kitesurfer death in California

[bryanleighty]

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/arc...02breaking.htm

[toby wilson]

Yeah, saw that Friday. Good reason to wear a helmet when you are kiting in an area like that...

An area with wind and objects on land? Yeah. Thing is, that's most kiting spots.
I wonder what the distance was from the rocks to where he was? I bet it was greater than the distance to our trucks at the skyway from where we launch. Just something to consider. It doesn't have to be the side of a cliff to kill you, it could be a little car or a tree.
This story could be from anywhere.

[Woodson]

"He was not in the water. He was on the beach practicing with his kitesurfing equipment," Wolcott said.

[H]

There are really only two good beaches to ride in that area. Waddell and Scott's creek. All other beaches there leave you with very little landing opportunities if you get blown downwind. Panther beach is actually a nude beach. There are a few decent beaches in the bay, but usually the wind direction is not good for them.

[H]

Originally Posted by Skyway Scott

An area with wind and objects on land? Yeah. Thing is, that's most kiting spots.
I wonder what the distance was from the rocks to where he was? I bet it was greater than the distance to our trucks at the skyway from where we launch. Just something to consider. It doesn't have to be the side of a cliff to kill you, it could be a little car or a tree.
This story could be from anywhere.

Trust me, Santa Cruz spots are nothing like our spots.

I'm sure every area is different. My point is that it doesn't take a cliff to "get a guy" - a minicooper will do just fine in terms of causing an injury when something goes wrong on a launch or screwing around onshore. I was noting what Woody saw, the guy wasn't in the water.
Not trying to be a jerk, just trying to relay the idea that we all have launch spots with wind and with objects that hurt us when stuff goes wrong. I haven't seen a bad kitemare around here in about 2 years, but I have personally witnessed about 6 ambulance rides and heard of about 4 others from just our area. Luckily, no one has died. Not trying to over do it, but at the same time, accidents happen here too.

The last two years have been so quiet locally in terms of injury (good) that one of my concerns is that people may be lulled into a false sense of security when on shore with a kite tied to them. Sometimes you just have to see it to believe it or have it sink in.
When have storms coming...blah blah.

I do think kiting is safer now than in the past, but stuff can happen. When it does, I have seen (as I am sure you have H) sh.it happen real fast. If it happened slow, probably no one would ever get hurt or get killed when kiting. Anyway, I still have a little paranoia in me when on land with a kite, I hope I always do.

[H]

I wasn't trying to downplay your point. Honestly, though I think Central/Northern California has got to be the worst place to learn to kite. Small beaches surrounded by cliffs, freezing cold water, rocks and waves that break overhead. I'm surprised that they don't have more deaths than they do. Seems every year there one or two people die just by getting knocked of rocks by waves.

From the article in the paper it sounds like people almost drown just trying to get their toes wet out there.

[bhwillia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h-GNmC15DA[/URL]

Think Davis Island...