Well, there i was sitting in my car with a freind of mine from parks victoria as the cold front moved in. There just happened to be a kiter out in in front of us.
Shock horror !!! a regular beach goer walking her dog just happened to be walking in the water. We watched her come all the way down from the Romawi street end out along the first sandbank past the weed.
She made it to sargood st and behold kiter came within what we both thought to be at most 5 mtrs straight out in front of her and her dog, flat knacker. he did this about 4 times all within 20 mtrs of her and her dog
.
Then went to within about 20 mtrs of the pier, rode along the beach less than 5mtrs off it , oh and right past the kids playing on the waters edge, again flat knacker.
The kite at this stage was well over the sand between sargood and pier street.
Fair enough the walker and the kids on the beach came there after the kiter was already out , but gee wizz , is it all that hard in avoiding them totally and in the process stopping my parks freind from saying that he will need to chat to council monday about safety on the beach?
Somehow it cant be all that hard, can it?
It might be the same thing that makes capable riders constantly ride; through the beginners pools rather than give them a chance to learn and be safe more quickly, into yacht club areas rather than keep the peace, through the SLSC flags...
many people just want to be noticed, maybe their mums didnt cuddle them???
Thing is, regulating kiting zones will not do anything except hurt those already doing the right thing. You either care or you dont.
Well he got noticed alright.
Thing about rules, whether they be official or locally agreed to is that they are only as good as the ppl abiding by them.
Same bloke was jumping 10mtrs from waters edge in the same spot almost landing on the beach with the kite about 3 mtrs off the sand a couple of weeks back almost right on top of swimmers.
blue helmet, older guy?
dropped his kite on a couple sitting on the beach there the other day. relaunched and walked off.
its not hard to say sorry.
thanks for trying to get us banned
No wasnt him.
There was only two out there today while we were there, one knew what he was about and the other looked to be just finding his feet still. If i were to mention his attire everyone would know him id say, seems to always be there and does most his showing off near the pier end.
Now, i am the first to say i am new to this sport, so far one lesson behind me and nowhere near ready to venture out on my own but gee, one thing ive picked up is safety, public perception and safety.
But ,Its also up to the council to make ppl aware about whats right and what isnt.
Get the parks guys down and have a few walks along the beach and talk to ppl, sort of informal meetings, not to hammer ppl but inform them.
Put markers out to where the no go zone is etc, make it clear, no ifs, no butts, yes you can , no you cant type stuff.
Ive dealt with this council in the past regarding some issues and they seem very happy to say it all but slow in doin it.
Curious, why didnt you and your parks vic mate go and have a quiet chat with him?
I've been kiting at Altona since 2004 and have seen a lot of changes, gong from around a dozen max regulars through to the crowding we are seeing now.
The new sign showing the kiting zone is pitifully small and most kiters wouldnt even know it was there.
I hear that there are plans to extend the beach out by 40m next year, which will only help if there is good signage and plenty of it to clearly designate the kiting zone and to educate the general public about the fact that going for a swim out amongst the kiters is stupid & should be at their own risk.
Swimmers should be swimming between the flags on the other side of the pier anyway.
good point mr plow.
I'll have to ask him why he didnt, although he aint a ranger (desk jockey).
I dont think the issue is that swimmers should not go there even though you have another good point with that one. The thing is that they dont know that part of the beach is for kiting, only ppl looking for the sign would see it.
It's still up the the person in control of the kite to know the rules of the water and stay the required distance and speed from swimmers no matter where they are even if they are in the middle of tha bay.
It would be great for them to extend the beach again like it was before the huge storms/floods we had i guess 6 years back. Was a great beach.
I just got off the phone from council and was advised that the rigging area is from Mcbain to Romawi st and no kites are to go past Mcbain at all by the local laws officer. Yes they took my real name and address, i just said hows about some decent signage and maybe marker bouys to let everyone know the do's and dont's.
^^^ i agree with Mr Plow... general public should stick to the flagged area if they want to be protected and safe... that's why the flags are there for.
I disagree about giving way to swimmers in the middle of the bay... that means that ocean liners should stop and avoid swimmers in the middle of the bay too... or vehicles should give way to pedestrians on freeway. Of course close to the shore is a totally different story.
Kiters should avoid endangering bystanders, and not kite too close to the shore... but sometimes you find a not too busy part of the beach area and stick to it, and even if it's not too close to the shore you suddenly get people walk or swim right into your path... if it ever happens, i just slow down and give way to them, but sometimes you can't avoid getting within 20 m from them when they go right into your path suddenly. I mean, are you just expected to move elsewhere just because someone came along? LIke the beach is there for everyone to enjoy, not just swimmers or kiters. And the same way no kiters ever go on the other side of the pier where the designated swimming area is, the same way swimmers/walkers should be aware of the kiting zone. I agree, more visible signage required.
the bigger issue here is the overcrowding at the kiting spots within the big cities. It seems there is twice as many kiters in Altona than last year alone. What's gonna happen in two or three years from now??? I reckon all the learners, and first season kiters (about 30 of them) crowded up between the pier and McBain st on a low tide is more dangerous scenario then an experienced kiter kiting close to the beach (not that i recomend that)... On a busy day, most of them kite within 20m of the pier... with so many of them walking upwind with kite at 12...
my 2 cents:
NEWBIES - come talk to locals about rules / and kiting ethics - all locals are nice and friendly guys... when i started, that's what i did, but i haven't seen any of the new guys do that this year (could be wrong)
EXPERIENCED KITERS - think of how your actions are perceived, kite so that we can keep kiting...
good winds.
^^^ Super, great points you make.
