I've never had any problems with kiters, however from reading posts their growing numbers seems to be more of a problem for them than us. They really don't appear to like each other too much, while many of them seem to display a lot of hate to beginner kiters.
Thankfully the windsurfing community is pretty friendly across the board.
Was windsurfing like that in the early days? No.
As a youngster who took up the sport in the early 80s, I was splitting my time between Australia and North America. It wasn't in either place.
Yes, there were a few idiots then who would sail between swimmers, but that was restricted and it fixed itself quickly. We also had a few dorks who would litter, but that also fixed itself (I remember us damaging someone at Dolls Pt once over this...).
And very few if ever would endanger the local crowd with the gear, as kiters do all the time. And never would we monopolize an entire beach, as they do with their stupid lines.
The kiting crowd is much, much worse: they litter a lot, they park the wrong way around or double-park, they park on grass when not allowed, they take entire beaches, and they have caused entire spots to be closed. In restricted areas, they occupy the launching points for minutes at a time, disentangling lines. Never seen that with windsurfers. Learners take 50 meters with their lines and ** floating around.
Locals are afraid to walk their dogs around the lines. I believe it's the same new-sport-gee-looks-like-fun crowd we have 25 years ago in the heydays, but with the modern me-myself-screw-the-others attitude.
Now in all fairness, they are trying to police themselves - they know of the problem and the closed beaches. It's in their fora, and at the beach. I've seen them get on the case of idiots who littered, at my request. Was real fun to watch too.
Littering? Parking? It's a bit of a stretch to pin the ills of the modern world on kiteboarding.
Lines all over the place, maybe. Dangerous, ignorant behaviour, probably.
I'm not sure about the self-policing thing. I have seen people doing dangerous things and offered them help and instruction and it's been taken in the spirit it was offered. I have also been ignored.
Windsurfing was way different to kiting and it started from a different place in a different world.
Windsurfing was more like sailing and was viewed with suspicion by the yachting crew. They were not happy when their kids demanded sailboards instead of dinghies. A mates board, stored at the yacht club, was vandalised.
Sailboards were outrageously expensive. I got a Wayler ($800) because it was cheaper than a Windsurfer (normally over $1000) at a time when I was earning less than $10,000 a year. That's the equivalent of a month's pay, say $5000-6000 in today's dollars for one crappy board and sail. You needed a car to transport it. There was no way a kid could buy one or transport one.
The young and the foolish can easily get their hands on a kite and board. You can transport yourself to the beach on a skateboard or bike, or mum can drop you and your mates off to spend the day hanging on the beach.
(Sounds more like a Sydney grommet lifestyle, and they had their battles with the clubbies.)
The image thing didn't really exist in the 80s. You just did stuff because it was fun. Surfers of the day were quite happy to have a go at windsurfing. Breaks were not crowded and it was easy to find a wave for yourself.
Now image is everything to some people. You are gay if you ride the wrong kind of gear, in the wrong way, in the wrong place, wearing the wrong clothes, etc etc etc. Gays had only just been invented in the 70's. Before that they were bachelors who were good at cooking and flower arranging.
I can't see how the sport won't implode on itself due to the ever increasing numbers. I think initially there was this animosity between poleys & kiters now it seems to be kiters v kiters, or more specifically noob kiters. The sport is cheap, easy to learn, you can kite in 15knots vs windsurfing = expensive, need lots of wind, pain in the a$$ to learn. Some overweight, non ocean going MLC noob can be kiting in a week... numbers will just get huge, there will be more accidents, followed by restrictions/banning. It's inevitable.
kiting not expensive you say??? well you wont get me paying 2000 grand
for a bag never.
Windsurfing has changed now my friend, the boards have all gone real wide and fat, even the small wave boards. They all seem to handle light wind better thease days. I have a mate who can wave sail in under 15 knots on his 95 litre jp thruster with a 5.0 sail.
it all depends on what you want..... on seabreeze i have seen brand new 2010 model boards going for just $1100 bucks and there slalom boards!!! dont even get me started on sails too.
i thought new kites (no board) had dropped under $1000 over the last few years but was surprised to find out that new ones are substantially more than that.
if we think we are getting ripped off on the price of windsurf boards, go check out the materials/technology v pricing ratio of a new production built kiteboard considering what they get, it is insanely expensive
(maybe the prices are set by Jerry Harvey
)
I'm surprised that a kiter would think that windsurfing requires that much wind, and is that expensive. Choices are made to buy new all the time, or buy last year's. And choices are made to buy 25-knot only gear (and whinge), or get a wider range.
As to the argument that the kite gear is smaller, true, but I've seen very few school students get to the beach with their bike. It's still a wage-earner's activity. School students cannot be such a big market or argument for kiting.
True that kiting is faster to "learn", and requires less effort. No argument there. If minimal effort is what floats one's boat, and it really seems to be the case in that crowd, then I don't want to see someone with that attitude on a windsurfer anyways. Belongs to kiting, macrame, or just watching TV.
True too what the dude was saying: there was no image then - everyone had the same dumb triangle sail... and just having fun. These days are different...
