My job has me on call a lot. Unfortunately my better half isn't prepared to be my kite biatch - sitting on the beach with my phone and honking a car horn if it rings. This means I miss a lot of sessions

Has anyone found a way to have a mobile out on the water, that you can answer and deal with problems? Was thinking perhaps a waterproof phone mounted on the bar, so I don't risk dropping it.

Any suggestions?

hey mate i have the same situation for 1 out of 5 weeks with my job. what i thought about was paying a school kid $10 an hour or something to sit on the beach and look after the phone while i was out. answer and take a message for ya then blow an airhorn or something to let you know... LOL. honking the car horn is a good idea.

I had this same problem 1 week out of 4. I used to put my phone in my kite bag and then just come in and check it every 30 mins or so. I was always paranoid about missing a call though.

Another thing i have done is to drive just south of mandurah where you can drive onto the beach. Still within an hour of work so ticks the box. I put my phone standing up on the bonnet of my car so if it rings it will vibrate and fall over and i'll see it from the water.

Not ideal but you do what you have to.

x2

the whole point of kitesurfing is that you can disconnect from the rest of the world...

i reckon just have the voice mail on... you can make the voice mail sound like you are flat (water) out... working hard (your kite)... or on the "board" meeting... you'r (kite lines) stretched to the limit... tell them you will get back to them as soon as (session is over) possible...

When on call, I sealed my pager in two condoms then secured the pager inside my Gath helmet, I could hear it easy and never leaked.

Dorky I admit, but better than letting a possible work issue prohibit a guaranteed kiting / surfing session.

If I was in same position now I would get a water proof arm band for music player and put phone / pager in it.

Well well well what has the world come to ?

WTF Ever heard of voicemail & a watch

Sorry - No Love on this buddies

Put your flak jackets on, its coming at ya

P.s Ryebloke - when your pager goes off.. bein rapt in 2nd hand raincoats does it remind you to ring someone or have already rung them

red thumbed for trying to find a way to spend more time on the water - very strange.

Thanks for the suggestions

Superlizard - would love to just be uncontactable. At the moment that is the only time I get on the water. Looking for a way to increase my opportunities

Not sure I like having a condom in my helmet. Perhaps just in a waterproof pouch around my neck

this is an issue for so many of us- I was lucky enough to convince my girl to walk the dog and wave to me if a call came in, have been surfing a few times and took it in an aquapac....the aquapac leaked and goodbye phone.

Maybe hook the phone up to a light ? a flashing one ontop of the car ?

There are waterproof things that the lifeguards use for their walky talkies. They'd do the trick!

I have a water proof phone cover that I got at a camping shop . I use it when im on call
You can take talk through it . Mates laugh at me out in the surf or kiting when im on the phone it works will

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olly said...

I have a water proof phone cover that I got at a camping shop . I use it when im on call
You can take talk through it . Mates laugh at me out in the surf or kiting when im on the phone it works will

we don't just laugh at you, we also say things about you while your out on the water.
Now im thinking a few prank calls would be fun, we can wait till you let your kite down then tell you

just shelve it.

Have the same problem .ended up buying a waterproof phone case from camping shop Anocanda,have 3 zip locks and valcro seal and hangs off a string around your neck and just tucks it in under my shirt,One time I tried answering whilst fagin along on a 25kt day and got majorly drilled , looping the kite and getting smashed ,I advise to pull up to answer it.

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sir ROWDY said...

just shelve it.

Don't forget your shelving applicator!

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brady said...
Perhaps just in a waterproof pouch around my neck

I tried a hard waterproof case for my mobile, hung it round my neck and stuffed it down the front of my top ready for a downwinder.
Unfortunately I crashed hard 10 minutes in, cracking both the waterproof case and one of my ribs.

Lesson learnt.

IMO, buy one of the armband thingys, they look slightly less "damaging"

Brady, Yeah it sucks being on call all the time doesn't it, people just don't get that it is a requirement of your employment.
I use to be an electrician (1 of 2) responsible for a power station and all electrical services on a tourist Island surrounded by surf. I was on call every second week for years and had to carry the on call phone, the Power Station pager and an emergency services pager.
I would get some strange looks (and often comments) walking around on the weekend in my boardies with all that electronics hanging off me.

At times I would talk my son into coming out to the beach with me, to sit and mind the phone and pagers, if I was required he would hang my towel over the railing so I would see it and catch the next wave in.
At other times I would just use a waterproof pouch (like one in one of the links above) around my neck and tucked into my wettie/rashie and it did the trick.
I was always nervous heading back to the settlement after a late sunset session praying that the lights would still be on.

You can also now get waterproof phones, a mate that is an instructor has one, I don't think I would trust its waterproofing for kiting but combined with a waterproof bag it may be the answer.

store.m8sr8s.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=323

+ 1 for the overboard pouch. Bought one last week from a ship chandlery and have been loving the tunes - would prob work for a mobile too. I just chuck the ipod down the back of my wettie and while it's bizarre wiping out to a sound track, the set up has kept he ipod dry...well...so far.

Those waterproof phones sound like the go Brades but for a quick solution, maybe have your phone on vibrate in such a bag – chuck it down the front of your wettie on a short lanyard. You’d know if it goes off and you can pull it out and check it periodically too. Although you’d have to come in to take a call, you’d get your session.

