VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

I'm learning to get up on the board. Body dragging and handling the kite pretty well. I had about six sessions at Nitinat last summer but didn't successfully get up. There is a nice little beach on my island (Piggott Bay on Mayne) where low tide and south-east winds look pretty nice. Trouble is it's directly onshore. Mr. Myerscough advised me against onshore situations for obvious reasons but this spot has steady wind and sand (everywhere else has flukey winds and rocks). I flew my OR 9 and did some body dragging there the other day and it looks nice so I plan to try getting up on the board there. Of course I'll go out as deep as I can to maximize distance to the beach. I'm thinking you guys probably kite onshore occasionally and there's likely a tip or two I should keep in mind.
This would be a sweet spot close to home if I could make it work so any advice would be helpful. Thanks...JJJ

Two tips for learning to kite with an on-shore wind.

(1) Listen to Mr. Myerscough.
(2) Pay attention to tip number 1.

Got to agree there, if you are learning stay away from onshore winds, simply put, gust comes through, your done, period. As you progress and can board upwind easily then you could consider it, however, as always, onshore is risky to say the least. It is always easier when it is close to home, but a trip the hospital, or replacing damaged gear is also not a good thing so..... consider carefully. On the internet, look up kitemares and you will read lots of nasty stories, alot with "onshore" in the headlines.

As a relative newb I have had a couple of unplaned yanks, and know that if it was onshore it would have hurt!
I like to think of the Wind as The Traffic, like while driving a car. The Gusts I consider like "the jerk" drivers.
Sometimes everybody is happy and its nice and steady, sometimes everyone seems to suck, and you know you just shouldn't be out on the road.
But no matter how good Traffic is there is Always going to be some "Jerk" that is on their cell phone or adjusting makeup, or just not paying attention, you know something non-personal but still just as dangerous.

Oh yeah and no matter how much goodluck or good karma I throw out into the universe, it doesn't seem to stop me from encountering those Jerks!

All right, so I'll learn to get upwind reliably before I do this sweet spot but it's gonna be hard. The wind is remarkably smooth and there is about 100 feet of shallow water followed by 200 ft. of sandy beach to get dragged over and it is five minutes away fom the comforts of home and I can get pretty desperate sometimes. Trouble is, trips to Nitty are too rare right now to learn quickly enough. What are the best spots south island to learn for total newbys? What is the safest spot? After reading kitemares I'm getting a bit scared.

Really man, resist the temptation. I watched a horrible accident in the Baja where a kiter getting dragged over windsurf gear, then across rocks. He went to the hospital and was in a upper body cast and his face was toast. Don't get dragged across the shore. Kiting in onshore wind is a great way to get dragged across the shore.

It's not just the drag across the nice sandy beach, it's the little 10-20 loft and body slam onto the nice sandy beach that's going to do you in.

Well I really like Island View Beach for learning. Side-on-shore SE wind, large grassy field to launch and land. Good spot to practice land flying in light winds. Plenty of down-wind room once your in the water. Flat sandy beach when the tide is low. Closer to your location than Nitinat. Often you will find other kitesurfers there who are willing to help the new people. For time on the water, watch for Kelp reef to hit SE 15 knts AND the airport to hit SE10-12 knts. Lighter winds are OK for land flying. Keep in mind, the spring/summer SE thermal will usually turn SW (off shore) around 5PM.

Thanks Joe; you're right, it is probably the best south-east spot and only a one day commitment time-wise. You guys get nice westerly and north- westerly action that I don't get here. Is there a decent spot for those winds, maybe esquimalt or gordon's? Transplanted from Vancouver to Mayne, I haven't sailed many Vancouver Island spots other than Nitinat and Cook St. (I've windsurfed Cook St. and it seems a tad hazardous for learning to kitesurf)

jim i think youve recognized that kiting in onshore conditions is dangerous and stupid so thats great. But if youve got a great bay just 5 min from your home vs a ferry trip to island view/esquimalt you gotta weigh the pros and cons. Stick to lighter winds when the tides way way out, have a partner to catch your kite, with a helmet, impact vest, dependable release system, knife, life jacket, maybe some hockey gear and eye protection you can stack the odds more in your favor. Im just shocked by the one-sided advice coming here. if kiting was for wusses everyone would be doing it including me.

There is always elements of danger to any sport and they should be weighed, and yes kiting is not necessarily for wusses or people not willing to take a few risks but these risks should be taken when you have knowledge of the sport so that you can acurately guage what it is your getting yourself into, recognizing the potential hazards etc etc. If you are learning, you may not recognize a potential hazard that would be common knowledge to someone else more proficient. Also, I am presuming that you are the only kiter on maine, so you would have to enlist some one else to help you launch who is also not familiar with the sport, kind of a double whammy. Which ever way you decide, I hope you have loads of fun and enjoy safe rides!!!!

I gotta say, you are all kind and caring people to bother advising someone you don't even know. Kitesurfers are the most friendly and unpretentious group I've come across.
I think this has become a pretty interesting discussion re risk. It would seem that RISK is minimized by the forethought of the athlete, his attention to the conditions, and his gear. The relaying of your experience adds massively to my ability to asses the risks, my gear is Ocean Rodeo all the way (so I'm o.k. there) so all that's left is my ability to pay close attention to the conditions. Funny thing, I have been self-launching with a nice sandbag from the start (I'm a pretty good stunt-kiter) and I was by myself for the first time on the day first mentioned in this discussion. Having no-one else around actually made it much easier for me to set up and launch, and to pay close attention to the wind. I could concentrate and everything seemed simple. I could take my time. I realize that the zoo aspect of Nitinat has been distracting and is probably somewhat dangerous in itself. I guess I'm learning.
I have everything except one of those little knives. Can't seem to come across one. Who's got 'em? After kitemares I think I really need one... maybe two.
Right now it's low tide with a nice southeasterly blowing. I could be in the water assesing those wonderful risks right now. But I have to work so it dosen't matter. boo-hoo.
Some guy on t.v. has a suit in which he thinks he can survive a grizzly bear attack. If it floats, it might be just the thing for learning to kitesurf.

I was kiting in an onshore wind that was pretty reliable then the nasty gust came up just as i got to the shore. 20 feet in the air and about 40 horizontal landed me a nice sandy spot in the middle of the beach. Not sure how i didnt get hurt but I dont kite in onshore anymore.
Risk = Greed/Fear..its all relative