Im a mature (old fart) kiter with no surfing background but now always on a directional board and can jibe the board on a dime (windsurfing background) Im after hints as to how to get out over white water more easily - Im sure Im just bashing my way out and most of the time its not much fun!!
Yesterday is was 6m kites and decent swell - sometimes looking at 6 foot of white water coming at me so the question is - where to put the kite ? high to lift over it, or low to try to be mega powered and smash it ? White water is just so turbulent the fins have almost no grip :-(
And as for the board - in small white water I lift the kite a little higher just before hitting the white water and suck up my legs and I seem to glide over it - big waves my timing must be out cuz I often get launched - and then smashed by the next wave while trying to get my board back !!
Anybody got any good hints to clear the white water on the way out?? The good guys at Merimbula last November make it look easy !! there must be a technique !!
I get through it by doing the following. If the white waters not high and doesn't have much power I just put more pressure on my back foot to life the front up and I don't slow down, this make it so I kind of just pop over it. If the white water is high and has a lot of force I slow right down and put more pressure on my back foot while keeping my kite around 12. As soon as I'm over the first bit of white wash (currently on top of it) I dive my kite hard, this then gets you going through the rest of it. You can also carry a lot of speed up to it and do the same but I find you have more control if you hit it a little slower, you really need to work the kite a few second after you get over the initial white wash wave.
low/ med white wash-
Similar to brohan: pressure on rear foot moving towards pressure on the heels as the board becomes vertical, move kite 10-12 pull bar in to lift you over the wave, dive the kite down quickly to regain speed. If I'm riding toe side, I'll keep the pressure on the rear heel as I go over. If its too high I, if its too big I swith to toe side and do above.
high white wash-
kite down wind, depending on how much time you have you may need to loop to get there faster. This can get you around the white wash or you can find a gap.
This works for most conditions for me, in direct onshore conditions I try and get around the white wash, as it always takes my dam feet out! Not the best surfing conditions, though the variety adds some fun.
Have you tried testi warmers??
Bit of wetsuit material and a few elastic bands should fix it......
Boosting is much easier without shrinkage!
I ride straight at the white water. I slow down as I am about to hit the wave then add a little power to pull me through with a bit of an ollie to ensure the board goes up and over the wave.
I avoid too much power or edging too hard because that would boost me. That can be fun but it's often more of a nuisance.
I find I am best at riding out over big waves on toeside. I tend to fall backwards and edge too hard on heelside.
Sometimes I duck dive and take me and the board through the wave. You can do it standing or prone if necessary.
If all that looks too scary then the old faithful chicken gybe fixes all problems.
Select to expand quoteLambie said..
Im a mature (old fart) kiter with no surfing background but now always on a directional board and can jibe the board on a dime (windsurfing background) Im after hints as to how to get out over white water more easily -
If u used to windsurf, I am sure u can appreciate you already ARE getting over whitewater more easily...... 
By far the easiest way to get over white wash is to send it and jump it. Obviously don't stuff up your timing. Landing in the headhigh plus white wash is not desirable.
I get a perverse sense of pleasure boosting over thundering headhigh plus white wash! Look down at it as you glide over top of the madness.
If the white wash is less than head high you can load and pop without sending the kite. Do a ralley over the white wash.
If you don't have enough power to jump over then wait till you just about send hit the white wash. Then send your kite. Lean back with heaps of back foot pressure, The kite will unweight the board and you will ride over the white wash easily. Its surprizing how big the what wash is that you can do this too.
Other options are zip down wind and miss the white wash. Chicken jybe and run back into the beach and try a gain. Perhaps even wait for the set to go past.
Select to expand quoteLambie said..
Im a mature (old fart) kiter with no surfing background but now always on a directional board and can jibe the board on a dime (windsurfing background) Im after hints as to how to get out over white water more easily - Im sure Im just bashing my way out and most of the time its not much fun!!
Yesterday is was 6m kites and decent swell - sometimes looking at 6 foot of white water coming at me so the question is - where to put the kite ? high to lift over it, or low to try to be mega powered and smash it ? White water is just so turbulent the fins have almost no grip :-(
And as for the board - in small white water I lift the kite a little higher just before hitting the white water and suck up my legs and I seem to glide over it - big waves my timing must be out cuz I often get launched - and then smashed by the next wave while trying to get my board back !!
Anybody got any good hints to clear the white water on the way out?? The good guys at Merimbula last November make it look easy !! there must be a technique !!
Yep its a challenge, but once you get the technique is amazing what you can get over. If a wave is standing up vertical and you judge that its literally going to break right on you or in front of you, then you should have already chicken gybed.
I'm assuming you are riding strapless? I ride strapped and the technique although similar is different, you have to use less speed strapless, but with straps can handle a bit more, but still not heaps.
Head into the whitewash, kite high, on a slight down wind angle, rear foot pressure hard just before the whitewash hits, then as it hits release that rear foot pressure and go to even pressure and still slightly downwind, once you are over the main bit, dive the kite back from up high to keep momentum, but if another wall is headed you way keep the speed low and prepare for the same.
Most of the strapless guys I kite with switch to heelside to go out through white wash, but some do it toeside, similar technique but they do it with less speed.
If you are betting bucked up in toe air and falling into the next set wave, thats a sigh you have to slow more and head downwind a but.
Smaller stuff heading out heelside you can just sort of ollie it, with more speed, but once it gets 1M+ fast whitewater, slow down and use the technique above.
All of what's been said above is good advice.
One other thing, as you hit the white water or wave, keep your knees bent
Select to expand quoteswinginginthewind said...
All of what's been said above is good advice.
One other thing, as you hit the white water or wave, keep your knees bent
Thanks guys - I have read and digested your suggestions so now I have a few new things to try - the first being not to go quite so fast in an attempt to get over the whitewater! Feet pressure , Ollie , and boosting Ill keep in the front of my mind as well as playing with the position of the kite - now bring on next Friday and Mondays coastal forecast for Gippsland!!
For boosting over the wave. Go full pace, full commitment and send it as late as you dare. Going slow will end in an underpowered punt head on into the wave.
Here's something I was doing today to get over white wash. I had a short period swell with multiple waves coming at me in quick succession. So a big boost could have sent me smacking straight into the face of one.
So,,,,
Get some speed up. Kite high. 11 ish.
load and pop just before the white wash hits you.
At the same time to a tiny little send and redirect,
That gives you a little lift to pop over the wave but still keeps your forward momentum to tackle the next white wash.
You can do this multiple times in succession with out slowing down too much.
Sweet - often our waves are just wind swell with a short wave period - just like you were mentioning!
If I get any air there is hardly enough time the settle the board before the next wall of white water hits!!
Our wind forecast for the beach this Easter seems to be changing by the minute - but lately is looking up for the weekend!!
