Yesterday about 7.00pm I spotted a kite down and staying down near the yellow marker out from North Street Cottesloe.
Being a long way out, getting late and the northern beaches being closed for most of the day.
I rang the water police! Right or Wrong??
I could see a kiter still with the kite...
Once back at my place and with binoculars I could see the kite was drifting alone. Kiter had done the right thing swimming in or had been eaten?
Contacted the Water Police and told them the kite was alone....
About half an hour later 2 x Water Police Boats arrived it was dark and I'd lost sight of the kite.
The ocean north from Leightons is seen by lots of people and most get nervous when kiters / surfers / swimmers seem to be in trouble 700m of the beach.
If you are in that situation alone and near dark it's a good chance someone will have rung the cops.....
Probably worth calling them and letting them know it was you and you're ok.
Or....
Maybe I should have minded my own business, If it was me I'd have been grateful someone gave a damn.
Anyone an opinion on rescue protocol?
I think you did the right thing. Not sure what this guy was up to, but people need to be a bit more sensible and responsible. 7pm and being a long way out is neither of those. If you can't self rescue or be prepared to ditch your kite & swim back then stick to the pond.
Imagine if you did nothing and there was a death. You would regret it for the rest of your days. Professional rescue and health care organisations are trained and used to taking the safest options. If the guy got out ok; so be it and he may think it was an 'over-reaction', but given all your info, you did the right thing. It's kind of like when some one collapses on a busy street and everyone just walks right by. There is no shame in trying to help. 
you gotta go with your gut instincts. If you thought he was in trouble you made the right call.
you did the right thing , there are some stupid people out there who need looking after
Oldman,
done the right thing IMO.
Probably better in the long run....wonder if the kite had owners name & contact details on it??? Always helps them trace owner to ensure they are safe/back home.
Water Police might enjoy (at least) a couple of cartons this time of the year.....
I agree you certainly did the right thing. What saddens me these days is how about half the people we rescue by boat or by kite at our local spot don't seem to care much that they are in a great deal of danger and that people are concerned about their safety. I even had people who refused help as they were swimming against their kites in cross off-shore winds. It surely makes you wonder if it's worth the effort sometimes, especially when people you rescue act like there was nothing wrong with their situation and as a result don't think you deserve anything in return for your efforts...
Have a look on lost and found, Wapol posted about this and having no name written down on the gear they collected made it difficult to obtain info on what happened to the kiter.
I called out police for a search and rescue that was not needed (We found the guy in a hospital a couple of hours later. He had cut his hand badly om some glass or rocks and some people on the beach took him to hospital for surgery.) We had six police cars and two helicopters.
The police were very happy I had called them. They had sufficient light when the search started and were happy there was a good result.
A friend works in the search and rescue helicopter and says they love to be called out. That is their job and what they are trained for.
I did a fairly thorough search before we called the police, looking at all the spots he should have been at given the wind and swell direction and where I last saw him.
I did not contact the local hospitals because I expected to find him on the beach with a gear malfunction. I would have thought that a hospital would ring his family but apparently they whisked him straight into surgery to sew his hand back together.
BTW I have self-rescued a couple of times when the wind has dropped out during a light wind session. It is fun to sail the downed kite back into the beach. You can get a fair amount upwind using a raceboard as a centreboard. The performance is similar to a very small sailing dinghy.
WA Water Police 94428600 will initiate whatever resources are required to assist persons in trouble in the water.
PLEASE HELP YOURSELF AND US - Mark your board and kite with phone numbers and name.
Saves a lot of resources by helping resolving a situation quickly.
Also helps to get your gear back.
Stay Safe
Trewie if I ever need assistance promise me you'll come out in a boat and not on your kite
)
I see it heaps at Leighton... more people taking the easy option of not self rescuing..
Not sure if they dont want to do it, dont know how to do it or just cant be arsed..
If you don't take the initiative to self rescue when the SHTF then you have yourself to blame.
^^^
Something to think about:
I'm not suggesting anything, just a fact of life that someone IS paying for this:)
