Something I'd wondered about and found out the answer on the weekend.
Short answer: you swim, and swim, and swim, and swim trying to catch up with it and then if you're very lucky, as I was, someone helps you out and drags it in for you.
I was riding toe side about 4-500 metres off Mullaloo, went to turn back to shore when my harness (Dakine-seat) came unhooked at the crossbar...WTF.
I released the safety and let the kite look after itself while I loosened the straps on the harness so I could get it hooked up again and while I'm doing this somehow have pulled on the velcro release for the safety leash...NNNNOOOOOOO!!!! Kite disappears very quickly downwind until it settles leading edge down and starts to drift just a tad slower than the speed I could swim at.
I reckon I might have caught up with it eventually but don't know if I would have been in any state to do anything with it. As it was my calves were starting to cramp up pretty bad by the time I aborted and got back to the beach without having rescued the kite.
Huge thankyou to Rob Gannon who teaches at Mullaloo and incidentally gave me my beginners lessons a couple of years ago. The prospects of getting back to the beach with kite and board (and me) all present and intact were looking pretty slim until he came along. The appropriate reparations will be forthcoming. Thanks again.
J-P 
Yeah ive had to swim after my kite a few times (slow learner) cause i took the 5th line off my fuel and connect my leash to the chicken loop so it doesn't crash when un-hooking but the downside is sometimes i knock of the chicken loop catch, and goodbye kite....
I learn't my lesson after it happened twice at pinnas and i almost lost my board swimming after the kite. Ended up at mullaz and had to walk all the way back.. thanx to the guy that got my board and ive fixed the chicken loop shut now.
You find that you almost just get to the kite and it roles of down wind then stops to tease you...
Im glad im not the only one.
I know that feeling as well, as i took my kite out one day, everything was fine until out of the blue the chicken loop came off my harness point as if it simply snapped.
i was in the same position where i was faced with the unbearable question swim after the kite or leave it?
at first i swam but it seemed to just float away just that bit faster then i could swim, after i realised i wasnt going to catch up with it and realised how far out in the water i was i was forced to swim back with out it.
SOMEHOW i still dont know to this day by an act of god after hours of chasing it down the beach it had to be out of site slowly but surely out to sea, i went back to me car drove long way around the beach where i was greated by an englishman who had picked it up and was going to return it to the local surf shop.
lessons have been learnt
mark your kite with your name and details so that if it does go you dont put your self in danger going after it and myabe just maybe it will come back
the reason for the kite to brake off came down to a soft chicken finger and somehow unhooked it self (apparently a common problem with larger riders)
next time i know i have to let it go if its out of my hands.
add me to the list...
was at Leighton unhooked on a suicide leash setup, funked a landing dropped the bar and snapped the chicken loop line... All i was left with was chicken loop attached to my safety leash... some nice English kite traveler went out and fetched my kite and returned it to me... in fact he was back at the beach before i was... was big swim guessing 800m-1km...
lesson: check chicken loop line condition before attaching suicide safety...
he was re numerated for his friendly act...
i have a lge spares kit so was back on the water in no time...
yay!!
Yup, twice this weekend just gone would you believe. One exactly the same as Abesy (got to be careful of those SS chicken loops) and the other was a missed handle pass which somehow resulted in a broken piece of safety line, leaving just a small amount of line on my leash as the kite went yonder. Both occasions I was lucky enough to have people assist. A guy in a small sail boat, the other a group of teenagers on surf skis. HUGE thanks to all those concerned, including one fellow kiter who gave it his best but couldn't recover it. Sounds like we almost have enough members to start a club. Probably won't find too many wanting membership though. 
good idea writing some contact information on the kite... if it floats away and someone finds it and reports it.. could result in a search or at least a workload for authorities who have better things to do than chase down ghosts.
anyone got any tips on pulling a downed kite in, if your kite is still up and you want to recover some poor sod's piece of gear?
i have tried kiting in with someone's board and even that was pretty damn hard, i would think pulling a kite in would be supremely difficult? is it better to perhaps get off your board, leash your board and then body drag in with the bloke's kite in your back hand?
The last time I got separated from my kite I found you go through a depressing stage where you need to come to terms with the separation and accept that your kite no longer wants you. Then you have to realise that there are plenty more kites in the sky and its time to just move on and find another kite to fill the void, even if it fills you with jealousy to see your kite with someone else, because it is inevitable that one day you are going to see your kite with someone because they move on as well.
