Well, here we go, like I said in another earlier post, the writing is on the wall if you cared to look. Seems you no longer need to look at the wall, it's on the news.

www.perthnow.com.au/

Nice work and thanks to the few who don't give a toss about our beach access. This has the potential, to create a ripple effect around the country.

Good time for a complete crackdown and maybe a license ???????

It's definately that reckless young Dan Anderson, snapped in the middle of irresposibility

Good winds,

I hate sensationalistic news media.

They talked about a handful of events over the last 15 yrs or so - but how about a realistic comparison or two ?

How many kids drown in pools every year? How many people get hurt/killed in cars every year? How many pedestrians or bike riders are injured or killed on footpaths and roads every year? Yet we dont ban pools in the backyard, riding on the roads or driving now do we?

This is just BS media. The people that write this crap and make these decisions (baning or designating areas) are generally ill informed and have no idea about the sport. That beanhead who wrote a response to the article at the bottom of the web page is a classic - "ropes under tension" ?? Comparing kiting to machinery on beaches ? What a knob.

Hopefully this will blow over as it should.

User - I think you may need to address the lithium deficiency in yourself champ.

No where did I state that anyone who has criticism is a knob or beanhead. No where did the bloke who wrote a response say there was any "idiots waving kitelines all over the beach,nearly decapitating young chidren" either. What he did do is say:

"what if it was machinery with ropes cutting across the beaches under tension, would be a safety issue and shut down."

I do not think that this is a fair comparison to kiting, hence the point I was trying to make about people being ill informed and having no idea of the sport. I apologise if you took offence to the two emotive words I used to express my frustrations here - perhaps I could have used a better choice of words or even not used them at all - but Im surprised you all of a sudden imply that Im part of a minority of arrogant riders for doing nothing other than expressing my frustrations at all this hooha getting around the media about kiting.

I think youve got a little carried away with what I wrote by trying to perhaps read between the lines a little too much.

Perhaps you should become a journo - cause according to you those ropes under tension can take your head off almost I think the writer meant that lines under tension breaking is the cause for danger - but he didnt specifically say.

Either way - settle down mate. Were all on the same team here

Coming from a windsurfer (me):

I don't think kiting is too dangerous, but i reckon anyone on a boat type craft (boat, jetski, sailboard, kiteboard) should have the responsibility to keep outta the way of swimmers etc.

Some basic sailing principles of rights and rules and courtesy on the water need to be instilled to those kiters (and probably some windsurfers too, and definately alot of jetskiers) who don't come from a sailing background and may not know the proper ethos when on the water.

This is assuming alot of windsurfers come from a sailing background, whilst kiting is a newish sport which may attract people from non-sailing backgrounds.

This may spark controversy from those diehard kiters who think windsurfing is this and that, and since i do it, therfore I am this and that. But, whatever gets you on the water, don't spoil it for everyone. A little maturity here boys (and girls).

user said...

OK. We are on the same team here.

Well,I think the "team" needs to address the risks of bans ect. in a diplomatic,intelligent way.

Calling members of the public "beanheads" and Knobs" because they are unimformed on the parts of a kite or the real dangers is asking for trouble.

The "knob" may just be a councillor or such.

The only beanheads and knobs are the kiters that act irresponsibly on the beach,causing problems.

User - Freedom of speech is one of the few bastions we have left. As I said before I certainly could have used a better choice of words - I acknowledge that.

However a few words on a public forum are hardly going to cause the grief your worried about, even if read by a councillor If only words were to cause beach closures to kiters, then I think our society has much bigger problems to be concerned with.

Like you said - it is those that act irresponsibly and cause problems we need to worry about. As mentioned in the article, we need to be a self policing group. No amount of licensing, or other governance can eliminate those that choose or inadvertently act irresponsibly. I think its important we concentrate on those we see acting questionably in a non confrontational manner to help solve the problems. We have a set of rules and procedures - we just need to stick with them and ensure others do.

Having said that - I also would support any kind of licencing required. I love the sport and would be more than happy to pay for a licence on proof of lesson completion, or a display of competence of some kind. But this would be a sheeat-fite to try and manage and police effectively.

user said...

One important thing . The original news story is about banning on BUSY METROPOLITAN BEACHES.
This is common sense. In Sydney those bans have been in place for a long time. Bondi,Coogee etc.