Mate, knowing what you do for a living – full kudos for trying to find a work around - you rock . Hope the north is getting some good wind and surf.

The dinger works well. You've seen me sticking a phone in a condom before, it's ultra cool, all the kids are doing it these days. Then it went in the camelback. Mainly for rescue and calling someone who might give a sh1t, and/or sticking it up skippys arse and telling him to fetch help etc

BUT you could get something that straps it to your chest, or just shove it down the leg (or arm) of your wetty and use a velcro strap (or two) to stop it falling out. A bit hard to answer down there, but you'd feel it vibrating.

Wetty should protect it alright. As a backup, go buy a cheap crap phone just in case it farks up, then when you get in you can get a phone working.

It's hard not getting out when it's cranking, this little vid should make you feel awesome about just living here...

Have pondered about taking a phone for a long (island to mainland) downwinder...

The cunning plan so far is to put the current sim card in an old phone (just in case it all goes pear shaped, at least you don't drown a good phone). Then use a 'foodsaver' bag sealer (essentially a vacuum pump with a strip heat sealer) to seal the phone in a bag. It is possible to seal the bag without vacuuming all the air out if you prefer. An extra weld on one corner would give a safe place to punch a hole for a lanyard. (or just put the whole thing in a mesh bag)
I am confident that the bag will be 100% water proof as I have used them for all sorts of things and never had a leak. Haven't tried actually using the phone in the bag yet. Would need to have loudspeaker & ringer on full volume, vibrate on.
At worst, texting would still be possible (tho this won't be much help if on call for work).

Those without a foodsaver bag sealer could just use the end of an old kite bladder and seal using the standard baking paper, wooden pencil & hot iron. Make the bag a bit longer than you need to allow for cutting it open & resealing each time it is used.

Hope this helps....

ps. Ironic to see this post now, as just today my phone came off the belt clip and landed in a toilet
Now in phone heaven

Taking a mobile phone out while kiting. Whats the point of kiting. Leave the phone in the car or get another job.

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ryebloke said...

When on call, I sealed my pager in two condoms then secured the pager inside my Gath helmet, I could hear it easy and never leaked.

Dorky I admit, but better than letting a possible work issue prohibit a guaranteed kiting / surfing session.

If I was in same position now I would get a water proof arm band for music player and put phone / pager in it.

Just make sure you throw out the fragger wrappers,
If ya misses finds empty ones in your car.......................

Unless you actually need to answer the phone first time it rings and case will do the job. Then when the phone rings head in to the beach and call them back.

pretty sure you can get car kits that beep the horn when the phone rings !
Failing that the Seabreeze shop has "Bluebottle" waterproof phone pouches, they sent me one after one of their competitions.
I've never used it but will do so, and post a review if anyone's interested ??

on call at least 1 in 2. I have tried all the packs. aqua packs work good, so do paquas (they make them with an arm strap)

Used to buy the cheapest unlocked phone (60 - 70) and transfer my sim each time to save my good phone in case of a flood. Because i have so many packs i now just put my good phone in an aquapck and then put that into a paqua mk 2 with arm strap and strap to my arm. Also Have reminder software (best reminder for nokia download) so if I miss the coil it lets of an alarm every 30 secs untill u answer)

I just kite into the beach and return the call or sometimes even just pull up, park the kite at 12 and take the call. the plastic cuts out the wave gurgling and wind noise and you can still have a conversation. Having the second level of defence means much less chance of water ingress (i have lost a few phones - ultimatley the pack splits or sand in the crimp style ones let a little water in. only takes a bit)

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rob1977 said...

Taking a mobile phone out while kiting. Whats the point of kiting. Leave the phone in the car or get another job.

you for real ,those of us who are on call have 2 options
1, sit down at the beach watching everyone else having a good time.
2,get a w/p case and at lest getting out there

no one here is trying to be cool and taking a phone out kiting,,

get another job,,,yeh right grow a brain ****head

Yeah,

How else can you be on the water and still "TWITter" to tell everyone how awsome you are.

^^^^Î thought your user name was "geezmynadshurt" lol

Hi Brady i kite most the time with my phone ( iphone currently ) both for work and so i can get my son to pick me up after down winder . Have used lots of different water proof cases right now trying H20 has fancy earphones if you want them ,but till now have used aqua pack commercial ones mainly ones with armbands but my advice is put your phone in zip lock plastic bag then aqua pack just in case, use armband and lanyard too (it will come off your arm in big waves if you crash ) . Using this double up system havent lost one.Also dont go the cheaper ones as they dont go the yards for kiting ok for lots of other stuff
Hope this helps

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tor said...

Get something like this http://www.over-board.com.au//catalog//bwaterproof-bags-and-casesb/technology-cases/index.30_43.html?gclid=CICd5b-bjaICFQIwpAod6VLVWA

I hear theyre pretty good. I had a mate with an ipod case like that, theyre only meant to go a few metres deep but he took it diving no problem.

Arrived in the mail yesterday. Hopefully getting out tomorrow and will try it then. The extra zip-lock bag soudns useful

Attach the phone to a strut and put it on loudspeaker ;) ha!