I wish you luck (and for once I'm not being sarcastic), because in some places they want to ban kiting AND windsurfing, just because they are both windsports and both involve a bit of speed. Nobody would've thought of banning windsurfing at all until kiting came along, now that's just not right...

BTW, no disrespect intended, and I'm not trolling, honestly, but please face up to the fact that kitesurfing is a nuisance and/or menace to the general public; takes up too much beach and water space, is dangerous in certain conditions, and that you can never really expect all kiters and would-be kiters to kite safely and with consideration at all times.

You are not fighting for your basic rights, you are actually asking a huge favour when you ask to be allowed to kite somewhere.

Please indicate your agreement by clicking on the green thumb above. Thank you and have a nice day.

The more you negotiate with councils the more problems you create. I'm so sick of reading about potential bans etc. We will only get banned if we keep pissing people off. Eg: rigging up next to beach goers and footpaths. Common sense prevails. Like others have said its the tossers and inconsiderate people who will cause bans. No matter how much you talk to councils there are always going to be tossers ruining it for everyone. So instead of approaching councils deal with the tossers. In summer at scarborough there are many more incidents involving surfers and swimmers, do you think they go up to the lifeguards and councils! no they don't. Are they facing bans? nope! I've chosen to go kite surfing and to be considerate. I'm having fun and doing my bit and giving no one a reason to ban the sport. So please stop posting re bans its boring me to tears.

By approaching councils you are admitting you are a nuisance. If a council approaches us then we will deal with it.

harrysurfer said...

The more you negotiate with councils the more problems you create. I'm so sick of reading about potential bans etc. We will only get banned if we keep pissing people off. Eg: rigging up next to beach goers and footpaths. Common sense prevails. Like others have said its the tossers and inconsiderate people who will cause bans. No matter how much you talk to councils there are always going to be tossers ruining it for everyone. So instead of approaching councils deal with the tossers. In summer at scarborough there are many more incidents involving surfers and swimmers, do you think they go up to the lifeguards and councils! no they don't. Are they facing bans? nope! I've chosen to go kite surfing and to be considerate. I'm having fun and doing my bit and giving no one a reason to ban the sport. So please stop posting re bans its boring me to tears.

Hey Harry, I am afraid you missed the point. I see, and agree most of what you say....but who suggested approaching the councils? My post was suggesting to get ready when / if they get into action against kiting....and please don't ask me to stop posting, or you want to ban me...?

harrysurfer said...
If a council approaches us then we will deal with it.

Who do you mean by "we", if I may ask?

Wet Willy said...

I wish you luck (and for once I'm not being sarcastic), because in some places they want to ban kiting AND windsurfing, just because they are both windsports and both involve a bit of speed. Nobody would've thought of banning windsurfing at all until kiting came along, now that's just not right...

This may be a reason to understand each other and have a common ground. Many kiters (including myself) were coming from windsurfing.

Wet Willy said...
BTW, no disrespect intended, and I'm not trolling, honestly, but please face up to the fact that kitesurfing is a nuisance and/or menace to the general public; takes up too much beach and water space, is dangerous in certain conditions, and that you can never really expect all kiters and would-be kiters to kite safely and with consideration at all times.

Willy, most of us probably agree with some of your points. Kiting takes up a lot of space and potentially dangerous. We know, that many beach and water users see us a nuisance. But, we want to change that image. You may not have tried kiting or did not like it. But most of us are loving it. Just as you love windsurfing. We want to make kiting safe and respectful. BTW, I hope you do not indicate that windsurfers are all safe water users, I would add some more scary stories to Funky's story.

Wet Willy said...
You are not fighting for your basic rights, you are actually asking a huge favour when you ask to be allowed to kite somewhere.

Please indicate your agreement by clicking on the green thumb above. Thank you and have a nice day.

You might get a lot of clicks from your windsurfer buddies, but I doubt that too many kiters would cheer your comment.

Andrash said...

getfunky said...

BTW Ando - you make some good points about correlating number of 'on-water hrs/participants to number of incidents. This is the sort of data that council bean-counters find it hard to ignore and gloss over if presented and worded correctly. Pretty durned hard to gather though??

Yes Funky....it may not be easy. But some part can be done by simple statistics. Everyone can calculate just approximately how many hours we spent on kiting last year. Someone may be able to access data on how many accidents / incidents have been caused by kiters. We may also bring up those occasions when kiters saved swimmers life. That would hopefully show that we are safe users of the beaches.
But most importantly we have to become more responsible. Just this avo, straight onshore wind, and I saw someone crashing his kite about 3 meters from kids playing in the shallow. We've got to grow up....

There is hope yet...

harrysurfer said...

