Which is easier kiteboarding or windsurfing

Kiteboarding vs. Windsurfing vs. Pros of Windsurfing. Cons of Windsurfing. What is easier windsurfing or kitesurfing? Is kitesurfing difficult to learn? Is windsurfing dangerous? How many people have died from kitesurfing? With no experience in this water sport, they decide to learn kitesurfing.

From a point of view of a well-seasoned windsurfer, kiteboarding seems easy. Kitesurfing for beginners does not require the same strength as windsurfing for beginners. You must be at least 40 lbs, so children can learn with a small kite. Upper body strength, as needed for windsurfing, is not required; traction from the kite goes into the harness, and arm strength is not a requirement. However, it takes somewhere between 10 and 20 hours to learn how to kitesurf. Learning how to ride confidently upwind requires a set of flying skills as well as board skills and knowing how to combine both of them effectively.

The learning curve for kiteboarding is slower and steeper. You will first have to fly a kite out on dry land to get used to the feel of flying a sail. Initial flying skills on land include:. The next step would be learning to get body-dragged by the kite without the board. Water starting is the next lesson.

You will now be using your board in combination with your sail. Safety is an important part of learning both of these sports and should be part of every lesson. Read further for more details. As far as equipment goes, windsurfing is certainly not easier than kiteboarding! Learning to lug around a bunch of equipment and enjoying it is part of loving the sport of windsurfing. Windsurfing requires a range of equipment in case the wind changes.

A drop in the wind might call for another board choice, so you bring a high wind board as well as one for lower wind. I learned about board and sail size the hard way, as one early day at South Padre Island, I sailed out, upwind from kiteboarders. The winds seemed to be quite strong when I went out, so I selected my small board with little flotation. I was not far out when the wind died, but was in deep water where I could not stand. Whenever I tried to waterstart, there was not enough wind.

Slowly the board was drifting, drifting, drifting downwind. Before I knew it, I was south of the windsurf beach and surrounded by kitesurfers. Exhausted, I watched as newbie kiteboarders were retrieved by a jet ski.

Finally, at last, a puff of wind was enough to get me out of the water onto my board, where I held on for dear life until I reached shore. Anxious to launch, I think I did not wear my life vest that day; several equipment lessons were learned.

There seems to be quite a difference between the two sports when it comes to equipment — windsurfing is not easier. Both sports require approximately the same initial cost with windsurfing, with its range of equipment, being a bit more expensive.

Used equipment is not recommended for those who kiteboard, as line strength is difficult to determine. Used equipment is possible to find in windsurfing; buying used equipment should be followed by lessons, if just beginning to windsurf.

While both sports are adrenaline-producing, the safety aspect of both windsurfing and kitesurfing is an important part of learning the sport.

Windsurfers need to learn some basic safety rules before going out. These include:. In addition to this, have the right wetsuit in cool weather. In summer, drink abundant water to prevent heat exhaustion.

The key here is knowing how to use the equipment correctly; as long as this is guaranteed by the rider, both of these sports are safe. The potential for things to go wrong is greater in kitesurfing. This is mainly because the power source is 25 meters away from the rider, as opposed to directly in front.

In windsurfing you can simply let go of the sail to de-power. The process in kitesurfing is also very simple and effective, but if it the process is not understood correctly, or is disabled due to a bad setup, the consequences can be considerable. That is why having lessons is a must; so the student can learn and practice these procedures in a controlled, risk free way. So what about the gear? This is where kitesurfing really shines.

Everything that you need can be simply packed down into a large backpack, slung onto your shoulders and taken back on the bus. When broken down a windsurfing rig is more considerable and necessitates the need for a van or sizeable car.

Both sports require the same set of conditions. With the recent advent of ultra light foil kites and super efficient boards, kitesurfing can be done in winds as low as 8 knots, and windsurfing claims similar speeds of winds as a minimum requirement.

Onshore winds are the sensible choice of direction, as are spacious beaches that have been specifically designated for such sports.