FAQ
What is kiteboarding? Kiteboarding is a water sport that will likely reign over all of your other hobbies. It's an addictive, thrilling sport with one of the friendliest and most helpful communities on the planet. The bar, which snaps in to a harness, is connected to the kite which propels you on the water. Lighter winds call for larger kites and boards, while faster ones use smaller kites and boards.
Who kiteboards? Any person of any age can learn to be a kiter. We've instructed students from age 10 all the way to 80 and every one of them has been a success. Men, women, and people of all sizes can learn how to kite. Kiters can be found in every corner of the globe, from Florida to Alaska, Greenland to Hawaii, and Germany to the Philippines. With a little bit of practice, anyone can do it.
Is kiteboarding physically demanding? Kiteboarding is a challenging sport. However, it does not take much strength physically. Kiteboarding harnesses takes most of the weight away from your arms. This enables riders to go for ours. Most people that are in good physical health can kiteboard. Coordination, balance, and control are required more in kiteboarding than strength.
How much does a full gear setup cost? The basic setup of a single kite, board, bar, and harness usually runs about $3000. We also sell wetsuits, dry suits, repair kits, lessons, and accessories. However, we regularly have consignment (used) gear to be bought and closeouts run continually. Our kite students can purchase gear as a 10% discount.
What wind speeds do I need for kiteboarding? For kiteboarding, you generally need wind speeds between 10 and 25 knots (11 to 29 mph or 18 to 46km/h) The ideal wind speed may vary depending on factors such as your skill level, the size of your kite, your weight, and the type of riding you plan to do.
What size kite/s will I need?
In the lightest winds the typical guy will use a 17 meter kite. That will handle from 10 to 20 mph winds. Once winds get in the mid teens the typical adult male would go from the 17m kite to 12m or 13m kite. Although, you could have kites in every size form 17 down the smallest (about a 7m) you don't need every kite size. You can skip a few sizes. For a lighter person you would start with a smaller kite like a 15m and go down from there.
What gear is right for me? Every kiter has their own taste when it comes to gear. Limitations also apply where weight and height is involved- an 80 pound child won't be riding the same board and kite as a 300 pound man on the same day. If you'd like a personalized suggestion for a set of gear, call, email, or come visit us in the shop and we'll hook you up.
How are lessons structured? For as long as we've been kiting here at XL Kites, we have learned that a set of three lessons at three hours each has been the most effective way to turn interested onlookers to novice kiteboarders. We'll help you schedule a time at any day of the week during sunlight hours.
Where do lessons take place? While we can make special arrangements, the location of our lessons is at Fort Walton Beach Park. Commonly called Leeside by kiters, this state park has 300 yards of sheltered waist-deep water parallel to shore. It's inside of Choctawhatchee Bay, so there's almost no chop or surf in your way. It is located on Okaloosa Island in the Gulf Island National Seashores Park on the bayside (west of Destin).
Do I have to take all three lessons? No, you can take as many lessons as you'd like. However, we have developed this system over the last 25 years and have found it to be the best way to develop a novice from the very beginning, all the way to riding comfortably! Everyone is different, and some people will learn faster than others. Our instructors will tailor the lesson to your ability. Many people feel comfortable enough after 2 lessons to go out and practice on their own, but it is completely up to the individual.
Can I get on the board my first lesson? As soon as you can proficiently fly the kite, you can use the kite to get yourself up and riding on the board. If you have previous experience with steerable kites, (trainer kite or sport kite), you will likely get up and ride. If you have never flown a steerable kite before, it may take you all of the first lesson just to get proficient with the kite. By the end of the lesson, you will have developed great skill with the kite, and may be able to manage some short rides, but may be too exhausted to be consistent with your kite skills. In that case, rest up, and your next day out you will be riding the board.
