I was out the other day and their seemed to be a lot of body daggers learning to fly their kites. There was also a man swimming with his young daughter. One of the body daggers crashed his kite on the top of them pretty dam hard.... now I was thinking crap these guys need to watch where they are flying their kites. However, the next thing I hear is another relatively more experienced kiter yell at the swimmers "Go swim somewhere else!"

Now sure the kiter didn't do it on purpose and the swimmer was swimming around kites.... however it isn't exactly a kite exclusive location and with all the body draggers going up and down and everywhere there isn't much option.

From what I understand we have to give way to pretty much everyone else because others don't necessarily, understand the mechanics of kites and the potential dangers of being in the area.

Needless to say I was rather shocked. I just think this kind of stuff gives kiting a bad name and this probably doesn't have to happen too many times before local council puts restrictions in place for kiters, ruining what few locations we have left.

What are your thoughts... am I wrong or was the guy yelling at the swimmers just being a douche bag? I would imagine that a serious injury occured and it went to court the swimmer would win 100% of the time regardless of circumstances

Beginners being taught to body drag is possibly the stupidest thing i have ever seen. The idea of letting them body drag downwind on their own by moving the kite rapidly from one side of the window to another is just plain stupid. This is no way to teach someone how to kite and it does not even teach them how to body drag upwind to retrieve a board.

If a student smacks someone as a result of stupid procedure the teacher should take the blame and accept the consequences.

Better to cull this stupid exercise.

Just look what is happening at Scarborough Beach in WA.
To much swimmer/kite interactions, and the swimmer will always win.
Now they're trying to ban all watercraft from the area.
It will only take one letter or phone call from someone with influence and then your KBA will have a fight on their hands with the city council.

Peterc150 said...
Kitesurfers are classified as sailing craft, even when body dragging. Giving way (and not colliding with) swimmers is covered by regulations. If this keeps up kiting could well be banned at the location. Your local kiters should be made (firmly) aware of this. kitesurfing-handbook.peterskiteboarding.com/safety/clearance-rules

Wouldn't a begginner be classed as a vessel with restricted maneuverability or even not under command.

Swimmers and most other water users do not realise that we are there often, even in winter and consider ourselves to be locals in our favourite spots. But this does not give us the right to own the waterway or the beach. Even in spots designated for kitesurfing, we still have a responsibility to others who do not observe or understand the dangers around them. Let's use common sense here. ALWAYS GIVE WAY TO SWIMMERS & OTHER BEACH USERS REGARDLESS OF LOCATION. It is that simple!!!!

I think that it is our responsibility to tell the tools that act recklessly to control themselves and help the newbie's before they hurts themselves or other people.

And if poeple are swimming outside the flags for whatever reason no matter how stupid............. remember “ALWAYS GIVE WAY TO SWIMMERS”

sunseeker said...

hamburglar said...
what are the swimmers doing out side of the flags ?

People are not required to swim between the flages - it is recommended. Anyone has the right to swim in a free for all area. I will do everything that I can to avoid going near a swimmer. If I did happen to hit a swimmer out the back at the beach then they would have to take some responsibility as I would be able to demonstrate that I was taking all reasonable precautions keeping away from my fellow water users.
Shouting at the swimmers is just plain stupid.

i agree and i also do but it never ceases to amaze me why people would go in the water with 20+kns blowing on shore with rips and sweeps every 50m, outside of the flagged area
but would be the first to expect assistance ,as demonstrated in Byron recently,if the poo hits the fan.

same gos for fisho's who set up in same on shore conditions then proceed to snarl and carry on even though you've been catching the same break for the passed hour.

just asking is all

Hardcarve1 said...
So how do you teach the power of the kite and how to fly it.

ahh... come on... it is like you have to crash a plane in order to learn how to fly it... .... you never fly a kite the way beginners body drag.... upwind body drag to recover lost board is the only useful tool...

Triggerhappy said...
Beginners being taught to body drag is possibly the stupidest thing i have ever seen. The idea of letting them body drag downwind on their own by moving the kite rapidly from one side of the window to another is just plain stupid. This is no way to teach someone how to kite and it does not even teach them how to body drag upwind to retrieve a board.

