Sounds like a douche to me. Lucky they copped a fine haha.

Fair point,should have apologised for sure

Fair call he is a dick head for not acknowledging what happened

But on the other hand common sense should prevail. You dont let your kids play on the side of the freeway, race track, shot-put field, known areas of hazardous areas etc etc ( bring on the red thumbs)

Fair enough it is a public beach and people should be able to enjoy the beach, but it is a known area where an extreme sport is practiced...

Kiteboarding is a selfish sport that takes up a lot of public space and is dangerous to the untrained public but common sense needs to prevail and stay in at a safe distance, especially with kids...

The sport isn't going away too soon

I haven't been up there for a while but it should be in the councils best interest to post signs to the public warning of extreme sports at Pinnas

Thanks for everyone's concern.

The kiter definitely wasn't a newbie. I would say he had a few seasons under his belt for sure.

If the leading edge had have been 30 cm further upwind it would have collected my oldest sons neck & done some serious damage. On impact he was standing near the middle of the canopy. The wing tips left a distinct depression in sand so it came down with some force.

All party's involved were very lucky indeed that nothing serious occurred.

I am looking at getting into kiting and had a quick taste of the sport late this season & loved it. Next season I will be one of those newbies in the water. I will expect to make mistakes but surely regardless of your level of experience is its the right thing to say sorry when you screw up let alone take out a child.

Again its sad to see that courtesy isn't something that all parents taught kids. Maybe my kids and I are some of the lucky ones.

Sorry buddy wont let it happen again

Slack said...

little o said...As for the newbie kiters they will most probably have a helmet and PFD on.

Grow up little o, they are safety equipment that should be encouraged.

Hhahaha possibly out of context?? Obviously you didn't have session today

The people having lessons wear a PFD and Helmet there......the newbies

I took lessons there........that's how I know......... look at pinnas and you'll see

I don't want to grow up like you that's for sure

Perfect world - everyone would keep away from kiting areas so we could only worry about hitting eachother

Reality -Kites/kiting is a sport which attracts an audience. Sometimes that audience doesn't know the danger that is associated. We as kiters know about the safety aspects (hopefully). Therefore the responsibility goes back on to us.

amazed said...

Even just a quick wave to acknowledge the fact or some sort of attempt to apologise would have been appreciated!

Symptomatic of city slicker culture that is now a dominant feature of Australia as we are one of the most urbanised countries in the world.

Cities are increasingly just a sordid collection of anonymous people who are so socially dysfunctional they hardly have any interaction with their immediate neighbours. As they leave their driveways the dysfunction continues within the road network where the hostility is overt. All the anonymous people scream at the other anonymous people for nothing more that being on the road. Obscene gestures and fists fly and women are even punched through their windows.

Road rage is just one of the many rages the community of strangers inflicts upon itself.

People ignore each other whether they be next to one another on the street, bus, plane and even amongst fellow kiters on the beach or on the water.

Community spirit and social amicability is a rare commodity in our now self destructive cities. You can at most times feel the hostility in the air.

The urban elite in their city slicker wisdom make policies to increase the density of the living arrangements of the anonymous people. The concrete jungle becomes more dense and suffocating, and wierd / feral aberrations of the anonymous people evolve.

Ahh well what does it matter, for most ignorance is bliss.

Jesus, you're on a downer Kitelooper.
I didn't realise life was that bad. Perhaps I'm unable to face reality

little o said...

Perfect world - everyone would keep away from kiting areas so we could only worry about hitting eachother

Reality -Kites/kiting is a sport which attracts an audience. Sometimes that audience doesn't know the danger that is associated. We as kiters know about the safety aspects (hopefully). Therefore the responsibility goes back on to us.

like I said its up to the council or maybe the shop owner who operates on the beach there teaching the public, to provide information (signs) to the public about kiting's dangers.*

Pinnaroo isn't the widest beach and I have had problems of kites falling out of the sky there because of strange wind shadows coming of the dunes. So the situation needs to be seen from the other point of view why the kid got hit by the kite, not by some noobie who is unsure of what they think they had seen.


