Real Kitemares  (most recent incident added: Jan 22, 2006)

Reports of nightmares with kites.   These incidents are real and
posted here to get you to realize the risks involved with the sport.
Read them,  and, more importantly   "L E A R N" from them.

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Icy water swim and Trainer Kite in a Tree:
1/8/06:   Received from Andrew from Canada.

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It had been a relatively poor season in Melbourne (2004), Australia. There were not many 'good' days where we could get out and have a good solid day of kiting and me and my friends had decided to rent a house near Phillip Island (about 2 hour drive from Melb) and hope for some good wind around Christmas 2004.

We got down there on the 26th of December and were promised a good South Westerly wind of about 20-25 knots. We were all experienced kiters with at least 3.5 years of kiting each so we knew what not and what to do. We had kited at this spot near the Island many times and it is an amazing place. There is a small island just off shore that provides very flat water and great wind. We were stoked at the idea of getting onto the water. When we arrived the conditions looked great, windy and flat. My friend and I swapped kites, I gave him my 10m and I took his 12m and we hit the water. After about 10 mins we realized the wind was starting to gust around 30 - 35 knots so we decided to come in.

I was first, so one of the girls came onto the beach and as I was trying to keep my feet on the ground I tried to land the kite, with her catching it. I remember only a small amount of what happened, however I had the kite at about 45 degrees and a huge gust came through.. About 45 knots we guess but it doesn't really matter. I was picked up and flew through the air about 20 meters and hit a sign with the kite fully powered. I hit the sign with my head and immediately broke my neck, in 2 places and my back in one.

After I hit the sign, I was then lifted into a barbed wire fence. I woke up just before I hit it and managed to get my feet up to minimize the impact. I turned the kite and then went out to sea. Again, I could not breath so I turned the kite to shore and passed out. Luckily the kite hit the fence and stopped. I was unconscious and thankfully one of my friends held on to me and minimized the distance I was dragged down the beach.

After seeing this my other friends released their kites and came to help. An ambulance was called and I was airlifted to hospital with multiple spinal fractures, a broken jaw and broken cheek. I was operated on and had my neck fused and a halo placed on me to stop any movement. Needless to say this was very painful. Luckily I am almost completely recovered and looking forward to getting back on the water in a couple of months.

What I should have done:
Released my kite and let it hit the water. Its better to have tangled lines than a broken neck. If you can't keep your feet on the ground… let the bloody thing go!!

I hope this can serve as a lesson and helps someone else. It was not a nice experience….

Tim Lapham

**** Tim sent these 2 photos to us in hopes that they will make a lasting impression.
Left: Ambulance,   Right:  Hospital 
Click the thumbnails for larger images. ( Warning: These are not pretty)

**** Jan. '06 Update from Rider above :  Tim Lapham

Hi mate, Just a quick update to let you know that I have been in the water now for the last 6 months and thoroughly enjoying my kiting.

Whilst purchasing another kite today was talking with the shop owner who said that a customer had retruned their kite today as their
wife read the story about me breaking my neck on Kitemares.. is a shame as it was my fault, not the sports.

Can you add something to say that I am back up and kiting and having learnt my lesson, much safer and conscious of the dangers
that I need to respect in this great sport.

My experience is not meant to scare people off, rather it is to help educate. The sites great and keep up the great work supporting
this great sport.    - Tim
 

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Claudio, at about 180 lbs. was out riding for about 15 to 20 minutes with a 12 m Inflatable kite around midday on New Years Eve. (Dec 31st '04) Wind was almost onshore at an average speed of about 20 mph and gusting between approximately 15 to 25 mph by one source. Wind speed observations are still being researched. He may have performed a small transition jump nearshore to change direction when he was caught by a gust and blown from the water while in mid air, on to shore. He fell on impact and tumbled forward apparently inducing a kite loop that pulled him inland. As he moved futher inland the kite started to rise to the zenith. At about this time he came up to a dead tree, his kite lines may have been guided by the branches of this dead tree as he was pulled upward into the tree. He was momentarily caught in the tree with his kite flying overhead. Another kiteloop may have ensued launching him up through and out of the approximate 35 ft. high tree. He then passed behind cover of brush as he left the tree blocking the view of one observer. He was found shortly after this by another kiteboarder on the ground. Claudio may have moved following the impact, in the mind numbing shock of the accident, potentially aggravating his injuries. The entire accident was estimated to have happened within a 15 second interval. Emergency services were called and he was taken to a hospital. Additional details will be included in the summary once the available information has been collected and evaluated.

