Wow, go the flaming...
Yeah night kiting can be dangerous, as can jumping out of a plane, doing a kite loop or washing your Christmas tree while its plugged in. (10 people died last year doing this)
A few more things you should know, I was kiting with 4 other guys out in the water keeping an eye each other + 5 guys on the beach keeping an eye out on us. Also the full moon was out to sea and there where a couple of cars with headlights on hi beam + street lights lighting up the place, so plenty of light.
Still yes this is dangerous, we took a number of safety precautions, stayed close to shore and had a buddy system in place.
I would not put glow sticks on my board for fear of sharks, but thats just me.
Hope this helps,
My concern is not so much for those who are kiting in the dark but for those who are required to find and rescue them in an emergency.
Everyday at most kiting locations someone requires a rescue of some sort, be it by a boat or another kiter whatever ......it happens ( just read the stories about rescues on here you know the story blokes 400m off shore tangled kite looping getting dragged struggling for breath others risking life and limb to try to rescue them or cut them free.
If it is dark there is a good chance you will not be seen and your buddies may struggle to keep an eye on you from the shore
You are forcing others to come and rescue you under increased levels of danger. Can you really evaluate a critical situation concerning a looping tangled kite in the dark ? What about a rescue boat operator will he see your tangled lines in the dark before he wraps them around his prop ? JUst hope they are not tangled around you as well if he doesnt see them ( spectra cuts through flesh like a razor when under tension ).
In the end , kite at night if you wish and the lagoon on lizard is probably fairly safe MOST OF THE TIME but remember MOST IS NOT ALL and you are not just putting yourselves at risk but others as well.
If you do decide to do it keep the details off this forum otherwise we end up with noobs and kids also doing it.
sighs as he reaches for the flame suit !
'Groper...
weren't you actually night kiting at Mandurah estuary this last summer.....
Wasnt the sun going down, below the horizon you the last to come in, in the dark?
Wasn't it you who rigged and self launched on the dog exercise area in Attadale?
Wasn't it you who walked across the said exercise area kite in the air climbed the fence stomped through the nature strip and kited in the nature reserve?
I like that you lead by example and are such an exemplary kiting citizen that you can take the moral high ground.'
Reli - now THAT is telling him. LOL.
What a plonker, can't wait to see if/what he manages as a come back to THAT.
Hey elemental so what your saying is that at 6.7m ( 21feet ) this yacht does not require nav lights when underway in Queensland . are you sure about that ?
Nice boat Harry! Yep in Qld waters ,ok unless you are under power and local laws you got me on that
but salings fine! heres the stats
# Sailboats less than seven metres and vessels under oars must have a torch or lantern showing a white light ready to display in time to prevent a collision.
Sailboats less than 20 m in length may combine sidelights and stern lights in a single lantern carried at the top of the mast.
Sailboats seven metres or more in length must show sidelights and stern lights. In addition to sidelights they may show two all-round lights in a vertical line (red over green) that may be shown at the top of the mast, but not when a combined lantern is used.
Power-driven ships less than seven metres in length and whose speed does not exceed seven knots, may show an all round white light in lieu of sidelights. If practical, these ships should also show sidelights.
All ships at anchor must show an all-round white light.
Hope this helps mate
Enjoy the beauty of no lights, sailing on a clear night under the stars out to sea beautiful
HI Elemental
I just picked this up and can't figure out which mast I should have that light on
I called it the "MALTESE FALCON" ain't she a beauty
PS we got a bit of night kiting in at our local at squids on the full moon last night.
Another experiance in life I highly recommend.
Those of us that have more experiances in life can usually handle what comes their way better than the people that sit on the side line.
I note for the record that Brighton Beach (south of Scarborough) is a dog excercise area and a very popular kitesurfing location.
groper your fighting a losing battle here. just accept the fact that your talkin so much smack its not funny and leave it at that. your making such a big deal out of nothing.
cool pics fellas
Who cares if its slightly more dangerous. Most (*most*) people that need resucing are beginners. And they I would recommend to them not going out at night. But an experienced and confident kiter can go nuts.
I've never heard of anyone get killed or injured night kiting. Yet injuries are common during the day, and the odd death.
but still. with the so called "much greater risk", if it was as dangerous as people say it is, there would be a casualty already. By the sounds of it a fair few people have given it a crack.
Without getting involved in a slinging match - I've been night kiting and it was one of the greatest experiences. We didn't use any glowsticks or anything and there was about 6 of us (all experienced and knew each other) on the water. I will say that we were in a deserted area in Brazil so the public liability aspect is diminished:
Unfortunately, this discussion went a bit off track, thanx to "sandgroper".
Watch out for dog pooh next time you launch in doggie area, you dont wanna end up with **** on your Bar or LE.
Dont start to bitch about pushing new, exciting barriers in our extreme sport. I love seeing kiting becoming a sport for the "masses" but we should still keep the freedom to explore new things!!! Thats how we got where we are in this sport.
DONT FORGET THAT!!
In general:
It is safe if you plan and execute night kiting the right way! The combination of , lights, the moon or star lights makes it possible to kite in the evening or at night.
