Stay connected in the wind. This forum is for anyone who rides the wind, winter or summer, on whatever board suits their fancy. Share the stoke, find out where people are going, ask any question, share your discoveries, and discuss any esoteric idea you may have related to the pursuit of wind. Please keep it positive.
I am going to FL and my kite gear is already on the way there with my parents who are driving. My parents stayed in Englewood (half way between Ft Myers and Tampa) and said there are nice beaches but sharks out there supposedly. In the last week I've talked to several kiters down there and they have all scoffed at the shark thing like don't worry about it. My parents just called me and said they heard about this kiter that died from sharks attacking him today. I found out I could kite right by where we are staying but may not have any or much company. The other option is to drive 45 - 60 minutes to get to other guys in sarasota or Ft. Myers.
When I was in Mexico last yr I went to this one place later in the day at like 4pm and was considering going out and the one guy said not the best idea because that's when sharks come in to feed. Other people also laughed at that. This guy was killed at 4pm too.
We are going to the gulf side and this was on atlantic side.
I'm thinking I should make a drive to go where other guys are although it would be so nice to go where we are staying. What do you think?
I'M HOPING TO GET DOWN THERE THIS SPRING, TOO. I think you can get some comfort that the shark attack was on the Atlantic side, & you'll go out on the Gulf. I would recommend both approaches: Talk to local boaters, sailors & fishermen where you're lodging to get a feel for local waters, maybe even the coast guard or lifeguards. Personally, I'd prefer to kite around other kiters first. Ask the locals about where you're staying. They may even know kiters at that locale who know the local waters. Hope you have a great time and allow plenty of opportunity for the sharks to feed before I get there!
WARNING:
I AM AN UNREFORMED SERIAL FLIRT!!
(please respond accordingly ;^{})
Hmmm, your reaction reminds me about one of our community’s more controversial friends: the 'KooK' and his outlook on ocean riding. KooK attended the U of Hawaii for two years during the time I was there; great times, different story. The KooK was always paranoid that a Tiger shark was always about to take him out anytime he was on the water. So much so that one day he made our group stop at a dive shop on the way to the Kahana beach Park. He marched into the shop and told the Moke at the counter, " I want to buy a 'bang stick' for shark protection while windsurfing". The Moke replied, "No way hole boy, you'll for sure you hurt yourself". And that was that.
The Moke was right. Bottom line, you are in much more danger driving down the Interstate than you are playing in the H20.
Im currently riding the keys, the news of the shark attack was sad indeed. Hopefully it was just one of those freak things as FL kiting has so much to offer. YOu could play it safe and head into the keys. Fine places to kite off of Islamorado and Key West.
Rob Hyland
Cabrinha Shop Rider / Lakawa Team Rider
Rob, where are you in the Keys right now? I'm going to be there the 5-30 through 6-6 this year, I hope to get out and kite but there are a ton of other things that we wanted to do.
I'm going to be in Florida in just two weeks from now, so maybe everyone will have forgotten about the sharks by then. I'll be in Miami Beach for an inline skating tour, then down in the Keys for a few days after that. I'm planning to kite Islamorada in the Keys, but as far as Miami Beach goes, I'm not sure yet.
RobH: How are the winds down there? What size kite(s) should I bring?
Me and my family are going to be in tampa next week. (5-13 through 5-20)
Hopefully I wont get bit in half and my legs used for chew toys
As for this week there predecting a lot of wind.
Islamoroda has whale harbor where you pay the harbor master $10 a day or $50 for a year. Nice spot as the shallows are in easy reach with good flat water, at the south end of islamoroda is anne's beach which is free to park. Lessons offered from both locations, if north winds hit you need pay for a boat ride out. We stayed at the islander which offers kiting right off the resort beach. Locals say this has been a off year so winds are across the board. In two weeks time I rode 12 to 16m kites, never seen the wind get much above 22. Key west offers so much fun off the water, we stayed at 1800 Atlantic so we could kite smathers beach, since the winds were north we took the boat from the kitehouse. Hit me up if you have any questions, I understand there is a new kite spot opening just north of marathon
Rob Hyland
Cabrinha Shop Rider / Lakawa Team Rider
