Dunno if there is much left to say about this thread!

One question I have tho, what about other countries? Is this type of behaviour prevalent on other over-populated beaches?

Would be interesting to know if any other countries have ban's, rules, pieces of paper saying they can kite etc....

It's nice that the lifeguards aren't angry at him, but i didn't think this was really the issue.

And yes you are right - this loop of death business can happen to anyone. I guess that's why people don't tempt fate by kiting on the nation's most high profile, busiest beach.

It's not nice that he got yarded - I don't think anyone wishes that on people (play nice!).

But really - his crash simply looks so bad for all the rest of us. That's the issue here.

Yes it is bad luck there was a film crew there, but it's Bondi! Skinny tourists in bikinis! Of course there's a film crew there! That's why it's a good idea to steer clear of places like Bondi.

I reckon it's poor judgement, poor judgement that unfortunately affects us all.

Subject: kitesurfing accident – Bondi Rescue

Given that Bondi Rescue have used the footage of my accident, which I specifically requested that they didn’t, and then they have used it as a trailer to promote next week’s episode, this has opened up a can of worms.

These are the facts and this is the true sequence of events as they happened;

1. FACT - Kitesurfing at Bondi Beach is allowed once the flags come down. The flags were down and I personally asked the lifeguard for his permission if I could kitesurf and he said "100% Yes"……… I had kitesurfed with another guy at Bondi after the flags had came down in early summer with the lifeguards permission…….and their feedback was after the flags come down at 6.30pm you are free to kitesurf, but not while the flags are up.

2. I kitesurfed for Approximately 15 minutes when I then noticed a quad-bike coming down the beach to the south end with the lifeguard signalling me.

3. I immediatetly came in to see what he wanted and he said that they were starting a clubbies lifesaving event at the north end and it would be appreciated if I could stop kitesurfing. This I did immediately, and I was very respectful at all times. If anyone has ever met me, they would know that it is not in my personality make - up to be rude or confrontational.

4. I was then approached by a film crew and they asked me a couple of questions which I said they could use in the show. I then politely asked one of the film crew to catch my kite for me. Given that we were all getting along very well and the guy I was asking was young and fit………. I was surprised when he said he did not feel comfortable catching the kite. Given that it was approxiamately 7pm and there was hardly anyone on the beach, I politely asked him again but he refused to catch the kite.

5. I then tried to find another person to catch the kite but there was no-one else available except some people walking along the waters edge who were elderly and could not speak English and some Japanese tourists off to the right. I then moved away from the waterline to the left to self land the kite. I was quite overpowered and was constantly looking up at the kite and without my knowledge the safety line had wrapped around the left end of my bar. Whilst I was still looking up at the kite, I pulled on the safety line, it unfortunately did not activate and then went into a death spiral as the safety leash had tangled around my bar without my knowledge. I tried to regain control of the kite but by this stage the kite lines had twisted on multiple ocassions. I then tried to release my shackle system which was not the original system. In hindsite under the stress of the moment, I did not use the other quick release above my shackle system I have no criticism of the bar and line system, as I had adapted it, which turned out to be nearly a fatal error. Although I have on a number of occasions pulled the safety to self land the kite previously using this adapted system which had worked very well previously, on this occasion the kite went into a death spiral, but because the safety line had tangled around the bar combined with the twisted tension on the centre lines, and as a result of this pressure, the shackle system would not release. Therefore I had absolutely no control over the kite what so ever.

6. I then tried to regain control of the kite and called out to some people on the beach to grab the kite, rather they ran towards me and by that stage the kite had re-powered and I was then dragged across the sand into the concrete wall and fence.

7. I then thanked the lifesavers for attempting to help me and specifically went up to the film crew and asked them that any footage of the incident should not be used under any circumstances. I said they could use the footage of me kitesurfing and the interview on the beach, as it was that footage that I had approved the use of. I then emailed them and called them the following day with this request which I did in a profesional and polite manner.

8. I have been kitesurfing for over 7 years and this is the first incident I have ever had of this nature, and I do not wish it upon anyone.

9. There have been a couple of comments posted on this kitesurfing forum which are completely incorrect, bordering on slanderous. At all times I was proactive in getting the lifeguards approval once the flags had come down at 6.30pm. And when I was asked to stop kitesurfing, I respected the lifeguards request and did so immediately without any hostility what so ever. In fact, to the contrary, I was overly courteous.

