So after the downinder at South Trigg last night a big burly dude squared up to me and announced "me and my crew were dangerous"...
I'd never seen him before, and it was just my mate & I anyways, so i asked him to explain and he stated a kiter clipped his mate whilst buzzing their take off section in the lineup. Why he was trying to surf in 25 knots i'll never know, but i thought i'd just mention it out of courtesy to our fellow watermen & women. Can we please not treat the surfers like ramps (or speed bumps ) ? Its getting busy down there but there is plenty of space if we ride either side of the surfing spot.
Ive been doing a few lately as well.
Most of the crew are pretty switched on but there are a proportion who it seems dont give a ****. short tacking coming in close blocking people heading out storming straight through crowds etc etc.
If you're on the inside its pretty easy to end up on the beach or be forced to zig zag through the surfers/swimmers because there are no other options.
I guess kiters need to be a bit more considerate. But hey we've been saying this for about 15 years now.
Select to expand quotebjw said..
But.. they make such good kickers
I wonder why kiter's get a bad wrap
Select to expand quotejamesperth said..
So after the downinder at South Trigg last night a big burly dude squared up to me and announced "me and my crew were dangerous"...
I'd never seen him before, and it was just my mate & I anyways, so i asked him to explain and he stated a kiter clipped his mate whilst buzzing their take off section in the lineup. Why he was trying to surf in 25 knots i'll never know, but i thought i'd just mention it out of courtesy to our fellow watermen & women. Can we please not treat the surfers like ramps (or speed bumps ) ? Its getting busy down there but there is plenty of space if we ride either side of the surfing spot.
James well said
I have kite surfed for 16 years mostly in WA (back on the goldie now)but have surfed for 45 years , have respect for all the water users and some of you so called kite surfers that think they can surf think have the right to mow the lawn on surf breaks , learn the rules and what surf edicate is or go and play in the flat water areas, if you dont you deserved to get thumped when you get to the beach
Select to expand quotebearbusa said..jamesperth said..
So after the downinder at South Trigg last night a big burly dude squared up to me and announced "me and my crew were dangerous"...
I'd never seen him before, and it was just my mate & I anyways, so i asked him to explain and he stated a kiter clipped his mate whilst buzzing their take off section in the lineup. Why he was trying to surf in 25 knots i'll never know, but i thought i'd just mention it out of courtesy to our fellow watermen & women. Can we please not treat the surfers like ramps (or speed bumps ) ? Its getting busy down there but there is plenty of space if we ride either side of the surfing spot.
James well said
I have kite surfed for 16 years mostly in WA (back on the goldie now)but have surfed for 45 years , have respect for all the water users and some of you so called kite surfers that think they can surf think have the right to mow the lawn on surf breaks , learn the rules and what surf edicate is or go and play in the flat water areas, if you dont you deserved to get thumped when you get to the beach
Not much evidence of respect in those words.
i was out mile beach a couple of weeks ago and as the name suggests fair size stretch of water. Waves were avg to poor and small, about 10 sandbars equal qlty. Nice breeze though around 18-20knots so about 5 kitesurfers using 2 of those bars. I didnt know any them but we were all having a bit of fun and plenty of courtousy being shown. The bars we were using were considerable walk from the access point.
So gun surfer decides to walk half a mile past several similar unpopulated equally avg breaks and paddle out in the middle of us! No problem by me I could still ride and avoid him. But apparently he wasnt happy and abused everyone and threatened. Bloody idiot.
when i approached him on the beach to discuss his agro, he was a pussy and couldnt look me in the eye week as piss. I to enjoyed surfing but it doesnt make you tough when you dont have a pack backing you up.
Select to expand quoteRichoa said..bearbusa said..jamesperth said..
So after the downinder at South Trigg last night a big burly dude squared up to me and announced "me and my crew were dangerous"...
I'd never seen him before, and it was just my mate & I anyways, so i asked him to explain and he stated a kiter clipped his mate whilst buzzing their take off section in the lineup. Why he was trying to surf in 25 knots i'll never know, but i thought i'd just mention it out of courtesy to our fellow watermen & women. Can we please not treat the surfers like ramps (or speed bumps ) ? Its getting busy down there but there is plenty of space if we ride either side of the surfing spot.
