I am hoping someone may have some insight on my recent experience. I was kiting on an Ozone Rio, 8m. Was perfect at the start of the session but then the wind dropped and became very gusty. The chop was big and I was popping off the waves and ended up having a huge wipeout being pulled downwind. I can't really remember what happened but I lost hold of my bar and my lines were slack. The kite was in the water and was relaunching and diving by itself. Once I got back in control I relaunched the kite and the right steering line was twisted around the two centre lines. The left steering line was perfect with no twists. I was able to fly the kite on the left hand side of the window but if I tried to take it across to the right it became uncontrollable. Does anyone have any idea how one can get a twist in just one side and if it is possible to correct it without having to come back to shore?

The kite inverted on its self through the lines. either as it fell out of the sky or in the wave

You inverted your kite.

Sometimes you can rectify the situation by punching out prior to the invert and thus preventing this from happening.

If this does happen, don't stress as the kite can be flown back to shore no problems so that you can reset your lines.

Thanks for the response, if the kite inverted would it not have both the steering lines twisted around the centre lines? Mine was only twisted on one side and I can't work out what the process would have been to cause that. I understand the concept of an inverted kite but am confused by the twist in just one of the steering lines?

the kite can only invert into one of your steering lines. As long as the other one stays clear of the "inversion" it won't get twisted.

Hi Jolifou,

Kites don't always invert ''symmetrically''. you simply had an ''asymmetrical'' inversion where your kite ended up being sideways and only one of your back line crossed around the front lines as in the screenshots below:




Hope this makes sense

Christian

Yes it's a kite inversion as others said. Happens commonly with beginners, much rarer later on because typically when you're more experienced the lines don't ever really get slack which is the precursor to a kite inversion.

You can fly the kite safely back to shore to fix the lines, but the kite will fly differently. In your case because one of the back lines is now effectively shortened as it is wrapped around the front lines. You simply have to adjust for this by pulling the bar on the opposite side (the free side) in order to prevent the kite from dropping into the water.

I've done this one myself quite recently in a southerly this winter. Can happen to anyone, came off going over a pitching overhead wave heading back out, let go of the bar as I crashed into the water, wind was side off and a bit gusty, kite fell and rolled through one of my steering lines. Relaunched fine and due to the number of kiters and offshore direction I had to head out to sea in order to get back to the beach to sort out the lines.
You can definitely steer the kite, but obviously, one way is dodgy as that steering line is a bit tight. If the kite feels like it will be hard to steer on the dodgy side pull the trimmer in a bit this will give some slack on the rear lines and make it easier to steer in the dodgy direction.

Happened to me several times and I managed to get back to shore.

Once the kite double self-inverted but I didn't dare try relaunch it. What happens in this case ?

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Alysum said..
Happened to me several times and I managed to get back to shore.

Once the kite double self-inverted but I didn't dare try relaunch it. What happens in this case ?

I've had that happen too! I'm not a complete klutz, but I kite in waves all the times and sometimes sh1t does happen. You can definitely still steer the kite with 2 roll throughs, if its 2 on each side. Kite will relaunch like normal, steering will feel a bit heavy, but it will steers fine and you can easily got back to shore, then self land as usual using the flag out line.
If you managed to get one steering line wrapped around your front lines, you would not really know until it relaunched, you would need to depower a bit to give the rear line a bit of slack and I think you could still steer it and get back to shore.

The lines are rubbing, but they are rubbing at small angles to each other and not creating a lot of tension on one very small area, and provided you do not kite around for hours you will not get any damage to your lines from this sort of incident.

I remember watching a good video about how you can fix the inversion by pulling the safety in the water and resetting it. I can't find it for the life of me. Can anyone help?
It was from the mob over in WA afaicr.

Thanks very much for all the comments! I have had a symmetrical inverted kite before but had never experienced the asymmetrical inversion and was not sure what had happened. I was kiting off Namotu Island in Fiji and was rescued by a friend in a dingy but I would have had enough control to have been able to make it back to the Island. I had lost my board upwind and that became my priority so boat rescue seemed the quickest way to get searching for my board, which thankfully I found ??

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Ozone Kites Aus said..
I've done this one myself quite recently in a southerly this winter. Can happen to anyone, came off going over a pitching overhead wave heading back out, let go of the bar as I crashed into the water, wind was side off and a bit gusty, kite fell and rolled through one of my steering lines. Relaunched fine and due to the number of kiters and offshore direction I had to head out to sea in order to get back to the beach to sort out the lines.
You can definitely steer the kite, but obviously, one way is dodgy as that steering line is a bit tight. If the kite feels like it will be hard to steer on the dodgy side pull the trimmer in a bit this will give some slack on the rear lines and make it easier to steer in the dodgy direction.

Would you body drag to find the board using the "pull the trimmer" technique or is it better to get in, fix lines and then go searching?

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JoliFou said..

Ozone Kites Aus said..
I've done this one myself quite recently in a southerly this winter. Can happen to anyone, came off going over a pitching overhead wave heading back out, let go of the bar as I crashed into the water, wind was side off and a bit gusty, kite fell and rolled through one of my steering lines. Relaunched fine and due to the number of kiters and offshore direction I had to head out to sea in order to get back to the beach to sort out the lines.
You can definitely steer the kite, but obviously, one way is dodgy as that steering line is a bit tight. If the kite feels like it will be hard to steer on the dodgy side pull the trimmer in a bit this will give some slack on the rear lines and make it easier to steer in the dodgy direction.

Would you body drag to find the board using the "pull the trimmer" technique or is it better to get in, fix lines and then go searching?

