Every good kitesurfing shop will have beginner packages for sale which will include a board and a kite complete with bar and lines. Some will make up a package to include the wetsuit and harness as well. Usually there will be a choice of kite size to make allowances for your weight. Here are a few pointers to bear in mind:

Top tips for buying a beginners kite
The best advice we can give is to speak to your local kitesurfing shop or instructor. They will be in a position to advise a kite that will be suitable for you based upon your size and experience. Here are some pointers below:

• Look for a kite from the year 2003 or later. This is because kite design has improved dramatically over the years and modern kites will make kitesurfing a much easier sport
• Look for a kite between 9.0m and 16.0m depending on your size and weight
• Make sure it is of a mid aspect ratio:Ü High aspect ratio kites are long thin kite. They are high performance kites designed for advanced riders. The lower the aspect ratio the shorter and fatter the kite gets. This makes the lower aspect kites more stable (less likely to fall out the sky), easier to relaunch and easier to fly. The potential height of jumps are decreased, but don’t be fooled even the lowest aspect kites will still be able to send you 30 foot up!!!
• Make sure you check with the person selling the kite that the bar and lines are in good condition
• Ensure that the kite comes with a good safety system so that you can ditch the power if the wind was to suddenly pick up or if you made an error in flying the kite.
• Bear in mind that you will quickly improve to the point where you may want another kite for stronger winds. Make sure your first kite size will fit sensibly in a ‘quiver’ of kites. For instance, if you buy a 12m to learn on, your next kite could be a 9m giving you a kite for stronger wind. However if you were to buy an 11m as a stronger wind kite there would not be much difference in the sizes and therefore not be much difference in the wind range you could handle. Try to ensure that you have at least 2 meters difference between kites and remember the bigger the kite the lighter the wind you need.

Top tips for buying a board
Again, the best advise we can give is to go and speak to your local kitesurfing shop. They will be able to discuss your weight, experience and local conditions. They may even have some demo equipment so you can try before you buy. Try as many as you can to see which feels easier for you to get on with.

If it is not convenient to visit a local shop, we suggest that you look for a board with the following information in mind:

• Look out for a twin tip. These are symmetrical so you don’t need to turn them around when you want to go the other way.
• Choose a medium size board that is somewhere between 135cm-160cm long. Anything bigger you will grow out of quickly and anything smaller you will find hard work and possibly demoralising to progress on. (The smaller the board the less buoyant it is and therefore the more power you need to get up and going) You can use a medium size board up until when you are learning your first rotations.
• Ensure that your board comes with a leash so you can attach it to either your ankle or your harness so you don’t loose it when you wipeout.
• Make sure that it is of an easily manageable weight.

If you require any further information or wish to book onto one of our courses, please contact a member of our team for more information.