James well said
I have kite surfed for 16 years mostly in WA (back on the goldie now)but have surfed for 45 years , have respect for all the water users and some of you so called kite surfers that think they can surf think have the right to mow the lawn on surf breaks , learn the rules and what surf edicate is or go and play in the flat water areas, if you dont you deserved to get thumped when you get to the beach
Not much evidence of respect in those words.
i was out mile beach a couple of weeks ago and as the name suggests fair size stretch of water. Waves were avg to poor and small, about 10 sandbars equal qlty. Nice breeze though around 18-20knots so about 5 kitesurfers using 2 of those bars. I didnt know any them but we were all having a bit of fun and plenty of courtousy being shown. The bars we were using were considerable walk from the access point.
So gun surfer decides to walk half a mile past several similar unpopulated equally avg breaks and paddle out in the middle of us! No problem by me I could still ride and avoid him. But apparently he wasnt happy and abused everyone and threatened. Bloody idiot.
when i approached him on the beach to discuss his agro, he was a pussy and couldnt look me in the eye week as piss. I to enjoyed surfing but it doesnt make you tough when you dont have a pack backing you up.
At 61 i have surfed and kited many places , years ago very angry locals at many places around Aus thinking they own the waves and that was surfers vs surfers
Kiting in the surf just adds another mix , times change and most people adapt and embrace it some dont and will never ,
Respect is what it all about from all users, and again learn surf edicate if you want to be respected in the surf
I too hate surfers.
Except when I'm surfing, then I hate SUPs and kiters and windsurfers.
BJW Hopefully all that negative energy will attract a GW then there will be one less hater. 
Select to expand quotebjw said..
I too hate surfers.
Except when I'm surfing, then I hate SUPs and kiters and windsurfers.
But we all hate jetskis! Other than when they are doing tow ins??
Select to expand quoteWeta said..
BJW Hopefully all that negative energy will attract a GW then there will be one less hater.
I love fish. They're a natural part of the environment. They were there before us and will be there after us. I also love chips.
All jokes aside, we are at the bottom detritus trophic level when it comes to water usage rights. Lots of baby boomer surfers with lots of influence in councils / other decision making bodies.
Talk to kitesurfing travellers Over here for the summer, Kiting is increasingly getting banned in places around the world,
personally even if there's a dip sh1t paddling out in 25 knots into unsurfable mush, I try my best to not piss them off. Cause they May have influence and have Kiting banned in that spot....cause councils love that sh1t.
My passive aggressive point was this. We are sick of being told what to do. We all know to stay away from surfers, and most do, but with the growing kitesurfing crowds (encouraged by those who wish to promote the sport), we will naturally get in the way of surfers.
That being said I know a few guys who always end up too close to surfers and the flags and who even after speaking to them they just seem to do it again.
Enjoy the sport with consideration, kite where you want , but sadly douches will be douches bags.
Unfortunately Eppo kiting gets banned in areas for more reasons than just upsetting surfers. Even though kiting gear is getting safer this does not transfer effectively to the end user. It still stuns me that we don't have more fatalities from both kiters and spectators (both willing and unwilling). The dumb sh!t that I frequently see being done by so-called kiters astounds me. Unfortunately for many, common sense is not a strong point and some how stuff happens and no-one fortunately gets injured.
Things recently seen (generally inexperienced kiters, but not always):
- hot launches of kites on grassed areas when the wind is powered
- people standing directly down wind of kites being launched
- kiters landing kites downwind and towards roads
- kite loops right next to the shoreline
- people standing on the grassed areas and just boosting up and down......
Recently we had an incident by a teenage kiter jumping up and down by sending his kite up and down on the zenith on the grassed area in front of the launch and landing spot. Why??? No idea?? At one stage they boosted up on the grass so high that they accidentally looped the kite and started getting dragged to the road. The local kiters got in on the action by not only saving him, but reprimanded the kiter for being dangerous. The response from the onlooking parent was to blast the assisting kiters for having a go at his son. Go figure???
That said, this level of common sense seems to be evident from quite a few and its not until there are some serious injuries, fatalities or damage to property that things will get banned. I am still surprised that the Meliville stretch has not been banned.
