Kiteboarding Self-Rescue and Relaunching Your Kite

Here's great video teaching you how to do a self-rescue in an emergency and also to be able to undo the self-rescue and relaunch your kite. Please subscribe if you found this video helpful
For more information on kiteboarding lessons for beginner to advanced riders visit our website
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[@volkers-hamburg2390]

Before you body surf in the kite I recommend to connect safety leash to the kite at the inflate connection for the pump and I would even disconnect the leash from the bar. This way it is less likely to tangle in lines and bridles and you won’t loose the kite when washed in waves.
If you do a second video consider voice over to reduce noise. It helps all non native English speakers. Thanks for the video, looking forward for more.

[@mbkiteboarding]

And now in 30 knots and deep water

[@alexandersavin1538]

Were is the board???

[@SAKitesurf]

So typically when you decide to do the self-rescue, your board is long gone. You're now in a life or death situation. One solution if you have your board with you is to detach your leash, pass it through the foot strap or handle of the board then reconnect to the flag line and begin the self rescue

[@Giasonas3825]

you should actually demonstrate this technique in deep waters. no one needs a self rescue when they are waist deep.

[@SAKitesurf]

This video was just intended to help beginner kiteboarders understand the process. I'll do a deep water self rescue demonstration one day soon

[@Dembou23]

Hey Jason, although probably unintentional, your comment is misleading, as me being in the learning phase already encountered, I was in my learning spot that has a mile or two of waist deep water but there's also a deep canal for boats plus the site's no-kite-flying (you can't even body drag in or out) buffer zone (about 50 meters from shore) that basically forces you to land the kite in the water via safety release/self-rescue (excluding the kite-as-sail part) since you have to carry it to shore instead of landing it out of the water (unless you have someone to grab, hold and pass it to you, in the water, to be carried in-hand, out through the buffer zone)....
So normally in that spot (or any spot with similar rules) by yourself at time of exit or an emergency, you need to recover the kite via self-rescue just to get out of the water...
I also already encountered a sudden increment in wind speed where even the more experienced kiters were rushing to get out, that even in waist deep water, I couldn't prevent the kite from slowly but surely dragging my feet and therefore myself downwind toward the deep canal away from the exit path, so I needed to self rescue for a reason that had nothing to do with the site's rules...
Then there's also the chance, that since this is a dangerous sport, you could get hurt but still be able self-rescue to recover the kite, regardless of water depth or location rules.
So while its like orders of magnitude more difficult to self rescue in deep water, showing this in waist deep water lets you see better what needs to be done with the bar and lines.

[@chrestb8862]

@@Dembou23 This is difficult to envision what you're talking about without having been there. I don't understand why a beginner would be going a mile off shore but if there's a channel for boats that you crashed in, why wouldn't you just allow yourself to be dragged downwind into the shallow area rather than doing a self rescue?
Also if there's a sign saying no kite flying 50m from shore you should just ignore it, that seems like a crazy time to consider a self rescue.. self rescuing is for emergencies.
Your kite will always drag you downwind unless you are edging against it and going upwind - with a little more experience you will get the hang of this. Being in waist deep water is only going to make it harder to dig your feet against the kite and not get dragged, on solid land or while riding this isn't an issue.
I still agree with you that it's useful to see the self rescue in shallow water but I don't think you should ever actually perform it in shallow water except for practice.. just relaunch the kite and either walk or drag back to shore, it'll be a lot quicker and suck way less.