Good work Daniel_Y.
A jumps a jump. I'm sure it was fun anyway, if not the body dragging to get your board back after the landing...
Lesson learnt over the weekend... just because you think you're getting better, doesn't stop you having a kitemare with your brand new kite and bashing it around.
My kite fell out the air and turned inside out. On recovery, one of the steering lines was caught round the power lines. As a 5line kite, aparaently the only thing to do is pull the quick release and self rescue.
Current challenge: Going toe side.
Any tips? I think I'm taking too long to 'switch' and losing power out of the kite (due to it being too far round the wind window....).
I was out the other day on 14 to 16 knots, but the winds were directly onshore. For the life of me I just couldn't get going. Everytime I started, the kite just went straight to the window edge and flopped. I tried full on power dives almost from 3 oclock and yeah, I had power and lift, but the kite just kept falling off! I was on my 14 mtr switchblade and I weigh 80kgs. I had no problem controlling the kite in 15 to 18 knots, so just a couple of knots makes a lot of difference in having to power dive and repower constantly? Confused.
Not sure if this will help with your kite Kazan, maybe you need to try to steer it sooner? My C4 in 15kts will fall out of the sky if I don't anticipate the moves it needs to make. It's 11m and I am 85kg and I can JUST get upwind on a 15kt day... so not sure why yours is misbehaving.
As for once you're up in light winds, I found it easier to make smaller more subtle kite movements in light wind once up and riding, rather than just diving it aggressively. So give it a good dive to begin (but remember that you need to steer it up sooner than in strong winds, it's slow as hell!), but then aim to make it more and more subtle otherwise you just get pulled off your line and end up downwind with your weight over the board.
With the board, I had better results getting my weight off the board sooner than in strong winds, otherwise you just sink it in the light wind. So leaning back and trying to head upwind as soon as possible to move my weight away from the board (but not too far back and upwind that you dig a rail and fall in). It also helps for me to try and stay "stiffer" in my stance. It's a balancing act and I am only just starting to get the hang of it.
Thanks Jason, thanks Zarb. That was great tips.
On a totally different topic (forum should have a NonKiting section), check out in YouTube 'great gig in the sky sam brown' and compare it with 'great gig in the sky aussie or britfloyd floyd'. You tell me which one nails it the most! Go Aussies!
Have had my first lesson and got some second hand gear from a close mate! so syked to finally get on the water!
Only problem is Im having a small operation next week which means ill be fish outa water for about 4-5 weeks because of the healing 
Rest assured the weeks of recovery will be re viewings of the progression DVD's 
Then hopefully after the recovery ill be getting some good experience
EDIT: Thing I learned from my first lesson is easy does it with the bar. Also Dont freak out!! The first couple of kite crashes I had I panicked and couldn't get the kite back up. I calmed down took a good couple of breaths and patiently maneuvered the kite to pick up some wind.
Landed my first backroll today Also came very very close on several other tries. Now I just need to get it dialed and maybe try it without a little wave to give me a boost.
Also was working on my popping jumps today. I find them way more fun than big floaty airs. Can almost get about a metre out of the water now with pops.
Kiteboarding kicks ass!
yewww, good on ya! you'll keep progressing quickly now.
when are you back up here?
I was due to come home for the ANZAC day long weekend, but unfortunately I have to work now 
So probably not until June. After that though, I'll be out on the strapless whenever the wind is up and keen for some more downwinders!
Did my first 'sort-of' toeside on sat. Switched the board on the spot... went more or less direct downwind.
Note to self, must practice toeside stance (despite getting ridiculed by the girlfriend... although to be fair, doing it in a busy park using an oval's barrier as my pretend bar does invite such ridicule!).
Does or did anyone else have a fear of launching and landing? If so how did you get over it? 
I've just had an hour lesson purely focusing on launching/landing and self launching/self landing.
Hopefully I can get out tomorrow to see if its made me feel any better about the process.
Also came very very close on several other tries. Now I just need to get it dialed and maybe try it without a little wave to give me a boost.
I got through the first two vids fine, probably going to go get volume 2 Intermediate this weekend.
Zarb, have you seen Kiteboarding 101?
It's a different pace to the Progression DVDs, but def worth a watch in conjunction with the progression DVD.
Together they give you different takes on the same thing...
No, I havn't seen that DVD. I may have to track it down. What kind of level does it cover?
This weekend I want to start getting some rotations in my pops. Depending on the crowds, I might try unhooking as well and see the difference it makes on the jumping. Fully prepared for it to hurt a lot...
joea – That's actually not such a bad idea. I know a little fella that would be able to use the kite anyway.
SaltySinus – I honestly don't know why I worry about it so much. At low tide I have hundreds/thousands of meters of free space, so I have plenty of time to kill the kite. I usually go out by myself where no one else is and try and self-launch, but I think I'm going to start doing assisted launches/landings. Won't be so rough on my kite and I'll probably pick up heaps of hints/tips from the experienced.
I thought I might as well put this in here also. 
Howdy,
I'm looking for some kiting buddies in Brisbane, my usual haunt is Brighton/Sandgate.
I've had my lessons and I've just picked up my own gear, so I'm wanting to get out as much as possible.
Get in contact.
^^^^^Hey SuperPoop,
Keep that kite at the edge of the window and the kite will virtually lift up on the spot without dragging accross the sand/mud, shells, jellyfish, stingrays, crabpots and other stuff you have up there on the low tide. lol, plenty of room for it up there. On the High you can selflaunch from the grass in front of Padi's place or down at Brighton for when you're feeling well practiced. In the right wind, you shouldn't even have to hold the bar until it's in the air, round 1 or 10.30, just take the upper steering line by the leader and "fish" it up into the air m8. She'll be apples
Hey Superpoop,
During the season there are plenty of people down at Brighton/Sandgate. If you are a feeling a little unsure on your launch/lands just let whoever you ask for a launch know that you feel this way and most of the guys will ensure that you are in the right place before releasing the kite.
At mid-low/low tide there is heaps of room on the flats so you will have plenty of room to move away from the grassed areas and away from obstacles.
When I first started I let the guys know that I was a newbie and for them to feel free to tell me if I wasn't in the right place for my launches, they also took it nice and slow and waited till I was ready.
You will get more confident with it as you progress.
Reminder to self... if the weather says 'there's no wind', don't take your new kite and have it bashed around on the beach... idiot.
Also, there *are* dolphins in Port Philip bay, so if you see a fin... you don't always have to run for your life!
My god what were you trying to do? There wasn't anything above a red arrow for the entire day!
