By Corney Ann Carter on Tuesday, August 7, 2001 - 11:13 am: |
Kiteboarding has been introduced into Lac Bay. We feel that is a very bad idea. It may be ecologically unsound and a hazard to windsurfers. The present windsurfing capacity of the bay is 60-80 windsurfers. The windsurfing concessions feel that the number of sailors would be drastically reduced to possibly 10 kiteboarders and 20 windsurfers in the bay. This would mean a decreased number of tourists windsurfing. Kiteboarding has been banned in sections of Hawaii and San Diego. Kites are large and lines are long and involve frequent raising, lowering and dragging during the beginner stage. We have watched people learning on Cape Hatteras and many of them never actually get up on the board and sail. Others get up only to fall and never get up again and end up dragging everything back. We feel the kiteboarding is not a good thing in Lac Bay's small area. Corney Ann and John
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By Josie on Tuesday, August 7, 2001 - 6:40 pm: |
Anyone, is there a way to express our views on this that would get them heard. I certainly wouldn't like to see Lac Bay changed, even though I'm just a windsurf watcher.
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By Carole Baker on Tuesday, August 7, 2001 - 7:01 pm: |
We witnessed someone Kitesurfing Lac Bay while we were there in May this year and almost drove off the roadside doing so. I could not believe my eyes. I do not think this sport and Lac Bay "go together". Just not enough room, dangerous and attracting thrill seekers (extreme sport enthusiasts). Sounds like a bad combo to me. Anyone else care to jump into the waters, here? Carole
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By Jake Richter - NetTech on Wednesday, August 8, 2001 - 12:06 am: |
There are actually three different concerns, with respect to Bonaire, with kite boarding/surfing, based on my observations of attempts of this sport, and reports from people in the U.S. who've been following this "sport":
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By Glen Reem on Wednesday, August 8, 2001 - 1:54 pm: |
Is Lac Bai a part of the Marine Park and, therefor, the purview of the Marine Park Police?? Don't they have the power of law to enforce Park regulations?
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By Jake Richter - NetTech on Wednesday, August 8, 2001 - 11:29 pm: |
Marine Park _Police_? There is no such thing. Many wish there were - that would certainly take care of things like this, the illegal taking of conch, illegal dumping of sand on shorelines, and countless other detrimental and non-permitted activities affecting Bonaire's Marine Park ordinances and conservation efforts.
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By Glen Reem on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 12:32 am: |
How does the BMP enforce it's rules for divers?? I thought that they have human beings in boats and trucks watching us. Do you mean that all the rules, like 'no gloves', take nothing but pictures and joy, and requiring a BMP tag, are voluntary and unenforcable??
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By Barry Gassert on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 1:25 am: |
Glen....the BMP rangers are around and they do enforce the tags and gloves on their shore dive rounds. They also check tags to be sure they are current.
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By Sarah on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 7:44 am: |
Barry, how awful for you... that must have been a very difficult situation... of course, I am a firm believer that "education" is imperative.. though, I do agree with you that there should be some kind of enforcement also.. often, people are only too aware that they MUST NOT harass marine life, but still they think they have a right to just "do it anyway".. what a very inconsiderate man you had to deal with, hope I never find myself in the same situation...
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By Ann Phelan on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 7:50 am: |
I am an avid windsurfer. Several of my friends kite. I call it going over to the other side or "the cult". Once windsurfers begin to kite, few go back to windsurfing. Anyway, I do not mind kiters staying away from the windsurfing area so long as they have control but the problem lies when newbies end up downwind in the "windsurf areas". I have rescued MANY a kiter who could not bring their kite down.
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By Barry Gassert on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 8:50 am: |
Sarah...just as in life, there are good photographers and bad ones. The good ones will not harass the critters and will get the natural pic without disturbing it or damaging coral.
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By Jake Richter - NetTech on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 9:52 am: |
Barry,
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By Barry Gassert on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 11:44 pm: |
Jake....I had to go back and see what you were talking about .
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By Rob Conkey on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 9:52 am: |
This discussion is starting to sound like the old Waterskier vs. Wakeboarder battle. Most people I know started waterskiing and moved on to wakeboarding. Now everyone I know wakeboards. They are all very considerate and very responsible when it comes to others on the water and the enviroment.
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By Anonymous on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 2:53 pm: |
Ann-- you never been to Bonaire
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By Ann Phelan on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 3:00 pm: |
Since that post Aug. 9 I have been 3 times. I love watching kiteboarding but it is too small a bay to handle many kitesailors and windsurfers. Most stay near the marina and everyone is quite happy.
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By PStobie on Saturday, March 2, 2002 - 10:54 am: |
I seem to remember when we WINDSURFERS were banned from beaches too because surfers and swimmers didn't want us around! I remember hearing that we were too out of control! We took up too much of the beaches, yada yada yada!
