With all the restrictions as to where and where we cannot kite due to council regulations especially as they are concerned for the saftey of other beach users why is there not some kind of warning/education signs or basic rules as to how to avoid clashing with a kite/lines etc. I have witnessed on numerous occasions people attempting to negotiate lines as kiters are trying to launch or people setting up their spot on the beach where mulitple kites are being launched flown and landed totally oblivious to the possible dangers.
There are plenty of signs warning not to enter/ litter/ catch this or that fish/ walk dog off a leash none of which are life threatning(b depnding o the dog!) but not one sign to beware of kites or the dangers associated with the sport .
i was also surprised to see that not even the life savers know what is what when it comes to where kiting is allowed after being told i was not to fly my kite at Grange beach then confirmed by person in charge for the day. Does SAKSA have any communication with the elevant surf life saving clubs? Thanks

Cyclops,

SAKSA approached the Charles Sturt Council a few years ago with proposed signage for our local beaches however on review with the councils it was deamed to just not be an option!

Additionally SAKSA has a series of Safe Kieboarding Guidelines on the SAKSA Website which clearly state that we should Launch, Ride and Land well away from bystanders. Please refer to the following link http://www.saksa.com.au/?page_id=363
These are Guidelines developed by the NSWKBA in conjunction with WAKSA which have been adopted by SAKSA and have be in place for quite some time now.

Within the guidelines it clearly states
'Give way to the public on the beach and in the water at ALL TIMES. Be courteous and polite to bystanders. Complaints have frequently led to bans and restrictions on kiteboarding in some areas and continue to do so, on a regular basis. NEVER launch, ride or land upwind of nearby bystanders. While it may not always be possible, work to keep a minimum 100 m buffer zone from bystanders.'

Based on these guidelines common sense would dictate kiters would stay well away from other swimmers and beach users, and would go nowhere near the flagged areas patroled by the surf life savers. I believe this would also be covered as part of the training package delivered by the Kitesurfing schools.

If you do see a fellow kiter doing the wrong thing the best thing to do is to approach them and politely clue them in to the dangers they are putting other beach users in and advise them of correct way of doing things. After all its much easier to educate the 400 odd kiters in SA rather than the wider population.

For a full list of kitable beaches on the metro coast please also refer to the map on the SAKSA website under locations: www.saksa.com.au/?page_id=279

SAKSA recently touched base with several local Surf Life Saving Clubs and are currently in the process of developing a training package which we intent to deliver to several of the local Surf Life Saving clubs on kiting and kite safety as a trial. Feebdack received from the Surf Life Saving Association on this approach has been very positive so far.

I hope this all helps and clears up your concerns.

Cheers

SAKSA

Thanks for the feedback folks. The life savers that i was referring to were in their 40s and 30s and were in a 4wd patrol vehicle nowhere near the flagged swim zone. One of the life guards stated he was a kiter himself and even after showing him the SAKSA go/no go zones was positive that no kiting was allowed at Grange beach but council would not enforce the rule? A plain list or graph at the top of the web site page of yes/ no kiting such as below then followed by conditions to expect at each beach below that:
North Haven- YES ( SAKSA permit required)
Largs Bay- YES ( SAKSA permit required)
Semaphore - NO KITING ( as it does state)
Grange -YES (designated kiting beach.SAKSA permit required)
ETC....
The SAKSA site according to the way the life guard read it did not allow kiting because it did not state kiting allowed but merely stated what wind conditions were the best and what to expect . Thanks for listening

sorry for confusion. When i typed in kitesurfing areas in Adelaide google came up with Saksa site but it didnt have this coloured map or anything like it on the page. Thanks for the heads up

Hey KITEPOLICE.....

Try kite near West Beach or Glenelg and we'll see how long it'll take before the Federal Police come down on you like a ton of bricks. The Council might not have control over the water but CASA has control of the airspace you are using.... Flying an object near an airport without permission is a Federal Offense under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Good Luck!!

Hey guys,

Interesting conversation. I live in Henley South and have been interested in Kitesurfing for a few years now (hence why I browse these forums).

I was inspired to finally register here after my trip to the beach yesterday afternoon. There were about 10-12 kites in the air while we were swimming. The water was quite rough at the time, enough to impair visibility between the swell. My four year old son and I were standing in waist deep water about 10 meters from the shallows jumping over waves and in the space of 5 minutes had three different surfers come within i'd say conservatively 4 meters of us. One came close enough to touch. These were not people launching, but repeatedly cruising up and down.

My question to Cyclops is - do you "educate" yourself to the dangers posed by skateboarders before you head to the local shopping centre?

Do you research methods for pacifying dangerous dogs before you take a stroll around the block?

When you launch your kite it is YOU who is introducing an element of danger to the beach that would otherwise not exist. Responsibility lies with you mate, not the local beach goers. Just because Henley South allows Kitesurfing it doesn't mean that Kitesufers are granted preference to the area over other beach goers. I suggest you reassess your attitude because I can tell you there is a big push amongst locals to get Kitesurfing banned in Henley South. I've been asked to sign more than one petition in the last year. That would be a real shame, because most of the surfers i have met have been great people having a great time.

God bless Adelaide and its beaches

After a week in the Gold Coast watching stupid water use by every water craft possible, I am so glad I live and kite in Adelaide. Adelaide is one of the safest cities in the world to kiteboard. In the Gold Coast, kiters ride amongst swimmers, moored yachts, jet skiers, channel markers, water skiers, speed boats, fishermen and much more. The kiters there also have too launch and land over each in the smallest amount of beach and was very dangerous. To top that, there was also certified instructors teaching in these conditions. I kited there and it scared the hell out of me and made me very grateful for the lovely beaches, kiters and public in Adelaide.

SA also has the best state kiteboarding association in the country educating kiters, the public (as much as possible) in safe procedures and supplying kiters with insurance to ensure anyone that gets accidentally hurt will be covered. We should count our blessings.

To the locals of Henley that wish to have kiting banned, please come down and talk to us. We are happy to let help you understand what we do. If you are near kiters and is scares you move slightly up wind or tell us your concerns. Kiters take up a small amount of the coast. You don't set up on the beach in the middle of a beach cricket game, it takes up about the same space and has about the same risk. I wont say no one gets hurt by kiters, but it is rare and we also help a lot of people having difficulty in the surf. The beach is the general publics, not just the owners of land near by and we do have a right like everyone else to use it.

Easy to joke about it, but it's a shame when a couple of idiots (who will probably sell their gear in 6 months to buy Jetski's anyway) ruin it for everyone else.

I agree Jay & Hennerz, It doesn't take a lot of thinking to do the safe option, not that difficult either.

The way I see it is that if we don't do the right thing with regards to etiquette, legality and safety, we will lose the awesomely convenient access we have to our metro beaches.

Full support for Croc and SAKSA on the South Central Coast, if the city looses its beaches and everyone ends up down with us how long before we loose our beaches as well.
Southcentral has Zero tolerance for careless kitesurfing and 'harsh' is what people will find with the locals for stupidity, and have found them, I also make no apology for this.

with miles of beaches and plenty of space South Central and South East coastline has no reason for any innocent beach users to be at risk from stupid kitesurfing.

Everone is fully invited to come over and join the group, 100%, get up the beach at Goolwa a couple of ks and cut loose

enjoy

Daz

children... children

Lets not get to paranoid.

kitepolice said...


children... children

Lets not get to paranoid.

maybe the cops could help people launch and if someone is setting up or riding to close to kids or swimmers they could taser them or pepper spray them.