Here is a snap poll....
1..Based on kiting in your area, is kiting popularity still on the increase, reached a plateau, or is on the decline (windsurfing lasted at least 15 years before the decline!!) ??
2..Have we become more spread out with fewer numbers at more locations, have we become more concerntrated with more kiters at less locations or there has been no real change??
3..Does your local beach only seem to attract certain brands of kites? (this question is open to the usual bagging of kites and kiters associated with brands, trees, wanna bes etc.)
There has been definite changes in some of my local areas so thought it was time to go to the masses.......
Smithy.
definatly still increasing.We have 1% of the population in Exmouth kiting so there is still another 99% yet to try.
Not many trees up here so you can guess what brands you don't see too often
i've only kited in one state, and if u asked a WA local this question somewhere other than a forum they'd laugh. but i would have thought kiting being a relitively new sport there wouldn't even be a chance of decline.
Everyone in Sydney's a damn kiteboarding rep... so lets get the story straight:
kiteboarding is:
1.- VERY expensive... 2nd hand gear is like $9000
2.- U need to get a license
3.- U need to get insurance
4.- The gear last max 1 month
5.- It's so dangerous u must have a 1st aid certificate
6.- U must get lessons at $300/h
And when u get a person who can't communicate in English start tugging on you lines and feeling up your kite, start barking at him like a wild dog.
If they're still interested, send them to your preferred shop.
So no way is it currently declining in popularity... every time I go there's more and more.
No more: No it's easy, anyone can do it, u don't need 2b strong, 2nd hand gear is $900!
windsurfing the new black, if you wait long enuf all the crap comes round again(sorry polies)
I Hear Bob sledding Is much more fun to do then Kiting - Just watch "Cool Runnings"
So all you Wanda be kiters - here is a much more fun sport
I see a massive decline for the next 6 months .
Followed by a huge rise in popularity starting around Nov 2010.
and then followed by another fall in about April 2011.
I have applied for a government research grant to study this cyclical nature of the sport and its impact on the economy. To date anicdotal evidence shows that as kiting popularity falls off, employment participation increases and sick days fall.
It seems like surfing, kiting is bad for your health.
the message is clear, dont kite, go to work instead.
yes (and is it it wonder)and no (of course it isn't).It is too frikken frustrating for most people to organise time to deal with the inconvenience of having to develop suitable skills that fit around the fickle winds on the east coast and a mortgage ,a demanding job and boss ,a partner ,kids ,soccer coaching,piano lessons ,traffic ,earning enough to pay off the mortgage and so on when its so much easier to flop in front of the tele and play super mario ,whilst sukkin down a vodka, lime and soda whilst hoin down some low carb dominos .It wouldn't matter if kitesurf kit was 5 bucks it just aint gonna happen with all that crap goin on in your life ,anyway who wants to take up somethin new lookin like a complete dick while your doin it(however the lemmings still line up not realising that in order to succeed you have to put all the crap listed above aside!!)
Unless of course you live in WA where its windy and noonbie heaven just about every freakin day!!
Still on the increase sadly.
But I'm starting to meet quite a few 'fad kiters'.
- This is good for cheap second hand, like brand new gear
- BAD for kooks messing up your favourite local spot.
(I might be one of those fad kooks - we'll see in a month or two!)
Where i windsurf you see about 2-4 kiters and about 30+ windsurfers at a place called ricketts most the time.. I have even spoken to some windsurfers who told me they went from windsurfing to kiting, and then went back to windsurfing. I have met a few guys who have done this..
If you drive pass kite beach you will still see stacks of kiters, tho in melbourne
but i think windsurfing has really taken off this year in melbourne and at a rate that is unreal for the sport of windsurfing..
Select to expand quote
SUP with a sail attached !! Now there's an idea .
flipper said :
what a you on about mate? every one rides short boards at ricketts, do you want to see some pics? sups with a sail??? nice joke
this is a pic i took about a month ago, there were about 50 windsurfers out
www.seabreeze.com.au/Media/View/3447750/Windsurfing/?m=4&p=1
Hey Flipper, hate to ruin a good story with facts but.....
I live around the corner from Richetts Point so it has been one of my local beaches for over 20 years.... The couple of days you are talking about were strong east winds, one of the only places that works on this side of the bay in east winds is Richetts so the entire Melbourne windsurfing community (about 30) congregated there, not a great place for a kiting at low tide with 30+ polies about.
The same day there was 1,000,000+ kiters at Altona on the other side of the bay!!
Some of you have questioned why would anyone give up kiting, fact is there are quite a few good kiters who have disappeared off the face of the earth after just a few seasons.... Maybe they are all just kiting at St.Kilda???
Ok smithy come and visit us at dawson st in elwood on a windy day then and you will find 30+ windsurfers out and thats not at ricketts point my friend..
ITT: Windsurfers thinking that kiteboarding is declining because they don't see many kiters at their poley over-run beach...
PROTIP: Kiters migrate to locations that are better suited to kiteboarding than windsurfing. Ie. Shallow water which = flatwater (not so good for poley fins) and places where they ride with fellow kiters instead of where the dinosaurs roam...
If windsurfing is so great why dont you F&*k off back to your forum? I come to the kite surfing forum because I love kiting and want to read about my amazing sport and laugh with people who share my passion. I dont go in to the Polley forum because I think it is a pathetic sport and to be frank, I dont give a **** what any of you have to say about kiting. I appreciate that is my personal opinion and you prob feel the same towards us... so kindly, please stop trying to stir **** here and run along to your part of the world wide web
And for what its worth Flipper i personally do hope the numbers drop abit. selfish as it is the water is getting over crowded with both kites and sails and if it keeps getting worst its going to get to a point where we are permanently banned from the beast beaches.
If you don't see the long term kiters any more at your favourite beach it can mean several things.
1. They are more selective when and where they go out. Many I know prefer to travel on weekend to escape the crowds and they don't go out in marginal conditions.
2. Some have married, had kids, got big mortgages and don't kite as often as they used to.
3. Some have gone to other sports. (motorbikes, surfing, fishing etc)
4. Some only kite the surf now.
5. Some have moved interstate or OS.
Kiting is still gaining popularity in my opinion. Yeah sure there's guys you don't see around anymore, but I'm sure there's more people entering the sport than leaving it. Just ask the schools.
