hehe, woo I wasn't the only one needing rescuing today now . Good that you're safe tho buddy

How does one self-rescue?, I'm guessing just clinging to the kite .. I dont really know I hate the loooong swim back, Im always so dead afterwards.

Did you buy them beers?

Jimmyz said...

How does one self-rescue?, I'm guessing just clinging to the kite .. I dont really know

I find this question a bit alarming - have you had any lessons? It may be in your best interests to learn how to do a self rescue, as well as a deep water pack-up.

1/. For the self rescue, flag the kite to one line. Work your way to the bar on the flagged line, being real careful not to get tangled in any lines. By the time you get to the bar, there will be say 10 - 12 meters of the flagged line (extending from your safety leash to the bar). Wind this around the bar FIRST, and secure with a couple of knots. No prizes for neatness - ratsnests can be sorted at the beach later.

2/. Step 1 should guarantee that the kite stays flagged whilst you wind up the rest of the lines. You do not want the kite to power up. Wind the rest of the lines around the bar till you are within a few meters of the kite.

3/. Get your harness hook/spreader bar out of the way (how you do this depends on whether it is a seat or waist type). You can either lie on your board, or put it inside the kite leading edge (good place to put the bar also).

4/. Lie on one tip of the kite, and get a hold of the other tip. The kite will now become a sail (leading edge towards shore). Provided the wind is cross / onshore, you will eventually be blown back to land. If the wind is offshore, you are in trouble. Do not kite in offshore winds unless you are an expert and a good swimmer (you may need to ditch your gear and swim back).

5/. Doing a self rescue without winding your lines can be risky. The main danger is getting wrapped up inside a ratsnest if you have to swim a long way. The ratsnest may tend to self tighten, and may drown you (you do have a sharp hook knife don't you). Also if a boat comes to rescue you, your lines may be sliced or tangled in the propeller/rudder etc (as per Desmond's account).

6/. Steps 1-3 are easier of course if you are wearing a PFD - otherwise you are treading water with your legs whilst you hands are otherwise busy. How long can you tread water with your hands on your head?

7/. If you do need to be rescued at sea, the coast guard may elect to leave your kite behind if it isn't packed up (danger of the boat being tangled in lines etc). The first priority is to rescue you of course.

8/. To pack up in deep water, perform steps 1-3. Deflate the leading edge of the kite (BUT NOT THE STRUTS). Be careful not to get water inside the bladder. Let out just enough air from the LE so you can roll the kite up (tip to tip). The bar can be placed next to a strut prior to rolling the kite. The kite can be secured in the rolled up position either with your kite leash, or with your harness. There is a good chance that the coast guard will take you AND your kite if it is packed up.

9/. Once the kite is rolled up, you can lay your board on top, climb on, and use it as a giant noodle to paddle back to shore.

10/. Never kite alone, don't venture further off shore than you can swim, don't kite till exhausted.

didi said...

Do not kite in offshore winds unless you are an expert and a good swimmer

I would say do not kite in offshore winds unless you have a support boat. Ian Young is an expert and a good swimmer and I think he would agree with that now?

I agree with Didi, if you are asking how to self rescue you shouldn't be out putting others (including the lifeguards) at risk. Go and get some lessons and learn the basics before you hurt someone. And get a learn to kite DVD as well as there are normally valuable tips on them.

And worrying about a 200m swim? Maybe some swimming lessons at the same time.

There are too many people around at the moment who are going to be forcing people to rescue them and this WILL lead to drownings, especially when two beginners are kiting together and one tries to help the other. When are people going to understand that kiting is more dangerous than any other sports because of the lines and power involved?

I have read some wonderful stories on the forums about kiters rescuing swimmers... the last thing we need is lifegaurds starting to rescue kiters on a regular basis

Cool.....I said something relevant!!

this is th photo of the reason that my kite went down



I bought the kite new in september, do you think the store will replace it? and if they do, do I have any chance with getting the 2 broken lines replaced seeing as it wouldnt't have got cut if the loop didn't break?

AS for the self rescue I'm with Loud, if you don't know how to self rscue you need more lessons, when it happened I was trying to figure out everything I needed to do as it is a lot differnt doing it on the beach then doing it out at sea.

