Imagine hitting a brick wall at 40 or even 20 miles an hour.
Kite-boarding accidents have been known to involve hitting the ground, buildings and cars. One man was kite-boarding during Tropical Storm Fay and hit a building causing spinal fractures, brain swelling and broken bones.
A study done in 2004 by The American Journal of Sports Medicine estimated that boarders are injured at the same rate as football players. They also found most injuries were the foot and ankle (28%) and skull (14%). Fifty-six percent of the injuries were caused by an inability to detach the kite from the harness in a situation involving loss of control over the kite.
The sport is popular in Florida and is possible any where you have a body of water and wind. If you enjoy a little danger your interest is probably piqued. Before you jump, consider falling fifty feet from the air when a wind suddenly dies, or not being able to release from the kite and flying into concrete, brick or even sand.
Florida’s weather is fickle. A sunny afternoon can become a rainy one in a matter of minutes. Also, a simple gust can pick a boarder up and drop him on people, walls, houses etc.
If you still think this sport is for you, make sure you get educated before you strap yourself to a kite. It helps if you understand wind speed, how weather and changes in air flow and direction influence your kite.
Florida’s east and west coasts offer the options of kite-boarding with or without waves, and Florida’s winters bring months of windy weather. During the summer the afternoon rain showers produce fickle shorter-lived winds.