Remember in kiteboarding, distance is your friend. Many kiteboarders frequently ride near shore despite this simple fact. Sometimes bad things happen and a good buffer zone can be a God Sent in potentially sparing you from serious injury.

Claudio was severely injured for only doing what many other riders routinely do and may likely be seen doing at many launches next weekend. That doesn't make it advisable or safe however. This is a good time to reevaluate how you ride. 

Claudio was hospitalized with:

- Paralysis in both legs below the knee
- A broken back
- A skull fracture
- 6 broken ribs among other injuries.

He regained consciousness after about two weeks and had his respiration tube removed after about 18 days in hospital. He is currently speaking and had some sensation below his knee.

Written by Rick Iossi is KiteForum.
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On Tuesday, November 12, 2003 at approximately 3:30 pm, Alex Caviglia the President of Adventure Sports was injured in a serious kiteboarding accident.  The incident occurred at Matheson Hammock Park in a suburb of Miami. Matheson Hammock is one of the most popular locations for kiteboarding in Miami.  The conditions at the time of the incident were ranging between 21-34 MPH and gusty.  The wind was from the NNE and directly onshore. The incident occurred within seconds after the launch of his kite.  The launch area is confined and approximately 35 meters in length and 2 to-5 meters in width (from the water to the parking lot).  Due to the onshore conditions and the narrow width of the launch site, Alex was limited to being only 4 to 5 feet from the shore (knee deep in water) prior to his launch. His kite was also either over the land or just 2-3 feet off the shoreline.  An experienced kiteboarder assisted in the launching of Alex’s kite and had released the kite after Alex had signaled him to do so.  The launch was clean and free from fouls or twists.  Alex proceeded to raise the kite to approximately the 3:00 position (about 12 to18 feet above the water and very low).  Just after the launch, the gusty conditions caused the kite to drift slightly back (down wind and over the shoreline), approximately 8 to10 feet from its original position which was far forward and out of the power zone.  The kite quickly and sharply accelerated, causing Alex to lurch forward, out of control.  Given the extremely narrow span of the launch region, Alex had literally a fraction of a second before colliding with the shoreline.  Two witnesses (both kitesurfers) indicated that Alex had neither the time, nor the opportunity to activate his safety release system and that his hands never left the bar.    

Fortunately, two of the witnesses on the beach (one a kiter) were fire fighters and certified paramedics.  The first assistance by one of the witnessing paramedics reached Alex within 15 seconds of the time of the accident.  The quick acting paramedics were able to contact emergency services within seconds and directly request that the Trauma center launch a rescue helicopter immediately.  Alex was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Trauma center in Miami where he remains. 

Alex’s current condition is critical, but stable.  He has suffered serious head injuries, but doctors have performed procedures that have gone as planned and without incident.  He is reported to also have other serious, but less threatening injuries.  These injuries are yet to be determined.  Doctors at Jackson Memorial hospital have indicated that more information on the severity of Alex’s injuries will come during the next 48 hours.  

Alex is an accomplished sailor, windsurfer, and kitesurfer.  He has over 40 years of experience in all types of sea and water conditions.  He has windsurfed for over 20 years and has 3 years of kiteboarding experience in a variety of conditions.  He is 47 years of age and in very good physical condition. 

 We are all keeping hope and staying optimistic for Alex’s quick and full recovery.  The support from industry colleagues, friends, and well wishers are sure to provide inspiration to Alex’s family in this difficult time.  All of Alex’s family, friends, and co-workers thank you for keeping Alex in your prayers.  

