Hi all!
Just to let you know that a beach user group has been set up for kiters who do the downwind runs past City Beach to Scarborough or Trigg, or who just kite in the area! 
If you enjoy using the coastline in the above area, or care about access, or would like to meet other local kiters, please send us a PM so that you're officially (and socially) included.
We now have a dedicated email address and this Seabreeze ID (similar to Leighton Kiters).
We have the full backing of WAKSA as a beach user group and will be updating you on events and developments!
Last season (2008-2009) some discussions and open meetings were held by a number of kiters from the Scarborough area and the following guidelines were drafted to ensure continued access and safety for all beach users. Feel free to comment! 
NB: WAKSA has supported producing information leaflets containing the following. More on this later.
Guidelines for Kitesurfing at Scarborough
Be aware that Brighton Beach is an advanced location. It has strong currents, rips and dumping surf.
1. Stay away from surf lifesaving flags; keep at least 50m upwind and downwind and stay at least 200m out to sea.
2. Stay away from the surf club area when Lifesavers are training, and on busy days when swimmers spill out from between the flags.
3. Don’t launch and land on the grassed area, and don’t walk up or down the path with your kite in the air.
Note: Anyone doing downwinders from City Beach to Scarborough must not kite between the groynes at City Beach, and must stay out of the surf club area at Floreat (marked by white buoys) if the flags are up.
Hello good luck with your efforts I support your pro-active stance there are some pretty interesting things going on at times particularly in the brighton area
One point I think that needs clarifying
1. Stay away from surf lifesaving flags; keep at least 50m upwind and downwind and stay at least 200m out to sea.
The point stay at least 200m out to see, I assume refers to travelling downwind past flagged areas?
One point worth considering - if your passing through the brighton area common sense says you dont cut straight through the middle of all the people already kiting in one particular area but observe the fact that people are doing tacks and incoming on a wave/swell ready to start ridinng a wave?
My 2 c good luck
What about Rule 4. "any one attempting to ride a right hander (on a SW wind) shall give way to a rider going left. Opposite applies on NW wind"
Brilliant stuff.....looks like there are now local user groups at Melville, Rocko, Leighton and Scabs......Metro getting covered pretty well!
With WAKSA support for incidentals like printing brochures, then we as locals are on the way of getting the info. about our spots out. As far as I am concerned, the Touros, Blow Ins, what have you, all really want to do the right thing. Dick heads are the minority who will be less and less inclined to screw up when they know the locals are united on what is the agreed upon protocol. However, it really is up to the locals then to set the right example and crap on people doing the wrong thing.
I've always believed that it is the locals who will eventually do what is required to protect their spot. However, we must not forget that if WAKSA is to support these groups then the locals should be WAKSA members also. I have thought that if AKSA funds are pooled to get a good insurance deal then the surplus should go back to supporting local user groups, esp. if they have good WAKSA representation.
And let us make it a habit here to always help each other out when launching and landing, esp. in the Metro area. In a way kiting IS a team sport esp. if we want a friendly safe environment to kite in. Perth is our kiting Mecca and it is great to see the enthusiasm from lots of new people to keep our spots open and safe.
Coolo
when im sitting in the pit goin right i wont be trying to avoid contact with some goofy just cause he thinks he has right of way, you can bash that up yer ass!!
It sounds like a good idea to have a representative of each local group in WAKSA meetings. It makes the stand of the local groups quite firm in case of any negotiation with the councils.....
Everyone! This is great! We now number 13 overnight. Keep those PM's coming!!!
Yes, it is 200m out to sea in around the flags, to avoid swimmers, have a safe buffer zone, etc. This rule applies to all water craft and is nothing new, just publicising it better.
NB: A bit more history on the guidelines - at the meeting and after, which some of you were there for - it was agreed that we have a pared down basic version.
Comments noted about surf rules / wave right-of-way / courtesy amongst downwinding kiters vs out-and-back kiters. I think we can develop these but 'the basic guidelines should remain clear and simple' was the consensus at the meetings. OK?
