Well, here we go, like I said in another earlier post, the writing is on the wall if you cared to look. Seems you no longer need to look at the wall, it's on the news.
www.perthnow.com.au/
Nice work and thanks to the few who don't give a toss about our beach access. This has the potential, to create a ripple effect around the country.
Good time for a complete crackdown and maybe a license ???????
It's definately that reckless young Dan Anderson, snapped in the middle of irresposibility 
Good winds,
""In WA in 1993, a 47-year-old kite surfer died after hitting power lines in Rockingham. ""
Really? In 1993? So kitesurfing started in WA! Mystery solved.
I hate sensationalistic news media.
They talked about a handful of events over the last 15 yrs or so - but how about a realistic comparison or two ?
How many kids drown in pools every year? How many people get hurt/killed in cars every year? How many pedestrians or bike riders are injured or killed on footpaths and roads every year? Yet we dont ban pools in the backyard, riding on the roads or driving now do we?
This is just BS media. The people that write this crap and make these decisions (baning or designating areas) are generally ill informed and have no idea about the sport. That beanhead who wrote a response to the article at the bottom of the web page is a classic - "ropes under tension" ?? Comparing kiting to machinery on beaches ? What a knob.
Hopefully this will blow over as it should.
User - I think you may need to address the lithium deficiency in yourself champ.
No where did I state that anyone who has criticism is a knob or beanhead. No where did the bloke who wrote a response say there was any "idiots waving kitelines all over the beach,nearly decapitating young chidren" either. What he did do is say:
"what if it was machinery with ropes cutting across the beaches under tension, would be a safety issue and shut down."
I do not think that this is a fair comparison to kiting, hence the point I was trying to make about people being ill informed and having no idea of the sport. I apologise if you took offence to the two emotive words I used to express my frustrations here - perhaps I could have used a better choice of words or even not used them at all 
- but Im surprised you all of a sudden imply that Im part of a minority of arrogant riders for doing nothing other than expressing my frustrations at all this hooha getting around the media about kiting.
I think youve got a little carried away with what I wrote by trying to perhaps read between the lines a little too much.
Perhaps you should become a journo - cause according to you those ropes under tension can take your head off almost I think the writer meant that lines under tension breaking is the cause for danger - but he didnt specifically say.
Either way - settle down mate. Were all on the same team here 
OK. We are on the same team here.
Well,I think the "team" needs to address the risks of bans ect. in a diplomatic,intelligent way.
Calling members of the public "beanheads" and Knobs" because they are unimformed on the parts of a kite or the real dangers is asking for trouble.
The "knob" may just be a councillor or such.
The only beanheads and knobs are the kiters that act irresponsibly on the beach,causing problems.
Coming from a windsurfer (me):
I don't think kiting is too dangerous, but i reckon anyone on a boat type craft (boat, jetski, sailboard, kiteboard) should have the responsibility to keep outta the way of swimmers etc.
Some basic sailing principles of rights and rules and courtesy on the water need to be instilled to those kiters (and probably some windsurfers too, and definately alot of jetskiers) who don't come from a sailing background and may not know the proper ethos when on the water.
This is assuming alot of windsurfers come from a sailing background, whilst kiting is a newish sport which may attract people from non-sailing backgrounds.
This may spark controversy from those diehard kiters who think windsurfing is this and that, and since i do it, therfore I am this and that. But, whatever gets you on the water, don't spoil it for everyone. A little maturity here boys (and girls).
Unfortunately, there ARE a minority of kiters that don't give a toss about the safety of others or themselves. These guys have only joined our great sport for the pose value, unfortunately you get these d***heads when a sport is considered extreme. All we can really do is tell them to pull their heads in when we see them being stupid and hope for the best I guess.
D
If only words were to cause beach closures to kiters, then I think our society has much bigger problems to be concerned with.
This is a real tough one.
Licencing.
No one questions the need for a licence to paraglide or hang glide,its just obvious that if you stuff up,it will be nasty. You could hit the ground really hard.
