Im not from WA either but i bet you dont stop to help a newby if they need a little guidance. What a crock saying you progress you earn respect. You only get respect for giving respect, not for thinking your king of kiting...

schmik said...

I'm not even from WA but i'll throw my 2c in on this one...

So is it responsible for a beginner to look at the most crowded spot and say "I'm kiting there!". WTF! The problem is that they do. They then kite in the crowd, barely in control. They don't lower/raise their kites while passing and cause accidents.

I'll say it! The experienced riders deserve the better spot. If they didn't most flat water spots would be 'learners only'. You learn, you progress, you get the respect you deserve. You need to earn it.

If deep water and waves freaks you out then you do not have the skills to be kiteboarder. You NEED to be able to swim. Sometimes a long way. Sometimes in heavy surf.

I am not into unhooked tricks.... i am not that young. BUT by god (and his children) I do love a little slice of flat water... top speed, edge, pop and fly!!! no chop you throw you off. Sweet as bro!

mike

ilGrezzo said...



point is if you're a beginner and im talking about people just learning to waterstart (we saw more than a few this season already) why would you come to the pond when you have shoalwater just around the corner that is seriously the best beginner spot, never crowded, no breaking waves, sideshore wind and heaps of room for everyone. you wanna learn in flat shallow water cause you're afraid of deep water? i recommend you buy a lifejacket then. still dont like it? how about you change sport then?

I wonder if it's actually a matter of being 'afraid' of the deep water. I reckon for most beginners it is probably more convenient to have shallow water when they are trying to get better control over the kite and trying to get the board on your feet while controlling the kite. That is off course a lot easier when you can stand.

off course these things also need to be practiced in deep water but I reckon it is probably better to start off in shallow water though, just to get the hang of it. Not saying a busy place like safety bay is the place for that but I can understand why though. Probably best to choose a more quiet spot.

Still my opinion is kite where you want but be mindful and careful and listen to the guidelines and take advise from other kiters.

jas73 said...

Im not from WA either but i bet you dont stop to help a newby if they need a little guidance. What a crock saying you progress you earn respect. You only get respect for giving respect, not for thinking your king of kiting...

I'll stop and help a newbie if they are putting themselves or someone else in danger.

I disagree about the respect. If a newb turns up and holds his kite above the water in the place everyone is using for tricks then no I won't respect him. If he stands there for 15mins having a chat. If he consistently thinks this is his private take off zone so he can get dragged downwind. If he is ruining it for 20 other riders then I won't show him respect. If there are a number of empty beaches within 5 mins. If he (or she) is disrespecting everyone else by doing these things then I will not respect them .

If the just take it 50 or 60m downwind show some respect until they progress then I will respect them.

For me, this comes down to one issue. Some of you think it is ok to turn up and get in everyones way and that all will be rosy. Sure, it's a public beach and you have the right to be there but you are being disrespectful and spoiling others fun.

Like others... I did not kite at crowed spots until I could ride upwind, obey the right of way rules and be mostly in control most of the time.

King of kiting... hahaha. Definitely not me.

mike

you can say whatever you want but we already have enough trouble in safety bay as it is the last thing we need is beginners crashing their kites everywhere (on people, on power lines, and it's only a matter of time til some poley gets taken out by some kook) out of control. it's different than crashing while you try a trick cause an advanced rider (should) know where his kite is gonna crash if he bails while a lot of people in the pond dont seem to understand that.

anyway keep doing whatever you want, as others said if i were a smart beginner i would never wanna learn in the pond but some people just dont get it. but if we get the pond shut down cause of some kook f****in up it would be a real disgrace.

@WA66

If the rider can stay upwind, not crash the kite every 2mins, obey right of way rules and not cut people off then they are fine to kite around others. But that does not describe a newbie.

It is irresponsible to enter, or stay in a crowded spot if you are not proficient. It is dangerous.

It sucks to be a newb but we all did it.
Seesh! with todays gear and decent effort you need one solid season to get in control. Why can't people just harden up for a while.

mike

WA66 said...

