Kiteboarding Basics: Is kiteboarding easy?
Yes and No. With good instruction, most people enjoy an incredibly fast learning curve. Without instruction, trying to learn kiteboarding can be frustrating and is very dangerous. |
Do I need to be in good shape to kiteboard?
A basic level of fitness is all you need. Modern gear can be adjusted to work for people in a broad range of physical abilities. |
Why can't I learn from a video or magazine?
You can learn a lot from videos and magazines, but there is no substitute for having an instructor provide feedback, share local knowledge, maximize safety and customize instruction to your individual needs. |
Do I need any skills before I take a lesson?
You should be able to swim, and be confident in deep water. Also we recommend spending 4 or 5 hours flying a 2 line stunt kite. Having kite flying skills makes the learning curve for kiteboarding a lot quicker and more fun.. |
Why do lessons focus on flying the kite?
Flying the kite is at least 80% of kiteboarding. Having great kite skills will make board riding easier, safer and more fun.
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KBA School questions
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What courses do we offer for beginners?
We offer a 3 day course for beginners. This is our recommended course for any one wishing to learn all the necessary skills needed to have a safe and fun start to kiteboarding. By the end of the 3 days you should be water starting and have gained a lot of confidence with the kite and board.
A few more days practice and you will be up and going competently on the board and hooked for life. We offer all personal safety and kiting equipment with our course, as well as a shower and toilet facility. Just bring along sunscreen, a hat and UV rated sunglasses with a strap to hold them to your head.
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Why should I do a beginners course?
Flying the kite is a major factor in kiteboarding and must be learned in a safe and competent way to avoid injury to yourself and others. Our instructors will teach you in a step by step approach, starting with a small 4 line kite on 10m lines and moving to 25m lines, then to the larger and more powerful kites for body dragging and board riding.
We teach you how to Kiteboard in a safe manner including all those helpful hints that experienced kiteboarders have learnt though trial and error. We also assist with equipment education thus assisting in the difficult process of purchasing a board and kite that is best suited to you and your kiting location. We also offer an additional 30+ page booklet which helpful information for after you finish the course.
The course is basically a fast track way to learn to kiteboard without the heartache and danger associated with learning on your own. You will also save money. Why trash your own equipment when you can use our school's kites and boards which are specifically designed for the beginner? |
What do you teach in the course?
We have a comprehensive lesson plan based on the international kitesurfing organization (IKO) teaching methods this outlines the skills that our instructors will teach. It can be broken down into the following levels:
Level 1 - Wind theory, basic safety, 4 line kite setup
Level 2 - flying 4 Line Kite with 10m lines
Level 3 - assisted launching and landing, water relaunching, self landing, rescue techniques
Level 4 - Body dragging techniques, upwind body dragging
Level 5 - Board riding |
Where do we teach?
It depends on which center you travel to. In Hua Hin, depending on weather and tide we teach in a number of locations, the main location being on the beautiful 5 km long Hua Hin beach. In Koh Samui, we teach at the Samui Orchid Resort in a perfect sandy lagoon, in Phuket we teach in Chalong Bay a very nice lagoon and in Chumphon we'll be teaching either on Thug Wua Laen Beach or in a big bay with flat, waist deep water. |
Do I get a refund if there is no wind?
Yes, we have in place a fair and reliable method for refunding money. If the conditions are not conducive to learning, we will have no hesitation in refunding your money. |
Do you have to take the 3 days consecutively?
Yes, it is preferable that you take the course in consecutive days. This will ensure that the kiteboarding skills will be driven in to your brain, otherwise people tend to forget what they only just learnt a few days or weeks before. As with any new skill it is best to train your brain over and over consecutively otherwise most of what you learn might be lost. |
Can I take private courses, one on one?
We have a maximum of 4 students per instructor. Doing the course in a group makes for a more enjoyable time and you can learn from the mistakes of others. If you want a private lesson, notify us and we will arrange it. |
Do I need to book my courses?
We would prefer if you can give us the exact dates you would like to complete a course in order to confirm that we have a place available for you and make life easier for us. |
Do we have intermediate lessons?
Yes, we have intermediate lessons which cover any skills you would like to improve.
Depending on the location we can either follow you along in the boat, quad bike or on a kite or we can use our helmet mounted radios. |
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KBA Equipment Rental and Sales:
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Can I purchase equipment and are the prices competitive?
Yes, we sell all equipment for kiteboarding. We have the best prices worldwide for Cabrinha and Airush equipment. Most boards are made in Thailand, and the kites are made in nearby countries. |
What are our rental prices?
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What equipment do we have for
rent?
We supply Cabrinha and Airush kites, boards and
accessories
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Weather
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What are the wind conditions like?
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What are the waves and water
conditions?
Hua Hin : There is no surf, but choppy waves and
some locations have flat water. We have 5 km of
beach to play with, which makes for great downwinders,
practicing tricks and wave riding the chop. Water
temperature is warm all year round, so a pair of
shorts will do.
Koh Samui : All the spots we teach in Samui are in sandy bays, some with outer reefs to keep the water flat and some without. Depends on the time of year and wind and wave conditions. |
Kite sizes?
Kites to bring would be the largest you have. 80%
of the time we are using 16 - 18m^2 flat and the
other 20% we are using are 12-14m^2 flat. If you
have a bow kite 12 and 14m kite will be the best.
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Miscellaneous:
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How to get to Hua Hin from Bangkok?
Take a taxi to the southern bus station. You can
get a bus to Hua Hin. Do not get on one of the 100
baht buses that are waiting in line as they stop
every 2 minutes on the way to Hua Hin. Instead go
to your right and into roofed bus terminal and buy
a 128 Baht ticket at the appropriate window. Train
is another option, but this takes an hour longer
to get here and is sometimes delayed.
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What should I know about accommodation?
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Do we have a storage facility
for kite equipment?
Yes, in all centers we have storage areas. In Hua
Hin we only have a small space so we charge 100
baht per day for storage. In Koh Samui the resort
owners have requested a fee of 200 baht per day
(if not staying in hotel)
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For further enquires please contact us |
