Hooked on Kiteboarding

Yesterday a kiter was riding in at Ka'a Point with fishermen on the point. He had a line cast at him and got the fishing hook stuck in his kite leash.  Usually the fishermen will respect that a kiter is in the area, other times not. Either way the fishermen always have the right of way and we need to avoid them.  The rule is Kiteboarders give way to fishermen. That means if there is a fisherman on the beach, you launch somewhere else. If someone is fishing at the water’s edge, you should also not sail through their lines or close to their lines. The area where they are casting is a no-go zone. Do not fly or ride into their fishing window just as you would not sail into another kiter’s wind window. Often people will be fishing from the rocks at the pro pool. When this happens we have to avoid their fishing area. And the area becomes the “fishing pool” instead for a while. We do not own the beach. Fishermen have been using this area for generations and we need to respect them and share the areas with them. Sharing in this case means avoiding them, and giving them their turn. Keep in mind how much area they might need to fish both physically for their lines and gear, but also so you do not scare away their dinner. Give them a wide safety buffer, and ride somewhere else for a while.