Anyone else agree we need to make kite lessons compulsary not optional?

Probably get alot of people disagreeing but heres my reasoning for it. Theres so many new kiters around now alot of them try and teach there mates without really knowing wat there doing ive almost been taken out a few times by people trying to teach there mates then the other side is when there ready to go off kiting without the mate thats just taught them there already in bad habbits. To b honest i dont really care if they hurt themselfs its my self and other people riding around them that they clean up that worries me, who pays ur bills if u break ur neck? Even worse if a spectator on the beach gets taken out, good bye beach

The moment you make one part of the sport compulsory somebody has to regulate it and then that same somebody regulates the entire sport, not just newbies needing lessons.

And guess who pays that somebody to regulate the sport.. We do.

Crazy.... Add regulation and you are just adding costs to a some what free activity. Look at boating, now with regulation i have to pay my boat license fee, my cray license, my fishing license. What next ?

I witnessed a good reason for compulsory lessons yesterday.

A beginner turned up to my local spot looking the part. I didn't really pay much attention to him until I noticed he was just about to launch his kite. He had about 2psi of pressure in the entire kite and he had it lying face down all laid out wrong.

I ran over and asked if he needed any help. "Na mate" was his reply. I said he did need help because he was set-up all wrong. Once I got him to inflate his kite to a reasonable level I showed him how to lay the kite out for a self launch. He then picked up his bar and was ready to just go for it. I then had to tell him he had all his safety gear connected wrong.

Once we fixed this he grabbed the back lines and started pulling on them. I quickly told him to hold onto the bar.

I told him to gently walk back and launch the kite. He yanked really hard on the bar and the kite (2003 LF Assault) took off and dragged him down the beach. I then told him to pull the quick release. He ignored me and then went flying through the air into the dunes.

He was OK but he packed up and disappeared pretty quick.

I'm just glad nobody got hurt. I think people should just show a bit of common sense before they attempt to kill themselves or someone else because they are too tight or cool to fork out for a lesson.

7 replys in half a day, not bad

im not interested in log books just make sure people know the basics

where and when to kite
gear set up
safety systems
how to fly a kite
and right of way rulles

after reading ur posts i agree regulating the sport could ruin it but its also only going to take a couple of idiots like mattress just posted bout ruining it for us next time he might smash someone on the beach instead of himself, and thats wen beaches will b closed, thats wat im worried bout not idiots hurting themselfs

Kitesurfing is no more dangerous than other action sports though, think about retard surfers learning to surf between the flags and running someone over or slice them with a fin. If anything, Kitesurfing (which is still in very early dev stages compared to most action sports) has more bans and sanctions on it than others do. Sometimes it's for the best, sometimes it's not.

This topic has been absolutely flogged to death on these forums however we are obviously still having some problems.
One of the great things about kiteboarding is it is relatively cheap, however as the sport is rapidly growing introducing some sort of control may prevent bad publicity to our sport and also prevent our spots from being shut down or restricted.
IMO every kiteboarder in Australia should have AKSA membership. International travellers is a whole new discussion.

Maybe there should be some sort of duty of care that kite gear cannot be sold to anyone that does not hold an AKSA membership.

Perhaps the AKSA could be responsible for doing some sort of competency test for ALL NEW memberships. To be able to pass this simple test you need to be able to pass all basic principles such as (gear setup & safety, launching & landing, understanding right of way, able to hold an edge). Therefore all new memberships should be priced higher than renewals therefore no extra cost being added to existing members.

Also no person should be allowed to kite in Australia without displaying an AKSA affiliated membership tag, and it is up to the local community to keep an eye on this.

Also how are these people purchasing new gear without knowing how dangerous it can potentially be??? Why do they not at least purchase the Progression Beginner DVD??? I have watched that DVD 5 times over now.

This is just my opinion, please tell me your thoughts.

INfiniDIE said...

Kitesurfing is no more dangerous than other action sports though, think about retard surfers learning to surf between the flags and running someone over or slice them with a fin. If anything, Kitesurfing (which is still in very early dev stages compared to most action sports) has more bans and sanctions on it than others do. Sometimes it's for the best, sometimes it's not.

I guess people know the potential of a surfer hitting them....they generally understand the concept. A lot of people don't know what to do if a kite were to land on them.

eppo said...

Supersonic said...


This is just my opinion, please tell me your thoughts

It is people that think these thoughts that are stuffing up this country. You busy bodies that want to erode our freedom should get the f... out and go live in some totalitarian big brother society. You freaks are multiplying daily. Every where you turn there is you folk interfering and telling us what we can and cant do, eat, drink, say, watch, listen to, blah blah blah. It is 24/7 at work, home and now at play. It makes me so mad, if some f.. wit bureacrat was walking down some dark alley I would be tempted to (censored in case some Judas reports me as a risk for politically motivated violence)

In my opinion there will always be people out there who hate being taught how to do something and want to work it out themselves.
I am one of them.
But since day one from asking questions around my local area, to asking on forums, to asking in shops. Every single person told me to get lessons.

This made me think maybe there is something to it, and therefor I am taking some lessons before starting

The best way to make it safe is for the community, who is selling those cheap 2nd hand 2003 kites to make sure they make it very clear that lessons are highly recommended.

Rather than just saying "great stable kite to learn on"
Cheers
Wihan

kitelooper1 said...

eppo said...

Supersonic said...