I'm unsurprised,
I find this latest threat to kitesurfing completely predictable.
If kite-dragging schools continue to flourish and multiply,
stamping out newbies in cookie-cutter fashion,
like kooks coming off the assembly-line conveyor belt.....
And if the Industry continues to talk it up, sell it hard.....
What else can you expect ?
Of course inner city beaches like Scarborough will be invaded by kiting-noobs.
And of course some beach-goers of these inner city beaches will protest at the onslaught.
It's all about the over-proliferation of strings on these public beaches.
For any given popular public beach, there must be a 'number' (of kiters) that borders on unsustainability.
Maybe that number has been reached on some beaches....or is fast approaching.

And does anyone believe a license will make for fewer strings ?
lol.

Abesy said...

u used to be a kook to waveslave...
imagine if u wanted to get into the sport and some tool was telling u there were already too many people doing it so go find some other sport....

lol.
I'm not telling folks to find some other sport....
I'm simply suggesting that when the number (of kiters) becomes unsustainable on a particular beach...
then the whole process becomes unworkable.
Just like if you had a large number of vehicles driving on a road that was designed for a lesser volume.
You end up having gridlock.
More than 6 wavekiters at my local is a log-jam.
It's that simple.

Now,
If kitesurfing had been allowed to grow organically,
at it's own cruisey pace....
like surfing had done prior to the 1990's;
then kitesurfing (as we know it) may have had a fighting chance of survival.

But in the same way that the surfing Industry looked to the snowfields for corporate inspiration (taking note of the huge 'benefits' of highly organized ski-schools),
the kite Industry invented IKO and newbie-zoos.

The die was cast.

waveslave said...

Now,
If kitesurfing had been allowed to grow organically,
at it's own cruisey pace....
like surfing had done prior to the 1990's;
then kitesurfing (as we know it) may have had a fighting chance of survival.

But in the same way that the surfing Industry looked to the snowfields for corporate inspiration (taking note of the huge 'benefits' of highly organized ski-schools),
the kite Industry invented IKO and newbie-zoos.

The die was cast.

Growth and MORE Growth

LOL

kiter789 said...

Other hand; always, ALWAYS slag off the authors of alarmist sensationalist bull****.

What will that do? The media have the power to make the public think what they want, If the media say kite surfing should be banned, then the public, will most likely support that. so if everyone starts slagging them the off dont expect them to write anything good about us... We need to keep the media on side. Slagging them off will only piss them off!

felixk said...

kiter789 said...

Other hand; always, ALWAYS slag off the authors of alarmist sensationalist bull****.

What will that do? The media have the power to make the public think what they want, If the media say kite surfing should be banned, then the public, will most likely support that. so if everyone starts slagging them the off dont expect them to write anything good about us... We need to keep the media on side. Slagging them off will only piss them off!

So we just roll over and take it? Everyone should be a critical consumer of the media - media is about veracity and accountability.

I see your point, but being nice to the media so they will write nice things about you is a short term strategy. It simply means they will kowtow to the highest bidder, which only works if you are the highest bidder. The truth is a fairer arbiter.

it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside

very good point...DAN! SUE THEM! Stat!

GreenPat said...

Just wondering if they asked for comment.

Don't be silly Pat, you know the medias motto. "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

During an incident at Pinnaroo a year or two ago when there was a Channel 7 chopper filming a couple of guys being rescued off Pinnas, I rang the news desk to try and find out what spin they were putting on the story. I gave them a factual portrayal of events to try and avoid a pasting in the media, but of course they threw it all aside and sensationalised the hell out of it. My version of the story wouldn't sell advertising space.

Damn news is 70 BS most of the time.

Good winds,

Well then maybe we should make the licensing have teeth, fine them if they dont have one, they cant use ignorance as an excuse then can they?

If people reckon it wouldnt be enforcable as fines would never be delt or whatever, then neither would a full on ban - it too would have to governed by a fine system.

tezza49er said...

The Goldy and WA are sitting Ducks.

umm, the goldy is mega tourism central, and this weekend for instance, people drowned ,the lifesavers were stretched beyond capacity and even desk police were in patrol cars searching for drunk drivers, not to mention jet skiers and pissed boaties testing the water polices meager numbers.
does anyone think this tiny little pursuit called kitesurfing is of interest to the authorities?
surfers paradise night clubs are a war zone and bingo is on wednesday nites at the RSL.
the local kiters have a good pecking order.
it's all under control.

sensationalism seems to come from those who are uncomfortable with their own kiting abilities!