Kiteboarding is a sport that takes time and practice. For most people this is completely different from anything else they've ever done. We often compare it to wakeboarding while driving the boat at the same time. Much like learning to drive a boat, learning to fly a kiteboard kite is fun, but most people are not comfortable enough after one lesson to add the board.
What do I need to bring for my lesson? Nothing besides clothes to use in the water. We provide all the equipment, water, wetsuits - for those hearty souls braving our winter waters! YES - we can and will teach 12 months a year!
How do I schedule my lesson? You can do it one of three ways. You can call the shop, you can send an e-mail to info@xlkites.com, or you can order it thru the website. We will contact you and schedule a date for your lessons.
Kiteboarding Season
People ask "What are the best times of year for kiteboarding?"
We get wind here all year round. Not necessarily every day, but most days have enough wind to fly the kites. Develop as much kite skill as you can before trying to ride the board. The purpose is to get so comfortable with the kite that you don’t have to think about flying it.
Each season here has its pros and cons. In general, the wind is lighter in the summer (except for tropical storms and hurricanes) and stronger in the fall, winter and spring as cold fronts come through. In a way, fall, winter and spring are ‘kiteboarding season’, but summer produces a consistent sea breeze which is smooth and gentle and often perfect for learning. The water is so comfortable that summer learning is a pleasure. Each time of year has its pluses and minuses, so really, the best time to get started is as soon as you can.
Late summer can be dull or spicy depending what tropical storms and hurricanes are doing. A storm anywhere in the Gulf can shake things up and give us nice wind and waves for a week or more. A direct hit can give us too much, but without a storm somewhere there might be not enough. The typical late summer sea breeze is 10 to 12 miles per hour from the south or southwest. Because the Gulf is hot, and the land is hot, there is not much temperature difference to drive the sea breeze effect. Local thunderstorms forming inland can accentuate the sea breeze and give good riding conditions, but it is impossible to know you’ll have wind you can count on. But it does often work out.
Fall is good for kiteboarding because two wind sources are active--tropical disturbances (storms and hurricanes), and cold fronts. As tropical storms and hurricanes make their way into the Gulf of Mexico and up the east coast, a storm anywhere in the southeast can make the wind blow nicely here. Because these storms move slowly, they can give us a week of solid wind. Cold fronts provide relief from the heat, with cool dry air and stronger wind. When the front arrives, the wind can be 20 to 25 miles per hour from the northwest and north. This wind becomes lighter and less consistent as the day goes on so it is best to catch it early. A cold front will typically give at least three days of morning wind--first day from the northwest, second day from the north, and a third or fourth day from the northeast. The first cold fronts of the year typically come in late September or early October.
Winter ends the tropical activity but keeps the cold fronts coming. Cold fronts provide good solid wind, but after the front passes, there will not be wind until the next cold front comes. This pattern of cold fronts continues through January, February and March.
Spring slows down the cold fronts, but as the days begin to heat up, the sea breeze starts to work. Because the Gulf is near the low point of its temperature range, when the sun starts to bake the land in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, all that hot air rises, sucking air from the Gulf onto the land. This sea breeze effect is very reliable, and happens on every sunny day. This often gives us a 10mph breeze starting around noon, and building to 15 to 20mph as the day goes on. This smooth steady wind is really great for learning.
Early Summer: As the Gulf water warms up, the sea breeze gets less powerful, because there is less temperature difference to drive the effect. Depending how the afternoon thunderstorms build up, they can increase the sea breeze to a nice 15 or even 20 miles per hour, or kill the wind, depending where you are in relation to the inland storm. The sea breeze forms on every sunny day, but can be interrupted if the sky clouds over too quickly.
Because the sea breeze comes from the south, there is no land mass to disrupt it. This sea breeze wind is so smooth, with no gusts until it encounters obstructions on the land such as trees and buildings. And because our beach area is a low sandbar, it doesn’t cause much disturbance and the wind is still smooth when it gets to the bay side. Because it is so smooth, in light wind, you can safely fly even a big kite on the beach.