Just reading the news from back home and found out another kitesurfer lost his life in Canada on Saturday 11:30 AM local time which is just about 16 hours ago. This would be the 3rd one this year and the second one in Quebec...
Can't find any links for English news sources so far. But here is translation from a couple of sources:
ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/626971/accident-kitesurf-st-henri-de-taillonhttp://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/faitsdivers/archives/2013/08/20130810-142655.html
The accident happened at the Lac Saint-Jean, south central Quebec. A popular location for kitesurfing in Quebec. Winds were not very strong on that day (from the windmeter stats) but it seems gust of winds picked up to about 26 knots when the accident happened.
The man was in his 50's and apparently had a few years of experience. He apparently lost control and fell off his board. Strong winds and heavy waves are thought to have played a role in this tragedy. A few other kiters helped him back to shore and tried to revive him but was declared dead at the hospital a few hour later. A witness said the man had become tangled in his lines and was wearing a life vest.
From my personal kitesurfing experience in Quebec, the winds are mostly light for most days in most areas, but I found out that the gusts can come unexpectedly sometimes as much as 2 or 2.5 times the average wind speed. Since most days are light I found out a lot of kiters (like myself when I lived there) were rigging big (14-17m kites). I can be wrong but I'm just guessing that for the last few accidents in Canada it's likely that those man who lost their life were severely overpowered.
Even though we don't know a lot about the details of these last 3 deaths, it's a reminder to all of us that safety should always be paramount in the practice of our sport. A few things that come to mind:
-Make sure you are thoroughly taught how to self-rescue, this means during your lessons you can do it alone in deep waters without assistance. If this is not the case, make sure you practice those techniques before you get yourself in a serious situation.
-Learn to read the weather and the wind speed, if the sky looks dark it's likely to be bad news and bringing some strong gusty winds.
-Avoid rigging a kite that is too big for the weather conditions
-Get familiar with the safety system your kite uses: activate the release and retrieve your kite safely.
-Never hesitate to activate your quick release systems.
-Wear a line cutter on your harness, some harnesses come equipped with them but you can always buy one in most kite shops. This thing could potentially save your life (or save the life of others) if you were to become tangled with lines around your body or neck with a kite powering.
-Don't go out in conditions that are above your skill level
Stay safe,
Christian
tks for the info christian but I think you were looking at the wrong wind meter, it was nuking from 10am to 1pm
Very sad story! My Condolences to the family!
...so what is going on with you, fellow kiters?
There were hundreds of condolences in previous posts about fatal accidents but nothing here????
Is the water to cold to show some emotions?
CS
Condolences to the family. So sad that something can bring such joy can bring such sorrow.
