[ricki]

If there is current and/or waves things can get interesting if your lines are caught by something underwater like rocks, a piling, etc.. The kite loads up with the force of the water and the lines pull you under the surface by the tangle. This almost took out a kiter beneath a bridge in Islamorada around the time of your Tampa Bay experience.

Strange things can happen with pot markers too. The trap may act as an anchor, the buoy as a snag with the lot potentially pulling you underwater if the kite loads up with waves and/or currents.

It is EASY to become tangled by kite lines in the water that aren't under tension. Expect it to happen and take pains to avoid it. Worse still, the tangle often happens out of easy viewing beneath the surface and can catch you off guard.

You are totally correct Steve in saying people need to practice self-rescue procedures long before they actually need them. What works readily with traditional C kites may not work exactly the same with flat kites. They need to have hands on experience with whatever they are flying at present. Lighter wind, calm water rescues are a lot different from high wind and sea self-rescues.

Here's a question, how can people kite regularly and NOT have to self-rescue? I can't easily recall how many times I've had to do this in almost ten years, 50 times, more? Wind vanishes, changes direction, the odd gear problem, there are so many causes making self-rescue necessary, at least for me.