Hi!

During a representative session of 1 hour at your favorite spot:
Q1 - how much time do you spend showing off near launching areas, passers by, newbies...?
Q2 - how much time do you spend doing the weirdest tricks far away from the view of anybody, just for yourself?

Some explanations :

Following a session 3 days ago, I've been wondering the ratio of kitesurfers who enjoy showing off, and the ratio of possibly more respectable kitesurfers who do not mind enjoying themselves away from anybody?

I am (still and unfortunately!) a beginner practising going upwind, and therefore (still and unfortunately!) exercising my legs during long walks of shame!?!. Because my tacks are not very accurate yet , I waterstart only when I am sure that I am not going to disturb others. In other words, I spend a significant time waiting in the water that the rough direction where I am supposed to go is well clear!.

During the abovementioned session, two kitesurfers seemed to take a malicious pleasure to do jumps and tricks at a few meters (as less as 5-7m!?!) from me. This scared me and annoyed me a lot.

Please note that I was not 100% sure that these guys knew what they were doing, specially after seen one crashing his kite on other kitesurfers' equipment on the beach. In addition, I think that one could easily notice that I was a beginner (walks of shame, time spent in the water...). Finally, a very large area was clear of everything slightly further away (not downwind, not upwind, just further away).

This type of behaviour very significantly cut down the pleasure of my kitesurfing session because several ideas came to mind, that obviously did not even caress the two other kitesurfers' brain:
- receiving a board in my teeth or through my brain;
- being decapitated by a kite line after a missed jump;
- dealing with my kite tangled with another kite.

During this session, I spent much more time than usual doing nothing in the water as I did not dare initiate a waterstart with two other kites looping next to me. I am sure that you remember how much time you spent in the water when you began, wishing to spend more time on the board!

I may have not correctly analysed the situation and I may be wrong about what happened (I am sorry if this is the case), but my common sense suggest to leave a significant clearance around beginners, in particular if there are heaps of available space not too far away.

I was quite upset about this behaviour at the moment. (if this was not already clear in this post!).

By this post, I just want to remind to the 'experienced' kitesurfers the difficulties that they may have encountered a long time ago...

To give an happy ending to the story, the incident of the day was swept away after a few good rails. Yeepeee!.

Please be safe and courteous!

Cya!





__________________
Fred

If you are at the beach instead of on the river, the best waves are close to shore, and the bit of flat water inside the waves is best for getting a bit of a run at them.

however, you are dead-set right. Even if those guys are good, and confident in their own skills, they've got no right to be confident in your skills, particularly if you're not. And there's nothing like stressing about someone coming too close to you to take your mind off the kite and send it out of control, with bad experiences all round (I know, it's happened to me).

This season i've noticed more people being inconsiderate on the water, following close behind you on the way in towards the beach, turning so they are sitting immdeiately down wind of you just as you approach a set of waves ready to jump etc. Probably a function of everywhere getting busier and more kites on the water, but surely this is a reason to be even more considerate of other people's space?

To my mind there's nothing better than being the only person out on the water, with the freedom to do what you like when you like. An audeience is guaranteed to make me screw it all up anyway...

I tend to want to do harder tricks (& new tricks) closer to the shore so that if it goes bad i'm not far out & its easier to get to shore if i have to. Its definatly got nothing to do with showing off.
I always make sure i'm well away from other kiters before i doing any sort of trick. You need a fair bit of clearance for some tricks.
I also find that when no other kiters are around its easier to get in a 'zone' & just try whatever. You dont have to worry about getting in someones way or what that kiter is doing and who has right of way etc.

it can be hard to judge the skill of others when you are learning, but then again if they are doing tricks right over you that sounds a bit rough. At our main spot the learners usedto drive everyone nuts by standing knee deep in the water with their kites overhead, and people would do tricks all round them - I think because it's closest to the beach access and the best place to stuff things up without losing your board forever. Also, it's the only place on a 20km beach where the ambulance can drive onto the beach, which is by no means a common occurance, but a nice service none the less. So now the newbies walk upwind a bit and problem solved - just needed someone to tell them cos they didn't know.

I like to pull big air when chicks are watching!

You are definatly the man when you here them scream.

Being tricky around beginers is for fools, do two up wind legs and get out of the way, too easy especially at Woodies sth.

I saw Darren M pull the biggest boost ( offshore driftback at Woodies nth, was pretty damn good) right in front of my chick once, Im glad she pretended not to be impressed, so every one does it. Chicks dont get ( therefore dont dig) limp spins or transitions, they want monster styln air.

Big air is the best, dont be scared. Ride powered up( if you can control it) load up your edge and ( little tip for newbies)when you release jump with the tension ( dont forget your board)then pull your legs up so your more compact for better flight and landing stability. Theres a bit more to the landings but dont worry about that now, just get up there first. Definatly should wear an impact vest, a helmet also gives a bit of confidence.

Even if you spud in no one will care because you just cracked the biggest air most folks have ever seen. That'll stop traffic every time.

So you girly men stop doing lame stuff in close, especially close to newbies ( remember its not they're fault they're useless, everyone was once). If you can, tack out and do some big stuff that is really worth looking at.

Im spent,

Ben.

Gotta agree with Ben
BIG AIR IS THE BEST!
I first started kiting after watching guys like Marty boosting huge and tearing apart the slop at scabs on their 2 line kites. Still the most enjoyable parts of kiting to watch. I get bored in about 2 mins flat watching low level tricks.
Why is it that hardly anyone tries to go big any more?
Rylands massive airs with loops are the best things to watch during the comps, and the public love 'em. We can all appreciate the technical difficulty and sheer talent of the guys doing the fancy stuff but give me a huge stylish air over it anytime.
I still enjoy doing low level tricks but once the wind picks up its all about going big for me.

