Why is it that kitesurfers think they own the beach & the water close to the beach at the back of penguin island during the summer months ;
My misses and I were learning to handle her new kayak on a week day afternoon & oh dear we were in the way , I have to ask the question are kitesurfers totally out of control, can they take corrective action to avoid a potential collision ,or are they to worried about getting their lines in a tangle.
I have been a yacht owner for 10 yrs and race twice a week on the swan every summer and on a saturday there are boats and ferries comming from all directions , and guess what, we tolerate each other , change course , giveway, & show control , so we dont spoil anyones fun on the water.
Iam sorry but I think that as participents in a relatively new sport , kitesurfers need to exibit a bit more tolerance towards other watersports people.

why is it that yachties think they are always in "the right?' no matter what they are doing on the water.
as for kayakers they seem to think they are in a league of their own, many of times while having an evening bbq on the banks of the swan i have seen them cruising along at dusk/night with little more than a glowstick taped to a backpack, every other water craft needs proper navigation lights/ equipment but they dont? put the 2 together and disaster waiting to happen i reckon..

It's sad to admit but most kiters these days have never been near watersports before starting to kite and have NFI how to be a considerate water user.

We live in one of the best places on earth to do water sports and there is certainly no shortage of "Indian Ocean" around. We all have different interests of what activities we peruse on the water and we (kiters) have respect of what's happening around us, on the water and on the beach.
I guess what I am trying to say is: Pick a spot that you feel safe in and we will not cross paths. That way, we can all have a "cold one" after a session and call it a good day out on the water!

The problem is that some kiters apparently don’t understand that even on the water it is important to respect other watersports and stick to some rules. Each kiter takes 10times more space than any other watersport. Even with enough space it is not understandabale, how much risk some kiters take, annoy and endanger people whether its kajakers, windsurfers, swimmers or surfers.
I sail a lot at Brighton beach, and I don’t get it why they have to mix in with the windsurfers close to the rescue tower. It creates a lot of stress and kiters can’t tell me they are not stressed when they kite between windsurfers - so why?
The windsurfers usually share only 400m of a 5km long beach, you guys have the rest so why don’t you respect your own rules and keep a distance of a min of 30m to other watersports?! Please remind yourself of your own local guidelines twice before you hit the water. Plus local kiters should give advice to those kiters who are new to the spots.
If you guys don’t look after your behaviour the result will end in more restrictions for kiters and even worse for all watersports in some areas - so respect and keep a distance to other people in and around the water, or it will only be a matter of time until we all lose…

I seem to have opened a can of worms here ;
Yeah there was a school doing kitesurfing trainning that afternoon and the guy explained to us that his pupils where inexperienced and might be out of control , we replied with, so are we, just learning to handle the kayak, and we moved all our stuff further down the beach to a safer position down wind , no conflict or problem , we paddled around a bit taking turns , the school did their thing using radios or something to contact pupils ;
the problem came later in the arvo when the wind picked up we decided to head home , but we had to get all our gear and the kayak back to the car park, which was quit a way up the beach , so the Misses carried stuff along the sand , and I paddled along the shore to a spot level to the path , but more kitesurfers had arrived and couldnt launch of the beach while I was paddling along , and their impatience to get going made us feel like a very unwelcome hinderence , I could see I was causing an obstruction so I paddled harder , and yeah I was in their way for 15 mins or so.
Why do yachties think they are in the right ? well we dont think we are , we just have more money tied up in our sport , and have regulations/rules we have to abide by; for example DPI registration, $10 mil public liability insurance,and up dated safety regs following the Sydney-Hobart disaster.
I wouldnt atempt to Kayak after dark on the swan, but a white light showing to the rear is sufficient , provided a good lookout is taken to forward.

Well, I was on Pinnaroo beach many times and quite often in the afternoon local fisherman's decided to stay just exactly in front of me. Tried to many times to suggest to move 20-30m upwind but no luck!
Like, I'm going to launch my kite, please could you move...No luck, never.
Was I there first? Yes. Is it dedicated area for kiters? Yes. School operating? Yes.

So, how can I learn this sport if the fishing lines are everywhere? Tolerance? Not by them.

See, we all have different experience. Mind you though, on Bali, everyone seems to drive crazy (maybe dangerous by some) but people die mostly because of dogs on roads....

Tolerance mate, tolerance, by everyone, not some. Yes, I've moved downwind not once!
Is this making them more tolerant? Definitely not.
However, looks like I'm the one feeling the consequences and showing tolerance. Hows that?

give it up riptorn, you're a peanut.

Riptorn said...

Well please dont get agro you kities but I was speaking with a fishing guy at Pinnaroo last week and he made a great suggestion. it is worhty of thought and will completely stop all complaints against kities.

Let them use the Swan river say near UWA or Salters Point. They can have full access at all times and that way beachgoers and polies can stay at the beach where they were there first.

Good idea?

Riptorn, that is a really good point! I don't mind at all, if all the fishing guys use the Swan river say near UWA or Salters Point!