Without a doubt I would body drag back to my board straight away. As has been discussed it's perfectly safe to control the kite with crossed lines as it pretty much behaves as normal (except more pull required).

Your board may be long gone in an outgoing tide, or rip by the time you body drag in, fix your lines, body drag out to look for your board.

Btw. always a good idea to put your phone number on your board with permanent marker. It's very easy to lose your board as a beginner.

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Ozone Kites Aus said..
....came off going over a pitching overhead wave.....

So what you're saying is....
It was 2foot

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theDoctor said..

Ozone Kites Aus said..
....came off going over a pitching overhead wave.....

So what you're saying is....
It was 2foot

60 knts and great whites patrolling

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JoliFou said..
I am hoping someone may have some insight on my recent experience. I was kiting on an Ozone Rio, 8m. Was perfect at the start of the session but then the wind dropped and became very gusty. The chop was big and I was popping off the waves and ended up having a huge wipeout being pulled downwind. I can't really remember what happened but I lost hold of my bar and my lines were slack. The kite was in the water and was relaunching and diving by itself. Once I got back in control I relaunched the kite and the right steering line was twisted around the two centre lines. The left steering line was perfect with no twists. I was able to fly the kite on the left hand side of the window but if I tried to take it across to the right it became uncontrollable. Does anyone have any idea how one can get a twist in just one side and if it is possible to correct it without having to come back to shore?

Hi!
Had a similar situation yesty. Weirdly my steering lines crossed over each other. Not the normal where they cross over the centre lines, but each other. So yep I had no control of my kite and being able to steer back to shore. So a self rescue it was in a nice set of waves. Am still trying to work out how the bloody hell they crossed.

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megsy said..


Hi!
Had a similar situation yesty. Weirdly my steering lines crossed over each other. Not the normal where they cross over the centre lines, but each other. So yep I had no control of my kite and being able to steer back to shore. So a self rescue it was in a nice set of waves. Am still trying to work out how the bloody hell they crossed.

Surely all u needed to do was give yr bar a turn 180 degree, or multiple turn for multiple twist. Left line at bar is still attached to left wing of kite and right side same story.
similar event to if you were doing kite loops

What am I possibly missing here?

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theDoctor said..

Ozone Kites Aus said..
....came off going over a pitching overhead wave.....

So what you're saying is....
It was 2foot

Yes, you should know by now if I say its head high its actually waist high for everyone else.

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megsy said..

JoliFou said..
I am hoping someone may have some insight on my recent experience. I was kiting on an Ozone Rio, 8m. Was perfect at the start of the session but then the wind dropped and became very gusty. The chop was big and I was popping off the waves and ended up having a huge wipeout being pulled downwind. I can't really remember what happened but I lost hold of my bar and my lines were slack. The kite was in the water and was relaunching and diving by itself. Once I got back in control I relaunched the kite and the right steering line was twisted around the two centre lines. The left steering line was perfect with no twists. I was able to fly the kite on the left hand side of the window but if I tried to take it across to the right it became uncontrollable. Does anyone have any idea how one can get a twist in just one side and if it is possible to correct it without having to come back to shore?

Hi!
Had a similar situation yesty. Weirdly my steering lines crossed over each other. Not the normal where they cross over the centre lines, but each other. So yep I had no control of my kite and being able to steer back to shore. So a self rescue it was in a nice set of waves. Am still trying to work out how the bloody hell they crossed.

So you did a loop or a back roll ? Could you not just spin the bar?

Happens a lot to Ozone kites for some reason. Try a different brand - any brand!

I've had this happen a few times recently with a 5-line kite, most recently day before yesterday in gusty conditions whilst jumping a wave (a skill i'm still developing) resulting in a messy packdown and long drag back to the beach. Please don't re-ignite any debates about pros/cons of 4 or 5 line kites, what i'm keen to hear are any tips to think about to avoid this happening again. Thanks

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TBB said..
I've had this happen a few times recently with a 5-line kite, most recently day before yesterday in gusty conditions whilst jumping a wave (a skill i'm still developing) resulting in a messy packdown and long drag back to the beach. Please don't re-ignite any debates about pros/cons of 4 or 5 line kites, what i'm keen to hear are any tips to think about to avoid this happening again. Thanks

Hi TBB,

Kite inversions are systematically a result of poor kite control.

Kites can sometimes invert in the air when front stalling (aka Hindenburg) but also after crashing the kite while the kiter keeps accelerating toward the kite which causes the lines to slack and the kite to roll over. It's hard to say which of these apply to your situation with so few details.

Kiters learning to jump often take off with poor edging and lots of speed. This results in a more horizontal jump (rather than vertical).

Without enough edging at take off the kite will quickly fly forward (behind your head) and can sometimes fly so far forward that the lines go completely slack and the kite falls down behind you, which often results in an inversion and could also potentially tangle lines around your body (very dangerous).

Front stalls are also much more likely to happen in gusty winds.

So most likely you need to work on your edging and take off skills, slow your speed down and try to get a more vertical lift rather than a horizontal one. Also avoid pushing the bar out while jumping, keep sheeting in an re-direct the kite aggressively for a smooth landing while keeping the kite in front of you.

Also, not sure what you mean by ''packdown'' and drag back to the beach? Did you deflate the kite and swim in?

Christian

Thanks Christian, crashing whilst travelling slightly downwind and jumping off a wave almost certainly the problem. Its that tricky balance between staying safe in gusty conditions and pushing the boundaries to improve.

In terms of a messy packdown, I just meant that recovering to a kite that has twisted itself into a corkscrew is somewhat harder.

Hopefully out again this evening, will focus on edging / line tension before takeoff.