Just finished my last lesson and went out for a quick blast b4 my next lesson and thought I caught sight of the guy I had rescued from the bush the other day, advising him that lessons are the best way( MATE!). Saw what looked like someone lying on the beach sunbathing next to their kite, but the other instructor, who just happened to be sitting on the pond side of the point seemed to be running with a lot of urgency. On closer inspection I saw that guy covered in sand and not moving. I raced back to where our gear was and called for an ambulance.
I would really love for a lot of those people who treat this sport with such arrogance, and get their mates out teaching them or try to do it themselves to see the stuff I've seen. It's when the shock sets in and the person realizes that the human body doesn't take too well to being flung into any hard object. That's the part that would make them think twice about it. It pisses me off that I'm still seeing this stuff going on at applecross, safety bay and other places. Work it out. The new kites are even more powerful than before so get lessons or you may end up in the back of an ambulance.
Ps: If anyone knows that guy, tell him his kite and gear is with WA Surf at the safety bay yacht club.
He wasn't riding a Flexifoil by any chance was he. In the last few weeks I've seen some really scary scenarios at Pelican Point by people who have no idea what they are doing. Whether it's launching the wrong way on the grass or getting dragged through the trees, it's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously busted up.
We've been and talked to people we've seen doing the wrong thing and they admit to just buying their gear and trying to learn without a clue. Luckily some peoople are open to taking advice.
Not that Australia needs more regulating but some people need to be protected against themselves.
isnt that the usual at pelli point?
one reason why i stopped going there.
over new years we were at a central west spot where 4 deckies had bought kites and decided to start kiting. they surf and a bit of windsurf, how hard can it be.
day 1 - saw a guy in 25-30 knots trying to body drag get unhooked, do a wicked s bend without the board as the kite wend into a big powered loop towards the moored cray boat before he let go to the 5th line.
day2 - first my mate saw a guy trying to launch but it didnt wanna go up, later to reveal the front lines were on the back and visa versa. oops he said, i couldnt remember, knew it was one way or the other. (again this is in about 25 knots)
i then see someone downwind with their kite half pumped and another character directly downwind ready to throw it up for him. so i had to sprint down and then save these 2. his comments were, havent done it in ages, last time i broke my collar bone getting dragged up the sand.
we advised them of maybe a lesson or so but they recon they havent got time to go to perth.
so we stopped helping them or launching them and told em they were on their own.
scary.
I saw exactly the same thing in Hervey Bay some time ago. Couple of guys, rigging up where no-one ever does, which is usually the trademark sign of the noob. After watching for a while, it became apparent that they were about to try to launch with the kite directly downwind, so I raced over and asked them if they needed any help.
Him: "Nah mate, we'll be right."
Me: "Not if you launch your kite like that you won't."
Him: "It's ok, I've done this before."
Me: "You've launched your kite directly downwind before?"
Him: "Sure, it's the only way we could get it to go."
Me: "You can't launch your kite directly downwind. If you do, you'll get hauled up over that rock wall there."
Him: Begins to ignore me and go back to getting his mate to just throw the kite in the air.
Me: "You're going to kill yourself. You know that, don't you?"
Him: Totally ignoring me now.
I just walked away shaking my head. The only thing that saved them was the fact it was very light wind. Even so, when his mate finally managed to successfully let the kite go, the 'pilot' got dragged up the sand until the kite got to the edge of the window. He covered probably half the distance to the rock wall beforehand though.
Clueless knob jockeys.
I heard about this from another concerned local the other day, he never knew the facts but mentioned that there had been an accident.
So being a local at Safety Bay I think it would be best to try and use this post to educate others about the enviroment down there. I'm relativly new to the sport compared to most user's, but know enough about the area to advise some safety considerations.
What I can say is that to often I observe blowins that come down and see the pond and think WOW flat water, that will be cool for learning, theres no chop to have to deal with. WRONG, this area is congested by freestyle kiters and windsurfers. By trying to learn on the east side of the point your putting everyone at risk.
Added this pic to show what I mean, although the ridge is hard to see from the aerial pic. 
The kiter in question here was doing the right thing to a certain extent. He was on the west side of the point, but unfortunately it sounds like he didn't take the extra time to walk out on the sand bar 100m to waist deep water then proceed.
The main dangers with this location are that it's onshore, also the beach has a 50m stretch where there is a 4-6 foot ridge, which would be like hitting a brick wall. For these reasons learners really need to walk their kite out about 100m, that way you can get up go downwind stack it then body drag back to the point and walk out again avoiding the dangers.
So the point is, if your a learner and come to Safety Bay please still go to the west side of the point but walk out 100m. Don't continue trying to get up once you are within 50m of the beach. Drag back to the point and walk out again, don't be lazy it could save your life. Those that know the area will understand what I'm saying.
