Sunny Florida is very well known for its water extreme sports. One sport that has been growing at a very fast pace is kitesurfing. There are many kitesurfing events in the area like the Miami Masters and many shops around to find all the paraphernalia. The waves and the wind that Florida has is ideal to practice this sport as many know around the United States and always travel to enjoy the sun and the sport´s atmosphere that Florida offers.
There are also many schools in the area that will teach you how to start in the sport and take you in as one of the family. It is always better to start with lessons as kitesurfing is a very technical sport and even though people make it look easy, it is because they have plenty of experience and started off with lessons of their own. Please contact any kitesurfing school to get started.
Your knowledge on safety and kitesurfing rules might save your life and keep you away from very scary moments. Here are some of these rules and safety tips you should always keep in mind when going out to ride.
There are also many schools in the area that will teach you how to start in the sport and take you in as one of the family. It is always better to start with lessons as kitesurfing is a very technical sport and even though people make it look easy, it is because they have plenty of experience and started off with lessons of their own. Please contact any kitesurfing school to get started.
Your knowledge on safety and kitesurfing rules might save your life and keep you away from very scary moments. Here are some of these rules and safety tips you should always keep in mind when going out to ride.
Image courtesy of rport at Flickr.com
First and foremost, do not learn to fly a full size kitesurfing kite on a beach or any other land as this is the most dangerous place to fly your kite. If you are a full beginner it is recommendable to first take lessons and head out into the water at a safe location to learn and in the hands of an expert teacher. Then, you have the safety practices that include regularly checking your safety releases by releasing them with no kite attached because you need to know if they are functioning perfectly well when the moment of truth comes; Practicing and being really good at self-rescue before you really need to use it as you never know when you or one of your friends will need help out there; landing your kite in a safe and very professional way and not allowing other people to help you, only a person that knows about the sport (this includes launching and landing); Never touching or grabbing kite lines when they are under tension as they can hurt you or give you a very serious cut or injury that might leave you out there with no way of riding your kite properly; never using your kite as a flying device despite any video or amazing thing you have seen on the web (this is important as people fall hard on the water when they do not know how to handle big jumps done by professionals); and last but not least, letting someone know you are out there practicing the sport because if you get lost or your board gets lost, they can go looking for you at an accurate location and not waste time on the search.
You should always know and follow the rules. Kitesurfing may be considered as a hobby or an extreme sport, but a kite surfer is also considered a sailing vessel, which means you have to know and understand the rules and marine regulations such as right of way rules, clearance rules and avoid no go zones. Know your right of way rules so you can avoid serious accidents and don’t ever assume you have right of way or insist on taking it as the other kite surfer or vessel may not know the right of way rule, or they may not be looking and this is when things go really ugly. Finally, use hand signals to communicate with other kite surfers or vessels, this is like the traffic lights in the ocean and will tell you who has the right of way and where you are going.
Your safety equipment and the routine pre-flight safety check are one of the best ways to stay safe when you are kitesurfing. Your safety equipment will prevent you from heavy hits to your body and will allow you at least to get back to shore in one piece. This includes the helmet and the vest; Understand and know your safety systems by heart as they may vary depending on the manufacturer so you can always get out of dangerous situations you were not expecting (yes, they happen quite often); never forget to carry a line knife and a mobile phone in a waterproof case. The knife will save you from getting dragged even further into the ocean and the mobile phone will pinpoint your exact location if you are riding more than 2km offshore or in remote locations. As for the routine pre-flight safety check, always be sure to check your lines when you are taking off, have your helmet properly adjusted and your safety leash very well connected.
You should always know and follow the rules. Kitesurfing may be considered as a hobby or an extreme sport, but a kite surfer is also considered a sailing vessel, which means you have to know and understand the rules and marine regulations such as right of way rules, clearance rules and avoid no go zones. Know your right of way rules so you can avoid serious accidents and don’t ever assume you have right of way or insist on taking it as the other kite surfer or vessel may not know the right of way rule, or they may not be looking and this is when things go really ugly. Finally, use hand signals to communicate with other kite surfers or vessels, this is like the traffic lights in the ocean and will tell you who has the right of way and where you are going.
Your safety equipment and the routine pre-flight safety check are one of the best ways to stay safe when you are kitesurfing. Your safety equipment will prevent you from heavy hits to your body and will allow you at least to get back to shore in one piece. This includes the helmet and the vest; Understand and know your safety systems by heart as they may vary depending on the manufacturer so you can always get out of dangerous situations you were not expecting (yes, they happen quite often); never forget to carry a line knife and a mobile phone in a waterproof case. The knife will save you from getting dragged even further into the ocean and the mobile phone will pinpoint your exact location if you are riding more than 2km offshore or in remote locations. As for the routine pre-flight safety check, always be sure to check your lines when you are taking off, have your helmet properly adjusted and your safety leash very well connected.
Image courtesy of Vanessa Hall at Flickr.com
All of these small tips will help you have a good ride and most certainly avoid hard injuries or accident that you will regret in the future. Remember to ride safe and always be on the look for other kite surfers.