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self rescue
Could people please share their self rescue techniques? I did not receive this training with my lessons, and have watched how it is done on zero to hero(Real Kiteboardingvideo). Basically safety is popped, you go hand over hand till you get to your bar , then wrap this one line around your bar, then wrap remaining lines around bar until you get to your kite, then tie lines around bar end then sail kite in.
This does not address what to do with your board. i have been told a different way... safety is popped, you take your leash off, pass it through board handle or footstrap so board and bar are connected, do not wrap lines around bar, swim up lines to kite and sail kite in. Concern is all that line dragging behind you-it could very easily tangle on a crab trap float, etc. I tried this technique and got myself all tangled up in kite lines and this could have become very dangerous(I was in shallow water and practicing self rescue) I'm concerned that if I really had to do it I don't have a good predictable method. please share your technique in as much detail as possible. Thanks. |
That's the right idea for securing your board. Just be aware that you wont be hooked in any longer and if you let go of the bar your kite will sale away from you.The idea is that you wrap one of your outside lines around the bar a couple times, then start wrapping the rest of the lines along with the one outside lines. It makes it such that one line is much shorter than the other three, rendering the kite useless for flight. Until you have that done I wouldn't consider unattaching your leash from the bar. I'd rather spend 500 on a new board than 1300 on a new kite/bar. So just continue wrapping your lines around the bar until your reach the kite. Find some way to secure the lines on the bar so it doesn't unwrap as you play with the kite....it doesn't have to be fancy. Then slide down the leading edge to the grab handle, on the wingtips, then slide the oppposite way down the leading edge to the other grab handle. You'll now be holding onto both grab handles and the kite will be sailing you in...wherever "in" is.
It might not be a bad idea to quickly detach your kite leash from the CL, pass it through your board handle, and reattach it to the CL. At least you wouldn't lose your board that way? Maybe something to consider. The way you have been told is horrible. I wouldn't dare sail a kite back to shore with the lines stretched out all over the place. It wouldn't take much for that kite to power up again with your fingers in the grab handles. :eek: |
Sometimes I'll actually wrap my lines around my board instead of the bar if I am in a bind (like quickly getting blown side shore down the beach). I can wrap them up quicker this way (2 feet per wrap), and seperate myself from the whole mess. Then I throw it in the kite, and ride the kite to shore using it like a sail.
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I was out in a channel when the wind died and was in a strong side shore current. I also used my board to reel my lines in and then put my board fin side up on the canopy of my kite. I then grabbed the underside of my leading edge and swam my kite/gear/self back to shore.
This was one instance where I wish i had a life vest or impact vest to provide some floatation. I had to wait till i passed all the channel markers to make sure i didn't get tangled up. |
Would it be accurate to say that there is no one perfect way to do this and different situations dictate a different approach? It seems like its a difficult and ackward thing to do in the best of circumstances.
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Imo, yes. Each time is different and may require a different approach.
I got creamed in some pretty big waves (10 to 13 feet) once in St. Augustine in 30 to 35 knots of side-onshore winds. It didn't take me but 3 seconds to release the whole sha-bang and say "screw it". I didn't want to risk lines getting tangled or the kite lighting up on me and dragging me under in those conditions. My kite couldn't make it to a road, only to beach houses, so it was an easy decision. Most of the time around here, people don't go too far from shore, waves aren't so intense, etc.,. Lots of riders ride shallow water and don't go more than 300 yards out, so I would recommend just chillin' and drifting in in most cases. I don't even know if the term rescue is necessarily applicable for us most of the time, since we will eventually safely drift to shore (in most scenarios). I am sure there are different takes on this. But, if not in a life threatening situation and you are drifting to shore anyways, my attitude has always been relax and enjoy the drift. Once it took 40 minutes just to drift in from about a mile out at P.A.G., but I drifted in :) I guess I could have "gotten fancy". But why? I think the kite lines tangling around you is our biggest concern during a chill/drift. I wonder how many of us have knifes to cut lines if necessary? I have had lines tangle around while in "chill/drift" mode. This pretty quickly changes the feeling of chilling to worrying about drowning :( . Anyway, I am sure others have other views, but if my lines are tight (maybe one or two are snapped) and I am drifting to land, I never screw with it. I just drift in. I usually cut the snapped lines and suffer a tad of guilt over the turtles that might get stuck in them. |
yeah getting tangled in the lines is a scary experience-and its like if you struggle they just tighten like a constrictor.
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imo the worst possible scenario is drifting in, having the lines get wrapped tightly around your ankles (from kicking your legs). Then, having those lines entangle on a crap trap buoy right in the break. As the waves pull you in, it pulls the float (and you) underwater.
If you get tangled in a crap trap float, make sure you are clear of all lines (and unhooked) or make sure you don't let go of the kite while you are cutting yourself free.... |
I am sure everyone does it different.