If a student smacks someone as a result of stupid procedure the teacher should take the blame and accept the consequences.

Better to cull this stupid excercise.

Possibly the most consisely stupid comment i have heard for a while, so how do you propose to start teaching someone to body drag upwind if you you have never gone downwind or had any experience dragging at all.

Thats like trying to teach a learner driver how to reverse before going fwd, stoopid.

Swimmers have right of way no matter what IMO, we can move away alot easier than they can, shouldnt be teaching/learning anwhere near swimmers anyway.

I was very tempted to jump some surfers the other day. Would have been awesome. but common sence and old age kicked it and i controlled my desire to boost over them.

summer is a pain in the arse. for 6 months of the year we have the beach to ourselves as no swimmers venture into the cold bleak conditions..... summer comes and all of a sudden theres simmers in the water infesting the best surf spots on the beach.

How rude!.

On a side night human slalom is quite fun. though i never do this on the water quite regularily i'm slaloming beach walkers while landboarding. Yourve goto watch the rat dogs tho. they can dart from all directions and make a real mess on the beach when you run them down!

Its obvious that kiters or anyone for that matter on a board needs to be concious of swimmers, and other water users but if you go for a swim out in the line up at a popular surf spot or kite spot your asking for touble. I think other beach users need to be aware that if there is a kite about to keep a safe distance. For example if there is twenty kites out and ten more being set up on the beach well you need to realise that going for a swim right next to them or in the middle of them when there is a perfectly free beach to the left and right for as far as the eye can see is a stupid idea. People see the kites in the air, want to come and see what its about specially people with young kids need to understand itsd okay to watch but from a safe distance not in the middle of everyone setting up because **** happens, equipment fails, people fail, we have all seen it. I'm not saying kiters, or surfers own the beach, I'm just saying people need to know that things can go wrong when you are standing near these things in the air, because they just don't realise. My experience so far anyway

stamp said...

Plummet said...
I was very tempted to jump some surfers the other day. Would have been awesome.

if there are surfers in the lineup stay the hell away from them unless they are mates. especially if you're just boosting off the waves. you can dangle anywhere so go downwind a bit and don't ruin someone's surf. kiting already has a bad reputation among surfers.
(plus one day after pack up you might find your car missing a wheel or two, or windowless, or smeared in something unspeakable. some surfers get very upset when their session is wrecked)

Hahaha... so its ok to do human slalom on the beach and run over rat dogs but not ok to bother surfers enjoying their sacred wave? a

Nutty.

I treat all beach users with the same respect. no one group diserves more respect than the other.

As far as the surfers are conserned I say posession is 9/10ths of the law regarding riding the break. If they are there first I leave them to it. its their wave. If they paddle into the area i am roosting then obviously they accept i'm there and i'll continue to ride. Luckily when the wind and swell is awesome the surfers can't handle the wind blown waves and I don't have worry about it.

bobajob said...
^^^ +1
So if I'm kiting and and Stampy paddles out on my break, I have the right to wreck his car...LOL

I'll have to invent the nunchuck kite bar

i never said I agreed with it bobajobby. i'm just saying some surfers get upset when idiots wreck their session.

plummet is not talking about sharing the waves and respecting other water users- he just wants to boost over their heads like a soggy teabag. if there is a peeling wave and all you're doing is boosting off the face then i think it's common courtesy to move up or down the beach a bit where the waves are not as good, and leave the surfers to it.

stamp said...

bobajob said...
^^^ +1
So if I'm kiting and and Stampy paddles out on my break, I have the right to wreck his car...LOL

I'll have to invent the nunchuck kite bar

i never said I agreed with it bobajobby. i'm just saying some surfers get upset when idiots wreck their session.

plummet is not talking about sharing the waves and respecting other water users- he just wants to boost over their heads like a soggy teabag. if there is a peeling wave and all you're doing is boosting off the face then i think it's common courtesy to move up or down the beach a bit where the waves are not as good, and leave the surfers to it.

Yeah sorry mate,

Maybe I took it as surfers that don't like anyone else on their turf. Me, I'll kite anywhere but only surf beachys - can't stand the hassle of dropins, inside paddle and can't track a line due to too many bods.

But like I said, if I'm kiting on a break, some mug paddles out in the middle of it......