^^ isnt that buzz why ur out in the big stuff to start with anyway? Gota accept the inevitable dudes 
Select to expand quotebjw said..TimAus said..
And nearly impossible to swim in once inflated. The thought of wearing a self inflating lifejacket in big surf scares me more than having a long swin and a couple of set waves on the head.
When you get smashed so bad you can't swim, then thats the problem.
A lot of the best surfers and fittest crew have been in this situation.
You think you will die.
Then it's nice to have something to point you towards the surface.
Exactly! A few years ago when I went through my kitemare beat down hold experience I struggled for air with all the water so aerated it was hard to get above the foam to get clean air. Having the backup of an inflatable gives you more lift to out of that zone. We discussed on this forum the pluses and minuses of having a vest, being buoyant and bounced in as opposed to duckdiving in turbulent water. All the big wave riders now use inflatables and it makes sense. Back in the day legendary life guard Darrick Doerner was surfing with a swim fin attached to his back when he surfed the bay. Having a little something extra to get off the bottom is always a good thing. However, above all, your fitness is what ultimately should be your most important asset before heading out into the big and deep. If you do a search Jedi Brad put up a good thread a few years ago about fitness and what it takes to be out in those conditions.
Agree that something to help isn't a bad idea, just don't think those particular self inflating jackets are the go. Serious big wave surfers are still relying on a jetski to come and pluck them out once their vest/wetsuit combo is inflated. End of the day, its up to the individual to assess the conditions and their own fitness and make the call on risk vs reward.
yeah dont think we can compare the big wave guys using vests as they are just bobbing waiting for a ski rescue when they inflate. Completely different scenario to us where our "ski" has become a tangled mess of lines and kite.
Dont like the idea of a leash in big surf but I am thinking this year ill get one that ill attach to the back of the harness for a wipeout and tangled kite scanario. If the board is still nearby i can then attach it to me so that at least ive got that for controllable bouyancy to get back in with. Too often ive had to choose between board or kite in these scenarios and hopefully this will reduce that
Anyone else tried this?
I'm pretty sure you can deflate them again if you need to, and manually inflate them again should you have to.
Tbh I don't think swimming (or duck diving) works if you're out the back bombies in 10+ ft waves. At that stage, if you have lost kite and board I think a little bouyancy goes a long way. Just stay afloat until you either get washed up, or rescued.
You are right rooster. It not really easy to swim under a 10 foot wave. Especially when it's deep water and you are exhausted. Most likely you just get tumbled.
We still wish it happened to you, not Steve though
I'm with TimAus. I wouldn't like to be negotiating a big surf break with one of those big blow up things around my neck. Surf Life Saving did some testing a couple of years ago after some surf carnival drownings. The issue of floating vs duck diving was contentious. Jetski and IRB crew now wear 60 Newton life vests. Personally I am going to keep up my swim fitness and stick with a 50 Newton impact vest.
Select to expand quoteDutchRooster said..
I'm pretty sure you can deflate them again if you need to, and manually inflate them again should you have to.
The only ones I've seen have a c02 cartridge like you have for soda machines or bike tyre inflators. Not sure how many inflates you would get out of one cartridge, but my guess is not many.
I've looked into swapping out my PFD's with inflatables in my boat as they take up less storage space. My conclusion was its not worth it... but a different use case.
Select to expand quoteAUS126 said..
I had an incident at Long Reef that has prompted me to get people thinking about surf rescue in big surf.
I was out with 3 other kiters in a 15 to 25 knot Southerly with 8 foot waves and a lot of water movement. There are a couple of bommies about 800m off shore which break in a big swell. The waves and wind were both moving in a SE direction. I was on a wave which I couldn't get off when it turned to white wash. I overtook my kite and it fell out of the sky. The kite got a pounding, I couldn't relaunch it and the next set was going to wash me into the lines so I ejected and swam south and out of the break zone. My strapless board with no leash was well gone. I started the long swim in but after copping a few scary waves I realised the surf was too big to swim in. There was a rip running straight out from beach so I swam towards this flatter section an floated back out to sea. The only way I was going to get in was by helicopter or kiter.
