The Basics of Wave Riding

[@adrenalinehoarder6246]

Love how you start with teaching "right of way" nobody ever brings this up in kite or surfing tutorials and it is so important for safety and keeping the good vibes in the water... thank you🙏 great video🤙

[@evannetsch]

Thank you! Yes, I feel like it is way too easy for someone to get out in the waves without a surfing background to understand the importance of priority, and it is probably worth a video dedicated to this alone...

[@kenpearce2727]

Awesome tips on kite control while riding waves.... I thought I was turning and looping kite while on a wave too much but now know it's fully needed since wind direction is pretty side-on.... Thanks!.... And teaching wave priority Always needed for kiters who have never been a surfer :)

[@evannetsch]

Thanks! And I agree, I should have probably even spoken more about not riding through a lineup etc...

[@blooskyy7]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing

[@evannetsch]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@robertoatallabjj]

The depth of the explanation on the matter of the wind direction is amazing. The spot I regularly ride waves is constantly Side On, and doing loops while on my backside to catch the lefts is not exactly easy for me, so I got addicted to ride to the right, going toeside and riding frontside, it is a bit of a struggle as it is going upwind. Depends on how strong the wind is and the speed I am, sometimes I can totally kill the kite and ride the wave unimpeded, but sometimes is impossible to hit the lip, although cutbacks and less aggressive turns can be made, and honestly I feel i need to really understand how to keep the lines and the kite on the right place and when to loop so I can enjoy our spot fully riding downwind as wel. I hope you can make a video going more deep on how you ride waves in Side On conditions, or in all wind variations for that matter. Thanks a million from Brazil.

[@drumscum]

I'm really digging this series and found the etiquette part very useful. Would love to see a video on strapless airs at some point too!

[@evannetsch]

Strapless air video is the next video coming up!

[@markusbroyles1884]

I liked learning the rules of the road as far as wave priority and position ~ Thanks Aloha ~

[@evannetsch]

I'm glad, that is an important part for sure! Thanks!

[@awarddrawa]

Good video! Really like this series about strapless riding! I was hoping on a bit more details about riding a wave. What to look out for when picking, how do you arrive and what you do while on a wave.

[@evannetsch]

I will likely do a more in depth one in the future. The hard part is that so much changes based on the wind direction relative to the wave and the break itself so it is just a lot to talk about in a single video and it is not a straightforward answer that can be applied to any (or even most) locations . But it is on the list for the future likely broken down into: onshore wind wave riding / side shore / offshore wind wave riding

[@lynnmaclachlan1955]

Good visuals of you on the waves and very well explained. The best strapless wave riding tutorial I have seen so far. Thanks a lot

[@gregoryuska5230]

Great video! I just bought a directional board. I hope to learn wave riding. Thank you!

[@edouardvogt5922]

Super Tuto, merci d'avoir abordé les différentes orientations de vent. Continue comme ça !

[@congadogg]

This break down of different type of wave riding depending on wind direction is priceless! I was looking for that info for a long time! Thanks you so much! Subscribed and waiting for more episodes!

[@kountchev1]

THANX FOR SHARING!!!! A longer part reviewing looping the kite while waveridong would be fine too.

[@evannetsch]

I will add it to the list, thank you!

[@salvatoremelesa5521]

This is a great series of videos, thanks It would be great to see use of downloops in wave riding to keep power in the kite with side wind direction

[@loridelia5414]

Completely agreed would be great to see some down loop instructions

[@bramelhaus_]

Great video, Evan. Super useful info especially about how wind direction effects how you steer the kite, and which ways you can potentially ride.

[@Roko333]

Very good video 👍 too bad there are no waves at my Homespot. But great to know the basics for traveling.

[@evannetsch]

You will be ready when you get to the spot!

[@joshharrison2657]

I’d appreciate more content on how to fly the kite (timing direction loops) for various maneuvers on the wave, like a cutback versus a down-the-line top turn, etc.

[@kukumakukuku]

thanks for the tips, it would be great to learn what gear you are using, how do you choose it ? does the size/shape of the board matters ? what kind of fins do you use and why ? what gear you choose for different conditions ? does the bar lines lenght makes difference ? kite setup/ connections, kite sizes for different wind conditions etc. what changed in the past 5 years ? thanks again

[@TheRealPopol]

Top 👌 ! Thx !

