Hi

I wrote this before seeing Kitz's comment on the other thread.

We're planning on moving forward on three fronts

a) engage with the lifesavers
b) produce a video for social media
c) contacting local councillors and Parks Victoria

For C - see below for my email to Louise Asher - (Dendy to Brighton ). Feel free to copy chunks of it.

Ms Asher

I am writing to express my disagreement and disillusionment with the recent changes to the Port Phillip zones, and furthermore the manner by which the zones are now being enforced.

I windsurf (not kitesurfing, not jet skiing). Windsurfing has a great history in the bay and various spots have been popular since the early 1980s. Windsurfers have certain specific requirements of a location and as a result we congregate around a small number of beaches between Port Melbourne and Beaumaris.

The requirements are largely...

> a sandy beach - we windsurf bare foot
> clear underwater passage with no rocks or shallow points
> a clear upwind area so that the wind is not disrupted
> nearby parking
> a grassy area on which to assemble our equipment
> a beach that is perpendicular to the wind on a given day (we can sail perpendicularly across the wind, downwind and up to around 20 degrees upwind)

Being wind dependent, most days of the year are unsuitable and of the days that are suitable, most hours are unsuitable too.

This leads us to a fairly nomadic lifestyle where we organise ourselves around the wind direction and strength. It makes for an interesting life, though it does make us infuriating people to be married to apparently.

Unfortunately, our small numbers (around 200 of us) and lack of fixed locations means that we do not always engage very well with processes. That said, the sport is not easy and those that stick with it are extremely passionate.

In the 30 years or so that we have enjoyed Port Phillip there have been no major incidents between windsurfers and swimmers (please note that windsurfing is not kitesurfing. Kitesurfing is a different sport with different risks). This is largely due to the fact that we enjoy the bay at times when most people do not want to use the water. We will tend to launch in winds of 35km/h or more, when the water is beginning to show whitecaps and there are small breaking waves at most beaches. Swimming in these conditions is difficult and unpleasant. This has led to a largely peaceful co-existence with other bay users.

In 2008, our organising body (Windsurfing Victoria) was involved in a consultation with Parks Victoria. This consultation was drawn out and it was difficult for the people involved to understand where in the process Parks Victoria, and the various other bodies, were. We understand that there were changes in staff at Parks Victoria and that the councils were involved in the latter stages of the zone setting. From what I hear, "it all went quiet".

Recently, in early 2014, signs were erected at most of our key locations and lifesaving clubs have been calling the Water Police. The Water Police are handing out fines to windsurfers for windsurfing in locations that we have enjoyed for years. Lifesaving clubs are launching their boats and chasing after windsurfers.

To clarify, this is not a safety issue. This is not concerning proximity to swimmers - this is concerning windsurfing on the outskirts of swimming zones a long way away from swimmers - windsurfing in places that people have windsurfed in for 30 years.

Many swimming zones have not changed, but now they are being enforced with $250 fines and police involvement.

Two significant swimming zones HAVE changed however. The swimming area south of Dendy street in Brighton and the swimming area at the end of Dawson's avenue in Elwood (by the storm water outfall) have both grown. This growth has been accompanied by a enforcement blitz that is now marring the enjoyment of these two fantastic locations for windsurfers. There is talk of these locations being "dead" and this is very disappointing to us. Elwood is affectionately called "Pookipa" after a world famous break in Hawaii called Hookipa and the somewhat unpleasant storm drain. I am aware of the situation -I am writing to the authorities begging to be allowed to enter the water at the end of a large storm drain.

Swimming zones are VERY different from flagged areas. Flagged areas are recognised as sacrosanct. When we refer to swimming zones, we are referring to the very large areas marked with poles. With regards to swimming, these areas are mostly used by swimming clubs and lifesaving swimming members. Often, the poles form part of their evening swimming training - indeed at our public meeting, a lot of us said that whenever we swam in the bay, we would use a marker pole to measure our swim and improve our times by.

The outer points of these zones are around 200- 300 hundred metres from the lifesaving club in their centres.

We would like peaceful coexistence in the bay. There aren't that many of us. We use the water infrequently and at times when most people would rather be safe inside. We do not want to endanger swimmers (indeed we don't), but we would like the right to enjoy our sport as we have for the last 30 years without police involvement or sneaking around like criminals.

