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-   -   ATTENTION KITESURFERS-Warning from Pinellas County Surfers (http://www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=6066)

WindRyder 03-20-2008 06:19 AM

At our favorite spot up here, we have a lot of surfers. When the surf is up,those guys are spread over the course of several hundreds of yards. Yeah, at times it's a bummer that we can't ride some of the nicer waves, but there is a lot of real estate out there to be had. Last year, a couple of us kiters had some vandalism to our cars. We figured out that there is only a very small group of surfers who have an attitude with us. The vast majority are fine with us, BUT, we do stay out of the line, unless we are coming in or going out. We give them space, and often talk to them when on and off the water. Kill them with kindness has been our motto. And that small group of agro surfers, haven't had a problem this year. Good luck with your situation down there!!!

Todd RT 03-20-2008 07:35 AM

Surfing in Pinellas County??? Not too many waves here... wonder where they were riding??

toby wilson 03-20-2008 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickI (Post 30793)
Who has greater numbers, surfers or kiteboarders and who has been around longer?


As for numbers in Pinellas I'd have to say Kiteboarders Rick. The west coast isn't anything like the east coast for waves...

The surfers in this area are pretty cool with us for the most part though. I am sure something seriously kooky must have been done to upset them.

I hate to sound like a broken record but we may want to revisit the skills testing, rider level tagging, and putting up signs idea at our local launches.

This thread was NEVER responded to on Bobo's last post:

http://www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=5997&page=9

If not that system, something needs to be put into place or the riding here is just gonna get kookier...

inferno 03-20-2008 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toby wilson (Post 30816)
As for numbers in Pinellas I'd have to say Kiteboarders Rick. The west coast isn't anything like the east coast for waves...


not sure about that toby, i used to surf, and on an epic day, ie when a hurricane goes north through the gulf and sends overhead clean waves.... you literaly have to take turns on waves, there was a surfer every 5ft for a few hundred yards... hard to believe but true, im sure tom would concur....
there easily a couple hundred surfers in our area..... if not more...

Woodson 03-20-2008 08:10 AM

Speaking of which
 
Friday night Bennigan's at Channelside... Tampa Surfer Meeting... FWIW...

ricki 03-20-2008 08:13 AM

As a side note, this was very similar to what almost caused the effective banning of both kiteboarding and windsurfing in Hawaii recently. Small dumb acts can have large consequences.

Show reasonable respect and common sense or open the doors to having others do it for us. People that have no reason to give much of a damn about kiting, how and where we like to do it or anything else.

I heard a story about someone landing on a surfboard on the east coast recently. Fortunately, the surfer saw it coming and slid out of the way just before contact. Amazing stupidity on the part of the kiteboarder.

Skyway Scott 03-20-2008 08:18 AM

There are definitely more surfers, it's a pretty obvious no brainer.
Just looking at how many surf shops and how much business they get will tell you that. They may not ride every day, but it's not even close. They have a big voice.

Skills testing etc. is a waste of time in terms of this particular problem.
Let's get real. Do you think this is being done by noobs that couldn't pass a skills test? I am totally at a loss as to how kiting skills relate to common sense and courtesy anyway? There is no connection.
I don't make these comments as an attack on you Toby, but they are made as opinions directly against yours.
It doesn't matter in the end, this is useless forum chatter, truly useless.

Yesterday was only one day and focussing on who it was seems silly.
I have seen plenty of days where 20 guys (all at once or at different times in smaller groups) screamed down the coastline for 15 miles, the whole way coming close to shore doing tricks very close (you were there on one day Toby to see). As a community, complaining on the forum but just watching the days it happens is like talking about a fire that burnt down your neighbor's house the day before while you sat and watched it that day.
The big difference here is that your neighbor didn't care at the time and the whole neighborhood didn't care either, as they were roasting twinkies on the house's flames. That's how it feels around here for the last 8 months or so, and the major reason I and many others totally gave up on trying to stop it.

Majority rules and the majority has been saying for quite some time (not just yesterday)--- "Burn baby burn. Let's just burn this house down".
I personally can't relate to knowingly burning down your house (of riding), but it's impossible to stop it when so many seem dedicated to the cause.

