Beach-goers at Sherman Island

[denniskempin]

Hey guys,

over the past weekends I've seen more and more people chilling at the beach, with lots of kids playing in the waters. Most kiters I've talked to, including myself, were pretty pissed about this. There are tons of beaches in the area, why are they sitting in this little spot that we need to go out kitesurfing.

Unfortunately as far as I have been told this is a swim zone, and they have the same right to be there as us.
Even more unfortunately I have seen so many dangerous situations coming out of this. People coming in have to navigate around kids in the water to get back in (which for beginners is already a challenge in itself), I've seen kites accidentally being nearly dropped right onto a group of kids playing in the water, people doing waterstarts with kids 5 feet downwind, kids diving and coming up right into the spray of a kiteboard.

This worries me, it's looks like it is only a matter of time until something happens. And if we are unlucky, there might be implications for our access to the beach.

So I was wondering what we could do to prevent this from happening? I am a foreigner, I know little about the politics of parks. Who decides whether this is a swim zone or not? The park administration seems to be happy with the kite community, maybe they can do something about this?

Any ideas?

[cleepa]

Kiters definitely have no right to get angry about this. It is not our beach.

I can think of two things that would keep things safer. First would be for kiters to body drag in and out of access when there are people swimming in the water. Second would be for people who want to throw tricks in access to just do it somewhere else.

Perhaps it might be possible to talk to Bob & Mina to see if better arrangements for everyone could be created. But seeing as the windsurfers are already using one of the beaches, and kiters the other, I don't see a good solution...

[steve]

Sherman is NOT A BEGINNER SPOT because of launch and landing areas.
Additionally, kiters are the #1 danger to other kiters, and themselves at the beach launch at Sherman
:)
steve

[wjb]

Even more unfortunately I have seen so many dangerous situations coming out of this. People coming in have to navigate around kids in the water to get back in (which for beginners is already a challenge in itself), I've seen kites accidentally being nearly dropped right onto a group of kids playing in the water, people doing waterstarts with kids 5 feet downwind, kids diving and coming up right into the spray of a kiteboard.

First of all, beginners should not be launching at that beach. Body dragging out, or during low tide walking quite a ways out is very easily accomplished. I like to watch the show as much as the next guy but throwing tricks on the inside has been a no-no for as long as I remember. Kiters are the ones responsible for creating or not creating the danger. Not the beach goer's.

[denniskempin]

Sorry guys, my phrasing has been a little off. I am not really mad at the beach goers, I was mostly observing the situation and got worried about what I saw happening.
I was doing a downwinder last weekend and by the time I got back to the beach, I could barely find an opening between the beach-goers to walk in safely.

Wjb: I definitely agree that most of this danger can be reduced if kiters body drag out before starting. I've seen a lot of instances of where this did not happen though which made me worried.

However I do not feel very comfortable with the idea that I have to walk slalom through a group of beach goers in order to get in or out of the beach. I feel like I am putting them at an unnecessary risk that could be prevented if the beach gets a little reorganized. Which is why I thought about starting a thread here.

[OliverG]

It's the kiters responsibility to behave in a way that doesn't endanger the public (other beachgoers) and beachgoers have been going to beaches centuries before kitesurfing came to be.

[ramsey]

I get annoyed at people clogging up the launch areas as much as the next kiter, but....

It seems to me if you don't have the skill to navigate through a few people while keeping your kite in the air (at one of the places with the most steady wind), then you may want to brush up your skills a bit before hitting the beach at sherman.

Now fisherman....that's a different story :)

[yojimbo]

I visit Sherman once in a while, and was there about a week ago. Ran into the same situation. Two ladies with several kids, seemingly oblivious to life threatening situation they were placing themselves in. The kids running around, as kids will do, right in the exit and entry path, the adults also in the way.

I know in the past we have had guys fishing at the upper launch and when approached have resulted in some super heated exchanges.

While we are at it, I also really like the driftwood flotsam pile on the beach that you need to get over. Problem is that if you get rid of the flotsam, the beach will become even more inviting, maybe the answer is to pile more stuff on that beach. Like this.

[sloughslut]

If you and others are pissed about this go somewhere else to hang out!! There has been many days i have been there and cant kite becasue of crowds of kiters and people, be pissed at yourself for not getting ther early and kiting in less crowds. Friday was a zoo, i went to little baja, me and one other freindly kiter,not a pissed off person around, be lucky we can even kite there, you are supose to be 100ft away from a swiming beach with any craft
Is it me or is a entiletment attitude takeing over the world?

Most kiters I've talked to, including myself, were pretty pissed about this.

[sanjose_kiter]

Rule #1 of kite surfing: DO NOT ENDANGER or PISS OFF BEACH GOERS

There have been incidents between kiters and beach goer in Hawaii resulting in partial launch site shut down. See this thread - http://new.ikitesurf.com/forums/viewtop ... 85c4ca07cf

Hopefully this doesn't happen at the Bay area