Down the line wave ride- on a kite?!

[flykatcher]

As far as waveriding with a kite goes thats best done in side to side onshore winds under 25kts....for example Waddell....which has to be considered one of the best places in the world hands down for general user friendly wave riding with a kite...hence the popularity and devotion of the many who are there....no matter what the background. Although its pretty clear the Windsurfers are gaining a new following as the kick in the ass the sport got from Kiting in the early 2000s (like Snowboarding did to Skiing ) takes shape with new and better designs (shorter and lighter boards, earlier planing) Its happening and you can stay in your narrow minded world of Waddell and act like thats what is happening everywhere.....suit yourself....A local is just a dirtbag that does not have his shit together enough to travel and see the world.

I spend a lot of time in Maui, Waddell, and Cabo Verde (wavesailing) , and in Cabo Verde you are riding actual pointbreaks with very offshore winds and mind blowing perfect surf (not Kanaha, San Carlos) and I get to watch plenty of kiters attempt to ride the place, and its pretty clear in that situation the delay in the bottom turn coupled with the mini board and the need to stay full heelside until you bottom turn makes the waverides there look pretty feeble....and all the kiters no matter pro or not end up going pretty much straight....or out the back every time....and it looks pretty much like the wave went to waste.....a couple local kids there would blow the best kiters at Waddell away hands down no question, and even they will Windsurf when its truly on at Pt Preta. All the Kiters do is go out the back in that situation.....but there are the light days you can sit a schlog on the Windboard and have kiters run circles around you, though that same approach to the wave exists....but at least then the kiters get closer to the wave....even barrelled a bit....and that does not exist in Windsurfing....

You see alot better kite waveriding in places like Waddell, I give the proficent Kiters my full respect, unfortunately its not the other way around, but at a place like Waddell even that is ok, there is always going to be enough room for everybody....

When its firing at Waddell , you may see alot of kites, but they are mostly on the beach after 15 minutes.....and thats because they were not having fun !!! Kiting in strong gusty wind is not only not fun, its truly dangerous to the person doing it and all others around him....WAY more than Windsurfing.

End of discussion, there are locations and situations where Windsurfing is better for waveriding and others where Kiting is more optimal as far as waveriding.....

And personally, I like the 25+ knot and 4 ft @ 18 second material where you do not see too many kiters really tearing it up....I see it every time its going off....tons of kites....on the beach after 15 minutes.

The most important difference is that you will generally not die while Windsurfing.....Kiting takes lives and to me that is not an acceptable thing....


Lots of trade offs, the guy who said everybody should do both is spot on.

Oh yeah, learn not to act like you do not see the guy upwind of you when you are on the wave !!!

Aloha !! Have fun !!!