I think you misinterpreted my meaning of drift. When I say drift, I mean get pulled in by the wind's tension on the kite, which is LE down, not the current. The (onshore) wind keeps the lines tight and the kite 75 feet away. This has happened to me at least ten times, usually after a line break. In my example, the kite still keeps it's shape LE down, but you can't steer it anymore or fly it. It is "behaving" and not going apeshit. I don't think you could drift in with slack lines or little wind. You would just sit there. You would have to swim. I definitely would never swim toward a kite without first wrapping up the lines. I am sure everyone does it their own way. Raul did an awesome self rescue 2 or 3 seasons ago from way out in the SW channel to get himself back. He came right back to the launch area. It was very impressive. I actually do have a technique I use when the kite is not just dragging me in or if it gets caught up on something. I have only had to use it 3 times. It's similar to the one this guy is showing on land (he saved himself from drowning in the beach sand quite well). I don't know if it's right or wrong, but it's basically what I do if the kite won't just pull me in. http://www.ikiteboarding.com/kiteboa...the-water.aspx |
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just a matter of time on the water and you eventually log tons of self rescues. Heck , once I even rescued a person on a windsurfer that had broken down from way over a mile out on my foil kite in really rough conditions, ( I think she still owes me a backrub ) Anyways, those kites were much easier to rescue on, LE bridles are tricky Yech, some of my worst self rescue memories are from the Gorge cause your kite goes down and you are outta time because the big 'ole smiley face on 'da river barge is lookin' down at ya' and he don't stop! |
Time is on our side here. No real current, no real waves, it's not cold!
I just chill unless something looks really whacky and let the kite pull me in. (not advising that, I think you should do whatever your instructor tells you is best). I think the 45 minute drift was the longest. I remember just laying back and zoning out. When I got to shore, Fire Rescue was there. That sucked. I really wasted their time and I guess by law they had to do a semi health check on me and have me sign off that I was okay. That just took even more of their time. I was embarrassed that I wasted their time while quite honestly, I enjoyed my time doing my little drift. They probably thought I was dead, cuz I was literally not moving, just zoning out. In hindsight, had I known they were on the beach waiting for me, I would have self rescued just so they weren't worried. Oh well. They didn't seem to mind checking out the bikinis as I remember. |
Man... what timing. Check out this nightmare from Pat. He just posted it 2 minutes ago.
He is a very advanced rider and waterman and in incredible shape. Quote:
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is this common w/ those right-below-the-bar push-out releases??
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I don't know. I don't think so.
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Wow dude that's a horrible experience. Glad Pat is OK.
Not sure I would have tried to pull the kite in... would probably have just ridden around near it to keep track of it until it got closer to shore. |
when i was in HR there was a guy down in the middle of the river w/ twisted lines and in pretty bad shape. I was right next to him and offered help and he asked me to grab his kite.. I basically said "no f**king way".. but offered to help him in any way if he ditched the kite.. it was nuking.. i was on a 7m ..he asked me to get help .. he didnt want to lose his kite..i asked him to pull the OS release.. he said kite had wrapped too many times.. he wanted to save his kite.. he even told me he was tiring out..
i tried to find a boater or jetski at the sandbar to help.. to no avail.. then went back to the kiter (took 5 minutes of upwind riding) and another guy was in the process of deflating the kite and dragging it back in.. I got to the rider and it took me 30 minutes to tow him into shore.. cant believe he risked his life to save a 7m 2006 waroo..insane. i've always remembered a story that Ebone told me a long time ago about a botched kite rescue that almost took him down.. not worth it at anytime.. Pat could have died trying to rescue a kite. |
WTF!??
check out the forum at extreme kites.. ANOTHER experienced rider had the safety release .. and his leash broke.. that thing must be touchy... |
I'll be rigging mine on a Best Bar for sure! The kite is in the mail! If it is blowing tomorrow PM I should be out after work. It looks like Thurs might be good early and late. I'll be taking off work.
Bob |
bob, can you pencil me in for a demo of that kite if the wind is here?
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Yup
My 12 Era is in the mail too! I will have it tomorrow! Woo hoo!!! Yup I will be riding the best bar on the kite too, I thought about getting the Era bar with it, but I love my best bar! Plus the Era bar in the pictures looks like it kind of sucked IMO.
I had the same problem with the Flexi Bar with the 06 ION. It only happen once with me, and close to poping off many times. I got into the habit of making sure that QR was pushed all the way down before I went out. |
Yikes. I haven't even read the EK forum this morning.. almost scared to.
I posted Pat's story mainly to show how important a knife is. I am going to try to figure out one for my wrist region. Maybe Rick or Tom (divers) can give some insight. Pat is in better shape than anyone I have ever met (yes, including Billy). It doesn't matter how fit you are if you are pig-tied by line though, you could drown. |
Knife
The mystic Warrior Harness have them built in on your right side. Very easy to get too! I got wrap in my lines once when I was riding a diffrent brand harness without a knife. Got very luck to only leave with some Line burn on my hand. Ever since then, I always make sure my knife is on my harness.
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My harness has it in the back in an awkward place. I can't really reach it.
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my harness (session OR) has one on the side.. but its awkward to reach.. i bought a knife from extreme kites that comes with a little sheath and belt loop.. fits perfect on my leg straps and is very easy to reach.
always that possibility that you will get turn/twisted into a position that any knife is hard to reach. one of my many reoccurring nightmares regarding this sport. |
This topic has brought up some really interesting things. I lost my hook knife a while ago-it sat in a pocket in the back of the harness-how in the hell are you to reach that in emergency? Extreme sells hook knives?