[@nicolasboudet9302]

I really appreciated your vid with the variety of wind directions as many other just speak of side on shore! 😎 On my home spot the conditions are sometime strictly “on shore” and in these conditions the shore break is really strong. My only option is to try to go upwind with body drag but as I must travel long before passing it, I frequently face big breaking wave during this action. 😵‍💫 What is the best option with my board? - try to pouch it down flat under the wave (facing it or with the body drag angle) - try to keep the body drag edging when going into the wave - try to move up the front of the board to move on the top of the wave (risk to reverse it) -try to up the tail of the board to go deeper into the wave - face the width of the board to the coming wave -other option?

[@evannetsch]

Thanks! Dead onshore is always pretty tricky....I like to ride with a bit more power in onshore winds which should help a lot and I would say if the shoreline is sandy with space best to go straight off the beach. Walk out as much as you can without getting hit by a decent size breaking wave and wait for the last wave of a bigger set wave to wash up the beach a bit (this way hopefully you have less wave energy for a few seconds/minute after) and use that water moving out to help pull you out and give you some apparent wind. Don't put your board down to go when the wave is pushing in and downwind but drop your board down just before that water starts heading out and get as much momentum and power in the kite as you can to push thru the shorebreak quickly and get up and moving. I would say this is always easier done riding vs body dragging of some sort. I'd say holding onto the board through a wave can be tricky unless the wave is small in onshore wind is just a good way to get a bit hurt or just get washed back onto the beach. You are fighting the wave, board and kite all pulling you in. If I couldn't ride through it I doubt I'd be able to make it out another way!

[@nicolasboudet9302]

@@evannetsch thank you Evan for this fair answer. On some days the shorebreak is so big on my home spot that only experts can quickly put the board, start, gain speed without loosing ground to the wind and pass easily these big waves without loosing ground again! Any small mistake will finish near the beach. A beginner or an intermediate kiter have big difficulties to manage on this spot with those conditions, and I thought that body drag was a more secure option with the right technique and probably with great care to start at the right time vs the wave serial. If I well understood your point I was totally wrong, which is quite sad for my wife which presently need to go far away from the shorebreak to succeed with the waterstart and to keep ground to the wind! As we have not any beginner’s beach nearby, I was trying to find some tips instead to tell her to give up. The issue for her is quite the same when the wind is not strictly onshore but with a little on/side shore angle: she can walk to the best end side of the beach to use the best of this small angle, but she must still pass the shorebreak, even it is a bit faster due to the angle. I offered her to do as much body drag as she can to find a quiet area to start with the board on her feet She start to be good at it , and she securely manage the way back to the beach , well holding the kite high and throughout her board away as soon as possible and as far as possible🤗 On this island the schools use boats to bring their clients upwind and to take them back largely before the shore break but without boat help, beginners or intermediate cannot ride! And the schools refuse to take you for a upwind taxi, or for unaffordable fees…the way to keep you taking other courses .. but this must eventually end! May be with a bit of side/ on shore angle , choosing days with acceptable waves, you may help us to optimize our body drag technique: on this spot the wind is always in average on shore (Est) but moving daily to side/on small angle (Est/South-Est to Est/North-Est) We would focus on the side/on days but would need to learn more the technique to hold the board facing the big waves during body drag! 😎

[@hawkeye4557]

Do i use a smaller kite with a wave board in comparision to a twintip? Love your videos. Just got a wave board and cant wait to try it!

[@evannetsch]

It is really just relative to how powered you like to ride on a twin tip but in general, yes maybe slightly smaller. In onshore wind I like to be more powered and in offshore wind a bit less, so depending on the wind direction I may shift kite size by a full 3m or so...

[@filippepericleous6613]

awesome

[@bramelhaus_]

When and how do you include downlooping the kite in your wave riding?

[@cinokaftw6118]

Best Wind direction with onshore waves? :) ty

[@jackignatev]

I still didn't hear what to do with the wave. Just head on and jibe off?

[@claudiomarques2566]

Thanks, but you will break your board by doing explanations on it! I liked your clarifications about wave riding against someone crossing the white water, here in Rio we have the opposite understanding quite often. The same applies to offshore riding with priority against someone tacking upwind in the inside, we always have this problem here in Barra da Tijuca, people say that outside swells are not considered wave, you have got to be in the critical zone