http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200511/1516402.htm?victoria
I hear that the guy was airlifted to Alfred hosp but has since died.
Does anyone have any details about the incident?
Condolences to friends & family of deceased.
That is sooo phcked.
I hope the two newbs who were teaching themselves to kite with 12m kites in 22kn, second time ever, no lessons at Woodies last night see it and decide to get some lessons.
Very sad news
Condolences to the Family and Friends.
Does anyone have any more info, the only thin you can get from the article is that it is unlikely that he was wearing a helmet.
He was a mate of Happy's.
He was apparently kiting with Happy's brother and his boss.
Happy just said he got lofted and head first onto the rocks.
They rescuitated him for 1/2 an hour and once in hospital he was not in a good way. I haven't heard from Happy since Mambo so I didn't realised he didn't make it. Very sad. 
id like to pay my respects to Damian who unfortuntily passed away tuesday after a kite accident the previous thurseday on phillp island.
It appears a gust caught his kite while he was walking up the beach. Damian was an experienced kiter and will sadly missed. Condolences to his wife and two young children.
First of all my condonlences to everyone that knew him, his family, friends and aquaintances...
After windsurfing for 4 years and surfing/sailing for 20 I took up kitesurfing 2 years ago.. Newbies...anyone considering learning the sport.... It is relatively safe.. but you must have respect for nature.. I taught myself.. after watching videos..2 months on the beach learning from others, watching kiteschools and finally going out with a small kite in S#$t winds... If you dont have a strong water/sailing background do not attempt to learn this sport on your own, your gonna pay upwards of $1000 to get started, what's 20% for a good and safe start...
I realize this fellow saltwater teabagger was an experienced kiter and with the thrills comes the injuries as with any sport but its best if the risks are at least calculated ones
Condolences to firends and family of the kiter.
Tis a sad day on the forums. Hate news like this.
This is a tragedy, not only for the kiter but his loved ones and friends. The kitesurfing community is a pretty close one, and I'm sure every kiter across Australia would like to send their condolances and support to his family.
Graeme Speak
My deepest condolences also from switzerland.
We had a similar case in europe some weeks ago!
I do not like to hear news like these!
But unfortunately we can not avoid situations like these cause we play with the nature and the nature does what it wants! The only thing we can do is to accept nature.
i wish a lot of power to the family
Deep condolences from the USA. I am coming back home in a couple of weeks to re-take up the sport again. Always sad to hear something like this happen to a fellow kiter.
It is sad to hear news like this, and condolences to his family and friends.
It would be good for the future if a better understanding of what actually occured could be made available.
Best winds
Tony L
ABK
yes we will all dearly miss damo whom sadly passed away 5o'clock tuesday morning damo was a very experienced kiter and a dear friend of mine all that new him we miss him dearly. we have since put a sign on the beach with "damo's beach" and we will continue kiting there in respect for damo and it can only be described as a "freak accident" no one saw it so we can prasume what happened. his funeral is on monday at 2 o clock and we have plans to lay the kite on the coffin as he died doing what he loved.
we will miss you mate and the boys and i will allways be thinking of you whenever we are out there.
regards craikey
Very disturbing post. All at AKS wish condolences for friends and family.
Lets not allow "Damo's" death to be in vain. What is there to be learned from this tragedy? There must be a positive to come from it. If just one persons learns something from this that can save their life, then it will not be such a senseless loss.
Perhaps this can be a sobering reminder that our beloved sport has unpleasant consequences when we perhaps get too confident so as not to see the little things which are potential hazards.
Please, for beginners, take a lesson from a reputable school or qualified instructor so that you know how to observe and note hazards and precautions to take. Kiting lessons are not only about how to fly a kite and get up on a board.
I hope to never see another thread like this, although sadly I fear it will not be the last.
Very sad,
Darren Marshall
We all feel the loss no matter where it happens.Its just another wake up call for all of us.We are all members of a minority group that is blessed with the opportunity to participate in a relatively new soul sport. Lets not forget we are on the planet on its terms.We need to be vigilant and take care and look out for each other.Lets not allow the perception of an extreme sport become a deadly one.
Our deepest condolences to his and every other victims family.
QLD Sunshine Coast Kiters
From me and my lil group...
Condolences to his family and friends.
Everyone else, i hope we learn from this. If all newbies read this story and many more like it, and gain more of a respect of the dangers, if it saves just one life, it wont be a waste of time.
a very sad time for kitesurfing, but we must go on, educate and fly safe so that this sport doesnt get swamped in bad press.
once again, condolences.
Sheppo..
I am very sorry to hear this news. My sincere condolences to Damo's family and friends on his tragic loss.
Some ideas taken from the analysis of past accidents that might help in the future appear at:
www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=5726
If anyone can provide information about the accident, weather and the area at Cape Woolamai please email flkitesurfer@hotmail.com .
Take care,
Rick Iossi
hi just wanted to say thankyou for your thoughts iam damos wife i just wanted to set the record straight so that i can paint a picture in your minds.cape woolamai phillip island one of many kiteboarding locations damo thought our area was world class he needed not to go anywhere else. he'd been kiteboarding for over 3& half years self taught many hours of video many many more hours of beach time which i spent with him damien was a builder by trade the most safety conscious person i have ever met all his equipment was new and in good order dame was on the beach after one of his best kites ever we think he was taking his legrope of when a freak gust has picked him up and threw dame into a small pile of rocks twisting him head first at speeds over 48kph there were no drag marks on the beach the rocks that my dame had hit were man made and had been left there to help stormwater and sewerage run off from an exposed pipe that the council had never put underground we had been sitting at the beach the week before talking about how f----d ! the phillip island council is.
damiens mate worked on him for 25min before the ambos arrived then he was stabalized before being air lifted to icu melbourne where he spent 5 days ,before life support was switched off damiens injurys were horrific i still can't believe it we have a son 3yrs and a little girl 14mths i have no single word to describe my pain for losing my soulmate we were inseperable.his schoolmate played guitar and harp and sung bob dylan forever young i decided to have his kite placed over the coffin and we played another bob dylan song on the way out blowin in the wind please take the time to here damos song .
sometimes nature is unpredictable to even the most experienced and knowledgeable people
TO LIVE WITH LIFE AND HEART IS MORE THAN TIME ENOUGH TO FIND A WORLD
leah,
your heartfelt letter moves me to tears as a kitesurfer, a husband and a father.
may you find strength in the friends and family around you.
condolences, ian.
Dear Leah,
Thank you for sharing your deep loss. My family and have been deeply touched by this tragic event.
Whenever I hear "Blowing in the Wind" I will think of you, your children and your dear husband.
May the Gods be with you.
Nick Streuli
Leah, thankyou for sharing the full story with us in you're time of grief.this is a very sad story ,deepest sympathy and condolance to all family and friends.
