http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/...x352_popup.jpg
Can you say tube, how about cheese? Mike Bradley, eat your heart out, this rat can really grab some barrel time. Wait a sec, IS THAT Mike Bradley?
No, couldn't be he's just opened a new shop, Switchside Kiteboarding in Cocoa.


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/...21_468x286.jpg
How many of us have gone out in four or five times overhead surf. That rat has cojones, uh, unless she doesn't?


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/...x286_popup.jpg
Getting into it now, hey not about to eat it for once in the Green Room!


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/...x325_popup.jpg
Ok, time to fess up. How many times just before it hit the fan have you felt like this rodent looks?


All photos and the story behind all of this out of Hawaii via London?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...4ft-waves.html

LOL those pics are great!!

Way back in 2003 I headed down to Paul Menta's Kitehouse operation in La Parguera, Puerto Rico. It is on the SW coast south of Mayaguez. Took some photos and did a trip report;

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=848

Taking a look back:

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Mangroves_3.jpg
Off the mangrove cays looking NW towards La Parguera



http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Mangroves_2.jpg
Used to take a boat out a few miles offshore, tie up in the mangroves, setup in the shallows and rip loose



http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...e_On.sized.jpg
Paul even did a beer tasting while underway. A helper kindly passed the bottle to him as he flew past the boat. Here he renders his expert opinion of Buckler, a fake beer. It isn't that bad, is it?



http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Mangrove.jpg
Who would think you could have this much fun in a swamp?!



http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Ride.sized.jpg

It's been years since I was in La Parguera. It seemed to me at the time that the wind might have been a little better than Cabarete. Has anyone been down there recently?

It looks like a kite loop but in fact the guy is doing a chiropractic back adjustment.
Takes a bit of room but it seems to work, as long as it doesn't break your back!

Well it's OT but pretty funny in a bizarre sort of way. Ever wonder where fish sticks roam?
Here's your answer, at Banksy's Village Petstore & Charcoal Grill.
These guys are masters animating the inanimate! How about some chicken nuggets
but tie em up first, they keep walking away.

those are some sweet pictures from La Parguera. it really reminded me of the movie Into The Air. looks like the same spot?

Thanks! Yes, they shot the movie there within a year after that trip. More about the movie, location, premier in addition to some pre- and post- hurricane shots at:

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=729

pics from a good day out on the SF bay by the golden gate plus a rescue when the wind died.

http://www.wmd.com/200807crissyrescu...GP4814-002.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/200807crissyrescu...GP5343-010.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/200807crissyrescu...GP4892-004.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/200807crissyrescu...GP5646-020.jpg

Thanks for putting up the shots, intriguing stuff! Was the tide heading out when the wind shut off? I understand you can get some honking tidal flow under the bridge, does it ease much beyond it? I guess the USCG has kiter recoveries down to a art at this point? Must have learned a lot dealing with windsurfers prior to recent years. Question, what sort of water camera were you using?

Saint Augustine pics
 

Hey,

A few pictures from Saint Augustine, Florida. A storm came up and killed the wind for the afternoon. What a bummer for the ones that could only make Sunday.

Clew In

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0003_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0005_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0015_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0019_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0022_Small.jpg

Some more.

Clew In

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0023_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/..._Small_001.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0030_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0037a_Small.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/IMG_0038_Small.jpg

Thanks for posting the shots CI. How were conditions on Saturday? Was there much in the way of waves? Wish I could have made it up this time. It is a great place to ride at and visit.

Some shots from the last time I made it up appear at:
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=830

hey Rick,

Yeah we usually kite when its an ebb tide since it adds windspeed and is like kiting on an upwind treadmill. SOO MUCH fun!!

But yeah the wind did shut off during an ebb tide and i was slowly drifting out as it was only a 2 knot ebb but it can get up to 5 knots during a big ebb. The USCG has a station right next to the bridge and they pick up kiters and windsurfers almost daily. We try not to used their services but sometimes it is needed and they are very friendly about it.
i was shooting with a Pentax W30


more pics of our playground with supersize toys

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/...85a3b1ee_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/...60649574_o.jpg

Storm Kiting pics from today
 

HMB Storm Kiting pics from today
Today was a fun but insane session at the Half Moon Bay Harbor in California. I got there at about 2pm as Dave was coming in and everyone else was being blown off the water. I pumped up my 8 and went out and had a blast. the wind was 15-35 mph and when the squalls came thru it was almost whiteout conditions with blowing ran and sea spray over the sea wall. Definitely survival kiting. A few other guys came out a bit later and i think things mellowed out a little.
here are the pics from my helmet cam


http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7720-001.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7726-002.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7744-003.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7761-004.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7791-005.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7792-006.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7823-007.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7847-008.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081103hmbstorm/...GP7861-009.jpg

Outstanding bridge - kiting shot, I think it is the best that I have seen, well done. Like the cruise ship one too. Thought about hot launching off the aft deck of one once. Good thing not everything that comes to mind, makes it into reality!

