I will show you today what are the best GoPro accessories for kitesurfing and how to mount a GoPro to a kite in order for you to capture the best possible footage. Kitesurfing is one of my favorite water sports that I enjoy doing here in Dubai and in different places around the world.

If you haven’t got a GoPro yet then I invite you to check my GoPro camera comparison chart where I compare between the three Hero4 models using my personal experience with these cameras. You might also like to see my #1 ultimate GoPro guide that aims to help you get the most out of your GoPro.

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Properly Set Up Your GoPro

I did this mistake many more times than I can remember! I would go out with a 4K setting at 30fps which I don’t need at all when shooting kitesurf videos, it creates huge files and eats both my battery life and memory card. I now make sure all is set up before heading out to the beach.

I always use the 1080p 60fps resolution,  I think it’s enough for me during my kitesurfing sessions. But again it’s up to you, and it also depends on the GoPro model you’re using, but as I said, keep in mind the battery and the memory card.

I also check that the housing is clean and not foggy, battery is full and memory card has enough space. You don’t want to go out there, smash an amazing session and to discover later that your footage sucks or the camera died after 10 minutes.

If you want to create an awesome video later on then the important thing here is to be able to catch footage from different angles hence the need to have different GoPro mounts that need to be attached to you or your board. I usually use the below 4 accessories when surfing:


Let me Show you my Best GoPro Accessories for Kitesurfing

1- GoPro Surfboard Mount

GoPro kitesurfing Accessories

Every kitesurfer needs this mount, if you don’t have it already then you’re missing a lot. Sometimes if I don’t want to over-complicate things I only use this surfboard mount. It gives the best video angle while surfing.

I fix it at the front of my board using the adhesive 3M anchors (which is really strong by the way) then I attach the GoPro facing me. I also make sure to use the camera tether for extra safety in case the camera adhesive mount detaches while in the water (just to be on the safe side).

This mount plus the GoPro wide lens gives me awesome shooting angle, it’s my best surfing accessory that I absolutely use every time I Kitesurf.

You can get your GoPro Surf Mount from HERE.

 

2- GoPro Floaty Backdoor

GoPro Floaty Backdoor

Even though my GoPro is properly fixed with the adhesive anchors and attached with a tether, I always use the floaty backdoor and I advise you to do the same.

You never know what can happen in the water,you can lose your GoPro in seconds if it detaches from the surfboard which happened a lot to my friends, you don’t want to risk it and lose the camera and the footage you took.

This floaty backdoor will keep your GoPro afloat plus it only takes a few seconds to replace the GoPro backdoor so why not use it.

You can get your GoPro Floaty Backdoor from HERE.

 

3- Chest Harness/Head Strap

GoPro Chest strap surfing accessories

Another favorite accessory I use for almost all my activities is the chesty (Chest Harness). The beautiful thing about it is the shooting angle.

It’s attached to your chest so it moves with your body and shoots what you see in front of you. As I said earlier, I use this strap everywhere whether I’m surfing, hiking or cycling, I think it’s suitable for all types of outdoor activities.

Another good accessory that is similar to the Chesty is the head strap, I also like it but not as much as the chesty because it’s not as comfortable, the shooting angle is higher and moves as you move your head.

It looks the same as a headlamp and it capture a headlamp-like perspective which is higher than the chest strap, I don’t think it’s very suitable for kitesurfing honestly because you can barely capt the board and your knees but for each person their own opinion, some people may prefer this one over the chest harness.

You can get your GoPro Chest Harness from HERE.

 

4- GoPro Kite Line Mount


The best kitesurfing mount I have is the Camrig line mount, the shooting angle it provides is really awesome. This mount attaches onto two lines of your kite, close to the bar.

It’s compatible with both 4 and 5 lines kites. This mount is very well designed and can hold pretty good on the lines. This is an updated model of the earlier version, it has been strengthened in three critical areas and the nut has been embedded in the mount so it doesn’t get lost in the sea. This GoPro kite line mount is a must have, check how awesome the point of view is from the photo below:

gopro camrig line mount

Another good thing is the ability to use with or without the floaty backdoor (my advise would be to ALWAYS use the floaty backdoor), you never know what can happen and you can lose your GoPro in seconds.

This mount is compatible with most of the GoPro models (Hero, Hero+, Hero 3, Hero 3+, Hero 4). So if you are into kitesurfing, you really cannot go wrong with this mount, a must have for all kitesurfers.

You can get your Camrig GoPro Kite Line Mount from Here

 

5- GoPro Kiteboarding Strut Mount

gopro strut mount

Another awesome mount that gives a very cool shooting angle. As its name says, the kiteboarding strut mount is attached to the strut mount of your kite.

Be aware that this mount works with kites that do not have struts sewn to canopy, strut must be free from canopy at strap mount. It’s compatible with all GoPro models, it has an EVA strap base for solid and secure placement and a 2 inch Velcro strap for extra stability.

The strap makes really stable that it doesn’t move at all, I get awesome footage from this mount, it has an all-around shooting angle so you can capt an extremely wide angle.

There is another way to mimic a strut mount using the GoPro head strap, well it’s not as safe as the PKS strut mount above but can do the job, although I personally wouldn’t recommend it. Check the below video for a quick guide on how to use the head strap as a strut mount for your GoPro.

You can get your PKS Kiteboarding Strut Mount from Here

 

Here’s a video that shows you how to mount a GoPro to a kite

 


My Advice

Now that you have an idea of the different GoPro kitesurfing accessories, you can check what suits you the best and get it. I personally have all the above accessories.

Each accessory gives you a unique shooting angle/perspective. I would normally use two accessories at a time, like the surfboard and the line mount to capture two angles then combine them when editing my video, believe me it’s really great when you’re shooting simultaneously from two angles. So if you own two GoPro cameras then I advise you to go ahead and experiment with two angles, I’m sure you’ll love it!

There you have it ladies and gentlemen!

What do you think of my GoPro kitesurfing accessories? Let me know by leaving a comment in the comments section below 🙂