PM us if you would like minutes / discussion details please, or just to find out more about us.
and to the arogant who think they are cool riding the shore line through families swiming at floreat surfclub when there are no flags up, flags or not give the kids room. the last pair of knobs i saw go through there i am 90% sure they are locals. if i see again i will chase you down and abuse then name and shame on here.
i'm all for some guidelines, sounds great, just a question about in between the groines at city beach, sometimes there are a lot of swimmers/ beachgoers/surfers in the area just north of the northern rockwall (this is quite a small area), therefore my mates and i launch just south (in between the groines) of the northern rockwall where there are no people. should we consider not launching from here in the future?
. Then enter the water clear of other users, to the north of the groyne.
Noice.
Get on board and help keep the peace/access for your area.
Also - obviously it's pizz easy to make smart @rsed jam up ya freckle comments regarding the above guidelines. But they are simply that guidelines.
Lets face it Wave Heros there is rarely anything in the Perf Metro that resembles an actual wave, with a coherent section, so it get ya hand off the love stick and use a bit o' common sense and courtesy ay Closeout Kings. 
Getting groups like Leighton, Mullaz and now Scarbs along the coast can only be a good thing and a big step forward for all users for sure.
Tops.
Well done people! We now number 24 after a day and a half!!!
For those who've PM'd, welcome note and details to follow shortly - wasn't expecting such a quick response.
KEEP EM COMIN'!
Good wind, waves and new moves!
We're 29 now!
C'mon... can we get to 30?
Would anyone object to amending the guidelines (see original post) to include 'swimmers and other people*' in the 50m 'stay away zone'? Not just saying 50m from the SLSC flags?
*There are a whole list of other safe kiting guidelines which we can point to on the WAKSA site but there seems to be several mentions by kiters in the area witnessing kiters going too close to swimmers and kids on the beach - so perhaps a specific mention is needed.
Possibly also a note to be courteous to other fishos / surfers / windsurfers / other kiters to avoid collisions and disrupting their enjoyment? What do you think?
Darwinism perhaps.. I wouldn't be game. But then again a swimmer takes up approx 1-2 metre radius of space wheras a kiter (showing decent safety by stayin the distance of the lines) 25-50m radius.
So who is hogging the space then?
Kiters freak right out at the mere thought of being excluded from a few beaches but then expect swimmers to only enter the water in a handful of spots spanning mere metres on a long stretch of coast? Er.. How's that again? The traffic should be enough to deter most swimmers but most people in this world go through life with blinkers on really.
In a more serious answer to your Q? Gracey I reckon (as I have said many times) we should all be landing 50m south of the walkway instead of (conveniently for smoov pack up and exit) at the walkway.
Why do we land there? Convenience/lazyness.
Why does the distant relative of Charly Darwin swim there? Convenience/lazyness.
We are all lookin for the same thing; a quick easy get in and out for our fav pastime.
Diff is we are the hazard not our Darwinian friend.
Showing consideration and voluntarily moving our land spot 50m south would be a great step in fostering relations in the area I reckon. Most likely it would result in less freak-out moments that may end in a complaint from Joe Public.
A swimmer heading out into deep water in heavy kite traffic is obviously a bit diff but the Octan Uber nob takes some beating for tool o' the decade.
Get Funky, I think its quite good of you to make sure you keep a good distance from any swimmer that comes across your path, or beach user that happens to be around.
Im sure your aware that 50m south of the path is in fact quite narrow and barely enough room to launch.
I would suggest a better idea might be to make it clear to punters that this a kitesurfing area. This is why plenty of those swimmers come to that spot, to watch.
As long as the clubbies are kept happy and kiters use common sense, there shouldnt be a drama. We have just as much right to use the area as anyone else.
Has anyone asked what the lifesavers would like us to do? The guys I have spoken to on the beach all seem cool as long as the flags are given a wide berth.
Same deal with the Floreat Groyne. Im sure no one tries to surf or kite off the City groyne,( the one that gets good banks.) Its a no go area for swimming only. Again in conjunction with the clubbies there, we should ask what can be done to make this safer for everyone. ie, try to discourage swimmers from going there. Its the one place we are allowed, we shouldnt roll over and give it up. If you talk to old school surfers, they fought for years to make it clear that this is a surf spot, not a swimming spot.
Sure everyone needs to get along and it shouldnt be so hard. The less regulation the better.
no red, most surfers / kiters dont have a problem riding forehand or backhand including myself, i was replying to his home made rule, rocket, have you got an issue with gay dolphins?
(Grey hair)