What sort of storm winds did you folks have?

Storm Kiting pics from today
 

in the winter we have big storms that come in and pound the Norcal coast for a few days at a time.. they are definitely NOT ideal kiting conditions most of the time as they can be very cold and gusty but still fun for the hardy and rather crazy guys like me

I always thought you had some powerful storms. Had a few guys swearing up and down for a couple of years that Norcal never had squalls or hazardous wind conditions. One of them was a magazine editor too. It is hard to hide those powerful systems that send fronts across the USA like clockwork through the winter though. I suspect you know about the loss of Daniel Bergin in one of these systems about a year ago. A lot rides on you and your gear performing just so. Statistically, that just won't happen all the time in wx extremes. Good luck out there.

I visited Neil's operation at Tiki Beach in Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. More unexpected good wind, there has been quite a bit of that recently. The boat show was just winding down so easy access to the area will be restored very soon.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Shredding.jpg
Helga rides though


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/3_K.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Obama_s_001.jpg
Somebody told me that sails on the starboard side have McCain and Palin. Didn't hang out long enough to see it, wonder if it is so (not).


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/W_rides.jpg
William sets up for a trick


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/mask.jpg
The masked rider. Thought he might have had a particular sensitivity to sun. The mask came off on landing so not sure.

Hey,

Short video from Saint Augustine:

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=12W3DK4owEI

Clew In

This Photo Of the Day is dedicated to Chris and Tammy on their nuptials and pending honeymoon in the Hawaiian Islands. Have fun out there folks!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...i_IMG_5164.jpg
Hanalei Bay on the north shore of Kauai


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...s_IMG_0841.jpg
Umauma Falls just north of Hilo on the eastern shore of the Big Island


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Southpoint_HI_s.jpg
Southpoint on the Big Island. Further south than Key West and far more remote. It is supposed to be the first landfall of the Polynesians when they first came to the Sandwich Islands. Tough landing!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Monk.jpg
Monk seal between the Lehau caldera and Niihau west of Kauai. Was dying to free dive with this guy but was already carrying residual N2 time from SCUBA.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Falls_IMG_2870.jpg
Akaka Falls north of Hilo on the Big Island


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/EOD_IMG_2432.jpg
Sunset off Kona on the Big Island. Not sure why the setting sun can look different over the Pacific but it does.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Wave_IMG_6396.jpg
La Perouse Bay, Maui


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Sunset_IMG_3561.jpg
Sunset over Niihau from Waiokapua, Kauai

Thanks Rick. December can't come soon enough.

You're most welcome Chris! Can't think of a better place to launch your lives together. As you may have noticed, I have zip photos from Oahu. We landed there for a few minutes between islands. So, if you think of it while visiting your home island, snap a few for us folks way back down east. Have a great time, you'll be flying west in no time I suspect.

Continuing on with some more images from Hawaii ...


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Kauai_5.jpg
A look east towards the lighthouse on Kilauea Point on the north shore of Kauai while standing on molten lava! Well, so it's several centuries old, it was molten just a while back. They have these neat lava pools all over the shoreline in places complete with submerged lava tubes in places.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Kauai_6.jpg
Mark Twain called this the Grand Canyon of the Pacific way back when. I have trouble imagining what he went through just to get up to see Waimea Canyon on Kauai in those days. Driving up takes time and walking down into and up the valleys through heavy growth is no picnic today. A core traveler and writer!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Kauai_8.jpg
Foils off Kauai, true story. The fellow is riding off of Hanakapi ai beach off the north shore of Kauai, I think.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Kauai_7.jpg
One of the many river outflows to the ocean along the north shore of Kauai


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Hilo_5.jpg
Another outflow, this time off the east coast of the Big Island north of Hilo. No end of easy kite launches off the windward or eastern shore of the big island, not. With a few exceptions there is a lot of iron shore to deal with the millenia of tradewind driven seas.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Niihau_5.jpg
Not too far to the west of Kauai you'll find Niihau, the Forbidden Island. A Scottish family though they found a great deal with lush forests and good rainfall in the 1830's when they bought this island from the Hawaiian Royal Family. Trouble is, it had been raining quite a lot recently and eventually went back to the normal arid conditions. So the farming paradise sort of dried up and blew away, partially. You are allowed to land on the island only with permission (hence the Forbidden Island) with Hawaiian being the official language there. Some world class diving in the area though.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/kauai_9.jpg
Waioli Huiia Church in Hanalei on the north shore of Kauai. Hanalei is an unusual place, a surfer colony in which affluence and higher costs seem to have snuck in through the side door.

