Steve/Kitepower Australia:
Isnt dolls within 3 kms of the airport anyway?
i find it interesting that every time you write a post, it is under the username "Kitepower Australia", and yet you always sign off with Steve. Trying to lend some heavyweight to your name and what you say? Or is it solely for the use of advertising?

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Originally posted by wb

Steve/Kitepower Australia:
Isnt dolls within 3 kms of the airport anyway?
i find it interesting that every time you write a post, it is under the username "Kitepower Australia", and yet you always sign off with Steve. Trying to lend some heavyweight to your name and what you say? Or is it solely for the use of advertising?

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Just to balance the scales back a little in Steves favour it says a lot about someone who will sign there name to there comments,good or bad.
On the flip side it says a lot about those who dont!

You shouldnt say anything on these forums you wouldnt say to someone face to face and if you do you should stand by them not hiding behind aliases.

Steve makes himself too easy a target by letting everyone know who he is. And the annonimous go for his juggular, which is highly entertaining but a little weak when there are no details in your profile.
Cya and good wind...........
Danny Scott.

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[i]Originally posted by cwamit
I would suggest some form of temp signage about kite students using this area would also be beneficial not only to others who like that spot for “learning” tricks but for the school itself for promotional purposes.

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I would presume that temporary signage (eg. CAUTION KITESURFING STUDENTS AHEAD)is a mandatory requirement.
Good work-safe practise would also require the student and instructor to be wearing day-glo coloured jackets.
Bright orange witches-hats would also be needed to define the lesson area along the stretch of beach.
A second observor(dressed in day-glo) may also be required if the lesson involves many students.
All these precautions are standard work-safe requirements in many industries.
Other kitesurfers and general beach-goers on our public beaches need to be reasonably warned and protected,
from any potential danger involving commercial kitesurfing lessons.

Not so much commenting on any particular group/person here, but a general comment.

Anyone giving lessons of a professional nature (i.e. being paid) and/or running an event which is organised (difficult to define but basically if there is an ad (seabreeze post would count) and people attend specifically for the event) must have approval from the relevant authority. In most cases this will also require PL Insurance.

The onus is on the individual/group doing the organising/receiving the money to get the approval.

It doesn't help anyone, if people make it even harder for retailers to get a permit, because the authorities who approve the same permit also approve it for events like downwinders, comps, etc.

The Race2Rotto was proof that if kitesurfers have a bad rep then you end up failing to get approvals no matter how much effort you go to pleasing the authorities or making your event safe - the bad behaviour of a few ruins it for all. Worse still the existing permits may not be renewed or even revoked.

So work with your local guys and make sure EVERYONE is doing it right and doing it safe.

Genuine suggestions made in an appropriate forum (i.e. not on seabreeze for the world to see where the actual intent is often misinterpreted) works best. Maybe over a quiet beer at the end of a session?

There seems to be all this panic about kite surfers causing injury and destruction to innocents and other kite surfers. I don't know, maybe there are some stories out there I haven't heard, but I've been kiting for four years and I've never seen kite surfer hurting anyone but THEMSELVES. Nor do I know anyone who knows anyone who's heard of anyone... I've heard or witnessed lots of stories of surfers and even surf rescue boats (the crewed ones for racing events) hurting and killing swimmers, and I've never heard any talk about banning either from even crowded beaches. Kitesurfing is unarguablly a dangerous sport, but how much harm has a sheet of nylon actually done to anyone that wasn't attached to it? It's not a rhetorical question. Please, someone tell me!

G'day Marty

People you know quite well were directly involved in the ban on kitesurfing at Bondi beach, that ban alone still has the potential to spread to other suburban beaches in Sydney.

There have been numerous incidents that I know about where beachgoers have been hit by kites. Don't have time to go into details here, others might elaborate on their own experiences.

In talking to the head of NSW Maritime in the Southern region yesterday, he made it clear that he was aware of some issues, and I can talk to you about them privately if you wish.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

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Originally posted by Marty Coffey

There seems to be all this panic about kite surfers causing injury and destruction to innocents and other kite surfers. I don't know, maybe there are some stories out there I haven't heard, but I've been kiting for four years and I've never seen kite surfer hurting anyone but THEMSELVES. Nor do I know anyone who knows anyone who's heard of anyone... I've heard or witnessed lots of stories of surfers and even surf rescue boats (the crewed ones for racing events) hurting and killing swimmers, and I've never heard any talk about banning either from even crowded beaches. Kitesurfing is unarguablly a dangerous sport, but how much harm has a sheet of nylon actually done to anyone that wasn't attached to it? It's not a rhetorical question. Please, someone tell me!

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