NSW
3452 posts
Hi
Beaches in Newcastle are becoming very sensitive .Here is why .there is a small minority of beach walkers who have decided that they don't like kites .Local kiteboarders have been riding since 98 with very few incidents and most locals enjoy the spectacle.The lifeguard at Nobby's has always been cool with kiteboarders he is just sick of the whiners and doesn't want us to give them any excuse to whine
If you are local or are visiting please do not set up at Nobbys below the second (northward )bin on the beach.Newbies please stay up near the headland to the North .The water is flatter there anyway.The Bar beach Merewether stretch is only suitable for intermediate to advanced .Always stay away from the flags(on the water and setting up)
Please keep this in mind even on quiet days when no one is around.
The sad thing is that in these zealots push to have us kicked off the beaches they have forgotten or don't realise that kiteboarders here and elsewhere have rescued people after the flags have gone and also given shark alarms (yesteday a local guy spotted a shark 20 ft off shore and 30 m north of the flags and got everyone out of the water)
Thanks
Lach
NSW
221 posts
hey dude,
cant you sleep??? 4.30am......???
point taken, thats the last thing we want to to be kicked off the beach,,,,
cheers daz.
WA
123 posts
Maybe some of the guys that do the long walk upwind along Nobby's with there kites almost touching the sand dunes should really think about this and maybe do shorter down winders when there are lots of beach users around!!!
If I was a walker it would annoy me having to dodge all the guys walking up the beach with their lines at head height!
WA
1806 posts
did you say 20 foot shark....arhhhh , i think next time i go out there i will have to do a few shark serveying runs before i attempt anything.. that must have been a Great White or Tiger to be that big!!!
NSW
117 posts
I think that if read closely that would be a shark that was 20ft from shore.
NSW
1625 posts
Were did this info come from Lach.
Don't rule out that this could be one of many complaints.
I have seen on a few occasions Guys going in and out several times in between swimmers and within 5 meters. This would normally be towards the end of the day when we are all getting a bit lazy at staying upwind. And I don't mean going in or out during launch/Landing, I mean actively kiting between swimmers.
If we are not breaking any rules we have a decant case to keep doing what we do for many years, but with the distance off rule at 60 meters (I think) including your overhead gear we may only have kiters to blame and memories of were we used to kite.
ric
PS: We know how our council deals with problems for walkers, they remove the problem.
Look at what they done with all those big old trees lining our streets with the roots coming up through the footpath, they are not there any more. And when a rock landed on the road they simply closed the road for a few years.
NSW
3452 posts
The info is from the lifeguards.no complaints from on the water .It is from the usual suspects the 1% of the poulation who hate seeing anyone else having fun and want there 15 mins of fame for being a sad sack whiner in the paper .they have been moaning since pharoah was a lad and don't like anyone coming to "their "Beach .nothing new .Just a heads up .
Thanks
