anyone see..

[BigR]

If you watch closely you can see that the riders inital flight started way up wind he had tons of clear unobstructed beach down wind of him and he ate that distance up before you can say release

Exactly, looks like he was at the waters edge when he first took off/

The other guy that had his kite low was way more inland.

The beach there in ft laud. is tiki beach with about 100- ft from waters edge to hwy A1A

I think that illustrates clearly why you should never leave the water in the first place to land a kite in hairy wind. "Distance is your friend" in my mind has always meant distance from shore. Once you hit land, you are no longer safe, whatsoever.

If anyone ever gets caught in a strong gust while on the water in the future, please let coming ashore be the last thought on your mind.
If you know people are ready to land you, make every effort to have them grab your kite at water's edge, while you remain in the water.

If no one is onshore to grab your kite and you are getting pulled close to land, release the kite to it's safety line (some kites are 5th, some rear, some front) before you hit shore. Then be ready for the kite to light up (spin around, do weird stuff). If it does look like it is going to whack you, release your leash and say "bye bye" to the kite before it gets the chance. Do everything possible to avoid making contact with land with a "live kite" in heavy wind. The video shows clearly that any distance (would 1,000 yards have mattered?) on land with a live kite is not safe in really strong wind.

I really hope this rider survives. It's hard to believe he only had bruises and "maybe some broken bones" as mentioned in the news.

[Erick]

I was listening to the MJ Morning Show while driving to work and he was talking about the incident. What a scary situation for this guy I just got to see the video.

Very lucky to be alive IMO.

[Chedder]

See you fellas in a couple days when I'm back from OZ. Got some wind here today too. 20kts

[amber]

i was at skyway from about 9 til 2 and the conditions seemed less intense than a really windy day in the winter. There were definitely some gusts but MOST everyone that was out there when I was definitely stayed on the side of caution and stayed away from shore and weren't even pulling their best tricks. I'm sure you will be able to see from my pictures that the wind looked a lot lighter than most of us expected. Everyone was definitely looking out for each other. Media was at the skyway both this morning and this afternoon. Steve had a great idea and asked the reporter to run her article past him before publishing to make sure she had her facts right. I thought that was one of the best ways to prevent the misconceptions, although they always end up making crap up anyway. if anyone approaches you from the media regarding the accident in Ft. Laud., perhaps we can all refer them to a local media/safety spokesperson such as Scott or Steve in order to prevent as much bad press as we can??

I take that as a very nice compliment that you would say that Amber.
I think we have a bunch of people that could do a great job.

I spoke a reporter last year after the CK power line incident and he twisted everything I said.
Then they sent a lady out to "talk about the safety stuff". Yeah, right. Al, Bob and I did safety stuff for ten minutes and they clipped it all out.
I don't think it matters who talks to them. Maybe "how" though. I would record the interview.
That way if they seriously misquote you, you have it on tape. I couldn't believe the stuff the guy whipped outta hiz as.s. last year.

[Steve-O]

Just throwin out things to think about. Spoke to some riders from East Beach yesterday, and the wind didn't get side off until late in the day. That is beside the point.

I always look for the best possible riding scenerio. That's just me. On an E or NE I always choose EB. For me, it feels like the safer option.

Yes, the wind was fine yesterday, but what if a nasty squall came through and caught just one off guard. That is all it takes right.....just one incident.

On those evenings of huge spikes out of the East, it seems riders at the Skyway are always the ones to suffer. Dragged onshore, released kites going over the interstate.
Remember the kid that got dragged into the rocks? The only reason Chris got into his mess last year at Dunedin was other riders were riding that spot and made it seem acceptable and ok. Well, those riders don't ride there anymore. They have images of Chris to remind them that it's a bad idea to ride the north side of the causeway.

The scene at Tiki beach was about as gruesome as it gets according to Neil. It has changed him, and how he is going to do things down there. One incident can have that kind of impact.

The biggest thing I have gained from the incident, is to spend a bit more time training new students about bad weather and what to look for. We should all make an effort to continue spreading the word about our weather. Scott and many others are leaders out there trying to get the word out especially as it is happening. Kevin is likely that rider that has been told 1000 times, but just doesn't listen. Well, he might listen now if he makes it through. Some have to learn things the hard way.

If you want to really affect change locally Steve-O, you have the opportunity. WSW sponsors several local riders. I encourage you to put your efforts toward making them the absolute best role models possible.
If they prove to fall short, simply take away the sponsorship.

Once others witness WSW sponsored riders practicing what you preach, it will surely have a positive impact.

It's fairly obvious that this approach could work nationwide to affect rider behavior. What's not obvious is anyone actually doing it.

Originally Posted by Steve-O

Just throwin out things to think about. Spoke to some riders from East Beach yesterday, and the wind didn't get side off until late in the day. That is beside the point.

I always look for the best possible riding scenerio. That's just me. On an E or NE I always choose EB. For me, it feels like the safer option.

East Beach is covered with palm trees, steel signs, steel poles, channel markers, and cars very close to shore. I was always taught it is an advanced riding location due to the obstacles. As far as I remember there have been more serious accidents at East Beach than at the skyway. Some required an ambulance and one a helicopter. Isn't that where bayflite earned his unfortunate nick name? As far as I am concerned both locations are dangerous regardless of wind direction because wind direction can change in an instant especially if it is a squall.

The scene at Tiki beach was about as gruesome as it gets according to Neil. It has changed him, and how he is going to do things down there.

Have you ever heard the phrase a day late and a dollar short?

[amber]

we've had the east beach vs. skyway discussion before. I personally choose not to ride at skyway because for ME, it makes me nervous that there is a smaller window of error. When it comes down to it, we are all adults and as long as people are aware of possible hazards at launches (if you're not sure, ASK!) they will make choices that not everyone agrees with.

Everyone should make it a habit to ask experienced riders about potential hazards anytime you're at a new launch.