Kitesurfing Lessons – Why Bother?

Posted under Kite Lessons, Kite Surfing Lessons, Kitesurfing Lessons

Why bother?

I get many people asking me “should I bother with kitesurfing lessons?” the answer I always scream is “YES, YES, YES”.  I have to admit my reasons aren’t entirely selfless (mostly but not entirely!).  Taking kitesurfing lessons with an official school and a qualified instructor will greatly decrease your learning time, increase your enjoyment and ensure that you are learning in a safe, professional environment.  It will also mean that your not a liability to yourself and others on the water and the beach.

Kitesurfing, while a safe sport when practiced by someone who knows what they are doing, can be very dangerous when practiced by someone who has no idea what they are doing. Not only dangerous for the participants but also (and perhaps more importantly) any innocent bystanders, and as Murphy’s law would have it, those helpless (and often hapless) bystanders always happen to be some poor old lady or a woman with a baby.

The more accidents that occur the more difficult it is for kitesurfing organisations to convince the local councils that allowing kitesurfing on their beaches is a good idea and the more problems this causes for us all as kitersurfers get squeezed in one zone on the beach or even worse kitesurfing get banned all together. This is especially a problem in the summer months when sunbathers, kitesurfers, windsurfers, and all sorts of water/beach users descend upon the beaches and space is at a premium. In short please, please, please ensure you take your kitesurfing lessons with a qualified instructor, you’ll speed up your learning time, increase your enjoyment (though watching your mate get hurled 40m down the beach because he put up the wrong kite can be funny for you…he’s unlikely to agree!) and make it much more likely that one day soon you’ll be able to call yourself a fully fledged kitesurfer.

So how can you recognise a good instructor or school? The worldwide kitesurfing authority is the International Kitesurfing Organisation or IKO. You can rest assured if you see their name attached to any kiteschool that the school adhere’s to the latest teaching methodology and safety procedures.  That said most countries have their own National Kitesurfing body aswell, for example the BKSA in Britain or FAV in Spain.  Any instructor or school working to the standards laid down by these bodies will be equally as reputable.  Make sure you ask your instructor by which organisation he or she has been accredited before paying any money for your course. If you have any doubts as to your instructor or the school thats teaching you why not drop me an email and I’ll be happy to guide you in the right direction.

Read the next chapter on Kitesurfing Lessons – what to look for in a learning location

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