Thailand Kiteboarding

oor enthusiasts looking for thrilling and challenging ways to spend their leisure time find excitement in sports like kitesurfing. In kitesurfing, the rider, standing on a small surf board , uses a kite to harness wind power to move through the water. While people around the world have attempted to utilize kites for motion for centuries, kitesurfing as a sport did not develop until the 1990s. By 1998, kitesurfing had become a mainstream sport, with schools opening to teach it and a competition held in Maui, Hawaii. Kitesurfing has also become a popular activity offered at beachfront resorts, and cruise ship on-shore excursions.

While fun and exciting, kitesurfing can be a very dangerous sport and requires extensive training and supervision in order to be done properly and safely. Powerful kites are vulnerable to sudden wind gusts, known as lofts, which can carry riders off into the air and slam them against the water, ground, buildings, or power lines. There is also a risk of collision between a rider and other kitesurfers, beachgoers, swimmers, other bystanders, and boaters. Since a skillful rider may be kitesurfing at speeds of up to 50 km/h, a collision can be catastrophic and even fatal. Because of the speeds and wind forces experienced during kitesurfing, accidents can often result in broken bones. Despite the many possible safety precautions, according to Kitesurfingschool.org, of 105 accident reports in their database, 54% resulted in moderate or serious injury, and 13% were fatal. Most accidents occur due to operator inexperience and lack of training.

With the potential for kitesurfing accidents so real, it’s important to be aware of precautions you can take to prevent harmful kitesurfing accidents:

Never harness yourself to a Kite sail until you have received the proper supervision and training. Ensure that your equipment has a functioning safety release system that allows you to disable the kite at any moment. Check your equipment thoroughly before surfing. Avoid kitesurfing near power lines and airports. If there is a strong offshore wind or stormy weather, it’s wise to stay out of the water until conditions improve. Kitesurf in water with plenty of open space, keeping away from crowded beaches downwind. Also, if you are taking part in kitesurfing through a vendor at a resort or cruise ship, make sure you read the fine print of any contract you sign. You may be releasing the vendor from responsibility for their negligence in failing to properly train and supervise your kitesurfing.

If you are involved in a serious accident while kitesurfing, or have been injured by a kitesurfer, you may be entitled to file a legal claim to receive compensation for your injuries. Immediately after the accident, you should take detailed notes describing what exactly happened, who was involved, the names of any witnesses, and what injuries you sustained. Preserve as much evidence as possible including the kitesurfing equipment and any failed parts – you will need it later. Obtain a police report summarizing what occurred.

If you suffered any kind of serious injury as a result of any kitesurfing accidents, you should consult an experienced boating accident attorney, who can help you navigate the complex legal issues surrounding maritime and boating accidents and receive the compensation you are due under the law.

For more information about kitesurfing accidents or other boating accidents in Florida, contact Florida boating accident lawyer Joseph M. Maus at 1-866-556-5529 or email him today.

Kitesurfing also know as kiteboarding is one of the most exciting water sports in the world, it incorporates aspects from windsurfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, paragliding and power kite flying.

Large kites are used to power a rider along the surface of the water on a board. The wind is used to power the kites and although the name suggests it, kitesurfing does not need waves, many riders prefer flat water. Kitesurfing has many different aspects whether it is chilling out and cruising up and down during your weekend off, going out and practicing your new freestyle trick for the next competition, going out in strong winds and doing huge jumps or riding the waves, there is something to suit all who enjoy it.

The sport originally started out when power kite flyers decided they would like to have some fun on the water with their kites amongst the wind surfers. At this stage there were no kitesurf specific boards so the early pioneers used either surfboards or wakeboards. Since then the sport has evolved and now specific kites and boards are manufactured.

The kites that are used now have inflatable sections to hold their shape as well as allowing them to float. Due to there being no rigid structure in the kites they can be packed up very small, even the largest kites at 16m+ can fit into a rucksack. The kites are different to power kites used on the land as they have just one skin on the canopy, the inflatable tubes provide the shape of the aerofoil similar to an aeroplane wing. The kites are steered around the sky using a bar which can also alter the power; the bar is attached to the kite using 4 or 5 very strong lines, made from dyneema and often with a breaking strain of over 500kg each! Two of the flying lines are attached to the ends of the bar and the others run through the centre of the bar to a harness worn by the rider. By moving the bar along these lines running through the bar the angle of attack of the kit is altered which then altered the kite’s power. The larger the angle of attack, the more of the canopy of the kite is shown to the wind and the more powerful it is, the smaller the angle of attack the less power the kite has. When the bar is pulled in close the kites power increases and when pushed away it decreases, this is one of the big changes with kites as the sport has evolved as originally there was not adjustment.

Since 2006 the kite design has change drastically the kites are far, far safer due to the ability to push the bar away and reduce their power, when the bar it totally let go the kite will fall out of the sky with no power at all waiting for you to re-launch it, which due to the change in the design of the newer kite is extremely easy. Having this ease of use has enabled the sport to become a lot more accessible in recent years and the popularity of the sport has rocketed. The shape of the boards has evolved with the new kites adding to the user friendliness and quick learning curve.

Kitesurfing organisations have grown all over the world with many countries now having their own governing body assisting with the club, competition, training and kitesurf schools network.