We are not asking for the right to windsurf through swimmers. We are asking that the two zones at the outer extremities of the swimming zones are rescinded to allow us to launch in a reasonable direction. We also believe that the swimming clubs have the right to marked areas with which to measure their swims. It is our understanding that swimmers do not have the same requirements around wind direction - namely they could swim in another direction or perform laps shorter than 500m. We are seeking audiences with the lifesavers to try to understand their views.

I recognise that moving the poles will not be easy, but given the level of enforcement, it would seem to be the only workable solution at the moment.

Throughout this letter, I have emphasised that we are a small group. It would be possible for you to decide that this made us less important or less relevant, but each of us is passionate about what we do. I would ask you to consider whether it is acceptable for a minority to suddenly encounter so much Police attention after so little consultation, with no evidence of any harm being caused.

I believe this is an issue of rights.

Thank you for taking time to read my email. I hope to speak to you soon.

Kind regards

Stuart

Nice letter Stuart.
Please contact me if you need any help. I was at the meeting last week but had to leave early so didn't get a chance to put my hand up to offer assistance.

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fabulon31 said..

Nice letter Stuart.
Please contact me if you need any help. I was at the meeting last week but had to leave early so didn't get a chance to put my hand up to offer assistance.

Thank you -I left early too..

I'll put you on the list of helpers. It's mostly photo research for the social campaign media video - I was trying to think of who I knew who worked in social media and PR and then I realised that it's what my sister does - somewhat embarrassing.

Good letter Stu - some great points and not a rant. Her office may though simply pass the letter on to Parks for response as it's not within her Ministerial portfolio.

Has the no boating zone at Dendy St got bigger? Did they move the poles?

I'm happy to draft/review letters.

Fletch said the same thing. My understanding, from the other night, is that previously (a few years ago) a buoy marked it and that this was further north.

Good letter Stu.

What about including satellite photo of the area, previous post and new post?

Also, a picture showing what a jet ski is, a kite surfer is, and a windsurfer.... because although this is plain to us, many people thing we paraglide, parasail, and kite surf...... They could just be three small pics side by side.

I also think, as a strategy, if we first get some background info and discussion going on with the problem beaches and the life guards that could add to the weight of the letter.

From the discussion in the meeting the other night, I presume you are targeting the council because of the comments from someone saying that PV were instructed by the council on this?

When you look at:

www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/boating-zones.htm

You can see that the real thrust is aimed at Jet skiing issues....

Perhaps a table showing statistics of incidence? I will try and track down some data....

Hi

I have an email confirming response and asking me whether I am a constituent (to aid prioritisation)....I've told them that I'm Mentone based but that I would ask for other constituents contact her aid prioritisation


If Elwood and Brighton residents could email Louise Asher's office and reference my email, if they agree, then this would help.
louise.asher@parliament.vic.gov.au

My surname is Nickols.

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K Dog said..

When you look at:

www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/boating-zones.htm

You can see that the real thrust is aimed at Jet skiing issues....

Perhaps a table showing statistics of incidence? I will try and track down some data....

f***ing jet skis, the rodents of the water. I'm not surprised that we are having these difficulties now due to jet skiiers.

Unfortunately all the stats lump kite surfing and windsurfing together........ there are no differences in the hospital admission data, nor in the transport VIC data (which is from the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset).....

It's a shame that the sports have become merged in so many statistics.

We'll need to emphasise this from the start of every interaction.

It is incorrect and all righteous to think that windsurfing is a safer sport for swimmers than kiteboarding. It is the person sailing that is in control of safety not the specific watercraft.
You should lose the focus on negativity towards kiteboarding in this Forum as wind powered sports will always be grouped together.
FYI many people that were windsurfing in the bay 20 to 30 years ago are now kiteboarders. In time many more will make the transition when backs or knees get tired or the timing is right - you should consider this in your approach. DONT DEMONISE KITEBOARDING.

Wavehog

Firstly, I did not seek to demonise kitesurfing. I said it had a different risks and that we need to explain that the two sports are different. It is you than interpreted this as more risky.

That they have different risks is true. It is not possible for a windsurfer to drop a sail any more than four metres from his or her board. It is not possible to get tangled in a windsurfer. Windsurfers do not have an equivalent of a kite mare.

I left open the possibility that the sports are equally dangerous. It would be interesting to see this proved.

