Wonder what the tally is: Kiters killing swimmers VS Kiters saving swimmers... ?
If we've got a + on saving swimmers, then maybe could use that to reverse / prevent bans! 
SEND IN YOUR STORIES NOW! (No duplicates please, and we'll count them up at the end)
In the 11 years that there have been large kites on our beaches and in the water there have been no incidents that involve the public bystanders where they have been hurt (maybe frigtened by the loud boom of a kite crashing hard )
in the last few weeks 4 lives have been saved where the situation was critical and no other help was at hand so there are 4 people who are not dead and 2 small girls were pulled out by a kiter but others were around and the situation was not as critical.
We continue to be told that we are reckless and to stay away from more places .
i have heard rumours that a child was killed o/s by a kite hitting them at a beach but cannot confirm, and i have seen bystanders hit by kites and one had skin taken off their arm.
I sounds like kiters are saving heaps of people but I would have to add that I think there are plenty of people on beaches getting hit by kites... just the other day down Cotton Tree some guy lost control of his kite and it dragged him down the beach straight into a family, luckily it hit the father and he just dropped on it like a rugby tackle til I got a chance to get over there and secure it properly.
Saying that, I have also noticed that the average beach goer has NO idea of the power in kites and I often see whole family's walking toward a kite just being launched to get a better view of it and ask questions or want to touch the kite. Because of this there is no genuine attempt by beach goers to get out the way when something goes wrong!
according to the young, irate and apparently intellectually deficient surf lifesaver at broulee, kites are responsible for hundreds of beachside maimings each year, most notably the amputation of arms/ears/noses from our "razor sharp" lines.
What a tool.
Can't wait until winter when these wannabe heroes go back to playing footy.
Yeh, I gotta agree with orb74 here. As much as I do try my best to respect the fact that the beach is for everyone and wait for a lull in the number of people walking by so that I can launch/land etc, I seem to find that there are some people who really have no idea and stroll right up to my kite, lines and worst of all about 1 meter downwind of me, meaning I have to raise the kite all the way up to avoid my lines coming near them... just one more meter... one more!
The most idiotic was a runner deciding he'd just duck and hop under/over my powered up lines when my kite was upside down on the beach coz I was self - launching and about to roll it over to launch, little did he know that he was facing the world's most painful wedgie if a strong gust came along 
. Obviously as he was a runner and I didnt realise that at first, he got to my launching spot b4 I had estimated he would... but yeh, even when I didn't kitesurf I would have been far more cautious than that, he also had an ipod stuck in his ears, so he couldn't even here me shouting "NOT THROUGH THE LINES!".
One of the reasons there have been no incidents here is that local riders understand and respect the rights of other beach users.Beach users do not have a clue about the power of kites or the danger of lines .It is our responsibility to make sure that we do not assume that they have any idea ,nor should we get frustrated by a family walking up and gawking just as your about to launch or land
If bystanders are actually getting injured or putting themselves at risk of injury, maybe AKSA could try to get one of those dodgy community announcement commercials on T.V. educating the general public about kite safety and awareness when on kite friendly beaches, and maybe also include some tips for kiters about not setting up across pathways or staying well upwind of sunbathers and swimmers.
We've all seen the dodgy TV commercials with the old "together... lets keep the beach safe
" kind of message. (And i can only imagine how hilariously daggy a kitesurfing one would be)
The responsibility will always lie with the kite pilot, but a bit of public awareness might go along way........
Of course it may backfire by scaring the public and getting us banned from more beaches and get us regulated.
I have saved a few pole surfers with broken bits and pieces in large waves.
They are people too.
The problem is nobody is ever going to make a big stink when a kiter save somebody by dragging them back to shore. Kiters pull people out of the water all the time; weather it be fellow kiters, pole dancers, surfers or swimmers, but good things never hit the news.
BUT, if some bystander is smashed by an out of control kite you can bet it will be all over the news and everybody will know about it.
Good point. Bad news sells.
I have seen heaps of kiters helping out other kiters, windsurfers and in 1 case a canoe. However i have also seen lots of nuftys causing destruction with there kites. Particulary those who think they can figure out how to do the sport on there first day in 25 knots. grrr.
The biggest problem IMHO .... at the end of the day "**** happens"
4wd's will reverse over kids
Drunks will drive cars
Planes will crash
and kites will meet up with ppl
Do your best to call ****ers ****ers and help us all ...
Happy Days
At present some dedicated kiter's have been,for some time now,on the Sunnycoast been developing a strategy to address the similar problems that all Kiteing locations appear to be experiencing around Oz.We MUST as a collective body exercise a responsible attitude (in the true text of the word 'response')to all that is happening,more negative than positive it seems,ie the cranky lifeguard that implies kiteing should be bannished from the waterway's,the family that had there own kitemare experience cause they didn't know any better,the enviromentalist who say kiter's are frightening the sea birds,doesn't do any good for kiteing at all.This is why some very concerned members of the kiteing world are doing there best to develop a 'code of practice' to maintain a heathy relationship with all that are observing this new and 'extreme' sport,Noosa Hds has been under the spotlight for some time and the outcome of the 'monitoring' by the power's that be will influence Council and Maritime by laws in the near future for all of us.We can only do our best,just hope its enough to maintain our freedom of movement in this contemporary sport that is growing in popularity at a rapid rate...Roo
Select to expand quoteOf course it may backfire by scaring the public and getting us banned from more beaches and get us regulated.
Too right which is why the responsibility is ours to make sure that we don't inconvenience or hurt the public
