Have just been talking to a mate about the upcoming winter situation, and given that I dont intend to stop kiting throughout the winter this is of good reference. Coming from a windsurfing background, the issue of sudden squalls is not a major issue, either ride it out and try tail walking the board across the water or jump in the water and hold onto the mast till the big wind has gone. Where I kite you can see the definite line in the clouds as they break over the hill from the ocean. At that stage wind is a comfy 15knots then when it hits the wind can jump well above the 35+knots for the next five minutes till it passes. Having a kite in the air is just going to be too dangerous, so on that note, will probably wait till the squally NW winds have passed from the front and have swung to the more consistent SWesters of the post front. Sadly will probably drag out the windsurf gear for the prefrontals.

Winter riding is fun. The crowds on the beach go, the wind cranks and so does the swell. Plus it sorts the men from the boys on the water too.

In this day and age with rain radar, live weather readings and pretty accurate forecasting sites there's really no excuse to be surprised when a squall hits. They never materialise out of an otherwise calm day. You can see them coming for hours on the rain radar. You can see the effect of previous squalls on the day on live weather stations through out the day.

The most important decision is what kite to rig. Small and struggle in the lulls or big and put the kite down before the squall hits. It depends on the day.

Some hints for the newbie.

* Don't rig a bigger kite than the experienced guys on the beach.

* If the experienced guys all land their kites before some in coming clouds..... So should you.

* If the experienced guys aren't going out.... neither should you!

* If the cloud upwind is black and angry, LAND YOUR KITR WELL IN ADVANCE!... The wind gradient pushes out 5-10 mins in front of the cloud.

harry potter said..
Also worth noting that sometimes if you do get caught in a squall it can be better to head out to sea 1-200 m and ride it out from there rather than attempting to land.

But you know what happens after squalls- the wind dies and if you out at sea I would not enjoy the swim back

being worried is not the same as not enjoying something

Chris6791 said..

loftsofwind said..

harry potter said..
Also worth noting that sometimes if you do get caught in a squall it can be better to head out to sea 1-200 m and ride it out from there rather than attempting to land.

But you know what happens after squalls- the wind dies and if you out at sea I would not enjoy the swim back

That's easy then, make sure you have your kite on the beach before the squall gets close because the only safe way to ride out a decent squall is if you are on the water is several hundred metres out to sea and away from any hard objects. So you have room to give up ground or punch out long before you get near the beach and hard objects if its goes pear shaped.

It depends on the sea conditions and the angle of the wind. Cross shore for example does not require to be several hundred meters out.
Heavy swell may mean its more dangerous out past the breakers if the wind dies.

Land the kite prior to the squall or rig a kite that can handle the squall and keep riding like a legend. On squally days you can see the effect of the squall on live weather web sites as they go through. You can closely predict it will spike to 35 knots or 40 knots when the squall comes through. If no other squalls have been through for the day, that's easy too... Land your kite, the squall cannot be predicted.

If it gets stupid windy even a kite flagged to safety will have a ton of pull. Like the vid above. The guy can't walk the line to the kite when its blowing 50 knots. The best thing to do then is flag the kite to safety in the water. Hopefully a wave washes over it and it give you enough time to secure the kite.

Great advice here. Make sure you take notice.

BUT

It's not all doom and gloom.

Winter kiting is awesome.

Respect it and you will have some of the best sessions. This thread is not to scare, its to raise awareness

safety tips aside the question you have to ask yourself is why is the first guy wearing washing up gloves, and if you were on the beach would you land a guy wearing viledas..?

harry potter said..

loftsofwind said..

harry potter said..
Also worth noting that sometimes if you do get caught in a squall it can be better to head out to sea 1-200 m and ride it out from there rather than attempting to land.

But you know what happens after squalls- the wind dies and if you out at sea I would not enjoy the swim back

If a 1-200m swim worries you..... You need another sport

It would bother me if my kite was down and lines wrapped around me because of the squall.
A 200 m swim is not as easy as it sounds.

In both videos they both keep their kites at 12 when the squall goes past, huge danger of being lofted... Wouldn't it be smart to quick release as soon as the squall hits ? Self rescue would be tricky in those conditions...

shi thouse said..
Have just been talking to a mate about the upcoming winter situation, and given that I dont intend to stop kiting throughout the winter this is of good reference. Coming from a windsurfing background, the issue of sudden squalls is not a major issue, either ride it out and try tail walking the board across the water or jump in the water and hold onto the mast till the big wind has gone. Where I kite you can see the definite line in the clouds as they break over the hill from the ocean. At that stage wind is a comfy 15knots then when it hits the wind can jump well above the 35+knots for the next five minutes till it passes. Having a kite in the air is just going to be too dangerous, so on that note, will probably wait till the squally NW winds have passed from the front and have swung to the more consistent SWesters of the post front. Sadly will probably drag out the windsurf gear for the prefrontals.

Take your bigger kite and ride the squalls out, just crank the depower if you need. This is what I tend to do in winter squalls. Its so funny when the squall pasts everyones kite are in the water and not flying and I'm the only one riding! HAHA

Plummet said...

MDSXR6T said..
If you struggle to swim 200m in any conditions your kiting in, you shouldn't be out.

That is a statement from a person that hasn't been out in heavy conditions. 200m Is a lifetime away in some conditions. It sounds easy sitting behind a keyboard being a hero. But out there when your being battered by monster swell, have to negotiate rips and current its a completely different story. I took 45 mins to swim from approxitmately 200m out one time. It was HARD!

I know you love the heroics of your monster NZ swell and 30kn winds but perhaps a short swim that took 45min of really hard work meant conditions that you might be better off sitting out and waiting for more suitable conditions?

No point being a dead hero

flyingcab said..


Take your bigger kite and ride the squalls out, just crank the depower if you need. This is what I tend to do in winter squalls. Its so funny when the squall pasts everyones kite are in the water and not flying and I'm the only one riding! HAHA

With correct kite selection and local weather knowledge and research this is entirely possible. The key is to rig a kite that can handle the max gust and still ride through the lulls.

Eg 10-20 gutsing to 25 = 13m
16-20 gusting to 30 = 10m
20-25 gusting to 35 = 8m
25-30 gusting to 40+= 6m

waveslave said..
I can state for a fact,

that when crew are watching my winter wavekiting,

no one is digging what I'm doing,

except for me of course.

lol.

Let me fix that for you:

I can state for a fact,

that when I'm out kiting anytime of the year

no one is digging what I'm doing

except me of course....

I'm glad at least some people understand the benefits of being out to see if a squall hits.

Coming in to land and Trying to land your kite in a gusty 45+knot squall is exceptionally dangerous. Particularly if you need to self land even flagging the kite out in those winds can drag you down the beach.
By all means if there are people on the beach to catch your kite perhaps attempt to land it, but use caution as it can be incredibly hard to keep the kite stable in those winds .... They tend to surge forward in the window at the most in opportune time.
I have been caught out more than my fair share usually you know the squalls are coming in the distance but the swell or boost entice you to stay out longer.
I simply head a bit further out take the kite out to the edge of the window and sit a wingtip on the water and wait it out.
Haven't had to swim in yet either