Photo Of The Day!!!

[ricki]

Been looking into diving lately, how about duck diving?



Uh, no, not that type of DUCK diving. What's all that stuff floating around anyway?
Photographer shimmo23
From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimmo/45992343/


How about this type?



Photo credit: Roxy
From: http://www.nollie.tv/surfing/




Photographer Sharpy
From: http://timesonline.typepad.com/surf_...r-shot-of.html




Photographer Jim Russ
From: http://boardfling.com/category/surfing/




Photographer unknown
From: http://www.amadeus.net.nz/nzedsurfa.htm


So if something big is rolling your way and you can't catch it, don't forget to duck!

[ricki]

Heading up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a few years back in 2002. My timing has been off for kiting visits to OBX, usually for lighter winds. Still, it is an intriguing area with lots of sights and things to do.



A look at Waves, with waves no less. No Bahamas in the way gives you a LOT of fetch to build swells in. (CLICK PHOTO FOR FULL SIZED IMAGE)




The digs out on OBX, Barton's Hatteras Island Sail Shop, http://www.hiss-waves.com/ . He has a nice upstairs apartment. I understand this is a favorite starting/ending point for downwinders.
(CLICK PHOTO FOR FULL SIZED IMAGE)




A PL kite goes up as the rain eases




Want to work on your suntan and do some flights off the sandy bunny slopes? Kitty Hawk Kites can take care of you. I felt real bad for the instructors out there in this intensely hot "mini Sahara." I am very grateful that all my early training flights were almost a 1000 ft. over Biscayne Bay with boat tow without a sand dune or sandy face plant in sight.




They have all these neat stilthouses along the shore. Hope the hurricanes have left them in place.



Photos by Rick Iossi



*

[ricki]

Ok, brace yourselves, the "Way Back Machine" is going way back, well sort of way back to the early 1960's. Found these on Ebay?!



I love this shot brings back memories. For one it is a photo of a Rebikoff Pegasus with full camera and instrument compliment. Dimitri Rebikoff was a French inventor of things UW for decades. He was also a pilot. He decided to combine flying with travel underwater and conceived the Pegasus. It was about an eight foot long torpedo like wetsub that you lay on top of. There was a rudder bar for your fins and a joy stick for controlling the aerilons with your hand. The pressure housed instrument pod had artificial horizon, altitude uh depth, compass and other stuff out of aircraft. Looks like he had this one rigged with a cine camera with two UW arch lamps.

You would fly this thing, do power dives, and boost ascents and could fly pretty level for photogrammetric and video surveys. I used to fly its cheaper cousin, the Remora. The main difference was instead of a $25,000 payload (in mid 1970's dollars!) of silver zinc batteries in the case of the Pegasus, the Remora towed a Whaler with a 220 v, 40 A diesel generator by a several hundred foot power umbilical. We used it for all sorts of surveys back in the day. Fun stuff. Oh, and there is mention of Columbus' "Pinta." There was another time we kicked around off Cap Haitian, Haiti looking for the sister ship, "Santa Maria" entombed in the barrier reef using diver operated drilling equipment.




I had never even heard of this publication before. Nice that somethings are before my time! Regarding, To Kill A Shark (in) The Mediterranean, I think you first have to find one? They do have tiburons but I think they are more elusive. Here's an interesting factoid from the past. In the Caribbean macho divers back in the day strove to get some black coral often at substantial depth, at least for the larger trees. This was before the practice was heavily banned for non-residents most everywhere. In the Med, macho divers used to collect Cat Shark Egg Sacks at depth? True enough, I once swapped some black coral for one of these funky translucent eggs with a guy from Germany when I was a young spud. Neat cover shot, all that fancy high tech stuff! Is that guy holding a classic RolleiMarin housing, Hans Hass' creation or is it a door opener?




Ugh, weeds! Wait, what am I complaining about I'm trying to breath on a double hosed regulator! Deep Dive, wonder what a "deep dive" was considered to be at that time? I recall seeing an amazing account over in Small Hope Bay, Andros last summer of a guy that did 462 ft. in 1962! His partner stayed down there unfortunately. This was on AIR and in the small tanks available at that time, probably "Rhinohydes" or converted CO2 bottles or something. I think in general though a "deep dive" back then was substantially shallower.



A final oldie goldie. I've yet to make it over to Greece but recall something about SCUBA diving being forbidden off the entire country without permit or special arrangements. I think this decision had to do with too many historical cultural resources being poached. Free divers can do a lot, no doubt particularly in Greece where the practice goes back mellinia. Still, if you want to dredge some exploratory holes to pillage a trireme wreck in 300 ft. of water you'll be pushing it on just a breath? So, shame on the dude making off with the amphora for the options he has removed from future divers. Most of the damage that will happen to a wreck occurs in the first hundred years as is collapsed, spread around, attacked by corrosion and eventually covered up. After that it remains in sort of a low oxygen or anaerobic stasis. That is until you pop the top on the entombed wreck, let all that oxygenated water in and things can be royally trashed in a decade or so. That is for all time and all future generations, not a good way to treat a non-renewable cultural resource. Beach Temptress Contest? Oh, got a shot of that too, interesting fashions back then.