If you want to argue that the sports are the same or turn our campaign into a windsurfers vs kiters debate then I suggest you do it on the kiting forum.

And you're right that it's the individual's responsibility, but a learner in either sport presents different risks.

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Wavehog said...
It is incorrect and all righteous to think that windsurfing is a safer sport for swimmers than kiteboarding. It is the person sailing that is in control of safety not the specific watercraft.
You should lose the focus on negativity towards kiteboarding in this Forum as wind powered sports will always be grouped together.
FYI many people that were windsurfing in the bay 20 to 30 years ago are now kiteboarders. In time many more will make the transition when backs or knees get tired or the timing is right - you should consider this in your approach. DONT DEMONISE KITEBOARDING.

Easy! Don't turn this into something it's not. We are just trying to get some really key windsurf spots back which are neither currently used by or safe for use by kiters. The alternative is that the windsurfers all start sailing kite beach which is not a great outcome for kites.

This letter is a good one and both sports will benefit if it's intent is achieved.

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FletcHuz said...

Wavehog said...
It is incorrect and all righteous to think that windsurfing is a safer sport for swimmers than kiteboarding. It is the person sailing that is in control of safety not the specific watercraft.
You should lose the focus on negativity towards kiteboarding in this Forum as wind powered sports will always be grouped together.
FYI many people that were windsurfing in the bay 20 to 30 years ago are now kiteboarders. In time many more will make the transition when backs or knees get tired or the timing is right - you should consider this in your approach. DONT DEMONISE KITEBOARDING.

Easy! Don't turn this into something it's not. We are just trying to get some really key windsurf spots back which are neither currently used by or safe for use by kiters. The alternative is that the windsurfers all start sailing kite beach which is not a great outcome for kites.

This letter is a good one and both sports will benefit if it's intent is achieved.

Fletch,

I noticed in the Leader paper this morning a big photo of Councillor Felicity Fredirico embarking on a charity SUP event...she was standing next to her beautiful new carbon JP racing SUP. I wonder whether you or one of the crew that would have sold her the SUP could make contact in an informal way and try to appeal to her sense of love of water sports. We all can't help but love, respect and hold in high regard our local gear shop manager :) no matter whether we kite, sail or SUP and all have the same affinity for the water. Apparently bayside council were active in driving this campaign that very few people favour. If someone like you were able to get her on side as a confident to explain that we are not jet skiers (the real menace on the water), that we are actually really responsible, educated (and often bayside rate paying residents!). She may seek to influence from the inside out?

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djwally said...

FletcHuz said...

Wavehog said...
It is incorrect and all righteous to think that windsurfing is a safer sport for swimmers than kiteboarding. It is the person sailing that is in control of safety not the specific watercraft.
You should lose the focus on negativity towards kiteboarding in this Forum as wind powered sports will always be grouped together.
FYI many people that were windsurfing in the bay 20 to 30 years ago are now kiteboarders. In time many more will make the transition when backs or knees get tired or the timing is right - you should consider this in your approach. DONT DEMONISE KITEBOARDING.

Easy! Don't turn this into something it's not. We are just trying to get some really key windsurf spots back which are neither currently used by or safe for use by kiters. The alternative is that the windsurfers all start sailing kite beach which is not a great outcome for kites.

This letter is a good one and both sports will benefit if it's intent is achieved.

Fletch,

I noticed in the Leader paper this morning a big photo of Councillor Felicity Fredirico embarking on a charity SUP event...she was standing next to her beautiful new carbon JP racing SUP. I wonder whether you or one of the crew that would have sold her the SUP could make contact in an informal way and try to appeal to her sense of love of water sports. We all can't help but love, respect and hold in high regard our local gear shop manager :) no matter whether we kite, sail or SUP and all have the same affinity for the water. Apparently bayside council were active in driving this campaign that very few people favour. If someone like you were able to get her on side as a confident to explain that we are not jet skiers (the real menace on the water), that we are actually really responsible, educated (and often bayside rate paying residents!). She may seek to influence from the inside out?

Felicity is indeed an avid water user and a customer of SHQ. It has been my intention to discuss this issue with her to hopefully get her advice and assistance if possible in achieving a compromise with the surf Lifesaving clubs. I don't believe bayside council was driving the exclusion of windsurfing but were more so focussed on jetskis. Anyway we should all lobby the council, MPs and parks Victoria to try and drive a solution to this issue which is what Stu is trying to do by encouraging people to either get behind the above letter by voicing agreement here or even better sending the letter to your MP and local council.

