Classic Idiot...

[RickI]

I am well familiar with the problems of finding a west wind kite launch in Broward County where this incident happened. I used to struggle to find west wind windsurfing launches over 25 years ago. They usually sucked for a windsurfer and for a kite, I wouldn't even bother. Windsurfers can glide through extended lulls, kites just stall, fly up, teabag and drop the kiter and get up to other things making it a pain in the butt, or worse. I found the location and rough time of this incident to better understand what went wrong, see above. Wind which has passed over land here is excessively gusty, with pronounced high and low winds making kiteboarding impractical and unsafe. From the age of his kite and lack of reaction, unhook the damn thing, even when motion stopped, I wonder about his training and experience. He may not have known just how bad an idea launching there was. We had another guy hit a sign a bit north, again launching in an area with excess wind shadow. People need to know enough to pick where to kite and why.

Well ALL need to understand why launching here is a bad idea and share the knowledge. We had another guy launch in a heavily wind shadowed place north of here within the month, got lofted into a sign and seriously hurt. It goes without saying, I hope, that ALL instructors know about this stuff and share it with their students.

More about wind shadow aka mechanical turbulence and why we need to avoid it at the following link. Some kiters were lost at some of the places shown.

[RickI]

Please look this over. I will add the two recent accidents to this writeup of things to AVOID. viewtopic.php?t=2354972

[FLandOBX]

Age is not an excuse.

That's right!! And all you young junior-high hot-shots better remember that!!

On a more serious note, not all "older guys" have poor reflexes and judgment. Just sayin'.

[RickI]

I forgot to mention, I estimate the time of the video at around 3 pm. So, the wind may have been ranging from 8 to 32 mph averaging around 20 mph and dead onshore with the palms and houses close by and downwind. The gust range may well have been worse at the area in the video. The anenometer for the wind graph shown is well placed well to the east at Port Everglades. He never should have been there, that is the take away. West wind spots are rare in these parts, sea taxi down in Biscayne Bay or off the Keys or driving way north, say to around Sebastian Inlet. Most places in between just suck and can mess you up.

[or6]

Thanks for the info Rick.

I kite since 19 years. Always big kite, powered, know a lot, been thru a lot.

I would NEVER ever Kite in such location.

Why do less experience kiters do this?

A miracle!

[RickI]

Back in the day we used to say, "if it's blowing, I'm going." Time and harsh experience has tempered that saying for a lot of us. I wonder how much experience this guy had much less training?

The guy that hit the sign up north had been windsurfing for perhaps 30 years and at that same spot. Super gusty, sheltered AND wind shadowed water, it made for a good workout. Not having that much time on a kite, he figured, why not go here with the wind side off and super gusty. That poor choice might have killed him, it has taken kiters out a number of times before.

Launch in clean wind kite spots, with a reasonable downwind buffer with the right sized kite, don't jump and get offshore pronto. Those last points in consideration of the recent fatality in NZ. "If in doubt, don't go out" is a better saying.

Thanks for the info Rick.

I kite since 19 years. Always big kite, powered, know a lot, been thru a lot.

I would NEVER ever Kite in such location.

Why do less experience kiters do this?

A miracle!

[fokiten]

Ha!
Nothing changes...
This thread could be 1999, shit for brains, and the caveat:
You either see it coming, or you take the hit...
Regards
fo

[juandesooka]

This reminds me of the advanced beginner kite learning phase. My mentor told me I was in the most dangerous phase: I knew the basics of the gear and had basic competency, but did not yet have any of the perspective that comes with experience. Add in the crazy stoke of wanting more and more kiting, regardless of conditions or location, and I took some really really stupid chances. I got my butt kicked a few times, at least one of which I believe I was very lucky to escape without life-changing injury.

So here's this guy: on the wrong gear, in the wrong spot, but not experienced enough to realize the danger he faces and no one to tell him. This video goes onto those Fail compilation, "haha what an idiot" etc. But it could have easily instead been one of those threads "our thoughts are with his family and friends, RIP". This is is how it happens ... all it takes is the gust to be a few degrees in another direction, a couple knots stronger, something to go wrong with the gear, any number of tiny variables where the fates push the wrong direction, the piper is paid, and we watch this guy die on youtube.

Dunno, maybe I am in a bad mood today or something, but this video doesn't seem funny to me ... frankly it gives me the chills.

[fokiten]

Of course it's not funny...
You have to assume more than one liter has successfully launched from there, and had a great session.
All the things you mentioned, the stoke being the main driver etc.
If like I've said before "it takes a village" say he went out in the water and a friend launched him from land, he kept his kite low and body dragged out a bit more...then went. Most likely no problem.
What I saw is he was waiting for shit to get steadier ....not a good choice as we can see.
So hesitation and lack of experienced help...
Bet they kite there every time it blows..
Speaking of blows....
Kiting blows, not for fun factor but for the uncaring nature of the wind and the shit for brains nature of us all, at times
Cheers
fo

[Toby]

posting this is a warning.

the question is, what can we do to stop things like this to happen?

Reading kiteforum should be a must

Definitely less accidents with more knowledge.

Better instructions? Ain't gonna happen...

So, what is it?