"Surf-bathing" just what IS surf bathing anyway? If you have a cellphone, assorted iPods, frequently flier miles or even a Starbucks Gold Card, you may be culturally and temporally handicapped in this regard. Folks about a 125 years ago knew, at least the few that wandered into those areas.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/surfing_bathing.gif
Surf bathing in the Sandwich Islands through the eyes of surf dude Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) while "Roughing It." Is that a swallow tail board?
From: http://www.surfingsandiego.com/forum...s.asp?TID=1545


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...nly_2_w480.jpg
Manly, New South Wales, 1900-1910. Can you imagine folks going off on the bombora in those getups?!
From: http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/pa...ing_the_beach/


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/ama_surf.jpg
A little more recently, the ama of Japan get into it
From: http://mermaid-williambond.blogspot....ea-people.html


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...rf_bathing.png
Surf bathing in the Sandwich Islands in the late 1800's. Sure that isn't surf wiping out?
From: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13222...-h/13222-h.htm


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/U2F4KFNPTCCU.jpg
Hitting it off Diamond Head about a hundred years ago. What are those ... proto-baggies?
From: http://usvsa.com/auction/APViewItem.asp?ID=152


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...iceGazette.jpg
Ok, a little temporal confusion, "gay queen of the waves?" Well, could be. Looks like I shaped her/his board, not a lot of rocker there and doubles as a mighty fine door! Very practical. OK, now what have the Sandwich Islands to do with NJ police? Mysteries but still surf bathing.
From: http://tinyurl.com/3b22bn

Please check this video clip out, it's short.



then, look below ...





So what is so unusual about the riding clip? Nothing really, just what the guy in riding. I had never seen the like myself, at least not in over a century. Asked a bunch of surfers in the area and they hadn't heard of such a thing.





The last time I saw a board like this was in this photo from Hawaii far in the past

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/...toryimage3.jpg
From: http://www.balsasurfers.com/balsafaq.html

I saw one very similar to it today and being used.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/SB_1.jpg
Check this puppy out, it's a door! I could be made of balsa but it looked like mahogany to me. No skegs, rocker to speak of, still this guy makes it work and well. This is the guy in the three short clips in the video. I wish I could have caught more riding footage of the retro woody surfer.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/sb2.sized.jpg
An edge view.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/sb3.sized.jpg
Look how low the guy is sitting in the water, now we know why.

He said it is hard to paddle, no surprise there but says when your in the wave, it's fast! Bet the turning for aerials is tricky too. Amazing stuff. I could have sworn he called it a "Monaleia board". Have found zip under that and other spellings. Does anyone know more about these rideable doors?

I've learned more about this board, an alaia. It is apparently inspired by the surfboards used by Hawaiians back in the old days. A guy named Tom Wegener has researched the old designs and has been shaping them. An interview with Tom including a number of photos appears at: http://tinyurl.com/5lhygn


http://www.tomwegenersurfboards.com/...aia_barrel.gif
From: http://legendarysurfers.com/blog/labels/lala.html



A video about alaia boards from another shaper.

ics from yesterdays Ocean Rodeo trip up to Dillon Beach California.
 

ics from yesterdays Ocean Rodeo trip up to Dillon Beach California.
Very well powered on my 8m and lots of choopy waves. Halfway thru the session a guy had to ditch his kite and board after being hit by several waves on the outside and he said the freezing current was taking him out to sea fast. It took 4 other kiters taking turns towing the guy half mile or more back thru the surf and when Andrew motioned me over to help drag him the last few hundred yards to the beach. Very lucky guy!
Reminds you just how quickly things can go bad out there and even scarier when you think that your right on the dinner table of the great whites.
As Andrew said he felt like he was trolling for sharks with live bait behind him. I am sure the guy was thinking the same thing. Never got to speak with him other than a few seconds in the surf but i hope your okay.

Here are pics from the day
Fully Gallery
http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbeach/


http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbea...GP7927-006.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbea...GP7919-005.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbea...GP7911-003.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbea...GP8109-016.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbea...GP8110-017.jpg
http://www.wmd.com/20081109dillonbea...GP7995-010.jpg

It was a heart-stopping moment fit for the pages of Moby Dick.

As kitesurfer Dave Sheridan skimmed across the choppy waters off Valla Beach, on the NSW north coast, he failed to see a giant shadow gliding centimetres below the surface.

Until, that is, the tale of a southern right whale flicked up from the whitecaps and whipped him on the back of the head.

"I thought I was gone," Mr Sheridan, 42, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying.

"It all happened so fast that all I could do was crouch down as the whale swam under me ... Next thing I felt was its tail come up and hit me."

The amazing encounter took place 100m from shore on October 26 and was recorded by the camera Mr Sheridan keeps mounted on his kite, 25m above the water.

The camera, which shoots frames every 10 seconds, missed the tail-flicking drama but did capture the moment when the mammal turns its huge grey body directly beneath the kiteboard.

