KBA, Stop the Dirty Kiteboarding Politics in Hua Hin!

[STEVE G]

I don't know anything about kiteboarding but from my experience of Asian offiacialdom, for anyone to suggest that the authorities collect fees and then expect to get that money sounds pretty naive.

[seasides]

Hi Seasides

Where was that little gem about paying to Kite Surf in your original post, you specifically said the following:-

All they're asking for now are better safety standards, insurance protection and so on.

Which are fine moral conditions, if that's difficult for the smaller enterprises, then they really should not be practicing. Deaths occur from Jetski accidents every year in Thailand, should swimmers fear unregulated wind surfers smacking them in the head with a 50kph Surfboard?

"Sorry about your child, you know its quite difficult for us smaller operators to provide insurance, so we don't bother"

Bit of a cold and selfish approach don't you think? And your uptight because someone would like to "improve the safety, the organisation, and the overall image of the sport?

Wilkie dear this is Thailand I'm afraid where hardly anyone pays taxes, not to mention follows regulation. A regulated kiteboarding scene in Hua Hin would be a national first!

You seem to mix up the place with some Western nation where law and order prevail.

What is needed, fully agreed, is designated zones for kiteboarders.

Everything else stinks.

[Winkie]

So something specifically for you, is what your after, Screw the rest. You ignore the rules, so why complain if another organisation (possibly) is breaking the rules, or bribing the MIB? Seems you completely condone the disregard for law and order when it suits you, but winge at the slightest irregularity when others do it.

Little bit one-sided don't you think?

For your info, I, my Company, and all my staff pay full personal income taxes, VAT and Corporate Taxes. You'd be surprised how easy and simple it is to do. When you contribute towards the Country in which you inhabit, then perhaps your criticisms would carry greater weight.

[JimmyGreaves]

Regulation is a good way forward.

However giving the responsability to big bhoys could be a problem, why don't you have a democratic policing system reporting to the committee :-)

[seasides]

OK, once again that even Wilkie understands:

Under the pretext of law and order someone tries to get rid of the competition; someone, BTW, who can't provide workpermits aka paying taxes for foreign instructors...

You keep on rambling Wilkie, no problem, won't brag by scanning income tax receipts, but don't complain when someone asks for a fee next time you're walking on the beach.

[STEVE G]

The only thing that would concern me, (I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for kiteboarding) is the issue of insurance; do any of these schools provide third party insurance for any damage done to other people that they might hit?

[seasides]

If you're a student at a school, you have insurance cover. Even the smallest school is obliged to.

If you're a regular kiteboarder your own insurance would have to do. The option discussed now is that every kiteboarder has to buy a permit with insurance cover and money flowing into the pockets of some behavioral police...

[Lung Per]

IMO all kiteboarding should be moved away from Hua Hin beaches. Far far away. Like to Malaysia.
Go somewhere else and fly a kite.

[Super Joe]

Me knows, many beachgoers don't like the kitesurfers too much, but well they occupy a certain area and the rest is free of them.

They occupy a certain area of the beach sure, but they quite happily 'drift' 200metres or more and thrash around next to my 4 year old who's minding his own business playing in the surf. They expect us to get out of 'their' way, never seen one make an effort/acknowledge/give a thank you nod etc to him getting out of the water so they can crack on.

Over the years kitesurfing enjoyed quite a boom here - by now there are 11 or so schools.

So they're a 'potential' threat to people's safety in 11 times as many areas now are they.

Ignore the above moans seasides, it's probably something to do with depression at being 40 with a kid instead of 25 on a board I wouldn't say they're a serious hazard and that, but it's a serious point to a certain extent.

If you're a student at a school, you have insurance cover. Even the smallest school is obliged to.

Does the school arrange the cover? Whether it does or whether the student gets his own cover... would that insurance pay out when the instructor is a farang illegally working plus violating the terms of his visa/stay? Doubt it very much!? Most schools have staff ratios of 4 foreigners to 1 Thai don't they, supposed to be the other way around. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to be a jobsworth here, I'm totally pro-exposing every loophole, but you know what insurance companies are like

SJ

[seasides]

Thanks for the valuable inputs.

We all agree that there has to be some kind of regulation. Some of the kiters are real show-off arses and don't mind to have a spectacular crash near the beach, as long as someone says "Ohhh!".

You can tell these guys again and again, they're not listening.

So we have a silent majority of kiters behaving well and a vocal minority causing all the troubles.

Certainly some confinement and regulation is needed, it just got off the wrong way.

It's bad enough that kiters have a bad reputation, but fully understand why.

Good question regarding insurance cover - I guess no, illegally working in LOS never pays off, so the school would most likely be in trouble. But only KBA "employs" foreigners.

So back to square one.

