I was mortified to hear from another kiter that someone was terrorising swimmers at EB earlier on this week. It was on one of the days i wasn't there so i'm not exactly sure what happened but from what this guy told me the kiter in question was enormous, using a Naish Raven and was kiting in amoungst swimmers and purposely spraying them with his board. This is exactly what people complain about and is what will get kiting banned. so far no complaints as yet from this incident but if one does arise it will not surprise me. At Eastern Beach you must not under any circumstances go near any swimmers. if it's too crowded then do not go out.. use your common sense.

if the person responsible is reading this then could you please keep away from the swimmers and if its too crowded and High Tide then please use Bramley instead. its a much better spot at HT than Eastern, far less crowded and 5 knots windier too. no need to use EB in a high tide Northerly/seabreeze.

Amazing that we're revisiting this again Mark. We've kited this spot for years now and it's such a great spot. I am shocked that any kiter would do that, where is the respect of other peoples safety - let alone our own.
Today at Eastern 2 hours of high tide I was kiting, and because I know how to kite at Eastern I went out. I was powered up, I got out the back and I stayed there - well away from any swimmers.

Please everybody realise that 3 hours either-side of high tide (esp. in summer due to the swimmers and sunbathers), Eastern beach is an ADVANCED beach. You must be powered, you must get out the back and you must stay there.
I spoke to the new guys that were there today and helped with their awareness. And yes, they really should have been at Bramley in such conditions with their level of ability. They also now know about keeping well away from the swimmers.

We've all been chucked hard by our kite into the water, right? now imagine if you flew into a little fella enjoying the water, or worse still hit him with your kite during a botched kite loop, even worse still imagine if your kite was looping uncontrollably toward the beach and the ever tightening lines (which you're having trouble releasing to safety) rip through a family and severe a little limb! This may sound a little over the top, however the forces are real and possible! One af my mates had this actual situation last winter on a vacated beach. Please be aware and be considerate!

Mark, maybe a sign or two at Eastern with the basics of info might do the trick?
I gotta get out more, my back rolls were crap!

clowns on Ohope were flying on the beach in about 8 knots, 2 to 3 at a time shadowing each other... not a good look, especially when they were flying over people at Marae Totara domain... ohope has heaps of space to stay clear, blows cross shore most of the time, best to go 100m downwind of the popular spots and keep safe.

if its blowing 8 knots, put your kite down... and go for a surf..

yeah EB at high tide is a no-go at the best of times but that mid tide is sooooooo enticing. I personally don't like summer at EB but on certain days it's ok (ie NOT the weekend when sunny). yesterday was good with sod all swimmers in the water.... But Bramley is king in a northerly. Another option out east in a NE is flat island. Low to mid tide there works sweet and if its easterly at this time of year then it'll be either overcast or windy enough for EB to be pretty crowd free... so there are options available...

so here goes....

Northerly/HT: Bramley
NE/HT: Bramley
E/HT: Riddel (eb if 25 knots or over and cloudy etc)

N/Mid - Low: flat island/PH (eb if cloudy and windy)
NE/Mid - low: flat island (eb if cloudy and windy)
E/Mid - low: hopefully should be unsuitable beach going weather and hence ok at EB.

sea breeze out this way blows from the NORTH and is enough to bend any light Easterly of 20 knots or less to the NE is sunny... hence making it suitable to kite flat island or Bramley.

Im sure the same guy was at Orewa south on Sunday arvo - big bloke, big 19m Redish colour Raven in 15knts of wind, big air and i spose big ego.

He was kiting in very shallow water flatout and had some hell out accidents - not sure how he didnt break any bones with some of those bails...

wasn't me!!

nah it wasn't the big boy from the crazy south Doof

I think i know who it is and he's an awesome dude but its all about consideration for others. It's gonna be tough this year because of La nina and these NE winds. Last year we had it easy because of all the pumpin SWers we had and as most of akls SW spots are tidal estuaries (The exceptions being shakers and muriwai) we had sod all complaints.

This time round those NE winds have been here all the time and unfortunately not all that crankin... but enough to get the big kite out. Unfortunately in that amount of wind its still good swimming and beach going weather and big kites in 15 knots don't go upwind very well when compared to a 7m in 35 knots and if your a tad on the big side then its even harder still to get going and more likely to cause damage if you crash into someone.

of the 4 main centres akl probably suffers the most at this time of year becasue of the light iffy winds, warm water and bigger population.

do you guys in Chch and Dunno have any issues with swimmers at this time of year? I know when i kited in Wellie i never had any problems at the main beaches.

i've tried flat island in an Easterly but it's way too gusty. NE however should work well as it's squeezed between the gap and there is flat water EVERYWHERE!!

Sounds like ..... Ssssssppppppppeeeeeeennnnnnncccccceeeeee!!! If it is you Spence, they are right aye! You're a big fella who could do some major damage if you landed on someone! Stay with us out at Muriwai where we know your moves and if you head out to those other beaches, head out the back - the change from the shallows might be fun! Catcha soon, Ceilidh

uh oh but sssssppppeeeence jumps over me all of the time?!?!?!? we crashed kites once, i never met anyone who apologised soooooo much, took the evasive action and spent the rest of the day untangling his lines after getting me promptly sorted and back on the water.....

None the less - looking foward to more of the west coast, see ya soon SCEI - freeride in 3 weeks!!!! lOl

ummm no, even having people on the beaches is a little strange

about the only swimmers we dodge are grumpy sealions

chch has a bit more trouble with dog walkers and stuff

damn, looks like more 25kt ne for us, weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Yea nar it wasn't Spence...

Lucky southerners.

yeah that was fully brokeback mountain the last week or so in akl. 15 knots northerly everyday but nowhere to kite it due to swimmers. hahaha but the minute it turned SW again we were into it... no crowds, no swimmers but plenty of gusts at Puff Harbour in the 30 degree water.

Bad tide for that week. Bramley would have gone off if the high tide was 3 hours later.

bring on winter, muriwai, shakers, orewa and ruakaka.... and wellington!!

Was at Orewa last friday 25th and the stupidity continues!!... dont often kite there but some of the guys who were out in a light 12 knot breeze late avo are just begging to get the beach closed down
The main offender was happily coming into the lifeguard flagged area with an old surfboard ... weaving amongst the swimmers... just imagine the damage that board would do to a childs head!!... the lifeguard was getting understandably irate and gesticulating angrily at the kiter who seemed to ignore him!.... the second worst was a guy on a red cabrinha bow who seemed to take great delight at charging the edge of the flagged area and then pulling up 2 or 3 metres from swimmers with a loop of a turn.... while he may think hes a clever dick... the mothers who started rushing towards their children as this guy ripped towards the kids are the same mothers who will complain to the authorities....someone in the water seeing a kite charging and pulling up only 2 to 3 metres away has fair reason to be upset....
I don't know who the guys are but anyone who kites orewa a lot will ...
Its only common sense!... stay away from swimmers.... and not just 2 metres.....

was that the day where someone crashed their kite onto the beach, wrecked their kite and started swearing at everyone within a 40 mile radius? lol

gee that even beats my spaz attax when the wind decides to fart around everytime i head up to Orewa and i end up doing the fingers to the wind every 5 seconds lol

lmfao

hangon that was the day where someone took me out... and then 2 minutes later i took someone else out (another kiter), and then 2 minutes later i allmost lost my kite in the rivermouth lol (when actually it wasn't my kite) hahahaha.

hurray for carnage... more kiters than knots it seems on the east facing beaches.

Now PH and Wellie... 1 kiter and 25 knots (more for Wellie lol) and NO swimmers.... lol