The southern right also proved to be less aggressive than Mr Sheridan feared, with its tail flick apparently meant only as a warning.

"It was more of a push than a punch," Mr Sheridan was quoted as saying. "The force eased off and I sailed away with shaking legs."

A whale expert said the mammal’s reaction was typical of southern rights.http://news.ninemsn.com.au/img/2008/...ridan10_sp.jpg

Great shots loscocco and of the kiter being rescued too! It is interesting to see riding conditions in other areas. Looks like it goes off with wind and waves. Question, the current that was carrying the guy offshore, was that from the outflow of Tamales Bay approaching low tide? What sort of amphib. camera do you carry?

Thanks for posting the whale story and aerial image thebestkite. I was searching for something early this morning and kept seeing fragments about a kiter passing over a whale. Good to know the details of what happened. He is one very lucky dude to be struck and come out of it ok. Even dolphins can clean your clock but good with a caudal fin strike if they're having a bad day. Something hundreds of times heavier doesn't bear thinking about, ouch! There is still more info about the incident at: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574...012895,00.html

Headed up to Cocoa Beach with Neil and Gio last weekend to present kiteboarder rescue techniques to the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA). There was a power point presentation inside (hope to convert that to a video and put it up online here) and a demonstration conducted by Neil afterward on the beach.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/USLA_vr_s.sized.jpg
Neil and Gio walk through a Rescue Watercraft pickup of a kiteboarder


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Neil_n_Gio_USLA.jpg
Explaining quick releases


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Dolphin.jpg
After the presentation I cruised south down A1A and found a great German restaurant right on the Intracoastal. http://cafecoconutcove.com/ has a great location, excellent food at good prices. There was even a pod of dolphins tearing up the shallows during sunset. You can just see a dorsal fin in the photo.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Sebastian.jpg
Stopped by Sebastian Inlet to checkout the surfing.


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Sebastian_2.jpg
This guy did land this spin and wasn't caught by the fishermen!


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/Salvage.jpg
An artist rendering of salvage three centuries back, rough time to be a Lucayan Indian. In another lifetime years back I used to be involved in UW archaeology through the State and the private sector. The Spanish 1715 Plate fleet that floundered off these shores has been the subject of much exploration and salvage over the decades. Today there are two museums worth a visit, one located just south of Sebastian Inlet and the other on the western shore of the Intracoastal opposite the Inlet. Interesting stuff if the wind dies or you want to checkout something different.
http://www.atocha1622.com/mclarty.htm
http://www.melfisher.org/


The Treasure Coast has a lot to offer watermen.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/rd_0.jpg


A first look at the Crandon Park Race Day appears in our new section, SE Florida And The Keys Forum at:

http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=126



http://www.fksa.org/albums/album365/rd_10.jpg

Taste the Rainbow..
 

Rooster Rock Photos From Yesterday
http://www.eclipsefilms.com/rainbow1.jpg
http://www.eclipsefilms.com/rainbow2.jpg
http://www.eclipsefilms.com/rainbow3.jpg
Winnnndy!

Great shots! Is all that white water wind generated, what would you guess the winds were at? Where is Rooster Rock, looks warm!

Rooster Rock is on the west end of the Columbia Gorge, it was blowin 50-- and NOT warm. The water was about 53º and the air was the same! That just about wrapped it up for our season.

Here's a video from the other day at the Oregon Coast: http://www.eclipsefilms.com/movies/DaPonds.mov

It looked nippy, with wind chill only more so. You do have some wild beautiful coastline up that way. It reminded me of some of the images from the Vancouver area further north.

Thanks for posting the stills and the video, nice job on that by the way. It really projects a sense of the place. Nice riding grounds you have out there.

OT - but it came to mind anyway (Disclaimer: this is not a promotion of insurance, it's a commemoration for a duck.)

Someone once said Barney Rubble was quite the actor, the same could be said about the Aflac duck.


What the world needs is more Super Ducks, wonder if they cleanup Thanksgiving dishes too?


Thought it boosted NASCAR a bit, made me watch it!


Eddie Murphy in this one?


Nipponese duck


Goats horn in on the act

Apologies for the duck-aside, perhaps they'll gear the duck up for kiting someday. That would be something!

Good time to visit Venice? Can you imagine trying to keep a kite flying in that box? Understand it was called windsurfing on CNN.


http://www.tgcom.mediaset.it/bin/283...rizzontale.jpg
From: http://www.tgcom.mediaset.it/fotogal...lery4452.shtml


.

Jupiter start race Picture
 

I really like the picture on page one of this posting.

Anyone know how I may be able to get a high resolution copy? Would love to use it as my desktop background picture, as it tells all of it in one shot.
Florida wind kiting speed and a great group of people getting together and having a blast.

Thank you for any help