Doesn't matter whether you are a windsurfer or a kiter - at the speeds we do all is takes is a small mistake, a spin out or losing the edge and the damage will be pretty bad.
Back when I used to windsurf a friend of mine had a collision with another windsurfer and my friends board was cut half way through by the other guy's fin. Imagine what that would do to your arm or leg.
Bit of mutual respect and space and we can all have fun and enjoy the water.
Cheers
As I originally replied to Peterc150s posting these incidents should not be taken as reflecting on all kite boarders or sailboarders or SUPers or surfers or even the fishos, it is a reflection on the individual not their chosen water sport. As many have posted in this thread, many incidents are accidents and are acknowledged by those at fault.
If you take the time to look over the fence in the kite forums you will see that every second thread at the moment is directed at regulating newbies or mandatory lessons or not selling gear unless proof of lessons is provided, etc, etc. There is a huge ground swell of self regulating happening at the moment to make sure we all kite in a manner that is safe for all water users and the general public. We are sh#% scared that we will start losing access to beaches and having been involved in the Parks Victoria meetings here, if kite boarding is banned from a beach so will windsurfing!
Firstly,,I Windsurf, Kite and SUP...
Its not the kites its just SOME of the users, who dont respect others or the kite,, I see so many wankers BS ing on about 'I was out the other day in 25-30knts on my 13 m!' firstly 90% of newbie kiters dont know what 25knots really is,,and if it was 25 knots they should be on 7-9M Max!.or even smaller or not out at all for most of them!....just asking for trouble... 0-10 SUP , 10-20 Kite, 20+ windsurf...best of all worlds!
recent examples kiter idiots that will run the sport , and dont think for a moment that they wont drag windsurfing into it !
the first link sounds very serious...hope he is okay..but WTF 12 m kite 30knt winds..say no more...
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/South-East-Queensland/What-happened-today/
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Saw-some-tools-at-south-beach-freo-xmas/
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Kiters-ruining-it-for-us-in-Narrabeen/
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Dont-give-a-kite-to-your-mates-to-play-with/
Thanks for helping make my point JonesySail, although I don't think that was you aim....
If you read the threads provided you will see the concern from the kite boarders and the push to self regulate.
I have to say, thumbs up 
to the dude I saw help out his teabagging buddy (by providing some visual reference to incoming windsurfers) as he drifted right into the windsurfing launch area at the pond today with some sort of problem.
Thumbs down 
to the dude with the orange para kite cruising along the foreshore with the kite diving up and down over the foot path tho.
I think he got moved along shortly after I noticed him, as he disappeared up to the kite launch area.
Coming from a surfing background I started windsurfing about 30 years ago, just after teak booms were replaced with aluminum and there were only 2 different boards on the market. Not long after every corner store was selling some kind of windsurfing gear. As soon as we took to the surf we were the scourge of the sea the surfers hated us as did the clubbies and the general beach going public, a lot wanted the windsurfing rabble banned.... Roll on 20 years and along comes the new scourge, kitesurfing!! It's a shame Seabreeze wasnt around in the early days of windsurfing to see what the surfers had to say???
When the boating zoning review was undertaken by Parks Victoria a couple of years back a number of workshops were held around Port Phillip and Western Port bays to be attended by all stakeholders. I attended 2, one at Safety Beach the other at Carrum, as a representative of KBV. As there was no representatives from the windsurfing community I also took the initiative to represent the windsurfers as well (as I go both ways so to speak). It was quite clear that the zoning of 5 knot exclusion areas would apply to both sports as the 2 sports where not differentiated. It was also quite clear that the general public don't know the difference, all they see is board speed at swimmer level, they do not see the additional risks associated with kite lines etc. In Victoria at least, councils cannot act alone to ban a sport without Working with Parks Vic as the council does not have direct control of the waterways.
Back to my original point.... If anyone is acting like a dick, regardless of their chosen sport, and putting others at risk or the location at risk, step up and tell them but make sure you tell them what the problem is! Maybe follow Te Hau and form a club....
Happy new year to all.
You're trying to analogize early windsurfing days with now, nice try but not close.
I too lived the early days, first as a young surfer, then a sailor. For instance in Cronulla, both groups ended up segregating OK, polarizing north to Wanda, etc. Vaguely remember the same in Curl Curl (Dee Why? Never know which is which...) It didn't last for years as in now with kiting. It abated quickly - 1-2 years max. Currently, 10 years later, is it getting better with kiting or worse?
Plus it was kept to between surfers and windsurfers at the time, which were close in their sports. There were few citizens threatened by flying rigs and kiters. No beaches were closed or threatened to be at the time, that I know of.
I also doubt very much that windsurfing bodies were invited to such an important meeting as the one you mention regarding closing windsurfing spots and didn't bother going. Very much. I won't doubt your word - so perhaps wrong people were contacted, or it's not a windsurfing spot, I don't know.
It is very easy to differentiate between the sport of windsurfing and the activity of kiting, for instance the phenom of closing beaches is ass'd with one and not the other. That's the simple point I would have reminded them of had I been there - I participated in one of those once in my current place of abode.
As earlier said following the "ground swell of self regulating happening...", results please. Kiting has been there long enough.
As earlier pointed out, go to the General Discussion, there's a bottom statement that is rather representative of your past-time...
Cheers & best of 2012.
The meetings held by Parks Vic were not held to ban any sport or create any exclusion zones they were held as part of an assessment of all water zoning around Victoria. In their openning address at each meeting they acknowledged that with sports such as kiting and windsurfing the 5 knot rule within 200m of shore was maybe not appropriate as that they were loooking at areas where this rule could be relaxed when no other beach uses were about.
I am not sure who they invited but there were attendees from the yatch clubs, KBV, surf life saving, speed boating clubs, jet ski association, coast guard and the general public. The meetings were very positive but unfortunately the number of areas that the 5 knot rule was altered was minimal.
Maybe they didn't feel a need to invite the sailboarders, maybe they thought KBV covered both, you would have to ask the organizers. I think there was about 5 meetings in total. For the record I did point out the differences between the sports and their varying needs.
