Search underway for missing kite-surfer off Sandy Hook NJ

[Lokihel]

Boaters found him unconscious still attached to kite and harness. While trying to get him on boat they weren't able to hold lines (kite powered up) and had to let go.
Where the story doesn't make sense is that he wasn't in his harness anymore after boat mishap. Guessing they didn't know what to do and tried to remove harness and lost the body to the water...

Makes sense to me. The people on the boat tried to get him onboard whilst still attached to the kite, which then powered up.
His harness was removed, he was then lost to the ocean.

The only part that is sketchy to me is the removing the harness part?

Unless they cut his harness (why not the lines?), how do you remove a harness with tension in the lines?
I need to loosen my harness before being able to release it. Even if you loosen the side straps, I'm quite sure kite tension would make it hard to remove?


Do we still not have a coherent official version on this story?

[jeromeL]

Do we still not have a coherent official version on this story?

I don't think will get useful info unless some kiter contact police and interview boaters... A lot of it gets lost in translation between reporters, boaters and rescuers.
Would be interesting to find out what happened to learn from it.

[Toby]

Ok, if not alone than the others are to be blamed !

We don't leave a brother alone!!!

Also a golden rule...

[CaptainArgh]

Very sad to read this.
There is conflicting info in the stories, but that always seems to be the case until a kiter who was there that day chimes in with his account. RIP Sinisa.

[Dangle]

For what it's worth, I was there that day. When I got there, there were only 2 or 3 people on the water. I didn't see any kites downwind or people in trouble. The wind was steady. I weigh 150 pounds and was well powered on a 12. An article I read said he was experienced and lived in Cape Town. I think it's more likely he was hit by a boat than anything else. Boats often drive to the side of the channel in the same area as people kite. Maybe the guy driving was drinking and the kiter who was inexpierenced with the area wasn't paying attention.

[deniska]

For what it's worth, I was there that day. When I got there, there were only 2 or 3 people on the water. I didn't see any kites downwind or people in trouble. The wind was steady. I weigh 150 pounds and was well powered on a 12. An article I read said he was experienced and lived in Cape Town. I think it's more likely he was hit by a boat than anything else. Boats often drive to the side of the channel in the same area as people kite. Maybe the guy driving was drinking and the kiter who was inexpierenced with the area wasn't paying attention.

during my 7 years of kiting, I don't think I was ever ambushed by a motorboat sneaking on me while I was riding. they are not planes or ballistic missiles..
I can see how the boater could have accidently drown him by catching his lines with his props (while trying to help).. I'd say 80% of them don't realize that there are lines in the water..
this is, of course, just a speculation.
We should probably assume that the boater did nothing wrong

[Tone]

For what it's worth, I was there that day. When I got there, there were only 2 or 3 people on the water. I didn't see any kites downwind or people in trouble. The wind was steady. I weigh 150 pounds and was well powered on a 12. An article I read said he was experienced and lived in Cape Town. I think it's more likely he was hit by a boat than anything else. Boats often drive to the side of the channel in the same area as people kite. Maybe the guy driving was drinking and the kiter who was inexpierenced with the area wasn't paying attention.

during my 7 years of kiting, I don't think I was ever ambushed by a motorboat sneaking on me while I was riding. they are not planes or ballistic missiles..
I can see how the boater could have accidently drown him by catching his lines with his props (while trying to help).. I'd say 80% of them don't realize that there are lines in the water..
this is, of course, just a speculation.
We should probably assume that the boater did nothing wrong

I once had a jetski nearly take me out from behind. 7m weather on flat water, lots of noise going on, he went past me at about three times my speed and actually knocked the tail of my board. How he didn't kill me I don't know. Never even heard him coming...

However I think going straight to blaming someone in a boat is a little too far fetched.

[CaptainArgh]

@Dangle, thanks for posting, and pointing out the local perspective others can't appreciate. If other local kiters launched him or know him, it'd be interesting to hear their perspective on skill level and such.

I obviously have no idea if he was yarded by a looping kite, had a gear malfunction, had a heart attack. or was killed by a drunk boater or a botched rescue attempt. But I have been out in waters crowded with weekend boaters and it's absolutely sketchy. If a drunk girl can walk up to a kiter on the beach and yank on his bar, a drunk boater can certainly misjudge an attempt to spray the kiter with water and hit the guy. Anything is possible out there.

[jeromeL]

This time of year the sun sits pretty high in the sky especially if this happened around 4/5pm. though in late Fall there is so much glare on water at sun down that I wouldn't' be comfortable riding near boaters, or for that matter near other kiter when going toward glare... I am pretty sure there has been many boats collision due to glare.

Some article talk about line tangle in boat and other article say they found kiter unconscious attached to his line, hard to tell what's going on from this.

[RickI]

RIP, sounds like a great guy. I hope some insights come out as to what led to his accident for us to learn from to try to avoid repetition.

If a drunk girl can walk up to a kiter on the beach and yank on his bar, a drunk boater can certainly misjudge an attempt to spray the kiter with water and hit the guy. Anything is possible out there.

Very true. I had a girl try to grab my bar within the last couple of weeks on a beach on an isolated island in the middle of no where and in strong wind. She wasn't even drunk, just misguided. I pulled back when her hand was a few inches away and told her to never do something like that with a kiter and why. There have been other cases resulting in injury to the kiter, so stay aware out there.