Spacemonkey! said...

It comes down to the basic rule: Don't go further out than your prepared to swim in

That's a good rule.

Back in the old days of Hawaiian surfing,
the best surfers were often also the life-guards at the beach.
That was their job and they were real watermen.
Will kitesurfing ever have watermen ?
Will Spacey ever become a sea-monkey ?
lol.

Flux said...

Abesy said...

"light wind relaunch" is pretty much the technique required to relaunch a c kite on 4 lines, applied to a hybrid...

U swim towards the kite so that it rolls on its back instead of trying to pull the outside lines for a straight relaunch. Then u swim to one side of the window while pulling the outside line (not to much or u will overcook it and end up back where u started!). It does require a bit of practice but once mastered helps with confidence...

Oh I C nothing different there , just thought it was some new trick ? But I c not.
And to add to the thread if there is to ever be any assistance from anyone for any situation weather it be kiting or near drowning etc the person lending the assistance has to make the call weather it's safe to do so regardless, if he at all feels that he himself could suffer the same fate then he should bail on the whole thing , no use having 2 people down , this rule applies in every safety taught senario there is.
Jim was on the money IMO

That's the difference between a "nice guy" and a"F@$KIN' HERO".
Who wants to be a nice guy.
Wake up..

congo abrezio said...

D.R.A.B.C.

WTF

School of hard knocks not soft jocks..

Kitehard said...


We rescued 3 persons, 3 kites and 2 boards a week or two ago and got one 6 pack of Emu Export.

Emu Export is more of a punishment than a thank you, I would have taken them back out and dumped them 2ks off shore for that.

honestly who wants 'wifebeater in a can' as a reward for saving lives.

I saw a jetskiier rescue a kiter with a bronzy coloured slingshot on last thursday. we need more of those guys around.

Im not sure if you've noticed but its no longer the 70s or 80s. they've actually been over for about 20 or so years now. So to assume that beer unlike spirits does not mature in the same way is a fair assessment.

On Australia Day a beginner kiter was rescued just south of the Southport Yacht Club in Hollywell. He'd been kiting at Shearwater and had taken only one lesson where he wasn't taught how to self rescue! The winds were strong enough so that's no excuse but after the rescue he informed the guy he'd had only one lesson, he had a directional board (not ideal for a newbie!) and didn't know how to body drag...unbelievable!!! This is not a difficult kiting spot to drag to shore!!

Thankfully he was saved by a kind sailor (also a kiter) who was getting ready for a race that morning in his boat and had to jump in his mates tinny to rescue him. Can you believe this guy nearly missed his Citizenship Ceremony that afternoon!

People should be taught self rescue, how to quick release etc etc in the first lesson....make it longer and do whatever it takes to make sure that if someone has just one lesson they will have no excuses for being able to take care of themselves on the water. I was always told not to go out further than you're prepared to swim to shore :-)

AS a beginner kiting on teh beaches most of the time, i find that i depend on much more experianced to keep a eye out for me while i kite. I do not purposy place myself as a burden upon them, i do my best to help myself but in some situations its just too difficult for someone of my level. This is mad specially hard in surf conditions. Situations like a board lost too far upwind to retrive or troubles getting going through constant breaks are my most common issues. I don't believe im burdening other kiters by needing a bit of a pickup and advice every now and then.

It works both ways, i have rescued many other kiters kites which had crashed in the surf before a wave could shred them..
i have helped a kiter who had lost his bored int the middle of botany bay and had body draged to shore by lending him my board to retrive his own.

It's definately a sport that requires teh support of the community. Even if your a pro you still may require a helping hand, and i think its in everybodies best interest to help out when it is required.

my 2 cents

Oh red death, don't remind me, those hang overs where the worst.

If I ever save any of you, Corona or those new toohey's with lime are the bomb thanxs in advance.

mrbonk said...

I work on the theory that I never know when I may need a hand. As such, I'm prepared to help anyone I spot in trouble, any conditions, any time, period. If I know I'm not going to be able to do it with the kite (too light, wind shadow, whatever), I'll go get help from elsewhere if I have to.