The more you negotiate with councils the more problems you create. I'm so sick of reading about potential bans etc. We will only get banned if we keep pissing people off. Eg: rigging up next to beach goers and footpaths. Common sense prevails. Like others have said its the tossers and inconsiderate people who will cause bans. No matter how much you talk to councils there are always going to be tossers ruining it for everyone. So instead of approaching councils deal with the tossers. In summer at scarborough there are many more incidents involving surfers and swimmers, do you think they go up to the lifeguards and councils! no they don't. Are they facing bans? nope! I've chosen to go kite surfing and to be considerate. I'm having fun and doing my bit and giving no one a reason to ban the sport. So please stop posting re bans its boring me to tears.

By approaching councils you are admitting you are a nuisance. If a council approaches us then we will deal with it.

Hi,

I don't often bother to post on the forums, however this is an issue which should concern all kiters throughout Australia as this is a real and ever-increasing threat to our sport.

When I read comments such as that made by harrysurfer it does make me despair somewhat as it is this sort of attitude which in my opinion, over time will be the downfall of our sport.

harrysurfer said...

The more you negotiate with councils the more problems you create. I'm so sick of reading about potential bans etc. We will only get banned if we keep pissing people off. Eg: rigging up next to beach goers and footpaths. Common sense prevails. Like others have said its the tossers and inconsiderate people who will cause bans.

By approaching councils you are admitting you are a nuisance.

To suggest that approaching councils will create problems is ridiculous! Proactive measures such as producing beach specific guideline flyers and contacting the council in order for them to distribute these flyers to the relevant concerned bodies (surf life saving clubs etc) shows that we are proactive in ensuring that our sport is safe and considerate for other beach users. In general I feel that the majority of the people who kite in one spot regularly quickly become aware of the local guidelines and abide by them. The problem arises when people who are non-regular to a specific spot show up and then do things which contravene the guidelines laid out. This is not necessarily their fault (although in some circumstances common sense does seem to have gone out of the window) as they are new to the area and unless they have gone onto WAKSAs website prior to heading out, they have no way of knowing what the guidelines are. Whilst erecting kitesurfing related signs and designating areas on the commonly used beaches goes against the grain for many, there is no disputing that this will provide a more readily available source of information for kite surfers heading to a new beach for the first time.

I fundamentally disagree that by approaching councils we are admitting we are a nuisance. In fact I think that the total opposite is true in that councils will recognise that we as a kiting community are trying to be proactive and responsible beach users. Yes we participate in a sport that is potentially dangerous but that we recognise that through education (of the kite surfing community and local public) kite surfing can be made safer on our beaches and that beach users for different purposes can exist together in harmony. The main issue is how we communicate the beach guidelines (/rules) to both kite surfers and beach goers consistently.

harrysurfer said...


No matter how much you talk to councils there are always going to be tossers ruining it for everyone. So instead of approaching councils deal with the tossers. In summer at scarborough there are many more incidents involving surfers and swimmers, do you think they go up to the lifeguards and councils! no they don't. Are they facing bans? nope! I've chosen to go kite surfing and to be considerate. I'm having fun and doing my bit and giving no one a reason to ban the sport.

I agree that now matter what topic you discuss there will always be tossers who ruin it for everyone - whether it be idiots who get drunk and run riot on Australia Day, or whether it be people who rig up or land their kites between the flags on purpose - the world is full of idiots who for some reason enjoy being idiots, however there are also the people who just don't know any better because they have never been told. People slate tourists who come over to kite and who rig up in the wrong area. Who's fault is this really? Is it the tourist who is on holiday and just looking forward to kiting in the Doctor, or is it the council / local kite surfing organisation for not providing clearly marked guidelines for kite surfing on busy beaches. Every park has a sign saying 'no golf' etc, so clearly in this instance they have been able to erect relevant signage - why not the same for kite surfing guidelines on busy & popular beaches?

harrysurfer said...


If a council approaches us then we will deal with it.

I don't agree with this sentiment at all - this is a 'stick your head in the sand approach' which whilst great for a while, is fundamentally flawed if all the people apposed to kite surfing on a particular beach are gathering evidence and gaining support from local communities and surf clubs etc. By the time the issue gets raised the people apposing kite surfing are ahead in terms of preparation of their argument. The sensible approach is to cultivate a good relationship with the councils, to show that the kite surfing community is proactive in trying to self-regulate what is an emerging and often little understood sport. Lets talk with councils and be honest and identify potential issues with kite surfing and most importantly lets provide them with sensible, cost effective ways in which we can educate kite surfers on the main beaches and thus ensure the safety of joe public on the beach and of the kite surfers. Waiting for the councils to propose banning kite surfing on a beach is too late! We must recognise we are a new sport, be respectful of other beach users and work with councils etc to ensure that beaches can be enjoyed by all.

The single biggest hurdle seems to be getting recognised and accepted by the local surf life saving clubs who at present see kite surfing as a menace and invasion of 'their' beaches. If there is one single area that WAKSA should be targeting in terms of educating and gaining acceptance of kite surfing as a sport, then it should be with the surf life saving clubs who in general I understand are totally against the sport.

