Kitesoul Magazine #25 International Edition

Full Moon or no kiting
Of course, if you want to kitesurf in the moonlight, you
must pick a full Moon night, that's when the lunar hemisphere
illuminated by Sun is entirely visible from the
Earth. Usually there's a full Moon about every 30 days, so
it's good to know the lunar phases in advance to fully exploit
this show of mother nature in your local spot. In fact,
it is only during the full Moon that while riding at night you
can enjoy a light that although much fainter than the sun
light, it gives an acceptable light along the coast, provided
there are no clouds to screen out the lunar rays. On clear
days you can do it even when the Moon is almost full, a day
or two before or after the full Moon.
Rocks, surf and strong currents,
enemies to avoid
However, going out at sea at night with the kitesurf is
a risk, that's why you need to choose a spot that you
know very well. All the better if a quiet stretch of coast,
with scarce marine traffic, easy and safe: without strong
shore breaks, no rocks, or limited and previously carefully
evaluated, with light currents, especially the dangerous
rip currents, with limited tide variations and no riding
obstructions, such as buoys, mooring buoys, fishing nets,
moored boats, platforms and piers. Delta of rivers and
sea outlets must also be avoided, as they usually have
sudden currents and water temperature excursions. The
riding area, entry and exit points into and from the water,
the limits and risk zones should be established before the
session and clearly communicated to all riders. As well as
the approximate duration of the session.
Same goes for the beach where there should not be any
major obstacles, such as rocks, trees, fabrications and
electrical wires especially in the launching area of the
kite, as well as in the surrounding areas where one can
unfortunately arrive during the session, in case of leeway,
difficulties in relaunching the kite from the water or
for any problem with the equipment during navigation.
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