Covid-19 - Resuming Kiting, In Time

[RickI]

Each site is different and open beaches different from concessions. I just put together this generic set of guidelines, understanding that is it for a temporary transition period and that it would need modification for some sites. One key area for planning and modification is how many riders to allow on the beach and in the water to maintain reasonable distance and augmented safety. Some areas may have no problem while others may need to reduce kiter loading. I would be happy to talk about specifics at given launches. These guidelines are just a point of beginning to help with planning at your launch. If there is interest, I can provide a generic guide for kiting concessions for consideration where things may be more readily manageable.

Kitesboarding Covid-19 Guidelines – May 1, 2020

The ban on kiting access hasn't been easy for any of us during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Things are being reopened in stages including beach access to kite. We are being allowed the opportunity to resume limited kiteboarding access during this transition time as long as we do so responsibly, limiting the risk of infecting others while working to follow the intent of guidelines from the CDC, WHO. We need to maintain good social distancing and other good practices to reduce the odds of infection. This means kiting safely, conservatively with independence reducing the risk of rescues, assists involving contact. It isn't fair to rescue services or your kiting friends to put them at risk in responding to an avoidable assist or accident which might put them a risk. None of us wish to go back to no access whatsoever, so it is up to us to make this work. If you have ANY questions about any of this or feel you will have difficulty in complying please speak to ??? It is important.

1. Kiteboarders should be healthy and free of any Covid-19-like symptoms. A substantial percentage of the population may show no symptoms but can still be contagious so be conservative in your choices and precise in social distancing. If in doubt, stay home.

2. Unload your gear and move it to the setup area without gathering with others and staying at least 6 ft. from others. Some areas are more crowded than others dictating shorting riding sessions and perhaps even waiting to setup during the transition.

3. Select kite sizes and weather conservatively for the rider's experience level and use reasonable safety gear. This is no time to deal with kite accidents/rescues with strained emergency services and increased threat of infection.

4. It is recommended that kiteboarders wear neck gaiters doubled over their mouth and nose with sunglasses while onshore, setting up or tearing down. You can pull the gaiter down over your neck while riding if you like. Have sanitizer and use it regularly on land.

5. Rig up at least 20 ft. from adjoining kiteboarders if feasible. Launch without lingering on land, ride and land/tear down without delay. Bystanders and kiters not setting up or going shouldn’t in the setup or launching areas.

6. Assisted launches and landing can be performed as long as kiters stay at least 20 ft. apart, cleaning hands after. Kite well away from others to avoid close patches passes risk of tangling and be particularly careful during tricks set up to ensure you will not land near anyone else.

7. Don’t share kiteboarding gear, other materials.

8. No kiteboarding instruction is permitted during this transition time. (You might be able to provide instruction with careful prep, comm gear and other provisions but perhaps that should wait until the next stage of reopening.)

9. Monitor and comply with instructions from the authorities.

With care and luck we will hopefully return to normality in time, free of these special restrictions. Your cooperation and promotion of these guidelines and other sensible practices are important in helping to reach that point.

Thank you.

[Adventure Logs]

How bout you let everyone be big boys and girls and let them figure it out on their own?? The amount of “Nannying” is insane nowadays.

[Kitetwin-1]

I agree with Ricki, some structure is needed, I see nothing unreasonable in what he proposes. What’s the worst thing that could happen, we get banned from the beaches again

[RickI]

Preserving access takes some structure, when it's contested, like Kitetwin-1 said. Let's see hands for folks who have restored kiting access following a pandemic? This is new ground for all of us. We have worked to maintain and restore access many times in 20 years but haven't dealt with something like this before. Not only do things vary with individual launches, the may vary even more with different countries. These preliminary guidelines have been prepared as much for the authorities as kiters. Absent a structure authorities can understand and feel can be achieved, we might be off the water even longer. Some areas might thankfully not need anything like this, others may need even more. This is just a point of beginning for local customization and planning to hopefully get us back on the water sooner than later, with luck and folks working to keep us there.

[purdyd]

[pākihiroa]

How bout you let everyone be big boys and girls and let them figure it out on their own?? The amount of “Nannying” is insane nowadays.

Because it is not just an individual thing. Unfortunately, there are too many idiots out there who won't figure it out on their own. And, if one of those idiots gets infected, the same behaviour that got them infected in the first place means that they are all the more likely to pass it on to someone else who then passes it on to someone else and so on. And the last person in the chain is not a big boy or girl but rather a frail old grand father or grand mother who dies. In the meantime the infection rate sky rockets and the beach gets shut down again.

[pākihiroa]

10. A mask (or better yet masks) are mandatory while on the beach.

[richy-c]

How bout you let everyone be big boys and girls and let them figure it out on their own?? The amount of “Nannying” is insane nowadays.

Because it is not just an individual thing. Unfortunately, there are too many idiots out there who won't figure it out on their own. And, if one of those idiots gets infected, the same behaviour that got them infected in the first place means that they are all the more likely to pass it on to someone else who then passes it on to someone else and so on. And the last person in the chain is not a big boy or girl but rather a frail old grand father or grand mother who dies. In the meantime the infection rate sky rockets and the beach gets shut down again.

Well said

[SoFloErrl]

How bout you let everyone be big boys and girls and let them figure it out on their own?? The amount of “Nannying” is insane nowadays.

Agreed. Im an adult, I'll make my own decisions.

[Bille]

How bout you let everyone be big boys and girls and let them figure it out on their own?? The amount of “Nannying” is insane nowadays.

Agreed. Im an adult, I'll make my own decisions.

That is fine ; but a $h!Ty decision , made by some FOOL ; could affect
someone else , in a very negative way !!

Lake Mohave , opens tomorrow ; i wouldn't want to be in a hospital
with all those corona victims right now , (so i'll be waiting a while)
to go back in the water. Same goes for my Flying.

Bille