Hi Guys, I had a bit of an accident at Murawai on Sat, lofted over the dunes, landing quite heavy over the back.

Many thanks to all those who helped me out at the time, much appreciated. Had myself checked out and not too much major damage other than soft tissue and wounded pride.

We all knew safety is an issue, and I always thought i was quite safe, BUT
1. I was too slow coming in after I clearly saw the squall approaching,
2. My safety release (quick release shackle) didn't release easily when first required.

I'll definitely be looking at my release system, and won't underestimate the power and speed of the squalls that roll in.

Also, in our hurry to depart, we left my board on the beach; Underground Wave Tray 147, blue/silver, DaKine straps. If anyone picked it up or knows it's whereabouts, please email me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Once again, many thanks guys, be safe.
Dean Palmer.

Hi Dean

Sorry to hear that.. Those squalls come in really fast some times.

I went down to Murawai today but spent some time chilling, as it was beyond madness !! There was no one else down there while I was there.. I know Gav, Brad, Jamie, Shaan and co were down in Raglan. I should have made the trip but chose to recover after Friday nights binge.

I thought I might mention this as there was a new guy learning about two weeks ago at Shakespeare. I was trying to get my board that was a few meters behind were he was standing. Before you knew it we had our lines rapped around each other. We were virtually on the beach when this happened. I realest my shackle as fast as I could as both kites started to spiral. I told him to release before he got into trouble. Like most beginners and advanced riders it takes a lot longer than you think to release. In this instance he was in such a panic he did not know how to release. Luck was on his side and the kites grounded before he was hurt. Its worth practicing situations like this as they can take you by surprise.

Laters
Craig

Speaking of squalls, I turned up at rags on saturday and everyone seemed to be enjoying a good shesh but off to the south a huge squall was rolling in from the sea. It was worring to see that most of the people didnt come in until it was to late and the squall hit. IMO they were lucky there were people to catch their out of control kites and lucky not to have come off worse than a few lost boards and wounded pride.
Other than that it was a good day out .

Yeah there are a lot of kiters out there now who have never really seen the damage a squall can do. These things cause the most serious Kiteboarding accidents. But a lot of riders sit there blaming their release system when it is like Dean says the decision to ride on that caused the situation.

We all get caught at some time, understanding the weather is a way to avoid these accidents.

A good release system is also a great idea.

I have seen the NAISH system work in anger and have used it myself.
these work fine, but are not the best system.
The Wipika designed pin lock and release system is taken from gliding and parachute systems, now widely used by companies like Peterlynn, Slingshot, Airush. this is the best I have seen to date.

Peterlynn also developed a swing-swivel-release system for your harness that was a good idea. Slingshot have taken this raw idea and made a new spreader bar that looks like it will suit all riders and kites.
like the Peterlynn system it is a new spreader bar for your harness.
The first samples have just arrived and i will have them here at Anabatic this week for those keen for a closer look.

But no system can beat having respect for Mother Nature.
If you see a heavy rain cloud, put your kite down.
Don't wait to see what other kiters are doing.......
No shame in having a 10min break while it passes.

Good on ya Dean for speaking out and telling others about what happened. Now other novice riders reading your post can learn without having to experience it for themselves.

Lee McClelland
Anabatic Kiteboarding.

glad u got the board bac, i picked it up off the beach, i went to get changed and when i got bac the place had gone nuts lol, u guys gotta get ur shit together,watch out for squalls and shit,anyway b safe.