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FletcHuz said..

djwally said...

FletcHuz said...

Wavehog said...
It is incorrect and all righteous to think that windsurfing is a safer sport for swimmers than kiteboarding. It is the person sailing that is in control of safety not the specific watercraft.
You should lose the focus on negativity towards kiteboarding in this Forum as wind powered sports will always be grouped together.
FYI many people that were windsurfing in the bay 20 to 30 years ago are now kiteboarders. In time many more will make the transition when backs or knees get tired or the timing is right - you should consider this in your approach. DONT DEMONISE KITEBOARDING.

Easy! Don't turn this into something it's not. We are just trying to get some really key windsurf spots back which are neither currently used by or safe for use by kiters. The alternative is that the windsurfers all start sailing kite beach which is not a great outcome for kites.

This letter is a good one and both sports will benefit if it's intent is achieved.

Fletch,

I noticed in the Leader paper this morning a big photo of Councillor Felicity Fredirico embarking on a charity SUP event...she was standing next to her beautiful new carbon JP racing SUP. I wonder whether you or one of the crew that would have sold her the SUP could make contact in an informal way and try to appeal to her sense of love of water sports. We all can't help but love, respect and hold in high regard our local gear shop manager :) no matter whether we kite, sail or SUP and all have the same affinity for the water. Apparently bayside council were active in driving this campaign that very few people favour. If someone like you were able to get her on side as a confident to explain that we are not jet skiers (the real menace on the water), that we are actually really responsible, educated (and often bayside rate paying residents!). She may seek to influence from the inside out?

Felicity is indeed an avid water user and a customer of SHQ. It has been my intention to discuss this issue with her to hopefully get her advice and assistance if possible in achieving a compromise with the surf Lifesaving clubs. I don't believe bayside council was driving the exclusion of windsurfing but were more so focussed on jetskis. Anyway we should all lobby the council, MPs and parks Victoria to try and drive a solution to this issue which is what Stu is trying to do by encouraging people to either get behind the above letter by voicing agreement here or even better sending the letter to your MP and local council.

Totally agree Fletch and I liked Stu's letter a lot. Only reason i offered that (not to try and push responsibility on to you) but from my experience, you get a different hearing from an MP or councillor that feels they _have_ to listen to us because they are a member of public office. Compare this to a situation when someone _wants_ to listen to you because they respect you and have their ears open to your sensible propositions. And I feel like you may fortuitously hold that position with Felicity. But we should attack this problem from all angles. I think we do have to distinguish ourselves from motorised craft as my recent experience of them at the beach is that many of them cannot follow rules. Coming in close to people and spraying them etc _is_ the fun for them. ANyway, thats quite enough _accentuated_ words from me for one day! Cheers Dave.

Ginger nut you have demonised kitesurfing a number of times such as:

Comparing windsurfing to kiting & jet skiing which is like comparing a Granny Smith to a pink lady to a clump of cheese. Also "please note that windsurfing is not kitesurfing. Kite surfing is a different sport with different risks". Do you really think she does not know the difference.

With a letter like that you have no hope of any re zoning. Particularly if you are knocking a sport which is extremely similar to your own ie wind powered.

One day your knees WILL be stuffed from windsurfing and you may give kiting a go and realise it is fun & SAFE. Maybe if you have been in Melbourne long enough to personally experience it's wind sport history you'd know many many kiters were once windsurfers. Wave hog may have a troll type name but listen to what he is actually saying

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sagev said...
Ginger nut you have demonised kitesurfing a number of times such as:

Comparing windsurfing to kiting & jet skiing which is like comparing a Granny Smith to a pink lady to a clump of cheese. Also "please note that windsurfing is not kitesurfing. Kite surfing is a different sport with different risks". Do you really think she does not know the difference.

With a letter like that you have no hope of any re zoning. Particularly if you are knocking a sport which is extremely similar to your own ie wind powered.

One day your knees WILL be stuffed from windsurfing and you may give kiting a go and realise it is fun & SAFE. Maybe if you have been in Melbourne long enough to personally experience it's wind sport history you'd know many many kiters were once windsurfers. Wave hog may have a troll type name but listen to what he is actually saying

First post! Enough said. Ignore it Stu. Nobody is saying kiting isn't a great sport. I don't understand why people need to get so defensive. Of course we could quote all sorts of facts and statistics but what's the point - it's not people like this we need to convince - thankfully!