10. I have never kitesurfed through a nippers contest, as suggest by another blogger.

11. The only other situation that has ever occurred when I have kitesurfed at Bondi and was out near Ben Buckler Point or the northern end of Bondi, which was year’s ago, when I could not retrieve my board after a jump and I was forced to body drag into the north end of the beach, I immediately packed up and then waited for my board to come into the beach with the surf. As I was body dragging in, a clubby on a ski about 150m off the beach did paddle up to me and ask me not to go through the buoyed area as they were about to re-start a comp, I followed his instructions and body dragged away from that area immediately.

12. I wished this incident had never occurred, and I am extremely disappointed that the footage has been used against my wishes. I can only blame myself for this accident, as I pulled on the safety without checking, not realising that the safety leash had tangled around my bar. For this reason, I suggest that every kitsurfer should have a safety knife attached to their harness so the lines can be cut as a last resort.

i hope no one is stupid enough to listen to waveslave. if you don`t use a safety leash you shouldn`t be on the water! they are there for a purpouse to save your arse if you have to let go and to stop the kite potentually taking out a family half way down the beach for example.
for any newbies reading wear a kite leash if you don`t and i see you i will definately insist you put your kite away and i`ll have the rest of the kite boarders on the beach standing behind me.taking responsability for your own actions and others can save lives.

harrytesties said...
this thread was so much more fun when it was full of hear say and conjecture....

Damn right, people where having great fun making stuff up about newbie buying gear online, clueless visitors, people overstating their ability etc, etc. Perhaps the moderators could remove any useful posts from the thread?

This is the most entertaining thread on seabreeze at the moment keep it going .
Interesting how you guys bag the sh1te out of one of your own without having a single solid fact about what actually happened.Then when the guy at the center of this thread responds all goes quiet.....

Surley you guys understand how a film crew and producers can manipulate footage to make you believe whatever they want....and face it carnage gets ratings.Woudn't matter if it was a kiter,jetskier or windsurfer if they caught some carnage on film they are gunna air it.Thats why they are there..Theres only so many ways of filming japanese tourists getting dragged out of waist deep water.
They struck gold with that footage i reckon...... and i reckon they do too

Oh there is another thread in the landyachting thats pretty good value as well.
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36642

Dawn Patrol said...


Also, we don't know if it was a learner or not. Something may have gone wrong

Don't say i didn't suggest it
Surely there is something you can do to prevent them from showing the accident. Maybe some legal thing. They can't run around filming random people and airing the footage i'd have thought.

Marty Coffey said...

So let he who hath not sinned cast the first stone. I saw Steve McCormick loose his kite completely at Dolls this summer. Point is, we are all human. There are only two kinds of people, w**kers and liars.

lol.
Yep,
Even Steve is human.
Lots of kiters who wear kite-leashes have runaway kites.

There are the kiters who release their C-loop only to find the kite-leash snaps at a weak point.
And there are the kiters who release their C-loop having forgotten they have their kite-leash in a droopy-loop...
you know,
when riders kite with the leash attached at both ends to the harness.
I see it all the time.
The pretend kite-leash.
What is that ?
lol.

The one time i was unleashed, was when I was having a shot at someone else's kite before he packed up.
I was so pumped to try it I completely forgot. Until I came in to land, and went to unclip my leash. I kept that quiet

i'm getting comfy and ready, waiting for the next episode of bondi rescue!

waveslave said...

vader said...

i hope no one is stupid enough to listen to waveslave. if you don`t use a safety leash you shouldn`t be on the water! they are there for a purpouse to save your arse if you have to let go and to stop the kite potentually taking out a family half way down the beach for example.
for any newbies reading wear a kite leash if you don`t and i see you i will definately insist you put your kite away and i`ll have the rest of the kite boarders on the beach standing behind me.taking responsability for your own actions and others can save lives.

