I find it laughable people trying to argue and apply international shipping/sailing laws to kite boarding or windsurfing unless its a race/slalom event in the strictest sense.
We are not 80 million ton coal loaders both kite boarders and windsurfers have a high level of manoeuvrability.
It simply comes down to making your intentions clear no matter what direction you are going or what side you decide to pass an oncoming rider or if you are following and overtaking. The only sensible exception here is if its a tactical manoeuvre in a competition scenario.
Those who follow the international shipping rules at your local riding spot regardless if they W/S or K/B scare me more, its a bit like crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing and not looking and assuming that car saw you and is going to stop.
Unfortunately you need to anticipate the worst case scenario if you want to keep yourself safe and others and that is simply being aware.
^^^ that's like saying 'let's all drive in the middle of the road and when another car is coming we'll just work it out somehow'. i agree you need to use common sense & watch what others riders do, but there needs to be a set of rules to start from
Just appear to be dangerous, then others avoid you!
Problem solved, then you have all the room you want! 
So the international sailing rules should only apply to fat pricks or kiters/sailors on slow unmaneuverable kites/sailboards unless of course your racing.
That makes sense...............NOT
So in a wave sailing situation these rules tend to become obsolete from my experience, most guys approaching a wave regardless of what tack you are on wont give ground if it means missing the wave -
and IMO so they shouldn't if your leaving the beach with a guy coming in on a wave he has lined up for the last 300 mtrs and according to International laws you have the right of way, this is a crock - Ive seen this and heard this argument before on this forum. Guy leaving the beach has right of way with little consideration for the guy on a wave but according to international sailing laws he has the right of way. Common sense in my book.
Flat water maybe another story? seems two individuals who manage to collide regardless of what they are riding both haven't made a good decision or their intentions early enough to avoid this.
Stamp I'm not at all saying to 'let's all drive in the middle of the road and when another car is coming we'll just work it out somehow'
I'm saying don't assume all W/surfers or K/boarders know the "International laws" many people come into both of these sports with little or no sailing experience at all, half probably don't even know the exist
Those who follow the international shipping rules at your local riding spot regardless if they W/S or K/B scare me more, its a bit like crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing and not looking and assuming that car saw you and is going to stop. I mean they are heading for trouble assuming that everybody on the water knows the rules as well as they might
I think The Rules are a great groundwork but shouldn't replace common sense. Unfortunately, nobody here applies either... gets a bit hair-raising at times...
... but the problem is I'm kinda used to it. Now when I go to civilized spots, I worry that I might be the asshole 
Since nobody owns the ocean it helps to know what rules the other water users are working to.
If you are on starboard tack heading on a collision course with eg. a windsurfer on port tack you have right of way, so normally he should bear off or gybe.
If there is another windsurfer or a kiter downwind of him and just behind him, they also have right of way over him so he has to avoid them.
The windsurfer has to make a decision over which rule to break and probably the safest is to bear off downwind.
The 'avoid an accident' rule was probably the way they did it before they made up the rules. Too many people avoiding the accident by both turning upwind or downwind (50% chance of an accident?) - they reckoned they could do better with a set of rules.
I agree that common sense should prevail and that in the waves there is a different set of rules where by the water user on the wave has right of way.
If I'm about to leave the beach and there is someone coming in i'll wait for them to make the turn and head back out but in crowded situations you can be waiting there along time and if you've just spent the day frothing over getting on the water, given your boss the bird and broken the speed of sound to get to the beach then set up, launched and landed a few kites and finally got into position to get on the water it can be hard to be patient.
At the end of the day it's a big ocean and we all have a right to share it. Keep an eye out for your fellow water users give them some space and the bird if they piss you off too much and enjoy it. 
Select to expand quoteWeta said..
I agree that common sense should prevail and that in the waves there is a different set of rules where by the water user on the wave has right of way.
What if other people are out there using those waves as ramps to do tricks??? Then who has right of way? 
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