Hi Guys,

If anyone out there is unsure of self rescue, please come on down to Pinnaroo Point and we will teach self rescue for free. It will take around 20 minutes of your time and may save your life. There are several methods of self rescue and we can teach you the most relevant.

We have been teaching "practical self rescue" as well as the IKO winding the lines in the water and thourough pack down etc. With the practical self rescue, we will get you out in the water and save yourself from a distance of up to 100m from shore, after that you should be able to rescue yourself from any distance.

This sport should not be attempted unless you can self rescue. Relying on luck or someone else to come and save you is a little careless.

Good winds,

I dont think they'd have to give way to powerboats though... its like a helicopter giving way to a jet

just been looking at my bar no cracks but they (fone)had a problem last summer with that part snaping
but on the other hand what is a safe working kg for that part ??60 kg 70 kg as i see some big humans out kiteing
high performance comes at a cost

What are those factors I wonder? What would be an appropriate curve modelling the forces applied to the kiteboarder upon busting a standard 30ft boost?

back to the self rescue and lessons for a minute...

i'm in melbourne and have done 4 lessons now, and never been shown anything like the self rescue techniques mentioned above! i also had a look at the iko certified instructors on the aksa site, and there's not one in melbourne.... so is anyone down here qualified/insured to be teaching??

luckily i spend many an hour on seabreeze these days and seem to end up learing something new every day... even if the opinions vary between contributors at times, at least this sort of stuff's up there for us noobs to learn about...

cheers, bert

Kitehard said...

Hi Guys,

If anyone out there is unsure of self rescue, please come on down to Pinnaroo Point and we will teach self rescue for free. It will take around 20 minutes of your time and may save your life. There are several methods of self rescue and we can teach you the most relevant.

We have been teaching "practical self rescue" as well as the IKO winding the lines in the water and thourough pack down etc. With the practical self rescue, we will get you out in the water and save yourself from a distance of up to 100m from shore, after that you should be able to rescue yourself from any distance.

This sport should not be attempted unless you can self rescue. Relying on luck or someone else to come and save you is a little careless.

Good winds,

That's mighty generous of you Kitehard

Expect to see my smiling face in the very near future, now that I have my new (to me, but actually 2nd hand) 2008 North Rebel 9m, board and seat harness.

I did go over it in one of my lessons but i think this may be something that needs to be done a few times to really cement the concept and skills, and give me confidence to know that I can actually do it, and it works.

pintofpale said

I'm very familiar with normal self rescue but what is the procedure for self rescue in this scenario?

I have a 5 line and after a mistimed jump the kite luffed and flew straight at me and landed about 4m meters in front of me. Then the kite then rolled about 5 times until it reached the end of the lines with the 5th wrapping several times around the canopy and the other lines plaiting themselves up. My leash is on the 5th so i couldn't flag the kite out to this. Ended up pulling the kite in on one of the other lines but the whole rig was in such a tangle I ended up swimming the whole mess in. I wasnt game to start winding lines around the bar without being able to flag the kite.


Most of the kites ive been on has a flag point on your outer lines unclip saftey of 5 line clip on to outer one & flag from there.Then start your self rescue.on my fuels you could do this then let the 5th line go it would pull through your bar then could launch your kite again fly to shore & set up again.

Hmmm hadn't thought of unclipping the 5th..Not sure if the kite will fly properly because its a hybrid and it needs some tension on the canopy. On my set up the 5th wont pull through the bar and I don't have an attatchment for a suicide set up but I might put one on for this scenario and have a think on how I can release the 5th so that if it occurs again and give it a go. Thanks, thats helpful
POP

Hey,

Just a quick one.

Difference between PFD 1,2,3.

A PFD 1 has a COLLAR for keeping your head above water, (even if you are unconscious)

The ONLY difference between a PFD 2 and a PFD 3 is: Colours/Visibility.

A PFD 2 has OR is supposed to have, according to Aust Standards high visible colour.

Whereas a PFD 3 has EXACTLY the same floatation as a PFD 2 but can be less visible. Usually these are worn by wakeboarders and skiers as they have a wider range of design. Usually Neoprene!

just my 2 cents worth. Most people arn't aware of this!!!