How to cancel kiteboarding and get it banned.

How to cancel kiteboarding and get it banned.

Sullivan's Island may cancel kiteboarding! A case study on keeping your favorite spot open.

For many Northern Hemisphere kiters, spring starts the windy season at their local launch area. Done are the dreaded cold winter windless days!

As kiteboarding’s continued growth expands quickly, safety becomes more critical than ever. Beaches everywhere are seeing more kites. More kites equal traffic. More traffic equals more possible accidents. And, across the globe we are seeing more kiteboarding “close calls,” accidents, and injuries amongst both riders and spectators.

With each mishap, local authorities are taking note. In fact, several key kite spots are touting severe kiteboarding regulations. Some are even considering banning the sport all together. This is why we’ve written this article. In our own backyard (Charleston, SC USA), our favorite riding spot is getting serious about regulating or even canceling the use of kites on Sullivan’s Island.

Thankfully, most kite related accidents can be completely avoided. And, you can save your favorite launch area (including Sullivan's Island!) by following kiteboarding’s two simple anti-cancellation laws:

Know the rules.
Follow the rules.

Before you can follow the rules, you must first learn the rules. Let’s examine these in detail below:

know the rules
follow the rules
Sullivan's Island Kiteboarding
Are You Prepared?

Know the Safety Rules
kiteboarding women review the safety rules of kite surfing This includes both general safety rules and local regulations:

1. Kiteboarding Safety Rules. Regardless where you launch your kite, following kiting’s general safety rules will help you have more great sessions.

These include proper gear inspection / maintenance, right-of-way, weather, and skill level laws. Following these rules are critical in keeping everyone safe, and your favorite riding spot open.

Learn more: Are You Safe Kiteboarding? | Safety Rules You Must Follow

2. Local Regulations. If your spot has local kite regulations, it’s probably because someone ignored the general safety rules listed above. Or, if your spot is like Sullivan’s Island here in Charleston, there is a set of very specific laws governing the use of watercraft. Though these rules existed before the first kiteboarder launched on Sullivan’s Island, since kiteboarders have recently been officially deemed as a watercraft, we must follow these rules as well. Learn more in Air’s Sullivan’s Island Case study in the third tab in this article "Sullivan's.".

The Rules Only Work When Everyone Abides
kite surfers review kiteboarding safety First know the rules. If you don’t know them learn them (even if you have to ask the locals). Then follow the rules.

They will keep you safe. They will keep spectators safe. They will keep your kite spots open and local authorities happy.

When you’re done learning and following the rules, tell everyone about them!

Ignoring the rules is the fastest way to canceling kiteboarding!

How to get Kiteboarding cancelled?
A case study in following safety rules on Sullivan’s Island, SC USA (Charleston).

kite surfing safety is very important Since the 2009 summer, there have been several kiteboarder related complaints reported to the Sullivan's Island (SI) Town Council. Residents are upset that kiters are coming very close to swimmers and people on the beach. The latest resident complaint was reported during April 2010.

These concerns are happening more frequently. All because kiters are ignoring safety rules and local laws. If they don't stop, kiting might just cancelled. Lucky for us, the SI Town Council is pretty awesome and is asking for local riders to please self-regulate. They are simply asking for all kiters to follow the current Watercraft Ordinance, which has been around for 25+ years:

All Watercraft, including kiteboarders, from the months of May - September may only launch and land between Stations 28-32 or at Station 19. Once launched, you MUST immediately tack out past the water line to a minimum distance of 100 yards. At all times during your kite session, you must keep 100 yards out from the water line until you are ready to land. Nice thing is, you can ride anywhere along the island as long as you're 100 yards out.

In order to self police and keep Sullivan's Island open for kiteboarding, it is critical you strictly adhere to BOTH kiting’s general safety rules and the watercraft ordinance.

The WaterCraft rule is extremely reasonable. It exists to keep everyone safe, especially when beaches are crowded. If you are unable to follow this rule, then DO NOT launch your kite on Sullivan’s Island. SI has sincerely stated "kiteboarding will be severely regulated or banned" if kiters continue to threaten beach spectators, swimmers and residents.

If you want kiteboarding cancelled, then ignore the rules. But if you love SI kiting as much as we do, then respect the laws.

And, to help save your local kite spot, be sure you follow the 2-kite-length rule every time you ride. Doing so helps safety prevail and concerns decrease:

And, that is always stay at minimum two kite lengths away from any object you could run into (i.e., jetties, trees, swimmers, picnics, houses, other kiters . . . people in the water etc. etc. etc.).This general safety rule applies to every kiter everywhere during launching, landing, and riding. This includes Charleston’s Isle of Palms, Folly Beach and Sullivan's Island.

sullivan's island kite surfing Thank you for keeping safe, and for helping keep Sullivan’s Island kiting open! In the meantime, please tell every kiter to text the keyword "CatchSomeAir" to the number DOT-NET (368-638). You'll receive the current wind conditions, 6-hour forecast, AND a Sullivan's Island Safety Alert.