just saw it on the news..any word of who it was???

hope he's ok!

get well soon buddy!

Hear from a matie down there he was havin a lesson and got smashed,poor bugger hope all is well

Cheers 4 that Haircut.

Was it an actual lesson or one of those 'i'll buy a kite and try it out myself alone without a lesson'....

Had WAY too many of the later one happening!

People just don't understand that soon kiting will be banned!

Haircut said...


if you get yourself a windsurfer now Liz, you'll beat the mad rush and price rise when all the other kiters need to buy them

aahhhh well see that is pretty tempting *not*

But then you'd HAVE to sail at Wello... geeeee.... I don't know... If you were a wello guy I might actually consider it!

i don't know wavey, i'm not up on how kite lessons work as i basically just taught myself

I was riding a 9mt fuel and lit all day
there was a wind warning isued when i checked the bom at 12

Second that one Caela

I was on an 11 Waroo Pro and noticed the wind pick up around 2.30 ish.

Rode till about 4 and called it a day.

btw - i was windsurfing today, not kiting. it was about 20knots by the evening here.

Haircut said...

btw - i was windsurfing today, not kiting. it was about 20knots by the evening here.

Harden up justin,you are now a kiter and MUST kite at every opportunity,it is written in the user guide when you buy a kite........having said that I wish I was you today, when the gusts were hitting 30kts

i hope the guy's ok because just getting plonked on your head from standing height would be bad enough. like usual the news overhypes everything and i sure didn't see him fall from 3m. i've seen people giving kiting lessons in stronger winds than we had today

thats good news. must have been windier for you guys further north. i'd ignore the bom observations as on a southerly @ gc seaway it over estimates the wind by about 3 to 5 knots depending on which end of the broadwater you're at. the train end where the lessons were is at the less windy end. it is pretty accurate on a northerly though. the chopper did land on the sandbar, i'm convinced news reporters are silly twatts and make half of it up

Hey Haircut, these kiters are some funny guys, eh?

Gee I wish I could've learned to windsurf in half a dozen lessons. I guess nothing really worthwhile is ever easy...

i don't think anything really went wrong, just maybe lack of concentration or the natural reaction to pull the bar into yourself instead of pushing away and it powered up more. with the windstrength and size of the kite and the size of the guy attached, i don't think much could happen to him except the unfortunate chance of getting pulled over onto his head while getting dragged along

Joe Lyon said...

Can somone please explain whot went wrong?
Could this be avoided next time?
What precauttions can one take to avoid this?
These are a few questions that owners of all schools may be able to impart to us.
Lets learn from this dreadful incident.
Happy days

Some good questions there Joe.
Lots of incidents like this could be avoided if people are told when they first enquire, that there are inherent risks associated with kitesurfing and the sport is not for everyone.
When enquirers ask they should be told that injury and even death can occur because, despite safety systems and increased safety features of kites, kite flyers do not control the wind.
To not tell enquirers is negligent and misleading in my opinion, and it weeds out a lot of people who otherwise get sucked into "taking a lesson" for the "experience" and who have never even flown a power kite before!!!!

The $$$$ hungy school and instructor mentality has to get out of the industry, or like ElizabethB says the sport will get banned.

Schools and instructors need to convert to water based lessons, wherever and whenever it is possible in their area - only then will students get a real lesson and only then will students not get dragged and lofted onto their heads and break bones on the damn sand.

It is NOT possible to learn to kitesurf on sand!!!!! So why are they on the sand??
Its just about $$$ I reckon.

ANY ONE, who has never flown 2 line power kites for a minimum of 15-20 hrs should ever be given a kitesurfing lesson!!!!!!!

Its well past the time when all schools and instructors should put student safety and professional, real value instruction first.
Too many people (instructors/schools) see it as an easy way to make money, instead of being passionate about creating new and well educated kitesurfers!!!

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

as an instructor and school I firmly believe lessons should be one on one, and I agree with steve in the water.
When people are first learning you cant take your eye of them, saying that however they must be allowed to make mistakes and gain respect for the power of a kite(in the water though).
I wouldnt be quick to judge the instructor as an accident is exactly that, an accident, and we dont know the circumstances.