Less the 5m out from shore. Absolutely no excuse for this ****. You know who you are.

Those pictures make no sense to the comment

As a patrolling lifeguard (clubby), I'm going to comment on this thread.
We all hear radio posts from all stations all day.
Last time before today that I was on patrol we heard the radio going off about a kiter at Burleigh going through crowds and the flagged area.
This bought up a lot of negative comment at our patrol that day. (typical disrespectful kiters ignoring common sense and then expecting to be rescued when it goes pear shaped type of thing.)
There are also many more incidents that are not broadcast on the radio because they are solved locally before it gets too far out of hand.

Last week myself and another kiter witnessed a kiter getting told off by the council lifeguard down at Kirra.
We then headed up to the tower and had a chat with the lifeguard.
Now clubbies and paid lifeguards operate on different radios, so we generally don't get to hear what goes on in their world.
But it seems that there is quite a high incidence of kite problems and that they have spoken to what they believe to be the peak kiting body about this.

Now these incidents simply don't get reported here or anywhere else so the problem is brewing and bubbling along quite vigorously without the general kiting population knowing what's happening.

I don't know where the communication breakdown from complaints being received, to not getting the message out to average riders is, but there is a big problem brewing and it needs to be addressed.

Don't forget that at the end of the day, these incidents get logged.
Enough incidents will bring action.

So please, DON'T KITE NEAR THE FLAGS!.
Don't kite near people. Don't fly the kite above people.

Yes, I am yelling at you, because for some reason you cannot read the signs, listen to the lifeguards or even listen to your fellow kiters.
It is that simple.

Now please don't shoot the messenger.
Clubbies and paid lifeguards are surfers, paddlers, boaties etc and many are interested in getting into kiting.
They are not just having a whinge for whinging sake.
They understand very well the water world and immerse themselves, and encourage others to do so as well.
They want everybody to have a go and enjoy themselves.

Is it really that hard to not go near the flagged zones?
They are big bright flags clearly visible from a bloody long way.
Do you require glasses?

Or is it that maybe you require a good slap across the back of the head......

In this instance this call is probably warranted. Some other instances, I and I'm sure some of you guys have born witness to some Clubbies and Life Guards over reaction to some minor incidences. Lets not loose sight of the fact with the Clubbies and Life Guards logging all incidences in the flagged areas that Surfboard Riders and people swimming outside the flagged areas would possibly equate to be 10,000 fold plus, than Kiter incidences and they should remember that to and not focus or single a minority of circumstances with us out. Please accept by no means, am I condoning for an instance that riding through a flagged area within a safe distance from swimmers that's if there are swimmers in the flagged area at the time, nor am I meaning to Clubby or Life Guard bash as they do a necessary and tremendous service in keeping people safe at our beaches. My understanding is, unless I am wrong that we are not supposed to Kite within 200 metres at the low tide mark from the beach when traversing past a flagged area. A lot of time this is at least out on the back breaker line here on the Goldy or Sunny Coast, if the back breakers are indeed breaking. Personally I cannot fathom any harm or problem cutting across a flagged area infrequently a bit closer than this if there is no swimmers in the flagged area, IMO and last but not least we all have a right to use our waterways, beaches and ocean in a free and democratic society, unless I am wrong here to?

Lost in space.
I think you will find that in most situations, clubbies do not come down unnecessarily.
Quite the opposite.
Yesterday we had surfers between the flags but well out away from the patrons closer to shore where the waves were not breaking.
No problem, live and let live.
The occasional surfer even come in between the flags and then walked back south because there was a very strong northerly sweep and they were getting sucked north whether they wanted to or not.
But if a member of the public comes up to us and complains about the dangerous pointy surfboard intruding in the space, then well we have to act.
Yesterday we had a kiter on a surfboard entertaining us and he was gradually drifting towards us.
The strong sweep was a bit hard to counter.
So he came ashore in the biggest space he could find, landed the kite, wrapped his lines and carried the kite back up the beach.
Bloody beautiful and a great ambassador for the sport.


As silly as it seems, I would be all for on the spot fines for idiot kiters, as it would punish the idiots and leave the sensible majority to continue having fun with no access problems.

Just as an aside, I asked the powers that be what the legalities are if a kiter was deemed to be a safety hazard.
Answer is that the gear can be confiscated.

So apart from me giving you a good strong clip on the back of the head while nobody is looking, you may lose your gear.
Just have a little think about that.

Kozzie said..

Kamikuza said..
Those pictures make no sense to the comment

think hes saying the guy kited thru the flagd zone only 5 meters out from the shore instead of kiteing 100m away from the shore. picture is of the offender and other picture is of the flagged zone he went thru? looks like everyone huddled together after being chased out of the swimming area by the kiter

Threw, thru or Through!?