Update:   Alex passed away after being in a coma for many months.
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**** Key points:   Kiteboarding IS an extreme sport and has risks.   
Direct-onshore winds, small launch areas, and strong gusty winds are always extremely risky.
Down-hill skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, etc, have equal risks.  Avoiding injury or death is mostly a matter of understanding the risks and then deciding where you want to draw the line. Taking risks is up to you.   If you choose to push the limits... go for it.  
BUT... NEVER, NEVER  put other people "non-risk takers" in danger.
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Received Tue 5/20/2003 8:51 PM,    from - Ken Whiteman 

I don't know how you post kitemares on your site, but I've got one to share.
Last weekend, my friend and I went to the sandbar at Hood River. We rigged
our shared 11.5 Liquid Force Apexx kite and I proceeded to spend about 45
minutes kiting back and forth learning how to jump. I then came back into
shore to hand off the kite to my friend so he could give it a shot. Like
our instructor had shown us, we transferred the safety leash first. Just as
my friend fastened the safety leash to his wrist, but before we transferred
the bar, a gust caught the kite and pulled me about six feet into the air.
My friend, with the leash attached to his wrist, stood and watched as the
"safety" line tightened and put the kite into a death spin. The power
generated by the safety line being pulled managed to send both of us flying,
me pulled by my harness and my friend pulled by his wrist. Things happened
very quickly, but somehow the safety line burned through my wetsuit and left
a nice bloody burn/scrape in my neck in the process. The kite continued to
do full spins through the power zone and we continued to get tea-bagged down
the beach until miraculously the two left hand kite lines snapped allowing
the safety line to work again. To simultaneously break two 600lb test lines
gives you an idea of the force involved.
I had a shackle, but was too awestruck to pull the pin. Next time I won't hesitate.

Ken's Lessons learned:

1. Never transfer the safety line to someone who isn't in full control of the kite. 
If in doubt, land the kite when transferring it.
2. Use a shackle/safety release. Mentally prepare yourself to pull the
safety release. It is not intuitive to pull it when in a stressful situation, 
so be prepared. There was too way much force on my harness for
me to release the kite without a shackle.
3. Always wear a helmet. Luckily this time I didn't need it, but after six
staples in my scalp from last summer's kiting experience, I consider it
mandatory equipment.

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This was received by email on Mon 4/21/2003 7:26 PM:

I'm old enough, and experienced enough that I should have known better. I've windsurfed for nearly twenty years, barefoot water-skied, skydived, flown helicopters and experimental jets and spent my professional life ( as an Orthopedic surgeon) repairing those that have crashed. A friend sold me his 14m kite and we spent several afternoons flying it in very light winds on a large grassy field. I watched Ken Winner's "How to Rip" several times and was impressed when told that large kites are very powerful and should be treated like a loaded gun. What he didn't say is that YOU ARE THE BULLET! After an afternoon of bodydragging it was obvious that this was to be my next sport. Then is happened. After feeling in full control bodydragging and getting up for short periods, I took a break to warm up- the water is 16C.When I went to launch the only experienced kiteboarders were out on the water. A windsurfer launched me in a gust somewhat downwind. The last thing I remember is the pull felt VERY STRONG as he launched it. I remember squatting down and pushing the bar the limit of the chicken loop. I awoke dragging to a stop by my safety harness on my wrist. I had launched about 80 or 90 ft. onto a hard divot made by a truck going through soft ground weeks before. I drove twenty miles home, showered, and went to the ER to determine what other than my clavicle was broken. X rays showed eight rib fractures and a punctured lung. And I was lucky.  Nothing I've experienced prepared me for the sudden acceleration that can occur in a gust. There is do way I could have unhooked! Expecting to unhook is like trying to catch a bullet after pulling the trigger of a gun! A helmet and body armor are essential as never being tethered, hooked in or otherwise tied to the kite when anywhere near the beach or obstructions. The reality of medical costs, my hospital stay of two days, make it essential that one avoid injury. One could buy a kite an hour and have money left over.
- Doug Benson, Chico, Calif.

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From the Kiteforum.com
unfortunately I have very bad news:
German Silke Gorldt, one of the best kiteboarding ladies of the world, died
today at the worldcup in Germany.
Following happend:
one kiter let go of the kite and bar and got tangeled in Silkes lines.
the kite started to spin in winds of 6-7 Bft and got so much power that
Silke was dragged behind it over two wooden wavebraker and the beach before
stopped before a fence.
On the way to the hospital in a helicopter she died.