Vader,
Please don't call it a 'safety leash'.
There's nothing safe about a leash that can cause your death.
If you don't believe me, go ask Bondi-dude.
lol.
Now,
to all the newbies who don't already know....
Kite-leashes are mandatory at all WAKSA kiting events.
The WAKSA nazis will kick your sorry butt and throw you and your leashless rig off the event site.
WAKSA is law and the shepherd of the kite-flock.
The sheep follow the chosen path and the general kiting mentality is herd-like.
Not using a kite-leash in WA is punishable by death.
But the sad irony is this.....
THE KITE LEASH
(I'm now referring to a number of specific kiting fatalities overseas)
was tragically the main cause of death.

If you never unhook,
If you have accessible double flag-loops at the bar,
There's no need to use a death-leash.
Kite leashes kill.

So Slave tell us honestly, have you ever accidently become unhooked or let go on purpose and had your kite fly off on it's own, even if it was on a deserted beach and no-one was hurt or saw it.
Stuff happens to us all (well us mere mortals anyway), for example a couple of weeks back whilst very powered up my harness hook snapped clean off in the middle of a transition jump, I could have very easily lost the kite.

tightlines said...

So Slave tell us honestly, have you ever accidently become unhooked or let go on purpose and had your kite fly off on it's own, even if it was on a deserted beach and no-one was hurt or saw it.

lol.
I'd love to do this ^
trigger the release while riding a hollow wave.....
ditch the kite and just surf the barrel.

Yep, with you there on this one slave. I have questioned instructors ,general kiters and noobs when the kite leash is colloquially called the "safety" .

Safety is playing lawn bowls or picking your nose in the privacy of your lounge while watching the footy(i think ! bring on the vids of extreme lawn bowls poleeezze)


ki

waveslave said...

vader said...

i hope no one is stupid enough to listen to waveslave. if you don`t use a safety leash you shouldn`t be on the water! they are there for a purpouse to save your arse if you have to let go and to stop the kite potentually taking out a family half way down the beach for example.
for any newbies reading wear a kite leash if you don`t and i see you i will definately insist you put your kite away and i`ll have the rest of the kite boarders on the beach standing behind me.taking responsability for your own actions and others can save lives.

Vader,
Please don't call it a 'safety leash'.
There's nothing safe about a leash that can cause your death.
If you don't believe me, go ask Bondi-dude.
lol.
Now,
to all the newbies who don't already know....
Kite-leashes are mandatory at all WAKSA kiting events.
The WAKSA nazis will kick your sorry butt and throw you and your leashless rig off the event site.
WAKSA is law and the shepherd of the kite-flock.
The sheep follow the chosen path and the general kiting mentality is herd-like.
Not using a kite-leash in WA is punishable by death.
But the sad irony is this.....
THE KITE LEASH
(I'm now referring to a number of specific kiting fatalities overseas)
was tragically the main cause of death.

If you never unhook,
If you have accessible double flag-loops at the bar,
There's no need to use a death-leash.
Kite leashes kill.

I love winter

waveslave said...

vader said...

i hope no one is stupid enough to listen to waveslave. if you don`t use a safety leash you shouldn`t be on the water! they are there for a purpouse to save your arse if you have to let go and to stop the kite potentually taking out a family half way down the beach for example.
for any newbies reading wear a kite leash if you don`t and i see you i will definately insist you put your kite away and i`ll have the rest of the kite boarders on the beach standing behind me.taking responsability for your own actions and others can save lives.

Vader,
Please don't call it a 'safety leash'.
There's nothing safe about a leash that can cause your death.
If you don't believe me, go ask Bondi-dude.
lol.
Now,
to all the newbies who don't already know....
Kite-leashes are mandatory at all WAKSA kiting events.
The WAKSA nazis will kick your sorry butt and throw you and your leashless rig off the event site.
WAKSA is law and the shepherd of the kite-flock.
The sheep follow the chosen path and the general kiting mentality is herd-like.
Not using a kite-leash in WA is punishable by death.
But the sad irony is this.....
THE KITE LEASH
(I'm now referring to a number of specific kiting fatalities overseas)
was tragically the main cause of death.

If you never unhook,
If you have accessible double flag-loops at the bar,
There's no need to use a death-leash.
Kite leashes kill.

'Slave please save your mindles dribble for the general forum and leave the advice to people who know what they are talking about, it's just unecessary mate.

Thanks
Matt
Grant/ AKSA representative,
Is it worthwhile contacting A Current Affair to explain our side of the story to combat all the mindless idiots that actually watch the show and will be voteing to get us banned without any background knowledge of the sport?