How does it work and how did it all start?
Kites originated in China thousands of years ago (two kite masters Kungshu P'an and Mo Zi flew kites as early as 478 BC) and have managed to remain unchanged until the modern time,  when multiple line controllable kites were introduced by George Pocock in 1826. For the first time in history, instead of letting the wind fly the kite, a multiple line controllable kite flyer can actually pilot the kite on the sky. Click www.asahi-net.or.jp/~et3m-tkkw/history-table.html for a chronological table of kite history and www.asahi-net.or.jp/~et3m-tkkw/history.html for a bibliography related to history of kites.

Can I kitesurf in very strong wind?
Yes.  You can kitesurf in very strong wind over 40 knots with equipment currently available on the market.  At the kitesurfing competition in Leucate, France, 1999, a number of kitesurfers could maintain control in 50 knot gusts.  However, kitesurfing in 30+ knots is very dangerous so make sure you have the skill to do so.

What equipment do I need to kite surf?
To kite surf you need:

• A kitesurf kite (with a certain degree of water relauncheability),
• A kiteboard,
• A kite control device,
• Accessories (safety release system, harness, life jacket, wet suit, helmet, water shoe, etc.).

What types of kite can I use?
There are a number of kites on the market for kitesurfing. All of them has a certain degrees of water relauncheability. There are mainly three types of kitesurfing kites:

• Inflatable kites
• Flat Inflatable kites (Bow kites)
• Framed single skin kites
• Ram air foil kites

What is the wind window?
The wind window is the area where a kite can fly.  For all its practical purposes, the wind window is basically the area you can see with your eyes (85 degrees to the left, 85 degrees to the right, 85 degrees upward) when you are facing straight down wind.

What is the typical wind range of a kite?
Different kites have different wind ranges.  Normally, the range between the lowest wind and the highest wind of a modern kitesurfing kite is about double the wind speed (the highest wind is twice as much as the lowest wind). Some kite may have a wider wind range (especially the new flat inflatable kites) and some may have a narrower wind range.
Can a kitesurf kite reef automatically like a windsurfing sail?
None of the current kitesurf kite has an automatic reefing system.
However, a kite with some pulley system on the bridle that changes the attachment points as the COP of the kite changes may produce similar "smoothness" as a modern windsurfing sail.
On the other hand, due to the tremendous power requirement during jumping, automatic reefing may not be a good thing for kiters.
How does a kitesurfer control the power of a kite?
A kitesurfer controls the power of the kite using the bar and the trim line (chicken loop line) to change the kite's AOA (therefore changing its projected surface). 

How many kites do I need?
The number of kites you need is dependent on the conditions at your local beach.   Ideally, you should have 3 kites: a light wind kite (5 to 15 knots), a moderate wind kite (10 to 20 knots), a high wind kite (15 to 30 knots).  For an typical kiter, this means a quiver consisting of 18m, 12m and 8m inflatables.
Most kitersurfers doesn't go out in wind less than 12 knots and therefore can be satisfied with only 2 kites.  For such kiters, this means a quiver consisting of a 16m and a 10m inflatables.

What line length should I use?
The right line length to use is dependent on the kite size and the condition.   Given the same kite size, use longer lines for less wind and shorter lines for more wind. 
The standard line length is 23 - 25m.  In high wind, you may want to use shorter line length for more control of the kite; however, don't go shorter than 15m as you will loose much of the "jumpability" of the kite.
What line strength should I use?
For inflatable kites, you should use line strength at least 2.5 times your weight. For example, if you weight 200 lb., use at least 500 lb. lines.
If you use a 4 line foil kite, the main lines should be around 2.5 times your weight and the brake lines could be around your weight. For example, if you are 200 lb., the main lines should be at least 500 lb. and the brake lines should be at least 200 lb.
Modern kites normally sold with lines and bar so you normally don't have to worry much about lines and bar.

Should I choose a control bar or handles?
Modern kitesurfers choose control bars over handles for ease of operation while jumping.  Almost everyone now uses control bar except for some kiteskiers using old foils.
How do I change direction on a bidirectional kiteboard?
Kitesurfers never change feet when they change direction on a bidirectional kiteboard.  They simply go from a heel-down to toe-down position when jibing or simply reverse the direction.

How do I change direction on a directional kiteboard?
Kitesurfers change feet similar to windsurfing when they change direction (jibe) on a directional board.
Some kiters prefer to go heel-down in one direction and toe-down in the other direction especially for tiny directional boards.
Is it easier to jibe or to go from heel-down to toe-down position on a directional board?
If you are a water skier, wakeboarder or snowboarder, to go from heel-down to toe-down is easier.  If you are a windsurfer, to jibe is easier.
In any case, one should learn how to do both.  To change direction by jibing or by going from heel-down to toe-down should be the fundamental kitesurfing techniques on a directional board that one should master.

