Kitesurfing Lessons - Things to Think About Before Taking Your First Kite Lesson | Forum

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rocket blog
rocket blog Jun 7 '22

So you've decided you want to take kitesurfing lessons and your wondering how to choose from the hundreds of different schools and different locations all offering perfect wind, the best kit and super short training times. How can you ever find the course that's best for you? We're going to look at a few things you can do to ensure your money and time are well spent, giving you the best chance of becoming a fully fledged kitesurfer.

 

First of all I'd ask yourself the question, where are you going to be kitesurfing 90% of the time? Of course all of us would love to be dashing of to remote, exotic locations with perfect wind and Pina Colada's on tap every other week. The reality for most of us is somewhat different, and we find ourselves having to kitesurf wherever our nearest accessible bit of water happens to be. Often this location won't be glass flat, with a perfect 25 knots blowing over the top of it Wingsurf School. Realising this, my advice would be to learn somewhere with similar conditions to where you are going to kite on a regular basis. If you learn on a flat, waist deep lagoon, sure your time under instruction will be shortened, however will you still be able to do everything you were doing out there when you return to the dumping shore break and choppy conditions of your local spot...I would say not. This can lead to huge amounts of frustration and leads many to give up before they've even started. Of course if your local spot is a flat, waist deep lagoon then perfect, but then why would you take kitesurfing lessons anywhere else?!

 

Kitesurfing instruction on an International level is organised and controlled by the International Kitesurfing Organisation or IKO. Any school which is affiliated with the IKO has to have insurance and adhere to safety and teaching standards set down by the IKO. The schools will most likely display their affiliation on their website or at least in their base of operations. If in doubt about a school or instructor you can check whether they are an official centre or official instructors on the IKO website, where all registered schools and instructors are listed for public viewing. Many countries now have a national level body as well for example the BKSA in the UK. Schools affiliated with these national bodies have to meet equally strict standards as those to the IKO, so you can be sure they meet the latest standard for teaching methodology, insurance and equipment.

 

Following these simple guidelines you can start to narrow down the field and hopefully pick a place to take your kitesurfing lessons that sees you not only learning safely, quickly and enjoyably but that also gives you the greatest chance of progressing when you get back home.

 

Hope to see you on the water!

 

Sam Guest is an IKO Kitesurf Head Instructor currently working in Tarifa, Spain. He has 10 years experience working in the water sports industry and has a passion for life, the ocean and helping people get the most out of what they've got.

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