Sticking our heads in the sand and hoping this issue will go away is not the right approach. We all have a responsibility to work towards gaining acceptance of kite surfing on our beaches by councils and surf lifesaving clubs and also the education of kite surfers as to the local guidelines.

Sorry for the lengthy email, but we can only be successful in portraying kitesurfing in a positive light and gaining acceptance if all of us work towards this goal.

Lemm

gruezi said...

Good stuff.

I would have to agree with you Harry about almost everything except the bit about if they approach you..............then you better dam well be ready and to be ready is to be organized and have a plan like Andrash and Funkyman say....or maybe someone has another plan.

here's a plan ,move to a place with few people

I think the banners should define where kiters CAN kite... like an access lane to and from the beach. Why is it that WA only seems to have big issues about this? In Victoria they are defining the kite areas using a map overlay!

I believe time is crucial right now. If councils have meetings regarding the safety issues of kite boarding, we need to know it, and we need to be represented. It is the time for WAKSA to show it's strength and the kiteboarding community to give full support to WAKSA.

I also see an urgent need for organized(!!) local groups (it's already happening in Scarb) to represent kiters on the local beaches. They have to have the authority to talk with LSC's and to be able to prevent dangerous practices.

We need to provide evidences, that we have a structured education program for kite boarders that has a significant part on safety and respect for other users. Most beginners are out there after one or two lessons trying their luck in sometime tough conditions not being aware of the danger they impose on others.

The problem with creating dedicated kite boarding areas is that if we allocate a few areas now, we will be stuck with them, making all other beaches "not a kite boarding beach". I approximate, that the number of kite boarders in Perth is growing exponentially.

Hi lads we're new to the seabreeze forums but this council thing is an issue at our lake. if ya check out our vids on you tube under kiteburra you'll see the lake we're talking about. since shooting the video two weeks ago the council has erected a fence about 1 m from the waters edge, talk about kite launch issue now, an i pity the first kid (as we have a few new lads 10-14 learning) that stuffs up his/her turn and gets dragged through it fully powered up. the fence was erected to protect a little tern that nests on the spit, mind you the only nest so far is at least 20m from the waters edge. the fence is going to be electrified soon. there is no need for such a fence as we give total respect to the little terns and have actively avoided there nests for years now without a it. the new appointed council member being only 65 years old has a hate for all watersports mainly kite boarding that us "young hoodlum's" do.

That would be annoying, considering that we kite boarders are basically the only ones using the beach. we don't have people to avoid here. there is just about a dozen of us kiteing and never more than 3-4 out at the same time. our issue is this little tern protection officer that only retired to the area recently from sydney. we grew up here and have been using the lake as our playground since mid 80's with the windsurfing club and in the last 9 years with the kites. if we posed any danger to these 8cm high birds ya think the last 30 years would have scared them off. i recently rang the office responsible for the fence and inquired about there personal injury cover should something occur, they sounded concerned as the injurys like getting staked by a fence after ya get dragged up the beach weren't even considered when the fence was erected.

matt chk shp said...


Is their money in the Kitesurf Industry?

Is the industry pulling its weight and providing resources in this area?

A industry funded and driven body is the best way to get the best results. This is proven everywhere you look.

Great point, Matt.......I wonder, how much those who make a living out of kite boarding are willing to donate to an association that fights for beach access, thereby indirectly keeping their business going and their profit flowing...? I wonder if other associations around the world receive financial or any other support from large firms like Naish, North, etc or from local retailers and schools......? At the end of the line, it is their interest to keep the sport up and growing...
....any info?

kiteburra said...

That would be annoying, considering that we kite boarders are basically the only ones using the beach. we don't have people to avoid here. there is just about a dozen of us kiteing and never more than 3-4 out at the same time. our issue is this little tern protection officer that only retired to the area recently from sydney. we grew up here and have been using the lake as our playground since mid 80's with the windsurfing club and in the last 9 years with the kites. if we posed any danger to these 8cm high birds ya think the last 30 years would have scared them off. i recently rang the office responsible for the fence and inquired about there personal injury cover should something occur, they sounded concerned as the injurys like getting staked by a fence after ya get dragged up the beach weren't even considered when the fence was erected.

BTW that is a bloody ordinary situation there mate.

Best of luck sorting that out.

Andrash said...

sebol said...
involve the authorities or ask the Surf Life Saving Club, no way!!!

....and one day you blink, and when you open your eyes your beach is closed....without asking you, of course...

and on that day, they better have a water police presence because i will still be out there

The other thing you have to ask is - Aren't there any members of the SLSCs that are also kiters? Wouldn't it be great if they could help you guys out from the inside, get a safe system down that protects other beach users and gives access to kiters? I think printed PVC banners that the SLSC can put out at the start of the day to designate the kite zone would be brilliant. Its not hard for them to do. WAKSA could provide them and the kiters in the SLSC could help out too when they are on shift.