We are 'half' there already in that anyone who wants to rent kiting kit should be asked to provide an IKO / BKSA / other card before the vendor should make the equipment available. Enforcing this can, I think, be difficult. I also think in some parts of the world (someone will correct me here I'm sure), e.g. Florida, you've got to prove you've got insurance before they'll let you on the beach with a kite. Insurance might not prove you know what you're doing...just that there's financial back up when things go wrong. Again, I think too much regulation will make the sport too exclusive for ordinary kiters and we'll get the wild bunch going off anyway.

For example, there are several 'beach clubs' in the UK that restrict launching to members only. Is this effective in controlling who kites there? Not really in my experience. They can only restrict launching...it would be wholly against the rules of the sea to restrict landing. Kiters therefore set up and launch outside 'the zone', kite into it where they wish, and land their kites where they wish. I really think you'll end up with more kite surfing bans and less management / control of the available space if you pursue licensing. I don't, after all, see people clamouring to license wind surfers and dinghy sailors.... The sport is still growing but it will reach a natural level at some point.

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Generally, many people expect too much from lessons. Part of the reason for this is because not only do schools and instructors promise ridiculous progression (so that they can sell equipment), but the magazines where they advertise confirm that anyone can be up and riding within a few days (sometimes hours).

This is not to say that SOME people, in SOME ideal situations, may not be able to do that. However, they are not only few and far in between, but also this in NO WAY means that they know how to kitesurf.

Being able to kitesurf means being able to practice and/or ride in a variety of conditions reasonably safely.

The plain fact of the matter is that lessons do NOT make someone into a kitesurfer. ONLY practice does this. Many people prefer to believe the hype in the hope of eliminating this time consuming step. I suspect these people are more enamored with the appearance of kiting than actually DOING it because real kiters find the PRACTICE part extremely fun (usually) .

TOBY:

You continually advocate for some type of “licensing” system despite endless posts from others listing ENDLESS reasons why it is IMPOSSIBLE to create such a system (the ONLY possible exception would be at INDIVIDUAL beaches with effective enforcement).

Although the theory of certification of instructors and/or kiters sounds good at first, the REALITY is that it is worse than meaningless. It is WORSE because some (growing number) of people are mislead into thinking that certification/non-certification has some meaning when in fact it might or might not and since there is no way to know if it does or doesn’t in any particular case, it becomes meaningless.

Not only is it impossible for the industry to come to a consensus as to what constitutes good instruction and what a kiter’s minimal knowledge/skill set should be, but then there is the issue of quality control regarding the certification itself. Even if there was a business model that didn’t lend itself to poor quality control (there aren’t), there are too many variables involved regarding conditions, locations, level of instruction, teaching methods, costs, personality etc. to be able to create a decent certification program.

You and some others seem to think that because you need to pass a test to get a drivers license to drive a car, that something similar can work with kiters. Besides the MANY, MANY reasons why it is IMPOSSIBLE to create such a program, even if you somehow DID create one, it STILL has NO chance to succeed. This is because the ONLY reason that drivers are not berserking around like loonies is because of EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT which FORCES compliance.

So after you figure out some licensing scheme which has half a chance of working at a large percentage of locations, please explain how you expect to CONTROL these “licensed” kiters.

Because the actual FACT of the matter is that in general beginners and novices are NOT the problem. These people are almost always HAPPY to correct improper behavior and WANT to cooperate. Experienced kiters who are greedy and irresponsible are a MUCH more serious concern. Not only will they KNOWINGLY behave inappropriately, but they do so REPEATEDLY. Besides the potential and/or ACTUAL problems created by this misbehavior, a serious side effect is that it SETS A BAD EXAMPLE which other kiters will have a tendency to follow, especially if they're new and unsure of its harmfulness.

Richard M.
Malibu Kitesurfing - since 2002
(310) - 430 - KITE (5483)
http://www.MalibuKitesurfing.NET
kfRichard@MalibuKitesurfing.NET

...perfect,,,,constructive...

When surfers think their break is too crowded they just revert to aggressive localism. That seems to work why don't we try that. When you roll up to your spot and it is too crowded just break out the shotgun and take out a few kites. Lol, dumbest topic ever.

Sound likes we have a very disappointed or hated redneck racist here who can not tolerate anything other than his inglish & want to keep kite sport to the inglish native only.There are some inglish nazi sites for you to go there to masturbate or join the orgy with those like you.Kiteboarding is an international sport, kiters came from all walk of life and inflatable kite invented by the French and the guy who run this web site is German, if you don't know these fact. So... chill out or get lost, scumbag.

I think what we have here is someone who is lacking a sense of humor.

I liked the classical response from the movie "Cool Hand Luke" - 1967

"What we've got here is failure to communicate"

Um, i've been around the world, and I don't think you can walk into anyplace and get a 3000psi tank filled without a certification, and if you could there would not be around 1 million people a year paying for a certification they wouldn't need according to you (http://www.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-ac ... /scuba.htm). Any time you want to talk about making a certification, you have to look at groups who have done it successfully before trying to make it work in a new sport. Stop being angry, just helped make my point as to why kiteboarding certification wont work, any "backwater" place someone can go get a kite and go ride.

You are wrong.
Scuba users are one of the smallest groups of compressed gas users on the planet. You might think its a large business but next to industry its nothing sports included. ie fire/rescue services/aviation/ shipping/ mining to name a few. No scooby cert required. It is the tank that requires certification. (cut and paste what I wrote before or re read ) If you are however in some backwater place where the only compressor is at the dive shop then you are at their mercy and if they wish have some bogus scooby doo rubber sucker cert to fill a tank then that is their prerogative. However they might be kind enough to fill the local services ba sets etc no cert required. Every dive store even in the backwaters usually will fill tanks requireing only the tank to be in test date unless they are on the make. I have never once been asked for a cert. Any professional will just check the test stamp on the neck. You should know this!!!

So you may have been around a bit(in your dreams) or only in your local cos you still have no clue as to what you are talking about with your first statement.

As to 200ba whoop de do...lame bet you still use A clamp as well!

Angry? nah, just looking at another idiot trying to use the "I`m an insructor " BS to lend credibility to his statement. As an "instructor" you should know better!

Good luck with that. I suggest you get back in touch with your subject!

Ok, yes, most commercial buisnesses will have have a way to fill their own tanks, but most people are not in the comercial side. But any commercial side will have "Training" for people who handle compressed air, so they are still being taught and many will have certification, so my point hasn't changed. But you are correct, i did misspeak as when you have a tank as long as its certified we do fill it. When you have regulars who you know come in i did forget that for fills we don't check as i know them most of the time. Most people who have their own tanks are already certified, and unless you carry around your tanks on vacation, (which would be expensive) you would go to a shop to rent tanks, which you are then asked for your cert card. And unless your doing a shore dive we do ask to see a cert card when either booking a trip or when they get into town to pay for the trip. I did in my original post that you can get around the tank fill, but since most people with tanks are resposible certified diver they ussually wont help you out. Thank you for catching my mistake, but it still doesn't change the fact that SCUBA diving has successfully regualted their own industry while kiteboarding hasn't a probably wont.