Quick question from watching that video of all the pros, and i'm not having a crack but has a windsurfer ever landed a decent jump...they seem to screw up all those rotations and the videos always cut before you see what actually happens on the wave kickers.
^^^^^The answer is NO. That's why they always quickly edit out the landing each time. lol
They do those flickie spinnie out of control rotations??? then fall out of the sky like a stone.
Fun to watch the inevitably crashes that always happen though.
I think that's why they say its a harder sport as they think one day they might land one, which they eventually do as they have now nearly all progressed to kite surfing.
I see windsurfing has 2 advantages over kiting.
1) you can go out at locations that don't have a launch site for kites.
2) you can ride a more offshore angle wave because you can flag the mast out on the wave face.
However young breezy's vid shows the real difference. Windsurfing is way more 2 d than kiting.
When you get the world's best windsurfers at the world's best spots then it's really something but for the day to day it is very rare to see them do anything but mowing the lawn.
I can honestly say that of all the windsurfing I've seen around the Perth metro area in the last 5 years I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen them do any sort of trick or actual jump.
I would 100% agree that windsurfing is more difficult, it looks more difficult but not in a good way.
Riding a donkey is more difficult than driving a sports car but we all know which one is better
Hey Peeps,
Windsurfing is a cool sport and the skills required to make it look good are much higher than kiting. I windsurfed, wave jumped and wave rode for 17 years before I started kiting. This year I will have been kite surfing for 17 years. I still love windsurfing but don't really want to go back to it. The amount of broken gear, the cost and difficulty of transporting it around is way harder than kiting.
You certainly have more freedom on a wave and can ride in little wind which makes it much closer to surfing than kiting ever will be IMHO. The "best of" clips certainly showcase an exciting sports but it is really only exciting in those portrayed conditions which are uber rare. I used to watch the WS videos in the 80's and 90's and see the top pro's going nuts at Ho'okipa and figured they were just that good. When I went to Maui to windsurf Ho'okipa for the first time, it was a big eye opener seeing the top pro's getting smashed like the rest of us, albeit not as often.
I'm sure if you saw a highlights reel of kitesurfing, it would look equally impressive but problem is we still have to deal with the build up of apparent wind power when on huge waves like Peahi (Jaws) where the speed kills us and prevents us from really going into the pocket because despite the amount of depower we currently have, we just can't shut it all off like a windsurfer.
They're both great sports, enjoy them for their respective strengths.
DM
Select to expand quoteActionSportsWA said..
Hey Peeps,
Windsurfing is a cool sport and the skills required to make it look good are much higher than kiting. I windsurfed, wave jumped and wave rode for 17 years before I started kiting. This year I will have been kite surfing for 17 years. I still love windsurfing but don't really want to go back to it. The amount of broken gear, the cost and difficulty of transporting it around is way harder than kiting.
You certainly have more freedom on a wave and can ride in little wind which makes it much closer to surfing than kiting ever will be IMHO. The "best of" clips certainly showcase an exciting sports but it is really only exciting in those portrayed conditions which are uber rare. I used to watch the WS videos in the 80's and 90's and see the top pro's going nuts at Ho'okipa and figured they were just that good. When I went to Maui to windsurf Ho'okipa for the first time, it was a big eye opener seeing the top pro's getting smashed like the rest of us, albeit not as often.
I'm sure if you saw a highlights reel of kitesurfing, it would look equally impressive but problem is we still have to deal with the build up of apparent wind power when on huge waves like Peahi (Jaws) where the speed kills us and prevents us from really going into the pocket because despite the amount of depower we currently have, we just can't shut it all off like a windsurfer.
They're both great sports, enjoy them for their respective strengths.
DM
Fair comments ActionSportsWA and well said but when it comes to the dance moves you have to admit, the Windsurfer have it!!!
Spoke with north kites importer for Europe/france
said for the 1st time , kite sales dropped and sails increased last year, he put it down to the young crew on the scene today,
local lad here at dongara is good to watch on a good day as I jump over him
Yes - nothing quite like Windsurfing going for a big laydown bottom turn, then back up "under" a curled lip then thrown out the front and try to outrun mast height whitewater... the good old days
Having said that - theres alot of girls and guys that can do some mind blowing tricks on windsurf freestyle boards these days.
Im sure the Windsurf foil boards may just see a spike in windsurfing popularity again.. and they'll be right beside you kiteboarding Lawnmowers or most likely in front of you
Axes high
And axes low - already ripping waves better than kitefoilers
hahaha I loved it. Great edit!
