SKY WAY WIND Currents WATER Currents

[RKITEKT]

Everyone needs to know this! TWO THINGS:WIND CURRENTS, WATER CURRENTS

WIND CURRENTS will suck you in and bring you to a state of being overpowered quicker then you can realize what is happening!

WATER CURRENTS can do the opposite and sometimes kill your wind. You maybe able to cruise across a strong current heading the same direction as the wind, yet when you turn to come back that current will actually NEGATE some of your wind and may cause your kite to drop from the sky and next thing you know, you are floating down the channel into the bridge and feeding frenzies. WOO HOO!

Wind currents and Water currents exist out in that Bay like powerful streams. Once you come into them, you had better realize it and turn your ass around! Both bridges south and north of the beach have EXTREMELY STRONG WATER CURRENTS FLOWING THOUGH THE BRIDGE AND OUT THE CHANNEL. On a windy day, the WIND CURRENTS TEND TO FLOW THROUGH THESE SAME AREAS near the BRIDGES!

So hear me out!

I've been kiteboarding the Skyway Bridge for over a 18 months now and have just finally come to learn the winds currents and water currents. This is just one of my spots that I have come to know. Each spot has its own advantages and disadvantages in regards to Wind currents and Water currents.

However, this post is for all those who KITESURF at the SKY WAY BRIDGE.

Recently within just a few weeks we have had 2 MAJOR MISHAPS! One led to a SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND INJURY! I myself had a mishap Thursday evening after the sunset. I was one of the few riders still out. I was trying a new board out for demo, very small and fast! It was blowing 15 -19 all afternoon and I could hold down my 15 Rastaroo no problem. I decided to get a good longggggg tack and slalom fast to test this board out. I was screaming, LITERALLY SCREAMING as I went buy from North end to South and past the beach with CINDY waving her arms at me to come in or something. LOL

Once I went past the beach I must have hit terminal velocity and just HAULED ASS on by faster then I have ever gone! It began as an intentional test drive, then quickly became a problem. Suddenly I got to the point right before the channel that flows under the small bridge and I got sucked into this WIND CURRENT! It didn't matter what I did with my BAR, nor my BOARD I was headed to the HIGHWAY for sure screamin all HELL! I had the kite down to the water, BREAKING on my board like a MO FO! I finally lost my edge and tumbled for about 5 seconds, skipping across the water like a rock, HIT MY OH SHIT RELEASE and the kite went down to the leftside (opposite side I was flying). Once I regained my composure, found my board inside my bar and lines... the kite had relaunched itself over the mangroves and dragged me right into it. As I was stuck to the Mangrove bush like a pin doll, I held the bar with one arm until I could get the leash on the end and FLAGGED THE KITE OUT! WHEEWWWEEEE ****IN WHEEWWW!

Everything turned out ok. I did everything I was supposed to do when SHIT HIT THE FAN. I got lucky! Two other GUYS did not! BUT I GUARANTEE YOU THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO BOTH OF THEM! GUARAN-DAMN-TEE IT!

That was no FUN AT ALL and I learned my lesson indeed. I am posting this so that others will learn from it too. E-bone was right... once you get upwind far enough you can see that there is not much beach at all. To elaborate, with onshore wind, if you are hauling ass from south to north or vice versa and lose it... you will either end up in the deep waters of the channel which is NO PLACE TO DROP YOUR KITE, or you will hit the rocks, or you will end up getting sucked into the WIND currents and eventually into the highway or either bridge.

Experienced or Beginner kitesurfers may never learn the lessons of the WIND AND WATER CURRENTS no matter how "CERTIFIED" they get. So please comment, educate others and myself more on this subject.

Hope this helps.

~Christopher