Kitesurfing and surfing are as similar as a bicycle and a motorcycle are: kitesurfing and surfing in the water, bikes and motorcycles have 2 wheels. End of similarities.
Of course there are those who could tell me that kitesurfing can also be done with a directional board and you can surf exactly the same waves that you surf with wave surfing and in fact it's true but you have to admit that it's not the norm and however it is not the same sport. Surfing is infinitely more difficult to learn, more strenuous, more demanding ... but maybe you won't be convinced to start!
So here are 5 reasons why kite-surfing should do, or at least try to do, even wave surfing.
1) To have twice the possibilities of being in the water.
Doing two water sports that require different conditions means being more likely to find conditions for at least one of the two. There is wind: raise the sail. There is no wind: go surfing. There is wave and wind: go surfing!
2) To improve.
Especially if you kite with a directional board and you like waveriding, you should at least learn the basics of surfing. Your balance, your sensitivity towards the table and in general your style will benefit enormously.
3) To learn more about the waves
In kitesurfing, especially in our parts, we tend to surf waves ruined by the wind or get carried away by the sail without worrying about anything else. Having the chance to surf smooth waves, take them on the peak and following their direction will improve your knowledge of the sea and your interpretation of the waves.
3) To find out that there are different ways to stay in the water.
Surfing is, as already mentioned, very different from kitesurfing, less immediate, made up of pauses and waits and a few moments in which everything is concentrated. In the surf you're completely immersed in the sea, don't fly over it. The moments sitting on the table, still, waiting, scrutinizing the horizon are the majority and they are magical moments that only surf gives.
4) In order not to get bored
When kitesurfing has been going on for so many years, the enthusiasm of the beginning is often lost. Alternating surfing and kitesurfing can be a great way to not get bored and keep experimenting.
Learning surfing for those who are already good with kitesurfing is not as easy as one might think, indeed. It means accepting to get back in the game and face a challenge.
5) Because if you try you won't be able to live without it
Surfing a wave is an intoxicating sensation that has the flavor of all the difficult and tiring things. If you try it once, if you feel the sensation of being on the wall of the wave, following it, you can hardly give it up.
It's a bit like the first glide with kitesurfing: only when you finally make it is it clear to you why you did all that effort to learn to control the sail and do bodydrags.
Pubblicato il 10 giugno 2018 | Blog > Technique: KITESURF | SURF