Serious accident in Netherlands (Wijk aan Zee)

[poldo]

bad news but seems too much wind even for a 7m kite

for sure a kite with a better safety mode (5th line or mini 5th line or backline safety) would be better

[suRff]

bad news but seems too much wind even for a 7m kite

for sure a kite with a better safety mode (5th line or mini 5th line or backline safety) would be better

I stand corrected. It was gusting 60+ knot straight onshore. 5th line is not going to help you much if you mess up even a little. Sounds like this kiter got out before the really big winds hit and was just unlucky. Hope he's ok.

[poldo]

60 knots??? is death sure!

with such big mess coming a kite sould be folded in the bag by some time

[ryanroberts1983]

Dood, why are you guys kiting in 50 knot gusts? Seriously...wtf

[suRff]

This launch is fine for those kind winds if you like to surf when it nukes. Just not when it's onshore.

[waynepjh]

I watched my friend release his north rebel right as a 65+ mph gust hit him! I was watching him before the gust hit him thinking he was going to die. I didn't know he could see it coming. He released the same time the gust hit him and his kite went right to the ground. Very impressed! He was VERY lucky! Good luck to the stricken kiter.

[Lord of the Boards]

Latest news from kitehigh.nl:

News is just half an hour ago. Surgery was good, he can move everything and will be fully week in some weeks! greetings

Looks like he's recovering pretty well.

[Toby]

that is good news! thx for sharing!

waynepjh: wow, he got really lucky. others might have thought to long to release...sometimes it can be just a matter of a part of a second.

[Lord of the Boards]

Here's more good news! Stefan is still recovering from his surgery, but he was already fit enough to share his story:

Hi guys,

I am the german kiter who smacked down at Wijk an Zee last tuesday.
Thank you for all your good wishes, they really helped me! I was really really lucky to survive this accident and thanks to the perfect chain of rescue and everybody that helped nothing worse happened!!!

I can give you some facts if you are interested:
I am kiting since 2000 and befor that I was windsurfing for 20 years. I would say that I am experienced in high wind and big wave conditions. I am married and have a little daugther - I would not say that I am an adrenalin junky and I am quite fit, aged 42.

Last Monday evening I met with two friends in Wijk an Zee to go out the next day. In the morning we went to the beach to have a look at the conditions. It was quite a big day, a little gusty and with slightly turning winddirections. Nothing to worry about, I just returned from 3 weeks kiting in Denmark with bigger days. In the morning I flew a 9m Waroo Pro, the wind picked up and we made a lunchbreak. In the afternoon I went out with a 7m Waroo. The wind was still picking up so at one point I stopped every "risky"actions and just rode between the really beautiful waves (no high jumps and stuff...) and enjoyed the scenery. Always looking if there are any other kites outside - and there were.
Than I wanted to finish kiting, went to the beach like 1000 times before, slowed down, stopped and my friend asked me if I wanted to land my kite - I said yes. He hurried up to put his windsurfboard away and than "it" happened.
This is how I remember it:
I was sitting with my butt in the sand, board in front of me, no speed, kite was 12 to 1 - a really safe position. Than I was dragged downwind what really surprised me. Here it starts to become little estimating - I think I was slightly lifted and pulled downwind, touched the ground, turned a little and made a steering mistake and messed it up. I believe I half looped the kite, was torn in the air and downwinds. I have a little film in my mind of the moment when I flew over the beach, head first. I was thinking "far too fast, far too high - BANG". I do not exactly know how often I hit the ground, I just remember one big bang and I was sure that this was it. Thanks to a lot of guys at the beach that really helped at that moment I am still here - once more thanks. The next 7 days where hell but I made it. Now my neck is Titanium enforced by two screws, it was a quite difficult surgery (Friday) and it was done in Muenster university hospitle by speciallist. I was really really very lucky to be still alive. From what I understood most of these injuries are deadly, the dens is just to high, right at the breathing centre.
Yesterday I was sent home. Unbelievable. Pure nightmare and pure happiness.

I am thinking about what happened and what went wrong since it happened. I talked to my two frinds who where there. Sure I messed it up and miss-steered the kit. But why was I dragged downwind and liffted the first time? Freakgust? Just bad luck? I don t know... Where the conditions above my skills? I not sure - if so I was very lucky a whole lot of times before where nothing happened in same situations.

What do I personally learn from this?
I don t know if I will ever kite again. I will never ever go out with a kite smaller than 9m. I will never ride a overpowered kite again. I will be much more aware of the danger of a kite (even in the zenit) at the beach.

I never thougt this could happen to me - unskilled beginners ok - but me? No way. And than it did. One second, that was it... I did not see the danger of the situation, it was just like always. No time to pull the safty at all and after the smackdown I couldn t.

Kiting is the best sport I know. But guys - it is not chess. Even if you are kiting for ten years and you think you have seen everything - be careful. I heard stuff like this hundrets of times and always thougt: Yeah sure - but I am a safe kiter - skilled and experienced and careful. Bullshit.
4 years ago I was kiting in Portugal, jumped, lost one foot out of the strap, kicked the board away like 1000 times before. When I hit the water the wind had pushed back my board which hit me at my head. I was very happy to make it back to the beach. The docs fixed it with 9 stiches, I looked like a zombie. Bad luck or good luck? We lost friends to windsurfing and a lot of friends had bad kite accidents. I don t want to sound like your mom and maybe I am still shocked and too old for this stuff but please promise me to f...ing take care!

Once more thank you to everybody who helped me and thought of me!

stefan

[Phil]

Thanks for sharing the experience Stefan.
Glad to hear that you recover well and fast

A quick reaction from your notes:

I was sitting with my butt in the sand, board in front of me, no speed, kite was 12 to 1 - a really safe position

Staying on the beach with the kite at 12 or 1 is not safe IMHO. Keep it low is safer as a gust will try to drag you horizontaly on the beach, but not lift you up whith no other option than release (in the air ) if the kite is at 12.

Just my 2c for the sake of safety

Phil
Have Fun & Ride Safe