shall people in boats or ski craft wear motorcycle helmets? its the risk we all take in an extreme sport and the decision should be yours! fair enough if you ride a motorbike (i do and i wouldn't go out without my leathers and helmet) as for safety briefings, tool box's, SWMS, JSA's etc etc i do them all day i don't want to be standing on the beach with 20 knots on my back talking about kiting. everyone should just talk to each other etc and its all about knowing your local crew and how they ride, who to avoid etc. it can be a safe sport just with common sense. unfortunately some people dont have that.

than again no good to hear about any kitesurfer's injured!

Jonopark said...

Hahahahaha. Wow everyone here is pro helmets but at my locals (metro perth) I rarely ever see one. Not knocking them (its up to the user and
I wear a hat) but mandatory!
Are you serious!!
Will I also have to wear kneepads!!! Also it seems Australia
Is the only country where helmets are compulsory on a push bike. And they are not good for protecting the
Spine. In fact the opposite.
Windsufers don't even wear them and look at the amount of solid junk they have to hit. And a lot faster than us. Yes they may save a few cuts but lives???
Harden up seabreeze. What's next mouth guards, hi vis vests, safety googles???
It's a sport and people will get hurt In safety protection or without.

And this is exactly the sort of post which explains why beginners don't use them when they should. Its all about being cool and anyone who does wear them is a kook.

Incidentally, when was the last time you heard about a windsurfer that got lofted? Or the last time a beginner was hooked into his windsurfer and got dragged across the beach? How many windsurfers learn to windsurf on land by flying their sail?

Different sports, different requirements.

I agree that it shouldn't be mandatory but treating those who wear helmets with disdain does nothing for the sport and only endangers those who may have worn them to learn.

i wear a helmet. its engrained into me from years of mountain biking. I have to say a helmet has saved my life about 6 times over the years. 1 time landboarding and 1 time kitesurfing.

If you think you don't need a helmet quite frankley your wrong. you just have been lucky. it only takes one fluke accident to kill you for fark you up....

any way weat one, don't wear one its your decision.

I do have a problem in the fact i can't find a decent water helmet. the gaths etc are complete and utter crap and they are stupidly expensive. I'm wearing my mountain bike helmet. I like i tool. but because i don't wear boardies outside my wettie i don't give a shiit what i look like. at least i can take a knock and kite again tomorrow.

If I had a brain, I would wear one.

Jonopark,


I agree that mandatory would be a mistake but there's no denying that safety equipment has benefited the sport. I assume you have a 4 or 5 line kite and a leash?

We are just discussing the merits.
I'm personally interested as I feel embraced to wear a helmet, as I'm sure lots of surfers are. Like it or not the sport is growing at a great rate and if we don't discus these issues and think about safety than someone in government will do it for us.

I agree that it should be personal preference but my concern is that beginners have no possible way of making an informed decision. If we are truly passionate about our sport than we will push for a safer and more controlled training system. This is self regulation at its best. I can't see any other way of giving people the best chance while learning than some form of regulation. Once experienced and educated than one is better equipment to make an informed decision and I don't see any need for further education.

I'm cool - and I wear one

I hate the nanny state mentality, I deal with the pathetic approach to everything these healthy and safety @sses come up with and they have never held a tool in the hand or have done anything remotely similar to the instruction they have just came up with.

I agree that they are only required near shore but saying that I have been smacked in the head a couple of times finn first by more kitesurfboard (which is alot harder than a std surfboard).

I think it should be an option but the mind set changed by pro kiters etc for the future generation, they can even make it cool by have a radio link to the compettitor in compitions - it could even be funny what comes out the guys mouth when he stacks it.

I think they are totally uncool but I have my reason why I wear one (they keep my sunnies on )

Cheers
Rich

I've been thinking about helmets this week too. We had a weather bomb last weekend (gusty 30-40+ knots) and the noise while wearing a Gath style helmet was deafening. I have a kayak helmet as well but it is a bit bulky. I saw a wake boarders helmet on sale online this week so we'll give it a go and maybe it will have street cred as well

Another major side effect of wearing a helmet is that it appears to increase greatly your seebreeze usage.

Since 95% of people don't wear one on the water, I am impressed by the large majority of users in this thread.

Worth investigating, maybe more time on the internet = less fitness = less time on water = less skills = more prone to accidents = rightfully wear a helmet

I started kitesurfing wearing an old Gath Helmet and used it for three years. It once protected my head from a bad bump on my board in Bali - I was happy I was wearing it. Another time I had a big crash on a jump as my kite zoomed back through the power zone and I burst an ear drum on impact - wearing the helmet.

I now wear a Protec that has better impact protection.



It also keeps my head warm and my sunglasses on. I am happy to have it for some impact protection in case something unexpected goes wrong. For example, I could taken out be Jetski, and was very nearly hit by a windsurfer going at full tilt.

I figure my brain is worth $100

As an aside, helmets are not mandatory for Jetski riders in Victoria, but they do have to have a boating licence with PWC endorsement.

Most of my mates don't wear a helmet when kitesurfing. Nobody gives me any cr@p about wearing it, apart from a few posters on Seabreeze who seem to think its "uncool".

I don't think helmets should be mandatory. But if a kitesurfing licence were to be introduced (as appears inevitable with recent accidents + deaths and irresponsible behaviour by a few + some novices who refuse to take lessons), maybe they should be mandatory for kiters for the first year while they are on "P plates".

Jonopark said...

Saffer, I said it's up to the user. I wear a bucket hat as I believe the risk the sun poses is much more serious than a fatal head on collision with a hard object. It's simple risk assessment

Agree 100%, I wear a helmet or bucket hat depending on conditions but primarilly as sun protection due to thinning hair line and fair skin.

All those helmets pictured are crap!... they have a big plasticy bit at the front of the helmet. Shiit house. The ideal helmet need the plastic intergrated into the foam.

I have a 4cm scare on my forehead from one of those puding bowl style helmets.

The foam was squashed flat and then the hard plastic split my head open.

thats the main reason i'm still running a mountain bike helmet. heaps better technology at a better price.

eppo said...



I', with puppet and others I hate wearing anything, and If I could kite naked and not get charged with indecent exposure I would.

I can just see you all coming up here next year kiting naked. It might be a bit much of a temptation for the turtles though

The Protec helmets are multiple impact helmets as apposed to the polystyrene insert types that only work once.

My Protec helmet foam is quite thick and would battle to squash the foam to the extent that the plastic comes into contact with my head but I will have a look the next time I wear it.

Gath helmets are not ideal for kiting otherthan they do offer some protection and streamline through the water.

Rich

Been kiting 12 years no helmet - ever

2 months ago on my race board face planted at 20plus knots and nearly knocked myself out 2km off beach in 15knots of wind. Smashed a hole through carbon deck & rail of board with my temple. NOw I wear my helmet 100% of time on my race board & still never on my surfboard? What the .....

I got a carbon kayaking helmet that is designed to take full impact strikes from rocks, seems to be pretty safe to me.

gath ..... keeps the sun of and the brains in. i have seen gath's split on the temple area by a recoiling rear fixed thruster fin result would have been death .... must have in my view