Fletch, Louise Asher is also the Minister for Small Business (as well as being the Member for Brighton) so there's another reason to ask her to consider how changes to zoning can impact local businesses like your own.

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Windsurf0709 said..

Fletch, Louise Asher is also the Minister for Small Business (as well as being the Member for Brighton) so there's another reason to ask her to consider how changes to zoning can impact local businesses like your own.

Good timing the state election is not far away

Just sent her an email and have joint the constituent.
Took me 1 minute to complete i suggest anyone that owns a windsurfer does the same.

I got a reply from her straight away.

Ginger

Good work. You have my support. What is windsurfing Vic doing about this? Did I miss something?

Please can anyone who has mailed louise PM me.

I was going to send a follow up to my email and I need to know how many people have contacted her.

Thank you

Hi

Had a long chat with Fletch this morning.

The Parks Vic meeting yesterday went very well. I didn't attend and they'll be more information from the guys who attended on here soon.

I'm just giving an update in relation to my letter and advising on what should happen next.

The changes haven't actually been gazetted into law so Parks Vic have some ability to change the proposals themselves (subject to us and other stakeholders agreeing on the changes)

The intention of this thread was to engage with the democratic process as voters and to appeal to the MP's sense of rights and fairness in dealing with people - even small groups of people.

We may still need to do this if our submission for changes to the proposals are unsuccessful, but for now, it's better that we get a great submission together and get the Lifesaving clubs onside with our point of view. Best case scenario is that we are able to take a joint proposal (from us and lifesavers) to PV in a month.

This is a lot of work for the team involved so anyone that has offered help should go to the PV engagement team. They're after specific skills and they'll communicate this soon. They will also be after people with strong links to lifesaving clubs who are able to introduce people, facilitate meetings and present our points of view.

Thank you to all the people who have already contacted Louise. When her office gets back to you, I would suggest that you reply with something like the following text.

"Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate your time and effort in understanding our point of view.

The windsurfing community is very concerned about the future changes and keen to get a great outcome. A team of people are working with PV and this will be reflected in a submission around mid-April. This seems the most appropriate way to tackle the problem given that the changes are not law yet.

We hope that the process works well for us as we are a minority user group.

In the meantime, please can you keep my email on file and bear in mind that I may write again later."

Great work with all of this and for volunteering to take this on. Agree with your letters. Hopefully common sense prevails and co-existence of water users is possible without the exclusion of some. It is not a major change required for this to occur in regards to moving the zones a little and I think it is good that this is being emphasised along with the safety aspects. Ironically I recently rescued a swimmer on my windsurf board who was drowning. I sailed back into the swimming area and dragged him onto my board. I think we have a fair point in regards to safety as we are generally a safe bunch on the water.

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cameronil said..

Great work with all of this and for volunteering to take this on. Agree with your letters. Hopefully common sense prevails and co-existence of water users is possible without the exclusion of some. It is not a major change required for this to occur in regards to moving the zones a little and I think it is good that this is being emphasised along with the safety aspects. Ironically I recently rescued a swimmer on my windsurf board who was drowning. I sailed back into the swimming area and dragged him onto my board. I think we have a fair point in regards to safety as we are generally a safe bunch on the water.

Stories like this could be very useful. Maybe send your details to the PV team just in case?

I've assisted a dude with a capsized sailing canoe before.... more of a boat than a swimmer, and also assisted kiters in trouble at St Kilda, but again it shows we are responsible water users.

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cameronil said..

Great work with all of this and for volunteering to take this on. Agree with your letters. Hopefully common sense prevails and co-existence of water users is possible without the exclusion of some. It is not a major change required for this to occur in regards to moving the zones a little and I think it is good that this is being emphasised along with the safety aspects. Ironically I recently rescued a swimmer on my windsurf board who was drowning. I sailed back into the swimming area and dragged him onto my board. I think we have a fair point in regards to safety as we are generally a safe bunch on the water.

Was there any incident report raised anywhere? Referencing documented incidents goes a long way to prove that the presence of windsurfers can have a positive inpact.

Looks like you guys are in it for the long haul. You have a sound strategy and committed team. Good luck and I hope you get a good result.

