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Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

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peppedurso
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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby peppedurso » Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:05 pm

I can bring my personal experience: riding strapless, 23-25knots, board flown on my head. Without helmet I would have probably got unconscious. It takes seconds to drown.
Every incident has its own story, causes, etc. but saying that helmet never helps it's quite misleading, in my opinion. How can a protective gear do not protect you at all? will you allow your beloved ones have kite lesson without protection gear? Don't think so.
I would love to read any kind of proper study/statistic on high speed impact in water sports if there is any.

Don't think that "there are no flying rocks from underneath a truck in front of you, you won’t hit asphalt when you fall" is the point. If you fall from high enough or fast enough, water (or board) can be pretty hard.
Last but not least, you never know who's riding next to you and if they decide to land on your head.
I think it's plenty of reason to wear an helmet, also protect you from the sun, or cold, protect your ear drums...

Same thing for the impact vest, will it safe your life? not necessarily, but even if it's the 0.1% of chance it does, will you skip it?
And it add a bit of buoyancy, not a lot, like a proper life jacket, but better than nothing, isn't it?

Regarding this topic, do I understood correctly that the rider was megalooping in shallow water?

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby mrbig » Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:12 am

A friend of mine took some pictures at Hermanus on Wedensday.
You can find him on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/martin.etsebeth.3


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Hugh2
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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby Hugh2 » Fri Dec 14, 2018 5:42 pm

Nice pics, if I was savvy on Youtube I could load up some videos of the simultaneous megaloops that Howe and Emanuel were throwing down. But there were many others too, just not quite that crazy and with such short lines. Emanuel's kite almost touches the water as it loops around.

And peppedurso, the landing area is indeed shallow, so you really have to be confident about your landings.

GG-Fluidkiteboarding
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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby GG-Fluidkiteboarding » Sat Dec 15, 2018 3:13 am

I was there too. Riding the black and red fluid kiteboarding sky kite (doing rotations and boardoffs)

A helmet would not have helped this guy as his ass slammed into the bottom knocking him out on impact. (Maybe we should ride with ass protection too ;) ). If it was in deeper water it probably would not have happened.

It was pretty crowded but everybody was helpful that's what saved him.

I rescued the 2 tangled kites and some tried to help me but failed trying. Even getting caught in the lines themselves as they approached the kites from the wrong side. Pissed me off a bit people were not making way either.
But all in all a good session

Yesterday i made another 4 kite rescues in blouberg 😂

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby Peert » Sat Dec 15, 2018 10:55 am

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.
IMHO a conventional helmet reduces risk when on land or a very crowded spot or on foil. It increases risk because of bucketing out on open water. Depending in circumstances I wear my gath (less bucket effect) ..
Impact vest always reduces risk so I always wear it...

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby Van Hunk » Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:56 am

Hugh2 wrote:
Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:55 pm
After watching for about an hour I went out for an early afternoon session on strapless surfboard in the ocean and had a blast, along with perhaps 10 others. I would guess there were close to 100 kiters on the lagoon in total.
Only peeps out in the ocean in Hermanus usually are the locals who have made peace with something tourists are struggling with - the fact that walker bay has one of the greatest concentration of great whites on the planet.

That is why you find 3 kites on the ocean and maybe 50 on the lagoon on a stunner of a day like yesterday.

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby sarc » Thu Dec 20, 2018 12:40 pm

Peert wrote:
Sat Dec 15, 2018 10:55 am
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.
IMHO a conventional helmet reduces risk when on land or a very crowded spot or on foil. It increases risk because of bucketing out on open water. Depending in circumstances I wear my gath (less bucket effect) ..
Impact vest always reduces risk so I always wear it...
Just wanted to say that I wear a Protec water ace helmet and not only I forget I'm wearing it (it's comfortable), but I've hit hard enough to rip my harness and break my bar (+ every other conceivable form of impact on water) and never had issues with bucketing. Unlike Gath it has big drain holes everywhere.

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downunder
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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby downunder » Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:34 am

Well,

The test for bucketing would be to jump from some height, dead straight, legs first, into the water.

Are you prepared to do so, and risk a whiplash? Or worse, a broken neck, but not necessarily?

Let us know ;)

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downunder
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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby downunder » Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:43 am

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.
Inconsiderate to who?

It is not more or less acceptable compared to skiing/snow boarding. Yes, in Western countries they introduced the blanket rule on ski slopes. Good on them, I would not go there.

Bigger question than a helmet is are we all washing hands after the toilet? No. Is it inconsiderate? Way more, and probably killing people as I write this. You mentioned a car, we can go on and on...

At the end, mosquitoes are a cause of 750k deaths each year. Worried? Not really.

Ps
I use helmet all the time ;)

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Re: Near fatality at Hermanus today December 12 2018

Postby Hugh2 » Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:33 am

Van Hunk wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:56 am
Hugh2 wrote:
Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:55 pm
After watching for about an hour I went out for an early afternoon session on strapless surfboard in the ocean and had a blast, along with perhaps 10 others. I would guess there were close to 100 kiters on the lagoon in total.
Only peeps out in the ocean in Hermanus usually are the locals who have made peace with something tourists are struggling with - the fact that walker bay has one of the greatest concentration of great whites on the planet.

That is why you find 3 kites on the ocean and maybe 50 on the lagoon on a stunner of a day like yesterday.
I'm interested in the possibility of an oceanside downwinder on a NW day from Hermanus to DeKelders. Seems that the end spot is the entrance to the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, so one could safely leave a car there. Have you ever tried that, Van?


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