What it means
A lull is a temporary drop in wind strength, the mirror image of a gust. Where a gust demands control, a lull demands anticipation: the kite gets soft, line tension fades, the board sinks off the plane, and for a few seconds your equipment stops working the way it did a moment ago.
Lulls are woven into gusty wind by the same turbulence that makes the gusts, and reading the spread between them is the core skill of judging a forecast. The practical trouble concentrates in three moments. During a waterstart, a lull right after the dive leaves the kite powerless and you sinking. During a jump, a lull at takeoff turns a planned boost into a hop. And during any maneuver near the kite's low end, a deep lull can drop the kite out of the sky entirely, with a relaunch that has to wait for the next pressure band.
Riding through lulls is mostly kite work: keep the kite moving rather than parked, since a flying kite generates its own apparent wind; bear away slightly to keep the board planing; and hold speed into the lull the way a cyclist carries momentum into a dip. Riders who watch the water upwind see lulls coming as glassy patches, the exact negative of a gust's dark ripple band.
Example on the water
The glassy patch upwind reached him mid-tack; he bore away, sined the kite twice through the window and came out the far side still planing while the rider behind him sank.
Common mistakes
- ·Parking the kite at twelve in a lull and letting it stall or fall.
- ·Edging hard against power that no longer exists, which kills board speed instantly.
- ·Jumping without checking the water upwind for an incoming soft patch.
- ·Sizing the kite for the gusts alone and spending half the session underpowered in the lulls.
Why it matters
Can make waterstarts, relaunch and upwind riding harder.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my kite fall out of the sky in lulls?+
Below a minimum airflow the canopy can't generate lift, especially with the kite parked motionless. Keeping the kite gently moving through lulls maintains apparent wind and keeps it flying.