Just take it easy, try to accept it and remember, don't rush into anything new until you're ready or you'll take along your kite baggage and treat your new kite unfairly due to your own insecurities.
I think I have too much time on my hands...
quote:
Originally posted by Neill
anyone got any tips on pulling a downed kite in, if your kite is still up and you want to recover some poor sod's piece of gear?
i have tried kiting in with someone's board and even that was pretty damn hard, i would think pulling a kite in would be supremely difficult? is it better to perhaps get off your board, leash your board and then body drag in with the bloke's kite in your back hand?
Taming a runaway kite can be a tough one, timing has to be spot on to grab it somewhere on the leading edge, stay away from the lines ,as you dont know whats where, leave it while its cart wheeling along. Try comming in from the side and grab the kite around the front firmly or you can go down wind of it if its drifting, this may turn pear shape for you if it picks up again.
You can actually kite along holding another kite, usually downwind and not too far
Ray
haha that happend to me at mullas wen i took my torch out for her maiden voyage (under my control that is) and i was using vishys harnes.. raily surface pass caught and edge n dropped the bar.. n his leash auto releases and my kite goes tumblind down the beach.. it was a sad sad sight 
ps abesy i wouldnt have a fixed loop because there will come a day where you need to QR and u my friend will be Fooked. find another place to clip ur leash onto, on my CL thers a lil metal ring that the pin holds onto and i clip to that ring so even wen i hit the QR im still attached to the kite.
its just lightly taped so i can still release it with a really hard pull but can't knock it out accidentally.. i know that if the s#$* hits the fan i can still get rid of the kite!!!
There is no were else to put the leash so this is my only solution but won't matter much when my new kite comes...
I carry a second leash, just wait for it to stop rolling about eg. leading edge downwind. Then just get in there, clip your leash on and get out of there asap, make sure you keep your feet on your board as you dont want to have to try body dragging after a board while attached to two kites. Once attached to the kite ride a little way so as to get away from the lines. If the kite hasn't already flipped over then flip it. Now gun it back to shore, the lines should bounce along behind, kite might roll over a few times and do a few flips or whatever, but if the person isn't grateful that they got their got back just dump it back out to sea
Thanks
Matt
PS Kite retrieval is a dodgey process, hopefully someone has a better method, and this probley shouldnt be tried unless you are very confident at what your doing.
I have got the slingshot handlepass system, THe one where there is a rope running round your back, but has a safety pull attached to one side of the hammer head on the harness.
This way you can attach your leach above the chicken loop and will never have the problem of pulling the chicken loop safety by mistake and by by kite.
Is really safe.
Here is link to one.http://www.slingshotkiteboarding1.ashop.com.au/p/289446/hammerhead-spreader-bar-pro.html
You can also make a simialr thing yourself.
Not sure if this helps your case?
But this suicide leash works up to 20knots.
seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6583
Over 20 knots the kite hits the water too hard and regardless of how greatly marketed a kite is, it will break. The Neutralizer 5 will depower your kite in loaded situations and there is less chance of your rigging breaking in strong wind (20 knots+)
((On the beach you can tie the Neutralizer 5 too your anchored board in strong wind cause it controls the apex of the canopy which will have zero angle of attack to the wind.))
techsh-t
seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=6414
Had a guys 12m TD float past me once while I was 300-400m offshore. I didn't know how exactly to grab the thing as i just about struggle carrying a board in and kiting with one hand. In the end I just followed the thing down wind and it eventually blew back to shore where the rider had just aarrived to pick it up in time.
Anyone got a method of Kiting with kite in hand??????????? Or is it just best to leave it and stalk the bastard?
Heres an even simlper solution for peeps using a suicide leash and are worried about loosing the whole caboodle if you relese the CL - run a short leash (about 100mm long with small shackles at each end) from the suicide leash clip to the fith line.
I could go on about having it elasticated so the suicide leash clip is held out of the way for when you hook in/out, but that might fry your noodles. Genius?
OKAY! WTF PEOPLE!?
for starters, why dont you have a donkey's dick on your chicken loop, it cant come out of the spreader bar if you have one, that is unless your flying unhooked.
and if thats the case. why dont you have a safety leash attached to one of your lines? The kite gets away from you, its still attached to your harness and its only one line, so it makes the kite flop down.
