Hydrofoil Kitesurfing “Kite Foiling” in Watamu Kenya

Hydrofoil Kitesurfing “Kite Foiling” in Watamu Kenya

The Hydrofoil is the pinnacle of water based activity technology, they can now be found on Americas cup boats, dinghies and now kitesurfing boards. Kite surfers are really leading the charge with this technology due to the efficiency of towing a foil with a kite, it allows not only for great top speed but also allows for kite surfers to start sailing in extremely low winds.

Watamu does make for a truly great hydro foiling destination, so much so that it has attracted one of top foiling manufacture brands to test their boards here. At the end of March 2017 (which would normally be the light wind season for kenya) Shinn kite boarding brought there whole test team to Watamu to test out there latest products. We look forward to welcoming them back again in the near future.

Tribe Watersports have been pioneering the use of “kite foiling” in Kenya. We are the first school to offer a training course in the sport and have developed a new training program to make progress as effective as possible.

As part of our foiling program we use slingshots school mast system where you can graduate from a shorter master up to a longer one.  This system makes the process of flying on the foil easier to grasp as it makes the foiling feeling less aggressive and gives you an opportunity of getting use to riding a board with a foil underneath, with out the repercussions of being thrown off the board every 2 seconds.

To aid tuition even further we are now also using BBtalkin Radio coaching helmets that allow for two way communication between the instructor and the student. The advantages of real time feedback from your instructor gives you so much more value from you lesson. With foiling in particular where minute changes will make the difference, you can get instant tips that will ensure much quicker progression.

The great advantage of kite foiling in Kenya is it opens up the Watamu to almost 360 days a year kitesurfing. The side of technology that we are taking advantage here is the efficiency of the boards in light winds. Although Watamu has great conditions for the majority of the year, there are a couple of months in between the seasons when the wind is light. The great thing is now the statement the wind is light wind isn’t a reason not to go kitesurfing, a confident foiler would be able to take advantage of these light winds and get out on the water every day of the year. It also doesn’t require you to use a massively large kite even on a day of light winds a 12m kite is generally enough to get you moving on a foil board.

We recommend that the student has complete almost advanced kite flying skills before taking up this aspect of kitesurfing. The sensation is that of learning to Kitesurf all over again as nothing from the board perspective relates to a twin tip. Having that confident kite control allows you to focus on the foiling aspect of your development.

If hydrofiling in Kenya is something that you are interested in giving ago then check out the section on our website here or get in touch with the center on +254718553355 for more information.