Question 1

Should I learn to kitesurf or wing foil?

Accepted Answer

Ideally, it would be best to learn both sports. While kiteboarding seems extreme to some, once you acquire the skill, it is not as difficult as it may seem. We focus on safety and make learning how to kiteboard an enjoyable experience. We won't put our customers in conditions where they feel overpowered. Also, we don't use noisy jetskis that make it impossible to hear your instructor. Our focus in on private and semi-private lessons and camps that get you up and riding in the shortest amount of time. Once you learn body dragging, how to retrieve your board and how to body drag upwind, we'll teach you self-rescue as well. We teach you the theory behind board skills on the land and then progress to the water. Most of your time will be spent in the water learning how to use a smaller kite and then progressing to a larger kite. We have a large "door" board that is ideal for learning how to kitesurf. With the lightest of winds and a 12 meter kite, you can already get up and riding. So, kiteboarding doesn't have to be an extreme sport at all. I have taught many beginning kiteboarders who learned how to do the waterstart in one day. Also, some even learned how to do transitions on the first day. Motivation is important, and we keep you motivated and give you positive feedback as well as constructive advice that will help you learn how to ride in the shortest time possible. 
When you learn how to kiteboard, learning how to control the kite, how to use the depower strap, how to do figure-eights, learning the wind window and developing an intuitive feeling for the kite are important skills. Board skills are also important because you need to be able to put the board in the right position to do the water start. It usually takes 3-5 days to learn how to kiteboard for the average person.
	Wing foiling takes an equal amount of time. Expect at least a week on the water to learn the sport. We recommend learning how to wing surf before learning to wing foil. The foil is heavy and difficult to use in the beginning, so we recommend learning wing SUP surfing during your first lesson. Once you have learned how to gybe and can wing surf on a SUP, you are ready for wing foiling. We recommend learning on flat water because the ocean waves are a distraction when you are learning. You don't need to drive to Hatteras to get a lesson because we have flat water in Hampton Roads in the Back River.  Like kiteboarding, the water start is the most difficult obstacle that beginners face. It is impossible to get riding with a foil if the wind isn't strong enough, so it has to be at least 15 knots to get riding, even if you have a big 6 or 7 meter wing. Getting up on the foil and keeping pressure on your front foot while riding the foil--keeping your legs locked in--is important. Unlike kite foilboarding, you won't be moving that fast when you are riding, but make sure you fall away from the foil when you get off the board. The foil wing is larger than the board, so when you fall off, be sure to fall away from the board and stay away from the foil. 
       Wing foiling is a more physically engaging experience. You always have to pay attention to the wing and to the wind. You'll have to learn how to micromanage the wind gusts to maximize your foiling experience. It requires an ability to read the wind, but it is also more intensive physically, and your upper body muscles are engaged in riding as well as your lower body muscles.
      Both sports are complimentary, and there is no reason why you can't learn both. The experience of being on the foil and having no resistance underneath is an exhilirating one. As you progress with wing foiling, you can also move on to the waves. 
    With a kite, you use the bar to control the kite. With the wing foil, you have to use your arms and constantly adjust your body position. That is why we teach people to wing surf with a SUP first and how to foil with the SUP as well (at least how to pump the board while using the paddle to get some speed).  There's no harness, no bar, and no lines when you wing foil. On the other hand, when you kiteboard, if you are powered up, you can let the kite do most of the work for you and sit back and enjoy the scenery once you learn how to ride. If you live in a location where there are only small bodies of water and not enough space to rig up a kite with 20-meter lines, then wing foiling would be a better option.
	The lesson area at our school allows you to learn in a space where there is flat water and few obstacles. In waist to shoulder-high water, you have the opportunity to learn without fearing being swept out to sea and without having to deal with the hassle of waves. 
       Both sports can be exciting to learn and are addictive. They can be complementary to each other and give you more options the next time you go to the beach.

Question 2

What is PASA? How do I become a PASA-certified kiteboarder?

Accepted Answer

PASA (or Professional Airsports Association) established standards, best practices, and standard operating procedures for kiteboarding instruction during the infancy of the sport and continues to provide certification of Kiteboarding schools and instructors. The certification program provided by PASA has allowed kiteboarding schools to get and maintain insurance.
There are many benefits when you get PASA-certified through VB Ocean Vibes:
Certification of kiteboarders establishes a measurable level of skills obtained under the PASA guidelines.
Each certification level means the kiteboarder has accomplished the skills criteria for that particular level.
After obtaining Level 2 Kiteboarder, the student is qualified to rent gear from participating rental centers.
PASA developed these levels to ensure teaching quality and to allow kiteboarders to evaluate their own skills.
Kiteboarders of all levels must complete a waiver to be eligible for insurance coverage.
Once you get a lesson through us, your instructor will enter you in to the PASA system, so you can apply for your PASA membership. This proves that you have received professional kiteboarding instruction and can kitesurf according to professional norms.

