[ricki]

Guys,

Things are heating up and access is being challenged and even lost on SE Florida Beaches.

The most common cause is kiters riding within the swim zones on guarded beaches and too close to bystanders.

Reasonable people hearing this will decide to stay well beyond 100 yards offshore of guarded/threatened areas and not cause us all problems. Unreasonable people might ignore it.

We need to get this word out to people to think over and act upon, SOON. Talk about this with your friends, at your launches and try to get folks onboard with it. If swimming skills are lacking that is a whole different problem and should be remedied before kiteboarding. Impact vests/flotation are very good things and should always be worn. They shouldn't be worn to supplement poor swimming skills however.

You don't want to lose your privilege to ride which is happening right now in some areas. For guys that are unreasonable despite effective warnings, take note of what happens, have witnesses, photos/video are far better and share accurate information. Poorly supported, inaccurate or unwitnessed claims won't do anyone any good and should not be shared here.