This was a just another useless forum rant. Useless meetings, useless everything.
This stuff comes from within. People either have respect for the community (of kiters and larger community) or they don't.
We have plenty of riders who have none. That can't be overcome. Sorry to be such a downer, but it's a fact.

BigR 03-20-2008 08:34 AM

Agree 100%
 
Scott wrote
Quote:

There are definitely more surfers, it's a pretty obvious no brainer.
Just looking at how many surf shops and how much business they get will tell you that. They may not ride every day, but it's not even close.

Skills testing etc. is a waste of time in terms of this particular problem.
Let's get real. Do you this is being done by noobs that couldn't pass a skills test? I am totally lost as to how kiting skills relate to common sense and courtesy anyway? There is no connection.
I don't make these comments as an attack on you Toby, but they are made as opinions directly against yours. The only system that would ever work is for everyone to put a HUGE number on all their kites so that other people, including cops, could note which riders were continually doing the same actions. It's pretty much always the same people. Good luck with that one. I don't want to waste a perfectly good kite with a stupid number stencil, although I would.
It doesn't matter in the end, this is useless forum chatter, truly useless.

Yesterday was only one day. I have seen plenty of days where 20 guys (all at once or at different times in smaller groups) screamed down the coastline for 15 miles, the whole way coming close to shore doing tricks very close (you were there and one day Toby). As a community, complaining on the forum but just watching the days it happens is like talking about a fire that burnt down your neighbor's house the day before while you sat and watched.
The big difference here is that your neighbor didn't care at the time and the whole neighborhood didn't care either, as they were roasting twinkies on the house's flames. That's how it feels around here and the major frustration (and why I gave up totally) on trying to stop it.

Majority rules, and the majority has been saying for quite some time (not just yesterday)--- "Burn baby burn. Let's just burn this house down".
I personally can't relate to knowing burning down your house (of riding), but it's impossible to stop it when so many seemed dedicated to the cause.

This was a useless forum rant.
Totally agree

skills testing
signs
tags
talking
forums

none of these will work apparently. nothing will change the people that refuse to listen to common sense

like the song says "Second chances they don't never matter, people never change"


ricki 03-20-2008 08:52 AM

Why are there still skateboard parks, hang gliding parks, surfing zones on public beaches, snowboarding, designated hobie cat & sailing corridors on public beaches, sky diving LZ's, american football ... this could go on for a long time.

ALL these activities were confronted by bans in their day. Why do they still exist? Largely because people didn't blow off keeping them around as being hopeless due to the dumber, self-destructive side of human nature. If people get together for effect, this can be done and has been done many times before. Saying it's hopeless absolves responsibility or the need to try.

Many of the problem kiters (often well experienced guys too) seem to be driven by ego, appearances. Hit them where it hurts to work for reasonable change. Or, blow it off ... your choice.

Steve-O 03-20-2008 08:54 AM

I have to concur with Scott's stance.

I have connections with the boys at Gulfster....so I will do a little work trying to figure out what was seen. Again, it seemed to be a perception from the beach.

As a surfer of 20+ years, surfers are just as dangerous to other surfers IMO. A hard surfboard to the head could do equal damage. I have been in crowded lineups all over the world, and it is dangerous.

Surfers have just learned to live with this and deal with it on the water with there own. However kitesurfing becoming as popular as it is maybe gives them the feeling that they have some power to shut us down. They are already frustrated with the crowds in surfing, now they have to deal with kiteboarders too. Yes we have way more options than they do. It makes them angry. Imagine being at a skatepark and some guys come through with dirt bikes. It would piss some people off.

I feel there pain, but I don't think they are going to have a leg to stand on if something did happen, because so many injuries and deaths have happened in the surfing world and the sport still lives on as one of the biggest in the world.

Shit, I almost got ran over with by a snowboarder going 50+ and if he did hit me, it would have been a trip to the ER. But do you think they would shut down snowboarding.......nope.

I personally feel our biggest concern is that innocent smimmer or beach goer. Surfers enter the water knowing the risks involved. Swimmers are a much different story IMO.

Final thought....go to the North Shore of Hawaii. Someone dies surfing there every year and many get mangled. Lifeguard rescues are a daily occurance. Do they shut down the sport because of the risks. Nope. If it put innocent people on the beach at risk, well that would be a different story.

The world is not getting any smaller.


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