Question 3

Why do I have to sign a release of liability form and a declaration of fitness form before my lesson?

Accepted Answer

The forms are available to download on our site. You can send a photo of the signed forms to the manager (Raphael) at vboceanvibes@gmail.com. While we provide professional instruction, kitesurfing and wing foiling are sports that require extreme exertion. Do not take a kiteboarding lesson if you are not physically fit and if you do not accept personal and legal responsibility for the inherent risks of the sport. Please purchase wetsuit booties before your lesson, wear a lifejacket and wear a helmet during your lesson. Parents and guardian must give their consent for minors 16 years old or older.

Question 4

Why get a lesson with an instructor?

Accepted Answer

Learning with an instructor will accelerate your learning curve. When you learned how to drive, you had to have someone teach you. Kiteboarding, wing surfing and freeskating can be dangerous sports without qualified instruction. You will be certified as a PASA level One, Two or Three kiteboarder by the end of your kiteboarding lesson or camp. As for wing foiling, you can learn how to foil much faster when you have a qualified foilboarder teach you how to control the foilboard and the wing to maximize your speed and the lift required to get foiling. You can start learning how to ride freeskates much quicker with an instructor.

Question 5

What is wing surfing and what is wing foiling?

Accepted Answer

A wing is a handheld kite that is used when wing surfing and wing landboarding. Wing surfing is a more general term than wing foiling. To wing foil, you must have a foil attached to your board. Generally, people starting out winging will learn how to wing surf first with a SUP and then progress to using a wing foil after learning how to control the wing. It is recommended to learn how to use the wing on land with a kite landboard before learning how to wing SUP. We offer wing SUP lessons and recommend learning how to wing SUP first because it will give you the skills with the wing, so you can learn how to wing foil later on. Wing foiling is usually the ultimate goal people have when learning how to wing surf. However, the water start can often be difficult for beginners because wing foilers have to pump the wing and the board to get up on the foil. It is necessary to have at least 15 knots of steady wind in order to get up on the foil. Wing surfing with a SUP is much simpler because it isn't necessary to have so much wind. You can even have five to ten knots of wind to get started winging with a SUP.
The board that we use in our lessons is a hybrid 7'6" F-One Rocket Air wing foilboard. It is inflatable, so it is hassle-free, and you can't hurt yourself when you bump up against the board. The board is rock solid after inflated, so you can easily pump the board without it bending. It also has two fins towards the center of the board that makes it easier to go upwind when you are wing surfing with a SUP. We use a 2200 mm wing with the F-One Gravity wing foil. This is a very stable wing that makes it easier to get up on the foil. 
Some schools give lessons SUP foiling behind a boat before giving lessons with wing foiling. However, it is our philosophy that wing foiling is inherently different from SUP foiling behind a boat, and learning how to SUP foil requires a different set of skills. We also do not use jet skis or other mechanical equipment during our lessons. We provide you with one-on-one lessons with a qualified instructor in chest high to head high water with a shorter mast. We've found that close up, one-on-one instruction in flat water is the best way to learn. Because the board we use is a SUP foilboard, we also have people learning to wing foil paddle with the board, so they can get used to pumping the board to get up on the foil without the wing. 
	The average rider needs a 5 meter or a 6.2 meter wing depending on the rider's weight. The 5-meter foil is similar to a 12 meter kite and can handle twelve to twenty-five knots. The 6.2 meter wing is like a 13 meter kite. 
For those people making a transition from SUP foiling, acquiring wing skills is essential. For people making a transition from kite foilboarding to wing foiling, learning the water start will be difficult for them. Wing foiling is a new sport. For the average rider starting out on a larger board, there needs to be at least 15 knots of steady wind in order to get up and ride on the foil. Wing surfing with a SUP is more universal, so you can basically get a lesson in almost any wind condition. For more information about these two exciting new sports, contact Raphael at vboceanvibes@gmail.com.

Frequently asked questions

Should I learn to kitesurf or wing foil?

What is PASA? How do I become a PASA-certified kiteboarder?

Why do I have to sign a release of liability form and a declaration of fitness form before my lesson?

Why get a lesson with an instructor?

What is wing surfing and what is wing foiling?