Freestyling and wake jumping is prohibited :
• within any speed restricted area;
• within 30 metres of another PWC;
• within 50 metres of another vessel or person in
the water.

This was taken from the Dept of Transport Rockingham Boating Guide - Feb 2011.
Interesting reading.
Whether a skier or kiter, sure it applies.
So i guess that means beginner or advanced is breaking the rules in the pond, which in the same document is classified as a mooring area.
No mention of the kiting/windsurfing zones.

www.transport.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/mar_rb_Rockingham-0211.pdf

Sorry mate but you're just arguing for the sake of doing so at the moment.

Saying you're helping bla bla but if you don't have a solid understanding of kiting it's hard to give your hand. Same as you going to a wakeboarding comp and trying to teach people how to drive the boat when you're not experienced in the same field.

There are key reasons which were mentioned by most parties above which makes kiting for beginners at the pond unsafe. by beginner we mean people who have less than 2 seasons of kiting, can't quickly change direction with ease, can't fully manoeuvre their boards with efficiency, have average kite control, are not completely familiar with emergency procedures etc. This list covers the majority of the people in the pond as of late.
Making a mistake on a kite only takes a split second and everything can go pear shaped.

And WRT you're little quote from the transport site, that applies to powered water crafts, i.e. jet ski, boats etc. and DOES NOT apply to kites as kites are not REGISTERED WATER CRAFTS. If anything those rules would apply MORE to windsurfers than kiters being registered crafts and all.

It really does come down to a combination of the tourists paying attention to local regulations and actually READING the signs posted by council, learning the flow of the spot which was working very well a couple of years ago AND learners going to more suitable spots to SAFELY PRACTICE without endangering THEMSELVES OR OTHERS!

ilGrezzo said...

point is if you're a beginner ... why would you come to the pond when you have shoalwater just around the corner that is seriously the best beginner spot, never crowded, no breaking waves, sideshore wind and heaps of room for everyone.

eggzactly !!
Shoalwater is the premium beginner area for Perth. Got it all in an enclosed safe area.
Why wouldnt you. Way better than the Pond.

Dawso said...



Oh sorry my mistake its about the “safety” of beginners nothing to do with your favourite spot being too crowded.

NO... it's about the safety of everyone. It's about the safety of the innocent that get taken out by the beginner messing up or being out of control. No one is pretending to care [}:)]

WA66, I think you are confusing what beginners are. If you have been kiting a couple of months, then you should be staying up wind, able to change direction, release your kite to its safety leash if in trouble. this is not a beginner.

As soon as you can feel comfortable kiting in a crowd, and feel that you are in control, then you would be welcomed by all at the pond.

A beginner, is learning to waterstart, falling before they get up and crashing their kite immediately and repeatedly. a beginner, is starting at the top of the pond and heading directly across the pond perpendicular to the direction all other windsurfers, and kiters are travelling.

Its not localism, as there are very few locals that kite the pond anymore, but it is just trying to keep the spot open for all to use.

If you are at the stage that you are uncomfortable when other water users are close by. Then use the wide open spaces around at shoalwater, gain confidence, then come back to the pond. You will enjoy it more, and so will the people around you

siwalker said...

WA66, I think you are confusing what beginners are. If you have been kiting a couple of months, then you should be staying up wind, able to change direction, release your kite to its safety leash if in trouble. this is not a beginner.

As soon as you can feel comfortable kiting in a crowd, and feel that you are in control, then you would be welcomed by all at the pond.

A beginner, is learning to waterstart, falling before they get up and crashing their kite immediately and repeatedly. a beginner, is starting at the top of the pond and heading directly across the pond perpendicular to the direction all other windsurfers, and kiters are travelling.

Its not localism, as there are very few locals that kite the pond anymore, but it is just trying to keep the spot open for all to use.

If you are at the stage that you are uncomfortable when other water users are close by. Then use the wide open spaces around at shoalwater, gain confidence, then come back to the pond. You will enjoy it more, and so will the people around you

Nicely summed up Si.