When she got dragged she tried to get out of the depower loop, but couldn't
get out of it.
So this should be a signal to all of us and more important to all kite
producers to sell kite with quick releases only!
And for us as riders, don't go out without a quick release

*** Bottom line,  wear a kite leash.

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Kitemare x 2, Well this is my kitemare story and it is a miracle that I survived! I think it is safe to say that since I was two years old I have been cheating death my whole life.  I have been hit three times by cars when I was just a young boy, but not all at once. Then there was the time I was in the Army and had missed my flight to South Korea, and that plane was shot down by a Russian warplane. Then there was a time I just about disappeared during a kayaking adventure. I never saw it coming! But July 1^st 2002 at the south jetty of Newport I saw my death coming and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was a beautiful, windy day July 1^st, and my buds Brian Wichner and Jimi Kerr and Steve were all there and so were a bunch of windsurfers out playing in the waves. The wind was blowing pretty good that day, a nice 20 to 23 miles an hour, but here at the beach the wind a lot of the time will come up around 4pm so it was edging to 26 to 28 by the time I got my four line 6.5 up in the air.  I only weigh 140lb so the 6.5 was a lot of kite for me, so I pulled down on my center line as far as I could go with it and it felt good, so I went out and left Jim Kerr on the beach setting up my 5.0 for himself, “Ahh”, it felt good to be in the water again jumping and riding waves as I have been doing now for 3 years.  Being a surfer and windsurfer for the past 25 years has taught me a great deal of water rules, and I know that to eat it and pay rent in the surf is all part of the game and it just happens. Most of us know the rider up on a wave has the right of way, and whether paddling out or powered up by your sail or kite, the rider coming in has the right of way. So there I am going out fully powered up with my 6.5 and I see my friend Steve on his 8.5 coming in on a wave, Steve who I have never seen do a jump is riding a nice 3ft. Wave. So I start to go down wind to give him a wide birth, I am thinking we are a good 100 feet away from each other and then he does the unthinkable, he launches himself up about ten feet and lands down wind right next to me. Just before he lands I tried to turn but it was to late. My kite is at 12:00 O’clock and Steve throws his four line kite in the wrong direction and I am now looking up at eight kite lines singing a tune in the wind I have never heard before nor do I ever want to hear again. His kite heads for the water at mock three and mine does the same as they both twist with each other and I some how am getting tied up as Steve lets go of his kite bar. Both Kites are down but I have 5 or 6 lines wrapped around my body, my board and some how around my neck! Out of the corner of my eye I can see my 6.5 getting ready to power up and go skyward, just as I get the lines off and away from my neck my kite shoots to the sky like a rocket and I see all eight lines go into what looks like one great big piano wire. I just missed get my head cut off is what went through my mind as I am now beginning to get pulled up out of the water about 20 feet and then slapped back down like a rag doll for about a thousand yards. I am not sure how many times I was smacked down repeatedly but what I do remember is the feeling of being beating to a state where I was about unconscious. Now I am getting dragged down wind and I am hog tied three different ways, one around my ankles, two around my harness, and third around my board. I am so tied up I have one free hand to try to get my little knife that came with the harness but that is just about impossible to do when your getting dragged through the water at 30 miles an hour with one hand tied to your back and one kite wants to go out to sea and the other is doing this death spiral spin and wanting to go down wind. Finally Brian Winchner fly’s down to see if he can help and I am yelling at him (I need your Knife!) what I don’t know is he can not just kite up to me and hand me the knife, his knife is strapped to it’s sheath. I finally just looked up at the sky and said God I don’t know where I am going and don’t know what to do? And a voice came to me and said headstand,  lose this gear or lose your life. So I tried one more time to get myself free and this time got my leash off of my ankles, which then loosen up everything and then started to undo this mess that had me hog tied to my board. “OH God” I am free of all lines and board and now I am swimming in only to meet Jim Kerr swimming out to rescue me. Later after everything washed in I found out that one of the lines had cut through my board like butter, my kite was torn and tattered,  Steve’s kite was just fine and the lines of coarse looked like a birds nest. First thing Steve said to me was, I am so sorry bro I thought I killed you as I dragged my worn out body out of the surf.  I was lucky that day but it also instilled in me that when your number is up, it’s up!    
Jon Monroe/ Headstand…..

