull yourself up with the bar. The bar is for steering the kite, not something to hang onto to pull you out of the water. Dive the kite DOWN, stand UP! AND POINT YOUR BOARD DOWNWIND … your front leg should be out in front, with the nose of the board leading the way.
Pointing your board downwind
When I’m teaching people how to get up on the board, I tell them that pointing the board downwind means aiming the nose of the board straight towards the kite in front, actually following the kite downwind.
If your board it parallel to the kite, you’re just going to skitter along on your butt, and you can’t even begin to roll forward and stand up on the board. Think about moving in the direction that the kite is moving … your board at least needs to be pointed at the kite in order to get up on a plane.
In the beginning, you’re only going to be going downwind. This is fine. Don’t even worry about trying to stay upwind. Right now, all you’re trying to accomplish is the feeling of riding the board, then staying on the board until it’s time to turn around and come back in the opposite direction. You WILL go downwind. You WILL have to walk back upwind, to get to the place where you started. Everyone goes through this. Just get on the board, figure out how to ride it, then walk back upwind, get back into the water, and do it all again.
Also, there’s also a lot of talk about being goofy or regular, and while you will probably find it easier to do tricks on your strongest tack, you have to forget about this for waterstarting. You will NEED to learn to do this equally well in both directions, so just go into it with the mentality that there is no “better side.
6) Keep flying the kite.
At the point when you get on the board, don’t forget about everything else, KEEP FLYING THE KITE. As it’s making its dive through the power zone, you should already be anticipating the upstroke and should already start pulling back with your left hand to fly the kite back up to 12, to continuously generate power. Keep flying the kite, in figures of eight (12 to 2, 12 to 2) so that you have enough power to keep going.
So, forget about parking the kite in the beginning … that will come in time … just keep concentrating on flying the kite and keeping it moving.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to dive the kite through the power zone, and then just leave it there, at the edge of the window, doing nothing. You’ll get a little way onto the board, then because you’re generating no additional power.
If you DO crash your kite, and get away from your board, forget about the board. Concentrate on getting the kite back up first. Then worry about the board. It’s hard to swim to your kite to get it tipped onto its
back if you’re weighted down by your board. Kite first, board, last.
NOTE: If you’re learning on any of our SLE kites, be careful not to pull in on the bar all the way, as you’re trying to get up riding. It’s an easy mistake to make when you’re learning … death-gripping the bar … but when you pull in on it all the way, you tend to choke the kite, and it’ll fall back in the window and you’ll lose power. Also, when you’re relaunching these kites: as it makes its way to the edge of the window and is about to pop off the water, SHEET OUT (push out on the bar). This feels a bit counter-intuitive, and you’ll think that by pulling in, you’re powering up the kite and helping it, but you’re not …. you’re choking it, and it’ll most likely fall back in the window and not relaunch.
7) Keep practicing
It’s important to keep your kite in the air. I know this is obvious, but what isn’t obvious at first is all the time you’re going to spend learning to kite that isn’t actually KITING, simply because you’re going to be dropping your kite, working hard to relaunch it, getting back to your board, or self-rescuing and swimming to shore, untangling and rerunning your lines. Don’t feel bad if most of your sessions in the beginning go like this. You’re actually learning a lot every time you go out, and it’s a necessary part of the learning curve. Everyone goes through this, and you’re not alone.
