Safety

Kiteboarding is an incredible extreme sport that is sweeping around the World. The thrills and shear joy of flashing over the water and flinging yourself, spinning into the sky at will is addictive! It is important to remember that the first concern of every kiteboarder should and must be the safety of themselves and others.

The following is a list of general rules for safe kiteboarding.

1. NEVER LAUNCH OR RIDE WITHIN 200 FT. OR 60 M UPWIND OF BYSTANDERS OR HARD OBJECTS ...land, boats, rocks, walls, buildings, powerlines, roads or prominent vertical surfaces or steep slopes that may cause uplift. Depower your kite as early as possible if trouble threatens. Waiting may remove the option to do so safely. DISTANCE IS YOUR FRIEND“ and may sometimes help to forgive bad luck & errors in judgment.

2. AVOID STORMS & SQUALLS. CHECK WEATHER RADAR, WIND & FORECASTS & BE AWARE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS WHILE RIDING. Storms & squalls have injured lots of kiteboarders & are a serious threat. Actual weather may differ from predicted conditions so stay alert. If you see squalls or storms, LAND, remove the lines & SECURE your kite IN ADVANCE of any change in wind or temperature. Riders have been injured by reacting too late or not at all. Consider using a warning horn at your local launch. Avoid offshore & onshore winds.

3. TAKE ADEQUATE PRO KITEBOARDING LESSONS FROM A GOOD SCHOOL Carefully build experience in manageable conditions. Lessons cost but you should be kiteboarding faster, easier & safer for your investment. Also you could save your expensive gear & yourself from damage & our access to ride.

4. CAREFULLY PREFLIGHT YOUR GEAR, make sure lines are equal, in good condition, free of tangles/snags, are properly attached & no leaks are present. Repair gear before launching.

5. USE SAFETY GEAR ... a suitable helmet, impact vest, tested kite leash, reliable chicken loop quick releases (QR) & fixed harness line QR, gloves & hook knife(s). Practice mentally & physically reacting early to emergency situations, e.g. lofting & dragging, to try to reduce critical reaction time. Test & maintain your quick releases before each use to improve reliable performance.

6. BE CAREFUL IN & CONSIDER AVOIDING HIGHER WINDS while kiteboarding, that is potentially winds much greater than 18 kts or 20 mph. Kite forces & flight speeds can be much greater & conditions far less forgiving of errors in judgment & simple bad luck & have resulted in serious injuries.

7. CONSIDER LAUNCHING UNHOOKED from your bar for rapid release & kite leash activation if things go wrong. Consider hooking into your QR fixed harness line only once you are near the water & your kite is well low over the water in order to grab your board. Connect to your chicken loop offshore.

8. HAVE AN EXPERIENCED HELPER LAUNCH & LAND YOUR KITE who understands your instructions without error. If conditions permit, it may be safer to launch your kite near or from the water.

9. KEEP YOUR KITE LOW & NEVER BRING IT TO THE VERTICAL WHILE NEAR HARD OBJECTS OR LAND TO TRY TO AVOID LOFTING. GET OFFSHORE WITHOUT DELAY.

10. AVOID COMPLAINTS TO KEEP KITEBOARDING FREE & AT WILL. Jump to help kiteboarders. If you see someone doing something reckless, grab your friends & go talk with him. We are all in this sport together so pitch in & be ready to help to keep riders safe and to work to preserve access.