Altercation at OB

[Piotrp]

It was a nice day at OB this afternoon and only 3-4 kites in the air and reasonably strong winds. However, the session almost got spoiled by an altercation between me and some guy. It has never happened to me in my 5 years of kiting. I guess, there's always that first time. All it takes is a jerk with an attitude.

I was in the surf, close to the beach trying to get to my board - my kite high above my head, I'm tossed around by the surf and with a limited maneuverability. This guy rides very close to where I am and yells at me that I have to get out of his way... then - a moment later - while way outside, he forces his way in, even though he's tacking on the port side (i.e. going back toward the beach). When I approached him at the beach, he told me that he had surfed here for years and he knows the rules... calls me a kook and "advises" me to go "where I came from" (yes, I do have an accent, so my "redneck alert" goes way up).

It's not a big deal and I'm over it, but it brings up an interesting question for kiteSURFING. I've surfed OB and almost any beach between SF and Santa Cruz for the past 15 years. I know the rules of surfing, but the dynamic of kitesurfing is different. The sailing rules of ways may not apply where the waves are actually breaking, i.e. surfable waves. I believe that a person actually dropping on a wave should have the right of way (no matter what tack he/she is on). But port/starboard rules should - in my opinion - be followed on the outside rollers, just like they do on the flat water (in surfing these waves don't create conflicts, as no one can even ride them). This particular guy had an attitude and wanted to "make the point" by forcing his way (and creating a potentially dangerous situation), but the general rules are a bit murky here.

Yours thoughts?

[perukite]

1) Anyone out in the surf or in flat water that I see off their board trying to retrieve it - I give them a wide berth or try to help.

2) Ocean Beach is like 4+ miles long from Seal Rocks down to Sloat and you can ride west as far as China. Yelling at someone who is "in your way" is absolutley insane.

I'd of crapped on his windshield, old skool style, and then called the Cobra Kai to assault him on bmx's.

The only agression I've ever seen at OB was simply when dudes are getting dropped in on, apart from that there is no reason to get upset at OB due to space.

I'm sure this guy has his side of the story, interesting to see if he comes forth.

[Piotrp]

Yea... it's a matter of common sense and ... courtesy, too. I've seen some "bad scenes" during my 15 years of surfing and I was glad to see that kiting is different.

I did want to hear his side - I hoped, for a simple misunderstanding, but when I heard patronizing lecturing first, and insults later... I knew that there's no common ground.

I completely agree with you: OB is big enough to accommodate everyone. More of a reason why I don't understand why he got aggravated that my kite was to close to his when he himself rode so close to me.

[EvanOR]

Sorry to hear about your experience. There's one particular long time local at OB that seems to make a point of looking for a way to spoil the vibe and get in your face. I wasn't there and of course it's pure speculation on my part, but it certainly sounds like a familiar story to me. If you know you committed no foul, then ignore him and just carry on. Kind of like the bully in the sandbox - if they don't get the reaction they seek, they lose interest.

OB has miles of open space and it's easy enough to ride solo if that is what one truly desires.

[perukite]

exactly.

But OB or not, anyone doing anything like kiting, surfing, rock climbing, paragliding, kayaking etc, etc....that has to go out and be a dick is really pretty sad. Most people go out to have a sort of zen experience and clear their minds, so the last thing you ever think about on the water is negativity or agression. Escaping that whole negative vibe is the journey and the destination.

This guy probably has a shitty job or a super bitchy wife or something else that just drags him down to the point that he needs to harsh on others. He probably needs some people to stoke him out and give him a hug or something.

WTF am I talking about? Anyways.....cheers up dude, and look forward to your next session, I'l throw you the shaka when we are out there.

[friggin old guy]

OB don't need no negative vibe. Crowd control (surfing or kiting) normally accomplished when the conditions get challenging, and that's alla time. Vibing is lame and ruins the spot.

My opinion.

[adamrod]

yah man. that blows....3-4 kites at OB shouldn't be causing a traffic jam..

i've had people yell at me before...usually i chalk it up to fundamental attribution error ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamenta ... tion_error ) (i.e. according to him, you got in his way because you're a dick, not because you were trying to get to your board....according to you, you got in his way because you had to get to your board, not because you're a dick. in other words, the actions of others we attribute to their personality, the actions of ourselves we attribute to situational factors). it's a pretty fascinating study and it happens all the time..not only in kiting obviously.

seems to me, in the waves if the dude looks like he's surfing a wave, i try to give him a wide berth, no matter what tack he's on. but in the waves, i'm usually a guest as it's not really my home turf, so I pretty much yield to anybody.

I can imagine that OB would be frustrating, and I can even imagine why the guy was pissed. In onshore wind (like at OB) one person putting their kite straight up is almost impossible to get around. I remember having that issue at pismo too. now, obviously, there wasn't much you could do about it, so it's not your fault, but i guess to avoid the issue in the future, try to keep your kite a bit lower? i'm not condoning his actions in anyway...just thinking of how best to have it not happen again.

[kitecrazy]

Based on your description of the situation, you said you were trying to get back to your board.....
What about the issue of kiter down without board? Doesn't that somehow fit the description of "vessel in distress" and grant the down kiter a bit of right-of-way (even in a situation where wave riding rules are prominent) ?
I know that particularly at Sherman but also at most other places I've been that a kiter who is trying to get back to their board is given a wider berth to enable them to retrieve their board.

[Bulldog]

Down in the water, vessel in distress...that's pretty funny. Yesterday at Waddell I was retrieving my board (riding strapless) and a longtime local made a point of spraying me with a big roostertail from about 5 feet away.

He was smiling the whole time, but it's not like he's my bud or anything.

[kitecrazy]

Can you blame him for smiling? Every time I spray a vessel in distress I'm sportin a huge grin.