I would really like to see a demo of self rescue on the water. I wonder if anyone else relatively new to the sport would also? Maybe we could get together with one of you that is an instructor and have a safety clinic of what ifs and what to do -like a group session? It seems like we all can learn lots from those who have gotten themselves out of messes. Anyone interested? |
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Not only that but each situation is completely different; once you may be caught on a crabtrap, another your line snaps, your LE deflates, lines tangle, powerboat decides to cross at high speed between you and the kite across your lines, WIND DIES RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BARGE! etc My recc. would be to get intimately aware of all the peatures and safety systems on your particular kite + know their positives and minuses and how to act in an emergency ( for your particular case ). Seems to me thats a topic your instructor would want to cover with you but the only way he could do it correctly is by knowing which kind of kite you would end up using to begin with ( catch 22 ). Oh. and don't hesitate, hesitation is the little killer |
How about a situation where all lines are intact, your kite is down but something is twisted so your kite begins to relaunch and spiral, so you pop the safety. Now you are connected to the safety line by your leash. You are in water over your head. wind is side onshore. You want to wrap all your lines, and get yourself, board and kite to shore. That is what I'd like to see on a kite like a waroo or atom, and then extrapolate this into other situations.
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Except, on a waroo, popping the safety only places the bar 20 feet out of reach... meanwhile the kite keeps relaunching just as powered as it was before you pulled the safety... you have to ditch the safety too, or if you are lucky you managed to grab one of the o-sh1t handles before popping the release.
In cave diving we always carried two (extremely small) knives. One z knife on our wrist, the other on our harness, on opposite sides so you could reach one with either hand if badly entangled... and of course as a backup in case you dropped one in the chaos. Saved my life more than once... one particular time I was entangled from behind and stuck trying to exit a side tunnel restriction at 181 feet on air. Boy howdy, what fun! I was sure happy to find my knife that day. |
The waroo bar is very similar to the flexifoil axis bar in the location of a center line leash attachment which will not depower the kite 100%, and a leash attachment on either side of the bar end which will flag the kite if leash is attached to it and the safety popped. Flexi has it on one end, best on both ends. The best manual is really specific not to attach your leash to the metal ring but the webbing strap attached to it. I assume they dont want someone to attach their leash to the fixed ring by accident, rendering the safety system useless? Thats how flexi recommends attaching the leash(to the left side flying line) to accomplish 100% depower. Its a pain if you spin the bar around alot as the leash gets all tangled, but much safer in terms of total depower.
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Even though every situation might require that you improvise a little, having a basic recipe and understanding of s/r to start with is a good idea. Without a basic understanding it's not a good idea to attempt to just figure it out on the fly.
I am confident that many riders are very lacking in what they know in terms of self rescue, including me. Jim is a smart guy, but this stuff needs to be taught to be learned. I think Jim's idea of having a few people have a self rescue orientation is a good idea. It won't be free and shouldn't be. Maybe Steve S. or someone else with such training could set this up at a reasonable fee,kind of on the fly out a EB one day, near the end of a day after we have our fill of riding (?). |
I'm in. Maybe we could set a date once we find someone willing to teach. Definitely for compensation(Hope I didnt imply I was looking for a freebie) We don't really need much wind-and other people actually riding would be a distraction in this case. Also it will give us something to do other than sitting on the computer talking about kiteboarding! Wendy would be in too, and I can pass the idea along to the other guys down here .Next s
tep is to find an instructor. |
I am in too. Although I have gotten back in a few times, I would like to see the current agreed upon method.
When it's just me I am pretty apt to wing it and pray. :) But, I might end up talking someone else through the steps in the future (off P.A.G. beach for instance) as I remain just upwind of them, and don't want to give wrong advice. I would hate to wing it with Donna or someone else and have it turn into a "wing it and pay" scenario due to my ignorance. :( |
It's too bad the wind is not more predictable. It makes it a bit more tricky to set in stone a date for stuff like self rescue and safety system lookovers.
I am definitely in for some self rescue tutoring though the next weekend that looks decent. |
first weekend looks good for me. Thank you!
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That'll work. I would just like some real wind to make it realistic for a strong wind rescue. Hopefully it'll happen.
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I'm not sure who said it earlier on here, but every situation is different. However, I was never taught any self rescue techniques and have had to rescue myself 3 times, i'm here so i guess you can say i'm a quick learner:
1) Wind died 2) My middle lines snaped 3) my harness broke on one side It is true that each situation is different, luckily I was not to far from shore. however, I would love to hear some techniques like how to use your kite to tow yourself back in. Safety clinic, not a bad idea |
i'm in for something that weekend
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Just wondering if we can get a count of people interested in a self rescue clinic the weekend of the 6th of october(saturday afternoon at EB?) I will be happy to try and organize it if no one else wants to. Maybe do it as a demo/clinic and eat/drink afterwards?
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if you need a zodiak let me know.
it might come in handy. peace |
One.
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