Originally posted on kiteforum.com in Fall 2003:
I spoke with the EMT and kiteboarder today who responded to the recent tragic accident in Miami within seconds of its occurrance. This man responds to and provides first care in emergencies for a living. He expressed the following opinion:
He felt that a helmet would have significantly reduced the severity of the head injury in this accident.
I regret bringing this up again and while so many of us are still trying to cope with this sad accident. Still, if any good may come of this horrible experience it might be in the example provided to others to start wearing these simple safety devices and to adjust the way in which we approach the sport.
Please don't get hung up on helmets. Just select the best one that you can find for kiteboarding, wear it whenever you ride and forget about it. It is just a safety device, you put it on and forget about it. In that way it is very similar to the safety belts in your car. The real part of safety in driving (and kiteboarding) comes in preparation and when you are moving. A helmet won't protect you from all impacts and accidents but it might make an important difference if something bad goes down.
We are in a lull in the strong winds of the fall. I suspect that the stronger winds will return shortly. Remember:
1. Avoid onshore winds, they have been responsible for a dispproportionate quantity of accidents. If you are an advanced rider and have the option, walk offshore as far as you can go and do an assisted launch and landing at that point. A couple of hundred feet of downwind buffer zone may provide the critical time needed to try to sort things out before you hit the shoreline. This approach should be STANDARD in sheltered, shallow waters. Accept that by choosing to ride in onshore winds, your risk of injury goes up substantially. Even if you have to drive a distance, why not pick a far safer launch with side onshore or sideshore winds?
2. Select your kite size for the middle or lower end of the wind range particularly if gusty conditions are on. Ask what other people are flying and how they are doing with it while considering their relative weight. The smaller kites can be AMAZING in terms of ease of handling and jumping. Rigging big and overpowered in higher gusty winds is a poor risk and idea. If you don't have a small enough kite, GET ONE, your health and safety are worth it. If squalls are moving in by eye or in color radar, DON'T LAUNCH or if you are out, get in FAST, land and secure.
3. Carefully preflight your kite, lines, leaders and harness before launching. Two to three times in stronger winds isn't too many times.
4. Generally launch with your kite pointed away from shore after careful preflighting. Keep your kite low to the water and go offshore without delay. Do not bring your kite through the zenith while near hard objects. If conditions are excessively gusty with pronounced lulls, wait until conditions stabilize further or accept the substantially increased hazard of launching in such conditions, WELL AWAY FROM SHORE if possible.
5. Work on launching and landing UNHOOKED. This is the closest thing that we have to an automatic kite depowering system in these early days. There is nothing better than having your bar ripped out of your hands in an unexpected strong gust as opposed to the sinking feeling of being lofted or dragged at speed. I have tried all three as many others have as well. I vote for the first option (with gloves on!).
6. If you choose to launch and land hooked in and accept the higher risk, if ANYTHING threatens or your are otherwise ...
IN DOUBT-PUNCHOUT!!!
That is immediately depower your kite using your leash without hesistation. If you are using a reasonable downwind buffer zone and your kite leash is well tested and reliable no harm should ideally come to anything in this process.
7.IMPORTANT-WEAR REASONABLE SAFETY GEAR. That is a good well fitting, secured, padded, light, low drag and light weight, hard shelled helmet with good drainage AND an impact vest, gloves, booties if appropriate, etc. The majority of people FORGET they have this stuff on minutes after gearing up. If you slam in we are talking a sublime pleasure and relief at dodging injury or perhaps having it lessened.
MOST RIDERS in SE Florida anyway, don't currently wear helmets. So there is no shame in moving to reverse this long helld trend. The only shame that might come into play will be in the next sad accident in which a helmet might have done some good but didn't because one wasn't being worn.
There is a LOT more to this sport than might appear on the surface. The level of safety can be subtantially improved by using good judgment, some of the above points, the ideas described at the link below** along with other prudent practices. This sport is an incredible experience and can be just as safe or even safer than hang gliding, off pieste skiing or other so called "extreme sports." You just need to take the hazards seriously, properly prepare and follow reasonable safety practices. Guys didn't make it to the top of Mt. Everest on a lark or by "looking good", or to 400 ft. on a breath by playing at it without suitable care, it took preparation, carefully built experience, good practices and gear. There are hazards that will likely always be present in this sport but it should be possible to reduce the risks.
**
http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2300704