WA
819 posts
Got down to Woodies around 1pm on NY Day.
It was howling too. Was just running out my lines when I looked up to see a poor newbie super manning across the beach with his kite fully powered and diving.
I actually yelled out involuntarily it looked so bad.
Then he landed. Head and shoulder into the start of the dunes, having been launched a good 15m from the waters edge. (The tide was wayyyy wayyy out).
He was in a bad way. Moaningm feotal position etc, covered in sand.
Not sure how it happenned, cos he was in mid air when I looked up. Anyway, he broke his collar bone.
He was flying with a more experienced mate, who didn't seem too concerned about it at all.
If you're helping your friends, keep an eye on them. A similar accident my first ever time nearly put me off kiting for good. I was lucky, cos I was in the water when I got launched.
Scary how fast it can happen. Especially in a howler like NY Day was.
Nasty. Hope he heals up whoever it was and gets back out there before the end of the season.
Kite safe.
WA
814 posts
No 1 rule of kitesurfing: Never kite in onshore conditions!
So why is it all the newbies go to the south side of woodies where it is almost directly onshore?
WA
21 posts
I always thought it was never go out in offshore conditions?????
WA
819 posts
Never kite in on shore? What planet are you from Airhead?
Lemme guess, you kite at Leightons in anythign Easterly so you can visit rotto, or Africa without paying hte fare.
Cross on is the go, especially when learning, or you end up miles from shore whenever you drop your kite.
Matter of fact, I can't really think of any truly off shore places to kite around Perth. Nth side Woodies, you'll blow on shore somewhere near Coogee. Safetyu is cross on, Leightons is cross on, Ducthies is cross on. I could go cross on, but I won't.
NSW
99 posts
cross on isn't so bad, when people say don't kite onshore winds, they mean direct onshore, most bad accidents happen in direct onshore winds. caused because the wind can be unstable, especially if dunes or building etc are near the wates edge (updrafts etc) and also because in true onshore if something goes bad you end up in the hardstuff pretty quick.
Side shore to slightly onshore is probably safest... direct onshore is DODGY.
WA
814 posts
As I said "the wind on the south side is almost DIRECTLY ONSHORE" hence when you get lofted you end up in the sand dunes or possibly even worse the car park. This happened to an experienced guy down at Rockingham a few years back. The wind was DIRECTLY ONSHORE and he was killed!
If the wind is cross-on to side shore, as it is for almost the entire WA coast, then you will get lofted down the beach. It is still a serious situation but the potential to be slammed into sand dunes, fences, rocks, cars, powerlines, bystanders is somewhat reduced.
Hence my original query "Why is it all the newbies go to the south side of woodies where it is almost DIRECTLY ONSHORE?"
WA
819 posts
Maybe we should post a poll to see who think Sth Woodies is DIRECTLY ONSHORE and who thinks it's cross/on.
My vote - Cross On 90% of the time.
WA
1806 posts
well I went to woodies on the holidays and thought ( being experienced myself ) that i would give the south side a go and after riding over big rocks for what seemed 50 meters decided it was too shallow and rocky and onshore to do any tricks within 50metres of the shore, and moved off the the north side
the real lesson is that for beginners ( read people that aren't going upwind yet), people that are learning in the power zone, people learning how to body drag etcc standing 30 meters from the beach, loop the kite in either direction and garanteed you'll end up on the beach. and thats' dangerous... and theres' rocks in the water to smash into on the way if you manage to land in the water, the plus side is that if you don't have a rescue boat and your by yourself, your going to end up back on the beach one way or another.
if i were learning though i wouldn't go to woodies, id go into the river, the wind is a lot gustier, but it is a good cross shore breeze in waste deep water usually, with nothing downwind except the odd bullshark
WA
819 posts
Dachopper. The tide was super low over the NY long weekend. There's usually at least another 1-2 feet of water in the bay.
But you're right, it's not good in a really low tide.
North side was like 20cm deep on NY eve.
