Just got off the phone with a mate and his close friend (who I also know) got taken to the hospital about a week ago after being run over by a kitesurfer on a surfboard. Fin totally thrashed his face and had to have several stitches to put it back together.
Anyone know anything about this? Who was the crack-head that couldn't keep some distance to swimmers and ran Andrew over?
Nah,
it's our right to ride any where we want. The swimmer was probably getting in the way of a sick cutback. 
Maybe we should blame it on some kook, that'll mae it all better. 
It's nothing, seriously, we'll never get banned, I'll never let anyone tell me where and how I can and can't kite. 
Gees, we don't need regulation, all tthis talk about bans and regulation is going to cause it to get shut down, just ride the way you want and STFU Kitehard. We can look after ourselves
Wont be long now .......
I don't have all the details all I know is they were out swimming in the waves at Brighton. Most kiters were 100-200m away. They dove under a wave and when they came up they had a kiter only a few meters away. Tried to dive under it but the kiter ran straight over his face. Had 20 some stitches I think and looks like the elephant man...
Now he can't work for some time... messed up..
Strange we have not heard about this before..
Not good to publicise these incidents. Kiters are not the only people who read these forums.
Provide them with ammo you do.
Yeah I'm sure the beach was empty so no one else would have seen this or heard of this before I posted here...
I`m telling you, there are so many idiot kiters out there it is unreal. I was out fishing on sunday at my local spot where I also kite. So I know where the kiters like to do their thing and I kept well away from the "show off" area. STILL at least four kiters decided that just a few metres from me was the best place to switch direction or ride past. They only got the message when I cast towards them as they came close.(and a few evil stares were exchanged [}:)]) There was at least seven windsurfers out as well that day and not one of them even came anywhere near me. Why are so many kiters so arrogant that they think the water belongs to only them? I`m convinced that these toolheads think that people find it a privilege for a kiter to come close to them, even if it gets in the way of them ejoying their day. Like I said I kite there all the time so I know where the main kiter and windsurfer area is and I kept away from there. Why couldn`t they keep away from that few metre area I was occupying? I tell you why. For alot of these toolheads it is their first "watersport" hobby and they don`t realise that the beach gets used by a wide variety of people, most of wich have been going there long before them.
poor guy. Ihope the guy who did it gets caught and formorly charged by police - reckless endangerment or something.
I find it hard to believe that a kiter wouldn't notice hitting this poor guy.
Unfortunately, people occasionally make stupid decisions or fail to see or recognise dangers, and accidents happen. But very poor form if he/she didn't try to offer assistance (which admittedly might be difficult while attached to a kite in an area you shouldn't be in), or attempt to follow up somehow.
In fairness, the kiters that annoyed me were not regulars. But that`s still no excuse. Even more so if you not a regular at a spot, respect the people who are. Peronally I can`t wait for winter when there is only a handfull of us that go out and only one or two at any time. Just yesterday some chap (Euro) asked me about how to self land etc. Realising he was a bigginer I showed him where he would be better off practicing and explained why. Did he listen to my advice, NO.
a: He got in the way of everyone.
b: He was putting himself in danger drifting close to the trees, power lines etc. and if you can`t self land then that could be a big problem.
There should be a sign on every beach. Idiots and selfish toolheads go home and find a different hobby.
Seems to be just a general attitude of wanting to show off in kiteboarding-understandably many bystanders/non-kiters are impressed with what we do-however there's no need to be a total wanker and do it as close to people/shore as possible-seems to be the general rule however.
Why come on here and cry about it, better not to publicise the fact for the world to see. I surfed snapper this morning and got ran into by a longboarder then a short boarder, then my feet ran over by a grom on a shortboard, which cut my foot, but I wont be jumping on the surfing websites crying about it. Theres kooks in every sport, thats just life.
I wonder why you never got your visa granted Spruce ?????????? 
This is serious. There seems to be a lot of kiting down the section of beach that is used for swimming at scabs/brighton. Some of the worst offenders are local. While they may not have caused anyone any harm (yet) they set a bad example for blow ins. I haven't heard anything of this before. Is there any action being taken by the person who was harmed? Has he gone to the authorities??
You are right this is very serious.
A question, I wonder how many members/non members read this thread and think what a bunch of Wankers
Very unfortunate " accident" for the person injured, hoping he's ok.
Think about this
Everybody is very quick to criticise a fellow kiter, who has been involved in an unfortunate and regrettable accident.
I am greatly sympathetic to the injured party, but I also know the kiter involved very well, and he is neither irresponsible, inexperienced, nor a show off . He spends a good deal of time wave kiting at Scarbs, and anyone who does so is likely to have some near misses at times, even if it was a lost board or a downed kite in the surf.
The kiter was greatly cut up about the incident, and in fact brought the injured party to the surf lifesavers tower, where his wounds were dressed before he was transferred by ambulance to an emergency department.
He has not gone around shouting about it of course ............who would?
The kiter has provided a full report to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure [who oversee beach safety].
He apologised to the victim, who, at the time of the accident, agreed it was an accident and said that in struggling with a rip he had not been able to lookout for other water users
These are the facts :
he was riding a wave just upwind of wher the windsurfers launch at Brighton. The semi permanent 'no swimming- currents' sign was on display at that spot.
There was a flagged area 300m down the beach, but not at brighton.
The surf and wind [25kts] had created the usual maelstrom at brighton
The swimmer had dived beneath the waves and surfaced under the board so that the kiter did not even see him, just felt him as the fin made contact
He had been on the lookout for swimmers and had seen one and was giving him a wide berth when the accident happened . Unfortunately the kiter did not know that the swimmer had a companion.
The swimmer undertook a challenging sport [bodysurfing] in a clearly hazardous environment, at a spot where in fact that activity was specifically advised against.
We have all taken knocks in our pursuit of adventure sports and bear the scars, some of them involving mates and other sports people. Do cricketers blame the bowler for delivering the ball? Body surfing is an adventure sport.
The victim thank god] was not an innocent child standing on the beach and he accepted some self responsibility when he entered the water.
How many can say that they could not possibly have caused that accident?
Have you ever kited at Brighton when other users were in the water?
Yes?
Well you're just lucky then.
I recall an incident in Trigg several years ago, when a windsurfers fin split a swimmers jaw in two, and others where surf paddle skis and surfboards have mown people down.
No water user group is immune to creating danger for others
My message is that risk in this sport can only be contained not removed .
There is a good argument in saying that in certain areas swimming should not be allowed, even if that means we can only kite in restricted zones at least we could do so knowing swimmers could not be present. In Queensland swimmers must stay between the flags are be hauled out by the lifeguards
And remember before you jump to criticise.................."there, but for the Grace of God, go I".
