This seems to be becoming an epidemic at Cronulla and Wanda again.
Unfortunatly these self centred ignorant fools are putting the sport in danger of getting us all banned.
Some of the excuses I have heard from people I have confronted about it are:
"I'm a local and I can do what I want"
"I thought that it only applied to jet ski's" even though there where no surfers in the area and the flags on the outside of the red and yellows clearly state no surf craft.
And most probably the most annoying from a national team rider "there was no one in the water so I thought it was ok to kite there"

Please people go look at the boating handbook and make youselfs aware of the regulation surrounding the swimming areas, and before you start blaming euros and turos for getting the sport banned remember that they are just following the example of the better kites in the area

Well said IanR. We have the same problem with a select few at Nobbys beach. Plenty of arrogance and no common sense.

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IanR said..

And most probably the most annoying from a national team rider "there was no one in the water so I thought it was ok to kite there"

Not to mention some people swimming in waves hard to see, their heads only pop up every now and then.

And sunny coast kiters - please don't launch/land 10 metres upwind of the flagged areas. if something goes wrong you'll take everyone out between the flags. give it a hundred metres or go downwind.

yeah, those between the flag riders are douches.

Here are two photos from a few weeks ago When there was a SLC carnival at Wanda and the swim area was at green hills the lens was a wide angle so the kiters look further out than they are

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IanR said..
Here are two photos from a few weeks ago When there was a SLC carnival at Wanda and the swim area was at green hills the lens was a wide angle so the kiters look further out than they are

If that happened at Mentone the clubbies would be out on their jetskis chasing them down. It's always entertaining to watch (usually newbies to the area) getting yelled at. They even threaten us they'll call the police and we say, "go ahead". They don't quite understand that we cannot be responsible for the actions of kiters (much as we try to warn them).

What if you can't swim...?
Then the safest place would be between the flags..
I gave ten bucks to a chubby clubby dancing with a money bucket out the front of the servo once..
I goddamn paid to kite between the flags

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theDoctor said..

What if you can't swim...?
Then the safest place would be between the flags..
I gave ten bucks to a chubby clubby dancing with a money bucket out the front of the servo once..
I goddamn paid to kite between the flags

Yep.. I wonder how many people at Bondage "ask" to be rescued, in the vain hope of being on TV or getting an instagram pic

Don't mess with the mentone clubbies , even being a member doesnt give you more rights.

The most fascist bullsheet organisation ever
Once watched a clubbed head kick an 8 year old out of the flags at leightons beach because he had a fibreglass board that he was riding whitewash from waist deep to the shore on.
The kids was almost in tears when the bonnet wearing farktard barked at him to move, leaving his mate behind who was on a foamie.
There was literally no one else in the flags.
I gave the Muppet an absolute earfull in front of his pootroll posse and watched as they silently shuffled away from him. His only retort being he was the patrol captain.
Whilst all this was going on, the poor kid got caught in a rip and had to be brought back to the beach by a surfer.... if that's what you call those guys who paddle around on short boards in the onshore leightons shoredump.

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theDoctor said..

The most fascist bullsheet organisation ever
Once watched a clubbed head kick an 8 year old out of the flags at leightons beach because he had a fibreglass board that he was riding whitewash from waist deep to the shore on.
The kids was almost in tears when the bonnet wearing farktard barked at him to move, leaving his mate behind who was on a foamie.
There was literally no one else in the flags.
I gave the Muppet an absolute earfull in front of his pootroll posse and watched as they silently shuffled away from him. His only retort being he was the patrol captain.
Whilst all this was going on, the poor kid got caught in a rip and had to be brought back to the beach by a surfer.... if that's what you call those guys who paddle around on short boards in the onshore leightons shoredump.

I'm sure you're just taking the piss, trolling, or baiting, but in case you're serious:
That "bullsheet" organisation is comprised of many kind volunteers who give up valuable family/beer-drinking/chilling/hobby/sport/work time to wait around for hours almost aimlessly in the very rare event they will be needed to save someones life. Then they may do exactly that.

If they make a small safe place on the beach and have a rule there that says there is to be no unsafe activities or unsafe things in this small patch of water they look over, so your grandma/ child/ friend (or even god forbid; tourists and strangers) can wade/swim/dip in safety, then what's the big deal? Kite/surf/jetski/fish etc on the other 95% of the beach..

Regarding your instance above, perhaps one might consider a hard fibreglass board to be a no-no in such a zone, whereas a foamie is acceptable, irrespective of it anyone else is there or not to get hit? Maybe even an 8 year old kid has to learn the rules (and empathy for other beach users) too; it sounds like you might also benefit from this. - quite frankly I wish I saw you giving the SLS guy an ear-full so I could return you the favour.
Also did you consider it was perhaps because you were engaging the SLS guy in a acoustically-violent protest of the well-established rules that led to his attention being diverted, and hence being the primary reason that other poor kid ended up getting sucked out in a rip?! Mate...
Imagine if that kid had drowned; would that have supported / strengthened your anti-SLS / anti-flagged-zones sentiment, or would you then realise you were actually the 'farktard' in that moment?

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theDoctor said..

What if you can't swim...?
Then the safest place would be between the flags..
I gave ten bucks to a chubby clubby dancing with a money bucket out the front of the servo once..
I goddamn paid to kite between the flags

If you can't swim you shouldn't kite (at least in water you don't feel safe in; perhaps over ankle depth in your case?).
You didn't pay to kite between the flags, you donated to a good cause. (Which may stop future PMs getting lost to the sea. Oh wait, maybe that's a good thing?...)


