Get out there Mick.

The spot you are talking about near Applecross is Melville Beach. Never ridden tere but from what everyone says it gets pretty crazy and chaotic.

Australian Kite School run by Darren Marshall (Kitehard) always gets great comments.

The company you are talking about in Freo is SOS, not sure about ther web site though. Good guys in there.

As everyone will say, get some lessons first, then try as much gear as you can get your hands on.

At 95kgs Big Mick, you'll be looking at a 10m for your small kite and 12-14 for your everyday kite I reckon.

Stretching will help you out alot, you'll be pretty sore after your first lessons and sessions.

All the best with it mate, you're right, it's mint fun.

Cheers

B

I fully agree and support what Kitehard has to say.

Spending $500 or so to get lessons from a professional outfit is absolutely worth it!

By playing cheap you will pay more in the long run, both in cash outlay and health........trust me.

gruezi said...

I fully agree and support what Kitehard has to say.

Spending $500 or so to get lessons from a professional outfit is absolutely worth it!

By playing cheap you will pay more in the long run, both in cash outlay and health........trust me.

agree, agree, agree ... its really the only way, you might have a mate whose the bees knees when it comes to kiting, but to beable to pass those skills onto another person is another matter all together, get it right the first time and you will always remember that outlay as the best kiting money you ever spent...

Hey Mick,

I have dealt quite a lot with the guys at SOS, the shop you are talking about in Freo. I would HIGHLY recommend these guys as I have been more than satisfied with them in all of my dealings. Their Email is www.sossurf.com.au

Agree with everyone here mate, go for fully qualified (IKO) instructors and don't go on the cheap with lessons.

Definately extract the finger, your only regret will be that you didn't do it sooner ;)

Enjoy all the fun to come,
D

Hi Darren,
Quote "So maybe rather than looking at the bottom line and slamming us for being too expensive, have a look at what you are buying first.
Do your homework and before slagging a legitimate business on a public forum, at least know what you are talking about."
Hi, quick response to this is that, my fellow, who got me involved in this sport, had in fact done his homework on this & helped me choose SOS... who are in fact IKO accredited instructor. It is simply an opinion and that is what public forums are all about. In the end Mick will make up his own mind as to which school he is going with. I understand your justifications for what you charge, although I still don't think it explains the difference. I have been nothing but completely happy with the boys at SOS & the helmet issue has not been of consequence, as they are right out there in the water beside you. I appreciate you may have been annoyed at someone bringing up pricing issues...but you got your chance to explain why your school charges what it does....so in the end we engaged in healthy (if not slightly heated?!) debating about an issue that every kiteboarder coming into the sport is bound to consider.

Mick,
Get amoungst it. But be prepared to annoy everyone who isn't a kiter around you. I went to a pub last night & somehow managed to get every conversation around to kiting or put some reference of kiting even into the most obscure sentences. When I go overseas it will all be based around the best places to go kiting. (Insert mental picture of the person I was talking to rolling there eyes cause they had heard the work "kiting" for the five-MILLIONTH time that night!)

Fair enough. I wasn't implying you were or should be embarrassed by your schools pricing...slimply that it is something that is going to pass through the mind of every new kiteboarders that is shopping around & they wouldn't necessarily always ask you guys when phoning you (I remember thinking, "what justifies the $80 difference?")...so you got the opportunity to discuss it on the forum where others in Mick's position (& mine, for that matter) could read it as well.
AKS is obviously holding their own (as you said, if not turning a meager profit....as businesses should) in the schooling business, even with skungy people like me having an issue with the cost (I mean that is a fair step in the end towards my first lot of gear & something I couldn't ignore).
Enjoy the week ahead,
Winds look awesome.
Jacq

So kitecrazzy are saying u got 10 lessons before u started kiting on ur own and that u were the perfect kiter and new everything after ur lessons.. B#$@ S$%#

People choose to try learn the sport as quickley and cost effectively as they can and i think a kiteschools like kitehards do a bloody good job to teach them as best they can in the short amount of time people are prepared to learn in.... its up to them to take heed of the knowlege there given

and as for insurance and legalities, get a life... people sue so you have to be covered

Abesy said...

