Tropical Storm Fay eats up Kiter

[markwike]

Ouch.

http://www.wjno.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=244038
&article=4117332

[weihlac]

slightly different video on CNN--15 sec of fame. No helmet

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2008/08/19/florida.kite.boarder.wfor

[churan]

Does this mean "kiting has been canceled"?

[dogalone]

would doubt a helmet to be of value, though he may not have been stunned on the first bounce as badly to give enough time to let go of the bar/push away and release out...

maybe a full motocross helmet with neck rack could've been of helped

[swchandler]

I feel that being flippant at this juncture is in very bad taste. Even those of us that aren't into kiting have to have some compassion when tragedies of this nature occur. Truly, kiters are our wind brothers on the scene, even if our equipment differs.

[charlie12]

Thanks swchandler

[SWE106]

Sorry, but if you are man/stupid enough to kite (windsurf/sail/surf, etc for that matter too) in a tropical storm bordering hurricane force, you should be man enough to face the consequences and deal with 'em. He deliberately put himself in this self inflicted situation...Not much sympathy for him, more for his family and relatives. Instead, valuable financial and physical resources and time had to be allocated to rescue an idiot, which instead should have been used for other (real?) emergencies.

[jp5]

[cherrywood182]

I'm sorry for this man and more so for his family. He took a risk and paid the price, and that is his business. However, he put everyone downwind of himself in danger, and that is unacceptable. This only reinforces my feeling when I am windsurfing that all kiteboarders upwind of me are to be treated as potentially dangerous projectiles to be avoided at all costs.

[keycocker]

I note that before many hurricanes there is mad swell out there and the authorities go out for the traditional "Arresting of the Surfers" near the end of the evacuation.