El Gouna Kitesurfing: A Real Review of the 3-Hour Intro Lesson

So, you’re thinking of trying kitesurfing, that awesome water sport that seems to defy gravity and splash across the waves, right? Very many people head to El Gouna in Egypt hoping to learn this exact sport, and I had a chance to test out one of the intro lessons they offer. This isn’t, you know, just any review; it’s my experience with a 3-hour kitesurfing introduction that I had there in El Gouna. Let’s go over if it lives up to all the hype surrounding it. Hopefully, that helps you choose the school, or perhaps the sport itself. It could very well turn into the newest hobby, if you stick around!

First Impressions: Setting the Scene at El Gouna

El Gouna itself? Honestly, it feels like someone picked up a piece of European paradise and dropped it right on the Egyptian coast, and I mean that in the best way possible. The place has neat architecture, pretty canals, and very clean beaches. What makes it really remarkable, at least to me, is it feels safe and relaxed. Most days you’ll encounter very warm temperatures with consistently blowing winds that really help make it perfect for kitesurfing, is that cool? Anyway, arriving at the kitesurfing center that I picked (after loads of browsing online!), you find instantly that there’s a totally cool, laid-back atmosphere. This might give any newbie, which I was then, a sense of excitement alongside that teeny bit of nervousness. So far, it all feels very exciting; almost ready to try my hand at dancing on water!

The 3-Hour Intro: What You Really Learn

Alright, so let’s talk specifics, and this might sound quite bland without the stoke from a wave kicking! The three hour lesson is divided roughly into thirds, where you dedicate the bulk of your energy to feeling the kite on land, using a trainer kite, then getting into the water, very briefly body dragging, and lastly, maybe at the end, touching a board. Now, it looks quite simple on paper, I suppose. It all looks gradual enough that you won’t, like, totally be overwhelmed. I started off with some basic theory. It tends to be stuff like learning about wind direction (it matters a lot!), getting to know all the parts of the kite (there are a lot more than you’d think!), and grasping basic safety procedures that will literally save you from being sent to orbit. After the land bit you get into how to control a small kite. It can be slightly tricky initially because it might react quicker than what you thought. I personally had trouble just trying to keep it stable and not nose diving the thing every few seconds!

After the theory bit you get into how to control a small kite. It can be slightly tricky initially because it might react quicker than what you thought. I personally had trouble just trying to keep it stable and not nose diving the thing every few seconds! Anyway, then comes the fun part! Into the water you go for what they like to call “body dragging,” and, I mean, that’s exactly what it sounds like you’re doing, essentially. This is, usually, where you actually feel that pull of a bigger kite, but it might only happen for an hour, give or take a few. That gets you used to moving through the water with just the kite. You will start feeling how it moves you around without a board attached yet. During my experience I got only like, one or two “real” attempts at body dragging because they ran out of time. Then, sadly, I had to be shepherded back to shore with maybe, maybe, a little preview on how to stand on the board.

The Instructors: Making or Breaking the Experience

I think that what really shapes your experience more than anything are those instructors, and not really the gear they have. A really good instructor should know their stuff and actually be capable of showing it with clear directions. Also, having tons of patience is usually useful, as learning to kitesurf is much harder than those influencers you see on TikTok do. My instructor, though? Eh, let’s just say that I might not have clicked that well. It felt like that he would just go thru the motions. He would spend a lot more time with other, more gifted students than with me! Maybe he didn’t see the potential in me (and I’m joking!), so maybe that made a difference. Advice? You should check instructor reviews, talk to former students, and, very, very important, just see how they act during that first intro on land. Are they totally into teaching? Or are they just there to clock in hours?

Value for Money? Weighing the Costs

Is a three-hour intro worth it in El Gouna, like what you are asking yourself right now? Financially? Hmm, you need to think hard about this one! Usually, three hours are kinda on the shorter side for most activities. You barely get to grasp the surface of kitesurfing in that timeframe, just the tip of the iceberg is what you get! That intro course offers some of the basic safety and handles to manage a trainer kite on the beach for an afternoon. This does little to prep for independent kitesurfing; you, like, need at least nine hours of instructions! If that 3 hour is very cheap it’s ok. Just don’t expect yourself to become a kiter during the weekend after that, that is very far off!

Would I Recommend It? Some Final Thoughts

If someone asks whether you should try out a kitesurfing intro, my answer is, very surely, yes! Why shouldn’t they try?! Especially if they’re the adventurous type, and don’t fear water. I mean it’s an awesome taste of what kitesurfing feels like! That’s why I am giving this advice anyway. However, make sure your expectations are set right and please don’t get delusional after this experience. A short intro won’t make one an expert, almost never does that. Keep in mind the instructor can do wonders or doom a class and consider extending lessons beyond what’s minimally required if what they want is to do kite surf safely on their own terms. El Gouna’s conditions do offer a friendly and picturesque backdrop to the experience, no doubt, so it’s worth it if someone wishes to give kitesurfing a shot! So there, that’s my recommendation on a plate.

So there is the quick summary:

• The 3-hour kitesurfing intro in El Gouna offers a beginning taste of the sport.
• Key teachings includes theory about the gear, followed up by body dragging lessons and managing a trainer kite on the shore.
• Choose and see that instructor can greatly influence student’s enthusiasm on sticking with kiting.
• This 3 hour intro to the watersport does well enough to test one’s curiosity to kite surfing and to decide to either proceed learning, or passing off!

Very well, until my next escapade into doing water sports… who knows where or what!

Happy winds! (do kiters say that, I wonder?)

Now get out there! Or in the water, as it is for kitesurfing!

#ElGouna #Kitesurfing #Egypt #RedSea #Watersports #AdventureTravel