And unlike some other posters, I have no issues appreciating mad skills even if it's in the opposite camp :)
That's deceiving, I was fooled into watching not only a windsurfing, but a foiling. The girl was at 1:31. Not to waste your time.
Select to expand quoteSaveTheWhales said..
Yes - nothing quite like Windsurfing going for a big laydown bottom turn, then back up "under" a curled lip then thrown out the front and try to outrun mast height whitewater... the good old days
Having said that - theres alot of girls and guys that can do some mind blowing tricks on windsurf freestyle boards these days.
Im sure the Windsurf foil boards may just see a spike in windsurfing popularity again.. and they'll be right beside you kiteboarding Lawnmowers or most likely in front of you
Axes high
And axes low - already ripping waves better than kitefoilers
It will be great to see our local shops not go under - and Everyone enjoying the water whatever you ride
Traitor
Select to expand quoteGonewindsurfing247 said..
Almost 8 minutes of time wasted.
have watched this video x 5000 plus times. To the point I hear the back ground song while working on the workshop floor that I need to calmly walk to the corner and hide from the ripppppppper hard on it causes.
Select to expand quoteGazuki said..SaveTheWhales said..
Yes - nothing quite like Windsurfing going for a big laydown bottom turn, then back up "under" a curled lip then thrown out the front and try to outrun mast height whitewater... the good old days
Having said that - theres alot of girls and guys that can do some mind blowing tricks on windsurf freestyle boards these days.
Im sure the Windsurf foil boards may just see a spike in windsurfing popularity again.. and they'll be right beside you kiteboarding Lawnmowers or most likely in front of you
Axes high
And axes low - already ripping waves better than kitefoilers
It will be great to see our local shops not go under - and Everyone enjoying the water whatever you ride
Traitor
Lol my first Love was Windsurfing..
Now - kitesurfing is pure B&D porn for me, the adrenaline before losing it and getting 'Mega' spanked
Pole dancing has a place too 
In WA windsurfers give attitude. It's like they have little brother syndrome and they have something to prove.
But i do feel sorry for them in less than 20 knots.
Bjw the Windsurf foils are here and getting better designed for their weight and sail power connection point.. Wont be long till we see them with their very efficient race sails, absolutely flying.
Select to expand quotebjw said..
In WA windsurfers give attitude. It's like they have little brother syndrome and they have something to prove.
But i do feel sorry for them in less than 20 knots.
Less than 20 knots cross off is cream.
Select to expand quoteteabaggin said..
Here's ya differences , it really says it all .
That's a good example of where the wind is too offshore for that kite design. Ironically when you get to cross off or more wave kites are terrible because there upwind is not very good. If the bws man was on an high aspect lei he would have been able to work the wave better because he could point higher upwind.
But switch to cross cross off to all the way to onshore and kiters have the advantage. Its only in cross off or worse that wind surfers have the edge....
Until kite wave hydrofoiling is perfected. The hydrofoil will stomp that upwind angle and own cross off wave riding.
Interesting that some poledancers will take the time to share their little joys with us rather than keep it to themselves, they must be a rather generous bunch of fellows.
Select to expand quoteSaveTheWhales said..
Bjw the Windsurf foils are here and getting better designed for their weight and sail power connection point.. Wont be long till we see them with their very efficient race sails, absolutely flying.
Be interesting to know how they are going to stop, or do they just crash at the end as they always do.
Select to expand quoteSaveTheWhales said..
Bjw the Windsurf foils are here and getting better designed for their weight and sail power connection point.. Wont be long till we see them with their very efficient race sails, absolutely
Going in a straight line on flat water will never be the same.
Select to expand quotePlummet said..
That's a good example of where the wind is too offshore for that kite design. Ironically when you get to cross off or more wave kites are terrible because there upwind is not very good. If the bws man was on an high aspect lei he would have been able to work the wave better because he could point higher upwind.
But switch to cross cross off to all the way to onshore and kiters have the advantage. Its only in cross off or worse that wind surfers have the edge....
Until kite wave hydrofoiling is perfected. The hydrofoil will stomp that upwind angle and own cross off wave riding.
JP and BW are going down the line, down wind. I don't understand why not being able to go upwind comes into whether BW can bottom turn or not.
I wonder if it's not more about it being harder to control board speed, kite power and having to keep the kite so high such on a large wave. All this especially hard with BW going backside.
Both of them great athletes with big balls who have been pushing their respective sports for a long time.
The wind foilers are talking of 4 knots low end already. I wouldn't even be going to the beach in that wind. Smacks of 'wanting it too much' to me.
Because of where a wave kite sits in the window you're ultimately fighting it from pulling you off the back of the wave in a cross offshore wind .
Too easy.
