Still using a board leash in kiting?!

[ricki]

Some comments from a related discussion on Facebook:

They are not using "the right kind of board leash. Elastic coil????"

"In kitesurfing there is NO right type of board leash. They all are dangerous. A kite can easily throw a couple of hundred pound person a good distance, right? All that force pulls your board beneath the water creating a great deal of potential energy. Whether a leash line is coiled, straight, elastic, in-elastic might not make a lot of difference. Either way once the board breaks free of the water it is flying at high speed, right at you. Many types of leashes have resulted in injuries and fatalities, rope, polyurethane, reel leashes, the dynamics of the accident can largely be the same.

If you separate from your board from a fall, bad jump landing, being knocked over by a wave and if your kite continues to pull you, your board may be driven beneath the surface by the leash, building up all that force to be released in a powerful recoil of a board with sharp edges, skegs and a good weight. Body dragging is easy and I agree it should be taught BEFORE getting up on your board. Shame on any instructor who fails to do this and takes the easy way out using board leashes.

There are things well experienced kiters who don't need board leashes under normal conditions but kite in big surf, adverse currents, offshore winds, etc., can do to try to reduce the risk. Using things like weak links, not falling, avoiding jumps, etc. but the hazard still exists even for them. They use advanced skills and experience to try to avoid a bad recoil but should expect it could still happen despite their efforts."