I let the first kiter go because he wanted to save my gear. The second kiter couldn't get to me. The third one got to me, we had a chat, he dumped his board and body dragged me back in. Thanks Francois.
LESSONS LEARNT
Think about your exit plan if things go wrong.
Look after the person in the water first. Don't worry about gear. It's easily replaced.
Don't hesitate in dumping board to body drag someone in.
Be very careful when wind and waves are going in the same direction. It is very hard to escape whitewash.
I had an impact vest on. It was very difficult to duck dive under big waves. But I was still glad I had it.
A leg rope can be a good idea in big surf.
Be sensible and don't push your luck.
Look out for each other.
Steve
Same thing happened to me on the Goldie in a solid south swell hitting chop on the face of a wave and falling forwards through the lines.
Board gone and kite gone except when I tried to swim in I kept getting dragged back to the impact zone (outer bank) as each wave broke on me. Couldn't get out of the cycle.
The only way out of the cycle was to swim under the next set wave and out the back to green water. Then I was getting swept North at a fast rate towards the seaway and after that South Straddie where the waves would be 3X as big. Couldn't swim in through the rips so plan B was to try to either grab the pier just before the seaway and try to climb up or hope the tide was coming in so I could swim into the seaway and climb up the rocks.
Thank christ a lone kitesurfer came past from nowhere to ask if I needed a lift back in 
Not panicking and swimming back out saved me in the break zone.
Select to expand quoteMain said..AUS126 said..
I had an incident at Long Reef that has prompted me to get people thinking about surf rescue in big surf.
I was out with 3 other kiters in a 15 to 25 knot Southerly with 8 foot waves and a lot of water movement. There are a couple of bommies about 800m off shore which break in a big swell. The waves and wind were both moving in a SE direction. I was on a wave which I couldn't get off when it turned to white wash. I overtook my kite and it fell out of the sky. The kite got a pounding, I couldn't relaunch it and the next set was going to wash me into the lines so I ejected and swam south and out of the break zone. My strapless board with no leash was well gone. I started the long swim in but after copping a few scary waves I realised the surf was too big to swim in. There was a rip running straight out from beach so I swam towards this flatter section an floated back out to sea. The only way I was going to get in was by helicopter or kiter.
I let the first kiter go because he wanted to save my gear. The second kiter couldn't get to me. The third one got to me, we had a chat, he dumped his board and body dragged me back in. Thanks Francois.
LESSONS LEARNT
Think about your exit plan if things go wrong.
Look after the person in the water first. Don't worry about gear. It's easily replaced.
Don't hesitate in dumping board to body drag someone in.
Be very careful when wind and waves are going in the same direction. It is very hard to escape whitewash.
I had an impact vest on. It was very difficult to duck dive under big waves. But I was still glad I had it.
A leg rope can be a good idea in big surf.
Be sensible and don't push your luck.
Look out for each other.
Steve
Same thing happened to me on the Goldie in a solid south swell hitting chop on the face of a wave and falling forwards through the lines.
Board gone and kite gone except when I tried to swim in I kept getting dragged back to the impact zone (outer bank) as each wave broke on me. Couldn't get out of the cycle.
The only way out of the cycle was to swim under the next set wave and out the back to green water. Then I was getting swept North at a fast rate towards the seaway and after that South Straddie where the waves would be 3X as big. Couldn't swim in through the rips so plan B was to try to either grab the pier just before the seaway and try to climb up or hope the tide was coming in so I could swim into the seaway and climb up the rocks.
Thank christ a lone kitesurfer came past from nowhere to ask if I needed a lift back in Not panicking and swimming back out saved me in the break zone.
Jeepers, that sounds like a real nightmare. Glad it turned out ok. Not panicking and thinking clearly is definitely the best thing to do. But still you do need a good amount of luck to get out of these situations....
So many nightmare stories.
Regarding floatation V no floatation. I think if you are close to the beach then no floatation is ok, But if you are hundreds of meters out to sea getting pounded in heavy surf, being able to lie back and float could be the difference between life and death. I spent 45 mins swimming in one day. Dang I was stuffed when I got in, Imagine the worst of the worse happening and you spend hours at sea fighting rips and surf or just getting sucked out to sea in a current you cant swim across. What if you have to wait for rescue overnight? You would bloody appreciate floatation in that instance.
