Feeling nervous before your first kite lesson is completely normal. You don’t know what to expect, the kite looks enormous, and everyone around you seems like they’ve been doing it forever. So let’s walk through exactly what’s going to happen — no surprises.
Before You Even Start
You arrive at our centre, where your instructor greets you. First, you’ll cover the basics — how the wind works, what you’ll be doing, and most importantly, what to do if something goes wrong. It’s not a boring hour-long lecture — more like fifteen to twenty minutes of practical information.
You’ll receive all the equipment: a harness (the belt around your waist that connects you to the kite), a helmet with walkie-talkie, a vest, and a wetsuit depending on the season. In summer (April–October), boardshorts or leggings are enough; in winter (November–March), you get a wetsuit. Everything is included in the course — you don’t need to arrange anything yourself.
Phase 1: Theory and Safety (on the Beach)
It all starts on dry land. The instructor will explain:
The wind window — this is the key concept. Imagine a quarter sphere in front of you. The kite moves within this space, and depending on where it is, it pulls more or less. At the edge of the window (above your head) it pulls the least; in the middle (directly in front of you) it pulls the most. Understanding this principle is the foundation of everything.
Safety systems — every kite has at least two ways to disconnect. The first is the quick release on the harness — one motion and the kite loses most of its pull. The second is a complete disconnect — the kite falls into the water and generates zero pull. You’ll practise this several times before you even go into the water. It has to be automatic.
Signals — how to communicate with the instructor on the water. Even though you have a walkie-talkie, basic hand signals are important as backup.
Phase 2: Kite Control (Shallow Water)
Now you head into the water. In El Gouna, that means standing in shallows up to your knees or waist. The instructor hooks you up with a small training kite or a full-size kite (depending on conditions and your weight).
You start by learning to steer the kite — up, down, left, right. You fly it in the safe zones of the wind window where it doesn’t pull too hard. The goal is to be able to send the kite wherever you want and keep it stable.
This is the phase where a lot of people say “this is easier than I expected.” And they’re right — basic kite control isn’t complicated. What’s complicated is doing it automatically while you’re doing five other things at the same time. But that comes later.
Because you’re standing in shallow water, there’s no stress. If the kite does something unexpected, you just let go of the bar, the kite drops into the water, and you’re calmly standing there. Try doing that in two-metre waves.
Phase 3: Power Stroke and Bodydrag
Once you can steer the kite, it’s time to discover its power. The instructor teaches you the power stroke — a quick sweep of the kite through the power zone. The kite pulls you through the water. At first just a few metres, then progressively more.
Next comes bodydrag — being pulled through the water by the kite without a board. You lie on the water, the kite flies, and you glide across the surface. It looks simple and usually it is. Bodydrag serves to help you:
- Understand how the kite generates pull and how to control the direction of that pull
- Learn to retrieve your board from the water (because it will occasionally drift away)
- Master self-rescue — getting back to shore with the kite and without a board
In El Gouna, bodydrag is easy because you can stand up. At a deep-water spot, you’d be swimming and flying the kite simultaneously — here you simply stand up when you need a break.
Phase 4: Waterstart and Your First Metres
This is the moment everyone’s been waiting for. You get the board. The instructor shows you how to put it on your feet in the water, how to position yourself correctly, and how to combine the kite’s pull with getting up on the board.
The waterstart is technically the most demanding part of the entire learning process. You have to simultaneously:
- Keep the kite in the correct position
- Have the board on your feet at the right angle
- Execute a power stroke at the right moment
- Shift your weight to the back foot
- Let yourself be pulled out of the water
- And not panic
Sounds like a lot of things at once? It is. That’s why it usually doesn’t work on the first try. Or the second. But somewhere around the fifth to tenth attempt — click. Suddenly you’re standing on the board and riding. Three metres, five metres, splash. But those three metres are pure euphoria.
And right at that moment, the instructor says over the walkie-talkie: “Excellent! Now the same thing, but keep the kite a bit higher.” Instant feedback that without a walkie-talkie would have come five minutes later on the beach — by which time you’d have forgotten the feeling.
How Much You’ll Cover in a Day
A standard day with us includes two water sessions, each about 1.5 hours. That’s roughly 3 hours on the water per day. Between sessions, there’s a break for lunch and rest.
Why not more? Because kitesurfing is physically demanding. After three hours on the water, you’ll be more tired than you’d expect — especially your arms, back and legs. And a tired person makes mistakes and learns more slowly. Better to do three quality hours well-rested than five ineffective ones while exhausted.
What to Bring
Not much, really. We provide all the equipment. You need:
- Swimwear — you probably have that covered
- Sunscreen — high SPF, the Egyptian sun doesn’t mess around
- Water shoes — recommended, there are occasional shells on the bottom
- Sunglasses — for the beach between sessions
- Water — available at the centre, but having your own bottle is practical
- A good mood — can’t do without it
What You’ll Take Away from Your First Lesson
By the end of day one, you’ll know how to steer the kite, you’ll have mastered the safety systems, and you’ll have done bodydrag. If you pick things up quickly and conditions are right, maybe even your first metres on the board. If not, that comes on day two — no stress.
Most importantly, you’ll know whether kitesurfing is for you. And I’d bet it is. In 20 years of teaching, we’ve met very few people who said “this isn’t for me” after their first lesson. Most of them can’t wait to continue the next day.
The full Basic I course is 8 hours (spread over 3–5 days) and upon completion you receive a free IKO certification. Course details on our kite courses page and you can book through booking.
And if you have any questions beforehand — just reach out via contact. We’re happy to explain everything.