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Incident # 3 02 1
Date: March 1, 2002 Location: East Coast of Florida,
USA
Title: Bad Judgement Injures Rider, Damages Sport!
Posted by: Rick Iossi

Summary: A kitesurfing instructor and professional kitesurfing competitor with very extensive experience had just completed giving a lesson. He rigged up an Airblast 11.8 m quickly connecting a new Airrush control bar for the first time. The winds were side offshore gusting to 30 kts. He did not carefully preflight his setup as he
was in a hurry to get out on the water. He is on the order of 6'2" and weighs about 220 lbs. He launched upwind of a nearby truck and van. He was not wearing a helmet.
Apparently the actual overall length of the back lines was much shorter than the front lines resulting in the front lines almost
being slack. In effect this large kite was rigged for maximum power and minimum controllability in strong gusting winds.

Immediately following launch he was violently dragged into the truck smashing in the grill and hood with his body. He was then dragged on to the hood with his leg getting caught by a plastic bug shield on the hood and badly hyper-extended his leg. He then plowed into the windshield, smashing it. He was then lofted up and over the vehicle to a height of 20 ft. and violently landed upside down hitting his head and shoulder on the ground. Two bystanders rushed up and
grabbed him, which re-powered the kite. ALL THREE people were then lofted on to some large boulders in the water. The two bystanders let the rider go at this point. The rider was dragged at speed out over the water and into a "no wake" manatee sign, bending/breaking the sign with his body. He was then dragged up on to a sandbar.

Stunned bystanders on the opposite shore though that he was dead. The rider eventually sat up and started to rewind his lines indicating that he did survive. He was dragged and lofted at high speed over an overall distance of about 100 yds. And over water about 50 yds. As there were no boats in the area a windsurfer paddled over to the rider on his board and brought him back to shore and had him transported to the hospital for treatment. The rider said that even though he tried desperately, HE COULDN'T UNHOOK FROM THE CENTER LINE OR CHICKEN LOOP. As a result of this serious accident banning kitesurfing at this singular launch area in this part of the State is under consideration by the governing authority. All the injuries suffered by the rider aren't known at this time but include a badly
damaged knee and bone deep oyster cuts at many places on his body. Lessons learned/prevention: Many hard lessons are carried by this account; some of the critical ones follow:

1. ALWAYS CAREFULLY PREFLIGHT your gear. On high wind days, two or three checks wouldn't be too cautious. In pre-flighting MAKE CERTAIN that your lines are of equal length.
2. If you have new gear try very hard not to try it out under extreme conditions. If you must use new gear check it out very
carefully.
3. NEVER launch upwind within one or preferably more line lengths of anything that you wouldn't want to slam into. Bad things happen, even to a rider of this superior level of skill.
4. Pick your kite size very carefully. Even though this rider was about 220 lbs., using a kite the size of an AB 11.8 m with
unstable gusty winds around 30 kts. could be called grossly incautious. Remember this kite lofted three people at one point.
5. Here is another case where a helmet and impact vest could have made an important difference in degree of injury or even actual survival. Remember this was an extremely experienced rider who if the conventional wisdom is accurate, which unfortunately it is not in my opinion, would NEVER NEED A HELMET.
6. GOOD JUDGEMENT is the most essential kitesurfing resource that we have. If you don't exercise good, responsible judgment, all the skill and experience in the world may not help or even save you. Good judgment is the product of thorough training, careful experience and CHOOSING TO USE IT! If you trivialize safety this sport can have
a way of putting you inline in the most violent and damaging means possible.
7. Hooking or snapping into the center or chicken loop near hard objects carries a significant risk and set of consequences if things go wrong. Think carefully about the consequences of doing this and the means of managing emergency situations if conditions demand it.

