Here's the fictional plot.......
It's the middle of summer in WA and you are wavekiting at an outer reef mysto spot called Crayfish Point late one afternoon.
The place is remote with no one around.
It's a solo session with only you out in fresh sideshore wind.
After wiping-out on a wave, you crash the kite and get separated from your board.
You don't wear a leggie.
The board is now caught in a current that's running slowly out to sea.
The kite refuses to relaunch, there's a problem with the rigging.
You are getting dragged downwind by your kite and your board is getting sucked out towards the horizon.
The gap between you and your board is widening every minute.
You can see that the distance to swim to your board is still do-able.
But if you make a dash for it, you won't be able to catch up to your kite again.

What do you do ?
Do you abandon your kite to save your board only ?
Or do you sacrifice your board to stay with your kite and commence a self-rescue ?

*My answer later will explain how you can save everything.
(Look for the clue in the story)
heheehe

king of the point said...

NECK YOUR SELF or call out to some one who is able to sail over and offer you a tow ?

Get as much blood out of your body as possible (use tampon users guide), Ask a passing sharks to dinne in , chew the whole lot up ,so they can poo it all out as cow fodder.


Sorry i got it .

Abandon both and swim for your life ?

^^ WTF?

board is gone, sideshore winds, re-launch and get board or self rescue to shore.

What if it's cross off and both board, you and kite are blowing out to sea Dave?

I have an answer but I can only tell you if you change your avatar.

Sorry i serious post .

Ensure you remain attached

Bloke out the point just lost his NEW BOARD on his first day with it.


Slayer,,,, you my find friend a leash with heaps of recoil for speedy recovery

Release the safety so that the kite doesn't catch any wind, and while still attached via the safety swim after the board.

Done it before, worked well, but it takes a fair amount of energy that you may need for the swim back.

If its a cross shore wind and the current is a) not strong and b) not moving too far upwind you could self rescue to get your board, but from experience upwind self rescue is VERY slow.

WEAR BINDINGS. U WONT LOOSE THE BOARD

Dunno, but methinks there might be a place for a boardleash when kiting outer reefs alone....

The waves wont always push your board in to the beach, especially if there is a big area inside the reef. I think this is what Slave is on about. Something similar happened to me on the weekend.

I fell of on the first wave of a set, my board got pushed through to the inside by the rest of the set. The current in there was so strong that I was going backward while trying to body drag upwind. I was nearly about to get flushed out, but found a shallow bit of reef I could brace against while my board slowly drifted down to meet me.

Ive seen it before on a certain reef up north. The board comes in close, drifts down and is then pushed back out to sea once it goes past the lagoon. There is a reward if anyone finds a brand new Converse up that way.

i dont know how to self rescue (flame suit on)
but i reckon i'd just tie my flagging line to my harness and swim for the board, swim back to the harness, put it back on and continue my sesh.

it could be worse, you could have your board wedged in your skull from your board death leash and a couple of those wa whiting sniffing around

Sounds like BS Slave, theres not always a craypot around to latch on to while you go for a swim.
Learn to self rescue properly and get your ass back to the beach, never abandon your kite, id like to see your face when your out the back, and you see the kite take off because you didnt manage to tie it down well enough, then you are truely Fuuuuckd.

sounds like a typical Wave Slave BS story again.

I'm with Kitehard on this one, unless the board is being dragged seriously upwind.

Hi Pat,

If there is a decent amount of wind, the board will blow downwind, even in a decent current, assuming you're riding a surfboard.

Securing your kite is the most important decision as it is a life preserver and is easily spotted at a distance if you're in trouble. Trying to swim a kite upwind in a decent blow is a short trip to exhaustion. You would only be able to keep that up for a minute or two and if you held ground, you'd be doing well.

I don't see whats so hard about using the kite to self rescue in the direction of the board. Unless of course you don't know how to self rescue correctly.

Being alone on offshore reefs is a seriously risky business at the best of times and you should definately have your leash attached to the flag out option in case you come unhooked or a wave breaks on your kite and snaps all lines. It's best not to use a board leash at any time in the surf, unless you're prepared for the consequences.

Good winds,

Aside from the smell of BS, I've seen it done, by Kitehard himself!

Woolgoolga, way back around 1999/2000 cross off conditions Darren crashes the kite and is unable to relaunch, manages to self rescue back upwind with kite and board from about 750M out to see.
Don't remember the exact circumstances, but was amazed like everyone else when he managed to self rescue with is board and arrived back on the beach completely unpuffed.
Lots of witnesses.

Darrens version of how to do it is the winner! Give him the prize.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

waveslave said...

poor relative said...

Release to 5th line
Unhook from harness
Swim down tie up 5th to rock, craypot buoy or similar
Swim to board
Get board
Paddle board back to 5th line
Release 5th from rock, craypot buoy or similar
Collect kite
Self rescue in
Easy.

On a 4 line just hook the chicken loop round a rock, craypot buoy or similar

Do i win a prize?

You are a survivor, PR.
There is another method as well.

*More on that later.

Connecting a flagged kite to a craypot float is perfectly ok. ^^^
I know cause I've done it.
The float doesn't get pulled underwater, it floats.
Funny that.
The PR method is kosher because I've proved it up.
PR wins a prize.
And for the record....
If your board is a 'magic' board, it's imperative that you must save it.

* The other method to come.

Carry on.

I wait with baited breath.

This cray pot therory

Because im betting its not caught in a hole ,so the pot gets reefed out, as the kite goes spastic whilst trying re launching on the top of this 15 foot swell ,before rolling over on itself whilst dragging the pot along the sandy bottom.

The next set is a monster 15 to 20 feet ,,,,,,, your way inside and your kite gets completly mowed down ,like when a lawn mower runs over a warm front lawn steamer.The kite DROPS IN REVS before one last blast offffff half the size.

Lighting up like the challanger disaster before returning to earth, to explode like a puffer fish i love to tread on at the jetty.


Now where is my board
Where is the beach

Slayer with over 30 plus years, being the innovator of equipment to carve da ocean apart , tell me how your getting out of this one .
Like a cat throwen in to a pool

Can't resist.

If it's a solo session, you swim to your tinny (that you hot launched from), pull anchor, start the outboard and pick up your bits.