Injury today at 3rd ave

[dgrissom]

I agree with a couple earlier posts!
I was surprised to go back to third ave (after a few years) to find almost beach left and in my opinion a sketchy launch if you don't know about the slippery mud and rocks just below the shallow water's surface. I remember a much larger and sandy beach years ago?? Erosion?? As the first poster suggested, SIGNS would definitely help.
Glad to hear David is ok and recovering.

[Boardsports]

Glad to hear the helmet saved him from serious injury/death, and he'll hopefully be back riding soon.

We recently learned that calling 911 often routes you to Vallejo, so they often have no idea of the location we try to describe. If you do call 911:

Key things to say for clarity of location...

Calling from FOSTER CITY (think of how many 3rd avenues there are!)
'BAYWINDS PARK', (that's the name they know it as)
'EAST 3RD AVENUE and LAKESIDE DRIVE' (they always want a cross street)
'WEST of Mariners Point Golf Course'

(E 3rd and Lakeside is lower launch, but that is the entrance that gets an ambulance onto the path. Dispatch have no idea what 'upper launch' means, and there isn't access from the golf course parking lot. Upper launch is West, not North as we tend to think of 'up').

There is a direct number to the local Foster City emergency/rescue on the information sign at lower launch. (can someone post that here? It's the number we should all have in our phones for this purpose). It's a good response to call 911, but if you have the mind to call to the local dispatch directly, they'll have a better understanding of where we're talking about.


I didn't know there was a fast looping 14m...

We are very happy to hear that David is recovering and OK after this scary incident. Our well wishes to you David on your recovery. We are 5 minutes down the road at Coyote Point in San Mateo, and we would be happy to offer you (or anyone) some kite launching best practices in the name of promoting safety.

I'm not sure if someone already posted the emergency number requested, here it is:

3rd Ave (Foster City) POLICE dispatch - Emergency 650-573-3333

-Jane

[keithdkd]

David, I'm so glad to hear you're recovering. Hope we'll see you back at 3rd ave once you're healed up.

[dealbst]

David, Speedy Recovery!

Thanks for posting the emergency number-I added to my contacts.

I kited 3rd just a couple of weeks ago. It had been many years since I launched from the upper "beach" mud. I've been kiting for many years, but that mud scared the crap out of me! SUPER slippery! I just kept thinking "one wrong slip and I could get sent through those rocks!" Very sketch'.

Okay, Be safe out there kiddos

-Steve

[manplesvanuatu]

Hi David,

Good to see you chime in to give your status. We were wondering what exactly was the extent of the injuries. Hearsays don't help much. Anyway good to hear that you are recovering. I had just arrived and so to hear the firetrucks. First thing came across my mind was :" Oh no! Not again!". Last year we had a serious injury at the upper launch. We just had a safety summit gathering. Although it was a good turn out I wish more would have come.
Anyway that day I also met your friend, an asian lady. Apparently from what I understood (please correct me if I am wrong here so I don't make an ass of myself:) was that you both had just recently taken classes in Laventana. And you were about ready to practice at third. After your accident, she was hesitant and was wondering if it was ok for her to continue to practice. I remember the condition were improving and that wind was getting quite strong. She said she just had a 10M. I talked her out of it cause in my opinion it was too big of a kite for her especially if she is just starting out. I recommended that she comes back another day with a smaller kite and she can look for me and I will help her familiarize with the place. If you read this please reconfirm the message with her. I do not want her to give up the sport just from witnessing what happened that day! I hope it is the same case for you.
I would like to also use this opportunity to mention something I think it is rather important for ALL of you if you are reading this specific post!

The first thing I want you all to know is the depower trim on your kite bar. Some are a cord hitched into a cam cleat, Some are a double straps system, And the latest is the clicker on the North or Ocean Rodeo system. I want you all to know THIS..It is not a STATIC setting! It should always be considered a DYNAMIC adjustment. Meaning constantly adjusting it unless the wind is super consistent that day! when to do it more importantly? At LAUNCH and LAND! USE this adjustment to decrease the power of the kite. all adjustment needed to be done
once the kite leave the ground should be done in the middle of the water PREFERABLE and NOT on land!!! (unless you are getting used to it with experience). PLEASE before you have someone launch the kite. Depower the kite a little! something close to %40 is good. Remember you are just flying the kite, it is not yet used as traction device yet so you do not need full power on the setting at all!

additionally, one positive thing happens when you pull on the trim and depower the kite: not only the power will be decrease which helps decrease the pull on land (espcecially on a slippery are of mud at the upper launch). BUT secondly without you realizing it, but if the trim has been pulled, (meaning shorter front lines/ longer rear lines), If anything happens and you let go the bar, The kite already has more depower!

so set the trim 40% in or so. have someone launch the kite, walk to the water...body drag a bit out to a bigger opened area, Put the kite at noon, you are in deeper water away from rocks, you are safe. If you feel the kite still weak, Now release the trim out and power the kite. Out of danger. Then coming back, reverse the process. Get close to shore, sit down, put the kite at noon, Depower the kite (shorten the trim), get out of the water with a less powered kite. Make it a habit of doing this!!!!

