Favorite Beaches: We are blessed with some great beaches here in Uruguay and, on occasion, some pretty epic conditions as well. I enjoy kiteboarding anywhere I can in Uruguay be that in Montevideo, or at one of the many beaches, rivers or Laguna's further outside the city. I've also been lucky enough to kite the North Coast of Brasil, Cabarete and Paracas in Peru.
Style: With a smile on my face
Gear: We have a great Ozone dealer here in Montevideo who gives excellent customer service, kite repairs and payment plans. So, of course I have a bunch of Ozone Kites. 3 Edges of different sizes and an Enduro. My board is also Ozone.
I recently rescued my friends kite during a kite session and happened to have my GoPro filming when I did so.
I would be very interested to hear what people’s thoughts are on how I grabbed it, in the heat of the moment, and also what the best method would be for safely rescuing a kite.
I know I made a bunch of mistakes so please let me know your thoughts. I’d like to learn as I’m sure others would as well. Please feel free to leave me a comment here, or directly in the comments on YouTube.
All kite rescues I and all others I regularly see on my spots will approach the kite, not the bar.
Two potential big problems I see at your approach:
1. I would never hook myself into a bar from a dropped kite, which has the potential of death looping.
2. I would never release my kite and then get to the other kite on one line…big risk of more tangles.
So, I would carefully approach the kite from the side, grab the tip, and drag towards the beach.
I would slowly move myself towards the center of the kite, while making sure the kite lays on its back.
Now I could even get more speed and ride the kite towards the beach, while the var drags behind.
You will have your kite still up, and are away from the lines of the other.
Hope this helps.
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Favorite Beaches: We are blessed with some great beaches here in Uruguay and, on occasion, some pretty epic conditions as well. I enjoy kiteboarding anywhere I can in Uruguay be that in Montevideo, or at one of the many beaches, rivers or Laguna's further outside the city. I've also been lucky enough to kite the North Coast of Brasil, Cabarete and Paracas in Peru.
Style: With a smile on my face
Gear: We have a great Ozone dealer here in Montevideo who gives excellent customer service, kite repairs and payment plans. So, of course I have a bunch of Ozone Kites. 3 Edges of different sizes and an Enduro. My board is also Ozone.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, I appreciate it.
In hindsight, I absolutely agree with you’re comments. It’s amazing what you do in the moment compared to what you should do when thinking about or reviewing a situation after the fact. Fortunately, kiters and kites all ended up safe and, hopefully, you’re feedback helps prevent others from making the same mistakes that I did.
Have not watched your video, but agree 100% with everything Toby said. Never bother with the bar and lines, just grab the kite. Flip kite on its back and carry it like you would on land. Only big risk is snagging objects or seaweed with the bar dragging.
This is of course after making 100% sure the kiter is OK. Equipment is a tertiary concern after your safety and the safety of others.
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