I didn't find the $1000+ for a new board that expensive in the early 80s, even as a student. We'd get out from 5+ to 20+ knots, which allowed in my early days in Sydney easily 200+ outings a year.
Do the numbers, it is scary:
Assuming there are 80,915 Jehovah's Witnesses in Australia, and every weekend they speak to 30 Australians each. And say out of every 30 people spoken to just one is converted, then there will be 160000 Jehovah's Witnesses by next Monday. Assuming the next weekend these 160000 Jehovah's Witnesses also speak to 30 citizens each over the next weekend, and again each convert just one person each then there will be 320000 Jehovah's Witnesses the following week…. I have already done the calculations, and in 2 months time we all will have already been converted to a Jehovah's Witness…
This concerns me as a windsurfer as I am worried I will not have any time to windsurf because my weekends will be spent saving souls of my fellow brethren..Under biblical command, will be instructed to devote as much time as possible to preaching activities and are also required to provide a monthly report on our 'witnessing' activity.
Is this the end for windsurfing in Australia??
How the heck is this going to play out??
In 1974 there were 200 Elvis impersonators in the world
In 1984 there were 20,000 Elvis impersonators in the world
In 1994 there were 200,000 Elvis impersonators in the world
In 2004 there were 2 million Evis impesonators in the world
By 2044 everybody on the planet will be a kiting instructor in an Elvis suit trying to convert each other to Jehovah Witnesses.
An interesting thread folks but I feel there are a few falacies and prejudices surfacing that distort the argument.
I windsurfed for 10 years and loved it. Made great friends, many are still friends. Now I kitesurf and have been doing so for 8 years. It is an all consuming passion. I have found that the people who windsurf and kitesurf are very similar in their approach to life and I really don't undersand the level of animosity I find here.
Through both sports I have found people who have a love of life, a positive attitude, a certain irreverence and are risk takers. This appeals to me.
When you go to work on a Monday morning I bet we all have had a better weekend than most, especially when the wind has been blowing.
Life's to short to fill your head with the negatives or has windsurfing changed since I left the sport.
For some reason when you sail gusty cross off waves the kites never seem to be around. thank god for cross off wave sailing.
Who cares how many kiters there are - bit of mutual respect on the water never goes astray - theres dickheads on both sides - at least with so many around they're subsidising the wind sport shops and keeping them open - without them we may be in trouble and things may just get more expensive.
Kite numbers a dropping.......... thank good in the real wind and when its really light .....surfing surf conditions...........
i carnt remember completly loosing a complete windsurfing rig or board for that matter? (touch wood) ..........but it must be after its happened i.e. you been pick up by a dragon slapped and had your bladder let go......... kiters seem to be a little more scared..............to slaye the dragon ........electing to freestyle or ride 1 to 2 foot beachies but hey as long as your shreeding in your own lunch box and getting the buzz (freedom fighter)
Also...... i thought yous would be hidding the numbers on your kites by now ...........there big enough as it is , then on the other hand ..........
At least when you put your kite up with extra numbers ..... you could confuse others ......or....... hang on ull only confuse your self 
hey king of da point welcome back son, whats been happpening in Wa? .......hang ten now kid
we have not heard frm da hissing dragon for a while?? keep it real now. I met a chick while i was in WA king of da point my friend..you should be proud of me.. you never told me the women were better in Wa than VIC thanks buddy for keeping it a secrete
they are super freindly the girls in WA... me and brother were amazed
.....I should of asked her if she knows...... DA FAMOUS KING OF DA POINT.....................
considering what they get, it is insanely expensive)
kites don't wory me so much unless they dangle into me which gives me the ****s.
i'm with russh
there never seems to be any kiters around up here when it's either really blowing or not the perfect direction for them.
winter in brisbane other than a few south africans that understand strong wind there are only windsurfers out.
SE nuking winds same again, no kiters.
problem days are when it's 10-20 knots. buggers are everywhere.
biggest problem at the mooment is complete lack of wind.
Flipper get ........aaa..........mate
Keeping with the numbers theme , so how may wa girls ?
WA just dosnt provide wind .......hot wind and hissing spitting huge dragons as you discovered .(fantastic my friend , you know , they got a think for Vico land / euros , vb and da dreams of da melbourne cafe strips (dont forget hot AFL foot ballers ....and.......dont for get the crown casino, i bet that was in your spell and then the big one a fkn free ride over the nulubour
Some how i dont think talking up brighton beach would have cut the mustard on the WA girls
Nothing better than playing the numbers game on all those hot hot hot tanned g string wa babies. ............oh thats right kiting hotties with da big old numbers.
Like issue like 12 c 14DD 18 TRIPPLE E , 8-4-3
You've just got to have a read of the Kiting forum & you can see how there's been a shift in attitudes. It's no longer Kiters vs Poleys, it's Kiters vs Kiters. Everyday there's a complaint about some noob kiter, some irresponsible instructor, someone messing up etc etc. The smart ones are realising that there is a section of the kiting community that will stuff it up for them if they're not careful. The huge numbers taking up the sport is going to hurt Kiters more than it is Windsurfing.
