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How Long Does It Take To Learn To Kitesurf?
For most people it takes around 15 to 20 hours of tuition to actually be kitesurfing — riding properly, holding your position upwind, and getting back to where you started without the walk of shame.
You will be on the board well before that. The standard beginner course is three two-hour sessions, and most people get up and have their first moments riding by the end of it. But being up on the board for a few seconds is not the same as kitesurfing — and knowing that difference before you start is what stops the middle of the journey feeling like a plateau.
How quickly you get there depends on your fitness and coordination, how consistent the wind and water are, how often you can get out — and, more than anything else, the quality of your instruction.
So basically, if you really set your mind to it and have access to the right conditions and instructor, what they say is true: you can really learn to kiteboard in a few days.
What Will I Learn?
A standard beginner’s course is broken down into three core elements:
1. Flying a kite on land: launching, landing and kite control
2. Flying a kite in the water: body dragging, control and re-launching
3. Getting up and riding on a board
Within these elements, you will also learn about:
• assessing an area for safe kiting conditions
• understanding the wind direction, strength and gusts
• understanding tides, currents and hazards
• choosing the right equipment for the conditions
• setting-up, tuning and packing down your equipment
• safety procedures and what to do in an emergency
• board-starts (getting up on the board)
• continuous riding and speed control
• how to stay upwind
• rules and rights of way on the water
Top Tips To Learn Kiteboarding Faster
Infinity Sport Kitesurfing’s top tips to learn to kitesurf faster.
Lessons Are Only The Beginning
After lessons, it then takes additional time to progress on to higher levels in the sport. For starters, you can begin to learn freestyle tricks such as jumps and grabs in your first full season (a season being 3-4 months of good wind conditions).
Learning to ride a directional surfboard for wave riding can also happen relatively quickly after learning to ride a twin tip. Surfing in smaller waves (< 1-meter height) is then within reach however going out in bigger conditions (2+ meters) can take two or more seasons to build up to, especially if you are riding strapless. Learning to hydrofoil gets easier and easier due to improvement in the gear, but it usually takes one to two seasons of dedicated learning for water starting and basic riding. To get to more advanced maneuvers like jibes and foot switches, it might take two to three additional seasons-worth of practice.
Conclusion
Regardless of how long it takes you to learn, don’t expect to be done with kiteboarding in one day. For the vast majority of students, it will take many hours of lessons to learn the basics of the sport. Schools often teach lessons in two to three-hour blocks. Putting it together: expect around 15 to 20 hours before you are genuinely kitesurfing, with your first moments on the board inside the three-day beginner course. It often takes a little longer, and it rarely takes much less. But don’t let this discourage you! After all, no one is born with the ability to fly a kite. And keep in mind that every single kiteboarder has to go through this sometimes challenging, yet highly rewarding learning process.
Common questions about learning to kitesurf
How long does it take to learn to kitesurf?
For most people, around 15 to 20 hours of tuition to be properly kitesurfing — riding, staying upwind and getting back to where you started. You will get up on the board sooner than that, usually within the three-day beginner course, but a few seconds up is not the same as riding.
Is kiteboarding the same as kitesurfing?
Yes. Kiteboarding, kitesurfing and kite surfing all describe the same sport, and the learning time is identical. You will see all three used interchangeably, including by instructors and brands. Strictly, “kitesurfing” sometimes refers to riding a directional surfboard rather than a twin tip, but in everyday use they mean the same thing.
How many lessons will I need?
Three sessions is the standard beginner path, and it is how nearly every school in the world teaches: day one is kite control on the beach, day two is body dragging and safety in the water, day three is board starts and riding. Most people then need a further block of hours — 15 to 20 in total — before they are riding upwind reliably.
Can you learn to kitesurf in a weekend?
You can make a serious start. Two full days is enough to cover kite control and body dragging and, with good wind, to attempt board starts. What a weekend will not give you is actual kitesurfing: riding and holding upwind takes 15 to 20 hours for most people, and that comes with time on the water rather than a fixed number of days.
Do I need to be fit or strong to kitesurf?
No. The harness takes the load, not your arms, so kitesurfing depends far more on timing and coordination than on strength.
Want to get kitesurfing lessons?
Private kitesurfing lessons and beginner courses are available most of the year at beautiful Greatstone-on-Sea beach, located only 70 minutes from London. You will benefit from having an experienced instructor with you on the water to learn kitesurfing faster in a safe and fun way.