Kiting dangers are not so obvious,but you can hit the ground just as hard if not harder. Or a wall,or a post etc. Worse still,an innocent bystander.
One important thing . The original news story is about banning on BUSY METROPOLITAN BEACHES.
This is common sense. In Sydney those bans have been in place for a long time. Bondi,Coogee etc.
At the moment self regulation is what is needed.
It may require puting some areas off limits.
u used to be a kook to waveslave...
imagine if u wanted to get into the sport and some tool was telling u there were already too many people doing it so go find some other sport....
schools should maybe strongly stress to begginers where to kite when learning and where to stay away from, aswell the best suited conditions to kite (not just when theres wind), and also to avoid busy places full of other kiters and water users!
"a learners guide for perth" print out would do...
but remember its not always the starting outers that cause all the serious problems...
When some1 approaches you on the beach and asks whether kiting is fun or not just say it is really boring and that you are only doing it to get massive biceps
Now,
If kitesurfing had been allowed to grow organically,
at it's own cruisey pace....
like surfing had done prior to the 1990's;
then kitesurfing (as we know it) may have had a fighting chance of survival.
But in the same way that the surfing Industry looked to the snowfields for corporate inspiration (taking note of the huge 'benefits' of highly organized ski-schools),
the kite Industry invented IKO and newbie-zoos.
The die was cast.
The point is; this IS sensationalistic media bull****, poorly written, poorly researched alarmist drivel. There is a debate to be had about safety, but I don't see that it's got anything to do with this article. I think it's a good idea to separate the two, which means;
One hand: logical sensible informed debate about safety = good idea
Other hand; always, ALWAYS slag off the authors of alarmist sensationalist bull****. Lazy journalism is just that, and if we aren't vigilant then we all end up reading about how "Human Gorillas Are Having Monster Babies!!!!" etc...
I doubt he would have ever owned copyright to it, it looks familiar. Just wondering if they asked for comment.
Hi Dazza,
for 8 yrs ive been saying that licencing would clean up our act but i take it all back now...every bloody word.
Im fortunate enough to see kiting all over the globe on a regular basis due work and it seems to me that the culprits are almost never locals (with a vested interest in not pissing off local swimmers to keep beloved local spot open). Same applies everywhere it seems.
If you want to see bad expat behaviour..go to a strip club or red lighter in Bangkok or Manila. Get pissed,abusive, trash the joint,piss everyone off then leave....no problemo dude.
Unfortunately, SOME PERCENTAGE of kite tourists see a foreign spot as a red light and push the frienship way beyond what they would consider normal at their local spot.
The Goldy and WA are sitting Ducks.
My point is...
1) the guys responsible may have flown home to wherever and are probably not reading the results of their actions on this forum.
2) How can licencing stop this group from stuffing it up for locals?
2) Serious offenders from this group will kite at banned beaches anyway which will only make it worse for locals.
.
SOUNDS LIKE SURFING DOESNT IT.....LOCAL ONLY SIGNS ETC>>>>.SCARY STUFF
Just my 2c worth....buggered if i know what the answer is.
Well then maybe we should make the licensing have teeth, fine them if they dont have one, they cant use ignorance as an excuse then can they?
If people reckon it wouldnt be enforcable as fines would never be delt or whatever, then neither would a full on ban - it too would have to governed by a fine system.
The simple fact of the matter is that some people do stupid things. If people could be trusted to behave themselves and act responsibly, we wouldn't need speed limits, or blood alcohol limits, or any of the other impositions that the rest of us are forced to endure because of the dkhead component of society who are either too fkng stupid to figure it out for themselves or just plain don't give a sh!t.
In the long term, we're going to wind up with either regulation, or termination. It's as simple as that. The good old 'lowest common denominator' factor will catch up with us and then we'll be just like everything else in this world. Hobbled by morons who simply don't get the message unless they're smacked in the face with it.