I use a basic impact vest on those heavy days or when well out at sea on the foil. if need be I can lie back and float and relax. Its not so boyant that I cant duck dive through a wave.
Select to expand quoteKajo said..Main said..AUS126 said..
I had an incident at Long Reef that has prompted me to get people thinking about surf rescue in big surf.
I was out with 3 other kiters in a 15 to 25 knot Southerly with 8 foot waves and a lot of water movement. There are a couple of bommies about 800m off shore which break in a big swell. The waves and wind were both moving in a SE direction. I was on a wave which I couldn't get off when it turned to white wash. I overtook my kite and it fell out of the sky. The kite got a pounding, I couldn't relaunch it and the next set was going to wash me into the lines so I ejected and swam south and out of the break zone. My strapless board with no leash was well gone. I started the long swim in but after copping a few scary waves I realised the surf was too big to swim in. There was a rip running straight out from beach so I swam towards this flatter section an floated back out to sea. The only way I was going to get in was by helicopter or kiter.
I let the first kiter go because he wanted to save my gear. The second kiter couldn't get to me. The third one got to me, we had a chat, he dumped his board and body dragged me back in. Thanks Francois.
LESSONS LEARNT
Think about your exit plan if things go wrong.
Look after the person in the water first. Don't worry about gear. It's easily replaced.
Don't hesitate in dumping board to body drag someone in.
Be very careful when wind and waves are going in the same direction. It is very hard to escape whitewash.
I had an impact vest on. It was very difficult to duck dive under big waves. But I was still glad I had it.
A leg rope can be a good idea in big surf.
Be sensible and don't push your luck.
Look out for each other.
Steve
Same thing happened to me on the Goldie in a solid south swell hitting chop on the face of a wave and falling forwards through the lines.
Board gone and kite gone except when I tried to swim in I kept getting dragged back to the impact zone (outer bank) as each wave broke on me. Couldn't get out of the cycle.
The only way out of the cycle was to swim under the next set wave and out the back to green water. Then I was getting swept North at a fast rate towards the seaway and after that South Straddie where the waves would be 3X as big. Couldn't swim in through the rips so plan B was to try to either grab the pier just before the seaway and try to climb up or hope the tide was coming in so I could swim into the seaway and climb up the rocks.
Thank christ a lone kitesurfer came past from nowhere to ask if I needed a lift back in Not panicking and swimming back out saved me in the break zone.
Jeepers, that sounds like a real nightmare. Glad it turned out ok. Not panicking and thinking clearly is definitely the best thing to do. But still you do need a good amount of luck to get out of these situations....
The real lesson learnt I had was I should have waited for one of my mates to arrive so we could keep an eye on each other which is what normally happens. Like the tree skiing rule....There was only one other guy out and we didn't know each other. It was a 3rd guy who picked me up about a km down the beach.
Select to expand quoteDutchRooster said..
Lastly; I've been eyeing up an inflatable life vest that's small and snug enough to wear without getting in the way of the harness. Wear a rashie over it. For when it all goes to **** (as in Steve's case).
That pfd you linked has automatic inflate, you'd want manual inflate but I wouldn't recommend a boat style jacket for kiting. (you can also get cheaper ones) The boat style jackets have too many straps/other loose parts that aren't fitted close to the body, the rashie may stop it inflating properly or strangle you if it does! Also when they inflate they are not hydro dynamic, no good for floating in surf and ducking waves.. I did the sea safety and survival course before doing the Sydney to Hobart race and played with the different styles of jackets in the water, I wouldn't want to get stuck in a boat jacket in the surf.
Impact vests/wake style pfd's look better for kiting, I'll be getting one. It doesn't take much to go from on top of the world kiting to be tired and helpless swimming to shore.. The Jet Pilot Nighthawk looks ok, also there's more info on the topic here www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/Where-do-you-find-a-kitesurfing-PFD?page=1