Comments: You can have more experience and skill than virtually any other rider but all that may not save you from bad judgment. Excessive over confidence is now quite common among experienced riders in Florida (many with less than one year of experience), and no doubt elsewhere. Also denial that anything bad will come from
irresponsible kitesurfing habits is also pretty commonplace. Wearing basic safety gear like helmets and impact vests, "DON'T LOOK COOL" in some kiters minds, so many riders don't use them, amazing!

As a result incidents are happening along with injuries and kitesurfing bans are being FORCED ON the governing authorities, who really have few choices in this, by the riding practices of these careless riders. Launches are being closed almost routinely through the acts of irresponsible but otherwise capable kitesurfers. I will talk with them about a means of improving safety and they will say "yes that is a reasonable precaution" and then go out and do just the opposite. The abundance of riders showing poor judgment and lack of responsibility are putting not only themselves but also
bystanders and access to this incredible sport at risk. This is happening on almost any windy day in my area. I suspect that this pattern is much more widespread.

So, we continue on the way we are going and reap the rewards, many avoidable injuries, incredible accidents and incidents, some injured bystanders and ban after ban. Alternatively, we can start to apply pressure to approach this sport with the respect and caution that it demands. This pressure can be applied individually, through tactful
communication, one on one, through kitesurfing associations and simply by the example we set when we ride. If you don't have a kitesurfing association and if you need one, go form a new association. It isn't that hard and I would be happy to help.

The choice is ours to make. Too many riders are choosing to ignore these simple practices. In doing this they are committing our sport to imminent bans, at least in more populated areas and many of their number to inevitable but readily avoidable accidents and injuries.
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Date:  Tue Oct 9, 2001  8:53 pm
Subject:  Broken ribs,Stitches,& a humbling experience

"Hi Everyone, > > I'm new to the group and would definitely like to share this > experience so that we all may learn something (and for those who have > already learned, forgive me for triggering any flashbacks.) > > First, a little backgound on me. I have been flying big traction > kites for about eight years now. I have several stacks of Flexi's and > several quad line foils for buggying. I have logged hundreds of hours > of beach dragging and jumping and have also eaten my fair share of > sand. I fly huge single line show kites and also do kite aerial > photography. I am no stranger to kites. I am however, new to > kiteboarding. > > Coming from a kiting background, I chose to purchase several Peter > Lynn kites; The 1120, 840,& 630. Not to get off the subject but I > chose peter lynn because he is the pioneer of traction kiting. > > I've been out about a dozen times so far. The first few times were > disappointing. The Arc lacked the extra reinforcement needed to > accommodate the new rider. Not being accustomed to being on the water > with the kite, I crashed them "rookie style" and tore the leading > edges. Jeff Howard at Precision Kites and a team rider for Airush, > was very nice and did an A+ job in fixing my kites (thanks Jeff!). > > With my kite quiver back in order I was all stoked to get out there > and rip like my friends were (there are only four of us on the Island > that kiteboard). They had started one and two seasons ago. The next > several sessions for me were all breakthrough sessions. I was getting > good rides and was getting accustomed to the new speeds of > kiteboarding ( as opposed to buggying). My only consistent problem > was going upwind on my right foot forward side. I would say that I > was your typical new rider experiencing the typical new rider learning > curve. > > Now for the point of this post. My friend jeff put up his Naish 9.5 > and seemed fine. I put up my Arc 840 and it seemed fine. Moving the > kite as I usually do before heading out on the water, I flew the arc > at the top of the window left and right venturing ever so slightly > into the window to test the feel of the kite. All seemed fine power > wise. I did have a cross in the lines but I did not think much of it > because it was just one cross (maybe this was my first mistake) While > doing my test flight my friend Schuyler showed up (he has the previous > post "respect the power"). We chatted for a minute about the wind and > them BAM! i was gone. I small gust had picked me up just about 3-4 > feet (not uncommon) but then all of a sudden instead of putting me > down, it was as if someone up there yanked with all their might on the > kite. I was thrown full speed, I mean FULL SPEED! into the back right > side of my 71 land rover wagon. I was in the air to begin with so > there was nothing to slow me down. My body slammed HARD in to the > vehicle, my right arm shattering the glass, my rib cage crushing in > the side if the vehicle. Every ounce of oxygen left my body. I was > actually pinned to the vehicle and finally, somehow, the kite broke > away. > > The final tally: 2 broken ribs, a laceration on my right arm that went > down to the bone, and a banged up knee. > > What I have learned: > 1. No matter how insignificant, if the lines aren't clear, bring the kite > down and fix them. (even though I don't think that was the problem) > 2. Make sure there is nothing down wind that would be considered an > obstacle. (my truck by the way was not directly down wind. It was > between 2 and 3 o'clock. about 20 yds almost to my right) > 3. Previous experience is a plus in power kiting but can also work > against you. > 4. make sure the if the wind is gusting that it is not gusting beyond > the limits of your kite. ( I have a wind meter and I don't think this > was the case) > 5. If the kite is in the air, no matter how stable the kite, PAY > ATTENTION! THINGS CAN CHANGE VERY QUICKLY!! > > What I don't Understand: > > 1. what happened? was this a rogue gust out of nowhere? My kite was > at the top of the window, depowered. In all my years of kiting, I > never got yanked like this. > > Input, theories, and questions greatly appreciated. > > Michael"