This is just my opinion, please tell me your thoughts

It is people that think these thoughts that are stuffing up this country. You busy bodies that want to erode our freedom should get the f... out and go live in some totalitarian big brother society. You freaks are multiplying daily. Every where you turn there is you folk interfering and telling us what we can and cant do, eat, drink, say, watch, listen to, blah blah blah. It is 24/7 at work, home and now at play. It makes me so mad, if some f.. wit bureacrat was walking down some dark alley I would be tempted to (censored in case some Judas reports me as a risk for politically motivated violence)

Agreed brother! It is funny listening to people who think they can control the chaos of that is life. This to shall pass... ha ha ha

kitelooper1 said...

eppo said...

Supersonic said...


This is just my opinion, please tell me your thoughts

It is people that think these thoughts that are stuffing up this country. You busy bodies that want to erode our freedom should get the f... out and go live in some totalitarian big brother society. You freaks are multiplying daily. Every where you turn there is you folk interfering and telling us what we can and cant do, eat, drink, say, watch, listen to, blah blah blah. It is 24/7 at work, home and now at play. It makes me so mad, if some f.. wit bureacrat was walking down some dark alley I would be tempted to (censored in case some Judas reports me as a risk for politically motivated violence)

Woa Kitelooper, bit tense at this time of the month is it?

Nah not a busy body just got nothing better to do while I'm at work.

The idea of my suggestion puts no restrictions on anyone except that you will need to fork out $60 for an AKSA membership. Pretty good deal considering what the AKSA do for our sport and having insurance should you ever have an accident.
The biggest problem would be for the AKSA's to support this.

If you had an AKSA membership and the price didn't change how would this affect you????

Regulations are an innevatable part of society because dumb arses do dumb things.
What happens when some poor soul goes and picks up a new 12M and the wind is cranking 30kts and doesn't understand the importance of lessons and goes out and kills himself. Presumably council will come and shut down our local spot.

kitelooper1 said...

It is people that think these thoughts that are stuffing up this country. You busy bodies that want to erode our freedom should get the f... out and go live in some totalitarian big brother society. You freaks are multiplying daily. Every where you turn there is you folk interfering and telling us what we can and cant do, eat, drink, say, watch, listen to, blah blah blah. It is 24/7 at work, home and now at play. It makes me so mad, if some f.. wit bureacrat was walking down some dark alley I would be tempted to (censored in case some Judas reports me as a risk for politically motivated violence)

I for one have no problem with any form of self destructive or darwin like behaviour until it impedes on others. For example, Cyclings without helmets? Go for it, if you don't think your head is important enough, don't wear it.

Where I do draw the line is when it impacts on the safety of others. Unlike surfing, a runaway board isn't likely to kill people or cut powerlines. A runaway kite on the other hand will. 5 incidents in 5 days at Altona, mostly from newbies means it impacts on whether i have the ability to continue kiting there, and that means this is not about some do gooders impacting on the freedom of others, its about some douche bags who don't give a **** about the rights of others to continue using a particular location.

If kiters want to teach themselves, then by all means, they should be legally allowed to go to some remote beach nowhere near any other kiters or people where they are welcome to engage in any form of darwin like behaviour, but if they want to learn in a location where there are other people and kiters who are at risk through their irresponsible behaviour, then they should do so with instruction.

The only thing that bugs me more than do gooders who want to make the speed limits rediculously low is people who think that freedom gives them the right to endanger other people "because its their right". Next you'll be arguing that drink driving should be legalised because it impedes on your right to go out drinking and drive your car home. Its this exact behaviour that gives the do-gooders ammunition to impose these rediculous controls because you prove that some people are incapable of self control and therefore require laws to keep them in line with the rest of the population.

What happened to common sence,

I taught myself and have only kited with others twice

Always gone solo and have progressed into riding toeside and doing small jumps off small surf and am lovinog it. within a dozen sessions in gusty winds normally

Have come unstruck a couple of times but as long as you use common sense and good new equipment with respect to giving distance to other beach users if there are any how can you go wrong

Go on have a crack

I remember when i was learning i was the biggest dong I had my kite at 12 while standing on the beach not letting over kiters pass ( i didnt relize) lost my board in the sweel all the time took the perfect flatwater spot. But I bet everyone on this forum did the same thing when they were learning unless they payed $1000000000000000000000000 on kite instucter fees for their first month of kiting.

Don't complain or winge show about the new kiter. Tell them what to do or were to go and they well change their ways like that.

Saffer said...

Jared888 said...

What happened to common sence,

I taught myself and have only kited with others twice

Always gone solo and have progressed into riding toeside and doing small jumps off small surf and am lovinog it. within a dozen sessions in gusty winds normally

Have come unstruck a couple of times but as long as you use common sense and good new equipment with respect to giving distance to other beach users if there are any how can you go wrong

Go on have a crack

The big problem is the "common sense" part which a lot of people don't have much of. If everyone had common sense we wouldn't have the need for any laws at all.

HA
Can I simplify by suggesting that common sense is a derivative of courtesy for your fellow beach users.

Further more the term ALARP, which almost all health and safety legal matters are legislated to are determined by someones common sense opinion.

Give people a chance to make the right decision and if you think they can be coached better than help them if you think you can have a positive affect on the situation

Its not all dome and gloom, we all have to start somewhere. I personally get a kick out of helping people if I can.