As a noob myself I see threads like this very daunting.

Yes, i've had lessons, no, im not even trying to use my board yet, yes im flying my kite practicing body dragging and kite skills as advised by my instructor before moving to the board, yes im having more lessons once its time to move to the board. And yes im doing this at a beach with others around.

We dont know any background on the noob, maybe he had lessons and was doing what he was instructed to, get out there and practice.

We all accept the risks of kiteboarding and that includes being around other kiteboarders. Mistakes and accidents happen, i bet everyone posting in this thread has ****ed up once or twice.

Perhaps his assessment of the beach and wind wasnt correct, if it was howling 30 knots then sure, maybe not the best time to learn. Maybe his assessment was correct and he just made a mistake.

But for an instructor to blast him like that and tell him to leave the beach is completely uncalled for. Its not HIS beach and its this local attitude which is ****ed. Im all for paying respect to locals who kite the same location as often as possible but dont pull the piss and claim the beach as your own.

So as i mentioned, its very daunting to hear threads like this, its hard enough trying to learn the sport, but reading people's attitudes to "kooks, noobs" makes it doubly so.

@ Sammyjay
Nobody is directing comments to those 'noobs' following your path. Sounds like you are doing it the smart way.
Its people without correct instruction, often with inappropriate gear and no regard for their own safety or those around them that are the problem.
(again not condoning or condemning in this particular instance as I dont know the detail).
Im sure you will find that even when in the 'noob' category 99% of kiters out there will be more than happy to pitch in & help you wherever possible if you approach them openly & honestly. Thats one of the greatest things about this sport. The all-for-one & one-for-all acceptance of kiters everywhere makes it a very socially rewarding sport.

Its in everyones interest for new-comers - to the sport or location - to mix it with the experienced locals. You get to learn the tribal law that makes that particular spot work for everyone and they get to advise you on the best way for you to use the beach to your advantage without disadvantaging others.
Every beach is different. Its only by mixing in that everyone stays safe, happy & risk of incidents leading to potential bans are reduced.

Dont be intimidated - be friendly. You may be surprised by the response.

spot on puppet, i spend plenty of time with guys wanting to learn and the sport gives me a bigger buzz watching someone get up on their board than me personally having a session, we all started somewhere and some quicker than others , but plenty a kiter are happy to watch someone struggle (even get pleasure) than to give advice and help, on the water if someone needs space give them it, imo kite control is paramount and you shouldnt be going anywhere near a board untill you can really fly your kite, the seems a bit too much emphasis on getting on your board asap, kite control not boards are responsible for the dramas, the also seems to be a lot of agro creeping into the sport which surely benifits nobody

I here Pinnaroo Point is the perfect place to kite for beginners, shallow sea (no biters), no waves, plenty of people to help, rescue boat available, kite instructors around, nice beach, free parking. Head on down folks!

Ive attached cowbells to my kite so if i **** up and dive my kite, people hear it coming.. do the rambo roll and get the **** out of kites way.

Hi Guys,

There certainly is a lot of comments from people who were not there, didn't see it, and have no idea what happened. I haven't commented until now because I didn't know the full story either. I spoke to the instructor involved this morning and got his side of the story.

The beach was busy, (normally is on a day when it is sunny, windy and weekend). The "newbie" in question was trying to launch an 11m Rebel in 25-28 knots. He had not learned with our school and from what I have been told, VERY inexperienced to be even trying to put up a kite that big in those conditions. He panicked on launch, sheeted in and hung on forgrim death (another pure badly trained newbie trait). He became airborne and collided with my instructor downwind of him at full force.

Andrew (instructor) was hit in the back and didn't even see it coming. Now I don't know about you, but if I was hit by an adult being dragged by an 11m Rebel in even 25 knots, the impact would have been sufficient to knock you over like being hit by a truck. He was seriously scared that he had been permanently injured at first thought, such was the impact. Luckily the spreader hook hit him square in the camelback he was wearing which probably saved him from serious back injury. He reacted through pain and shock and although I don't condone his language or tone, I can completely understand he may have been pi$$ed off at having near been killed or at least maimed and told the guy to pack up and leave the beach.

The "newbie" was considered a liability on the beach from my understanding. As an instructor, we do our level best to teach students to be the safest they can be so as this sort of thing doesn't happen. Unfortunately, we are getting a LOT of numpty beginners coming into the shop and wanting the cheapest 2nd hand kite we have. When asked about lessons we are usually told they don't need them, their mate will give them a lesson. These are the sorts of problems instructors deal with everyday on the beaches, it's frustrating and dangerous and we are powerless to prevent any d1ckhead from buying a kite off Gumtree and rocking up on a high wind day with a couple of mates and an esky full of beer (seen it too many times to be funny ).

We all need to take care on the beach and look out for each other, that included jumping in and stopping something that may go wrong. (This is where as a bystander or other kiter, you have an oblidation too). I ask my instructors to devote all of their attention to their student during lesson time. Despite this, I understand our instructors did 4 boat rescues on Saturday, all of which were for people that had not done lessons with us, nor were they customers of the shop.

We do this as part of our obligation to the safety of the riders at Pinnaroo. Our instructors will interact and get involved in safety issues, but they are devoted to our customers, not to launch and land your kites if they are working. They will help out if "of duty" as anyone would.

We have the best safety track record of any school in Australia and have been runnning longer than any school in Oz. This is not by accident. (Pun intended)

Please do not post your thoughts or pass comment if you don't have the facts. I stand behind my team at the beach, they are all good guys and girls, extremely conscienscious and highly skilled professional instructors, and are all very approachable if they aren't working, but they are asked not to get distracted whilst they have paying customers in their care. Please afford them some courtesy, they are doing a good job in extremely tough circumstances and the weight of their responsibility to the safety of our customers and others on the beach is not lost on them. They have enough stress without everyone laying in the boots in a situation many have no idea about.

The newbie in question came up and apologised to Andrew afterwards. Luckily there was no major damage and no one was badly injured although Andrew is sore as hell and will have some worthy black bruising to prove his narrow escape.

Thanks,

Darren Marshall
Australian Kiteboarding School