Hi All,
I'm putting together a free kitesurfing safety clinic this Saturday October14th at Pinnaroo Point. Clinic Starts at 11:30AM
Details here www.seabreeze.com.au/Events
Christian
Hi Christian - good effort mate! ...unfortunately I can't make it, so I hope that you'll be doing it again sometime?
Actually I'd be really keen to get some safety/orientation guidance at Pinnaroo sometime in the next few weeks or so. I'm still a newbie, but can consistently stay upwind, so I'm starting to spend more time on the board now (rather than in the water or walking up the beach)!
I have been out at Pinnaroo a few times and been fine, but I'd really like to get a session with some local guidance before I start just turning up on my own and getting into it (apart from the safety aspect, if I was a local/regular there then I'd certainly appreciate it if newcomers did that).
Cheers, Mark
Hi Mark,
Pinnaroo has a friendly vibe and you will soon notice that there are many kiters who are exactly at your skill level there. Introduce yourself and you will soon find friends to kite with and encourage each other to progress.
I will post a detailed clinic summary and pictures on this forum for those who couldn't make it.
That being said, many beginners who show up at Pinnaroo aren't actually prepared for deep water, meaning they have no self-rescue skills and poor upwind body drag (board recovery) skills. This means many end up swimming long distances and/or losing their boards.
I've written a great blog post on my website about this, it's called ''are you ready for deep water''. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to share links to my site here since I'm not a seabreeze sponsor ($$).
You will easily find this post by googling ''kitebud'' and browsing my blog.
Ultimately I would recommend a 1h lesson in deep water to go over critical aspects such as relaunching, board recovery and of course: practical self-rescue. Remember that clinics are not a substitute for lessons.
thanks
Christian
Great - thanks for the good advice. Deep water self rescue is the one thing that I really should/want to practice a few times with some guidance. I'll get on to it.
Select to expand quotecbulota said..
I've written a great blog post on my website about this, it's called ''are you ready for deep water''. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to share links to my site here since I'm not a seabreeze sponsor ($$).
Christian
How ironic.
The most valuable contributor to seabreeze needs to pay a fee.
Laurie should be paying for your valuable opinions.
Christian,
Thank you so much for the free clinic it was amazing, I learnt so much.
Thankyou also to the other experienced kiters who shared their wealth of knowledge and experience.
Hearing it first hand is so different from online, it has more impact when it is in person.
Demonstrating the Self rescue and deep water packdown and emphasising how we should have a backup plan when you go kiting was very good.
The emphasis was on safety and how to assess risks such as weather conditions, how far will I go out, how far can I swim, what if the wind drops, when should I ditch the kite, when to do a deep water packdown and other factors -
Risk assessment is not just about jumpng on a board and away you go.
Why and when we should ring the Sea Rescue is something I never thought about.
Why we should always seek assistance to Launch and Land when someone is around rather than self launch and land.
How we should practice quick release and when should we ditch the kite completely and swim in.
It would be good to have all the safety topics covered in a video, I would gladly pay for it.
Thanks for the great feed-back Jhana,
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Safety-Clinic-Summary-Tips
Here is the link to the summary of the clinic with pictures and also the videos that are relevant to this clinic (safety systems video and self-rescue video).
There are in deed a lot of things to consider to be a safe kitesurfer and there is a lot we can learn from other peoples mistakes and ''kitemares''
It always amazes me how many students get out of lessons without being able to do a practical deep water rescue.
thanks for coming to the clinic
Christian
Really good stuff Christian, thanks for putting in the effort and writing it all up!
