Just spotted someone's already posted about it.

My thoughts to the man and his family. I trust that he comes out OK.

echostorm said...

I cannot stress the importance of knowing your safety systems. This needs to be a reflex. To make something a reflex it needs to be repeated hundreds of times. PRACTICE RELEASING YOUR KITE EVERYTIME YOU GO OUT.

Good advice echostorm but who is ever going to do that ??
Answer - Anyone using a Slingy SUREFIRE Spreader Bar.
It gives you simple release and reload and its right there in the same spot, same action everytime you need it.
AND you get to practice your QR everytime you land your kite.
For less than $200 IMO they should be compulsory - and no they dont release when you dont want them to. Ive had mine for 3 years and Ive accidently hit it twice. And one of those times I was quite glad I did

Seriously - every kiter should look at this option as an essential part of any kit - especially any start-up kit. Its the one bit of gear that really could save your life - and you get to keep your kite as well !!! If your instructor doesnt reckon they are worth it ignore him/her and look for yourself - its a no-brainer.

Heal well brother!

Keep the passion!

Not sure if the spreaderbar is going to help much. When it comes to loftings, you'll be 10m up before you even think about pulling your safety. I know this because I've been in a lofting before when a squall came through. I got lofted over water, I was a fair distance up before I pulled mine, it happens that fast - I was over water so I could. Girl with me wasn't so lucky, she spent a month in a coma after she got lofted on land.

It's made the paper again today.
The headline "Kite surfer peels off half his face"
www.smh.com.au/national/kitesurfer-peels-off-half-his-face-20081209-gdt5wn.html?page=2
The report says he is in a stable condition.
Sounds like the clubbies did a good job.
The article also quotes a Mr Rob Smallgood from AKSA, with some excellent safety advice.
I wonder if he knows Rob Smallwood?

If its in the paper you can rely on it being incorrect/twisted. Notice how the article ends with a massive quote regarding a previous accident (years old)lifted from the AKSA webpage totally not related. Good for getting the column inches up though. Media are scum.

I work in the hospital where the guy who had this unfortunate accident is hold up. I spoke to his mom who said he is going into surgery today. I passed on the best wishes from the kiting community.

I generally agree. Some kiters get their knickers in a knot about bow kites not being 100% safe but I think they represent a good step forward in terms of reducing the number of accidents.

Does anyone know what type of kite this guy was on? C or bow, not interested in branding.

someone said(to me yesterday) this poor fella didn't make it....is that true?

Hey guys,

A wake up call to ALL users of ALL kites. The 90-100% depower claims by manufacturers are all well and good providing nothing extraordinary goes wrong. I have seen more people haplessly dragged for long distances by out of control Hybrids, Bows and SLE's than "C" kites.

In my experience, with the longer throw of the bars on SLE and BOW kites, it tends to increase the possibility of a back line tangling around a bar end and putting the kite into the usual deathloops. This was a much rarer scenario in the days of "C" kites.

"C" kites used to give you a quick drag until they got to neutral then they stopped unless massively overpowered. All these newer kites are definately easier to use and learn on and a bit safer in terms of lofting incidents should the wind violently pick up, but they are more prone to tangles resulting in bad draggings from crashes in the water, self launches, inversion, snapping bridles, self landing, water relaunches and so on.

People also tend to ride Bow, Hybrid and SLE kites way more overpowered than people ever did on "C" kites. This tends to put you into situations you wouldn't normally find yourself in. The kites do still have useable wind which are about 5 knots better than a "C" kite, riding them outside these ranges exposes you to hazards.

You'd have to be an idiot to rely soley on a kites claimed "100% depower". You need a proper flagging safety line and a quality easy to use quick release. The safety system should be checked regularly for function and you should be prepared to use it BEFORE things get out of hand.

If you are a rider that back loops the one way and twists your lines a lot around the centre lines , you need to untwist your lines by either spinning the opposite way or manually untwisting them. Twisted lines can result in a fouled and tangled release of the flagging system in an emergency, which will result in a bar you can no longer reach and a kite in the throws of death loops.

Never think it can't happen to you, kitesurfing is an extreme sport when it goes wrong, complacency can lead to death or serious injury.

Be Wary, it CAN happen to you to, even when you are good.

Good winds,

I think Kitehard makes an excellent point. I saw a few near serious accidently yesterday, all of which I believe were on nice shiny, new "safe" 2009 model kites.

Safety systems are all good and well, but if you A) haven't drilled it a hundred times so you use it in an emergency without thinking about it and B) think you are invincible as a result of their presence, you're probably less safe with a newer safer kite.

The biggest safety risk is probably not rogue gusts or CUB's on jetski's, it's the illusion of safety that a lot of people are kiting under...

Kiteboarding; Ride like it's still dangerous.

Seriously - depower my arse. It's one of the most irresponsible cons put about by the kiteboarding industry in recent years. A kite has enough traction to pull you along, and off the water. By its very nature, this means it can give you a spanking. In the old days, the kites were so twitchy, and the spankings so frequent, that people rode scared. They thought long and hard about when and where to go. Nowadays people think; Oh it's ok, I've got 100% depower!

I think people are far less conscious of how nasty kiting can be. It was safer when it was dangerous.

So: ride like it's still dangerous.

i explain to learners i have taught that ten meters of sail cloth should be seen like holding ten meters of corrigated iron, easy to hold edgeways into the wind, imposible to hold sideways... then explain deathloops.

after saying all that i love riding at the top end of my kites...

So many surfers die every year, but they do not have a bill board flying above their head which all non users like to blame. Reailty is, its the usual in these type of sports.