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By Linda Richter - NetTech on Saturday, March 2, 2002 - 8:47 pm: |
It is a tough question to answer. Kiteboarding and other activities are not allowed in the windsurfing area due to obvious collision potential especially with the inexperienced. Any activity is not allowed above the sea grass areas. And of course, you don't want to be doing anything in the mouth of the bay, or near the fisherman's piers and boat area. Lac Bay is also surrounded by mangroves - again a protected area. All those limitation don't leave much room for kiteboarding. The one time I've seen a kiteboarder I did notice that he needed a lot of room to string out the kite and get going. He was also standing in rather shallow water.
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By Dain L. Mangnall on Friday, March 8, 2002 - 12:59 pm: |
Same issue in Colorado with Skiers vs. Snowboarders
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By Edwin Bonne on Wednesday, December 4, 2002 - 5:47 pm: |
All I hear is negative publicity on the part of kitesurfing in Lac Bay. I totally dis-agree with what primarly windsurfers have to say about kitesurfing at Sorobon.
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By Jake Richter - NetTech on Wednesday, December 4, 2002 - 5:52 pm: |
Some sort of agreement has been reached with respect to kite surfing, the Marine Park, and windsurfers. See http://www.kitesurfbonaire.com
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By Glen Reem on Wednesday, December 4, 2002 - 10:21 pm: |
Jake,
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By Ann Phelan on Thursday, December 5, 2002 - 1:18 pm: |
Again, I hate to see any sport banned..there are hazards in all sports and if the area is respected (I still see windsurfers walking in sea grass so they are at fault too) and the kiters are near the marina in the deep bay, I think we can coexist.
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By hillary whyte on Thursday, December 5, 2002 - 1:53 pm: |
Sailboards vs. Kite sailors, snowboards vs. skiers, Mac vs. PC, Democrats vs. Republicans..... I suppose this will be on Crossfire on CNN? Some of you are way too whiny about a sport that only requires the WIND to have fun...perhaps if they were all on jet skis you'd be happier, even interested in doing it since it doesn't require any "athleticism".
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By michael gaynor on Friday, December 6, 2002 - 7:55 am: |
Hillay..hope you never find yourself in the position of peacefuly snorkelling on lac bay and having a novice kite sailor bearing down on you! Every sport with a potential for grave danger to unsuspecing bystanders needs some rules. If I go to a hocky match and get smacked in the forhead by a puc, I was a willing spectator and take my lumps without complaint. As for kite sailors, I have no problem if there is a space for them that is set aside to keep the rest of us out of their paths. Bonaire is too small for a large influx of these sportsman. As for the marsh grass...we forgive you for you uneducated comment.
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By hillary whyte on Friday, December 6, 2002 - 8:14 pm: |
Michael,
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By michael gaynor on Saturday, December 7, 2002 - 8:04 am: |
The hocky rink is located right next to the 14 story buildings in Rincon. No, I have never kited or wind surfed. It is not that kiting created such a controvery here, it is perhaps that it was something new and posed a threat to the locally established businesses. As for the protection of the enviorment, that takes precedence over any sports activity. We no longer have air shows here (once popular)as it scares the hell out of the flamingos! I don't doubt that you are enviormentally conscious and I didn't mean to put you on the defensive, but the majority of visitors to Bonaire who are here for a week don't have the time to look beneath the surace (no pun intended) and see what it has taken to keep our island in a relatively pristine condition. That is the reason we have a high percentage of returning visitors...they see there is more to us than wind and waves and come back to experience it. Our goal of sustainable growth does not include activites that will work to undo our progress or damage our ecosystem.
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By Carole Baker on Saturday, December 7, 2002 - 4:06 pm: |
Oh, Michael, Joe was just thinking the same thing about the Salt hills.....he says "great minds think alike"! Get your downhill skis ready, guys! LOL. Carole
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By hillary whyte on Monday, December 9, 2002 - 1:16 pm: |
I have the proper wax for Mt. Sodium.
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By Hagen Wegerer on Monday, December 9, 2002 - 8:48 pm: |
WE PRIDE OURSELVES AS HUMANS FOR BEING THE MOST INTELIGEANT OF CREATURE EVER TO LIVE ON THIS PLANET WE CALL EARTH. BEFORE I ANSWER TO ANY OF THE ALLAGATIONS THAT KITE BOARDING OR KITE SURFING, WHICH IS AN EVOLUTION OF WINDSURFING, IS A DANGEROUS “SPORT”, I WOULD LIKE US ALL TO THINK ALITTLE AND CONSIDER VARIUOS POINTS OF VIEW.
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By Igor van Riel on Tuesday, December 10, 2002 - 3:52 am: |
Hagen,
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By Hagen Wegerer on Tuesday, December 10, 2002 - 8:04 am: |
So sorry if I have offended but it is easier sometimes for me to do all caps. But then we are side tracking from the issue..!
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By Igor van Riel on Tuesday, December 10, 2002 - 8:14 am: |
U didn't offend me, Hagen.
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By Pieter Zweers on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 6:13 pm: |
It is all about business here!
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