http://www.change.org/petitions/oppose-bill-11

Thanks
Toby

Please sign the petition or email the council members. I take no sides as far as companies involved, but it will be a huge shame to lose not only kiteboarding lessons, but also wind surfing lessons, guided kayak tours, etc...

Kailua really is the only safe place on Oahu to learn.

I'm advocating because I recently learned to kitesurf here and I want others to be able to enjoy the sports as well.

I agree. I have no stake in the company stuff...but I do like free competition and I do not think the regulatory proposal will achieve what it attempts to achieve.

The biggest problem is that banning lessons will ultimately put all kiting at risk because
1. It makes honest people criminals. The people who do not care will still teach...and those are often the ones that should not be teaching.
2. People will try to learn on their own which will lead to an even more unsafe beach.

The biggest problem here is actually that one of the kayak store owners are putting the lens on kiteboarding because he wants to pull away attention from his own business. He has been breaking rules and regulations (having his customers launch in a wind specific launch area...the only place we can launch) for as long as I have lived here. Kiters have been nice and not said anything...but now in an attempt to push out competition he is focusing on kiters. I think it is an attempt to gain control of that area for himself and his customers.

Thanks Toby for posting this.

I do have a stake in a company that teaches in Kailua. Regardless, nothing good has ever come from banning anything. Recreational kiters should be worried about this. We teach around 15 students a week and HWS the same. Thats at least 30 students. Many of them just wouldn't learn in Hawaii but many of the will learn on their own or from a friend that learned last week. That many more kites in the trees, that many more accidents...We will loose access for all kiting in Kailua soon. It also means 2 shops go out of business. Anyway you look at it kiting as a whole looses. Please sign this petition. It takes a few seconds and sends an email to the Council members that will be voting on this in 2 weeks. Kiting was born in Kailua it would be a shame to kill it there.