Tragedy at Ocean Beach

[josha]

This is definitely tragic, although as of 20 min ago, SFGate is reporting that he was taken to UCSF and not that he passed away:

<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... .DTL&tsp=1>

[kitebread]

this was a very rough day for everyone at Ocean Beach. There were several accidents and close calls today. One man was taken to the Hospital in serious condition. Sobe was also hurt when his lines wrapped around his ankle and his kite went into a spin on the beach just moments before the wind went over 40 There is no reason for any of us to be a hero(i'm not saying you were Mark at all, I'm very glad you're ok) or feel like you're chicken if you don't go out. I helped Gibby launch and come right back in realizing he was wound on a 7 he said it was his first time in 10 years of kiting he did that and he wasn't ashamed or too proud to know when to call it, then Spiller tried to launch a 7 and could barely keep his feet on the ground and Gibby helped him safely land. I'm glad they both decided not to go. Please don't try to prove anything. You're smart if you're still alive. Keep an eye on everyone as best you can and don't take stupid chances for nothing. When I went out I felt like I had something to prove and I had a rough ride with a lit 7 pulling hard to the right and wanting to loop. I pretty much wish I never left the beach, each reach was possible and mostly out of control, that's NOT the way to kite. When Eric came back insanely lit on a 9 he said he was glad he was still alive and didn't want to push his luck, very good idea. Hopefully today's events will always be a reminder of how lucky we are to have the gift of places like this to kite and smart friends to help us make good decisions. my prayers and blessings to those close to our fellow kiter who went to the hospital. good luck and fair winds brother

[guidoz]

this is very very sad...

[kitebread]

this was a very rough day for everyone at Ocean Beach. There were several accidents and close calls today. One man was taken to the Hospital in serious condition. Sobe was also hurt when his lines wrapped around his ankle and his kite went into a spin on the beach just moments before the wind went over 40 There is no reason for any of us to be a hero(i'm not saying you were Mark at all, I'm very glad you're ok) or feel like you're chicken if you don't go out. I helped Gibby launch and come right back in realizing he was wound on a 7 he said it was his first time in 10 years of kiting he did that and he wasn't ashamed or too proud to know when to call it, then Spiller tried to launch a 7 and could barely keep his feet on the ground and Gibby helped him safely land. I'm glad they both decided not to go. Please don't try to prove anything. You're smart if you're still alive. Keep an eye on everyone as best you can and don't take stupid chances for nothing. When I went out I felt like I had something to prove and I had a rough ride with a lit 7 pulling hard to the right and wanting to loop. I pretty much wish I never left the beach, each reach was possible and mostly out of control, that's NOT the way to kite. When Eric came back insanely lit on a 9 he said he was glad he was still alive and didn't want to push his luck, very good idea. Hopefully today's events will always be a reminder of how lucky we are to have the gift of places like this to kite and smart friends to help us make good decisions. my prayers and blessings to those close to our fellow kiter who went to the hospital. good luck and fair winds brother

[reyrivera]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... .DTL&tsp=1

Coast Guard rescues 2, calls off search for man
Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z0opLExUN6

(05-23) 21:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Rescuers found a woman in the waters near the Cliff House in San Francisco but called off the search Sunday evening for her male companion. Both had been on a sailboat in windy and rough conditions, authorities said.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z0opLKiO8k

In a separate incident Sunday afternoon, a kite surfer was hospitalized after having to be rescued near Ocean Beach. The man's condition was unknown.

Late Sunday, San Francisco Fire Department officials had little information about the incident involving the sailboat, other than that a woman had been found on rocks in the water and a man was presumed dead. The sailboat was found, empty.

The call came in to the Fire Department at 5:25 p.m., though the National Park Service and U.S. Coast Guard were already involved in the rescue effort. The condition of the woman was unknown.

The 39-year-old kite surfer was rushed to UCSF Medical Center after Park Service rangers responded at 2:35 p.m. and rescued him, said Alexandra Picavet, a spokeswoman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

"He was tangled up in his line, and the high surf made it very difficult for our beach patrol to reach him, but they did reach him," she said.

The surfer, from Kings Beach (Placer County), was found face down in the water and unresponsive, she said. He was taken to shore and CPR was administered.

E-mail Victoria Colliver at vcolliver@sfchronicle.com

This article appeared on page C - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z0opLOGGvA

[wjb]

Greg that is a great idea about attaching your knive with a string to your harness. Going to do it today.

[funmilton]

Medical scissors are on my shopping list today. Yesterday scared me. Not fun seeing someone not breathe on the beach. Bad night sleep....

[WindMuch]

How/where are you guys storing medical scissors?

I made a little pouch for my line knife which pinches between the straps of my harness and holds it in with velcro. It's easy to get to and has a bright yellow webbing handle on the knife. I didn't like the position of the knife pocket on my harness (I'm left-handed), but practicing with BOTH hands - with EYES CLOSED - is a really, really good idea.

Where to store medical scissors?

And... peaceful thoughts to the kiter at the beach yesterday.

Kirk out

[Piotrp]

Any cutting device (knife, scissors) will be used in a situation of extreme stress - it's imperative that's is very easily accessible and stays with you even if you drop it. I have a line that I use to connect my board to if my kite goes down and I don't want to deal with both - the kite and the board - at the same time. First, I had it connected to my harness, but I couldn't find it when I needed it. So, now it connects to the neck part of my wetsuit: it's easy to find, unclick it from there and attach it to a little string I have on my board. Some wetsuits have small packets on the arms. Maybe that would be a good place for the scissors.

[kitebread]

http://www.waterhound.com/kitesurfer-al ... lucky.html