I agree on that one big air with technicality is always ballsy. So much more pain when you come unstuck.

I like going high that suspended feeling is wild kind of unique.
Be great to be able to pull of more technical stuff but i just keep trin to go high then try something(not much). Cause truth is i find loading up the edge and getting air without a lot of kite movement bloody hard, thats why i am not doin it. Can't!

Like from surfin you get a huge rush when you pull something technical that has taken months to get right and it comes off -yea what a rush and i always seem to surf better on my own.

As for the kitin i have been bashed and got myself in drama so many times in front of the crew it just do not matter anymore. But it is not just showin off!! Really when some one goes high, close, the crew can get more invovled, there is more shouting and more laughter whan you smash. I love it. You can do that safe enough if your heading back out or you leave enough room.

But who can resist tryin something big when the girls are out!!!

I too am guilty of jumping close in .. I don't do it to show off... only so i can stand up when i land on my arse.... if newbies spend he whole time standing in the shllow area where people are trying to jump... thats probably frustrating the jumpers... who in the end decide to take the risk... than wat for you to move....

On that note MR Young. (This is not a personal attack)shouldn't river instructors seriously insinuate that peli point for example is far from a safe place to learn, and should be encouraged to learn in safe area's like leighton, pinnaroo & woodies etc after getting lessons?.

i had the same problem as fver so now im learning on an empty stretch of beach some where between mandurah & bunbury. its the only way to go. plenty of room to make mistakes & you are responsible for your own well being. lost my board a few times & had to body drag to it myself without depending on some one else getting it for me or walking up to it in shallow water. a bit spooky some times on a blown out empty bit of coast but the thought of tangling up with other kites or being run over by a sail board on a crowded beach would turn you off the sport very quickly. as for the dorks who have to show off in front of newbies & crowd them out when they could quite easly make a bit of room for them. show me a sport that doesnt have a few of those types.

at scarbs u do have to jump close to the beach coz the best spot to load up is the flat in front of a wave. and u cant claim a move until u have a wittness. but yeah i plead guilty to the above charges.

Brighton ( south scarbs) gets crowded sometimes as it has a big inside section good for tricks as Ryland just said. So most tricks are done close in (I also feel like if there's sharks about, they wont be in the surf) so I do most jumps close to the shore as do most others. The rest of the time we are just trying to make ground upwind against the northward drift.

As a newbie, you can go wherever you want. But if your kite is parked at 12 oclock in a crowded area, then people will go closer than 10 metres of you. They are probably not "fools". Their comfort zone is a lot more intimate than yours and they are keen to make ground upwind, not give ground to make learners feel secure in whats obviously a busy spot.

Brighton probably is not a good place to learn. Its crowded with kites and SWIMMERS and has a flagged area patrolled by the beach inspectors. There is a clear 5 km of uncrowded beach upwind. The waves arent as good but you won't be getting in everyones way with your kite parked.

Hey getfunky

a place like Brighton you have a lot of guys trying to waveride; this means kites flying low and therefore if you are parked at 12 there is only one way for the guys to go and that is downwind of you...sometimes is better to park your kite lower out one side of the window that way you are not a wall for those trying to get upwind or waveride.
I agree with the others not the best place for learners when it's busy.

My point is if you have a choice, as most of the riders did on this day - it wasn't what I would call packed or I wouldn't have gone out - why in hell would you go 10m downwind of a newbie if you didn't have to? Half of the time I was keeping my kite lowish when I knew who was where but, on one ridiculous occasion I had a rider about 15m behind me (upwind) coming in and another 10m (downwind) going out - where's my choice of parking the kite here? Not to mention, forgetting me entirely, they were probably within he comfort zone of each other alone! Oh and as far as "getting my freak on", and getting out of the way - how excactly does buzzing me help me do that any quicker? Do you think the next few riders following you out appreciate me hanging around that bit longer as long as you had the excact line you were after??
Look, I know Brighton isn't the ideal spot to learn, so i now avoid it for my and others safety, but lets just drop the whole "maybe as a newbie you were hogging the spot". I was conscious of this and doing my best (under pressure from being buzzed)to not be a speed bump, so my right to be there is equal to yours bud. At least i was attempting, with albeit limited success, to accommadate my fellow water lovers (kites, boards, boogers, mums and anybody else who wants a buzz from our beautiful coast).
We are all in this sport to enjoy ourselves not to claim ownership of your favourite spot, so as long as you are not trying to endanger anyone, then skill level is really irrelevant and only a way to try to and create a little clique of your own. Remember you have had no-doubt dozens of fantastic days out there, whereas most newbies are only experiancing a mere hint of one of the best sports in the world
How about just relaxing a bit and taking a slightly differant direction so we can all enjoy safely - is that REALLY a big ask?

Getfunky

your last part about sharing that’s my point

Its like getting in a car and putting on a L plate and saying I have every right to learn to drive here on the ON Ramp of a major highway

no you would go to a parking lot after hours or a driving school who takes you to the level your ready for

its you who are pissed and I’m just rattling your cage for the fun of its not meant to really cut you just rattle ok.
Oh and I’m no ones bud I’m a fully grown flower! lol
Just realize it is not always someone else who is the problem thats all I'm saying.