Kiting is fun, but in terms of safety it ain't windsurfing. This poor guy is nearly killed:

www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/2008/08/kitemare-in-tropical-storm-fay.html

yer that was a lot of stupidity from that guy, i would like to know the real story as if he was kiting and the storm hit before he knew it or weather he was trying to be a hero and kite in stupidly high winds, if he did the later i think he's learned a good lesson, if he comes through it o.k, i also believe all new kites have a safety for that particular reason.. it was pretty crazy how fast he got launched across the screen.. hope he comes out of hospital o.k so we get the real story..

BOOSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Sorry, I had to say it)

Fark... you wouldnt wish that on your worst enemy.

stehsegler said...



I guess the only thing which comes close in windsurfing is being catapulted while hocked in.

There's always the risk of going over the falls at margy's on a double mast high bomb and getting minced on surgones table...

We all take risks....

And like any good drama you get queens..

stribo said...
There's always the risk of going over the falls at margy's on a double mast high bomb and getting minced on surgones table...

We all take risks....

Thats a calculated risk. There is no way I would go out at Margs at my present level of fitness and skills. I'd be asking for trouble and if I did I'd deserve to be hammered. So I don't.

However with Kiting it seems to be a bit different as some of the risks seem unexpected. How do you see a sudden updraft of wind coming? However in this particular case it seems like the kiter either underestimated the conditions or his abilities.

I don't really understand why on earth anyone would strap themselves onto a big kite in such strong wind without knowing they can disconnect if necessary.

same thing happened to a mate of ours down in VIC (Lourne I think), the guy was in ICU for 3 months. He was bloody tops at kiting and windsurfing, shows it can happen to anyone I guess. Hence i'm banned.

stribo said...

Whats the difference with that or jumping into your car without knowing if a truck is going to slam into you at full speed??

Its more akin to jumping in your car and not knowing if your brakes are going to work and not really knowing how to use the brake pedal. That much uncontrolled power can lead to problems.

Yer i wouldn't wish those injuries on anyone, but anyone doing any dangerous sport knows from experience you don't go out in conditions above your ability or are odviously dangerous.. there is a safety leash on a kite for this exact reason, some kiters are to proud to pull it and this is the end result, going from the story he should have ditched after the first few seconds when the other guy was yelling out to him, he may have been worried about trashing his kite into some tree's or something, but as Ben Wilson said in his Smack dvd "you can always buy new gear", you life is worth much more than a few grand.

lol, maybe he learned his lesson by the time he made his movie..

I guess the truth is, that with the amount of kiters out there, the amount of these kinds of accidents wouldn't even rate in the percentages, a bit like rock-climbing/absailing/paragliding, etc. In general, I think self-preservation prevails.......unfortunately, some choose to live a little close to the edge (like those wind-glider extreme nutters.....looks awesome fun, but you wouldn't get me doing the mountain/bridge fly-bys in a pink-fit).

In saying that, I guess at the time this guy wouldn't have thought of the outcome of lifting his sail, but hopefully others will remember those images & think of the possible danger next time they're in the same situation. Perhaps these incidents actually keep the sport safer (for the majority) in the long run.....

Lofting accidents are usually caused by the rider radically oversteering the kite,
rather than by getting picked up by some rogue gust and flung.
This can happen even in moderate winds, it doesn't have to be nuking.
For example,
Let's say a kiter is standing on the beach with the kite parked low, say 9 o'clock.
Maybe he wants to tough-out a squall, and he has his doubts about keeping the kite at 12 o'clock....the so-called neutral park.
Then for some reason, the bar is oversteered drastically, causing the kite to fly rapidly across to say 3 o'clock.....
creating a massive power spike.
In that instant, no more than a heartbeat....
the kiter will become airborne and he will have no time to think or react.
He has to take the hit.

Now, this is the survival bit.
While he is flying thru the air (before the hit),
he needs to have the presence of mind to let go of the bar with both hands,
fully resign himself to the flight (for want of a better word).
Of course this is totally contrary to your natural instincts.
Your natural reflex will be to death-grip the bar, fully freeze.....
and to adopt the foetal position.
Now, having let go of the bar, he is still attached to the kite by the chicken-loop...
zooming thru the sky at high velocity.
Immediately he takes the hit, (the impact with the ground)....
he needs to pull the trigger, release the chicken-loop....
that's assuming he's still conscious.

stamp said...

fionzc said...



A friend just told me recently about youtube videos on how kiters got dragged off by a jetplane while kiting near a runway, getting swallowed up by a killer-whale etc...loads of drama in this sport it seems.

this is how urban myths begin. you don't seriously believe those stories?

It's on the internet Stamp.It must be true..

stribo said...

stamp said...

fionzc said...

A friend just told me recently about youtube videos on how kiters got dragged off by a jetplane while kiting near a runway, getting swallowed up by a killer-whale etc...loads of drama in this sport it seems.

this is how urban myths begin. you don't seriously believe those stories?

It's on the internet Stamp.It must be true..

He said just google "kitesurfing accidents" on youtube and you'll get the videos...or so he claims. I have yet to try that.

sympathies to the bloke, but he went kiting in a cyclone. it doesn't get much stupider