PLEASE, use some common sense when it comes to wanna-be kiters.
(LINK TO PREVIOUS POST FROM LAST YEAR)
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Please-dont-teach-your-mates-on-a-crowded-beach/
After witnessing another scenario of profound stupidity at Umina Beach on Tuesday this week, am going to once again remind kiters to think about how dangerous it is when you give your kites to your mates to "have a go".
Let me emphasise here that the primary responsibility here lies with whoever the kiter was who loaned this bloke the kite to play with, who probably had no idea what potential dangers he was in for. As an uninformed newbie, most will have little idea of what they are getting themselves into --as an experienced kiter, you have a responsibility not to loan out your gear to untrained mates to play with. So, whoever the kite owner was (who I couldn't determine at the time) -- you are more responsible for the scenario below than your uneducated mate.
PLEASE, don't loan you kites to untrained beginners and please don't try and teach your mates on crowded, summer beaches.
LOCATION:
www.google.com.au:443/maps?q=umina&hl=en&ll=-33.524045,151.328521&spn=0.001521,0.002736&sll=-33.754374,151.296265&sspn=0.012132,0.021887&vpsrc=6&hq=umina&radius=15000&t=h&z=19
On 27 Dec, was kiting at Umina Beach on the Central Coast of NSW with several others. After about two hours of kiting came in and was speaking with the lifeguards who told me this story:
Terrain and conditions: 40m of beach, on shore wind blowing 20-25 knots. 20m downwind of kiter: 3m high bush scrub, trees, rocks. 30m downwind, beach road, parked cars, traffic and overhead power lines. Within 30 meters were sunbakers, walkers and children playing on the beach.
Down the beach near the river entrance at the above location on Google Maps, a green 12m Cabrinha launched and went almost immediately out of control, dragging the attached person into the bushes. The lifeguards went to provide assistance but assistance refused. They asked him why he hadn't used his safety release when he realised he was in trouble and he replied that it was his mates kite and he didn't want to damage it.
The "kiter" dragged the kite out of the bush, and launched the kite again, repeating the above scenario. The lifeguards again attended and offered assistance. Assistance refused.
The kiter again attempted to relaunch the kite and this time was dragged across some rocks on his back and into the bush once again, with the kite coming to ground only a few metres from the roadway and power lines. He's this time ended up with significant lacerations across his back and arms. The lifeguards attended again, offering assistance and first aid, which was again refused.
When we returned to the beach and were told the story above by the lifeguards, several of us walked down to speak with the "kiter" to discover him jumping up and down with his hands overhead showing off his injuries (his back and arms cut up and dripping with blood) to the other beach-goers.
We asked if he'd had any lessons and if he were aware of the potential dangers of his actions to himself and others which included the nearby children, beach users, traffic and power lines. He responded that he'd just had a lesson as if none of these things had even occurred to him and then looked totally surprised that there could have been any dangers involved beyond his lacerated back and arms. Of course he was wearing no protective gear--vest, helmet, shoes, etc.
After a brief conversation where we suggested that if he wanted to continue he'd be best advised to seek out professional lessons, he finished his cigarette, flicked the butt into the sand and indicated that he'd probably leave it at that.
PLEASE: take note: www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Kitesurfing/Kiting-on-crowded-beaches_4577390.aspx
Rob Smallwood
NSW Kiteboarding Association Committee
It's a tough call my mates have the sh%*t's with me because i wont let them use my kites . I offer to let them use my 2m trainer kite but that's not cool enough for them .
took him 3 times to realise he had to give up. The guy sounds like a d^&%Head to me and its people like that who really draw the attention (and not good attention)
fair enough though good on ya.
Next time knock them out. I think its time to start self policing because there is so many touros being fools and not giving a rats arse. The other thing is if they look like a noob ask them before they launch and ask them if they have had lessons if there asking for a launch. i have refused many people because of no lessons and went happily kiting by myself afterwards!
do you really want ppl with zero regard for others at your local kiting spot? Its a communities responsibility to self police or it will get banned for all.
lines, *snip*
The safest way without touching anyone's gear is to just not launch them. If someone is being a nob and they repeat it then everyone should just leave there kite on the ground and tell them why.
On the high tide this spot can be hard for even experienced kiters to launch and land kites, but I guess you have to be an experienced kiter to know this...
Guy in yesterday in a neck brace and arm sling from taking his mates old Black Tip out for a bit of fun.
Reckons he was unlucky cos - 'he was only going to fly it on the beach till he got the hang of it'. 
.
Luckily for him he is still alive and even luckier that he's not put off forever. At least now wants to take lessons ......... but not for 8 weeks 
Medical bills more than 10 times his lesson cost - on top of medicare rebate.
I was also at Umina kiting, after Christmas. Terrific session. Had been hanging out for months for a kite for months.
Anyway, it was late afternoon and very low tide, and there was a bunch of spectators on the beach adjacent to the exposed sand bar 15m off the beach.
There was an experience kiter jumping in the shallow channel between the beach and the sand bar with his kite literally above the spectators on the beach.... One jump he had the kite momentarily diving towards spectators before recovering it. Seriously, he needed only travel another 30m then jumped to stop any danger.
I really should have said something. I will next time....
BTW: One of my early kiting lessons was when you jump you can land a long way from where you take off from. I learnt this the hard way in my second year of kiting, taking off in waist deep water but screwing up the jump and hitting the sand in about 4 inches of water *really* *really* hard. Nothing broken but very sore.
Anyway, now only jump in deepish water...
Grant
. West Australian SLC are some of the best guys in the world who volunteertheir weekends to help out. It is one of the best social clubs I have ever hung out with. They are friendly, assertive and have no jurisdiction over anything. They need to ring the Dept of marine and harbours if it in the sea, or the local council to get anything to happen. By the time they arrive the kook is gone and ready to cause havoc on another day.
Wow.. Guess they do breed em different out west.. The other day I had one of our boys in red near clip me in his little rubber boat while he was surfing waves with it then turn around and tell me i should be happy that he was out there cos it was big and he would be helping me should things turn bad.....
MMMmmmmmmmmm....
If you want to give em more responsibilities dave then they need more training but i think our volunteer set up wont allow for it....
Meh-Meh...
Its times like these you just want mother nature to take its course, people like that need to be weeded out of the genepool....
Just a note regarding Lifesavers in NSW:
Our experience around Sydney to date has been such that, (with only a very few exceptions that I am aware of) the Lifesavers have been extremely supportive of rational safe kiting and not at all unreasonable with how they have dealt with kiting and kiting behaviours.
In fact, I'm often surprised at how lenient they have been, given some of the irresponsible behaviours that I have witnessed.
NSWKBA committee members have on several occasions met with Lifesaving groups to provide information on how to identify responsible vs irresponsible kiting behaviours; how to safely rescue kiters in trouble and how to quickly seize and depower a kite that has fallen near other beach/water users. They welcomed the proactive support, education and assistance and encouraged us to return at any time with more info for them.
In essence, in Sydney, and as far as I know in the rest of NSW, the lifesavers have been a positive force in keeping kiting safe, allowing kiting to continue on appropriate Sydney beaches and in safely assisting in the rescue of kiters as well as protecting other beach users from unsafe kites.
Rob Smallwood
NSWKBA Committee.
Ironic, I saw the Angry Koala kite kiting in exactly the same spot you mentioned the following day with also the kite over & low to the beach. hmmm!