Beginners should not be out at crowded prime locations simple.

kwalkington said...

actually waveslave does have some valid points, recommend that all go and learn down at gearies, waveslave is a good old chap and will help out

Ha ha. Gearies will eat beginners alive. Um you know it's not flat right and some serious reef downwind that will farq you and your kite up.

Wa66 are you competing in the redbull race today? It's a public event, everyone has a right to be there, and who do the more advance riders think they are if they yell at you for blocking them or causing absolute carnage at the start. Arseholes. Also the safety boat is for everyone. So if it has to go slow and follow you (leaving others in serious trouble if something goes wrong further afield) it's not your fault as you have the right to be there. If your 40 minutes behind well that dude who fell off 3km offshore can wait 40 minutes. He doesn't get special treatment just because your slow!! And if you do wipe 2 or 3 people out at the start, owell you had as much right to be there as they do. You have the right to get in the way and wreck everyones day because you have as much right to be there as they do
Still think this guy is trolling as can anyone be this stupid, arrogant???

Circuits work really well in some places ( if everyone there wants to do the same thing ).I have never kited at the pond but ill take a guess as to how a circuit could possibly work there.Kiter coming in stays upwind hugs the sandbar and does his trick near the flat section and then when heading out goes downwind keeping kite low and well clear of other kiters that are coming in. When past the sandbar heading out then start to track upwind to do the next circuit.Always leave enough room for the kiter in front of you to do his trick and get away before you get to that area to do your trick and other kiters follow that same circuit .If someone wants to jump the opposite tack then they should make sure they are well clear of others that are doing the circuit

Neptune said...

Which beach would u recommend for beginners in the metro Perth area?

Pinaroo

I know you can see a kite from miles away, we boost airs, do inverts, it looks cool and that in itself is advertising...but... To be honest it would have been nice to get a few more years kiting without everyone marketing the sht out of the sport.

Yes I am an asshole and I am not into growing the sport any bigger than what it is! Yes for the luv of kiting I am a full blown asshole. Why would I advertise the local spot we ride at, have it dangerously overcrowded season on season and have it not only become un-enjoyable for the locals... but put it under the pressure of being banned?

I like going kiting with my friends and having a good time, full stop. I luv kiting but I'm just not into the certain side of things. I'm not into disrespecting locals by blowing the horn on their spot and ruining it for them. I'll try different spots, yes. But I'm not going to tell everyone about it or take photos of it and produce a review in an international kite magazine as the place to be for your next holiday. I'm not into heavily advertised comps at locations where a handful of guys call home. I'm not into 'multiple' schools with business plans to try and out-do each other and introduce as many half taught kiters into the already overcrowded dangerous locations. (one's schools enough).. I don't know...maybe it's just me... but have we got enough kite brands yet? ... I think so.

Now I know I'm going to get a couple of red thumbs, get called a selfish bastard, get told to drive 3 hours to a less crowded location... and get some extremely well written response from an 'I'm so good for the sport ambassador with a kick ass vocabulary who never misses a single kite event, sponsored or involved in a kite business ' or 'someone who's in sales & marketing who has nickpicked through my post and is going to pull me up on stuff or spin me some sht about stats, progress & evolution and the common relationship with kiting and every other industry'... but anyway... in advance 'get fkd' ... it's just something to think about in regards to how these spots got in this situation over the last few years and the contributing factors as to why it's only going to get worse and it will be that spots demise. I can actually see that 'through a windsurfers eyes' how we actually must look like a pack of jokers. Especially the kooks of kiting with their impact vests, funny hats, reel leashes etc , getting in people's way, doing stupid sht, risking lives... You can try and help these guys and advise them of basic knowledge.. but plain & simple, there's just too many of them and some cases, some of these people are just too bloody weird.

It's so sad that the good kiting spirit as we used to know it doesn't really exist at this location anymore and the locals try not to go there anymore: ( I was there the other day and there was another kite on the loose...beginner/experienced? Who cares!! The point is, No one gave a sht! No one knows anyone, No one liked the guy who had his kite heading for the road....and I honestly doubt a 'percentage' of the riders that were out there that day would even care if the place did get shut down. It's sad... but true.