Just got this item sent to us via the Feedback page:

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I love watching kite surfers-I am a surfer, and would love to learn sometime.I watched a mate --- ------- who now rides kites also, and was ripping up my home break 'seconds at cottesloe' yesterday - he was a gentleman and kept out of the way of surfers who were out there.

I was teaching a Dutch friend to surf...However I would like to complain about the behaviour of a kiter-a large, bald man with a german accent, in black rashie/boardies, witha grey kite/pink rimming was not-He was very dangerous and nearly ran me over twice despite being asked to be careful.

He is making a bad name for your exciting, new and potentially very dangerous sport. It's future depends on these early days - and the surfing community is worth keeping onside with given their establishment in this area.

If you can please help to keep this behaviour under control so that we can all use the ocean together, safely i would be much obliged. This is not the first time I have been 'terriorised' by kite surfers in perth-that may sound dramatic, but I don't like high tensile wire being hung over my neck at the best of times, let alone by someone I don't know who is happy to put my safety at risk while they squeeze another few metres out of their run, or hit that nice bit of wave-at someone elses expense.

Please note surfers are banned, fairly or unfairly as it may be, from many beaches for safety reasons and this at times is hard to contend with, but is the way it is here in this popular coastal area.

I hope I don't have to write any further complaints but will if required-next time it will be the newspapers. Thank you

sadly this isn't just isolated to Cottesloe. Having watched the increasing number of "heroes" getting closer and closer to swimmers at my local beach, sometimes between the flags.

Watched a bunch of idiots yesterday at secret harbour high fiving and woop wooping themselves as they did tricks really close to the shore whilst swerving amongst swimmers, how unbelievably stupid can you be!!

They were truely heroic with their tripod, photo session and big chest posturing.

Funny thing is i mentioned the problem of the fisherman, their burley and the shark problem to one of my neighbours last night(he is on the local council/lifesaver organisation) and he told me that that isn't going to be a problem much longer as they have a possible kiting ban on their next agenda.

So all i can say is many thanks to the really really cool people who MUST kite through swimmers, well done!! Thing is i can't blame the local council/organisations for wanting a ban and i reckon if it came to a vote i would actually vote FOR the ban, my wife and daughter were almost cleaned up by a learner who launched upwind!!!! of the flags and if a ban is the only way to keep them safe then so be it.

We all moan about this and that, but reality is we are wrecking the sport for ourselves.

Must be crazy down in the more populated area. Lucky up where I am no one goes swimming in the open ocean so it pretty much free range for kites.

But I did have an interesting conversation a member of the water police, he says there are discussion paper going around police/government about changing the laws about recreational boat license or PWC license to include any water craft that is not human powered (ie beach cats, windsurfers and kites). As well as making infringment actual affect your drivers license. So being a bad boy/girl means you could be walking or catching the bus

Its actually an interesting concept, a bit sucky to start with but could actually work in the long run.

Jihad

I am the terrorist, terrorist, terrorist, terrorist, tee ee ar ar o ar ist the terrorist, terrorist, terrorist, terrorist.

I got some surveilance footage I think the leader of the organisation is Andre Phillip.

I hope this doesn't all end in a fatality, if the councils had any brains they would insist on 3rd party insurance for kiters, and then signpost designated kiting areas, with warnings to non kiters, which also reduce a kiter's exposure to liability if something goes wrong.

The reverse could occur for kiters who ride in non-designated areas, this could say, result in a invalidation of insurance.

I know it sounds a bit fun police like but its better to be told where you definitely can ride rather than being told you can't ride anywhere!

Those kite surfers were killing it at Secret Harbour yesterday, I loved watching them and I think all the swimmers were enjoying it too.
It was to windy for me to kite yesterday but I think I had much more fun watching them than trying to kite, all I usually get to do is watch the same boring kite surfers. I live in Secret Harbour and I would love to see more kite surfers like those guys yestreday, you all welcome.
The banks are really good at the moment, not only that you get to kite with dolphins.
p.s. next time kite a litttle further south and everyone will be happy.
p.p.s lets have kite stock at Secret Harbour next year.

We must all play a part which would include having a 'friendly' word to anyone not kiting responsibly - more people doing this would contribute to safety 'in numbers'!

I agree Meerkat, Mike Mike and his mates love a crowd. You see them traveling the coast just looking for spectators. Even the big sharks traveling down from mandurah, they love a crowd.

I've been kite surfing at Guantanamo Bay for the last 4 years recently back in
Aus, sorry didn't mean to cause any offence.

D. Hicks

i'm glad i have the good old Australind estuary, the only thing you gota watch out for is the crabs