Kitesurf Safety Clinic - Review NKV, KNRM, Rescue Brigade clinic

Kitesurf Safety Clinic
Kitesurf Safety Clinic - Review NKV, KNRM, Rescue Brigade clinic. Photo: Ocean2air.co.za

Zon day 18 October the time had come. The second online kitesurf safety clinic of the Dutch Kitesurf Association (NKV) in 2020. The NKV has taken this initiative to make a further contribution to safe kite surfing. The first kitesurf safety clinic was held in May and was a success with 300 participants. Following a request, the clinic in May is also online back to watch and listen.

Cross-pollination NKV, KNRM and Rescue Brigade

The kitesurf safety clinic was chaired by Mark Heukenfeldt Jansen of the NKV. Kees Buis from the Rescue Brigade and Willem de Vries from the KNRM also took care of parts. With their many years of experience and available ready knowledge, we found the level of knowledge to be high. Kite surfers benefited well from this when asking questions. Questions were answered after each topic. And there were plenty of them. Enough interaction. Sometimes the connection with Kees was lost for a while, but it was possible to work around that.

Online kite surfing clinic
Online kitesurf clinic - Knowing how to act on the water starts with gaining knowledge. Taking kitesurfing lessons is necessary. Photo: Ocean2air.co.za

Subjects kitesurf safety clinic

Without going too much into the content, here is a short report of our experience of the kitesurf safety clinic. Many of the usual safety aspects were reviewed. Many topics also through us manual kitesurfing can be found. Some subjects were discussed more extensively with the focus on safety, others a little more in outline.

Introduction NKV, KNRM and rescue brigade

An informative introduction was started by the representatives of the NKV, KNRM and Rescue Brigade. An interesting fact was that of the rescue brigade. Of the approximately 9.000 deployments per year, approximately 300 are for kite surfers. This year it is expected that they will exceed that.

Of the approximately 9.000 deployments per year, approximately 300 are for kite surfers.

Insight into kitesurfing accidents helps prevent

In the kitesurf safety clinic, the main causes of accidents with kite surfers were discussed. Such as ignorance and overestimation of the abilities of and by kite surfers themselves. But also the role that fatigue plays, the wind and weather conditions and bad luck.

Kite spots and importance of following the rules

Then it was explained why the right kite spot choice is so important. An overview of kite spots is available on the NKV site. Stick to the rules. Not only for your own safety, other people's safety, but also for the survival of the kite spot for kite surfers. Rules per kite spot can change per season.

Kitesurfing right of way, current, temperature and safety equipment

Furthermore, the kitesurf priority rules still discussed, the role of current, temperatuur and safety equipment for kite surfing.

Kees, Willem and Mark, thank you very much for organizing the kitesurf safety clinic. It was also educational for me as an 'experienced' kite surfer. Above you can watch the kitesurf clinic yourself.

Member of the NKV. You too?

The manager of Kitesurfpro.nl has been kitesurfing for more than 20 years and is a proud member of the Dutch Kitesurf Association. Support the NKV and become a member too.

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