Summer in New Zealand means our beaches become a favourite destination for recreational users and kitesurfers. When kite surfing on a busy beach you have swimmers, surfers, long boarders and stand-up paddle boarders to safely navigate around. Here some useful information on how to safely kitesurf on and around crowded beaches.

Complete a situational analysis

Kitesurfing on a crowded surf beach requires a kitesurfer to make good decisions and judgements when checking the conditions on the beach. Considerations need to made around if there is enough space for you to safely operate within a designated kiting zone to without putting yourself or any other water users in any danger. The New Zealand legal speed for a powers water vehicle within 50 meters of a swimmer is 5 knots. Kite surfers are considered to be a power water vehicle and compliance for this rule can be enforced by the habour master.

Picking a safe launch site

Entry and Exit points into the surf