What do I need to get started in the sport?

Anyone can learn to Kitesurf. It helps if you’re reasonably fit and you should be competent in the water.

You can learn in many different places around the world, but the south coast of the UK has some great places. If you take lessons at an approved school they will provide you with all the equipment you need. If you decide to take up the sport you are going to need to buy a wetsuit, kite, board and harness. This setup can be bought for about £700 second hand or £1200 new. It’s best to source equipment from shops or schools. You shouldn’t try to teach yourself, the kites are very powerful and can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.

The best source of information is www.kitesurfing.org. This is the association that manages kite surfing in the UK. It holds a full list of approved schools and instructors.

Do you know any good places in the UK to try it out?

The UK has some amazing places to kite, a few suggestions are Hayling Island in Hampshire, Cornwall and the bluff just south of Gwithian beach is a truly world class venue for waves and flat water.

Any events we should know about?

BKSA Championships – held across the UK from March to November

A Blagger’s Guide… so I can sound like I know what I’m talking about

Old school – Big Airs with board offs.
New school – Wake style tricks
Kite loop – A crazy trick: looping the kite in the air to gain maximum power.
Pop – generate air time by using the pressure on your board to send you up into the air.
Hang Time – A jump where you stay in the air for a long time.
Carve – Turn at speed
Blindside – Riding backwards
Toe side - Riding on toe edge of board
Slash – An aggressive turn on wave.

Do you know any good websites?

www.kitesurfing.org