Kiteboarding Crowd Control

Author: Matt and Keegan Myers
Published: June/July 2005 issue of Kiteboarding Magazine, www.kiteboardingmag.com

When you head to your favorite riding spot this summer, you are guaranteed to find a handful of new kiteboarders waiting to hit the water. Riding in crowds is never recommended, especially for beginners, but it is sometimes unavoidable. Follow these safety tips to have fun, and more importantly stay safe, while learning to deal with other kiters on the water.

Rigging and Launching

Find an open space to pump your kite and lay out your lines. Be sure not to cross over or under someone else’s lines, and preplan your process for launching. If you are not going to launch the kite right away, keep the lines connected to the kite but wrap them around the bar. Have a fellow rider help launch your kite; no need to self-launch in a crowd. Remember, to ensure a clear drop zone launch toward the water and keep the kite low.

Staying Upwind

From the beach it may look like chaos on the water with kites and boards flying all over the place, but on the water there emerges some sense of organization. Beginners and less experienced riders should ride downwind of the more experienced riders. When cutting upwind toward each other, the more advanced rider keeps his kite high and stays upwind, while the less experienced rider keeps his kite low and bears off slightly to stay downwind. Once you are out for a while, you will become used to the riders in your area and begin to feel comfortable riding around them.

Overtaking a Rider

The key to overtaking someone on the water is common sense. Keep in mind there is a massive blind spot above and behind a rider, over the trailing shoulder. This means that he may not be able to see your kite overhead if he decides to jump, unintentionally sending his kite directly into yours. Therefore, when overtaking a rider ensure you are far enough upwind, with your kite high. Better yet, just stop and turn around to make another tack.

Jumping

Jumping is cool; crashing your kite into someone is not. If you want to jump, make sure there is a clear downwind space with no one coming in close behind you or tacking directly in front of you. Practice new moves only in an area where you have enough room for error, not in a crowd.

Tangled Kites

In case two kites do tangle, the main point to remember is not to panic. If you freak out and instantly let go of your kite, things will get out of control quickly. Instead, unhook first, keep flying your kite and communicate with the other rider. Most likely you will each have to slowly land your kite in the water and work the mess out.

Landing

Try to gain eye contact with someone taking a break on the beach, then use the universal landing signal of patting the top of your head with an open palm. Once you land your kite, even for a half-hour break, wrap the lines and secure the kite to the ground.