Kitesurfing wave riding tips

The recent 10 page article in 'kiteboarding' magazine in the US by Brian Wheeler featured 20 tips for kitesurfing wave-riding excellence. These are the tips he learnt on our recent Bali Kitesurfing Wave Camp with Ben Wilson.

Top 20 Kitesurfing Tips for Wave-Riding Excellence

by Brian Wheeler, Kiteboarding magazine (USA) after attending our Bali wave camp in 2009

if you are rolled by a wave, let the bar out, don't steer the kite while disoriented
when body dragging in for your board, point your kite away from shore when waves roll through (this applies when you wipe out also - steer your kite back out to sea to avoid your lines going slack!)
always turn your kite before you turn your board
if you want to stay on a wave, keep your kite low
if you lose tension in your lines, grab the front lines above the bar and pull
in light side-on wind conditions, double your wave count by riding waves upwind
move your back foot up on the board and over the rail to maximize upwind efficiency and the volume of your board
pick a wave early so you can feel it out as it shapes up
it's better to be too far upwind on a wave than too far downwind
visualize what you think the wave is going to do before you ride it
when riding unhooked, grab the bar with your front hand with the chickenloop in between your index and middle fingers
make sure your lines are tuned so you cannot over-sheet the kite when pulling the bar all the way in (or when you unhook)
lower your centre of gravity for better balance, especially when dropping into waves
suck up and be light on the board when going over the wash
to enhance upwind performance, turn your torso so it is over the chickenloop
only wear a seat harness in the waves if you have back problems
if overpowered when unhooked, grab the chickenloop with both hands and hook back in
when learning to ride strapless, start by taking just the back strap off the board
when riding unhooked in sideshore to side-on conditions, once the kite is parked, make subtle adjustments to the kite
if the whitewash is too big to get over, consider chicken jibing - decide early, rather than too late.

If you want to learn these and other great wave kitesurfing tips from Ben Wilson, check out our Ben Wilson Kitesurfing Wave Accelerator Camps in Bali, Barbados & Fuerteventura.

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