AUSTRALIAN KITESURF ACADEMY HUNTINGTON BEACH CALIFORNIA 7149557832
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Safety
 
Where to and not to fly your kite.
 
Location
Finding the right location to suit your level, no use being on a rocky beach if your a beginner trying to water start. Ask your local shop for riding locations or check out www.kitebeaches.com for a paid view in google earth.
 
Photo of Belmont Shore Longbeach.

What to look for in a good location.
Safety
Can you launch and land safely. If you crash on the water where will you end up, out to sea or into the pier or rocks. Is there at least 3 times my line lengh (100 meters) for my wind window and eject zone directly downwind.

Wind
The best wind for kitesurfing is side-shore or cross-shore (side-on).This is key when selecting a riding location. Side-shore is when the wind blows 45 degrees to the beach and cross-shore is when the wind is blowing parallel to the beach. These are the safest conditions to kite because you will get blown back to the beach or along the beach to be rescued. If the wind is blowing off-shore do not go out unless you have boat support, if you have a problem and you kite goes into the water you will more than likley have to let the kite go and start swimming back to land. Directly on-shore is also a do not kite wind, You need space downwind of you to get momentium to water start and in all cases you will end up the on the sand before you can blink. Respect the wind...!
 
Space around you.
Kitesurfing takes up alot of space. To kite safely you will need sufficant space around you especially downwind, this is key to choosing a location both on and off the water. Check out what the local riders are doing and where they set up and go out from, dont be scared to ask. Never launch your kite when there are buildings, trees, power lines, rocks or any hard objects downwind of your launch site. Never launch your kite near or around people, the beach has is made for people an sunbathers and they have the right of way at all times. Have 100 meter's downwind in the case of an emergency you can get lofted and still eject from your kite and not harm others around you. If there is limited beach walk or swim out into the water and have someone launch your kite from the land, this is a 2 person job do not self launch with this method.
 
Consideration

Consider all other beach users. It only takes one person to spoil a good riding spot. Keep all your equipment in one place or put it with someone elses gear to have less chance of being stolen. Roll your lines up when your kite is not in use. Put your board on your kite to keep all your equipment together. Dont lay your lines over footpaths or bike paths. Watch out for the life guard and his 4x4 truck running over your lines. Anchor your kite with sand so it does not blow away. and watch out for the tide, dont let your gear float away.
 
Conditions

There are two epic conditions. Flat water and Waves. 
Flat water is easy to start on. Sandy bottom and no stingers always help. Waves are a bit more challanging as the shore break will knock you about and the current will push you under the kite when you least expect it resulting in your kite falling out of the sky and into the surf. Ask your local shop where is the best place for your riding level, or if you in a another country sit and watch or ask where do the windsurfers go. All students that start in the waves find the flat water easy and they can get up wind quicker than someone that was on the flat water for the same period. This is due to them not having to concentrate on the waves and focusing on the kite and the board. Our local area the beginners beach is flat water and the other 4 kite spots are all on good surf beaches, so you will need to do the waves to be able to kite all locations.
 
Wind Window
The concept of the wind window is critical to understand when you are learning to kitesurf. The window is defined as "anywhere your kite can fly in the sky". The wind window determines where you will launch and land your kite and where the kite will generate the least amount of power and the most amount of power. Imagine the window as a quarter of a sphere that is projected infront of you into the sky as you face downwind and the wind is on your back.The window will change size depending on the wind, light wind small window, strong wind large window. As the kite flies through the sky imagine it is flying inside a ball that has been cut into quarters. Flying a trainer kite is the best way to become familiar with the wind window. See level 1 Novice.