BoardsportsSchool wrote:There are local "guidelines" at every site and I think it is up to each individual pilot/kiter and the community overall to help protect access at each site. As a community, we should all be committed to best practices that assure the safety of beach goers and families. Schools can do their best to teach everyone safety awareness, but at the end of the day, it's the judgement of the individual that counts.
If you see someone doing something that may endanger the public (or the pilot/kiter), please take the time to educate them and help us all stay safe.
Here are some guidelines for Alameda that i think are good to practice:
1. Kite in hand when feet hit the sand
We teach a water based self landing / self rescue to all of our students for when they come in down wind on their own. It endangers the kiter and the public to walk up the beach with your kite in the air.
2. drag out 2 line lengths...
before waterstarting onto your board. This gives you and the beach goers a buffer zone from you crashing your kite
3. Keep 200' out away from the launch/land area
Keep clear (either in front of the shack or down by the next launch / bathroom) for 200 feet. This helps riders who may be overpowered and need to come in have a clear area to come in and land. This means don't come in and bust all your tricks right in front of the launch area. You may look cool, but you are clogging an already small launch area and making it tough to get out and back into the beach. It's also nice if people use some order in the launch area itself. If you are not launching/landing, get your kite out of the launch area to make room for others. Don't leave your kite lines all over the beach if you are not launching/landing.
4. Do not fly a full size kite with full length lines on the beach....
and don't beach jump.
I recall LMG breaking his ankle doing this...and that was the end of that. Beach jumping may look cool, but it puts you and the public at risk if you crash a kite on land.
5. If you use a board leash, you should use a helmet and take extra care
-Don't attach it until your kite is pointed over to the water and you are at waters edge. If you are a beginner, get help your first few times so you can focus on the kite.
-Once you are riding upwind, ditch the board leash. They can be dangerous in high winds, and are dangerous if you are jumping. They are simply a beginner tool only appropriate in light winds.
6. Help beginners and as a community help each other to stay safe.
Over the years there have been many ambassadors for safety at all sites. In Alameda, we have had LMG, LMC, Syvia, Bob, Max, and others. It's critical to help people that show up and don't know what they are doing at a new site (or have poor judgement). If you see something bad, go help out and help us all protect access.
7. When in doubt, don't go out.
You jeopardize your safety and that of others to go out in overpowered conditions. We may not have too many days like that in Alameda (spring mainly), but if you have a doubt in your mind, it's probably best to listen to your gut and not go out.
8. Take lessons from a certified school and don't teach your friends to kite if you are not a trained, certified instructor.
It is illegal to teach your friends in Alameda due to liability risk, even if it's for free. We see friends helping friends who have had lessons and encourage this. But if your friend has never had a lesson, do them a favor and get them into a certified lesson with a reputable school. You may leave out critical safety information that puts them or the public at risk. Saving money may be foolish in the long run if they hurt themselves or others. I have gone through both PASA and IKO and learned many very important principals to pass onto all of my students.
Jane :)
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Boardsports School & Shop
Alameda - San Mateo - San Francisco
Voted "Best of the Bay"
http://www.BoardsportsSchool.com
415.385.1224
Two things:
(1)- correction, I broke my heal and sprained both ankle's.
(2) I question the legality of it being illegal to teach your friends, even for free.
