Watched it on tv etc and thought that looks like fun would like to have a go at that so i'm after a bit of advice on how to get started. I've had a quick look on-line at some courses and they give the impression that you don't need to have any surfing/kite flying skills which is good as i've never done either. But can't help thinking that I would be better off learning the basics of surfing/kite flying first before I take a course? I'd be grateful for any advice and recommedations on the best way to get in to the sport, kit, training, costs, websites etc. Thanks.

If your talking about kiteboarding I cant help. If you do mean wakeboarding the first thing you need is access to a speedboat.

you mean kiteboarding. dont do it. its even more expensive than biking as a hobby. i'm not joking

Yeah I did mean kiteboarding 😳 Would help if I got the right sport!
If it's that expensive then it probably counts me out. Why's it so expensive, don't you just need the board, kite and some training?

Board one – 200-500. Kite – start with one kite that will do beginner stuff and most winds – ~750 quid. Wetsuit (£100 min). Harness – £50 min. extras like leash, helmet etc- another £100, insurance (compulsory on many beaches) £40. And thats the bare min for getting out in some winds. Lessons are more pricey than MTB lessons and yo need at least 2-3 full days training to get to a standard where you'd want to be left alone.

Put it this way, I did it all on the cheap (2nd hand and before the days of lessons) and have about £2500 quids worth of kites and boards and still don't have all the kit I'd want 🙂

The fun is worth it, if you can find a good local beach where it's not banned!

£300-500 for a board,£700-1100 per kite….and you'll need 3 or 4.Wetsuit(s) a harness and lots and lots of petrol….driving to the coast only to find theres no wind.
Its not that difficult to do….but the penalties for getting it wrong are a little more severe than a bit of gravel rash.

.and you'll need 3 or 4

Not strictly true, modern kites have pretty massive windranges. My 9 does me in 15-35 knots quite happily. Anything above that and I'm not keen on getting out, anything below and it's boring trudgery.

I still don't like full bridled kites (luddite that I am).Too much bar pressure and not too much fun when unhooked.Rather sacrifice a bit of windrange and take 2 more kites.

Definitely worth buying a SMALL 4 line foil kite (small= <3m) to learn the kite skills with before lessons, though the kite feel will be quite different the principles are the same. It's not an easy sport at all, don't let the appearance catch you out – it's like learning to snowboard (but more complex) on the board side, and like learning to paraglide on the kite side, both at teh same time in 3D space.

I still don't like full bridled kites (luddite that I am).Too much bar pressure and not too much fun when unhooked.Rather sacrifice a bit of windrange and take 2 more kites.

My waroo does me just fine, I don't notice bar pressure (I'm used to swinging an F1 Mach1 18.1 in low wind) and I'm not overly bothered about unhooked 🙂 But really you only need 1 or 2 kites and learner kites these days with sod-all bar pressure and massive windrange are the way forward (if very expensive). Taught myself on peter lynn ARCs (1120 and 840). Took many a beating, swam home several times when they didn't re-launch and snapped lines due to zero depower – but loved them all the way 🙂

Lazy days waiting for the wind…

I do however wakeboard and would suggest you start there, its alot cheaper to get into ( £20 for 2 hours at the cable tow, £20 for 15 mins on the boat£2-300 for board and bindings) and great fun, itll set you up with some of the skills you need for surfing/kiting if and when you get the money together!

Thanks for all the advice. Thought the sport would be hard to learn but didn't think you would need more than one kite and they would be that expensive but I suppose thats what people say about mtb's 😆 Plus must be a downer travelling to a location only for there to be no wind.

earl_brutus – Thats a good idea, could start with the wakeboarding and if I like it then I can get a kite as coffeeking suggests and move on from there. Best start saving my pennies.

Why not start with a small foil and a landboard?

Similar principles, it just hurts more when you fall off.

I got a Radsails 5m kite for under £100 second hand and a cheap landboard for £50 off Kitecrowd.

It will give you a taste of the sport without breaking the bank and give you a good base to start from. Local playing fields are a great place to practice (I used an old college football field) and you can also head to the beach with it.

I'm a wakeboarder. But that wasn't what you were looking for was it? Hohum.

Rubbish that you need 750 notes for a kite. ebay is your friend. don't buy anything earlier than 2007. The best Waroo is an excellent kite and always popping up on ebay. Start off with a 10m, which will be your go to kite for most conditions. these days most people on my beach will have 2 or 3 kites, though one will hardly ever get used.

My other tip would be to not learn in the UK – expensive, unreliable winds, crowded and cold. Best to go somewhere warm and reliably windy – Egypt for instancer – you can pick up package deals there for £250, and get a beginners course for around £200.

Lessons are important. kiting is on the verge of getting banned in a lot of places so needs people to act responsibly – you wouldn't consider paragliding without taking a lesson, and in many ways kiteboarding is no different.

It's also the best sport I've ever tried. Sorry bikes, but if I had the choice, I'd be out on the water every time. (but biking is ace when there's no wind.)

You'll love it. really love it!

Wakeboarding is very expensive aswell. OK, you don't need much kit to have a go, but professional tutoring tows behind a boat are expensive. Expect £15 minimum for 10mins and around £25 for 15mins, a fair bit more in the South East I expect. Whether the skills would cross over to kiteboarding, I have no idea. I've tutored ex-windsurfers in watersking/wakeboarding and they have excelled at the basics very quickly.