On the issue of differentiation between windsurfing and kitesurfing, the local council at Wellington Pt, Moreton Bay, recognises the difference between the two sports. The north facing beach is a popular picnic and recreational swimming spot. The local council has erected signage, restricting kitesurfers from rigging and flying their kites in the park reserve, i.e. above the high water mark, on the north facing beach at Wellington Pt. Kitesurfers have to wait until the tide receeds sufficiently so they can rig and fly their kites on the exposed mudflats as the tide falls. Windsurfers on the other hand are not restricted in any way.

Every year or so, an over zealous or uninformed council officer tries to apply the kitesurfing rule to windsurfers. On these ocasions one of our local windsurfers, contacts the local council, confirms the current ruling and asks that the council officer is properly informed. This approach has been successful to date.

The local windsurfing communitee is aware how important this differentiation is and we all work hard to ensure we don't put other other park users at risk during our windsurfing activities

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K Dog said..

cameronil said..

Great work with all of this and for volunteering to take this on. Agree with your letters. Hopefully common sense prevails and co-existence of water users is possible without the exclusion of some. It is not a major change required for this to occur in regards to moving the zones a little and I think it is good that this is being emphasised along with the safety aspects. Ironically I recently rescued a swimmer on my windsurf board who was drowning. I sailed back into the swimming area and dragged him onto my board. I think we have a fair point in regards to safety as we are generally a safe bunch on the water.

Stories like this could be very useful. Maybe send your details to the PV team just in case?

I've assisted a dude with a capsized sailing canoe before.... more of a boat than a swimmer, and also assisted kiters in trouble at St Kilda, but again it shows we are responsible water users.

Happy to assist if needed but the story was more an add on just to illustrate the point that we do have a positive influence on the water in regards to safety, as K Dog also has shown. I have never witnessed any issues to a swimmer from windsurfers or kiters for that matter. I even saw one lady swim through all the kiters at Hampton (north end) in 30 knots and not get touched, although she tried hard and she could have easily moved to the south end and have hundreds of meters to herself. In regards to the incident I referred to occurred at Green Point in late January this year, there was no report. When I got to the guy he had gone under and was unable to come back up on his own. I was assisted by another swimmer, the swimmers wife met us on the beach and an off duty nurse helped. He swallowed lots of water but despite our insistence they refused an ambulance. We stayed with them for a while and the nurse stayed on for even longer. They were very thankful and he was incredibly lucky I was windsurfing in sight of that beach. I would say these type of incidents often do not get reported unless the ambulance is called, lifeguards are present or a hospital is visited.

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cameronil said..

K Dog said..

cameronil said..

Great work with all of this and for volunteering to take this on. Agree with your letters. Hopefully common sense prevails and co-existence of water users is possible without the exclusion of some. It is not a major change required for this to occur in regards to moving the zones a little and I think it is good that this is being emphasised along with the safety aspects. Ironically I recently rescued a swimmer on my windsurf board who was drowning. I sailed back into the swimming area and dragged him onto my board. I think we have a fair point in regards to safety as we are generally a safe bunch on the water.

Stories like this could be very useful. Maybe send your details to the PV team just in case?

I've assisted a dude with a capsized sailing canoe before.... more of a boat than a swimmer, and also assisted kiters in trouble at St Kilda, but again it shows we are responsible water users.

Happy to assist if needed but the story was more an add on just to illustrate the point that we do have a positive influence on the water in regards to safety, as K Dog also has shown. I have never witnessed any issues to a swimmer from windsurfers or kiters for that matter. I even saw one lady swim through all the kiters at Hampton (north end) in 30 knots and not get touched, although she tried hard and she could have easily moved to the south end and have hundreds of meters to herself. In regards to the incident I referred to occurred at Green Point in late January this year, there was no report. When I got to the guy he had gone under and was unable to come back up on his own. I was assisted by another swimmer, the swimmers wife met us on the beach and an off duty nurse helped. He swallowed lots of water but despite our insistence they refused an ambulance. We stayed with them for a while and the nurse stayed on for even longer. They were very thankful and he was incredibly lucky I was windsurfing in sight of that beach. I would say these type of incidents often do not get reported unless the ambulance is called, lifeguards are present or a hospital is visited.

Impressive story indeed, this guy wouldn't have made it without you! I think this story should round up the picture that we are a responsible bunch and look out for people.