We try and police (maintain a level of order) to our area to minimise stuff happening as we don't want this to occur, but sometimes stuff occurs before we get the chance.
Select to expand quoteshi thouse said..
- kite loops right next to the shoreline
But if 50 people didn't see you loop.....did you actually loop?
On a 30 degree Saturday, it's pretty hard to kite away from surfers and swimmers.
Bjw sorry for my GW post that wasn't cool. I wouldn't want to see that happen to anyone. Sorry
No dramas haha nothing said on Seabreeze is ever serious (except that windsurfing is a thing of the past, and all Cabrihnas end their lives in the trees
)
Back to Trigg... some observations:
The best breaks for surfing is usually in the flagged area from where they are actually banned. Anyone knows why the SLSC has to set up the swimming area there? Last year it was much further north.
This pushes most surfers south to where DW warriors land, and where the mayhem is, where most strapless riders chase their boards, and in the process of retrieving them some crash their kites. It is my observation that half of the kiters there should be on TT away from breaks learning to fly their kites...
I think, many of the kiters in the Floreat Trigg DW stretch are frustrated surfers of the past now taking up kiting. This may be one reason why the number of kiters has dramatically increased there, while the average skill level has been decreasing every year (in the past 10 years). I think this is at the core of our problems in Trigg....
The most predictable breaks for surfing is usually just south of the reefy area north of the Club. It is quite dangerous for kiters due to the shallow reef downwind, so kiters are never there... (except myself at times, and then rightfully getting some murderous look from surfers until I get out of there ;-) This would be a much better place for surfers, but I am not sure they all know about it.
It comes from the nature of the two sports that, generally, a kitesurfer spends about a minute on the break and then heads out upwind, while a surfer is practically there all time making it impossible to share the break with a kiter.
Overall, and from a surfer's / swimmer's perspective, we are looking very aggressive even when we are careful. So, I think, it is our duty to look out for them, no matter how bad their choices are, and how ignorant they may be at times. Accidents, injuries caused by kiters are the last thing we want to hear...
Select to expand quoteAndrash said..
Back to Trigg... some observations:
The best breaks for surfing is usually in the flagged area from where they are actually banned. Anyone knows why the SLSC has to set up the swimming area there? Last year it was much further north.
This pushes most surfers south to where DW warriors land, and where the mayhem is, where most strapless riders chase their boards, and in the process of retrieving them some crash their kites. It is my observation that half of the kiters there should be on TT away from breaks learning to fly their kites...
I think, many of the kiters in the Floreat Trigg DW stretch are frustrated surfers of the past now taking up kiting. This may be one reason why the number of kiters has dramatically increased there, while the average skill level has been decreasing every year (in the past 10 years). I think this is at the core of our problems in Trigg....
The most predictable breaks for surfing is usually just south of the reefy area north of the Club. It is quite dangerous for kiters due to the shallow reef downwind, so kiters are never there... (except myself at times, and then rightfully getting some murderous look from surfers until I get out of there ;-) This would be a much better place for surfers, but I am not sure they all know about it.
It comes from the nature of the two sports that, generally, a kitesurfer spends about a minute on the break and then heads out upwind, while a surfer is practically there all time making it impossible to share the break with a kiter.
Overall, and from a surfer's / swimmer's perspective, we are looking very aggressive even when we are careful. So, I think, it is our duty to look out for them, no matter how bad their choices are, and how ignorant they may be at times. Accidents, injuries caused by kiters are the last thing we want to hear...
Well said 
skill levels have certainly gone down ,kites are so easy to get going these days vs the old two lines and c kites where you had to learn to fly the kites otherwise you would get smashed, agree with you about learning to fly the kites well before going strapless even if you are a surfer first
Now that im back living in Qld most of the strapless guys here on the goldie have kite skills and certainly co exist with surfers on main breaks , might be to do with normally bigger swells compared to perth
was that at manning st?
sometimes the only time surfers can get a wave in perth at triggs is when its a seabreeze.
After reading this I see some great advantages where I live. I would call 10 kites in one spot crowded.
You'd be lucky to see a kite on the open coast, and most surfers can't be bothered when it's cross or onshore.
Select to expand quotebearbusa said..Andrash said..