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Thursday Sept 27th, Maui, HI
A pro kiter from Germany recently asked a tourist to hold her down, on the beach downwind of Kitebeach, as she climbed into her wakeboard. The person accidently pulled her left shoulder, the kite took off to the left, over the land, she was launched head first into the bumper of a parked car! She was UNCONSCIOUS under the car with her kite fully powered. She had multiple lacerations and required numerous facial stitches and may have permanent scarring....she was lucky!

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Date: 7/14/01 6:43:00 PM
Written By: Goshen Watts

Here is a picture of Eric Eck, getting launched (against his will) some 50 metres in the air over Mokuleia Beach Park, Hawaii. Eric was caught in a freak thermal, and was extremely lucky to survive. 

Sat Sep 15, 2001  Hobie Beach, Miami
"There was one unusual incident. One kitesurfer apparently got picked up while about a hundred feet from shore in the gusting onshore wind and hurled along the side of a parked CAR! The kitesurfer appeared to be uninjured fortunately, which was pretty impressive considering the damage to the car. It was parked immeditely beside my car which came through intact strangely enough. The car the guy hit probably had about $1000. in body work damage done to it. I was about 15' away tearing down my rig when this guy dropped in, literally. The lesson from this incident, is to STAY WELL OFFSHORE while you are out and underway, 200 feet minimum. This precaution goes double in onshore winds as we had today. It is worth noting that the wind was not gusting that high, generally in the mid to occassionally high 20 mph range."    Fly safe, Rick

Well it didn't happen to me but I had a part in it.  I noticed one of 
the experienced kiters at our local east coast spot (intercoastal 
bay) was out with his 8.4 airblast in the water, and couldn't get it 
relaunched for some reason.  He was getting pulled into shore with 
winds 16-22 or so, but he looked fine.  I was done for the day and 
buzzed down to help him get sorted out. When I got there he had the 
kite stabilized on shore and wanted to relaunch. I was a little 
surprised he wanted to relaunch at this location (direct onshore 
wind, almost no beach, road with houses on the other side), but who 
was I to question someone who was better than me, and spent all 
season launching from different on-shore locations.  In fairness we 
had all been doing more onshore launching this year as we were 
getting better. He had a twist in the line which, he was going to 
spin out after he got the kite up, and he had a permanent quick 
release in place of his chicken loop.  Let's see, twist in line, kite 
not relaunching from water, what's wrong with this picture?  The kite 
went up fast and well past vertical. Something was definitely wrong 
with the lines and worse yet he was fighting to get it back to 
vertical. Right before my eyes the kite rips low through the center 
of the power zone and in 5 seconds he gets dragged (more like F-16 
being catapulted off a carrier deck) about 70 feet across the road 
(with twin tip in tow), up a curb and across a lawn into a tall house 
bush.  The amount of pull these kites generate in the center of the 
power zone is truly scary.  The kite turned went over the top of this 
2 story house and hung up on the other side at the same time he 
tunneled into the bush.  I ran over; he seemed to be in one piece 
except for a nasty gash in elbow.  He was still gripping that control 
bar like his hands were glued to it.

