Hey guys the windy season is upon us and hence the chances of getting lofted and injured are at their highest. As this is our main kiteforum i reckon that it would be a good idea to get as many safety tips as possible to minimize our time on the sideline and maximize our time on/over the water !!

As summer is not too far away it's also a great opportunity to take steps to stop our favourite spots from copping a ban as we share our spots with other water users. Any advice here would be appreciated

I would say not putting others at risk is way more important than not nailing yourself.

Seen a few around so far this year on kites WAY too big for the amount of wind resulting in nearly getting them nailed. Know that doubling the windspeed quadruples the force from the kite...

95% of accidents to riders happen at launching and landing on the beach - distance is your only friend if shit really hits the fan. If in doubt don't go out.

If you got pullies and bridles CARE for them cos if they get jammed, break or tangled(well caring won't do ,much in this case..) you may go into a death spin - as 2 riders did yesterday on bows and I have seen at least twice previously - then you will want distance so you can release onto your LEASH. Bows are probably still safer overall - but know that things can still go very wrong - you cannot take less care with them.... Wear a kite leash.

Nice call Ian. My flat mate runs the legal department at the Rodney District Council and muttered something about "Banning us Lot" if there is another serious incident in Orewa (which sparked a very serious conversation and was given very strict instructions that he was to do everything in his power to ensure this never happens)... Not really sure if they would ever be able to do it realistically but I guess the law is the law.

I'm going to be away for a while, but it'd be pretty devastating for a lot of people who enjoy kiting at their local beach if that right was taken away.

I was really impressed when up at Ruakaka the other weekend at how helpful the crew were up there, and everyone was fully in to giving advice and helping each other out. A lot of the time when people see someone doing something stupid, they just watch and wait to see if they hurt themselves instead of trying to help avoid the situation. I think we are probably all guilty of it, but if you could help someone avoid a serious accident why wouldn't you hike down the beach and do a good deed?

I personally learn something new every time I go out and all the advice you guys give is probably taken onboard more than you think. I'm sure there are loads of things a lot of the old school cats know that a load of us newbies would benefit from so spreading the knowledge and safety tips is awesome.

One thing we noticed yesterday was that one of the newer Dakine Board Short harnesses hasn't come out with a blade or pocket. Yesterday someone was sucked out into the harbour and had their lines wrapped around them [not a good prompt to] but a good reminder to check something simple like that to make sure your zip isn't rusted or that you do have one if you need to use it as a last resort.

No one likes to see anyone in trouble at the beach. I felt really safe with everyone around at the lagoon yesterday [what a beautiful country we live in] and even when I lost my board there were loads of people who were willing to help get it back to me with the current going the opposite way. It could have been any of us that was swept out and circumstances could have been different, especially if there wasn't a boat there to come to the rescue. It's all food for thought.

Thanks to everyone who helped to organise & contribute to the the moose meet [esp Gavin], everyone I know had an absolutely stellar weekend. A big thanks to the Ruakaka crew who once again went home shining, and every single one of us who went was grateful for your efforts in disposing of all of the rubbish from the campsite responsibly at Washworld. Looking forward to seeing some pics in due course from over the weekend!

Called over on the way home to Cindy's to collect 4 kites (just a day late) & 6 bottles of wine for Petra and I to take to Fiji. Apparently the locals are all really excited about the trip to Fiji and have been busy practising their dances to welcome us. Should be a fantastic trip. Still got loads to organise but can't wait to learn to actually do some tricks... Was great to see everyone progressing in their kiting and the level of dedication and commitment some of the crew are obviously putting in.

Was great to meet the crew who had come from afar and once again see the more familiar faces. Looking forward to riding again with you all in December, hopefully I won't be such an amateur by then!

hi''

i had a bow last year to learn on and i did not care to much for cleaning pullys etc and one day i was out and the kite luffed out of the sky as they do

and started going into a death spin and what happened next shocked me

i pulled the release nothing happened and because the kite death roled over and over and over as well as pulling my sorry as all up the beach i could do nothing to stop the kite as the lines twisted so much that the bar had no where to go . so no depower at all .

i was lucky that the kite jamed up against a sand dune and i bailed out .

yes this was a bow kite but it can happen if pullys etc are not checked i dont know if it was due to that.

but as i was learning to kiteboard it could have been something i done .

i have since learnt to check line length and pullys etc .

Do you think there is something we can collectively to highlight to the council and public that we are responsible, and that we do not require kiting at our local beaches to be banned??

lets all wear hi-vis vests:)

just looking ahead to problems we may face as the sport grows.

Local kiters from the Eastern Bays came together a few seasons ago and produced the following document. It allowed us to be proactive with the ARC and gave them a point of contact if there were any issues that need to be addressed. It has worked very well because the local kiters are developed it and are behind it:

Due to the increasing number of kiters using City and Eastern beaches, the majority of frequent local kiters in the area have established an agreed set of guidelines to ensure continued usage for all.
We kindly request that kiters do their best to follow these guidelines as outlined below and not compromise the productive relationship we have with the ARC when kiting at the following beaches:
Eastern Beach, St Heliers Bay, Kohimarama Beach, Mission Bay and the Tamaki Estuary

PLEASE ALWAYS REMEMBER TO
stay well clear of all other beach goers.
avoid obstructing beach access for others.
never beach jump under any circumstances!
kite with a kite safety leash attached; there is no room for runaway kites.
maintain a minimum of a lines length from swimmers and other beach users!
walk your bar back to your kite when on the beach so others have more room to launch/land safely.
Kitesurfer with RIGHT SHOULDER FOWARD HAS RIGHT OF WAY over other kiters (toeside down doesnt change this rule) use your common sense with regards to this rule.
Kiters leaving the beach have right of way over those coming in.

EASTERN BEACH
Please launch and land from either the left hand end of the beach if looking out to sea or the boat ramp at the far right hand end of the beach.
Keep speed to a controllable minimum until you are safely away from other beach users or beyond the yellow 200 metre markers.
Care must still be exercised as some swimmers still venture outside these markers.

TAMAKI RIVER
Please take extreme care when crossing the shipping channel.
Do not kite near or impede the process of commercial or pleasure craft operating in the channel.
Avoid kiting back and forth across the channel. Cross to your chosen side and stick there if possible.

St. HELIERS BEACH
The left hand end of the beach is currently reserved as a swimming zone only (see council signage on the foreshore)
Please launch and land near the boat ramp/toilets in the middle section of the beach.
Speed must be kept to a controllable minimum until you are safely away from other beach users or beyond the yellow 200 metre markers: due caution is to be exercised at all times.

KOHIMARAMA BEACH
Launching and landing is to be done in the area immediately to the left hand side of the yacht club.
During light conditions, walking off shore from the yacht club will assist in keeping a safe distance from other beach goers.
Keep speed to a controllable minimum until you are safely away from other beach users or beyond the yellow 200 metre markers: due caution is to be exercised at all times.

MISSION BAY
Launching and landing is to be undertaken on the city end of the beach (Stonehouse end).
Please keep speed to a controllable minimum until you are safely away from other beach users or beyond the yellow 200 metre markers, due caution is to be exercised at all times.

By following these guidelines we can all hopefully look forward to continued use of some great locations.
Please ask the locals if you are not sure, we will be more than happy to help! For those wanting more information, or to attend the local kite social evenings, please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



Eastside rules and regs

lol kohi and st helliers is mi local, for the bit with avoiding other swimmers u practly dnt need to worrie cos wen its windy its either raining, super cloudy or just friggin cold so there isnt anyone there haha

Laugh as much as you like, just avoid the other beach users and everyones happy.
Esp. the ARC.