Hi guys I usually kite at shoalwater and was wondering where to kite in the swan on an easterlie Wind I thought point Walter sand bar would be good but didn't know what the rules or regulations are or what winds were best for there only got a 12 meter kite. Any advice would be much appreciated
Just head down, be careful of the spit on the upwind side, few broken legs, and the offshore side, stay were you can touch the bottom till you can work out how and where to self rescue and how the wind changes, drops etc, oh and avoid teaching there especially if it's crowded.
12 meter is perfect! the easterly is obviously very gusty and you often just have to wait till it picks up and head out, always remember it can drop off so always be in a safe place to come back in. i almost always go overpowered rather than under powered there.
Dear all
WAKSA encourages all kiters at Pelican Point to stay on the southern side of the Point, in the predominant SW wind. WAKSA would advise that due to gusty winds and a small launch/landing area, it is a spot for intermediate and advanced kiters.
The point that has been referred to by Yeehar is actually located within one of the Swan River Marine Sanctuaries managed by the Dep't of Environment & Conservation. Kiting is not permitted within the marine park including on the point or in the adjacent waters. Please check out the Pelican Point location guide on the WAKSA website for more details (www.waksa.org.au).
This means kiting on N or NE winds is not encouraged or supported by WAKSA and we request all kiters comply with advice from DEC rangers to keep out of this area.
WAKSA
the Rangers have been active at Pelican Pt the last 2 days. I talked to one of them about the rules. I hadn't realised that you couldn't kite East of the markers, unless you are in the deep water east of the point. There is a largeish sign there saying so, but I just hadn't read it.
The point is, as Slack pointed out, that if we continue kiting there inside the sanctuary zone it is only a matter of time before kiting at the location is banned altogether.
So if we still want to be kiting there in 20 years, ask your friends to stay out of the zone.
Dazza
It's not that you cant Dazza, it's that Waksa support CALM and Bird Watchers that have concerns for migratory birds that visit for 2 months a year. As for the impact of kiting on the birds, it's probably negative, but no where near as negative as having a child. Bans because of "perceived" threats to wildlife, especially birds are very real in America. I have seen people jumping over migratory birds at Point Water , in fact its this attitude that causes problems, but I suppose Waksa supports that sort of behavior because it's in the right area. What I love about Waksa is if their mates do something, no one says a word not in person or on here, but god save anyone else, youll be harassed here and there, with threats of violence etc etc.
You want to know what the biggest threat to kiteboarding is? It's not kiting in some obscure little wildlife area where about 10 people dislike kiting ,and the general public never uses it(thats why it's a wildlife area bytheway). Public beaches is where its at, where people have to desert the beach or water for fear of being killed.
If fact kite in any wildlife area anywhere with a sense to minimise your harm and I doubt anything will come of it. Go to a public beach and clear out 50 people,just by inflating your kite, and keep doing it. People, lots of people like to be able to visit the beach, hardly anyone uses these wildlife areas( again that is why they became wildlife areas). We live in a democracy where people matter not wildlife. So have kids and teach them to kite.
Yeehar
Over the past 12 months, WAKSA has made a deliberate effort to engage with the powers that be, including local governments, and various state government agencies such as the Dep't of Transport; Dep't of Environment & Conservation & the Swan River Trust to ensure the sport is considered in any decisions these agencies might make that might impact on our sport.
As a sport and as individual kiters, we have an obligation to minimise our impact on others - including the environment. Kiters have been requested not to kite there due the presence of migratory bird nesting sites with that part of the Marine Sanctuary, which has been there considerably longer than kiting has been occuring @ Pelican Point.
It's my strongly held view that if we act appropriately & responsibly, we build a better reputation for the sport and as individual kiters than by taking a "up yours" approach to the community around us.
DEC has requested that all kiters keep out of that part of the river. I can understand the frustration this creates for you and anyone else who might want to use this spot. It's up to all of us to ensure that individual kiters don't intentionally create problems & make access issues even harder to fight for.
Yeehar, I'm not sure what you were referring to about WAKSA hassling crew & threats of violence (I'm pretty sure it was a bit of artistic licence ???) but if you want to discuss this issue with me further please PM me & I'll give you my phone number or email.
Juddy
President
WAKSA
Last Thursday the Ranger had a pleasant chat to me as I was kiting along the North-East boundary; I thought I was outside the sanctuary zone but apparently not. So anyway I have decided to keep well clear of the sanctuary zone altogether.
Friday I drift launched and kited the southern side of the zone no problem. Watched 3 guys walk up to the point, setup and spent their entire session inside the no kiting zone.
Saturday forecast is NE again so we (group of 4) kited South Perth. What crappy wind that is, I can see why it is not a kiting location. Then driving back home past Peli and there would have been 6 kiters all kiting inside the sanctuary zone and no doubt setup at the point too.
Sunday I kited Peli again with a mate and he still walked up to the point and did his entire session inside the zone. I drift launched and kited outside the zone and watched 3 more guys join him.
While packing up at the car park I chat to a guy about to walk up to the point and he said (nicely) too bad he is still going to launch and kite in the sanctuary zone.
I'd love to be launching and kiting inside the sanctuary zone but it is a no kiting zone FFS and I find it freaking frustrating that me and all but one of my mates and a few others don't kite there.
Yeehar,
It is soul destroying not being able to kite in a great spot like that 1 min from home on a NE when there is not a bird in sight.
It would be great if they could either grant us the use of the southern bit of the beach before the main flat area for launching or better still let us use the area when the migratory birds are not in town.
That would be sane, but asking government for some sanity , omg where to start on that?
I mean have this/ese supposedly sciencey arm of the government even done some sort of study of the impact of kiting on the birds and reserve? What about people walking dogs through it?
If we could substantiate any harm we could perhaps license it out with an agreement and or fees.
I am not one to go after destroying little birds or their nests, especially ones that fly 1000's Ks. But I dont kite on sand flats where they feed and I have noticed they continue to feed even if I come within 10meters. Crashing kites in their nesting areas is a different story, but that will only happen on a seabreeze not what we are discussing here.
Infact it would make more sense for the sake of when the birds are there and which wind direction has the most possibility to create harm from kitesurfing, to ban kiting thru all summer on seabreezes. I mean only if you are actually serious about the birds.
Would waksa support an outright ban in summer on kiting in peli? To help protect the birds. Not some token talk on forums but leadership? For the birds but against kiting?
oO Tshirt "My life for birds" ???
Many googlemaps is good, heaps of flatwater spots near islands and groins and rivers and ponds. Like 10 people kite it, lucky if you can see another kite. I would opt for grass some where.
Yeehar,
Over the past several months we have been working on a range of 'location guidelines' based on the info we have on our website. We are about to publish new guidelines for Pt Walter/Attadale; Safety Bay (both "Pengo's" & the Pond) and one for Pelican Pt.
We have done these guidelines after discussions with DEC & all the guidelines will recognise their particular concerns about nesting birds...and there are quite a few bird nesting sites I hate to admit.
The Pelican Pt guideline is an acknowledgement of DEC's specific issues at that spot but doesn't go so far as to call for a blanket ban.
The cards will be printed within the next week or so and will be available from all good retailers. We will also have links to the guidelines as PDF's on the site.
Juddy
Top work waksa, good you mention Pointwalter, the teaching on weekends is a bit much, especially right ontop of where people launch land.
