Yep, we're pretty hard core.

Man, if you keep-short tacking someone is gonna get p!ssed!

You don't just get up one day and go run a marathon, or grab a bike and ride 100km through traffic for the first ride. So you don't just strap in, launch, and head out (to sea) to see how far you can go.

Let's face it, ideal conditions for most spots are cross-on shore winds, so you're going to be going offshore on one tack to a certain extent.
Once you get some confidence with body dragging and transitions you will find you go a little bit further each time.
Most guys I see don't like to go more than a couple of hundred metres out, and there's no real need to. (As long as you're not short-tacking! Lol)
Some seem to love it and go miles out. There is a beautiful peacefulness the further out you go.

But it certainly ups the risk. But you do know they call this an EXTREME sport, right?

If you do want to start going further out as your confidence builds, keep a few things in mind.
You need to be able to body drag, and you need to be able to confidently transition.

Golden Rule:
Don't go further than you can swim (dog paddle, whatever to move along) it may take a while to get in but it should be within your capabilities.

Pick your conditions.
A wind direction that, if worse comes to worst, will take you back towards shore.
Don't go so far that you'd go round the headland, point whatever, and float 100km to next landfall.
Check the tide and current directions, they can take you where you don't want to go very quickly.

Make sure someone knows you're going out. Preferably someone on the beach, but you need to be missed before the next day.

And one last time, it's EXTREME! HTFU!

Go BIG
Go HARD
Go DEEP

And remember, we all float.

Floater said..
Man, if you keep-short tacking someone is gonna get p!ssed!

So far people seem to know what I am up to. We'll settle it on the beach if they don't (with kites attached for good measure ;))

Floater said..

Some seem to love it and go miles out. There is a beautiful peacefulness the further out you go.

Maybe because the further you go out the closer you are to danger and therefore the ultimate beautifully peaceful place... death, under the water with all those fishies.

Floater said..

And one last time, it's EXTREME! HTFU!

Go BIG
Go HARD
Go DEEP

That's what my wife keeps telling me floater... She loves it big, hard and deep also... I think I need to harden up, might grab some viagra this weekend, cheers for the tip ;)

Floater said..


And remember, we all float.

Except the ones which end up in the bellies of sharks, seriously.. swimming more than a few 100 metres out is plain risky. There are big chompy fish that are basically just giant radars for your electrical system. Screw that!

Just from this statement of yours drewpweiner: "Except the ones which end up in the bellies of sharks, seriously.. swimming more than a few 100 metres out is plain risky. There are big chompy fish that are basically just giant radars for your electrical system. Screw that!" it is clear you have 2 choices! Either you A) confront your fear of "chompy's' in the water or B) (There are 3 possibilities here) 1) Stick to your brackish saltwater lakes as per your other post. 2) take up land kiteing. or 3) Take up snow kiteing. You could do all 3 of course
PS: you have more chance of finding sharks in the river mouths and estuaries since they are in a more confined space than in the open ocean. Open ocean ones might be a bit bigger though ......

Plummet said..
When I'm hydrofoiling I don't come in any closer than 100m. I'm probably on average 500m out. Truth be told it is a little risky. But it is what it is. I can self rescue and swim and fly the f@ck out of my kites in a wide range of conditiond to get back into the beach if the **** is starting to hit the fan.

Also almost always there's other people out. So to some degree you are being watched.

None the the less it's on my plan to get an epirb and actual life jacket for the way out to sea stuff!

If your LE bladder popped, you would be up **** creek without a paddle mate... just sitting there like a little bait for the grey suits. I know you view it as a "remote" possibility but think of people who safely come out of car accidents and they are scared to drive again because the possibility becomes more apparent. Unfortunately we don't have access to knowledge of the micro world to a vast encompassing extent, if we did we might be able to predict how good a condition our kit is in. Or predict the future that a bird will fly in to our LE beak first and pop it while we are a few k out to sea, lol. So we have to settle with taking chances on what is perceived to be a "remote" possibility. The scariest thing is that we feel it is remote even when something bad is just about to happen or could possibly happen, all the while we are completely unaware and just thinking it is still a "remote" possibility. Chances chances chances

