KiteMeasuring kitesurf jump height: watch, board sensor or RTK?
Every kiter wants to know how high that last jump really was. The answer depends a lot on what measures and where it sits: on your wrist, on the board or on your helmet. This guide explains the three common methods, how accurate they are, and how to keep your existing sessions.
1. Watch and phone apps
Apps such as Surfr or the KiteJump watch app use the motion sensors of a watch or phone. From take-off, airtime and acceleration they estimate how high you went. That is convenient – you already wear the watch – but it remains an estimate: the watch gives no error margin, and small jumps are hard for every watch app.
2. Board sensors
Devices such as WOO sit on the board and measure its motion. The board is a different point than your wrist or head, so board and watch numbers for the same jump can differ without either being “wrong”.
3. Satellite positioning (GNSS) and RTK
A GNSS receiver measures the flight path directly instead of estimating it. Without correction data the height of a single position is only good to roughly 20 cm (median), but the receiver's vertical speed (Doppler) gives the jump height to about 7 cm. With RTK correction data from a reference station the height is accurate to about 2–3 cm.
Accuracy at a glance
| Method | Measured at | Height accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| Watch / phone app | Wrist / pocket | Estimate, no error margin; small jumps unreliable |
| Board sensor (e.g. WOO) | Board | Estimate from board motion |
| GNSS without correction (Doppler) | Helmet / body | approx. 7 cm vs. RTK (median, 15 jumps) |
| GNSS with RTK | Helmet / body | approx. 2 cm (fix), 3 cm (float), median |
GNSS and RTK figures: one real KiteJump session with an RTK receiver, receiver-estimated vertical accuracy per measurement point. Height curves and 3D flight paths of these jumps are shown on the sensor page.
Comparing numbers fairly
- Only compare jumps from the same session – wind, kite and spot change everything.
- Airtime is easier to measure than height. If two devices disagree on height, check airtime first.
- Board, wrist and helmet move differently during a jump, so their heights differ by design.
Keep your Surfr and WOO sessions
You don't have to start from zero when you switch. KiteJump imports FIT files from Garmin Connect, including Surfr recordings from a Garmin watch and WOO sessions recorded via Garmin, and shows every jump with height, airtime and distance on a map and as a 3D flight path – free and without ads.