The SEaster only came through late today, around 6PM, and weakly at that, see meter at Kite Beach below. Anyway, I did not go out, but there were lots of windsurfers and about 10 kiters at Sunset I could see from my flat in Milnerton.
Around 7:30 I noticed one kiter on a reasonably large, perhaps 12m, red and yellow kite (could not see well enough with binoculars to divine the brand) and I think a surfboard, went way out into the bay, I would estimate a couple of kilometers. I could not believe the risk he was taking (it had to be a he, no shes are that crazy). He finally turned and came back to shore, having gained perhaps 100 meters. To my amazement, instead of riding a few waves and calling it quits, he went back out. This time about a kilometer offshore, right at sunset at 8PM, he dropped his kite.
I watched with binoculars as he struggled to relaunch it, and finally did. He rode back to the beach sineing his kite all the way and losing about 100m, but thankfully called it quits. It is now 8:30 and pitch dark.
I can only assume he had someone on the beach who would have called for a rescue if he did not return, but otherwise if the wind had dropped more precipitously (or his gear failed) he would have been in serious trouble, as the SEaster is offshore at that point and there is nothing between us and South America, and even with a wetsuit the water is cold. I have no idea what he was thinking, but that was some risky kiting.