www.bayareakiteboarding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14542&p=96835

Yes spot on Christian, I think it would be great practice for all kiters to activate their QR before launching. This way you know it is functioning properly & also maybe some muscle memory may develope.

I would be interested to know how many newbies have never let go of their bar & hit their QR to see what happens.

If your reading this & haven't, please do it next time you go Kitesurfing.

It just might save your life.

That's very sad. I share Chris' comments. These accidents are completely avoidable with proper (and enough) professional training. I get so many mates asking me if I can teach them how to kite and I always refuse to do it. In my opinion it has to be done by a professional and even more importantly: the safety aspect has to be taught in great detail.

A lot of newbie kiters may understand how to rig up the kite but have absolutely no idea of what all those lines are there for, particularly the safety line and their safety system in general. They don't really know what happens when they pull the safety, why the kite flags out, how the depower changes the angle of attack, etc etc.

I fundamentally believe that kiting can be a very safe sport to pursue. The proper training, common sense, a good understanding of weather, not going out all alone (especially at the beginning), talking to experienced kiters at the beach or on the forums and generally striving to always learn more about this sport are ways to keep you safe and healthy long term.

No matter how much you think you know, there is always someone who will know more than you and it's always worth listening to.

condolences to the fellow learner.


Its an eye opener and we will all probably spend a session or two, extra alert checking our surroundings technique and be safer for it as a result.
How do we as flawed human being's not get complacent and remember the importance of beach and kiting safety each and every time we launch. It should not come down to this tragedy for us to remember. Can anyone honestly say no matter how experienced they haven't gone and missed something and then thought oh that could of been Wrong! phew! An instructor cant make you live by safe process he can only give you what the outline of that should look like and teach vital execution skills. Its up to all of us to use that teaching, our learned experience's, common sense and roll that into a process you as an individual can methodically follow everytime. This process is your own and others may not even be aware of you doing it, but it has to be there. better add imo.

I had 5 hours of lessons and think I did a self rescue three times, everything I was taught I was asked to do myself. The instructor knew I wasn't going to be an endless pay check and there was nothing he could do to stop me pushing ahead with self education(my instructor was self taught). He recognized that and we focused on the real traps and pitfalls, he also validated I was on the right track with things and was confident I could progress by myself and offered for me not to hesitate in asking for help. So in my view he did all he could.

I did a lot of research and felt I could of learnt without an instructor (youtube, progression, kitebud, are very good tools you can watch over and over for learned reinforcement to get up and going), but I am really glad I spent the time and money to get the 5 hrs of someone looking over my shoulder while I launched, pulled that safety the first second and third time, watch me crash and burn severely on first attempt to get up on board. Think Id still be body dragging without that safety net of those hrs under supervision and 1st hand guidance.

I do think lessons should be teaching self landing and launching(99% of people including beginners will do it), explore many situations where its wrong and what to do. Given I only had five hours of lessons I am not really qualified to know what extent they generally go into. But its my view they tend to stick to perfect world a bit to much focusing on getting on the board more than what if's. Its understandable though how do you keep your customers attention through theory or practicals lanching kites from various crashed positions when they just want to ride.

You guys are missing the root cause of that accident. Sure you need to be able to hit the QR. But you should never be in that position in the first place.

Even if you know how to hit the qr a lofting can be so violent that you don't get a chance initially. When in that situation there are typically 2 types of people. Those who can think clearly in an emergency and act appropriately and those that freeze up out of fear like a deer in the headlights. In the deer in the headlights instance that poor person is likely to be serverly injured or die because even if he/she had learnt how to QR they are incapable to doing so in the emergency situation.

The root cause is a fundamental lack of understanding of weather and wind conditions leading to an incorrect kite selection.
If the person had selected an 8m instead of a 10m they would probably be with us today.

I think there needs to be significantly more understanding taught regarding correct kite selection and understanding weather patterns and how that effects the wind and kite behavior during lessons.

Incorrect kite selection for the conditions is by far the biggest killer of kite surfers.