Back to Trigg... some observations:
The best breaks for surfing is usually in the flagged area from where they are actually banned. Anyone knows why the SLSC has to set up the swimming area there? Last year it was much further north.
This pushes most surfers south to where DW warriors land, and where the mayhem is, where most strapless riders chase their boards, and in the process of retrieving them some crash their kites. It is my observation that half of the kiters there should be on TT away from breaks learning to fly their kites...
I think, many of the kiters in the Floreat Trigg DW stretch are frustrated surfers of the past now taking up kiting. This may be one reason why the number of kiters has dramatically increased there, while the average skill level has been decreasing every year (in the past 10 years). I think this is at the core of our problems in Trigg....
The most predictable breaks for surfing is usually just south of the reefy area north of the Club. It is quite dangerous for kiters due to the shallow reef downwind, so kiters are never there... (except myself at times, and then rightfully getting some murderous look from surfers until I get out of there ;-) This would be a much better place for surfers, but I am not sure they all know about it.
It comes from the nature of the two sports that, generally, a kitesurfer spends about a minute on the break and then heads out upwind, while a surfer is practically there all time making it impossible to share the break with a kiter.
Overall, and from a surfer's / swimmer's perspective, we are looking very aggressive even when we are careful. So, I think, it is our duty to look out for them, no matter how bad their choices are, and how ignorant they may be at times. Accidents, injuries caused by kiters are the last thing we want to hear...
Well said skill levels have certainly gone down ,kites are so easy to get going these days vs the old two lines and c kites where you had to learn to fly the kites otherwise you would get smashed, agree with you about learning to fly the kites well before going strapless even if you are a surfer first
Now that im back living in Qld most of the strapless guys here on the goldie have kite skills and certainly co exist with surfers on main breaks , might be to do with normally bigger swells compared to perth
I agree with learning to use the kite well, before going strapless or getting on a board at all... Back when I learned I could only afford a kite at first, was about a month after getting a kite that i could afford a board. Spent just about everyday of that month body dragging, looping the kite, doing figure 8's in the water, body dragging up and down the beach. I probably wouldn't have done it if I had all the gear to start with, but it definitely gave me good kite control, and helped when it came time to get on the board.
I've been kiting Scabs/Trigg area since 2001 ie I'm an old f@ck, and this last year things have definitely gone up a notch in terms of congestion/aggro. In the last 2 weeks I've been screamed at by a surfer I was nowhere near then screamed at by a kiter who thought I was on "his wave". I actually thought he was a lady kiter until he got to Trigg so was semi restrained in the water but he turned out to be a short dude with a high voice
. My point is it's only going to get busier so it really doesn't matter if you're a dingly dangly Aaron Harlow wannabe or a Kitesurfing version of Kelly Slater just give each other room and reign in that ego or things gonna get nasty.
There is no need for agro on the water. If someone drops in on you then laugh and do the same to them. Just have fun. The agro always seems to come from blow ins. That's why people kite. To enjoy the vibe. If someone drops in, just be cool with it.
Ah the first world problems of WA. I just rip to a equally as good if not better surfbreak that the surfers cant reach. I kite there to my hearts content without having to worry about any wanks on a planks.
Select to expand quotebjw said..
No dramas haha nothing said on Seabreeze is ever serious (except that windsurfing is a thing of the past, and all Cabrihnas end their lives in the trees)
And cauncy and eppo are in a three way with plummet
Select to expand quotecat said..I've been kiting Scabs/Trigg area since 2001 ie I'm an old f@ck, and this last year things have definitely gone up a notch in terms of congestion/aggro. In the last 2 weeks I've been screamed at by a surfer I was nowhere near then screamed at by a kiter who thought I was on "his wave". I actually thought he was a lady kiter until he got to Trigg so was semi restrained in the water but he turned out to be a short dude with a high voice. My point is it's only going to get busier so it really doesn't matter if you're a dingly dangly Aaron Harlow wannabe or a Kitesurfing version of Kelly Slater just give each other room and reign in that ego or things gonna get nasty.
WA is congested you say.....
don't know why that would be
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Worst-year-ever-for-wind-in-WA?page=1
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Bring-on-the-hate
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Ridiculous?page=1#14
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/WA-proof-flags
Any surfer out in windy onshore will be highly experienced, so take what they say very seriously indeed.