I recommend not more than 4 people on the water. (Take turns) and make sure you set up everything before it gets dark.
Stay fairly close to shore and kite only to your ability. Ride where you can stand so you dont freak out as much when u crash and its easier to re-launch.
As soon as you ride out into the moon and dark water an overwhemlming excitement comes up in you..
Just do it!!!! It is f*cking nice!
Lizard Island was the perfect place with its shallow, warm and flat water- winds a bit strong with 25knts onshore at 10pm (its fun landing after boosting on the dark carpet).
I will put some more pictures up soon!! Watch out
BTW, look out for waves at night, you cant see the buggers, its like running into a wall.
I had a very surreal moon kite a month ago, it was brilliant and I would definately like to try it again. Next time I will try to figure out how to get pictures.
At night the wind seems more smooth, as did the water, and it's an amazing experience kiting mostly by feel with minimal visual input.
I wouldnt have done it a year ago (not good enough kiter) , and I wouldnt do it just anywhere (want to know how I will get out of a messy situation), and with just anyone (need to trust your crew), and without some beach support. I didnt try crazy new moves either.
Thanks to all those who were there that night, it was a pretty special experience
OK who opened the economy sized can of bitcharama?
That goes for those on both sides of the night kite argument too...
Nice pics.. could have done with more Brazilian beauties and less gumbies though!
For my 2c night kiting does seem to up the ante of risk exponentially but if you chose a very suitable spot and - as knickers says - have a trusty crew and some contingency then each to their own. I am tucked up with a nice cocoa after dark so not gonna happen for me real soon.
The most pressing question I have after trawling through endless posts in this thread from folks who ALL obviously need some good luvvin is...
How the kn hell do you get multiple quotes into a reply???
i've gone way beyond sunset once or twice and there hasn't been a moon those times (daylight savings = kiteing until 9:30) i haven't been able to see my kite or the waves let alone the reef, on the other hand i have a habit of running late at night and when the moon is full you can see everything, you look around for a massive source of light but it's just the moon. i've driven boats to rotto and around rotto at night and that was perfectly legal, what's wrong with night kiting. the law is you only need one 360deg white light if your under so many meters and i'm pretty sure a person is bellow it.
.
zips up flame suit again !
2 Things I would like to point out :
1) there is a huge difference between being the last in after sunset and intentionally heading out at night.
2) many of you who are advocating night kiting and advertising it to others as being quite safe and something to try, are obviously very nieve about the inherent dangers of being in the water at night.
Yes some situations are safer than others if you can stand up everywhere you are safer ( does not apply to open beaches due to the presence of rips and gullys ) , the more light there is the safer you are as well as the conditions of the sea etc.... but as we all know with kiting things dont always go to plan.
HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER HAD TO CONDUCT A SEARCH FOR A MAN OVERBOARD AT NIGHT ?
OR PULLED A BODY FROM THE WATER AFTER A FAILED SEARCH ?
keep this in mind : If you are in the water in a .5m -1m sea without a powerful torch at night your chances of being found are almost zero. With a torch they increase slightly. Thats why all PDF1 lifejackets come with a whistle because it is known that with a torch in even a slight sea you can be hard to spot, it is often the persons whislte you hear before you see their light, they could be just 20m from the boat and without a whistle you would never have seen them.
I would suggest if anyone does find themselves in a situation at night Stay with your kite, attempt to wind up your lines or discard your bar and lines DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO JUST FLOAT AROUND YOU ( as mentioned props and lines are a dangerous mix ) Use your torch to illuminate the canopy of your kite if you can hear rescuers but not see them. Hope and pray you are found quickly as your chances of surviving a night immersed in the water are not all that good , hypothermia and exhaustion will set in within the first few hours effecting your ability to think, move and function. If you are in the more southern waters ie: Vic, Tas in winter you have about 40min before hypothermia sets in and about an hour and a half in the summer months. Obviously a wetsuit will extend this time but not by a lot.
The water just sucks all the heat out of your body.
Only very experienced WATER USERS should even be contemplating attempting a night kite !
Just because you fancy your self as an experienced kiter does not mean you are able to judge rips, sweeps, currents and distances during the day let alone at night !
How many of you can confidently swim 500-800m in a sloppy sea ?
NOOBS : Do not even think about night kiting.
Experienced water Users : Do so at your own risk, prepare for everthing and to have to deal with everything on your own, Do not just assume that someone will see you in trouble. Rescuers have sympathy for those who are lost due to an accident, not so much for those who deliberatly put them at risk by going out kiting at night. Crashing and tangling your kite at night is not an "accident".
Causing people to go out to sea in rescue craft at night just because you wanted a bit of an added thrill is selfish and egotistical......... people will argue that its safe and 99 times out of 100 you will probably be fine.
I am sorry to be so negative and a killjoy about it all but you only need one experience to change your perspective. But it really gets my goat when so called experienced kiters are advocating night kiting on this forum.
KITEMARES ARE 100 TIMES WORSE AT NIGHT
