theDoctor said...Hardcarve1 said...
I get the feeling from reading many posts that the blam is directed more at the local on the beach who sees the guy doing the wrong thing but says nothing rather than the guy on the water doing the wrong thing. How about we start to put resposibility on the guys doing the wrong thing. I see no way today you can say I didn't know what to do, the information availble through the web, kite shops, instructors, locals and common sense will make sure you do the right thing. And if that all fails don't go out if unsure.
I was one of the first people in my area to start kiting and have offered advice to people about local rules or safety for many years but feel the area is now more dangerous than ever. Because it's easy to do in a short time with relativly safe gear caution is not practiced.
If I see someone do the wrong thing now I tell them bluntly with an explanation of why, sorry but the care factor of hurting someones feelings was lost years ago.
well where I kite there are no shops (thank god)
there are no instructors (thank god)
not every kiter has the web (thank god)
and most sydney blow-ins and touring euro seem deviod of common sense.
if I/We leave it up to the lifeguards to deal with, then the lifeguard and council have the ammo to come at us with restrictions and bans and today tonight mums screaming 'won't somebody think of the children!'...
If I/We (as a concerned kiting local) deal with it by telling them to wake up themselves or advising they not return, then the lifeguard sees that the locals self regulate/police the irresponsibles off the beach and he can go back to reading his who weekly, perving on hot mums in bikinis' and playing games on his iphone and as far as council is concerned there are no problems with kiters on the beach...
If you see a gumby moron doing something that would draw negative attention to kiting at your local and you do nothing, then you are a gutless idiot
If you see a gumby moron doing something that would surely result in the utter spanking of said gumby moron, without affecting any other innocent, oblivious to danger by-stander (exceptions to those accompanying gumby withstanding), then you are in for a treat.
Front up and say something
and who looks after the beach that you enjoy when you're not there and as you say gumbys from elsewhere roll in and **** things up while you're away .
believe it or not lifeguards are not out to get us .if you introduce yourself you will see that they are passionate about the beach and the water just like us and everyone else out there enjoying it and are happy for our stoke .They want everyone to enjoy the beach and they hate paperwork and beauracracies as much as anyone .As I said we got to know ours here and know that our beaches are generally safe from your gumbies while we are not there .We do not have many issues as a result nor with the council and there is no anti kite league in the area and many of the lifeguards are into or are getting into kiting .But hey I don't live in the middle of bum **** nowhere where anything goes and social order is kept by a bunch of vigilantes and here we actually need to get on with other people and it does matter when gumbies roll in and we are not around