Should I choose a bidirectional or directional kiteboard?
Most modern kitesurfer choose a 2-strap bidirectional board due to its ease of jibing and more control when jumping.
For some special cases, some may want a 2-strap or 3-strap directional board (very light wind, wave, etc.).

Should I choose bindings or foot-straps?
Use foot-straps unless you want binding for whatever reason.
Bindings attach your feet firmly to the board, therefore provide more precise control and "feel" of the board.  However, they could be clumsy and very hard to get in or out when you are on the water.
Modern kitesurfers prefer foot straps for ease of entry/exit and also for certain advanced tricks where you take 1 or both of your feet off your board while in the air (it looks very cool!)

How many kiteboards do I need?
Normally you need only one kiteboard (normally a bidirectional board 40cm shorter than your height).  If you live in a light wind area (5 to 15 knots) with some super high wind days (20 to 30+ knots), you may want to consider having 2 board: a larger one for regular days and a smaller one for super high wind days.

How big a kiteboard should I choose?
If you live in a high wind area (15+ knot most of the time) you should choose a bidirectional kiteboard around 40cm shorter than your height.  If you live in a light wind area (5 to 15 knots most of the time), you should choose a larger kiteboard (10cm shorter than your height for bidirectional board or 30cm longer than your height for directional).
If you ride in waves, use a directional board from 5' to 6'1" depending on your height.

How big a kite should I choose?        
For inflatable, the most popular size is 12 m2 flat surface.
The equivalent flat inflatable kite is a 10 m2.
Different kite types have different aerodynamics and therefore there is almost no correlation between the sizes among them. From experiences, for foil to inflatable comparison, use the approximated 8/12 factor (i.e., a 8 m2 flat area foil is somewhat equivalent to a 12 m2 flat area inflatable).
Same kite types are somewhat similar aerodynamically and their powers are proportional to their sizes (a 10 m2 kite deliver twice as much as power as a 5 m2 kite of the same type).  Furthermore, kite size and rider weight are proportional (you should use a kite 1/2 the size of the same type of  kite someone twice your weight uses in the same wind).

What is a safety release system?
A safety release system is a system that allows the kitesurfer to disable the kite anytime. 
The flat inflatable is the kite with the best safety system.  By simply letting go of the bar, a flat inflatable kite is fully depowered.  For whatever reason, should the kite is not completely depowered, the kitesurfer can activate the main safety system to completely disable the kite.

How does a safety release system work?
For inflatable, the safety release system makes one line (either one of  the front line or back line for a 4 line inflatable) about 1 kite span longer than the other lines (applicable to both 2 line or 4 line inflatable) to disable the kite when you stop holding the control bar.  For foil, the safety release system pull on the brake lines to collapse the kite and have it gently landing backward.  Both of the systems have a safety leash attaching to your harness or wrist to allow you to retrieve the control bar.
Normally you cannot disable your kite while hooking in and have to activate the safety release system to detach your harness from the control bar.  The exception here is the flat inflatable kites.  With flat inflatables, you can hook in all the time and simply let go of the bar to fully depower the kite.  For whatever reason, should the kite is not completely depowered, the kitesurfer can further activate the main safety system to disable the kite.

Why do I need a safety release system?
You need a safety release system because:

1. If you drop the control bar, your kite may continue flying and injure someone or damage something downwind.
2. You may loose your kite
3. You may have a long way to swim to shore and may become shark bait.
4. You may become a paraglider by hanging on to your kite in very strong wind.

Furthermore, you may want to use a kite which can be fully depowered by simply dropping the control bar because:

• You may not have time to activate your safety system while the kite is pulling you into a hard obstacle.
• You may be unconscious while the kite is pulling you into a hard obstacle.

Can I build my own kiteboard or convert an old surf or windsurf board to a kiteboard?
Yes.  You can build your own directional kiteboard or convert an old surf or windsurf board to a kite board.  Your directional kiteboard should be from 5' to 6'10".  As a general rule-of-thumb, the front foot straps should be placed just behind the center of the board.  The back foot strap should be your-shoulder-width (or slightly larger) behind your front straps.

How many fins should I have on my board?
Kiteboard can have from 1, 2, 3, 4 or even 6 fins.  The fins are mainly used for directional control.  While the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th fin may help to go upwind some what, it is the upwind rail of the board that act as the main fin for going upwind.  More fins will definitely slow the board down.  Most bidirectional kiteboard has 4 fins.
If you use a bidirectional board, you may want to ride it finless once you are used to edging. 