* I have no problem with Darren or AKS and think he is doing the sport a great service

Torch said...

Fair call he is a dick head for not acknowledging what happened

But on the other hand common sense should prevail. You dont let your kids play on the side of the freeway, race track, shot-put field, known areas of hazardous areas etc etc ( bring on the red thumbs)

Fair enough it is a public beach and people should be able to enjoy the beach, but it is a known area where an extreme sport is practiced...

Kiteboarding is a selfish sport that takes up a lot of public space and is dangerous to the untrained public but common sense needs to prevail and stay in at a safe distance, especially with kids...

The sport isn't going away too soon

I haven't been up there for a while but it should be in the councils best interest to post signs to the public warning of extreme sports at Pinnas

geeze with an attitude like this it's no wonder perth will have no unregulated spots to kite within 5 years. It's ironic that probably the best city in australia for kiting in some ways is also the worst.

TurtleHunter said...

I know what you mean eeezeee. I am used to waving to everyone while driving around home and then I go to the city and find I am saying hello to everyone in the shopping centre. Usually takes a lot of weird looks before I get out of the habit.

Mick Dundee never let that worry him mate. Just HTFU.
Col

COL said...
I don't agree. You seem to be implying that the public is partly to blame for being in the road? We all make mistakes, but it is on our own heads. We are 100% responsible for our own kites. It is up to ourselves to keep our distance from bystanders.

Absolutely. Kiters MUST adopt a friendly but "bottom of the food chain" attitude on ALL beaches at ALL times or risk loosing our priveledges.
If we believe the public should stay away from 'our' areas it wont belong before we will be given 'our' areas. And they wont be the areas we enjoy now.

If a Joe Public is in a bad space on a busy kite beach - like Pinnas - then a polite word and an explaination along with some friendly suggestions as to very nearby options which arent as dangerous would be a good move by one responsible kiter to ensure other (maybe less responsible ones) dont get us all offside.

and PS.... Last time I was there Darren was supplying signs (at his expense) giving both kiters & public good info.

Torch said...

A crane has a load suspended over a public foot path, no signs, do you park up and have a picnic next to it...

A bit of an exaggerated comparison but all I want to get across is common sense needs to prevail...

Kites have been falling out of the sky for years and will do so for years to come

We've only heard one side of the story

not if I am driving the thing[}:)]

Correct Torch
Common sense did prevail ON MY BEHALF!! I was some 40 meters UP WIND of the other kiters who were setting up on the beach. They had set up to the south of the walk way. And yes it was a NW wind.

As for us being in the wrong area we had 2 other couples sitting within 5 meters of us. The first who was an older couple and the gentleman had a wind meter in his hand the second was a younger couple. The young guy made the comment seconds after watching the incident say I'm a kite surfer and he shouldn't be in the water!
They BOTH appear to be associated with the sport yet the two couples let alone us were in the wrong area ???? maybe not!!!!

I am aware of how powerful a kite can be & what damage a kite can do. I have had my own kite now for 2 months & haven't used it although I have been itching to get out in the water. I have respect for what it can do in the hands of someone without the right training and what a danger I would pose to other beach users!!!!! Next season I'll book in for lessons & get some skills before I head out. In the interim I go down to the beach from time to time to try & learn what people are doing. I am fully aware of the wind shadow that occurs on a SSW-SW wind to the north of the point....I pay attention!

I do not intentionally put my self or my kids in harms way. Do you??

I'm not a Darwin award winner! I do have some sort of clue!

I have been involved with surfing,aircraft,played with stunt kites,etc etc etc for most of my life. The transition to kite surfing should be a natural progression as it fits in with all my other interests. I can't go flying when its windy or surfing when its flat so .....Dada..... why not kite surfing.........

THE POINT being what kind of a toss crashes his kite into kids & takes off without any acknowledgement?

any further questions?