It's disappointing to think that others would not do the same. Seems to be the growing trend in society these days though

I am with u Bonk on that one 100%.....just the other day at Noosa RM a jet ski lost power out in the waves on the far side of the river mouth an was in serious trouble, he got smashed by some good sized waves an had his hand up asking for help not that I could do anything in the dropping wind so I went for help....u wouldn't believe it the first bloke fishin in a tinny couldn't give a rats next bloke said he wasn't experienced in the surf on his jet ski,I said I was but no, not really interested either, even though I said to these blokes the guy who needs the rescue looked half drowned an that was 5 mins ago Unbelievable hey! Bloke number 3, on a jet ski no probs he is on it in a flash an all is good apart from a trashed jet ski...point is it would have been so easy for the guy to drown an then how would the first 2 people I asked feel after their feeble excuses for not wanting to help.....what if it was them??

Blownaway said...

mrbonk said...

I work on the theory that I never know when I may need a hand. As such, I'm prepared to help anyone I spot in trouble, any conditions, any time, period. If I know I'm not going to be able to do it with the kite (too light, wind shadow, whatever), I'll go get help from elsewhere if I have to.

It's disappointing to think that others would not do the same. Seems to be the growing trend in society these days though

I am with u Bonk on that one 100%.....just the other day at Noosa RM a jet ski lost power out in the waves on the far side of the river mouth an was in serious trouble, he got smashed by some good sized waves an had his hand up asking for help not that I could do anything in the dropping wind so I went for help....u wouldn't believe it the first bloke fishin in a tinny couldn't give a rats next bloke said he wasn't experienced in the surf on his jet ski,I said I was but no, not really interested either, even though I said to these blokes the guy who needs the rescue looked half drowned an that was 5 mins ago Unbelievable hey! Bloke number 3, on a jet ski no probs he is on it in a flash an all is good apart from a trashed jet ski...point is it would have been so easy for the guy to drown an then how would the first 2 people I asked feel after their feeble excuses for not wanting to help.....what if it was them??

What if's is for losers. You are aware you can't turn back time or change things that have happened, so it's pretty meaningless to think "what if". What if I had gotten that job? What if I had turned right instead of left I wouldn't be in a wheelchair now. WHAT'S THE POINT?? You can't undo it anywa, what's done is done. And why would they beat themselves up for not rescuing this person it not their fault he was in trouble.

Since you're so keen on what if's, what if they go out and try to rescue him, even though they are not experianced enough, they drown too and leave ANOTHER family torn and fatherless.

I saw him, he looked OK, although in for a long swim.
Watched him till he got picked up and was safe. So someone did give a sh*&

I had my phone with me and if it was a real emergency I would of called the Water Police.

If you are in REAL trouble and want assistance wave your arm/s above your head in a slow and deliberate manner. Then a planned rescue can be started.

Stay safe

whippingboy said...

I saw him, he looked OK, although in for a long swim.
Watched him till he got picked up and was safe. So someone did give a sh*&

I had my phone with me and if it was a real emergency I would of called the Water Police.

If you are in REAL trouble and want assistance wave your arm/s above your head in a slow and deliberate manner. Then a planned rescue can be started.

Stay safe

Whipping Boy has hit the nail on the head. As a rescuer, I must assume that if the kite is down in the water and the rider is with the gear, they are sorting themselves out and do not require assistance. The nationally (internationally?) recognised distress signal is one hand waving above your head. Unless we see this, we assume all is well. If we do see this signal, then it's no questions asked, action stations and a rescue is underway immediately.

We usually keep an eye on all kiters with downed kites and do not react until they are either a) being dragged quickly offshore and are more than 200m out or b) they wave their arm for help, or c) look in an obvious panicked state with an out of control kite.

Often there are some people so dumb or ignorant they will go out in ballistically over powered conditions/severely underpowered conditions or when it is offshore and gusty despite being told be several experienced kiters not to rig up. These people do not deserve to be rescued and perhaps ditching their kite and losing it is the wake up call they need to learn a harsh lesson.

I believe all kiters pretty much look out for each other whilst they are out there and no one would deliberately turn a blind eye to someone in obvious distress. There are probably only 40% of kiters capable of performing a rescue in good conditions and maybe only 10% able to help rescue in marginal conditions.

In offshore woodies in marginal conditions, a rescue attempt would have ended up as two kiters needing rescue. Calling the water police annoys the cops. A mate of mine is in the water police and they get a LOT of calls to rescue kiters in distress. Usually because the kiter overestimated their ability and underestimated the conditions and usually have no idea on self rescue. Want to give kiting a bad name with the authorities? Then keep calling the cops to rescue people who should be able to look after themselves.

If you are not sure how to self rescue, come and see us at Pinnaroo Point any windy day and we will teach you, or if you come to Kitestock, we will run a self rescue clinic. Learn to save your own bacon and we'll all have a lot less stress.

Good winds,