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Beach etiquette and safety tips for kiteboarding on Tybee

1. Always consider other beachgoers when choosing a place to launch and land your kite, and always yield to them. Be courteous. Choose an area with plenty of room to setup. Try to have at least 75m of space downwind. If you have to walk a little way to achieve this, do so.

2. Never never never let anyone help you set up, launch, or land your kite that isn't experienced with inflatable kitesurfing kites, despite how much they beg or how stunning they look in a bikini. It's a recipe for disaster, just politely decline the help.

3. Kiteboarding is a new and spectacular sport that looks very interesting and unusual to the average beachgoer, be prepared to answer a ton of often seemingly stupid questions. Be polite. Make a game of it, some kiters like to keep a running count of how many times they get the "When you go up in the air, how do you get back down?" question.

4. Always be ready to lend a hand to assist other kiters whether you know them or not. You may need the favor returned sooner than you think.

5. Do yourself favor, pack up gear when not in use, especially roll up your lines . Most damage happens to equipment out of the water.

6. Secure all inflated kites with sand that are not in use, even in light wind. A puff can come out of nowhere and send your $1500 kite skidding over debris/people down the beach or out to sea.

7. Don't mess with anyone's gear without their knowledge, even If you think you're helping them out. This may disrupt their normal setup routine.

8. Don't be afraid to correct another kiter that is doing something potentially dangerous ie. launching with children playing directly downwind off them. This goes especially for a visiting kiter that may not care about blowing the spot for the locals. You don't have to be a smart ass about it, also share some tips about the conditions in the area or an anecdote about the last session to smooth things over.

9. Forget about launching in stormy conditions. Summertime thunderstorms can come out of nowhere. The wind usually picks up right before a storm front approaches and may seem nice and steady, it's tempting to launch. However, if you see black clouds approaching, forget about it. Winds in those storms can change direction instantly and double in power, not to mention the static/ lightning factor. Do yourself a favor and walk away.

10. Don't forget common sense safety. Always consider what could be the worst case scenario in a kiting situation, and allow for it. Do not venture out any farther than you are able to swim in.