Safety Rules for Beginner Kitesurfers

Essential kitesurfing safety rules: right of way on the water, self-rescue, safety systems. Why professional instruction matters.

Kitesurfing is an amazing sport. It’s also a sport where a piece of fabric the size of a small apartment pulls you by the waist with enough force to lift you five metres above the water. So yes — safety here isn’t a buzzword, it’s a necessity.

I don’t want to scare you. Kitesurfing is a safe sport when the rules are followed. Key words: when the rules are followed. Here are the most important ones.

Rule Number One: Learn with an Instructor

I’m putting this first because it’s the most important. You cannot learn kitesurfing from YouTube videos. I’ve seen it countless times — someone buys a kite, watches a few videos, goes to the beach and ends up in hospital. Or ends up with their kite tangled in power lines. Or injures someone else on the beach.

A professional instructor teaches you safety systems, water rules, and self-rescue before they even let you ride a board on your own. These aren’t things you can “figure out.” You need to know them automatically, instinctively, because when you need them, there’s no time to think. If you’re curious how a structured course is built, see how we teach.

Safety Systems on the Kite

Every modern kite has at least two safety systems:

Quick release (chicken loop release) — You disconnect from the bar with a single motion. The kite is still attached to you via the safety leash, but it loses most of its pull. This is your primary safety feature and you must be able to activate it blindfolded, with one hand, in any situation.

Full disconnect (safety leash release) — The second level. You disconnect completely from the kite. The kite falls into the water and you’re free. Used in extreme situations — the kite is tangled, you’re in danger, you can’t control the kite.

During the course, you practise both systems multiple times before going on the water. It has to be automatic. There’s no time to think “how did this work again?” when the kite is dragging you toward an obstacle. For the terminology, our kitesurfing glossary explains every part of the bar and safety system.

Right of Way on the Water

There are rules on the water, similar to traffic rules on the road. Not knowing them is like driving a car without knowing right of way at intersections — sooner or later, things go wrong.

A rider heading away from shore has right of way over a rider heading toward shore. The one heading to shore gives way.

On opposite tacks, the starboard rider has right of way — the rider travelling with the kite on the right keeps course and speed, while the port-tack rider adjusts early.

When two riders travel in the same direction, the faster rider gives way to the slower rider ahead and overtakes with plenty of room.

When passing, the upwind rider keeps the kite high and the downwind rider keeps it low. That creates maximum separation between the kites and lines. Both riders raising their kites is not the rule.

During launching and landing, both riders keep clear. Never launch into another rider’s path, follow the beach crew and local spot rules, and avoid a collision instead of trying to assert priority.

This is only a short selection. Review the full IKO right-of-way guide and practise the rules with an instructor. On our lagoon, three separate zones for teaching, independent riding and wing/foil further reduce conflicts. You can see them on our spot page.

Self-Rescue

This is a skill you hope you’ll never use — but you must know it. Self-rescue means getting safely to shore when something isn’t working: the bar is broken, a line snapped, the wind died completely, or you’re simply tired and far from shore.

The exact sequence depends on your kite, the failure, wind strength and direction, and the shoreline. It involves the correct use of the safety system, securing the lines, and deciding whether the kite can be sailed to shore or must be packed down before a boat pickup. You cannot safely learn that from a short written checklist: practise it in the water with an instructor and with the equipment you actually ride. IKO introduces self-rescue at Intermediate level.

In El Gouna, the first roughly 800 m knee-to-waist-deep teaching area can make some problems easier to manage. Rescue support is available during operating hours, but continuous boat presence and response timing are not guaranteed. Independent riders must know self-rescue.

Checking Conditions

Before going on the water, check:

Wind — strength and direction. Not every day is suitable for riding. Too strong wind is dangerous for beginners; too light is just frustrating. Your instructor or the beach team will advise you on the right kite size. To understand the seasonal pattern, read our month-by-month wind guide.

Obstacles — boats, swimmers, other kiters, the downwind shore. Always know what’s around you.

Weather — storms and kitesurfing don’t complement each other well. Before a storm, the wind picks up unpredictably. If you see dark clouds, get off the water. We monitor the weather continuously and call everyone back to shore when danger is approaching.

Your condition — tired? Back hurting? Had a few too many beers last night? Better stay on the beach. A kite has no brake and a tired rider makes bad decisions.

Water Shoes

A small detail that can save your holiday. There are occasional shells and shell fragments on the lagoon bottom. Usually harmless, but stepping on a sharp shell can mean a cut on your foot and a few days without riding.

Lightweight neoprene boots or water shoes cost a few euros and save you potential trouble. We recommend them for everyone, not just beginners.

Why Rescue Boats Make a Difference

On our lagoon, rescue support is available during operating hours. Continuous boat presence, a specific intervention and a response time cannot be guaranteed; every rider still needs self-rescue skills and must follow the team’s briefing.

Depending on the incident, conditions and availability, rescue support may:

• Assist after a kite crash that cannot be resolved safely
• Help a tired rider return toward shore
• Do not assume a specific response time; alert the beach team and follow the emergency procedure
• Support the beach team’s response when conditions change rapidly

For a beginner, knowing that help is within reach is psychologically important. Less stress = better learning = fewer mistakes = greater safety. It’s a positive cycle.

Respect the Sport

Kitesurfing is a sport where nature shows you who’s boss. You can’t switch off the wind, you can’t stop a wave, and a 12-square-metre kite has power that most people can’t imagine.

Knowing the rules, using the right equipment, respecting the conditions and staying within your level all reduce risk. That is why our teaching follows the IKO system, includes practical safety drills, and keeps standard lessons to a maximum of two students per instructor and setup.

Want to start safely? Check out our kite courses or read more about our spot and why it’s ideal for beginners.