doonas_r_cool said...kiterepublic said..Safety Notice: Let's learn from our mistakes!
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Click here for full report...
http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/news/1028-kite-surfer-rescued-in-brighton.htmlOK... so I think we can all agree that this is totally unnecessary and horrible for the Kiteboarding world and all the kiters that would like to be able to continue doing what they love doing in their spare time.
SO... what's the solution?
Firstly... this is what lesson are for!
If you were thinking you'll just get a mate to teach you, or that you'll just pick it up as you go... remember this article, AND LEARN FROM IT!!!
Self rescue, understanding as well as practice is an important part of kiteboarding. Not only knowing HOW to do it confidently, but also WHEN to do it can mean that no matter what situation you are in, you can generally get out of it.
In the situation this 41 year old man in Brighton found himself in there are 2 options for him...
1. If the wind is at an angle between cross shore and onshore then a normal self-rescue will do the job. This means using the safety to get to your kite, and then keeping the kite inflated and using the 'land' side of the kite like a sail to bring you back to shore.
2. If the wind swings cross-off or offshore then you may need to do a self-rescue with full packdown so that you can paddle your kite back against the wind with minimal size so you don't get pushed back out to sea. Remember once you do this you will be much harder to see.
Either way, you must make sure your struts are always closed off when you are going out to kite just in case.
Letting the kite go should never occur unless you are being dragged dangerously with power and can not gain control. Remember... if you do let the kite go then make sure you call 000 or marine rescue to report that you are ok, but your kite is loose on the bay (with rough co-ordinates). This way they will not have to begin a search and rescue operation, just recover the kite.
If you are unsure on any of these procedures, or you are looking for lessons, make sure you contact KITE REPUBLICon (03) 9537 0644 or email
[email protected]To see more 'Safety Learning Experiences' please click the link below...
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151445856565957.1073741838.81220095956&type=3 Thanks Chris & Kite Republic....
Yes Chris Sal, I read his report on what happened.
Summary - Kiting, in conditions that he was comfortable with, with a well researched forecast
and understanding of weather systems in Port Phillip Bay, within a range of the beach he was confident
he could swim back to.
Wind died, couldn't relaunch.
Happens very often in Melbourne, happened to me and to friends and fellow kiters many times,
in fact, there are many people in this awesome kiting community that have either been rescued or rescued
a fellow kiter because of this or similar incidents.
What he did...
Tried to self rescue, during this process, lost contact with his kite, gust came, kite went. It happens.
He then made the call to not chase the kite, but to swim to shore.
Meantime... authorities had been notified that a kiter was in need of assistance.
Authorities picked him up close to shore.
Everything he did was correct. He got unlucky with the gust, but made the correct call to leave the kite drift
further offshore and swim back in. Again he was within his range of the beach.
Chris, your life as a kiter is far more important than a kite.
Key points
Know how to self rescue properly,
Kite within your limits,
Kite with a buddy,
Keep an eye on changing weather situations,
Your kite floats & is highly visible, if you find yourself further out to sea
than you can swim in, in offshore conditions, stay with your kite, don't deflate
any part of it, or undo lines, wrap your flagging line first, then get the kite on it's
back, use the floatation and start the slow swim in with your kite, or just chill
and hope that the people that you have notified you are going kiting with notify the
authorities or the kind people on the beach who see you floating away call for help.
What did come from this was the police asking kiters to label their kites & boards with names and phone numbers & driver license numbers, that way if ditched & found, the authorities can ring and confirm that the person associated with found gear is ok.
Sensationalizing headlines to promote your brand is bad practise, doing it under the guise of running a free clinic is cheap, low and **** form, but I guess so is teaching beginners in gusty offshore conditions.
Awesome you are running a free clinic, good to see Kite Republic putting back into the sport. I highly recommend people practise ALL their safety systems regularly especially Self Rescuce.
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