Just watched today as a girl launched a pink waroo directly upwind of some beach folks and managed to get unhooked, swirling kite lines held by a leash above quite a few people... apparently she had a WAKSA tag(may not be hers)

Made a fun downwinder have a bad after taste... I know this has been discussed before, but seeing this kind of stupid behaviour, and the potential impact on the WAKSA insurance, a few of us had a thought.

What about dual WAKSA membership?:
1) Beginners / leaners etc indicated by a different colour tag or marking – this comes with certain areas one should avoid etc, unless accompanied by a instructor/full WAKSA member

2) Full WAKSA member. Similar to a car license, the user has to demonstrate his/her ability to
• Stay upwind around a marker
• Land/launch his her kite in control
• Know the basic right of way rules
• Be able to relaunch a kite
This only needs to be performed once for any member.

I know some people might object to having to “show” the y can do these basics, but it is only a matter of time before things get worse - for all of us... if the beach was any fuller, someone could have gotten hurt today.

Not sure about the insurance, but a “Beginners are not insured on these beaches” should reduce the risk of a major liability claim and keep premiums down.

The last issue is cost/time: I suggest it is something that can be done in huge “batches” and at the same time we can have a ton of fun. The shops/IKO instructors could also do this certification for a once of low fee of “say” $10...?

Anyhow, I know this has been discussed a lot - what do WAKSA people think?

I think it will come pretty soon that all beaches will have a requirement similar to Cott... Best be prepared.

as it is there are no restrictions on who can fly a kite in WA. you dont need any qualifications and that shouldn't change imo. making a test of any sort will put people off and then there would be people out there who are uninsured and pose a risk to others. having waksa membership at least gives helps should their be an incident as the insurance can cover any damages as oppose to the same thing happening with no compensation for the victim.
the best thing to do in the situation is keep an eye on people you dont know while they rig up ect and judge whether you should intervene with some kind words and a reasoned suggestion as to what they should do instead.
[as the lack of grammar would suggest this is my opinion, not waksa's]