Yeah, failing to walk out to the sandbar as a newbie is a dumb move because you can't learn anything that way, except how to do the walk of shame. If you walk out 100 feet and then ride left or right, you are soon in chest-high or deeper water and you either have to stay upwind or you wash down onto the rocky beach. Because going upwind is usually not an option for newbies because of lack of skillz, they are on the beach next to the road everytime, especially in light wind.

If you walk out to the sandbar as a newbie with the kite at 45 degrees, however, you can ride, stop when you f*ck up, then walk easily back to the edge of the sandbar and start again. You can make a ton of progress there because it is shallow and you can easily gain (on foot) any ground you lose on the board without tiring out by struggling in the depper water. I tell this to beginners over and over and I am usually ignored, but just inside the sandbar is really the best place to ride at the Skyway. Hell, I prefer riding there myself, just because the water conditions are usually better, with less current and chop, and the wind is much cleaner there, as well.

Props to Toby by bringing Amber out there, but aside from a chill 5 minute walk, it's really not a sacrifice. Instead, it's the smart thing to do if you want to develop some skillz.