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Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

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tomtom
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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby tomtom » Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:17 pm

because head injuries from kitesurfing are very uncommon. Closest analogy will be wearing helmet for high diving. Nobody do that.

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby peppedurso » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:19 pm

tomtom wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:17 pm
because head injuries from kitesurfing are very uncommon. Closest analogy will be wearing helmet for high diving. Nobody do that.
Let me disagree. Who knows if the rider in Hermanus would not have passed out if he was wearing helmet and vest...

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby grigorib » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:34 pm

peppedurso wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:34 pm
I'm just wondering why it's commonly acceptable to do do kitesurfing without helmet and impact vest. If you drive a car you buckle up, if you ride motorbike you've helmet, but 99% of expert kitesurfers do it without any protections. So inconsiderate.
I’d say an impact/flotation vest is a must anywhere you can’t touch bottom. You don’t want to drown because of leg cramp. Gunnar’s story is the latest one I heard to make me just nod again.

Helmet...there are no flying rocks from underneath a truck in front of you, you won’t hit asphalt when you fall. Just as in jetskis - helmets are kind of not very helpful there.

A good knife to cut yourself out if tangled - yes
Flip flops for a long downwinder - good idea :)
A board leash - no way (unless of yourself you desperately in desire of facial/tooth surgery)

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby tautologies » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:44 pm

peppedurso wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:19 pm

Let me disagree. Who knows if the rider in Hermanus would not have passed out if he was wearing helmet and vest...
Let me just preempt all the nonsensical arguments about how helmets makes it MORE dangerous.
I agree with you Pepp. I think the biggest problem with kiteboarding injuries is that no one has really studied them, but suffice to say I know probably about 6 or so that has a dozen or more stitches in their heads..some that passed out (me included) (I was in a state of on / off so not completely out), and quite a few that blew their eardrums. I've seen probably about 6 people go into rocks to get injured. I think helmets would have mitigated most of these injuries. I know these are anecdotes, but It is not at all like driving a car with a helmet since in a car you have a shell around you.

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby Hugh2 » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:56 pm

Just to note that a helmet would not have helped this guy, nor would an impact vest. He hit really hard on his board, which blasted off. I thought he would surely have injured his legs, but he was able to stand later for a bit. It was therefore just the general impact that knocked him out, and an impact vest would not have helped prevent him drowning. Given he was going to crash, the thing he did right was crash in the shallow water in front of an audience.

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby Slappysan » Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:15 pm

peppedurso wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:34 pm
I'm just wondering why it's commonly acceptable to do do kitesurfing without helmet and impact vest. If you drive a car you buckle up, if you ride motorbike you've helmet, but 99% of expert kitesurfers do it without any protections. So inconsiderate.
Wearing a helmet kitesurfing is always a trade off between head protection and neck injury.

I wear a helmet when foiling but I usually have a sore neck afterwards if I crash at speed.

Who cares about impact vest though? What people need is floatation! I always wear floatation if kiting in chest deep or deeper water.

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby gmb13 » Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:55 pm

Slappysan wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:15 pm
peppedurso wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:34 pm
I'm just wondering why it's commonly acceptable to do do kitesurfing without helmet and impact vest. If you drive a car you buckle up, if you ride motorbike you've helmet, but 99% of expert kitesurfers do it without any protections. So inconsiderate.
Wearing a helmet kitesurfing is always a trade off between head protection and neck injury.

I wear a helmet when foiling but I usually have a sore neck afterwards if I crash at speed.

Who cares about impact vest though? What people need is floatation! I always wear floatation if kiting in chest deep or deeper water.
There are impact vests from Sailing, that offer the necessary floatation that turns you onto you back. Since my close call with almost drowning I have been wearing a Magic Marine. (https://www.magicmarine.com/products/bu ... eur_000000) This is pretty much the same size as the impact vest I was wearing before, and it is actually a buoyancy aid. Some Regattas expect us to have them with a 50N Rating now. It also has a large pocket in the front where I keep my emergency mobile.

--
Gunnar

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby SENDIT! » Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:29 pm

gmb13 wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:55 pm
Slappysan wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:15 pm
peppedurso wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:34 pm
I'm just wondering why it's commonly acceptable to do do kitesurfing without helmet and impact vest. If you drive a car you buckle up, if you ride motorbike you've helmet, but 99% of expert kitesurfers do it without any protections. So inconsiderate.
Wearing a helmet kitesurfing is always a trade off between head protection and neck injury.

I wear a helmet when foiling but I usually have a sore neck afterwards if I crash at speed.

Who cares about impact vest though? What people need is floatation! I always wear floatation if kiting in chest deep or deeper water.
There are impact vests from Sailing, that offer the necessary floatation that turns you onto you back. Since my close call with almost drowning I have been wearing a Magic Marine. (https://www.magicmarine.com/products/bu ... eur_000000) This is pretty much the same size as the impact vest I was wearing before, and it is actually a buoyancy aid. Some Regattas expect us to have them with a 50N Rating now. It also has a large pocket in the front where I keep my emergency mobile.

--
Gunnar
Gunnar, does this vest work with a waist harness? A pic with you in both the harness and vest would be great. I've yet to see anything that really looks like it would mesh well with a waist harness and allow for serious flotation.
Thanks,
SENDIT!

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby omg » Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:40 pm

Does your face stay over the water with these vests? Turning to your back doesn't help if you drown when your head goes underwater. That's why decent boat rescue vests have the flaps behind your head/neck to keep your face high even when unconscious.

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby grigorib » Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:40 pm

omg wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:40 pm
Does your face stay over the water with these vests? Turning to your back doesn't help if you drown when your head goes underwater. That's why decent boat rescue vests have the flaps behind your head/neck to keep your face high even when unconscious.
Of course not. A vest which would keep your face up is not compatible with kiting.

But even an impact vest will keep your body afloat as you’re having a cramp or passed out. Last thing you want is to wait for divers to start looking where your body is.


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