I can't figure out why all the drama around kiting all the time. We see it mostly directed at kiteboarders but buggies and ATBs are getting it too. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the way the beaches get used (big kites, long lines etc) but I wonder if other water users get the same grief? Like do people rag on kayakers dragging their boats across the beach to the water? Or windsurfers rigging and launching / landing? Hobies, day sailers etc........

It just seems like it's all focused on kiters and I can't quite figure out why. I can see staying out of swimming areas and stuff but other than that it should be pretty fair game.

I ask because there's been discussion on our local forum about one of our most beginner friendly lakes here and how the "rules are as follows...." The swimming area is a no-brainer if you ask me but watershore residents apparently complain about kiters too....these are the same clowns that have these welded steel monstrosities plunked in the water so they can lift their precious boats. Everywhere I've kited on the water thus far has been welcomed with awe and excitement.....apparently I'm not going to the "popular" spots.......

This is an interesting topic and thought i would share my thoughts based on previous "xtreme" sports. I think that the increased attention or dislike towards kiting specfically kite surfing is that the sport has moved from a passion for the activity to the addition of a growing number of "yahoos" who have gotten into the sport because it is kool. Case and point with Whitewater Kayaking when i started kayaking in 1990 the sport was small enough that in my area i knew all of the boaters and if i saw a car with a boat on it that i didnt recogonize i would chase it down to introduce myself and meet them. It was very much a family mentality and everyone helped everyone. Those of us that paddled did it for our own enjoyment or challenge and most were natural outdoors people who The other side of it would have to be that with extreme sports sometimes come some "extreme"were concerned with the "leave no trace" ideology-in everything we did better unnoticed a lot of the time then drawing attention (a lot of rivers are surronded by private property:duh:.) Jump forward 10 yrs and you find a new breed of boater- guys that want to show off and had the attitude that they deserved to be there because they were MR badass. I think that those boaters want to be recogonized as being "special" because they could run extreme whitewater. Think major atheltic stars ie basketball players and their behavior of "doesnt apply to me"
Now i think that applies to the new kite surfers because the newer participants are as concerned with being kool as they are with the act of doing. thus they are more driven to fly in areas that will attract more attention and may be in areas not as safe or contusive to the enjoyment of the sport. Only one bad seed to destory any good will that has been created. Least we all rememebr that when it comes to most things in life it is much easier to complain and be negative then to look at the positives- watched the news lately?
I am afraid that what we are seeing happen with ban issues and such with kite surfing could move to the land side if participants are not very carefully to ALWAYS be on their best behavior.
One of the reasons i enjoy kiting is that the majority of participants today share the same reason i do for the sport a challenge for yourself -not to be a showboat or such. Hopefully we will be able to maintain that metality and not go the way of whitewater kayaking, rock climbing or some other activity that has gotten to popular.

IMO it has to do with population density and how rich the shoreline property owners are. The higher the population and richer the shoreline property owners are, the more agro the the attitudes are. Most agro locations: Hawaii and California. Least agro location: Alaska.

People fear what they don't understand !
What we are doing is not easy to figure out so it is offensive.

Skaters, snowboarders and many others have been hated on when misunderstood. It's just our turn !

I remember when people thought sex was safe and hang gliding was dangerous ! Times change .

The mayor of a small community beach where I typically go has already stated that if he receives a complaint about kiting he will ban the activity from the beach. This is the same mayor that BANNED SURFING after a runaway, leashless board hit a swimmer. His rational, this is a tourist beach where people come to swim. This beach has a long legacy of surfers and the surfer community rallied forth with about 300 attending a meeting with the mayor and as a result, the ban was rescinded. This was a kneejerk (jerk?) reaction born from the fear of LIABILITY.

The part that kills me is this. I was surfing yesterday along with a group of about 20 others. We had been in a spot all morning when two families with young children decided that out of all the available water in which to swim, the spot directly in front of the surfers was the one they wanted. And amazingly, a short time later a fisherman chose the same spot in which to cast his double-hook rig into. Where does the accountability lie if someone - swimmer, surfer, fisherman, - is injured? When does personal responsibility come into play?

Likewise, whenever I set up the kite, there is a crowd drawn who feels it is perfectly acceptable to stand behind me, beside me, behind the kite, beside the kite lines, etc. I waited 15 minutes to launch one afternoon with my son holding the kite while a group of people gathered immediately downwind of the kite to watch and chat. We didn't want to ask them to move lest one became offended and voiced a complaint. In this case, I know where the accountability would lie should something happen to a bystander. Therefore, I will err on the side of caution and simply wait them out. The kiting community here consists of about 5 people. Certainly not enough to sway a politician into reconsidering a ban.

I do understand the interest and curiousity. I too, was in awe of the people that I watched with their kites. (Still am) However, intuitively understanding some of the inherent (and obvious) dangers, I would keep my distance and only approach someone as they were packing up before peppering them with questions.

There are some success stories. Most notably, Jekyll Island, Ga ( Home of JIBE!). The local government and community has embraced kiting in all of its forms and sees it as a tourist attraction of sorts. The credit for this can be directly attributable to Angus Campbell. He has educated the decision makers on the positive aspects of the sport, benefits to the community, and by pointing out the amount of revenue that can be generated by marketing the island as a kiting destination.

Same sport. Public beach. Entirely different mentality. Refreshing!

That's the problem isn't it - knee-jerk reactions to make sure those who don't surf (the majority) and placated with empty-headed decisions.

The Flocking Obliviots - you can't avoid them. And you're right, asking them politely to move may well inflame their over developed sense of self-righteousness ...

