View Single Post
  #20  
Old 03-20-2008, 08:54 AM
Steve-O's Avatar
Steve-O Steve-O is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: largo
Posts: 1,043
Default

I have to concur with Scott's stance.

I have connections with the boys at Gulfster....so I will do a little work trying to figure out what was seen. Again, it seemed to be a perception from the beach.

As a surfer of 20+ years, surfers are just as dangerous to other surfers IMO. A hard surfboard to the head could do equal damage. I have been in crowded lineups all over the world, and it is dangerous.

Surfers have just learned to live with this and deal with it on the water with there own. However kitesurfing becoming as popular as it is maybe gives them the feeling that they have some power to shut us down. They are already frustrated with the crowds in surfing, now they have to deal with kiteboarders too. Yes we have way more options than they do. It makes them angry. Imagine being at a skatepark and some guys come through with dirt bikes. It would piss some people off.

I feel there pain, but I don't think they are going to have a leg to stand on if something did happen, because so many injuries and deaths have happened in the surfing world and the sport still lives on as one of the biggest in the world.

Shit, I almost got ran over with by a snowboarder going 50+ and if he did hit me, it would have been a trip to the ER. But do you think they would shut down snowboarding.......nope.

I personally feel our biggest concern is that innocent smimmer or beach goer. Surfers enter the water knowing the risks involved. Swimmers are a much different story IMO.

Final thought....go to the North Shore of Hawaii. Someone dies surfing there every year and many get mangled. Lifeguard rescues are a daily occurance. Do they shut down the sport because of the risks. Nope. If it put innocent people on the beach at risk, well that would be a different story.

The world is not getting any smaller.
Reply With Quote