I am a windsurfer, why should I learn kitesurfing?
Kitesurfing is complementary to windsurfing and you should learn kitesurfing especially if you are already a windsurfer.   Furthermore, if you live in colder climate, you may want to get in to kitesnowboarding or kiteskiing in the winter to complement you windsurfing in the summer.
While windsurfing in less-than-15 knots is generally "windsuffering", kitesurfing in less-than-15 knots generates a lot of fun (some kitesurfers can go out in wind starting from 5 knots and some kitesurfers can even jump in wind starting from 8-10 knots).  While windsurfers normally need 6' wave and 20 knots of wind to gain any decent altitude, some kitesurfers can gain higher altitude in 10 knots in flat water. 
On the other hand, in 30+ knots, currently, windsurfers can go faster (especially on a beam reach or an up-wind run) while kitesurfing in high wind can be much more dangerous than windsurfing.  Besides, being able to both windsurf and kitesurf offer you more perspectives of the conditions at your local beach.

I am a windsurfer, is it hard to convert?
As a windsurfer, you already know how to have good balance on a board and know the "way of the wind".  It should be easier for a windsurfer to learn kitesurfing than for an ordinary person.  However, the learning curve is still pretty steep as you need more balancing act in kitesurfing not to mention doing that while controlling a nervous kite which tends to pull you out of your board.  Once you get pass the beginner stage, you can progress faster in kitesurfing than in windsurfing.

How fast is a kiteboard compared to a sailboard?
Given the same condition and top-of-the-line equipment, a kiteboard is faster than a sailboard on a downwind run and slower than a sailboard on an upwind run.  A kiteboard is ridden fairly flat almost as flat as a sailboard on a downwind run and its smaller size makes it goes faster.  A kiteboard is normally ridden 30 to 45 degrees edging to the water on an upwind run and this edging make it less efficient and slower than a sailboard.
Furthermore, in light to moderate wind, a kitesurfer can fly the kite to generate more power during lulls.  Thus a kitesurfer can go faster than a windsurfer in light and moderate wind conditions.  In very strong wind (more than 25 knots), the dynamic "feature" of the kite  makes it less efficient than a windsurfing sail.   Thus a windsurfer can go faster than a kitesurfer in very strong wind.

Can I use my wakeboarding, snowboarding or water-ski skills?
Yes.  Controlling a kiteboard is very much like controlling a wakeboard, a snowboard or a mono-water-ski.

Can I do tricks in kiteboarding as in wakeboarding?
Yes you can.  Furthermore, the tricks are normally more challenging as you have to do them at twice the altitude and controlling the kite at the same time.

Can I kitesurf where people are windsurfing, water-skiing, jetskiing, or whatever?
You can probably kitesurf in crowded water but it is dangerous.  Try to get way upwind or downwind of the crowd.as soon as you can.
It is much safer to kitesurf in un-crowded places especially if you are a beginner.

How many kitesurfers can kitesurf in a space that can normally accommodate 100 windsurfers?
A kitesurfer can use lines up to 50 m in length and normally flies the kite in the forward half portion of the wind window. This means a kitesurfer would need a space up to 50 m in width and 50 m in length. As the normal "clearing" distance between two windsurfers is around 5 - 6 m. This would allow only 10 kitesurfers to kitesurf in a space that can normally accommodate 100 windsurfers.
If all the kitesurfers follow the same rule and try to fly the kites at the same diagonal angle (with 15 degree margin for flying error) then the minimum clearing distance required is only 15 m. This would allow up to 40 kitesurfers to share the space that normally can accommodate 100 windsurfers.
In practice, it's safer to kitesurf way upwind or downwind from the crowd.

I'm a kite buggier, is kitesurfing much different?
Yes. Your kite skills will give you a big advantage in keeping the kite out of the water and controlling the kite power, but riding a board is a whole new thing. It requires a lot more practice than buggying. Don't expect to be able to go upwind on your first try as you did in buggying. Give it at least 10 hours of practice time to be able to ride upwind, and more than that to be able to stay upwind. More if you have never done any kind of board sports before (snowboarding, wakeboarding, etc). You also need a lot more wind to kitesurf than to buggy (about twice as much wind).

How fast is a kiteboard compared to a buggy?
It's certainly a lot easier to go fast in a buggy, and buggying top speeds are currently higher than kitesurfing top speeds. The biggest difference is in light winds when you may not be able to consistently plane the board. Don't sell your buggy if you live where the winds are usually 8 knots or less. However, kitesurfing is more challenging and exciting: the greater power from a bigger kite, the undulating, enchanting surface of the water, the leaning of your body way back over the water, the jumps, etc.

Do I have to be the athletic type?
Not really, at least not to kitesurf casually. Since you should normally use a harness, your body weight is more of a factor in how much kite power you can handle than your strength. You should be strong enough to unhook the kite from your harness when you need to, though (do a lot of pull up). Kitesurfing is not very aerobic - you don't quickly run out of breath like you do when running. The kite does most of the work. Muscle fatigue can wear you out, but as your skills improve it becomes less strenuous.