Quote:

...The part that kills me is this. I was surfing yesterday along with a group of about 20 others. We had been in a spot all morning when two families with young children decided that out of all the available water in which to swim, the spot directly in front of the surfers was the one they wanted. And amazingly, a short time later a fisherman chose the same spot in which to cast his double-hook rig into...

Yea, that happens up here on the banks as well. It's a shallow in the sand bottom. Surfers like it cause the swell breaks there best. Swimmers like it cause they can walk deeper into the water there. Fishermen like it cause they want to place their hooks in the rip. The only rules I'm aware of up here are: Surfers aren't supposed to be within 200' of a pier and fishermen aren't supposed to be within 200' of swimmers. In your situation up here the fisherman would be in the wrong and the swimmers would be considered stupid. But unless someone gets hurt, nobody cares. There have been "altercations" caused by this situation at a popular pier up here. In one well known instance, the fishermen were clearly in the wrong but they called a cop to the scene anyways. The cop, who was obviously less than objective on the subject, issued citations to all the surfers as they came in and was a total #@%$#! about it. The whole thing was got on tape and posted on Youtube.

Fortunately we have lots of beach and space so this sort of thing can be avoided pretty easily. Most of the lifeguards are cool when it comes to kiting and most of the tourists find it "amazing". More than once I've come into the beach after a downwinder and some of the tourists applauded me like I just won a medal or something.

the lack of character and respect, thats unfortunate but everything has that element no matter the activity kite,fish, surf, moto anything in the public domain esp. at the watersedge.

the intersection, the conflicts usually because an access point gets loaded with the PUBLIC and nobody wants to trek out of the way, could be small as well, areas get saturated its gonna happen.

saturated points require management , hence parks and restrictions.

the "amazing" parts , it can be like a beach circus at times. but the weakly committed, weak character types want to jump in and it can be a real threat to any activity. moto, boat, fish, kite, what ever . kites get it because we are space hogs with "amazing" attention.



swimming and fishing ... tragic comedy ....ahhh bliss , i like to watch "amazing " stuff as well. interacting with nature is so much PHUN.

We have been exploring and tried Crescent Beach the other day. It was amazing the Bi-Polar reactions we recieved.
99.9% of the people thought we were interesting and safe. 50 something lady # 1 came walking up the sand bar we were riding and as Coolbreeze passes she says " your kites intimidate me " . I stopped , CB turned around and slowed down. She kept walking straight toward us and repeating herself . Sort of 1/2 challenging and 1/2 stupid? CB put his kite down and I kept mine away as she passed. Accidentally scared her again with my freakin' kite shadow !
A short time later 50 something lady # 2 decides to approach me with an attitude filled, " do you plan to ride here all day " ? I replied that we would probably leave as the tide comes in. Then , "I find your kites offensive. " I replied that we were just new here and getting a feel for the place. SHE - " why do you have to take the whole beach to yourself "? Me- Is there someplace you want to go that we can avoid ? She just scoweled at me and started at Rip + CB . I said " if I upset you so much I will leave and went to my kite . She turned around and yelled "What did you say? " I guess assuming I was giving her attitude? Then gave the other 2 her lines.

I was done with the place but the other 2 stayed on. Never did here how it all ended for CB and Rip?

mine is easy..... im the minority :dunno:

I, and like 3 of my friends (99.99999% just me tho), am the only kiters around.... for MILES!

the only spot to fly, the soccer fields. Well its a city park (the part that isnt fenced off) so i technically have fair game there. But soccer hooligans are a rocky breed lol. No, actually the coaches are just mad that their kids would rather watch me fly a kite, then play soccer. So they complain, and muscle me out (and scream at me , when i try to share the park with them.

People think they are more deserving than the minority.... 100 people there for soccer... THE WHOLE PARK MUST BE IN SOCCER MODE! 1 guy cant fly in the corner :dunno:

meh, ive never liked people lol.... must be why i prefer to fly with the wind, and not play soccer with 100 other people

And im just fine that way
:P

People who are "intimidated" or find "offensive" everyday things need to grow the #@%$#! up - the world is not here to conform to your sad little delusions of emotional megalomania, pull your head in and get out of my face before I give you a reason to be intimidated.

It's probably just as well I live in Japan where nobody can understand my rants

heads up... before this thread continues to go somewhere, i just want to note that IT'S 3 YEARS OLD

lol.. I just read all this as if it was all new !!

Dang me too. I only got halfway before I realized. Mainly because I'm using my phone.

I think it's in the PKF newby handbook:

Quote: Originally posted by Forum Rules

Section 8.b Two of your first ten posts to PKF should include at least one of the following: A. - Asking if an item in the "for sale" section is "still available" after the last post in the thread is 1 or more years old or if the thread clearly states that the item has already been sold B. - Post to a thread with questions, commentary or advice when said thread is 3 or more years old C. - Ask which 3m kite is best for jumping D. - Comment on how your experience with stunt kites gives you confidence to "start with something bigger" E. - Utilize phrases such as "adrenaline junky" "thrill seeker" "speed demon" or "extreme athlete" F. - Give some sort of indication as to how in some way you will blatantly disregard the advice of the much more experienced people who are you free advice G. - Express confusion over the difference between kiting and paragliding (NOTE: this should be used sparingly as it is only believable when expressed with sincerity and on rare occasions)

I'm certain we all abided by this rule in some fashion at our infusion into this community

I'm glad this forum was only 3 years old when I joined. Imagine ALL this being brand new to you.:o