I just don't get it when lots of you guys launch a kite with full power (trim all release) especially when lots of you ride with too big of a kite! With that slippery mud it is way dangerous! I was telling this to a veteran right after your accident. (well he has like 7-8 seasons in but if baffles me that he does this) and his response was: "don't tell me that. I know what I am doing". yet when he launch that kite it was launched hot! He was lucky it was on the barnacles surface! If it was in the muddy section he would slip for sure.

last I wasn't there when you collide with the rock wall but someone said you were flying a 14M. Please correct some of us if it wasn't. Personally I don't think it's ridiculous big or out of control but I remember the wind was ramping up fast. It was a good 21-22 miles right after your accident. A 14M is still a tad big especially when the ground is slippery like that and that you just learned in laventana:-)

You better off going to the lower launch and drop in on the water behind the net. Anyway lesson learned. If you did not wear the helmet that day, maybe this lesson can't be learned:(

anyway I wish you a speedy recovery, Come out once you are heal, but from now on, try to get a kite quiver of different size. You don't need a 14M at third until November!

get well soon!

paul

[TechOps]

Hey David, I'm super glad you are OK and the helmet helped you avoid something worse. Thanks for your pitch on helmets, but personally I don't wear one, because I have an abnormally large head and the helmet actually makes whiplash much worse when I hit the water. (I have gotten hurt pretty bad just by water whiplash on my helmet - doesn't happen when I'm not wearing it.) But luckily I am used to the crappy launch and slippery mud at 3rd ave., have been kiting there for 6 years and know to leave my kite at or near 12 o'clock when walking in/out.

Hope that you have a speedy recovery, and don't let this be the end of your kiting career. We have all had injuries, and learn something from them, you will get to know the awesome kite community in the Bay Area, we all try to help each other out. Also try out Sherman Island this summer, no rocks or clay/mud.

TJ

[manplesvanuatu]

hi JT and Dave,

My humble $0.02 unless you have someone explaining you excatly how Sherman works, I would not recommend anyone new at the sport to try out that place. Yes I does not have mud, rocks but the tricky launch with the wind shadow behind the tall bush is extremely deceiving. Not to mention the water entry area filled with slippery tree trunks and there is not a lot of exit points if you do not know how to go upwind fast. Every year there is a major injury there for a reason. There is a over hang at the grassy area where there is a picnic table. Go to one of the beams of that shelter and look at the area near the top by the roof. I believe there is still the color paint mark of the helmet of the gentleman that hit that beam on impact! Just a little reminder how lucky he was. My take is unless you have a friend that is willing to show you all the details of danger of that place AND THAT HE WATCHES YOU THE WHOLE WAY, I would not recommend a newbie to go there yet. One last thing to mention is Sherman wind is nuking in summer, if you use the 14M like you did at third, be prepare to fly, I mean paraglide:-) on a good day I am lit on my 7M and i weigh 170lbs. Put some miles at Alameda, Toll plaza (although that place has it booby traps too) then when comfortable, you can go to Sherman. No rush.

[muh]

Hi Paul and all others,

thanks for all the advice. My girlfriend - her name is Tencia - actually told me that she was talking to you and that you talked her out of using the 10m kite in these conditions.
She was waiting for the high tide to come in. She also has another 8m (now).

I came in after being out there for just maybe 20-15 minutes. I don't remember anything from that day, but I wouldn't have come back to land so soon without a good reason. Once I kite I usually go for 1-2 hours straight. I can just assume that I probably wanted to swap to a smaller kite (12m), because the 14m isn't that much fun to ride when it's overpowered. I was checking the wind before I got out (online, iKitesurfApp). From 16 knots upwards I usually pick the 12m. So when I started / prepared myself, it must have been reporting less, otherwise I would not have been on the 14m.

Btw my specs are: 197m, 90kg (190lbs), so even with 20 knots of wind I would have thought the 14m isn't that much of a stretch, but it for sure isn't required.

Your tips are very welcome by the way. I always depower on launch, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't (sufficiently) depowered when I came back in.
From what people and Tencia told me I slipped / tumbled. I probably then just had the wrong reaction / not the right reflex and pulled my bar ... if I would have released in time, everything would have been fine.

Reflecting from what happened there is three main takeaways for me in this:
1. Knowing I'm about to cross a slippery area, I should have had one hand on the bar and the second ready grab the release, just to maximize the chance of actually releasing once things get rough.
2. In such conditions, when getting out of the water: Walk twice! First time for the kite, the second time for the board. I'm not sure if I was carrying my board with me. From what Tencia described I probably did not, but I usually do. However, there is one hand less to pull the release.
3. Stop in the water, don't kite with the board to the edge of the water to then jump of. That may be ok on a dry sand-only beach with no rocks, but certainly not at 3rd given those conditions. Also, stopping in the water - just as Paul said - gives me the option to depower my gear in time.

