[ricki]

A powerpoint presentation was prepared by Neil Hutchenson, Gio Serrano and myself and given to the USLA along with a beachside demonstration of various considerations and techniques for kiterboarder evaluation and rescue.

Kiteboarders can present some unusual issues and potential complications to rescuers. Kites can exert substantial force; lines, kites in waves, lines in propellers and water intakes all pose issues, rescuers need to understand how to deal with the kite on land or in the water while rescuing the kiteboarder as appropriate and more.

With increasing populations of kiteboarders, the best solution for rescue squads is appropriate training. Neil and Gio are in the process of offering such training. I've revised the PowerPoint presentation to where it can be downloaded and viewed via the Internet. If lifeguard/rescue squads or people that give orientation training to rescuers would like to look over the presentation for general informational purposes alone, please Pm ricki or email flkitesurfer (at) hotmail.com with your name and affliation so that I can forward downloading information to you. It is no substitute for proper training but does provide some useful information for consideration.