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The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Forum with lots of safety info - a must for newbees
bekite
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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby bekite » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:42 am

Vindicio, Italy, November 2006

I was demoing kites and I had some SLE and some BOW on the beach. The two BOWs where close and of the same colour, from 25 mts they look the same but one was 9m and the other 12m. I took a bar of the 9m and asket a kiter to help to launch. First error: always check to wich kite the bar is attached.
When in water I had to pull the depower a lot but still able to control the kite and I was surprised the power of this 9m, but it was the 12 and after the first small jump I realised it. I was got by a gust and lifted 8-10 mt and started to rotate. I felt in water with my back and the harness hook broke my ribs. Well, problems they never come alone.
The left line was twisted around the bar end so the kite started to move left and relaunched and I made a 20m jump forward. I tried to untwist the line but the kite selflauched again and other jump. Second error: don't wait too much to pull the quick release.
When I decided to release I was not able to catch the handle and again a new jump. Finally I succeded and not beeing connected with the bungee leash the kite went alone.

Always check everithing that could be checked, If you jump learn to control the rotation also when unwanted but most important don't use a kite over powered because at the first problem you have an over problem. Always use a smaller size, SLE and BOW push you to use maybe a 12m in 30 knots! Use and check the bungee leash quick release, it could be usefull.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby Kite-4-Life » Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:28 pm

KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY RIG YOUR SAFETY SYSTEM. If improperly rigged, it will be useless in an emergency, or create trouble if it fails unexpectedly. Keep one hand on quick release when launching or landing- be ready to use it at the first sign of trouble.

PRACTICE self-rescue in light winds, not when its 20-30 or more. Things get a lot harder when its windy or you are in waves. Practice, Practice, Practice.
Do a thorough check of all lines, bridles, and safety systems BEFORE YOU GO OUT EVERY TIME.
ALWAYS carry a knife.
Never go out further than you are able to swim.
Launch kite TOWARDS the water whenever possible. Keep it low and get on the water and away from shore ASAP.
ALWAYS seek certified instructors and ask about their lesson plan. Make sure you are taught safety procedures at the BEGINNING of the lesson.
KNOW the weather conditions before you go. Learn to identify potential problems before they are right on you. (Cloud Lines, drop in temperature or barometric pressure,wind shifts, etc.)
Know your limits as a kiter, and respect those boundaries.
READ, READ, READ anything you can about kiting, and DEFINITELY read anything written by Rick Iossi- He is the safety guru of our sport and dedicated to making our sport safer. His site is http://www.fksa.org
"Live to kite another day..."
Stay safe everyone!
-K4L
Last edited by Kite-4-Life on Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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sflinux
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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby sflinux » Sat Jan 19, 2008 12:58 am

A friend of mine was out on a really windy day on a 5M waroo. He mis-landed a jump and fell forward. His bar got stuck on the harness's fixed loop (not the chickenloop, but the actual bar end). His kite started looping like crazy. At one point he was 20M up and his kite crashed below him. It was at this point that he had enough slack (he fell straight down in waist high water) in the line to unhook the bar end from the spreader hook. Only a system like the ss surefire spreader bar could have released the bar from this scenario.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Toby » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:14 pm

just heard about another incident:

a girl did an unhooked kiteloop. She hold the bar like a laser sword, meaning one side come close to the body. At that point that bar end got stuck under the harness hook and the kite kept looping many times, and also with power, so she was dragged under water. She had no idea what to do, and felt she was going to drown. Luckily someone got her kite so it stopped looping. If not, she might have been died. I'm very happy she is ok.

Are there any tips on what to do best in a situation like that?

She said, she had no chance to grab one of the O'Shit handles, too far away.
It was a four line kite.

Would it help to pull on the 5th line if you ave one? I think it should get some power out of the kite. The question is, if you are able to pull. But maybe keep this in mind as one solution, better than having nothing.

Just coming into my mind: you could pull the other bar end full power? Would you realize this in a situation like this?

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Bowman » Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:06 pm

Toby wrote:Are there any tips on what to do best in a situation like that?
Maybe time for brand's R&D engineers to invent the completly releasable harness :roll:

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby BullsShit.com » Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:53 am

When launching your kite on a beach full of people and or with gusty winds, do NOT bring your kite up to
12 o'clock. Keep it below 10 (2). Just in case the kite looses power and falls out of the sky. When you keep the kite low, you can recover it and keep other beachgoers alive!
Seen it so many times, and I always scratch my head, " WTF are you doing" DUHHH..!!

The 12 o'clock neutral safe zone is dangerous for beginners, and seems like seasoned kiters still don't get it as well. Keep you kite low and powered to get out and away fro the beach.

my 5 cents

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby ronnie » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:37 am

Toby wrote:just heard about another incident:

a girl did an unhooked kiteloop. She hold the bar like a laser sword, meaning one side come close to the body. At that point that bar end got stuck under the harness hook and the kite kept looping many times, and also with power, so she was dragged under water. She had no idea what to do, and felt she was going to drown. Luckily someone got her kite so it stopped looping. If not, she might have been died. I'm very happy she is ok.

Are there any tips on what to do best in a situation like that?

She said, she had no chance to grab one of the O'Shit handles, too far away.
It was a four line kite.

Would it help to pull on the 5th line if you ave one? I think it should get some power out of the kite. The question is, if you are able to pull. But maybe keep this in mind as one solution, better than having nothing.

Just coming into my mind: you could pull the other bar end full power? Would you realize this in a situation like this?
Maybe grab the depower strap and pull as hard as you can on the front lines? If you have the strength, that should depower the kite and stop it looping. Not so easy with under the bar depower.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Tom183 » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:13 am

I think the most important thing is: know your limits, know the limits of your gear, and when you think conditions might go beyond that, DON'T RIDE.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby tolios » Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:43 pm

i agree with tom183 regarding riders that dont have that special touch and experience to come over unpredictable situations.
know your limits, know the limits of your gear, and when you think conditions might go beyond that, DON'T RIDE.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby TomW » Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:58 pm

I get the feeling there are 2 major types of mistakes:

1. Equipment failure, like CL release, shackle or leash not being able to release. This happens when a kiter gets into too much wind or rough conditions and needs to bail.

2. Tangled lines around bar or a bar jammed under harness spreader. (I´ve had this happen to me, but got tit unjammed fast). Or bridles twisted or wrapped-

Nr 1 can be helped by checking your gear and being ready.

Nr 2 is just bad luck- or bad design?

Finally, i think we all underestimate being "drowning while being dragged", and think most about lofting and hard objects.


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