Anyone have any information about this incident? Apparently it has been reported on ABC Radio.
o oh, don't need any bad publicity for kiters in Byron. Hope everyone is ok. i've heard nothing. In the mean time anyone interested in kiting Byron, please be extremely careful and sensitive to the situation. Here is a link to Kite surfer designed rules and regulations written for the Byron area to minimise the chance of 'incidents'. As a beach user group kiters generally do a good job of keeping things safe, however its essential that we really stay on top of safety stuff and inform new kiters we see in the area of our safe practices as our beaches get more crowded and more hectic. Hope no one was hurt. http://www.nswkba.com.au/locations/north
According to letters published in the local paper it went something like this......
""a 9 year old boy was almost decapitated by kite lines - the 500kg breaking strain cables came close to severing his head......"" .
Not having been there at the time .... it would seem like they were a bit sensationalised .... and if the boy was swimming again a week later as reported, it would seem like the injury sustained was minor?
Check the 'Echo' letter pages which you could probably find online from a few weeks ago. The first week was sent by a local woman who has been very unsupportive for kiting in the bay for years.
The next week was a well written response from the kiter who caused the accident, and one from the boys father which was also quite negative towards kiting.
The main thing is for people to stick to the published guidelines and for beginners and people giving lessons to stay away from Main Beach!!
The guide is well designed, professional and clear .Perhaps just having it published is not enough .Sounds like Clarke's is a very sensitive area .Maybe this sign erected on the walkdowns to the beach (shows travelling kiters other spots in the area ) might be a good idea .I would assume that that would be preferable to a NO KITESURFING sign as you walk down
if anyone has info on this please email me at mark@nswkba.com.au or info@nswkba.com.au.
Please keep hearsay on the forums to a minimum.
thanks
Mark
What I want to know is,
how do you find time to go kiteing in Byron with all the hot,half naked back packer chicks cruising through the town 24/7.
