Hi there,

So i thought it would be a great idea to get my boyfriend a kit surfing kit for his christmas/birthday present but have no idea where to start.

I need advise on what kind gear is great to buy for a newbie. He has never kite surfed before but is a guy that should have been born in the ocean. He picked up water sports really quickly, has been water-skiing since he was like 10, so don't want to get him something he will outgrow in a months time.

Please help me!!!!

Agree with Hargs.
Get the lessons and bank the cash for when he's hooked, then go shopping

hargs said..
I'd start off with buying him some lessons from a good kite school/instructor..

Thread finished.

You're probably not aware how expensive the gear is. Unless you commonly buy your boyfriend $2000 Xmas presents.
Get him a gift voucher for some lessons, best way to start (as already been said)!

Better yet, do lessons together! What state are you in? The crew here can recommend kite schools.

@JohnnyMack - how good are you at hitting the safety, and performing self rescue? Just curious (not accusing), did your mates teach you the safety stuff required for kiting?

JohnnyMack said..

KezzaK said..
Better yet, do lessons together! What state are you in? The crew here can recommend kite schools.

@JohnnyMack - how good are you at hitting the safety, and performing self rescue? Just curious (not accusing), did your mates teach you the safety stuff required for kiting?

Hit the safety for the first time last week which worked out OK except I had lines in a birdsnest, self rescued at the same time. I should have emphasised that my mates were my version of lessons and they ran me through what you would largely get in a lesson. As a surfer and who has mates that are proficient I cringe at the prices of lessons. I understand why forums stress the importance of lessons but at the same time if you watch those progressive DVDs, listen to your mates, respect others and the sport then why not just give it a crack.

Please don't pull the safety ever again. It took me 1.5hours to untangle your lines XD

jokes jokes jokes... but really ....

Bout to get smashed here...

Get lessons from a QUALIFIED instructor is like a broken record on this forum...

Yet most people, if not all learnt how to drive a car ( yes a car ) from unqualified people eg mum and dad.

Bet if you asked majority on here face to face they would say they were self taught.

Kite lessons are expensive and may not be a 1 on 1 lesson. $100/lesson on average.

No one can kite in 5 hrs or possibly be confident with all aspects of self rescue,self launch / land etc.

at what stage do you stop lessons and have a go with a mate?

Just sayin...


EDIT..to borrow a useful answer from CBULOTA on a different thread
IKO affiliated schools should always have cards and are only allowed to hire IKO instructors. IKO schools should automatically give you that card at the end of the course. Even if the school isn't affiliated with IKO, the instructor might still be IKO certified and have his own cards, so you can request it directly from your instructor. The IKO is using the card system as a way to encourage instructors to ''log'' their students, for which they have to pay! It's essentially another way for the IKO to make money, and the cards aren't cheap either... I've had many students over the last few years handing me an IKO card stating that they were ''ready for the board'' and they couldn't do half of the basic skills that were ticked off by the instructor himself! That card is a joke.

Hahahahah 3 hrs and your done. That's the mentality I am talking about. What are you possibly going to learn in 3 hrs ?????

Do your mates teach self launching & landing, self rescue, water relaunch, kite setting's & de power, body dragging, up & downwind, water starts & kite flying with the board on.

I do.

Jim621 said..
buying him a group lesson (2 to 3 participants and 1 instructor) can be a good introduction for him to learn, and watch others learn to see their mistakes.

That would be really good. Watching others and learn from their mistakes would make a lot more sense if lessons would be video recorded and then analysed. I haven't done lessons, my girlfriend did. In a group. She walked away from a 5 day course (if I recall it was a 15h IKO ran course) extremely disappointed!!! She couldn't ride. Noone in that group was able to get up and ride. Anyway, I don't think they did the "what you/they did wrong" in that course at all.

If at all possible get 1 on 1 lessons and don't stand there watching your instructor take the kite off ya and go for a little joy ride pretending it's easier to kite upwind compared to walking upwind on the beach. As a beginner, you can learn a few things too from that walk. I've seen quite a few people stand there on the beach looking around not knowing what to do when their instructor rode off making it look effortless. Not really a motivating situation, is it?

What happened to poppie the original poster?
We don't even know if she is reading all this info.
Are you still there.... Lol

JohnnyMack said..
Haha she probably just thought it sounds all too complicated and bought her boyfriend a watch instead

Maybe a Garmin watch so he can see how fast he goes like all the pole dancers LOL