Keeping track of hours is a little insane haha I'm sure you don't log book it.
Unhook as soon as your comfortable, practice on the beach by trimming your kite to fly steady with the bar completly in, pull down on the bar and unhook and fly the kite, if it's windy walk downwind with it to ease the pull and hook back in.
Then try on the water, if it pulls too hard edge less and go with the power. Try unhooking for a couple seconds and hook back in. Then go longer and longer. The kite steers perfectly normal unhooked it's just your stuck full power and your arms take all the force. Hard to get used to as your harness takes most of the pressure normally.

I'm comfortable waterstarting unhooked, and I'll kite one side of the channel to the other unhooked, or surface downloops to turn around. Then try a couple unhooked tricks.
Example.
Pop a 180
Raley
Back roll

The main thing to remember is to keep the kite low as you have no control over trim of the kite.
When doing tricks if your kite is high it will lift you way too high and you will come down hanging under the bar. Kite low and pop

The main thing to remember is to keep the kite low as you have no control over trim of the kite.
When doing tricks if your kite is high it will lift you way too high and you will come down hanging under the bar. Kite low and pop

For sure. I stuffed around for ages before concentrating on keeping the kite low. It seemed that as soon as I unhooked the kite would go to twelve and lift me. I would suggest practice in waist deep water without a board. You need to be able to bar in and hold it for 3 seconds at least without being pulled forward too much, that way you know you've trimmed the power enough. A few tips:
Bare off and unhook then quickly edge and do whatever trick you're trying. Don't ride for too long unhooked.
Remember to bare off and slacken the lines when you want to hook back in.
Don't be afraid to grab the chicken loop and hook in if you're struggling to pull the bar in.

Maaan, I have a feeling my kite will be on the water most times. It's been a while since I've crashed the kite in the water, but this will be a good moment :)

Thanks much for the advice guys. I'll try to find a place (maybe on the lakes somewhere) with waist deep water.

Cheers,
Mike