Kitesurf in Famara
Learning and enjoying kitesurfing in Famara
Famara beach on the beautiful island of Lanzarote is a great place to learn and enjoy kitesurfing. The prevailing wind is from the North which is the perfect, cross on shore, direction for kite surfers. As you look out to sea to wind is coming from the right or starboard tack.
The sport of kitesurfing is a mixture of wake boarding, windsurfing, surfing, and power kiting. Probably the most important aspect is to have good kite control skill, thus power kiting experience being relevant.
Kiteboards:
With regards to the type of boards being used there are two main categories, twin tip boards and surf type boards.
A twin tip board is designed to go in both directions equally well. So when it is time to go back to the beach you do not have to turn the board around just go back in reverse. This is the sort of board you will probably be learning on. At first many people just skid out and go sideways. The technique is to lean back, straighten your body and let the rail dig in, this acts as the main fin. The rail of the board works the same as a dagger board in wind surfing and is how you will be able to go up wind.
When having kitesurf lessons with Zoo Park kitesurf school you will be offered a good selection of kite boards to choose from.
Kitesurf Kites:
The most popular sort of kites have inflatable leading edges and ribs. This add strength and buoyancy to the kites increasing speed, safety and upwind performance.
Modern kitesurf kites have four lines. Two lines come from the front of the kite the connect to your harness. The rear two strings connect to either side of your control bar, the bar is how you control the kite. Pulling on the left line turns the kite left, right turns the kite right. You also have control over the power of the kite fro the control bar. Pulling the bar pulls the back two lines effectively exposing more kite to the wind and giving you more power, this also slows the kite down. Conversely by letting the bar move further from your body you will let the trailing edge move back, expose less kite to the wind and reduce the power in the kite. This will also make the kite go faster.
Kite safety:
As the sport of kitesurfing has progressed so has the levels of safety. Most early accidents were caused from inexperienced people mishandling the kites. A kitesurf kite has to be large in order to produce the power to pull a person across the surface of the sea. In gusty conditions this could prove dangerous to the beginner. Advances in kite technology have almost totally taken away the danger. By releasing or letting go of the control bar the 'bow' typed kites loose all their power so pose no danger to the user. When you are learning with Zoo Park you will be using these 'bow' typed kites and under close supervision and instruction. Dangers to you and other people will be at a bare minimum.