How many of us would have reacted this fast to pull their safety? I doubt I would have... note that he wasn't wearing a leash either.

Actually now I've watched it again, it appears he might have been launching unhooked, which would explain the sudden surge of power.

Opinions?

Lol... lucky he was wearing his helmet! ;)

no white horse's, gusty wind down low, camera man up high, etc.....
just back from cashconverters.....................

I watched this (here in Australia) and thought 'that looks like that sketchy launch at Pungarehu'. And lo, it was (Taranaki, New Zealand)

Local custom dictates that the launcher does not enquire as to the general health and well-being of the launchee unless the latter appears to be;

A) Dead

and;

B) With good stuff in his pockets

Hey that's me .........not really but I do have two kites the same make/colour.

What a dodgy looking place to launch, rocks, not onshore enough causing it to be gusty due to a hill behind him causing a windshadow down low.
If he was experienced I reckon he would have either, launched elsewhere, had one hand on the safety, one in near the middle of the bar (which he didn't) or been unhooked with one hand on the chicken loop and one in the middle of the bar so he could control power and steering (which he didn't).
If he was a beginner he wouldn't have been able to react fast enough to release the safety when his hand was nowhere near it.

So my wild guess with absolutely no evidence whatsoever to back it up.

He was a beginner with either
I) Enough nous to launch unhooked but no idea how to control or trim the kite.
or
II) He was hooked in and when he pulled on RHS of bar to try to get the kite up it caught a little gust, his left hand then came off the bar causing the kite to shoot straight up and around into the powerzone, something then broke or gave way on the CL (maybe he didn't have donkey dick in and CL just became unhooked by itself).
Whatever happened he was very lucky.
P.S. I think 'The Walks' might be right he has come straight from Crime Cash Converters.

Wasn't any houses around for him to jump into, so he figured this was the next best thing.

kiter789 said...

'that looks like that sketchy launch at Pungarehu'. And lo, it was (Taranaki, New Zealand)

Yeah man, he shouldve just gone to da "West Island" where theres sand - serves his dumbarse right bro

wow this makes me laugh

love it





.

Almost looks like Darwin...

Or at least give him a Darwin award

taxi said...

Gusty offshore conditions what were they thinking.

Cheap way of getting to Australia.

Torch said...

Almost looks like Darwin...

Or at least give him a Darwin award

Does a bit, except the rocks in Darwin are covered in oyster shells, whereas these rocks are covered in blood and teeth

Good post to keep us vigilant.

I agree with Slave.....launch somewhere safe and then walk the kite. It is amazing how easy it is to get around once the kite is up, even climbing over fences and negotiating reef can be a snap...........unless you are a learner and/or total nob..................good on them for wearing a helmet. Funny how it is often the helmeted ones that do silly stuff.

colinwill78 said...

Torch said...

Almost looks like Darwin...

Or at least give him a Darwin award

Does a bit, except the rocks in Darwin are covered in oyster shells, whereas these rocks are covered in blood and teeth

Amazing how quick things can go bad!

Right as we speak, I'm missing kiting because of those phuking rocks you speak of, the cut in my foot is taking waaaaay too long to repair. Mind you I didn't get it kiting so no kudos there, just a dumb arse.

crazy, even at high tide that looks like a bad place to kite - all those rocks just lurking under the surface ready to eat your board.

those thrusters never had much depower on the bar or in the safety, lucky it fully released..... where was his safety leash??

JayP said...
where was his safety leash??

lol.
There is definitely a lesson to be learn here.
i.e.
If you regularly launch in a gnarly rockpile,
never lock-in a death-leash.

I bet he doesn't do it again. lol