The council need to get of thier well fed rumps and make everyone aware of what the score is imo. Not go down there with a big stick , just public awarness for everyone.
It wasnt till my daughter, then my wife decided theyd like to learn to do it , then myself that i realised it was a gazetted beach for that activity.
I just thought it was bunch of ppl having fun in an area suited to it. Unless told i dont think normal beach users would know either.
No jokes i been going to the beach there for about 16 years and never once really took notice of kiters, cant even remember what year i started seeing them there, untill i became interested late last year.
The swimmers example in the middle of the bay was just that, just an example. It actually says only powerboat and pwc must drop to 5 knots and stay 50mtrs away, not sail craft of which kite boarding is classed under (sail vessel).
Liners come under the vessels with restricted visability catergory and have to give way to nobody. Well i reckon if i saw someone walking on a freeway , id be slowing down a bit to be able to avoid them.
Everyone needs to work together to make things work, council need to properly let ppl know whats acceptable and what isnt for all involved
All it would take are two decent sized signs to sort all this out.
1. At the beach near the end of Sargood St (close to the pier), saying 'Caution - kiteboarding zone', with a few little hints and tips for the general public about being around kites. Also with a 'swim between the flags and an arrow towards the SLSC beach'.
2. At the beach near the end of McBain st (by the car park) saying 'Kiteboarding >' with a few notes and a map showing the approved zones and a few hints and tips like 'Do not kite withing 50m of the pier, do not kite in/near/through swimmers, no beach jumping, do not launch right freaking in front of the light poles!, etc'
Teako
I have no issue of people knowing that it was me out there yesterday as I know most LOCALS have no issues with me or what I do.
I have been Kiting at Altona for the last 4 years and have not once had any body complain about me or what I do.
When the beach is busy I kite well and truly away from everybody.
I don’t think that me or any of the other LOCALS are the issue here as we all do the right thing. I think that this thread should be addressed at all the people that drive over the bridge to get to Altona.
Like Mr Plow said swimmers should go and swim between the flags before kiters were using this side of the pier people didn’t even want to go in the water on this side.
Saffer asked if it was the person who was unhooking near the beach and crashed his kite into swimmers and Teako you said it was I find that hard to believe as I hardly ever unhook and if I do I make shore I have plenty of room down wind.
Superlizard said NEWBIES - come talk to locals about rules / and kiting ethics - all locals are nice and friendly guys... when i started, that's what i did, but i haven't seen any of the new guys do that this year (could be wrong)
You obviously know where I show-off (kite) so if you would like to discuss this further I would be more then happy to.
No problems about discussing it further at all.
Main thing is that everyone needs to know whats expected especially with water safety, councill needs those signs bigger.
Superlizard it was not directed at you but Teako maybe he should get of his car and come and have a chat to the LOCALS
Saffer I do not ride a rebel so no it was not me.
I ride a Cabrinha Kite (no jokes)
I've approached newbies and non-regulars at Altona about five or six times in the past couple of months because they were about to do or in the middle of doing something dangerous. In all cases they've been receptive and have either packed up (conditions beyond their ability and equipment range) or moved to a safer spot (launching especially).
I'm glad they were happy to take advice, but it is scary that all of these people were genuinely ignorant of safety issues. For example, some simply didn't know that:
A 12m bandit dos is too much kite for a newbie (not just a beginner, a complete "I've had two lessons" newbie) in a solid 25knots (I was powered up on my 8m switchy).
Launching 10m upwind of light poles is fricken stoopid (I'm not joking, they were about to).
Altona is not a spot to learn to fly an inflatable kite on the beach.
These people were well intentioned and yet completely uninformed about general safety or local protocols at Altona.
Please, if you kite Altona and know what you're doing, don't hesitate to offer friendly advice to those who are obviously less experienced and about to put themselves and others at risk. I know some people take a perverse pleasure in watching kooks learn the hard way but it puts others at risk too. Let's actively and preventatively self-regulate, share information, and make the most of the spot even though the number of kiters and proportion of kooks is increasing.
Rant over. I'm going to the beach.
(I assume they have eyes as these days their clad in impact vests, with polarised glasses and helmets.)
On that subject, our nicks are useless as we all identify each other by the types of kites we ride - Saffer aside as that red bull helmet was a beacon for ridicule in seasons past - but I digress 
I'm on a 12m 2010 Vegas - black with trimmings, or if its nuking a 7m Rebel red.
I'll admit that there is nothing I enjoy more than jumping huge in the shallow waters but I do check the beach first & as my favourite tack is right i am generally heading out to sea when I launch.
Altona is quickly going to the dogs. I know guys and gals have to learn, but I am noticing a real St Kilda attitude taking over with agressive riders on the water. chill out everyone 
Working out who Saffer is - kind of self explanatory. We are working on a monogrammed cape for him which should make it easier. Goes with his red helmet.
Yeah Altona is really a fantastic spot!
Just the first 5 minutes can be a bit annoying, when I have to tack away from everyone who bodydrags, jumps, poostances etc. all in the same place. Apparently, most kiters like to stick together.. I rather prefer space.
But the most sketch part is certainly the launch. I often see people standing almost on the grass, launching on the wrong side of the wind window etc. One lull or little screwup, and the kite is hanging in the trees. I often think ok, they must be really confident in their ability.. but then in the water, they can't do crap. Maybe the kite schools don't emphasize this enough in their lessons?
In the water, I don't mind experimenting and taking the wipeouts, because that's inevitable for making progress. On the beach however, I always keep the ball low.. there is nothing to gain from doing sketch launches, jumps etc. on the beach.
ooh bugger.
I was down there last night about 8pm id say , talked to a couple of ppl kiting that knew nothing about this thread, one from carlton.