*

[ricki]

Cory Roeseler with the Kiteski Dusoski (combos) Photo: Marco van Es
From: http://www.kiteski.de/

Back in the Day, not just any old day either, The Day, there were innovators. Sort of like today only a bit different, as there was no great following, real direction or global impetus. They were the original elves cutting their own path in Santa's T&E toy shop at the North Pole or in this case, the Gorge.

So, let's pickup with Cory Roeseler and his concept (and that of his father William), Kiteski.



(Click thumbnails for full sized images)

Patent Abstract

A wind powered system utilizes a free-flying airfoil tethered to a conveyance device such as a water ski, a skegged hull slab or a wheeled land vehicle which either defines or inherently has tracking means defining a preferred traverse vector across an underlying surface. The tractive force of the airfoil is applied at the center of lateral resistance of the conveyance device such that there is no destabilizing moment caused by the airfoil, thereby removing an artificial limit on the sail area that is imposed upon fixed mast sailing craft. A control bar provides a mount for a tether reel which enables the conveyance device, when same is a kite, to be launched from the water without requiring the assistance of a boat.

Patent number: 5366182
Filing date: Nov 30, 1993
Issue date: Nov 22, 1994
Inventors: William G. Roeseler, Cory Roeseler
Primary Examiner: Anne E. Bidwell

You can read the rest of the patent at: http://www.google.com/patents?id=2fobAAAAEBAJ

I remember seeing one of these in a Toyota Truck TV commercial in the early 1990's. I think Cory was booking along dead downwind in the shallows a few feet off the beach and free wheeling truck. He had this massive arch shaped bar in his hands. It was entirely crescent shaped and didn't resemble anything in this writeup, secret prototype, shhh.


Cory Roeseler in front loop, Photo: Michael Hildreth
From: http://www.kiteski.de/
Love that control bar! I took one of these out to my first trip to Maui (a loaner from F One USA's Raphael) along with Trip Forman's old 5 m Wipika two line kite. Hung Vu had come up with an inventive way to attach a kite leash to this thing (no depower, whoops). So I took the parts along to put one of those together too. Good news is the wind was so strong, the "kite bar built like a Schwin" stayed in my suitcase (along with the 5 m). Good thing, I would have felt terrible if the bar dragged by a runaway kite in 45 mph winds decapitate the top of Haleakala or something.



Richard Kummeth water starts Photo: Uta Kummeth
From: http://www.kiteski.de/
Water launching had a different meaning back then, remember NO emergency depowering! Hey, it just hit me, Nuclear Gorge winds and NO WAY to kill the power in an emergency!? YOW, there must have been some real interesting sessions back then. Came real close to buying one of these from Scott up in Valkerie, FL years back. Was already collecting way too much kite junk. I was on the search for the Holy Grail of Florida Summer Kiting gear, a light wind kite (which didn't exist, hadn't figured that out yet), so I passed.


Cory was and STILL is the man based upon recent speed kiting results. Have fun out there and thanks for all of those great sessions we have had in your wake. Anyone out there try a Kiteski before? How was it?



Cory Roeseler Photo: Michael Hildreth
From: http://www.kiteski.de/

Ride on



*

[ricki]

Back to Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas with JP and Carlos ...



Looking north over the eastern shore of GHC towards Little Stirrup aka Cayo Dark Chocolate?




A typical chunk of Bahamian ironshore, nice to look at, fun to dive around, nasty for the odd kite landing, ouch!
What year is it, oh yeah, 2008!




A busy day at the launch





A white mini tsunami barrels into JP's Pond





The Pond from aloft





Feels like Miller Time, anybody got a Kaliber? Here's to fun times in the Islands!



You can see lots of photos from this day visit by private plane earlier in the year at:
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=5986


Good winds and happy traveling!



Photos by Rick Iossi
*

[conchxpress]

Rick. The pics are really inviting. Makes me want to be there, NOW!

We definitely have to organize a Harbour Cay fly-in, sometime in the fall, when the hurricane season is over. You must know a bunch of pilots that kite. I only know one other. We could hit a couple of other spots while we're there. Could be a long weekend, or longer.

Any pilots interested? Chime in with type of plane and how many kiters you could carry, with gear. I have a mooney, so with gear and full fuel, I could realistically only carry one other. Or..... maybe two really fit women.(kiting optional). Could I get an AMEN?

Frank

[ricki]

Sounds like a great idea to me Frank. I'll paste your post into the last Bahamas Fly-In thread and get this puppy cooking again. Can't wait!