Disclaimer: I'm not a SLSer, and have been told off by them before over the megaphone once; and felt as embarrassed as that 8 year old kid! But I was also in the wrong (and also accidentally so)...

Not gonna lie, few of These posts where a proper kick in the guts. Alot of us put in alot of hours without personel reward to potentially save atleast one life in our time. I know our rules suck sometimes, even I get frustrated when my own P.C.s set up right in a spot I want to kite on my days off, and on my own beach, but they have a job to do, and they do it well. Providing a safe spot for families to swim is as Aussie as it gets. Give them a break. Find elsewhere to kite, and or board.

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SandyToes said..

theDoctor said..

The most fascist bullsheet organisation ever
Once watched a clubbed head kick an 8 year old out of the flags at leightons beach because he had a fibreglass board that he was riding whitewash from waist deep to the shore on.
The kids was almost in tears when the bonnet wearing farktard barked at him to move, leaving his mate behind who was on a foamie.
There was literally no one else in the flags.
I gave the Muppet an absolute earfull in front of his pootroll posse and watched as they silently shuffled away from him. His only retort being he was the patrol captain.
Whilst all this was going on, the poor kid got caught in a rip and had to be brought back to the beach by a surfer.... if that's what you call those guys who paddle around on short boards in the onshore leightons shoredump.

I'm sure you're just taking the piss, trolling, or baiting, but in case you're serious:
That "bullsheet" organisation is comprised of many kind volunteers who give up valuable family/beer-drinking/chilling/hobby/sport/work time to wait around for hours almost aimlessly in the very rare event they will be needed to save someones life. Then they may do exactly that.

If they make a small safe place on the beach and have a rule there that says there is to be no unsafe activities or unsafe things in this small patch of water they look over, so your grandma/ child/ friend (or even god forbid; tourists and strangers) can wade/swim/dip in safety, then what's the big deal? Kite/surf/jetski/fish etc on the other 95% of the beach..

Regarding your instance above, perhaps one might consider a hard fibreglass board to be a no-no in such a zone, whereas a foamie is acceptable, irrespective of it anyone else is there or not to get hit? Maybe even an 8 year old kid has to learn the rules (and empathy for other beach users) too; it sounds like you might also benefit from this. - quite frankly I wish I saw you giving the SLS guy an ear-full so I could return you the favour.
Also did you consider it was perhaps because you were engaging the SLS guy in a acoustically-violent protest of the well-established rules that led to his attention being diverted, and hence being the primary reason that other poor kid ended up getting sucked out in a rip?! Mate...
Imagine if that kid had drowned; would that have supported / strengthened your anti-SLS / anti-flagged-zones sentiment, or would you then realise you were actually the 'farktard' in that moment?

theDoctor said..

What if you can't swim...?
Then the safest place would be between the flags..
I gave ten bucks to a chubby clubby dancing with a money bucket out the front of the servo once..
I goddamn paid to kite between the flags

If you can't swim you shouldn't kite (at least in water you don't feel safe in; perhaps over ankle depth in your case?).
You didn't pay to kite between the flags, you donated to a good cause. (Which may stop future PMs getting lost to the sea. Oh wait, maybe that's a good thing?...)


Disclaimer: I'm not a SLSer, and have been told off by them before over the megaphone once; and felt as embarrassed as that 8 year old kid! But I was also in the wrong (and also accidentally so)...

Your words mean alot sandy toes. Much love!

I bet you're heaps of fun at parties too

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theDoctor said..

I bet you're heaps of fun at parties too

Can't speak for sandy toes but I'm pretty sure you havnt been to a kite event Iv been at if you directed that at me.
I just think families deserve to have a safe spot to swim at the beach bud. That's all. I put alot of time into making that happen.

the Doctor maybe a few bintangs deep? very angry

tbh though, i have heard a few times anecdotally now that there are some real bad eggs in the perth metro surf clubs that are in "leadership" positions for the patrols. Real toxic types that ruin culture, and focus on the ability to boss people (in their team, and the public) around rather than actually helping to make the beach safer as their priority. it was enough to put the otherwise keen to volunteer and be involved people i spoke to off, and they have never been back.

maybe it is a club by club proposition, or just a couple of bad eggs, but have heard it enough now to think there is some substance there. Could be that metro beaches here are rarely, really that dangerous compared to say the goldie, which means the well intentioned people get bored and lose interest whilst the power trip ego warriors stick around.

meh - not for me regardless, but i grew up in country surf clubs and it was a ripping entry to being passionate about the beach and surf that has never left me. And without them, i think the loss of life would make road safety look like nothing! all the best with it those that do the righty

Nope, mussie homestay
But i stand by my comments that most clubbies have their bonnets on too tight

Same happening at Long reef. We have less of it now but the most frustrating part is when "locals" are doing kiteloops near beachgoers and the flag area.

Same thing here at Port Stephens with some of the visitors over the holidays. Kiting in the flags, launching and landing in crowded beach areas and absolutely no idea about basic rules of the water or common sense safety issues. Talking to some of the offenders was a complete waste of time - absolutely clueless! Not sure what some instructors are teaching any more. Almost back to normal now thankfully.