Since some where asking here's a summary of my injuries:
Dislocated elbow and thumb. A very mean fleshwound on my left hand. A sprain ankle and wrist, a broken toe and a pretty good concussion. My whole left side is sore. Also took a good hit on the hip, it's still green and blue.
Upsides: My neck and spine are completely fine. Also I was lucky not to be troubled by headaches.

I'm usually healing quickly. My hand and arm are still heavily swollen, but I'm already out of the cask.

And don't be afraid of this scaring me off: If I would heal tonight, I'd be out on the water tomorrow again. :)

One more thing: I did not choose 3rd in order to kite on a difficult or cool spot, but because it was just the most promising in terms of wind that day. Also it's super close to where I live. I regret I took my Tencia there and I'm super glad she did not go out. Truth is, she's not ready for that yet. Personally, I'm pretty good at going up wind. She's not there yet. That just wasn't a good decision on my end.

@Jane: Thanks for the offer with best practices. That sounds like a good think to do.

Hope to see you guys out there again. If you recognize me, please approach me and just say "Hi"! Also another big thank you to all the people that came to help me!

[Cosmicocean]

Thanks Muh for the write up, so glad you're(relatively ;-)) ok
the wind and the mud at 3d can be super tricky,

one small quible tho,
you mention that punching out could have saved you from the accident,
but while having the punching out reflex is essential it's also important to
realize that controlling the kite is sometimes the better way to go.

or being super quick to detach the leash as well,
i mention this because i witnessed at 3d a released kite loop and send the kiter
flying over those rocks by way of the leash pull

if kite loops a lot of times punching out is not enough to save yourself from danger

my 0.002 cents
c u recovered in the water!

[Sonny]

Hi Paul and all others,

thanks for all the advice. My girlfriend - her name is Tencia - actually told me that she was talking to you and that you talked her out of using the 10m kite in these conditions.
She was waiting for the high tide to come in. She also has another 8m (now).

I came in after being out there for just maybe 20-15 minutes. I don't remember anything from that day, but I wouldn't have come back to land so soon without a good reason. Once I kite I usually go for 1-2 hours straight. I can just assume that I probably wanted to swap to a smaller kite (12m), because the 14m isn't that much fun to ride when it's overpowered. I was checking the wind before I got out (online, iKitesurfApp). From 16 knots upwards I usually pick the 12m. So when I started / prepared myself, it must have been reporting less, otherwise I would not have been on the 14m.

Btw my specs are: 197m, 90kg (190lbs), so even with 20 knots of wind I would have thought the 14m isn't that much of a stretch, but it for sure isn't required.

Your tips are very welcome by the way. I always depower on launch, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't (sufficiently) depowered when I came back in.
From what people and Tencia told me I slipped / tumbled. I probably then just had the wrong reaction / not the right reflex and pulled my bar ... if I would have released in time, everything would have been fine.

Reflecting from what happened there is three main takeaways for me in this:
1. Knowing I'm about to cross a slippery area, I should have had one hand on the bar and the second ready grab the release, just to maximize the chance of actually releasing once things get rough.
2. In such conditions, when getting out of the water: Walk twice! First time for the kite, the second time for the board. I'm not sure if I was carrying my board with me. From what Tencia described I probably did not, but I usually do. However, there is one hand less to pull the release.
3. Stop in the water, don't kite with the board to the edge of the water to then jump of. That may be ok on a dry sand-only beach with no rocks, but certainly not at 3rd given those conditions. Also, stopping in the water - just as Paul said - gives me the option to depower my gear in time.

Since some where asking here's a summary of my injuries:
Dislocated elbow and thumb. A very mean fleshwound on my left hand. A sprain ankle and wrist, a broken toe and a pretty good concussion. My whole left side is sore. Also took a good hit on the hip, it's still green and blue.
Upsides: My neck and spine are completely fine. Also I was lucky not to be troubled by headaches.

I'm usually healing quickly. My hand and arm are still heavily swollen, but I'm already out of the cask.

And don't be afraid of this scaring me off: If I would heal tonight, I'd be out on the water tomorrow again. :)

One more thing: I did not choose 3rd in order to kite on a difficult or cool spot, but because it was just the most promising in terms of wind that day. Also it's super close to where I live. I regret I took my Tencia there and I'm super glad she did not go out. Truth is, she's not ready for that yet. Personally, I'm pretty good at going up wind. She's not there yet. That just wasn't a good decision on my end.

@Jane: Thanks for the offer with best practices. That sounds like a good think to do.

Hope to see you guys out there again. If you recognize me, please approach me and just say "Hi"! Also another big thank you to all the people that came to help me!

Actually 3rd AVE is one of the better place to learn in the bay area. You just have to respect the wind condition and the rocks. My friends and I only kited 3rd until we could ride up wind, we learned before the kites became safe. We were also very careful because we were very scared. Please see me at 3rd AVE and I will be glad to explain how to learn safely at 3rd AVE.