Personally,
The risk of: "the kite gets away the board will follow so hopefully you are careful or have a flotation aid", is a little bit big and to me the rest looks pretty complicated (especially for beginner kitesurfers). But I guess one will be able to do it in some sort of situation.......
How to teach Self Rescue? to kite instructor!!!
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Nico
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It has hapened that I have had to paddle in on my board from behind the coral reef to the beach, aprox 1 Km away,in 30km + offshore, and I have always left my kite inflated with my feet hooked over the leading edge bladder, myself lying on my board like I do when surfing. For this you have to move your harness buckle to the side.
I have found this method the simplest and fastest way to get in.
If you are riding a too small a board to lie on, this system does not work too well though, and here I place my board upside down in the inflated kite and just swim in towing the whole setup on my leash ( best to move the leash to your hip for this), the leading edge of the board hooks in between the main bladder and canopy, and does not come appart.
I agree with IKO, NEVER deflate your kite, it becomes a drag very easily.
Regards
Nico
I have found this method the simplest and fastest way to get in.
If you are riding a too small a board to lie on, this system does not work too well though, and here I place my board upside down in the inflated kite and just swim in towing the whole setup on my leash ( best to move the leash to your hip for this), the leading edge of the board hooks in between the main bladder and canopy, and does not come appart.
I agree with IKO, NEVER deflate your kite, it becomes a drag very easily.
Regards
Nico
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Kitedude
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I also agree with the IKO as regards never deflating your kite. It can certainily create a drag have you ever tried to lift a kite that is lying flat out in the water it can sometinmes create a suction and act basically like a plunger. Also if the winds are blowing off shore by the time you have deflated your kite you might find yourself a few hundred yards out.its a good idea too catch the leading edge between your legs face windwards and paddle in (if any off you can do the sidestroke this is an ideal time to use it, hold the kite in one hand and on your side kick your leg like a sisscors and pull you spare arm down through the water.).Sure it will take some time but it will teach you to go out in offshore winds (in cross shore winds you should be able to relaunch and body drag in)
All the best.
All the best.
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RickI
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Under normal conditions particularly for new kiteboarders, side shore or side onshore winds, there should almost never be any reason to deflate your leading edge if you have to bail out. It is so easy and quickest to use the kite as a sail with the leading edge inflated.
If you make the mistake of getting disabled in offshore conditions as I stupidly did a couple of years ago it can be different. The winds were adequate for a while but died off. I must have water relaunched the kite at least ten times in failing light winds. Eventually it just wouldn't stay up. Compounding my stupid error, I was about 1.5 to 2 miles out at this point. I tried to use the kite as a sail but a large, AR5 15.5 m kite will not sail that close to the wind when used as a sail particularly in light wind. I tried swimming back with the leading edge inflated but there was too much drag on the kite to make much progress. I ended up deflating the leading edge and towing it flat on the water from one kite tip. It worked and I made it in after a loooong swim.
The bottom line is that in this stupid, avoidable situation, there is no way I would have made it back with the kite and the leading edge inflated. The solution is to never put yourself in this situation in the first place.
Steady offshore winds can be fun but you had better have a reliable chase boat particularly if the winds become variable in the wind shadow near shore. If not be ready for some possible misfortune,possibly including a long swim, potentially having to ditch your gear and leave it behind or maybe even something a bit more serious. The dumb things we do sometimes driven by windlust but at least we can learn from them.
As an after thought on the flotation issue. All kiteboarders and particularly new kiteboarders would benefit from wearing impact vests. These vests don't offer a great deal of flotation but they should provide enough. Having to rely upon your kite for critical flotation tells me that something is wrong.
The adage, never go farther offshore, under any circumstances, than you are willing and able to swim in from, is a good one. If that is less than a couple of hundred yards, then there you are. I would definitely work on swimming skills right away if that is the case however, you may need them someday in a big way. Kiteboarding is an extreme sport and having good waterman skills is a plus and maybe essential sometimes particularly if misfortune or bad judgment strikes.
Rick Iossi
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RickI on 2002-12-22 13:36 ]</font>
If you make the mistake of getting disabled in offshore conditions as I stupidly did a couple of years ago it can be different. The winds were adequate for a while but died off. I must have water relaunched the kite at least ten times in failing light winds. Eventually it just wouldn't stay up. Compounding my stupid error, I was about 1.5 to 2 miles out at this point. I tried to use the kite as a sail but a large, AR5 15.5 m kite will not sail that close to the wind when used as a sail particularly in light wind. I tried swimming back with the leading edge inflated but there was too much drag on the kite to make much progress. I ended up deflating the leading edge and towing it flat on the water from one kite tip. It worked and I made it in after a loooong swim.
The bottom line is that in this stupid, avoidable situation, there is no way I would have made it back with the kite and the leading edge inflated. The solution is to never put yourself in this situation in the first place.
Steady offshore winds can be fun but you had better have a reliable chase boat particularly if the winds become variable in the wind shadow near shore. If not be ready for some possible misfortune,possibly including a long swim, potentially having to ditch your gear and leave it behind or maybe even something a bit more serious. The dumb things we do sometimes driven by windlust but at least we can learn from them.
As an after thought on the flotation issue. All kiteboarders and particularly new kiteboarders would benefit from wearing impact vests. These vests don't offer a great deal of flotation but they should provide enough. Having to rely upon your kite for critical flotation tells me that something is wrong.
The adage, never go farther offshore, under any circumstances, than you are willing and able to swim in from, is a good one. If that is less than a couple of hundred yards, then there you are. I would definitely work on swimming skills right away if that is the case however, you may need them someday in a big way. Kiteboarding is an extreme sport and having good waterman skills is a plus and maybe essential sometimes particularly if misfortune or bad judgment strikes.
Rick Iossi
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RickI on 2002-12-22 13:36 ]</font>
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kitesurfbali
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Thank you guys,
for all your answer.
Is quite clear to me that most of you agree that at least is better to teach both way as to show in the water takes a very short time I think that instructor should always show both metod.
Any how the post was more to show that there is a lack of direction in the kitesruf world.
I think there is need for a manual of a good standard in the market and must be done in the best way as possible, featuring all kind of safety, teaching curve, tips etc.
For example if you read a PADI dive manual you will find really compreensive book with a lot of usefull information. First of all they tell you about the danger of diving, including the lost of life. Kitesurfing is very new but after 3 years we still don't have a good book or manual....
The best I can tell to my student is to go in the net at http://www.kitesurfschool.com till now the best.
Bye Jankie
for all your answer.
Is quite clear to me that most of you agree that at least is better to teach both way as to show in the water takes a very short time I think that instructor should always show both metod.
Any how the post was more to show that there is a lack of direction in the kitesruf world.
I think there is need for a manual of a good standard in the market and must be done in the best way as possible, featuring all kind of safety, teaching curve, tips etc.
For example if you read a PADI dive manual you will find really compreensive book with a lot of usefull information. First of all they tell you about the danger of diving, including the lost of life. Kitesurfing is very new but after 3 years we still don't have a good book or manual....
The best I can tell to my student is to go in the net at http://www.kitesurfschool.com till now the best.
Bye Jankie
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surfing buster
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When you talk about sailing the kite back toward the beach I assume you mean to leave the lines hooked up and pull on one side or the other in order to get it to favor one side or the other? I used this techinque the other day and did the "superman" with my body like when body dragging and felt like it was working some but still going mostly downwind.Do you know any better ways?
buster
buster