How to start Kiteboarding

STARTING KITEBOARDING

WELCOME TO THE AUSTRALIAN KITESURFING COMMUNITY!

Seabreeze.com.au has been fortunate to be part of kiteboarding since it's inception, with a large & thriving forum (including categories for all the state kiting associations), gear reviews, a massive buy & sell for pre-loved gear, events listings, news and articles for all things kiteboarding, including contributions by pro riders. A massive photo gallery contains over 5 years worth of Australian kiteboarding photos.

The kiteboarding forums are famous within the Australian kiteboarding community. If anything is happening in kiteboarding, you'll find it here. Parties, downwinders, events, beach access, injuries, travel, gear selection, how to - you name it - there are so many helpful crew in the forums that just about any kiteboarding question you have can be answered.

The Seabreeze forums are about having a good time - share the knowledge, share the stoke and help each other out. Just be wary that it's full of Australian humour, so don't get too serious!

Working together, Seabreeze.com.au, AKSA (Australian Kitesurfing Association), the state kiting organisations are all working together to promote a safe and responsible entry to the sport.

Safe kiting doesn't mean its any less exciting - it means understanding the weather, understanding your gear, and having respect for others around you - both on the water & the beach.

GET LESSONS

If you're interested in starting Kitesurfing, it's easier if you try the sport with help. The kites can be extremely powerful and without gradually progressing your skill, you can injure yourself and/or others. If you rig a kite too big for the conditions, or you can't drive the thing, you can quickly find yourself in a speeding vehicle with no brake.

By going to a kitesurfing school that has a full range of gear you get started quickly and safely. In a handful of sessions, you'll rapidly progress from trainer kite to boosting big airs!

GETTING STARTED

Some handy articles we've prepared for you:

UNDERSTAND THE WEATHER

Summer kiting is fantastic as Australia is home to some of the most stable winds in the world. On most days you can have an awesome day out with just a single kite & board. But, there will be days where the weather patterns will cause gusty and unstable winds and this is when the unwary may have accidents.

Caution is required in Winter as the winds can change direction 180' in the space of 10 minutes. Wind strength can double instantly. By reading the forecasts, synoptic charts and watching the clouds you can make an informed judgement of whether it's safe to go out, and what kind of gear you'll need for the day.

Seabreeze.com.au helps you out by providing 7 day wind & wave forecasts, as well as live wind reports for your local area. Seabreeze invented the "Green Arrows" concept for representing strong wind, so if you hear someone on the beach talking about it being "it was all green arrows", you'll know what they mean!

Handy weather articles:

A beginners guide to wind
A history of weather forecasting
The Beaufort Scale - use the trees and water surface to figure the wind speed.

JOIN AN ASSOCIATION

Volunteers from around Australia have pooled together to create fantastic organisations aimed at helping keep the sport safe and to bring people together. Their websites have a wealth of information about safe kiting in your area.

Western Australia Kiteboarding Association (WAKSA)
New South Wales Kiteboarding Association (NSWKBA)
Kiteboarding Victoria (KBV)
South East Queensland Kiteboarding Association (SEQKA)
South Australian Kitesurfing Association (SAKSA)

and check the parent organisation:

Australian Kiteboarding Association (AKSA)

CHECKOUT THE GEAR AVAILABLE

In the early days, the kites were pretty wild bits of gear, hugely powerful and no way of releasing the power. The sport has now matured and there have been huge technological advances in kite design. The latest designs have excellent de-powering (safer), larger wind ranges (less gear required), easy relaunch from the water, and of course vastly improved useability and many safety innovations.

FIND A SHOP/SCHOOL NEAR YOU:

Airborne Kitesurfing	Osbourne Park	(08) 9244 4474
Australian Kiteboarding School & Shop	Scarborough	(08) 9245 3884
Geraldton Surf and Sail	Geraldton	(08) 9923 1000
G Spot Extreme	Geraldton	(08) 9965 5577
Kite Addiction	Myaree	(08) 9329 9333
Kitesurf Warehouse	Fremantle	0411 540 415
Sail Repair WA	Kardinya	0439 978 708
SOS Sail and Surf	Fremantle	(08) 9430 7050
WA Surf	Safety Bay	0420 746 897
West Oz Kiteboarding	Safety Bay	0438 591 755
Windforce	Nedlands	(08) 9386 1830
Woodys Kite, Surf & SUP	Hamilton Hill	(08) 9336 7884
Elemental Kiteboarding	Perth	0410 142 878
Margaret River Kitesurfing & Windsurfing	Margaret River	0419 959 053
Power Play Kiteboarding School	Geraldton	0407 500 689

New South Wales

Alliance Gear	Kurnell	0405 149 182
BoardCrazy	Belmont	(02) 4947 7131
Kiteboarding Lessons	Botany Bay	0400 408 040
Kitepower	Sans Souci	(02) 9529 6894
Kite and SUP	Newcastle	0414 568 545
Windsurfnsnow	Collaroy	(02) 9971 0999
X-Shore	Diamond Beach	(02) 6559 3000
Kitesessions	Sydney	0410 937 222
Wind n Water	Byron Bay	0419 686 188

Queensland

Adrenaline Rush Sports Australia	Mackay,Town Bch	0448 736 551
Goodtime	Woolloongabba	07 3391 8588
In The Loop - Townsville	Townsville	0415 837 484
In The Loop - Tannum Sands	Tannum Sands	0407 161 666
Kite Action	Caloundra	(07) 5491 3065
Kiteboarding Cairns	Cairns	0466 914 200
Kitepower Queensland	Clontarf	(07) 3284 1186
Kitesurf Australia	Noosaville	(07) 5455 6677
Kite Rite	Yorkeys Knob	(07) 4055 7918
KiteThrills	Currimundi	(07) 5438 8118
Ocean Addicts	Maroochydore	(07) 5309 6624
Sunshine Coast Kitesurfing Co	Maroochydore	(07) 5479 2131
SurfConnect	Brisbane	(07) 3137 0500
SurfFX	Southport	(07) 5531 3199
Wind n Water	Cairns	0419 686 188
WindSwell	Port Douglas	0427 498 042

Victoria

Core Boardsports	Jan Juc	0419 232 373
GoKite	Inverloch	0428 465 483
Kite Republic	St Kilda	03 9537 0644
Find Boardsports	Frankston	(03) 9781 3463
SHQ Mornington Peninsula	Rosebud	(03) 5982 1007
RPS The Boardstore	Elwood	(03) 9525 6475
Sandy Beach HQ Kiteboarding School	Sandringham	0451 125 483
SHQ Boardsports	Sandringham	(03) 9595 2867
The Zu	St Kilda	(03) 9525 5655

South Australia

Onboard Surf - Glenelg	Glenelg	(08) 8294 3866
Onboard Surf - Port Noarlunga	Port Noarlunga	(08) 8382 6729
Elements Kiteboarding	Henly Beach S	0449 255 483
Xtreme Kites & Paddle	Eye Peninsula	0402 842 944