Just out of interest, kiterdan, how come you started?

Interesting point Kiterdan.

I think that as the sport becomes more popular, more and more people will get involved with probably only 60% getting lessons. Those who refuse lessons will probably go to popular beaches where other kiters are and cause havoc amongst the public, or worse still will go to beaches where there are no other kiters and will injure themselves against rock groynes or breakwalls etc or worse and maybe injure the public too. Either way it is bad for the sport.

An alternative is to regulate the sport through licensing, it's not that bigger deal, you have to get a license to drive a car. You need a license to own a gun or even buy ammo, even for recreational shooting in the bush, you need a license to SCUBA ie PADI. You need a license to hang glide, para glide and in most states you need a license to drive a boat or Jet Ski. Jebus, you even need a license to fish and catch crays in some parts!

No one complains about these licenses because it reduces the amount of accidents significantly (except the fishing license which is just a revenue raiser). Imagine if you didn't have to prove your competence to drive a car and you could just buy and drive any car you wanted. 16YO buys 300kw Clubsport Commodore. Would he likely have a crash? .... Most probably!

I'm not saying you need to have lessons to get a license, but you should have to demonstrate competency to a standard before being allowed to sell or purchase kitng gear. This becomes very difficult due to all the shops and back yarders selling gear over the internet, through 2nd hand classifieds etc. maybe they need a national data base of people licensed to buy that can be accessed by retailers?

Perhaps we need to just make major swimming beaches off limits to kiters for the protection of the public and our access to other beaches. In WA there are miles and miles of beaches that rarely get used along the WA coast. Everyone kites in the busiest public beaches (including moi). Me thinks that it is a bit of avoiding theft ridden car parks of less utilised beaches and also the need to be "seen" doing cool tricks at busy beaches or maybe just convenience. Whatever....

I dont know what the answer is but I think IMHO that if we dont regulate ourselves someday, then big brother will do it for us and it will be more difficult and strict if BB has anything to do with it.

The incident that breaks the camels back will probably not come from a regular seasoned kiter, it will be an inexperienced newbie who more than likely hasn't taken lessons. We all have a role to play in ensuring people behaving dangerously or having obviously no idea when rocking up at the beach, get some form of instruction or let them know of the dangers to themselves, other kiters, members of the public and rules of the beach. Too many stand by and smirk or laugh as nembies rig, launch and get axed. We do ourselves no favours by not stepping in!

Here's hoping I'm completely wrong and we will never have any problems or need for licensing, but it will only take one innocent child killed by tight lines of an out of control kite, slicing through the childs throat on a beach packed with people and that will be it! Finito!

The sport will be under serious threat of full bans from all public beaches where there are public beach users. Try and then get the beaches reopened to kiting

I'm sure everyone who has kited for a year or more will have seen dozens of near misses that could have been tragic if not for dumb luck. I shudder to think how many I've seen in the 6 years of kiting. It truly is a miracle!

I dont want to open a can of worms, just open the topic for consideration and sensible discussion. Bans are becoming more common around Australia, lets hope we dont end up with a knee-jerk reaction from a Pollie facing re-election and looking for a bit of sensational media attention.

Good winds and kite hard but safe!

i tihnk you guys have got it spot on but licecing is going to be way hard to control too hard to be even possible.. im up for a solution but its going to be hard to fin one that works

It's pretty simple really.

Crowds are ****ed for any waveriding sport.

When all the popular metro breaks have kooked-out into freaking zoos,
Perth kiters need not bother renewing their WAKSA subscription.
It's game over.

But that could take another 20 years so enjoy it now.

Season's Greetings
'slave

I think there really does need to be something done about it. But it is going to take someone without a vested interest in the sport to do it otherwise people are going to see it as someone trying to regulate the sport to make money out of it.

I have been up in karratha for about a month and in that time I have been kiting most days and have met alot of newbies up here most that have not had lessons and just brought there gear over the phone from various places. There are some that are getting pretty good in a short space of time but they still get themselves into situations that they dont know what to do and had they had lessons from a qualified person this wouldnt happen.

My point is that even just showing competence doesnt mean that you know what to do in every situation, and I am not saying that just because you have had lessons that you will know what to do either but you stand a better chance.

I think its only a matter of time before we are forced to do something about it, in my opinion ( i am no expert either) I think there needs to be some sought of license system and the only way to obtain a license is to have lessons. There would be alot of other things that need to be done in order to do this.

And to you lurch Just because you are in the country doesnt mean that just because it is happening in the city it wont effect you. If bans do start happening it will effect everyone where do you think people are going to go if there local spot gets banned. Yep you guessed it someone elses local spot.

Licencing could be good. In some countries in europe you need a licence to windsurf !

Why not look into how licenses get controlled in paragliding ? and stop marketing kiting
as beeing real easy, as you can see now on most manufactures websites !

The perception of kiting in peoples minds needs to be similar to paragliding, Safe enough to enjoy, even for spectators, but only after a thorough course and practise or else your dead !

wouldn't people buy off best if it was regulated?

newbies need to were L plates or something to indicate that erratic flying practises may occur

I see this as an issue at some city beaches, it may eventuate, it may not, windsufing popularity fell away after the initial push, kite surfing will probably go the same way.

The issue is to keep the access to the beaches until the popularity of the sport stops growing.

There is no one solution, I see this as being an ongoing issue which will probably need to be championed by the sports interest groups, retailers, kite clubs, enthusiats etc.

