Safety When Launching and Landing - The Kiteboarder Magazine

Ben Meyer signs his name on the
section. Lens: Erik Aeder
our crew here at The Kiteboarder was sitting in a meeting pondering features. Paul Lang and
Marina Chang coincidentally both threw out the idea of doing a wave riding instructional. At
that moment, my mind started racing. Who would be legit enough to help answer some of
our staff’s wave riding questions? A plethora of names crossed my mind, but my top choices
were Felix Pivec and Kevin “Top Hat” Senn. Pivec and Hat have clocked more wave hours than
most. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with the boys between wave sessions on the North
Shore of Oahu. Felix and Hat dug deep to answer some of our questions and to give us some
of their top secret riding tips. Hopefully this stuff will help you improve your skills or motivate
you to do some wave kiting.
Q: Should I use the same gear that I
normally would use for my everyday wind
conditions (kite and board size)?
A: You should use whatever you feel comfortable
with at first. Then with time you can
make the transition to different style boards
and smaller kites. Just get a taste first and
have fun.
Q: Are bow kites really THAT MUCH BET-
TER in the waves than C-kites?
A: 90% of people that like the new bows will
say yes. As far as modern technology goes,
bows make kiting easier for the average kiter.
This is why we believe everyone is amped
on the bow kites in the waves. The down
side to this is many people become reliant
on the chicken loop for control and stabilization
of the kite, instead of simply spending
more time learning to fly their kite in the wind
window to reduce pull and increase riding
performance and control. With the right size
kite flown in control, you are able to unhook
and surf the waves free of restraint. Most
bow kites these days don’t allow you to
unhook. This limits your whole riding performance
from where your body is and how the
kite is pulling you down the wave.
Q: What size board is best to use in the
waves for what conditions?
A: This really depends on your personal
preference and conditions where you ride.
Everyone has their thing. We have been
riding surfboards from 5’0’’ to 6’6’’ from our
sponsors and local surf shops. In our opinion,
if you cannot paddle the board onto a
wave, you are not riding a surfboard nor will
you get a true surf ride. Surfboards are also
a huge bonus when traveling when the wind
is light or non-existent.
Q: Should I use a surfboard or a twin
tip/wakeboard?
A: This is a tough one and often depends on
where you live. If you don’t have relatively
easy access to waves, you can still have a
lot of fun on a wakeboard or twin tip. If you
are just beginning, both you and the people
at the beach will also appreciate you using
these boards, as they will allow you to switch
directions effortlessly and recover from wipeouts
quicker. Once you are comfortable riding
in the surf, go out and get yourself a real
surfboard. Make sure you put a nose guard
on as a board in the eye will make it hard to
spot the next wave you are about to catch.
Soft edge fins are not a bad idea either.
Q: What are the first things that I should
work on to build my waveriding skills?
A. Learn to read the waves at your local
beach or any spot by visually watching the
By Felix Pivec and
Kevin “Top Hat” Senn
Pivec and Top Hat give up the goods
on being successful in the waves
The Kiteboarder 40 The Kiteboarder 41