ATTENTION KITESURFERS-Warning from Pinellas County Surfers
 

Found this on the GULFSTER.com website for surfers on the West Coast near Pinellas. Sounds like they're not to happy with the kiters. Probably something to tend to.

"ATTENTION KITESURFERS: Today I witnessed a few kitesurfers come dangerously close to literally landing on some surfers. I may not be the brightest guy in the world but then again it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that should a serious or fatal accident occur it could potentially invite a legislative response in the form of restrictions or outright prohibitions that would adversely affect not only kitesurfers but possibly surfers as well. So having said that please give the surfers in the water a little more room. After all, you have an entire coastline to play with, whereas surfers just have a few isolated spots to do their thing."

gulfster.com

just get ready for beach closures and restrictions. Regardless of the efforts made by all of us who care, some a@@holes are still gonna ruin it for everyone. Hopefully they will only injure themselves and not innocent bystanders. We were just starting to gain some respect from gulfster, they were posting a lot of pics and giving us a lot of credit. Smooth move, whoever it was. Ignorance should be painful:mad:

Kiters should pass on the downwind side of surfers or well to windward with kite high, not threatening to closeline them. I would make sure there are no surfers ideally within a couple of line lengths downwind when jumping. Some of those jumps really get stretched out particularly on flat kites. I was amazed at how far downwind I went in a session today. Landing jumps near surfers or bathers is idiotic in the extreme and inexcusable. Always look around before you launch a jump. I would not ride routinely through the lineup either. People who do it are offering up their life's earnings and more as potential compensation to the avoidably injured parties. Believe it.

Who has greater numbers, surfers or kiteboarders and who has been around longer? Taking on surfers is also stupid in the extreme and highly unnecessary. We have vastly greater mobility and riding options. Crowding surfers is not smart or advisable and will likely lead to trouble.

Talk to the problem kiters, if they persist get some good video and put it up letting the clip do the talking. Kent might even give you some swag.

Ok, fess up... who was it? You know who you are.

Having been one of those surfers almost run down by a kiter 3 years ago I can imagine how pissed of the surfers were. I sure was.

surfers dont even give each other enouph room.

They don't fall from the sky on one another and can't go 30 knots, either. :rolleyes:

i bet they wish they could.

I guess no one will take this serious until we lose the beach. Whatever.

a ban wil make some kiters happy IMO
i'm just happy to kite free!!!

Earth to kite surfers... this statement came from someone who is NOT A KITE SURFER.

Great way to promote the sport.

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!!!

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

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...

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...

Speaking of which
 

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

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.

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.

Agree 100%
 

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.

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.

Do you surf? There waves here any time there is any serious wind with any west in it.

Sunset, and Upham are the two best pinellas surf spots.

Since the wind was SW, I am betting this was a down winder starting from PAG.

We are far outnumbered by surfers.

I've been surfing here for 20 years. Kiteboarding didn't even exist then.

Speaking of which check out my new board she's a beauty:

http://www.floridakiteboarder.com/surfing/sano1.jpg
http://www.floridakiteboarder.com/surfing/sano2.jpg

For those that can't imagine good waves in the Gulf, check out this link.

Lets not forget 2 of the best surfers in the world, Cory and Shea Lopez were born and raised right here on IRB. Cory kills it on a world wide stage.

And the best surfer to ever live and considered one of the world's best athlete's ever hails from Florida. Kelly Slater!!!!! He has won the World title so many times I have lost count. 9X???

http://gulfster.com/Pictures.html

Exactly Rick. Proactive behavior is always better than reactive behavior when dealing with problems like these. But I seem to be outnumbered here, not only by the surfers but also by others who don't want to work toward getting the area regulated.

Scott, the regulation is easy. Wear the tags yourself and lead by example as one of the guys who is more experienced without protest. If you see someone on the beach without a tag, point out the sign that explains the rules and regulations of our launch as well as the tagging and skills testing. Let the instructors posess and hand out the tags and do the testing for newbs and out of towners. Problem solved. If someone refuses to wear a tag or do a skills test, a group of local more experienced riders approach them and insist that they put their kite down. Heck, you could even include Jim Wilson in this for Ft. DeSoto if you wanted, I am sure he would be all for safer kiting practices at Ft. DeSoto as he has seen some accidents there with some experienced guys getting hurt...

Or if any of you think you have a better approach to regulate, present it but staying passive is just like holding a ticking time bomb. Eventually it will explode and if you don't get rid of it, you'll go up in smoke with it.

Stop bitching about others if you aren't willing to change yourself...

Not on this coast. I live in NORTH pinellas, so I don't know Sunset or Upham.

I just haven't seen any surfers on Pinellas beaches. Maybe I'll bring my short board down south one day!! ;)

Huh??? Who wants to skate in the same stupid park every day.

We LOST OUR FAVORITE SKATING SPOTS.

The parks are all we have left.

How is that a proactive win? It was a reactive "damn we can't skate anywhere anymore".

And WTF Toby, last I checked you were one of the people riding in the swim area at PAG right after the "Stay out of the swim zone" thread along with a dozen other guys.

So what exactly are you doing to help if you can't even stay out of the swim area? Oh a tag would have made a difference right.

I do my part. I try to stay outside the swim area and stay the F@#$ away from the surfers.

Every surfer on the gulf coast is looking at that website now thinking kite surfers are total kooks.

