longwhitecloud wrote:Anyway I don't live there - just spent a bit of time there so prob don't know the full story - but think it goes like this:
I think this whole thing was because of an altercation at ka'a point behind the rocks - not the awesome slick in front of them. It's useful to land there sometimes to avoid the sometimes pretty harsh wind shadow in front of rocks with easterlies). It is not huge consequences not to ride there/land there though here at all - it is not a ridable spot - but is useful in that easterly.
I think the beaches should be called their real names by commercial entities , they could maybe use their nicknames in brackets. I don't think some of the non kiters that use this area would be too stoked to see these names being used commercially on flyers for kite lessons or whatever- just a bad PR exercise IMO.
Initially it was about people riding into that pool area. They must have gotten into an argument with one of the kiters and now they have an agenda to close the beaches to kiting. They have done this by using sending some pictures to mauinow and posting some dishonest captions and comments to their pictures. For example, they posted a picture of an "out of control kite" that was clearly a kiter landing his kite into the hands of another kiter. They do have some valid points about some unsafe people (see this idiot: ) but the few examples of dangerous kiters they do have probably don't represent the thousands of other kiters at this beach that safely launch and land everyday.
flyingweasel wrote:
So answer this if you can...
Has a formal apology been made to the swimmers?
An apology can go a long way to placate a situation. A formal apology can go even further!
I think it comes back to the fact that there is a designated swimmers zone and someone sailed into it recklessly. Why is anyone surprised by that? There's no additional ban being enforced here...only the existing rules.
I did come across this definition of watercraft by the US Coastguard that is probably relevant for this situation...
Hopefully there is a strong local kitesurfing organization (preferably with an attorney or two on board) with a liason to the local park district/DLNR. It would be great to hear from someone who is involved as such. @loosescrew - it sounds like you are maybe one of those people ?
Really every local kite community should be organized and prepared to prevent things like this from happening.