And for people who want to know how to rescue kites and people, watch the complete Kiteboarding Guide...
Ifinidie Qoute "OKAY! WTF PEOPLE!?
for starters, why dont you have a donkey's dick on your chicken loop, it cant come out of the spreader bar if you have one, that is unless your flying unhooked.
and if thats the case. why dont you have a safety leash attached to one of your lines? The kite gets away from you, its still attached to your harness and its only one line, so it makes the kite flop down.
And for people who want to know how to rescue kites and people, watch the complete Kiteboarding Guide...you can illegally download it somewhere online. or I can lend you my copy. "
Think people having a problem because they attach there suicide leach to the chicken loop, and when they unhook all is good, unless you retreive the chicken loop and accidentally pull the chicken loop safety, so then the leash is not attached to anything and the kite goes bye bye.
quote:
Originally posted by peanuticus
was going to reply with lots of useful info, but can't be bothered now!
I've always maintained that you should never go out further than you're willing (or able) to swim back in. You just never know when you might have a sudden gear failure that leaves you stranded!
That feeling you get when you realise that your bar/lines have parted company with your harness is not pleasant 
quote:
Originally posted by bellz
infindie im pretty sure u havent even had kiting lessons yet!!!
harness's can fail quite easy, unless your leash is attached to your scrotum (might help in your case) that kite is going bye bye.. at least on a surfboard you can paddle that sucker after it! or home depending on how flash your wallet is feeling at the time.
Qoute "so im wondering how you can lose your kite? "
Like I said earlier, some people attach the suicide leash to the chicken loop and not the fifth line, so if you are unhooked and pull on the release by mistake when hooking back in, the leash comes off chickenloop and kite goes bye bye.
Hope all clear now
quote:
Originally posted by INfiniDIEquote:
Originally posted by bellz
infindie im pretty sure u havent even had kiting lessons yet!!!
I have had one lesson last summer with Darren mate, plus I kited with my mates in Queensland across the Whitsunday Channel, along Conway beach (where crocs roam). Then I came back home with a 14m Naish and Play around with that, and Bought a tiny 2 metre Ocean Rodeo off Meerkat thats super fun for skimboarding in 40 knots.
and I always attach my 3rd line to my harness so when im unhooked and i let go of the bar, im still attached...so im wondering how you can lose your kite?
IN reply to INfiniDIE "OKAY WTF PEOPLE1?
that the chicken finger/donkey dick cant come out of the the spreader bar, obviously hasnt had this happen to him.
IT can happen and has happened to me on more then the odd occasion and even in the hands of a instructor!
thats why i was surprised as i thought it never could, but indeed can and is something to look out for.
the problem being the chicken finger being attached to the chicken loop pointing towards your body, sometimes it can be pushed back out of the harness by your bOdY when you are unaware (a slight problem with larger riders)
It was also noted the my 06 ozone kite had a shorter chicken finger which may have factored into it, simply fixed with a ozone finger attached on the spreader bar.and then points out away from your body through the bar.
also in addition to Q:What to do if you become separated from you kite? A: buy a cheap inflatable boat in the boot of your car for such an emergancy.
secondly seeing this discussed before, if you do loose your kite contact someone police, coast guard etc incase they send out a helicopter thinking your still attached to it. makes sense
this happened to me once - at Dolls point. My slingshot surefire failed - ie the leash snapped. it had had lots of use....
The kite blew downwind to eventually reach the beach.
In most cases - if you are lucky - another considerate kiter would run down and secure your kite.
In dolls this would be a miracle as other kiters there have better things to do.....
[}:)]
hmmm i see now, and dont worry unchained I embarrass myself by the fact im still alive after all the crazy **** ive done.
I kitelooped on land at pinnas a couple weeks ago, dont have a board yet u know, so i just tried what i saw Len10 doing, landed pretty sweet but that 14 turns like a bitch, was more of a downloop.
and I didnt know people were crazy enough to just hold onto the kite, relying only on upper body strength to keep them attached to the kite, thats just stupid.
oh and as for you KDA thanks mate, I dont get that problem as I made my own chicken Finger from an oldschool Flying Objects semi circle harness thingy, sits nice and tight on my spreader and locks the chicken loop in place, but getting out is kinda hard in a rush.
