Kitepower Australia said...
Doudou, I just wanted to say thanks for your posts, and thanks for your advice its all good.
Bringing this sort of thing to everyones attention is a good thing, although its based on an absolute tragedy. The loss to the family left behind is unspeakable.
This is a perfect example of the need for trainer kite flying instead of inflatos on the beach. And yes of course we all should speak to anyone we see breaking the basic rules like teaching kite flying with a large inflato on a beach.
The trainer kite is indeed a very good way to train on the beach, even in 20+ kn, as a safety leash is very easily mounted, and a beginner will be less frightened to let go of everything (for the leash, it it's a 2lines kite, just fix it to your wrist and on one line so when you let go of the bar the kite is flagging)
As I said, I did not take lessons but trained a whole summer (around 2h/day sometimes the whole day, every day, for a month and a half) on my mountain board with my 4m open foil kite. I had the big inflatos at home, but never took it out until the very end of summer, when I was sure I knew perfectly the wind window, and every safety aspect a beginner should know. I was the curious, sometimes annoying kid that asked you, experienced riders at that time, a lot of questions. I was known to be that kid, indeed annoying at first, but after a while, riders would spontaneously come and talk to me on the beach, give me tips, advice, explain to me why they did that at that precise moment etc...
That's why I think I can't emphasize enough on the importance of being curious. ASK people, as long as you are not doing it right when we launch or land, or when we are in a rush, we will ( or at least I will) gladly help!
About the kite size also, another lesson here.
if it is you first kite,
aim for the bigger, so you ride in winds not to strong. as I said earlier, even with a tiny kite, a beginner will be at risk in 30kn, even with the kite in the right wind range. If your first kite is a 7... there might be something wrong!
Everything happens 10 times faster in strong wind, not matter your level!
I know I really sound patronizing, and don't worry I'm not the posh,arrogant guy on the beach that thinks he knows it all, but we've had so much accidents in France, like already 3 deaths in 2011, that I try to talk about it as much as I can
If one of my student was here, he would tell you, I would always talk about those accidents, using them to teach a lesson, like this guy, experienced, last november in France, who died because he did not come back quick enough when the storm hit, and did not have the hand on the release when he arrived at the beach.
I still switch my brains off when I throw a stupid jump, or when I try new tricks, but will always have it running full steam right before, trying to look for swimmers, other kiters and windsurfers etc... and thinking to myself "what would happen if I crash my kite? would this guy be able to keep riding or would my lines be in his way etc... "
But I am drifting from the original post about this poor 42yo college of all of us.
he died of heart and respiratory arrest. Nobody could have done anything to save him
Makes me think of something again: it is always good to have first aiders on one spot, so maybe schools could advertise about that, organize groups first aid sessions. In this horrible accident, the medics say that nothing could have saved him, but sometimes, after a strong crash, a heart massage CAN be the difference between life and death
