WARNING: TAKE LESSONS

Kiteboarding has taken off in Hawaii, especially in Kailua where windsurfing used to be king of the bay. Now, you’re more likely to see more kites flying around the bay than windsurfers. Kiteboarding, as the warning alludes to, is very very difficult. You’ll definitely need to takes lessons if you’ve never done it before.

Lessons

First off you need to take lessons in order to start kiteboarding. The best place in Hawaii to do so is in Kailua on the island of Oahu. There are plenty of shops in town that offer kiteboarding lessons and all the rental gear you can handle. You can also just head down to the beach and should be able to find someone who gives or knows a friend who gives lessons. Right behind Kalapawai Market, in the parking lot there at the beach you’ll also be able to find trucks full of kites and windsurfing boards. Just ask them.

You can also take lessons on the other islands. Both Kauai and Maui have some really good spots to go kiteboarding as well and those places offer lessons just the same as Oahu.

People who’ve done it before claim that you need about 4 lessons to get good at kiteboarding. The cost for lessons ranges from $100 – $200 per 2 hour lesson. Some of the better lessons have teachers that use helmets with 2 way radios. They’ll run up and down the shore as you try and get the hang of it.

Gear

Kiteboarding gear can get expensive. You can spend thousands on a top notch kite. Or you can search around town for someone selling older gear. Just be careful of how used it is. Kites have bladders that inflate to keep their shape. Make sure there’s no holes in the bladder before you buy a used one.

You’ll need the following.

• Kite
• Lines
• Bar
• Harness
• Board

These all come in different shapes and sizes like 9m kites or 14m kites, 2 lines, 4 lines, 5 lines, wide bars, two direction boards, no strap boards, bootstrap boards, and more. We suggest talking to someone who knows what they’re doing, at one of the shops where they sell or rent, and get their opinion on what you should purchase.