Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

Where’s the best spot to learn how to kitesurf?

What’s the best spot to learn how to kitesurf?

Stephan, there’s no ‘best spot overall’ as it greatly depends upon the conditions and these can vary greatly due to nature’s caprice! Generally calm (no shorebreak or currents) and ideally waist deep waters  (in order for you to be able to stand up) facilitates and can speed up the learning progress. Especially the vital basics of water relaunch and body drag upwind can best be explained when you easily can keep your head out of the water and energy can be rather spent on acquiring the ‘feeling’ for kite and understanding what it’s all about. I would like to remind you, though, that practising these basic but extremely essential skills in deeper waters  b e f o r e  attempting them with a board in one hand and getting onto the board respectively is absolutely imperative!!

Please also ensure that the beach is wide and free of any obstacles. The only wind direction to learn in is sideshore, please never attempt to go out in on- or offshore before you don’t feel perfectly autonomous and capable of selfrescue in case things go wrong !

Perhaps our paths will cross one day some sunny, windy beach! Take care until then, Gabi

Related content : body drag, learning, upwind, water relaunch