So kitecrazzy are saying u got 10 lessons before u started kiting on ur own and that u were the perfect kiter and new everything after ur lessons.. B#$@ S$%#

People choose to try learn the sport as quickley and cost effectively as they can and i think a kiteschools like kitehards do a bloody good job to teach them as best they can in the short amount of time people are prepared to learn in.... its up to them to take heed of the knowlege there given

and as for insurance and legalities, get a life... people sue so you have to be covered

well if you had comprehension skills you would realise that firstly it would have been 5 lessons to get 10 hours worth not 10 and secondly your arguing the same point only trying to make it sound like its a good thing. FFS, 2 lessons and they are gone... now everyone's problem as they crash learn their way forward. I had 1 lesson and then flew the kite in 12 knots on a deserted beach for around 4 hours of flying time, best case scenario for the most common method people learn. BUT now more and more see a crowded beach and think ah yes, other kiters and people this is obviously where to do it and then come slamming their kites down between swimmers and kiters.
The truth of the matter is that to do this they would need to spend around $800 on lessons with kite hard but if they went to a school that didnt charge by the hour or based their teaching on far longer lessons or a minimum of 3 or a lot more for 1 then the few who do not do as i did and go straight to the beach with out the skills they should have from more lessons will be the cause of accidents and that would obviously lead on to restrictions.

At kitecrazy,

All schools have the same problem, whether they charge 140 bucks or 240, students dont want to shell out cash, so they (student kiters) take as many lessons as they feel they need to be confident. They decide when they are ready!

The greater majority of our students take 3 lessons, occassionally we get people only take two, but they usually have previous board and/or kite experience. Some take 4 lessons. Anyone needing more than 4 lessons, I usually teach for free after that.

No school wants to let noobs out onto the beaches without the necessary skills to kite safely, but we have no ability to force people to stay on and have additional lessons. We can suggest, imply and even occassionally plead for them to take another lesson, but at the end of the day, they don't even have to take lessons in the first place.

If you think making lessons cheaper will fix this you are sadly mistaken. When I first started teaching in 2000, my lessons were $140 ( I was a small school with dodgy insurance and no permits etc like many are today), people took less lessons back then than they do now. Some cheaper schools are cheap because they dont have public liability cover, nor permits and so teach kiting illegally. If a student being taught by some foreigner instructor has a bad accident and chooses to sue, the council will cop it because, sven will hop a plane and be gone, the shop/school will deny knowledge and maybe cop a fine and a ban will likely be imposed on the beach by council to counter another law suit costing council money. At $140 per lesson, I would have to close my school because we would run a loss due to legal overheads.

The only way to fix this situation is to license the sport to accredited schools so you need a license to kite. I've brought this up before and I believe it is only a matter of time 'til this happens. The sooner the better for everyone! Whenever this topic is raised people scream an infringement on their rights to have fun, just think about it.

Just like PADI, just like hang gliding, just like driving a car, and just like guns, you need a license to buy or operate them. Only then will schools have the ability to hold back kooks who feel they are able to go and mix it up with the public and other kiters after only one or two lessons.

The sport is growing in popularity and will continue to do so for many more years. Have you seen pictures of Tarifa? And many places in Europe where there are hundreds of kiters at beaches where we have 30. If you think this is crowded now, wait for another couple of years.

I would expect the numbers to at least double over the next 2-3 years. Bans are going to happen, this cannot be stopped because no one has the courage to stand up and address the issue now for fearing of being unpopular with some sectors of the kiting community. No one can see the big picture becasue they are too busy looking out for themselves. The writing is on the wall if you care to read it.

Food for thought eh?

Good winds,

Interesting topic, let's try and keep it on the rails this time (as it is so far) and we won't be forced to lock or remove it.

As far as I understand, every waiver you sign everywhere is a 'gentleman's agreement' (for want of a better term - no sexism intended) between yourself and the entity you are signing it for. While they do carry weight in a court of law, everyone living and conducting business in our country under our laws has a duty of care to every other person and entity. I would think that by signing an indemnity form you are making a legally binding agreement that yes, you are putting yourself at risk by having a kiteboarding lesson and yes, it is an inherently hazardous sport if undertaken incorrectly. At the same time, the provider of the kiteboarding lessons is legally obliged to take all reasonable measures to ensure your safety during the course of the lessons. If there is an accident these are the two sides of the argument that will be weighed up in court.

This is just how I interpret what my father (a lawyer) told me (not a lawyer) when I asked about it. It may not be 100% technically correct, but I reckon it's pretty close.

snap

I agree that as an IKO school your the best in perth although you have to pay for what you get but as most people are too cheap to pay for enough lessons [getting up on the board doesn't mean they are safe to go out on their own just yet imo] it is pointless thus my favour of the methods that would be least likely to result in people going to the beach I'm on [cus if they have a lessons with you I dont care as its not my problem] and teaching themselves i have the opinion that el cheapo or free lessons to me is favoured [at least then they have some instruction so overall less accidents will happen]
anyway its windy and my car keys have just arrived home so its time to head for the beach