Gateman said..
Just from this statement of yours drewpweiner: "Except the ones which end up in the bellies of sharks, seriously.. swimming more than a few 100 metres out is plain risky. There are big chompy fish that are basically just giant radars for your electrical system. Screw that!" it is clear you have 2 choices! Either you A) confront your fear of "chompy's' in the water or B) (There are 3 possibilities here) 1) Stick to your brackish saltwater lakes as per your other post. 2) take up land kiteing. or 3) Take up snow kiteing. You could do all 3 of course
PS: you have more chance of finding sharks in the river mouths and estuaries since they are in a more confined space than in the open ocean. Open ocean ones might be a bit bigger though ......

Yeah, I was just over-dramatizing it for effect. Truth is we all are aware to some extent of our own mortality and the risks our hobbies play their part in that extent of fulfilling that predetermined event (death) at some given moment in time. No one wants to die (instinctively) so we have to weigh up the potential enjoyment with the risk of losing one's life. Which is why I suppose knowledge on how likely a shark attacks is is important here. Dying, from what i can imagine, might seem like a beautiful dreamless sleep of which I am not hesitant to enter at all but am hesitant of the fear that accompanies the transition to it. If everything is atoms, then I am just giving my atoms to the shark. Simple as that, case closed... or is it?

drewpweiner said..

Plummet said..
When I'm hydrofoiling I don't come in any closer than 100m. I'm probably on average 500m out. Truth be told it is a little risky. But it is what it is. I can self rescue and swim and fly the f@ck out of my kites in a wide range of conditiond to get back into the beach if the **** is starting to hit the fan.

Also almost always there's other people out. So to some degree you are being watched.

None the the less it's on my plan to get an epirb and actual life jacket for the way out to sea stuff!

If your LE bladder popped, you would be up **** creek without a paddle mate... just sitting there like a little bait for the grey suits. I know you view it as a "remote" possibility but think of people who safely come out of car accidents and they are scared to drive again because the possibility becomes more apparent. Unfortunately we don't have access to knowledge of the micro world to a vast encompassing extent, if we did we might be able to predict how good a condition our kit is in. Or predict the future that a bird will fly in to our LE beak first and pop it while we are a few k out to sea, lol. So we have to settle with taking chances on what is perceived to be a "remote" possibility. The scariest thing is that we feel it is remote even when something bad is just about to happen or could possibly happen, all the while we are completely unaware and just thinking it is still a "remote" possibility. Chances chances chances

Everyone has a different experience level, skill set and risk assessment and comfort zone. What might seem reckless and fool hardy to you well within the comfort zone and low risk for another.

To answer some of your above questions. LE bladders don't just pop for no reason. They pop due to damage caused to the LE. Inspect your gear in ensure all stitching is good and repair any damage. If in doubt don't use that kite.

Lines are should also be inspected. personally I have a normal and "extreme situation" bar sets. The "extreme" bar has 500kg breaking strain lines that are replaced regularly. All other bar parts are kept in as new condition.

When you are 1km out to sea birds don't just sneak up on you. You can literally see them for miles. If you cant fly your kite around a bird you shouldn't be out that far. If for some weird unforeseen reason the le bladder bursts, as I have the struts locked off I may still be able to self rescue.

But you are right about 1 thing. Its risk and there is a chance that something could go wrong. Most likely the wind shutting off... I can't control that,,,, other than experience with researching weather and local wind patterns.

Lastly going deep is not the riskiest thing I do. I also fly high winds exceeding 40 knots, seas up to 6m swell. I land kite and boost high enough to break legs and back on the landboard. I kite buggy in extremely remote locations real challenging sand dunes, other than kiting I also down hill mountain bike aswell. all of those things have significant risks of server injury and death if I stuff it up.

But I weigh up my experience and do a risk assessment based on my skill level and make a judgement call on how far to push on any given day. At the end of the day its a risk. But without the risk it wouldn't be as fun.

Right now for you going deep is too risky. Lets see how that risk assessment differs after 500 sessions. But don't try and impose your limitations on others.

