2011 - Mangrove Kiting Session - Bimini, Bahamas
 

Kent Marinkovic took a boat load of us into the mangrove backcountry for some flat water kiting along the east end of North Bimini. This was during the Pryde Group Dealers Conference on the island.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album540/Bimini_aerial.jpg
Bimini a few years back.

The idea was to do some ripping in a natural, little visited area complete with rays, sharks, you name it. The wind had been fairly honking back at the Bimini Bay Beach Club at the southern tip of South Bimini. We thought it would likely be doing the same in the mangroves. In reality it was a bit lighter perhaps due to land sheer and easing of the wind later in the day.

http://mappery.com/maps/Map-of-Bimin...in-Bahamas.jpg
We were just to the northeast of the "Healing Hole."


A bunch of people came including Kent at the helm, Damien Leroy, Aaron Sales, Mike Minichiello, Josh Noe, Dan Floyd, Ben Holmquist, a young ripper and a long time kiter from Turks & Caicos. If someone could help my failing memory out with the names of these later two I would appreciate it!


http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3389676_n.jpg
I mounted a GoPro HD on the kite and another in a chest harness I wore. I interchanged images from each in the following video. It was a blast chasing each other through the mangroves and flats, later on to the open flats east of the island. It was real shallow among the mangroves. You would hit this worm sand mounds and needed to ease back to allow you to maintain balance if you struck one particularly hard.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album540/new_IMG_2198.jpg


Anyway, here's the video ...



Larger image at: http://vimeo.com/19615896


Big thanks to Kent and the Pryde Group for creating such a great event!

.

yep, very nice location...we went there flat water SUPing there a few days b-4
steve

I remember the shots from the setup team taking some time off in the mangroves. Great stuff! We didn't see any sharks but your folks did right?