Alright I have to be one the most unlucky person in the water today ......it was all going smooth until this happened...
I went out for my first run from 230 till 5.. The red, white black 9 m 2012 obsession was flying like a charm ... the wind was great and I was excited ...exhausted by the end
Came back to the shore for half an hour to take a breather ....the wind was awesome ...the crowd had gone thin ..it was perfect for a second run....
Went out did two laps ....on the third lap out ..Organic hit the roof ....
Yep you are seeing it correctly the bar snapped in two halves....
The kite came down all tangled up..... what do i do....never learned how to self rescue with half a bar....time to improvise .....lucky enough the wind had died down a bit so the kite did not flap around and throw me around....
using my board as a bouncy.. i started rolling one of the lines in....with no energy left (thanks to the first 2.5 hr run)..i decided that this was not a common problem to be in and should call out for help or at least notify someone in case organic hits the fan....got attention of one guy....who agreed to keep an eye while i self rescued..thank God for that...
Pulled the kite in ..by now I was pretty dead..oh good, i can now lie in the kiteand get a breather...But its not going your way when its really not going your way....after i turned the kite around ..next step..put the board in the kite ...OH **** ...noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....the fin punctured the kite...airs leaking and leaking and now its flat....
what to do ..dump the kite and swim the shore....huff puff ..cant make it ....the Guy who i had got in touch early ..came around to check up and understood what had gone wrong...he offered me his kite and agreed to swim to the shore himself...but i declined cause ...I knew there was a better way..asked him to come forward so i could grab on to his harness and he could pull me to the shore...Thank God for staying calm and thinking...got pulled in ...SAVED !!!!
Another guy went around and pulled my kite in ...phew.... couldn't thank the guys enough!!!
I came back and sat down and thought the whole episode through ..as to what happened and why and how it could have been averted....
lets face it ....its not every day that you end up with a broken bar and a deflated kite in the middle of the water...So i thought and came up with a few things that could have made my life a bit easy...and I hope this might help others...remember things just don't just happen ..a series of events take place first (My inside RISK engineer is talking here..btw I am one
)
1. Check your Gear regularly ...see your lines a okay and the screws that hold your lines are not popping out...There is no way you can check for a damaged bar...change your bar every three years...mine was 2010..4 years old..
2. Don't try to save money ..Buy a new Bar and Kite...you can get some cheap stuff but you are putting your self in a lot of risk ...
3. always lock in your Struts....If I had locked mine in..when the main bladder popped I would still have had air in the struts and could have easily rolled my kite in a raft and paddled in ..air is your best friend in the water..but its ready to leave you if it can..so make sure you keep it in..
4. Stay calm ....I think I made it back by staying calm and thinking my situation through...I alerted people around me early and was able to come up with a plan .
5. Keep an eye out for others who might need your help...earlier there was a guy who was trying to self rescue and was struggling...I along with a few other people kept with him ..I returned to the shore once he was in control ..once on shore I saw him again and realized he was struggling ....the GREEEN VAN SURF SCHOOL guys were near by, went straight to them for help..but the A holes listened and told me that they were in the middle of a lesson and couldn't do any thing.... YEAH THE GUY CAN DIE WE ARE BUSY....as for the guy, a few other surfers helped him to reach the shore...DONT put your Faith in the School ...they are busy making money....
6. can someone provide here , who to contact in case of emergency.please.
7. Buddy system...if you are like myself, surfing alone ..better let guys around you know and keep an eye on each other
8. wear a bouncy vest...your not a sissy for taking that extra care .. i usually wear my impact vest which gives a good bouncy but I forgot to take it with me today....things were not going good from the start..
9. IN the off season go and improve your swimming abilities.
Its funny how these events can shake your confidence ..Need to make a trip to the SOS next week and buy a new bar and get this one repaired....and be back on the water next week...
A BIG THANKS TO THE GUYS WHO HELPED ME...IF YOU GUYS ARE READING THIS...THANK YOU
...!!!!