They are totally 100% right.

I like Kent's idea of using the STICK rather than the nice CARROT approach we've been using





Does anybody realy believe that us kitesurfers are unaware of the common sense rules of kitesurfing?
There are people that just refuse to follow them, that's where our efforts should be, IMO

I think a big reason for no action with this sign and these tags and stuff is the fact that the percentage of kiters using and reading this forum regularly is about 7%, in the end its going to take some beach promotion when we are all out there riding. Does anyone remember the tbksa, where it was about 35 of us and we were being reactive after olga's kite went into the skyway(from gear failure). forum talk is forum talk and it should be taken seriously but it isnt. we need to have face to face conversations. Do you guys know how many people showed up to the pre race party at WSW? A sh!t load. If we can get them to hold something like that again in reference to the recent ban talk, then we could get some stuff done hands on. promote the "kite night" on the beaches and advocate all riders to try to attend, because you arent going to be attending for "us" but rather for "you" because a beach ban is everyones problem. I'm sure there are a bunch of people with good ideas as well as people who would be able to put them into action. blabbing around on the forum, will just make this case go around in circles.

and seriously the ridiculous forum callouts need to end. everyone has at once done something "wrong". ive done my fair share, but calling out toby, when he is trying to help, for one thing he did wrong a couple of months ago is absurd. plus that kind of negativity is going to steer alot of people away from trying to help.

All this is going nowhere.....if some of you havent already noticed...

If we dont come together on this somehow...we might as well find a new sport..imo

Amen!


Alex, saw you in the new Ecplise ad in Kiteboarder!!!!!! Freaking sweet!

<jason, i believe i offered up a pretty good way of "coming together"

Agreed Alex.

I saw that ad too, way to throw down!!!

Roy, saw you in the latest issue of Gaysians Digest. That Gayley you were doing up there in Panama City was pretty limp-wristed!!!

Maybe we should have a new tag. The "i know better but it's ok today" tag.

We could wear it every time we ride.

Ok, seriously, Alex you are almost right, BUT kiters follow by example right there on the spot.

Go out and set an example. A newb for example would not want to be the only one riding by himself like a kook in the swim area while the pros are out throwing 30ft jumps and handle passes beyond the buoys off the big swells.

It's all about perception. If it's perceived to be "cool" to ride in the swim area, everyone will do it, if it's not, they won't.

Surfers and skateboarders don't learn by sitting around talking about rules.

They learn by example from watching the veterans.

If the veterans would set an example I really think it would make a huge difference.

Alex..
 

Your idea is good...not saying its not... but we are going to have to get a big turnout...for this "kitenight" and actually do this thing... and not have it turn into "BeerFest" within 15 minutes:confused:

It will have to be orginized...and have an agreed upon result at the end....

Like the first hour everone pontificating thier point of view...second hour weeding out the one's that are unrealistic...third hour voting on the easiest one with that will produce the greatest results.....tho just my opinion :)

my two cents..

signs and tag systems would work well in areas such as SW LP and EB, maybe NB too..
i have no problem with the idea,

but i dont think there is anything we can do about people riding in swim zones on the gulf coast, especially when most are doing downwinders....
only teh beach law enforcement can and eventually will take care of it...

Well in my neighborhood one single person pushed to make feeding the ducks in the neighborhood illegal and succeeded by getting some supporters:

Look for yourself:
http://www.thegreatseparation.com/ne...l-to-feed.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/18/Ne...eed_wild.shtml

All it takes is one pissed of person with money, friends on the city council, and time. There are plenty of these people who live on the beach.

Ducks don't hurt swimmers. Count your days fellas.

<jason,I truly believe "kitenight" would indeed work if everyone goes and if we go to accomplish the task at hand. The kitemasters party, was indeed a party. I am pretty sure everyone would be in favor of going out and seeing all their buddies from the local spots and talk about a way to preserve our area.

Tom, to be honest, wherever these newbies are looking to get inspiration it can't be at me, especially at the beaches. I rarely ride in the gulf, and you'd be hard pressed finding me out there when there is anyone(bystanders) in the water. I don't do it. I know i ride up to the beach everytime on my tack in, so if there is anyone in the water i am way up wind or way down wind of them. If there are people where i am riding i will ride outside of the swim area upwind of them.

it seems as if everyone thinks that the vets should step up, but what are we being asked to do? I throw all my tricks off shore. I ride courteously on the water, giving right of way to anyone. I can safely say that most of the people who have been pushing the envelope around here for a while are all pretty safe riders. I think the main problem is newbies not knowing what they are doing wrong. The instructors do their part teaching and educating these people how to ride, now we should be the ones teaching them specifics about our locations. Im not saying it is our responsibility, but we have to do it if we want access too our beaches.

basically i think we should organize a rider held rider organized event at hopefully WSW, and get a large portion of the kiting community out there to figure out some specifics. to give up and tell everyone to prepare to lose their beaches is ridiculous.

I emailed Gulfster about this.
 

I email trying to find out what color the kites were. They said " I don't recall what color their kites were. I happened to take some photos (which I later deleted) of them doing some pretty cool jumps but I was so disgusted by what took place that I didn't want to post them on the site as I normally would have because I didn't want to condone what they were doing. "

In over 4 years of riding in the gulf I have never heard of a fellow waterman calling out a kitesurfer!

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=452...safety+meeting