Oh about the lessons, it's fair enough telling someone to get lessons. But the lesson I recieved was extremely sub standard, from what I've observed the school hasn't improved over a year. I've seen some students come back after the lesson to the grass and not even know how to hold and handle the kite. I wonder if they even get shown how to self rescue after witnessing that, I've never seen it being rhersed once. I think the advice should be GET LESSONS FROM AN IKO affilated school, that way you know that instructor has actually been accredited to a standard. It also gives you the an organisation to contact if your not happy with what you recieved.
this guy wasn't original on the west side of the spit, he was first trying to learn on the east in the ankle deep area at the front, we told him it was safer around the other side. obviously not.
Petition the local council to change the name of Safety Bay to 'Dangerous F*cking Peril on a Stick Bay.
I still can't understand why people would prefer 2 pay $300 for a 1/2hr ambulance ride to a hospital instead of using that cash for a couple of kite lessons?
and the rest for the meat wagon to come get you 300$$ wont even get you in the door moral of the story get lessons
why the F@%# don't learners go ride pengos, less than 5 mins away!!!? It's one of the safest beach to learn on, that you'll find. No matter what the drama, you'll always wash into the horse shoe shaped bay.
Besides the shallow water, learners end up going downwind through the busy pond area, dodging the kiters, and the increasinly pissed off windsurfers, and then have to contend with washing up on the onshore beach in front of large trees, road, power lines, pedestrians.....etc.
If you ask me it's a dumb ass spot to learn, when 500m away it truly is safety bay!
Well lets look at stores or people who sell there gear new or used to any one regardles if the know how it works or not, they should be the ones responsible.
shold come up with a kite licence kinda like filling up scuba tanks no ticket no fill same no ticket no kite or no ticket sorry cant fly here
I heard some news back about the accident through someone my wife works with. It was the husband of someone he knows, so I'm sure it's reliable. He has apparently broken his neck, to what extent he couldn't say. I will try and get some more accurate info on what happened and the extent of the injury.
I don't get it. I went into kiting simply because i love wakeboarding and wanted to change to sumthin that allowed me more freedom, no petrol, no rego, no insurance and you dont need 2 other people to come with you just so you can ride. I'm the first to admit that when I held the bar of a traction kite for the first time I was nervous as hell just from the power of it, that and Im 65kgs and it felt like the kite was set on breaking my ****. I've never once set up without asking other kiters if its going to be safe to do so, never got my gear out in conditions that I knew were to heavy for me and always made sure that I wasnt going to be in the way, if a place packed up I set my gear down (keeping in mind I'm only learning so im getting ready to give the board a crack) The only reason Im still just bodydragging is becasue I want my kite control skills locked so if something does go wrong I can react quickly and safely, and I'm broke and cant afford a board (damn Bills and Christmas).
But my main point is, when I started to look into it I spoke to the boys at Narranbeen's store in Sydney, they were awesome and will always be greatful for the advice they gave. They sat me down and told me how dangerous this was, how all the gear worked and mostly, refused to sell me ANYTHING untill I'd arranged lessons AND had done at least 2 or 3 of them with an IKO instructor, I distinctly remember them having a card they gave you as proof that you did lessons, only then would they sell me equipment. I did my lessons, got my gear then did a few more with the gear I bought. Yet people who know nothing buy gear, then take it out and try use it, and its usually where other kiters mite be learning to so theyre at risk as well.
There needs to be a way to make it safer, these idiots endanger everyone not just themselves, like giving a 5yr old a loaded gun.
no lessons = no gear
lol the diving licence is as much of a joke as a kiting licence would be. If you walk into a dive shop with gear they ask no questions. I've done it for my dad a couple times cus he pays the bills and has better stuff to do than get his tank filled and ive never been asked for it.
I'm guessing balmoral boards?
)
You dont need a license to drive a car. Any idiot can drive, same with flying a kite.
Its not just newbies that have accidents. Bad things do happen. Two years two weeks post accident for me and haven't seen my kites since (and don't want to) I should dig them out and sell them i suppose.
The five years i had were great and now i have moved on. I hope this guy recovers well.
E
Must've been a bad accident for an experienced kiter not to jump back on the horse mate. Couple of spoonfuls of concrete maybe? Hehe, Just joking mate. In all seriousness what happened?
OK guy's after talking with some people today, it appears this guy has been through a tough time lately and was just looking for something different.
His history in regards to lessons are not certain. He had only just acquired his own gear before the accident. He has no recollection of the incident and woke up in hospital.
BTW IQ has nothing to do with people making a decisions to take up kiting, It's only once you are into kiting you realise how important safety is. If you haven't had the chance to come on seabreeze and read about the emphasis on safety, or go down the beach and ask questions, there really is nowhere to find out that you can actually kill yourself if untrained. I've witnessed untrained people up north, it's very scary. They don't even know computers exist, let alone kite surfing instructors. Watch this space, as there will be an accident from that region soon
I don't think the comparison of driving a car or diving are good. Both activities have been around for many many years, with many deaths to learn from and adjust regulations to continue the activities. BTW I drive and I'm a qualified SSI diver. I do think that kiting in the future will and needs at least a competency ticket, as numbers grow we will have to self regulate. It maybe 10 years away, but it will happen.
Guy's don't get personal please, I'll get some accurate info early next week.
