VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Yesterday was a good day for NW'erlies at Chesterman Beach, Tofino. I had an hour or so session in the usual kiting spot, the south end of North Chesterman, good clean wind and swell, nice break.

Then noticed 3 or 4 kites in South Chesterman Bay so took a look. This well known surf teaching/learning spot is full (70 or so yesterday) of young folks and families enjoying one of the premier surfing learning spots in North America (rated in the top 10) and here we had guys ripping through them all with little apparent regard for other beach users safety. And I do mean young folk as many of the surfers and boogie boarders are pre-teen as anyone familiar with the spot will know.

Frank Island forms a wind shadow here with a NW'ly so they were losing ground downwind and then having to land in the middle of the crowd and walk back up the beach. Not smart kiting with a better location 200 metres away - North Chesterman. Whether it was a need to show off and show what cool kiters they are or some other reason, but in talking to some of the surf instructors later these kiters have not done our sport any favours at all.

Use your common sense guys and follow the advise given by all mature kiters - stay well clear of other beach users, particularly when they were there first - over hours, days or in this case, many years. We do not need to get our sport banned in Chesterman Bay - just kite in the North Bay and leave the South Bay to the surfers.

David Johnston

South Chesterman is side-off, so its a <i>better</i> wave riding spot than dead-onshore North Chestermans so I get why they were trying.

That said, I totally agree with you. Unless there are no surfers on the water, if it is not windy enough for you to tack back upwind on the water and well outside of the surfers you should not be out kiting here. This goes for Long Beach (Wick, Lovekin and Incinerator) as well. A number of times this year I've been out there on a 12m staying upwind and then several people launch smaller <10m kites, and unable to stay upwind walk the beach with their kite over-top of peoples heads in a notoriously gusty spot where you should expect to have a couple hindenburgs per session.

Just because someone else out there is making it work, you should not assume you can, or should.

good point on the dead-on, side factor at North Chesterman but with the right power it only takes a couple of tacks and you are upwind enough for the shore break to be side-on at the inner curve of the bay. Admittedly there could be some surfers here too but yesterday, a sunny Sunday, just two so not really an issue.

Its a matter of time before an incident happens out here at at Long Beach, Cox Bay or Chestermans. I have been seeing a lot of close encounters lately. A few weeks ago i saw a new face flying a kite taking a 14 m kite in light winds doing repeat downwinders from Incinerator Rock to Lufkin weaving amongst swimmers, and surfers. After his kite fell from the sky meters away from kid on a buggy board I walked up and told him he was way too close to people and should think about kiting downwind of everyone where its less dangerous to others; he responded with big time attitude and said it wasnt perfect side-shore south of lufkin and he continued being a big d!@# about it.

Traditionally Kiters are very safety continuous, especially seasoned riders who have learned back when the equipment was less fail safe.

I like rule: DO NOT fly your kite over (and keep a least a kite line distance away from): beach goers (including children), swimmers, buggy boarders and surfers (including people riding WaveStorms).


Big respect to those kiters that come out here and shred the waves without putting other people's safety at risk there is always room during crowded summer days south of Lufkin down to green point and Combers

pretty sure kiting is banned at long beach because of the airport. probably comes with heavy fines.