Survive the scary deathloop
Kitesurfing is an extreme sport that brings a massive amount of joy into our lives, but it absolutely comes with some inherently sketchy situations. The absolute scariest term in the entire kitesurfing dictionary is the deathloop. Just hearing the word is enough to make any experienced rider shudder in fear.
You are flying along, the sun is shining, the wind is perfect, and suddenly you catch an edge and crash hard into the water. As you resurface to catch your breath and wipe the saltwater out of your eyes, your kite starts looping aggressively in the power zone. It drags you violently through the water like a helpless ragdoll. It is chaotic, exhausting, and incredibly dangerous if you do not know exactly how to react.
We all hope it never happens to our gear, but hoping is a terrible safety strategy. You need a rock solid plan. Knowing exactly what causes this terrifying spiral and how to stop it will give you the confidence to ride safely. We are going to break down the mechanics of a looping kite and give you the exact steps to survive one so you can get back to having fun without the panic.
What causes the kite to loop
Let us start with a technical explanation of why a kite suddenly goes rogue and tries to drown you. A deathloop happens when one line gets significantly shorter than the others, causing the kite to steer aggressively in one continuous circle. The most common cause is a steering line wrapping around the end of your bar. This usually happens when you have slack in your lines after a messy crash.
Tip number one: If your lines go slack, you need to make sure you keep your bar leveled. Do not turn the bar wildly because that is exactly when lines can easily catch the ends of the floats.
Tip number two: Make it an absolute habit to check your lines and your bar immediately after you crash. Most of the time you have five to ten seconds to clear the mess before a deathloop actually starts.
Sometimes the issue is not a wrapped bar but a bridle caught around the wing tip of the kite, the bar being stuck under your hook or your centerlines decided to wrap around your bar.
How to prevent the deathloop from starting:
Keep it leveled, do not turn your bar wildly after a crash
Look up immediately and check your lines the second you hit the water
Act quickly because you usually have five seconds to clear a caught line
Stay calm, if it all goes south ditch the harness with the kite
The standard safety release
If the loop starts and you are getting dragged face first through the choppy water, your first instinct will probably be to grab the bar and pull hard. Pulling the bar only powers the kite up further and makes the loops much more violent. You must fight your panic instinct and simply let go of the bar completely. This will probably not end the deathloop, but the steps after letting go of the bar will do.
Follow these exact steps in order:
Let go entirely: Release the bar from your hands
Quick release: Push the chicken loop away to flag the kite
Wait and watch: See if the kite loses its power and flags out
Drop the leash: If it keeps looping aggressively you must eject completely or die
If your deathloop happens because a bridle is caught around the wing tip, stick to these exact safety steps with the bar sheeted out and the quick release popped. Trying different weird techniques in this specific situation can seriously mess up your kite fabric.
Counter steer to save it
There are specific situations where your quick release will not work at all. What if your bar is hooked around your body, or the bar is wedged firmly under your hook. Or maybe a center line is wrapped around your bar. In these terrifying scenarios, there is a high chance the quick release will fail because the center line is physically caught. This is where counter steering helps immensely and it is best to try it first.
Counter steering is a slightly more pro move. If the kite is pulling aggressively to the left, grab the right side of the bar and pull hard to balance the tension. Do not stop before you leveled your kite.
How counter steering works in different winds:
Light wind: The kite will backstall and lay flat on the water
Strong wind: The kite will keep flying but lose some power and slowly steer the kite to the water and drop it there
Untangling: Once it is flat or without power you can safely clear the wrapped lines
Danger zone: The stronger the wind blows the more dangerous this becomes
Be incredibly careful with this technique!
Pulling a single line
Another option to stop the madness is to manually pull the twisted line all the way in so the kite flags out. You can actually pull any one of the lines all the way towards you. When you do this, the kite flags out and stays down, the canopy comes closer to you, and the other lines become completely slack. There will be absolutely no power left in the kite because you have completely disrupted the aerodynamic profile.
However, this technique comes with some serious gear tips and a major warning. This can be incredibly dangerous.
Why you must be careful pulling lines:
Entanglement risk: The excess slack line can easily wrap around your legs
Hook hazard: Loose lines love to catch on your harness hook
Finger loss: Grabbing tensioned lines in strong wind is terribly dangerous
Wind limit: Only attempt this pulling method in light wind
If you try to grab a tensioned line in twenty five knots with a nine meter kite, you are asking for a medical emergency. Therefore, you should only use this single line pulling method in very calm conditions, or if the kite is already down on the water and not pulling much anymore.
Dropping leash and using knife
If your lines are severely tangled around the bar and the center line is caught, the primary release will fail. At this point, your safety leash eject will still work, but you will definitely lose your kite to the wind. Releasing your safety leash is your ultimate backup plan when you are getting dragged out to sea. It totally sucks to lose expensive gear, but your life is infinitely more valuable than a piece of nylon fabric.
If things go completely wrong and a line wraps around your body, you can use your knife. Because this is your absolute last resort just like the safety leash, it is not always easy to execute while getting dragged underwater.
Tips for using your safety knife:
Locate it early: Check your harness before every single session
Blind reach: Practice grabbing the knife without looking down
Target tension: Aim the blade at the line with the most tension
Cut quickly: Slice through any line that is wrapping your body
That small blade can absolutely help save your life. Make sure you check your harness today to see if your knife is actually there and free of rust. You can also read up on safety standards directly from the International Kiteboarding Organization to ensure you are following the absolute best practices.
If the kite is still looping after you do this, ditch the harness.
Ride safely another day
Kitesurfing is a ridiculously fun sport, and I do not want this technical breakdown to scare you away from the water. The best way to stay safe is to know the rules, get plenty of practice, and understand your safety gear completely. Deathloops are terrifying, but being an average kiter who just sends it blindly without knowing the safety protocols is a recipe for absolute disaster. The ocean demands respect. By keeping your bar leveled after a crash, visualizing your safety releases, knowing how to counter steer, and knowing exactly when to let go of your gear entirely, you remove the panic from the equation. The next time you hit the water, take ten seconds to physically touch your chicken loop, your safety leash, and your knife. Stay calm, trust your safety systems, and keep shredding.
Just remember, letting go of your kite is much cheaper than paying for a helicopter rescue.
xox Berito