[ricki]

This Photo Of The Day is in honor of the upcoming Adventure Sports Miami Bimini Winds Event this November. Sounds like a LOT of fun, it is a great event to checkout. On to Bimini, been going there for a very long time. Will have to locate and dig out slides from there over 30 years ago. The place has changed but it is still a great place to go kite, dive, walk around, party or just hang out. More at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=6942


Wreck of the Gallent Lady, a fairly recent addition to North Bimini





North Bimini Beach, white sand and deep blue water out to the 60 ft. mounds and dropoff beyond





A 180 degree view of the south end of North Bimini.
(Click photo for full sized image)





I think I read somewhere long ago if you wolf down a couple of dozen of these purple flowers you will get a slight buzz. Who figures this stuff out anyway? Hmmm, just grab a Kalik instead, it's easier.





The event will occur in Bimini Sound, in the "crook" of north Bimini just a bit north of this view. It's a vast area of shallow, clear, calm water pretty much rideable in wind from all directions.
(Click photo for full sized image)





A look over Bailey and Alice Towns on North Bimini and some of the great blue water in such abundance in the Bahamas. The contest area is just north of this area. It really is better in the Bahamas, why not find out why?



Photos by Rick Iossi

[ricki]

Originally Posted by neil xrated

Wellmini season is over, hope all had fun. We sure did at Tiki Beach,

This just in from Neil, think he took the photo too!

How did it go out there?

[ricki]

Here's a funny story in commemoration of Mini Season ...


It took place in a land far away overseas and decades in the past. It happened to someone I know but who shall remain nameless. He had just been coasting along over a couple of miles of reef just looking around. He had no bugging gear with him as it happened. He came up on a tire on the sand in about 15 ft. of water. I think they call them "condos" these days but back then, just tires. The hubs were long gone but they were fairly sprouting with antennae.


Like the Bug Coop only deeper
From: http://flickr.com/

Not the easy broken chromed aluminum variety but those bound to Panulirus argus, Spiny Lobster. He thought, hmm maybe should bring some bugs home to dinner, uh, for dinner. Problem, he had no gloves and had experienced the slice and dicing that comes with barehanding bugs that don't want to be manhandled.

The ever inventive mind hatched a solution, take your bathing suit off, wrap it around your right hand and you're good to go. So, hand clothed and privates free to the deep blue sea he descended to address the bugs. Tires have the unique quality of making lobsters feel more secure and providing an infinite distance along which to travel, in circles at high speed inside the rim. Catching them is easier than shooting fish in a barrel, even without a gun. Just plop your hand in the inner recess of the tire and wait for the bugs playing Roller Derby to slam into your open fingers. As this was long ago and far away in a distant land, he tailed the bugs making it easier to hang on to them. Five lobster were gathered in this fashion sans bug bag and off to shore again.


Do these guys have attitude or what?
From: http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/divetips.php?s=682

The guy was uneasy about putting his burden down and covering up his privates lest a greedy triggerfish fly in and scarf up the bootie, the bugs that is. So, cupping the tails in both hands he swam in au naturale for a time. Doing the odd barrel role to look around he happened to notice a permit fish in tow. A BIG permit and an eager one at that with a strange look in his eye?


Permit on the hoof
From: http://antiguaisland.blogspot.com/20...7_archive.html

The diver was back peddling facing the permit hands in front along with everything else as it happened. It was a good sized one about the size of a Thanksgiving serving platter. The fish would rush in and then back off. This was starting to unnerve the guy more than a bit, considering a) he thought permits were midwater feeders, no crustacea or annelids in their diet b) despite the presence of bugs there was other potential fodder. There is a certain degree of irrationality that comes with certain types of threats to guys. This was one of those touchy situations and trophic analysis aside, Ockham's razor aside, it wasn't clear to the guy what was in the permits mind or on the menu. The damn fish kept charging in! The guy kicked it THREE TIMES and it still kept running in, dammmuh! He had kicked sharks only twice in the past and the toothy tiburons had fled. Not so our permit though. New problem, the water was getting shallower. He is envisioning running up on the beach holding the bug tails, flapping about with a permit dolphining in his wake to the general entertainment of the bathers on the beach. Understand in some cultures, having your right hand covered and nothing else ... means absolutely nothing?



The offending fish saying ahhhh. LOOK at the size of that mauw, gives me the willies!
From: http://captaintadburke.com/the_fishing.html

Coming down to the moment of truth and precious little water, he decided to throw the permit a bone, uh tail. It was the biggest one too, damn! The permit glided up, sniffed it and charged along after the diver AGAIN. In about two feet of water and shoaling at this point, kicked the fish one more time with feeling and it whipped around to gorge on the bug tail on the bottom. He was then able to drop the tails for a second, don his suit and walk out with what shreds of dignity the permit sneak attack allowed.


Moral: Five bugs in the hand are good, but four and safely covered privates are better if permit'ed!?


Text Copyright FKA, Inc. 2008