Regulation on roads does not prevent car accidents or motor bike accidents, and the competency of the this regulation is questionable.

Competency based training or accreditation helps a heap, how many lessons does it take to be competent?, what is the cost, this will obviously impact on the acceptance. How can the sport encourage new people to pay for this level of training?. How would this be controlled?

Some public awareness may need to be undetaken. In Margarets River there used to be a sign for surfers pointing out basic rules, a code of practice, like call the wave "going left", dont drop in and dont paddle out through the break etc. This may not help but it shows the industry is thinking. Perhaps some signs could be placed at City beaches telling newbees what conditions are best to kite in at that location, anything remotely onshore for a new person is a big issue. Perhaps signs could tell the public not to stand behind kites or walk in their path.

Surfers cant surf between the flags at beaches, perhaps some designated areas could be established to launch land with flags warning public to keep an eye out for kites.

Regulation is probably the bluntest of all solutions and one that should be considered last.

These are just some off the top of the head ideas,

A.

Hey Pezza
Have you met Jay up there yet. He's working 6 on 6 off on the tugs at Whickam. Top bloke and good kiter, if you catch up say gday from lurch in the bay and hope to catch up soon.
As for the sport being banned at my local, I look forward to the day. It would be classic to see 20 kites out there and the locals complaining about having to peel stray kites off their front pagola's.
After the council has a quiet word to us about the issue when people have complained we'll move up to the next bay or the bay after that. I guarantee that the locals will drive out to whereever we may be kiting and sit on a sand dune watching the spectacle while drinking beers on sunset.
There is so much room on our coastline, why crowd yourselves into one small area and deal with these issues. Licensing, who flies the most expensive kite, who's got the latest kite bling, get out there and do it. If theres newbs at your local trying their best to kill themselves MOVE, go somewhere and just enjoy, the reason why you took up this crazy sport/ lifestyle in the first place.
Is there nothing better than landing at full speed after being 20 foot in the air and sticking it.
Saying that I'll be in Lano for a couple of weeks so I'll probably see it first hand. Would be good to talk to whoevers up there on this issue, just look to the caravan park from the windsurfing lawn and the second one in is the shack, probably have a flag up.
The coutry calls.

Glad to see someone had the guts to suggest a benefit to regulation. I think that some form of regulation is inevitable. There is currently a piece-meal approach occuring in trouble spots around the place, instituted by local councils. One major adverse event (eg -the taking out of a spectator) will bring it to the attention of state governments, and perhaps more scarily current affairs shows. If current affairs shows start attacking us we are DOOMED. Any camera man could head down to a popular kitespot, send someone looking vulnerable enough (perhaps a lady with an empty pram), and get footage of someone getting suitably close.

Once this starts, we will be loathed by the general public. State governments will be heroes for controlling the cowboys. Trying to get a positive outcome in this environmnet is essentially impossible.

I think that we will all be better off if AKSA begins preliminary discussions with state transport ministers and with the kiting community as to what would be a satisfactory outcome for all.

I think that a system of licences of users rather than of equipment is the way to go. It does not matter that people would only infrequently be checked for their licences. If the penalty for not having a licence is big enough, then it will work.

Licences can be issued by instructors. There would have to be a system where existing kiters readily get accreditation, but that's not too hard. Bad behaviour can accrue demerit points with ultimate loss of licence/suspension etc.

I don't know if licensing is the way to go. It is mainly seen as a revenue raising option to counter the F!@#ups of those that shouldn't be doing it and as an area of financial recompence for those who have been innocently (!?) hurt as a third party. e.g. Boat licences. 80% of boaters have survived a long time and boated for a long time without needing a licence UNTIL the introduction of low cost high speed toys like jetskis or PWC. Looked great and cool until people started crashing into swimmers, boats, dolphins etc etc causing serious injuries AND ongoing medical bills...The government then look for someone to fund it...hence recreational boat licences. The money funds the insurance to pay the bills and so on and so on but don't think for a minute that the licence test is designed to rid the water of those that really shouldn't be there. The test are made to pass and are changed if not enough people grasp it easily. The licences are not there to exclude people from the water, or the roads from that matter, but to insure funds to cover the inevitable claims. The only issue is that licences are an exorbitant price for what they do due to typical government departments.

I think it would be a very pro active option for a national kiting body to be set up with and agreement from all retailers to at least require all purchases of kites to include membership to the kiting body (unless membership is produced) and also require the purchaser to take a minimum number of lessons.(unless membership is produced)

It doesn't solve all the problems i.e buying second hand kites, but it does go a long way to showing authirities that you are serious about the sport, know it's ramifications and are doing everything in your power to reduce and lesson any burdens. YOU DO NOT WANT THAT DECISION TO BE MADE FOR YOU BY THE GOVERNMENT. IT WIL COST BIG $$$$$$ AND REDUCE AND RESTRICT THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THE SPORT PROHIBITIVELY(?).

p.s I am a beginner who has no business association with any kiting industry.

it will be really funny 2 c how many people will want to learn because the downwinder 2day went straight past cott 100kites lookin good a few average people hmmm

Some very good points have been raised here.

Has anyone else seen these advertisements? Maybe the way in which the sport is marketed should be regulated??

http://www.redballoondays.com.au/search.cfm?quicksearch=kite

quote:

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Kite surfing is the newest buzz you can get. Sure it's an extreme sport where the adrenalin pumps, but it's actually fairly easy to learn. Our friendly instructors are all professionally trained & can get you up & flying in no time...

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