[STEVE G]

Purely from reading what has been posted on here, the whole plan does seem to be flawed in that the people who are suggesting doing the regulating own some 50% of the kiteboarding schools; surely regulation in any industry should be independent to avoid conflict of interest.
You can have either self-regulation or external regulation but it needs to be consistent to all those involved.

[sandman67]

As I occasionally go for a dip in the briny, as do my missus and kids, Id rather you and the rest of the hazard presenting clowns, includng every single Jetski JJ, sodded off all together

Up to me youd be relegated off down to some far flung end of the shore where it was you and the vrip vrip Jetsk JJs competing for wave space. To me you are just one more potential hazard I have to keep an eye and ear out for when I could be havng a relaxing float in the blue.

Expecting any form of honest and transparent business practices here in Thailand is a pipe dream mate. Business here is the proverbal turd sandwch....the more bread you have the less turd you eat.

[lomuamart]

As I see it as a user/walker of the beach the problem is that the winds get up at this time of year until maybe February so it's great conditions for windsurfing.
However, these months coincide with high tides all day long. The beach can be compressed into a few meters during this time. Space is limited and the kitesurfers do tend to take it over in as much as their lines stop anyone from walking.
On a positive note, I've found them quite reasonable so far this year. They actually realise that I'm there behind them as they drag the sail up the beach. They ask if I want to go first. "Na, just get on with it".
During the recent high tides, I've been tangled underfoot by those lines as the kite is being laid out. I've seen the sails fall onto the beach and they're big heavy things.
Overall, I'd agree with SM, but maybe not so vehemently. With a narrow beach for the next three months and lots of families here (maybe) the surfboarding is both potentially dangerous and a pain in the arse.

[surfer]

That's true surfer, up to the point when you're asked to pay as a kiteboarder to be allowed to surf there.

Will you pay a school/shop a weekly/monthly/yearly fee?

You know of any other beaches where you as a kiteboarder have to pay?

Well I'll be heading to Suan Son miltary beach...

seaside; Yes I know other beaches people have to pay. If u go to Costa Brava in Spanin u have to pay to ride. The have set apart one place on the beach for only kite surfers and u have to buy a lycra for 100 euro, this includes insurance and rescue. I don't think this is a solution for Hua Hin because it's not a part of the beach but u can kite all over.

But I think maybe kitesurfers sometime should be more thankful to people who help them out I have several times helped kiters out and even sent jetski to pick them up and they not even offer to pay the jetski for saveing them and their equipment. So if we look at from this aspect maybe kite surfers should pay a fee.

[Super Joe]

Thanks for the valuable inputs.
We all agree that there has to be some kind of regulation. Some of the kiters are real show-off arses and don't mind to have a spectacular crash near the beach, as long as someone says "Ohhh!". You can tell these guys again and again, they're not listening. Certainly some confinement and regulation is needed, it just got off the wrong way. It's bad enough that kiters have a bad reputation, but fully understand why.

Fair play to you for acknowledging it seasides, you're obviously one of the responsible one's. The biggest concern is probably with the students/learners that have done enough to go off on a 'run' but not enough to be able to manouvre a potential hazard. As this is a business they appear imo to deliberately set up next to sunbed areas locations for the advertising effect, I'd probably do the same. Here's Soi 75/1 where we like to go, it's the closest to us, has chairs, bar/restaurant which there aren't that many of along that stretch. You can see how close they set-up, they drift well across this area either way, but hey if I thought it was enough of a danger to my kid I would go somewhere else, but it's not a the moment as not all that busy...

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So we have a silent majority of kiters behaving well and a vocal minority causing all the troubles.

Try going to football in the late 80's/early 90's then

Good question regarding insurance cover - I guess no, illegally working in LOS never pays off, so the school would most likely be in trouble. But only KBA "employs" foreigners. So back to square one.

KBA is just one company out of the five companies that formed the 'association', right? They're the most aggressive one's that throw up small surf school shops and set out 'stalls' on the beach dotted along from about the Marriott right down to Soi 87'ish, so they got most of that long stretch of beach covered from an advertising viewpoint, not covered with surfers flying around that would be stretching it. But there are four other firms in this 'association' isn't there, one being an all-Thai established and local bunch. So given that this association has the most aggressive (or so their hair-stylist tells me) and longest running farang lot with all the money & probably connections + the local Thai firm also with connections, I'd have thought anyone outside this cliche will find out kiteboarding isn't actually the hardest thing to do in the wind, urinating in it is

If all these other firms do not 'employ' farangs then they're going to be easy to put out of business for anyone with a few connections aren't they? If KBA employs them 10-12 odd farangs then they presumably have 30-40 Thais tucked away somewhere as I've only seen a handful, but I'm only a casual observer.

At the end of the day there's kiteboarding and there's real surfing like...


SJ