KiteBud forum posts in last 60 days

Last week, experienced Argentinian kitesurfing instructor Fernando Cappi tragically lost his life following an accident in Argentina.

I am sharing this with respect for Fernando, his family and friends—not to criticize his decisions, assign blame or claim that we know exactly what happened. The investigation is ongoing, and possible line entanglement or underwater debris has only been raised as a hypothesis.

The conditions shown appear strong and gusty. Although they may have been manageable for a rider with Fernando’s reported level of experience, they were certainly not suitable for a beginner or intermediate kiter. This tragedy is also a sobering reminder that even highly experienced and safety-conscious riders are not immune to an unexpected sequence of events.

Please take a moment to remember these potentially lifesaving principles:

RELEASE EARLY AND BE PREPARED TO LOSE YOUR GEAR

If you become badly tangled, trapped, continuously dragged or pulled underwater, do not waste precious time trying to save your kite. Activate your primary quick release. If the kite or lines remain a danger, activate the safety-leash release and completely separate yourself from the equipment. Gear can be replaced. A life cannot. I have personally been involved in separating kitesurfers from their gear on several occasions. Each time, the rider would simply refuse to use their safety systems even when repeatedly shouted at to do so. Perhaps out of fear of losing their equipment, perhaps out of panic, perhaps out of a lack of reflexes or proper training.

CONNECT YOUR SAFETY LEASH AT THE FRONT OR SIDE OF YOUR HARNESS

Never attach it to the rear of the harness. If you are being pulled backwards, twisted around or held face-down, a rear-mounted release can become extremely difficult—or impossible—to reach. Your leash release should always remain immediately accessible under load. Use a short leash whenever possible, especially in very strong conditions. Short leashes have less risk of becoming tangled and are easier to manage.

ALWAYS CARRY AN ACCESSIBLE HOOK KNIFE

Keep it in a fixed position that you can reach instantly, including if one arm is restricted. Inspect it regularly and replace it if the blade becomes blunt, corroded or too rusted. If you are dangerously tangled and your releases cannot free you, use the knife decisively before exhaustion or submersion makes escape impossible.

PRACTISE THE COMPLETE RELEASE SEQUENCE

Know exactly where both releases and your hook knife are without needing to look. Practise activating them with either hand until the movements become automatic. An emergency is not the time to work out how your safety system operates.

Strong conditions leave very little time to correct a bad situation. Releasing a few seconds too early might cost you equipment; releasing a few seconds too late can cost far more.
Rest in peace, Fernando. Sincere condolences to his family, friends, students and the Argentinian kitesurfing community.

Video:



Report: cuestionentrerriana.com.ar/tragedia-en-la-laguna-setubal-murio-el-instructor-de-kitesurf-fernando-cappi/

Stay Safe!

Christian - KiteBud

It depends what you mean by ''will work'' ?

Both kites you listed seem to be optimized for flying on high Y front line splits while the Ozone bars have a low Y front line split.

This means the performance, steering and bar pressure will probably all be affected. You may or may not notice the difference and that will also vary depending on the kite size, wind conditions and your preferred kite discipline.

You will also probably have to swap or modify the pigtails/larks head configuration at the end of your lines, at least for the Core Kite. I believe the Duotone should have the same connection configuration as Ozone.

You can also add universal pigtails to your bar which will allow to connect to any kite brand without having to modify anything or waste any time each time you swap kites. We sell those on our website here: www.kitebud.com.au/product/universal-kitesurfing-pigtails-set-18cm

It also depends on which Ozone bar, but assuming it's a modern Ozone Water bar, it might ''work'' but not give you the best results.

Safety wise it's not an issue since modern bars now all have a single front line safety system which will flag out any kite, any size, when the QR is activated.

There are no risks in trying it so if you already have this equipment, just try it and see for yourself. The worst that can happen is that you don't like how the kite behaves and realize it's not a good mix. The best that can happen is you don't notice any difference.

You can also convert a Low Y bar to a high Y using a metal O Ring if your front lines have split sections. This is explained in this video from Airush, but applies to any kite bar that has front line in split sections:




If your front lines don't have any split sections, you can add an adjustable front line splitter:



hope this helps

Christian - Kitebud

Hi Nikmcc,

It's unlikely that you will have any issues given the kite seems to only be about 4 years old, unless the kite has been stored in excessive heat for a long time.

It's been at least 10 years that all kite manufacturers stopped gluing valves to bladders and started thermo welding them instead.

This means you don't have to worry about valves peeling off anymore.

There is still a chance that valves crack, break and that strut tubes start to do the same. A quick visual check will determine this.

The first signs are usually from the strut tubes becoming brittle and rough on the surface and the valves starting to turn to a brown/yellowish color.

Here is an example of this:



This is usually an issue if/when the kite is regularly exposed to excessive heat.

If the kite was stored dry, inside, in a controlled environment, and your valves + strut tubes look healthy, you have nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps.

Christian - KiteBud

rollzee said.. not sure if fone have a base in Australia?

Not anymore no. Even if they did, stick-on kite valves with tear-aid bases are not made by the kite manufacturer directly. The valve itself may come from the kite factory but it's a third party (such as FixMyKite USA or Dr Tuba) that buys or makes ''naked'' valves in bulk and thermo-welds them onto stick-on tear-aid bases.

It also depends on which valve(s) and which year/model of kite.

You can buy them directly from Dr Tuba in Slovenia : drtuba.eu/adhesive-valves

If you're lucky, Ryan aka The Sail Doctor thesaildoctor.com.au/ may have some in stock in Perth and post them to you. I believe he sources them from Dr Tuba.

You can also buy them from FixMyKite USA but probably more expensive compared to Dr. Tuba www.fixmykite.com/products.asp?cat=Self+Stick+Valves+by+FixMyKite.com

Expect to pay at least $30 AUD per valve delivered. If you have lots of valves to change it's sometimes the same cost or cheaper to replace all your bladders with pre-installed thermo-welded valves, which will last a long time and give you peace of mind. You can usually order an entire bladder set from Dr.Tuba for roughly $250-$350 AUD delivered to Australia depending on the kite size, number of struts and shipping speed.

Good Luck

Christian - Kitebud