As a surfer you are trained to read the wind, and an onshore forecast usually means one thing: a blown-out, gutless session.

Onshore wind flattens the punch out of a swell, so waves stop standing up and close out in long, powerless sections.

Kitesurfing flips that logic completely. The same seabreeze that ruins your surf is the fuel that powers a kite across the same waves.

Picture surfing the clean offshore in the morning, then rigging a kite and riding the afternoon seabreeze at the same beach.

What carries over from surfing

More transfers than you expect. Wave selection, reading sections, weighting a rail and driving a turn are all instincts you already own.

You still bottom turn, hit the lip and race a section, so the hard part is not the wave, it is managing the kite while you do it.

The most common worry is simple: will the kite drag me off the wave? In practice, no, and it clicks faster than people fear.

How the kite works on a wave

The kite sits parked while you ride. Once you are on a wave you steer with your body and rail, keeping the kite high and quiet at the edge of the window.

Heading out, you use your knees to soak up whitewater bumps rather than fighting each one stiff-legged.

As bigger sets stand up you can launch off the face for air, or bear away downwind and ride diagonally to take the sting out of a heavy wall.

When a wave shapes up cleanly, treat it like a skate ramp: crank the kite around and drive the hardest top turn you can into the pocket.

"Some days it is a skate park, not the usual routine of sitting on your board watching the horizon for the next set."

The payoff is a level of freedom surfing rarely gives you, since you make your own speed and are never waiting for a wave.

You can run up the line, skip flat sections, throw cutbacks, floaters and off-the-lips, with your own skill the only real limit.

Downwinders are the surfer's reward

Beach breaks are made for downwinders. Their irregular, shifting shape gives you fresh walls to hit the whole way along a stretch of coast.

The setup is simple: leave a car at the finish, shuttle everyone up to the start, then ride the breaks downwind as far as your legs last.

Runs stretch from one to fifteen kilometres, and a good one leaves your back leg burning from more turns than a full surf session.

Making the switch safely

Get lessons before you touch your own gear. A powered kite has no brakes, so putting the power on is easy while dumping it in a hurry is not.

A school starts you on smaller kites and a big, forgiving board, then steps you up as your control improves.

Before a session, check the wind forecast so your first days land on steady sideshore wind rather than a wild, gusty afternoon.

Steady cross-shore wind, an uncrowded beach and room downwind of you are the safest place to link your surfing skills to the kite.

Questions & Answers

Do I need to be a good surfer first? It helps a lot, because wave reading and turning transfer directly. You do not need to be an expert, but comfort in the surf zone and ocean awareness make the kite side far easier to learn.

Will the kite pull me off the wave? No. Once you are riding, the kite sits parked high in the window and you steer with your body and rail, much like surfing. Learning to keep it there takes a little practice but comes quickly.

What conditions should I look for starting out? Steady sideshore or side-onshore wind around a beach break, with clear room downwind and few other people. Avoid gusty offshore wind and crowded lineups until your kite handling is solid.

Can I use my normal surfboard? You can ride a surf-style kite board, but start on the bigger board a school gives you. It gets you up and riding sooner, then you move to a smaller wave board once your waterstart and control are dialled.