Remember the person that says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing.

100m is nothing and the only thing holding you back is your own fear. You're more likely to get into trouble in close if youre short tacking and getting in everyone's way. You're forced to think quick when you see an incoming kiter and can make the wrong decision easily. Assuming your gear is in good condition go out 400m and do big tacks like that. I have never had issues retrieving my board out deep in the ocean and you learn pretty fast not to fall. You will get upwind better going out far doing big tacks instead of staying in close and being in the way of people.

Its the ocean and sharks live in it. Accept that and manage the risk appropriately. Staying 100m from the beach is silly and lots of attacks happen close to shore anyway. If you still cant go out far then maybe either kite an inland lake or take up another sport such as golf.

If your worried by what you generally can't see stay out of the ocean. . . Or take up surfing and scuba diving for abalone

drewpweiner said..

Plummet said..
When I'm hydrofoiling I don't come in any closer than 100m. I'm probably on average 500m out. Truth be told it is a little risky. But it is what it is. I can self rescue and swim and fly the f@ck out of my kites in a wide range of conditiond to get back into the beach if the **** is starting to hit the fan.

Also almost always there's other people out. So to some degree you are being watched.

None the the less it's on my plan to get an epirb and actual life jacket for the way out to sea stuff!

If your LE bladder popped, you would be up **** creek without a paddle mate... just sitting there like a little bait for the grey suits. I know you view it as a "remote" possibility but think of people who safely come out of car accidents and they are scared to drive again because the possibility becomes more apparent. Unfortunately we don't have access to knowledge of the micro world to a vast encompassing extent, if we did we might be able to predict how good a condition our kit is in. Or predict the future that a bird will fly in to our LE beak first and pop it while we are a few k out to sea, lol. So we have to settle with taking chances on what is perceived to be a "remote" possibility. The scariest thing is that we feel it is remote even when something bad is just about to happen or could possibly happen, all the while we are completely unaware and just thinking it is still a "remote" possibility. Chances chances chances

Buy a new LE bladder.... buy new lines every week. 250 a week. Thats what I do. Kite addiction west oz boardsports and 'ActionSportsWA love it.
....thats what I do

Only joking...
Have fun...
?.as floater said don't overthink it
It is a great sport and you to see and do more go further and adventure around as a solo person. With a new bladder every week even more so

The first time you kitesurf past a shark you will **** yourself...and the second, and third and so on and so on. They are there and it puts you off. Your choices are to continue or quit. I've dodged some big ones and try not to think too hard on it. You have no control over where a shark might be in a salt water location.

The first time you crash your kite and have to self rescue will cause some level of panic, as will times two and three.... but you get better at it and improve your overall control of the situation generally. I do practice self rescues occasionally to improve my reactions, and thought processes.

ActionSportsWA said..
Hi Guys,

Here's the thing with going out offshore. Most kiters regularly ride 400-800m off-shore in normal day to day kiting. It doesn't take very long to travel 1000m. Current Maritime law says you have to have a PFD if you go further out than 400m.

Going out beyond a normal (shortish) distance is easy when you have absolute confidence in your own ability to handle any occurrence. Can you swim in from as far out as you kite? if yes, no problem. Can you self rescue in all scenarios? If not, can you swim that distance?

I personally would never fly an old kite or a kite of unknown condition any further out than I would be prepared to swim in. I tend to only kite with good quality late model kites partially for this reason.

Forget the bities. I've seen guys swim in from 2km off shore in the dark as I waited on the beach for them. Please get over the fear of sharks, you have a much better chance of being killed by a honey bee. Statistically speaking ...

I have been part of two of the highest risk shark attack sports : Surfing and Freedive spearfishing both in WA. I have never even seen a Great white although I have seen hundreds of sharks (some up VERY close), none has ever tried to bite me. People subscribe too heavily to the Hollywood version of sharks. Think Jaws or Sharknado (one of my fave movies BTW), both purely based on bull****.

Just kite and have fun, listen to your fear but don't be your fears bitch!

DM

Yes agree totally


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