Another kiter - another mining question

Just read through Ben's previous thread on Fly in - Fly Out mining jobs and didn't realise so many kiters were in the mining game! Sweet! That said I am finishing my mining degree this year and just starting to look for a mining operation to work at that is close to the coast (and hopefully with good wind and a nice left hand break) to keep me on the water. I know of BHP's Raventhorpe Nickel mine which is around 30kms from Hopetoun/Esperance which sounds good but could anyone recommend other mining operations where they have/had positive experiences both working and kiting?

(Or am I just wishful thinking )

Try to get a job at Barrow Island, Cape Preston or Dampier/ Karratha. Barrow Island would be my preferance as it has great waves and good winds. I know that there is currently an extension to the Gorgon project on Barrow Island and they are recruiting for heaps of positions(see Saturdays West Australian employment section).
There are other mines in the southwest like Ravensthorpe near Esperance Boddington and Collie but none of these are that close to the water.
My advise is to get a job on the North West mines as the money is better and alot of the rosters are changing to 8 days on 6 days off. Most of the time when you are on site there will be no way you can go kiting so the 8&6 roster becomes very attractive. You need to keep in mind that most shifts on site are 12 hours long and you wont want to kite after a shift like that (depends on what type of work you do).I know not kiting for 8 days in order to have 6 days straight of it is appealing to some. If you like send me a PM as I work for a recruitment company that is 100% mine site related and maybe able to help you out.

I go down to hopetoun every year, and have done since i was a little kid. Hopie is is the main town for the ravensthorpe nickel mine, only about 30km away i think.

Last december was my first time kiting there, but its a decent little spot. Plenty of protected flat water away from swimmers only walking distance from the pub.

Also, Hopetoun wind is essentially the same as esperance wind.

Now called Pasminco Century mine.

chase the $$$ and the good roster and not worry about where the job is.

Youll have NO time to kite while working a 12 hour shift. that is 6am to 6pm or 6pm to 6am or something similer at work, you need to get food from the mess hall during mess hours etc so there is no chance of fitting in a kite session really. maybe youll squeeze in an hour one night in your roster.

If you have a good roster though, youll get something like 8:6 or 2:1 and fly in on the morning of the first day (not the evening before) and fly out the afternoon of your last day. this leaves you about 40% of summer to kite and no work commitments during that time. I kited heaps more doing a 2:1 roster than i do now living in Brisbane and working 9 to 5, 5 days a week.

"Port Hedland, not a great place but has super smooth flat water kiting on winds from east to west through north. Sufficient wind most months of the year."

Jay, have you actually kited PH? I've thought about it, but I've heard from fishermen that there is a million sharkies around there... Bull sharks I think.

20knts + glass vs nasties.... I'd like to see the statistics first, if they are around the same as getting run over crossing the road then I might give it a go myself...

dampier is the same deal with the wild life, but they are VERY well fed, never heard of an attack. wind has been very conspicuos by its absence the last two weeks..