Riding through surfers in the lineup

[ricki]

Usually, there is an option to doing this. Launching at a different spot, riding upwind to avoid running through the lineup or even tacking a couple of times. Some kiters just ride through the surfers routinely, passing close by and to the windward. Some of us even jump up wind and through them. Real bad idea. If you're pushing it and sometimes even if you aren't you may well lose control particularly in waves. It is easy to downloop kites when this happens. Most people catch a board edge in the waves at sometime or other.

So what?

If your kite and lines go through surfers, someone could get hurt. Your kite can just be on the water, get caught by a breaking wave and be ripped through surfers downwind. Someone gets wrapped by a line, caught by the kite or even have line under several hundred pounds of wave force pulled into them, possible bad outcome. Someone might get cut, lose an ear, be pulled under, have lines go around their neck, etc., stranger things have happened, several times.

Try riding downwind of them. Or if you have to pass, make sure you're well upwind and not about to lose control. If you have any choice at all, including going someplace else, don't ride through them routinely. We don't plan bad accidents, using your head could help avoid one though. Very experienced guys are one thing but I see newer kiters with minimal control doing this fairly often. Regardless of experience, if you cause someone to be hurt, your time riding will count for little. None of us want bans, I think, nor causing someone injury, legal challenges, damage awards against us, etc..

Awareness and common sense should take care of things, as usual.

[ricki]

I put this up in another forum, some good comments are coming out.

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2362394