Well, he was bruised, and scraped up but generally OK (and lucky as 
hell he ended up in a bush and not a brick wall, or worse yet into an 
oncoming car).  After we were done pealing the kite and lines off the 
house, and apologizing profusely to the little old lady who came out, 
this guys wife comes running up (she was out windsurfing nearby) with 
that combined look of "are you OK? and what the hell did you just 
do".  Yeap, every married man's worst nightmare.  At that point I 
truly felt sorry for him.  We smiled and downplayed it as best we 
could.  The only equipment damage was about 5 mm perfectly shaved off 
his Hannah Crew TT fins (asphalt makes great sandpaper).

Lesson learned?  1. No more onshore launching for me, especially with 
blunt objects around.  2. I will start to speak up when other people 
start launching in lousy on-shore locations.  I don't want to be the 
beach police but I also don't want us to loose access privileges 
either.  It seems that no matter how good you are, you will 
eventually get something tangled or mis-set and get dragged big time 
on launch or while sailing in fully powered conditions.  Until things 
settle down to some steady state there is no way you are going to get 
out of the chicken loop, get your hand on some quick release, or grab 
a knife to cut lines. Once that kite was launched this guy had about 
3 seconds to react and get to his quick release before he got rocket 
launched. I think most kiters would have reacted just as he did.

Happy Kiting
Targa Dave

A friend of mine says he was actually unconscious for a few seconds, dragging face down in the 
water after getting nailed in his unhelmeted head by his urethane-leashed board. When he came 
to he was still gripping the bar. 
- Mel  ,contibuter to the kitesurf newsgroup,

It happened Sunday before last weekend, I had
a blast at Waddel Creek with my AirBlast 6.3
and Litewave 169 and NSI Tantrums. I am using
the Wipika bar with permanent depower loop
and "locked" it in my harness.
iwindsurf was reading 20 - 35 mph at that time.

When doing a loop jybe pretty near the shore
I noticed a AR5 flying in my lines without
a rider at the bar's end and of course it
caught my lines. Pointing offshore, the 
kite "stack" was then pointing onshore and
the other guy's kitebar was moving up to my kite.
Of course there was little control and due to
the now really overpowered pull of my stack of kites
I could not get out of the locked-in control bar. I tried
to get the kites down to ground, so that I had a chance
to unlock the depower loop and unhook myself, but in
these windspeeds the stack was just pulling all the time
and the kites were bouncing back in the air. After
a short time I was pulled western style on the beach behind
the kites. The guy who let the AR5 go wanted me to let go,
but I was still locked in. After maybe 100 ft being
dragged on the beach I was thinking about the street
that was not too far away anymore. Then the guy could 
reach the leader lines and another guy caught one kite 
and I released myself. No injuries happened. My kite
is still in perfect shape, but the AR5 was destroyed.

The scary thing is that there was such a massive pull
from the stack in these winds that you can't believe it.
Being in bindings did not help either. You just could
not react like you wanted. I would have tried to cut
the lines with my DaKine harness hook knife shortly after
that point, but I do not know if that would have worked 
in that situation where you were dragged like a feather weight
behind "your" kites.

After that incident I packed my stuff and called it a day.
8 days after that I still think about quitting kitesurfing.
I do not blame the other kiter, he was experienced and I
also let go my 6.3 there once when it launched in the powerzone
and I did not use a safety leash. The amount of kiters will
still keep rapidly growing leaving much less space for mistakes.
I now understand why some people try to ban kiting. It IS
dangerous and if you thought you have everything all the
time under control you might be wrong. The power can be tremendous.
Losing control is not always your fault. I had several
incidents before that when beginners where pulled downwind
out of control and nearly catching my kite lines. The problem
is you do not see them when you are downwind of them.

I do not blame the Wipika depower setup, either. I like it
and do not know if I would have been able to unhook from
a "normal" depower loop in that situation.

Maybe I will try to stay upwind of everyone in the future
or quit. But I don't think so, it's too much fun on the water.
But there might be a big problem with too many kiters at the spots
pretty soon needing too much space each.


Robin

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