Hey,

Dave's right, you are not allowed within 50m up or downwind of the flags and 500 metres out from the beach. Although most clubbies don't enforce the 500m rule, it is within their right to do so.

Clubbies around Australia are pretty reasonable guys and girls who volunteer their time to keep others safe. They usually just get fed up with thoughtless, self centred kiters blatently disregarding the rules. This happens on so many of our beaches it's no wonder kiters get a bad name with the SLSC in many beaches.

If you are competent enough to stay out of the way, then do it! If you aren't competent enough, rig downwind or practice more before you venture out into the ocean beaches.

Give 'em a break!

Safe kiting to all,

dave do you mean the flags at bulcock? that's such a stupid place to put flags anyway, the current rips out 5+ knots there and someone is going to get sucked straight out one day, thinking they're all safe because that's where the flags were just before they went in.

If Dicky's is a bathing zone, why can you surf there and what's the difference between flagged and bathing?

How on earth (apart from being lucky enough to read a single forum discussion like this one) are we supposed to know where and when we can/can't go kiting?

I often surf at Happy Valley, but would never have known about the "no kites west of the steps" rule.

Diz

You can kite west of the steps at Happy Valley, you just can't set your gear up or launch and land there. (at present there is no beach anyway).

We are supposed to stay 30m away from bathers and there is a 200m exclusion zone out from the flags.

It comes down to common sense. When the crowds are huge on Bulcock Beach, use your brain and stay away from swimmers.

Dicky Beach is a grey area. During a training session we conducted with them last year on behalf of AKSA, CCC lifeguards asked if we could avoid Dicky Beach and the inside of Currimundi Lake. The wind is usually crap there and the crowds are so big why would you bother.

CCC are very happy with local kiters and are very supportive of our sport. These reminders are really for visiting kiters and noobs. If you see someone setting up in the wrong place, tell them.

There is a map available of bathing reserves & flagged zones, with local beaches (and the wind you need to kite there). If you want a copy PM me. It's a draft at present, but once it is finalised I will email it to local kiters and copies will be available at the beach and on the Caloundra Kitesurfing Club website (coming soon).

An update here in Newcastle on that note is that when there has been no one swimming (genarally strong southerlies no one mad enough to go in water except for us )the lifeguards at dicko have'nt minded riders going near the flags .There is a train of thought that this sends noobs an unclear message ( the spot isn't really suited for noobs in southerlies ) and that it is best to stay out of the flags in any circumstances

dazza5172 said...

Yep good thread

we have a couple of spots here in SA Normanville and Souh Coast Beaches where the surfing learners are and clubbies

Normie is easy to stay away from the flags and that's all we have to do.

Daz