We lost a brother today...be careful out there

[sarc]

I had that happen a few times when I was kiting around New South Wales - Australia. The locals had warned me if the wind drops quickly, rush to shore and pack up and be ready to release all including leash if needed. It would be 25kn dropping to 5kn in 2 minutes then 45kn in one sudden monster gust from 90 degrees different direction. Not a cloud in the sky. Fortunately never caught me off guard. Never heard of these things in France though!

As a local, I'm guessing it was a hot summers day with a NE sea breeze and then a southerly change came through. With big wind front and a temperature drop?

These are always on the forecast at least, though the timing is not 100% accurate...and usually but not always have low clouds that blow in. Happens a few times a year I guess. You see it coming after a lull when all the kites on the sand spin around 180 degrees.

Yes! Bellambi beach, Sandon Point, Bulli! Great memories.

[Bille]

everyone wants to think "Oh that would never happen to me because I'm so smart" the thing is we take risks all the time and never think twice about it because nothing happens. for instance, your kite falls down you go, "Darn. Maybe the wind will come up again." And the wind comes up again and you think nothing of it. That happens maybe 200 times. Then the 201st time, it's actually a tornado. This could have happened to any of us. Crazy wind pattern that wasn't in the forecast or the radar.

sure, but you should be alerted and watch your surroundings, in the event something does come up. Called: experience. No need to be smart for this.

I'm with both edt and Toby here !

Situational awareness is Key to survival ; but in the 45 years I've bin
actively watching weather from Hand gliding, and paragliding
I bin caught completely and totally off-guard , (twice) with no
advanced warning, while flying in the desert. Kiteboarding with water
to help put moisture in the air ; it does make it easier to read local
weather, (BUT) not always.

Bille

[Flyboy]

Looking at the video clip of the clouds rolling in there was certainly advance warning. As soon you see something like that the sensible thing is to drop your kite. I can imagine even holding onto the kite by the LE would be impossible in that much wind - so it was certainly an extreme case.

With respect to Billie: the most extreme thing I've witnessed is a day in the Izonso Valley in Slovenia. It was after a week of very hot weather. It was a beautiful afternoon & there were a bunch of paragliders circling the mountains. Gradually a line of dark clouds began to push into the area. The paragliders started to come down one after another, but the last one landed only a couple of minutes before the storm hit. It was extremely ferocious with driving rain & rotating winds of probably 70 - 90 kph. I remember thinking that any paraglider that hadn't landed in time would - for sure - have been killed.

[Bille]

...

With respect to Billie: the most extreme thing I've witnessed is a day in the Izonso Valley in Slovenia. It was after a week of very hot weather. It was a beautiful afternoon & there were a bunch of paragliders circling the mountains. Gradually a line of dark clouds began to push into the area. The paragliders started to come down one after another, but the last one landed only a couple of minutes before the storm hit. It was extremely ferocious with driving rain & rotating winds of probably 70 - 90 kph. I remember thinking that any paraglider that hadn't landed in time would - for sure - have been killed.

Yes -- exactly what you said ; only in a dry desert, with No clouds
for the advanced warning .

It truly fricken Sucked ; 3,000' in the air, with not
much escape ; if i didn't know how to fold my PG
in 1/2 with the B line , (I'd be dead now) .
I ran down-wind, and dropped into the wind-shadow, of
a 1,000 ft cliff.
There goes another one, of my 9 lives ; not many left.

I lost a lot of body parts , to aviation ; too addicted to quit .

Bille

[Trent hink]

I was out once, years ago, where something similar happened.

In my case, I was out snowboarding on a frozen lake, and it was only because I could literally see a white wall of debris moving rapidly toward me, that I had any idea at all that something was about to happen.

Always keep an eye on what’s going on around you, but pay close attention to the forecast, too.

Maybe I’m chicken, but I don’t like to ride when there is a squall closing in, or even when the cumulonimbus clouds start pushing in too close to the coast.

I learned everything I need to know about electricity and sucker-wind, way back when I was young, invincible, and foolish.

Apologies to those of you who do not live in a third-world country, but I live in the USA.

Even though I am very good at the work I have chosen to do, it pays just barely not enough to live on.

My employer offers health insurance, and I have taken it, for a pretty substantial chunk out of my meager weekly pay.

But, If I get seriously hurt in any way outside of work, my minimum cost is ten grand USD before there is any chance that the insurance kicks in.