I don't gybe my surfboard.. coming from a surfing background i find it a lot easier to ride toe side than riding goofy.. I am yet to find any problems with it because it suits most the breaks where i am from.. But come winter and the winds change direction i will be heading out through the breaks of much larger swells on my toe side.. is this unusual or going to be a problem.. anyone else out there never gybe??
Hi Milko,
I like to ride toeside sometimes and also to gybe. It is very handy to be able to do both so is worthwhile putting in the hard yards to learn the "gybe shuffle".
Once you have mastered that, an even handier move is to learn the tack where you turn the nose of the board through the wind rather than turn downwind. It saves you a lot of ground when you are working upwind against a strong sweep.
It's not that hard, especially strapless, to learn both tacking and gybing and will help you a lot in bigger days when it is more onshore, otherwise you'll end up sitting on the beach and watching others who can.
Good winds,
Most guys I know who are long time surfers rarely gybe, and don't seem to have any trouble getting out through big swell on their toeside. However they all seem to have grown one leg bigger than the other, so most other mortals have to learn to gybe.
Enough of that, what's this about winter coming and kiting in bigger swells? You have my intererst! Do you mean Birubi, or do you have another special westerly surf place in mind?
I agree with some of the above posts that gybing can be handy -like when you have to do long tacks - but
Riding toeside is just as effective and much simpler and means you are always in position to do what ever you want rather than having to jybe or switch befor you take off on a wave
So there lots of advantages to not switching as well.
You wont have any probs going over toeside waves on the way out and when you see a good lip you can smack it and take off on that wave
So dont get hung up on trying to jybe
you can heaps of tips for free on waveriding in some of the articles by Ben Wilson on this site or on his web benwilsonsurf.com under the coaching page
Used to gybe "back in the day windsurfing" plan to get reaquainted with the mystical art of gybing. Mostly to limit the time in the water looking like shark bait! So Milko I would do the time to gybe otherwise "Bruce" our resident pointer might not be able to resist having a nibble. 
I'm a gyber but if conditions are good I often just remain toeside.
If you've got ground to make up it's much easier to gybe IMO (or tack turn*)
*Still working on the tack but the first ones were great fun 
on my 9'1" Bruce Montgomery Longboard (with the centre fin removed because it was shallow) in super light conditions.
Saves heaps of ground rather than doing the big carves of the mal.
Thanks brucex.. that's just what i wanted to hear.. and yes nerk i do mean birubi.. i was out there on Thursday in that westerly and had no problems at all getting through the swell but did have a bit of trouble loading to jump the closeouts so i would just reef the kite and get out of there but staying natural footed the whole time.. its not that i cant ride goofy(i have done my time on a twin tip) i just feel much more comfortable toe side.. so what happens for example when you chasing a wave in on your unnatural stance and the wave peaks up to the point where you can depower the kite and just ride the wave .. do you have to shuffle around quickly to be back on your natural stance.. i guess ONLY A SURFER KNOWS THE FEELING..you spend your whole life facing one way on a board and then try to reprogram yourself to go the other way..its just good to know there's others out there who feel the same..
I love the "gibe shuffle," well said KH.............jo da man. Would love to come to another kite camp some day if you are going to have it, especially in Winter. I still love the free style move I learned a few years back and enjoy looking back at the sick vid you made.
Gybe,A allround sailing term for a 180 turn. A bit out dated when you think about it.
Voted most likely topic to start an argument about the pros and cons of riding toeside, or switching stance!
Where's Waveslave?
I think the tackers win
and the way the wind is going it's about time for a decent argument
I loooooove gybing. It's part of the fun of kiting.
Gybing (& tacking) is a buzz when you get it nailed. (..and it's easier than you think)
Switching feet is essential for me, as I do big downwind runs, and then have huge tack upwind to get back to where I started. I ain't doing that in a "switch" position.
If you are interested in learning to gybe, read this article...
www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Kitesurfing/How-to-gybe-a-surfboard_2165971.aspx
I'm a natural footer but sometimes take off goofy if there's a hell shore break to get through. Once out I gybe and stay natural foot for the rest of the session unless I crash on the inside and it's quicker to get going goofy.
I also switch feet if doing a mega-long tack (ie. riding a couple of km upwind to a break) to rest my back leg for a while.
For the vast majority of riding it is natural foot and heelside, toeside all the way.
My gybing technique is to twist my body to toeside position, then switch feet with at least the front foot in the strap, then carve.
I only switch stance if strapless, and rarely even then, like Gorgo if I need to get past a reef or something to get out. Go the "twisted-bowel stance".
