Deadliest Kite surfing Adventures
#10.
Kite surfer dies after slamming into wall
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 25th, 2021, just before it was 10 am, a kite surfer
crashed into a wall and died.
Although the area is a popular site for kite surfing, this one particular kite surfer was
not counting on the very strong winds that day.
The victim was identified as 60-year-old father and grandfather Fred Salter.
He was a very experienced kite surfer and the tragedy follows after he successfully
beat cancer.
That Wednesday morning, Fred got thrown off course by the wind, causing him to fly and
crash into the north side of a nearby home.
He remained there until Fort Lauderdale fire service authorities came to retrieve him.
From there, they transferred him to Broward Health Medical Center.
Although doctors did everything they could to save him, he succumbed to his injuries
and died.
He was pronounced dead three hours after the accident, at 1 pm.
#9.
Kite surfer dies after being pulled out of sea
This tragic incident happened on 29st December 2021 at Bracklesham Bay in England.
That day, wind speeds had been as high as 25 miles per hour.
Although the kite surfer in question was never identified, the accident happened when he
got into difficulties while kite surfing against the high wind speeds.
This caused him to lose control and submerge.
A few key witnesses saw what was happening and then tried to pull him out of the water.
The authorities were also alerted at around 1:15 pm.
Responding quickly, ambulance crews attended the scene, joined by an air ambulance as well
in case the victim needed to be airlifted out to a hospital.
Well, they arrived a little too late.
By the time the authorities arrived, the man was out of the water.
However, it was too late for him.
Despite everyone s best efforts, he was pronounced dead on the scene.
#8.
Experienced Kite Surfer dies at closed beach This incident happened in Watergate Bay, near
Cornwall, England on September 24, 2020.
The victim was 39-year-old Chris Prior, an experienced Kite Surfer and a judge for the
British Kitesurfing Association.
The day before, Chris had said goodbye to his wife before traveling to the beach on
Watergate Bay to kite surf.
The beach had already been red-flagged by lifeguards due to high wind speeds at the
time.
Wind speeds were about 29 miles per hour that day.
Of course, this excited Chris and his friend since it meant surfing would be more challenging.
While kite surfing, Chris s friend Darren noticed that Chris s kite was floating in
the water.
In a panic, he looked around and then found Chris swimming face down in the water.
Chris didn t seem to be in any distress, but Darren tried to pull him out of the water
anyway.
After two failed attempts, Darren managed to drag Chris s body to the beach where they
were met by a lifeguard.
Despite first aid efforts, Chris did not make it.
#7.
Kite surfer launches into air during adventure
This incident happened after 5 pm on Friday, October 29, 2021, at Lyme Regis beach in the
UK.
The victim, a male in his early 20s, was kite surfing when the winds speeds suddenly began
to pick up, making him lose control.
Unfortunately for him, wind speeds got so strong that he ended up being launched off
the surface of the water and about 20 feet into the air.
To his horror, he remained in the air for moments and was pulled eastward by the wind.
After that, he fell down to the beach.
A few witnesses rushed to him, including his friend who put a blanket around him and started
to comfort him.
The authorities were called and the coast guard, firefighters, and an air ambulance
arrived at the scene shortly.
The victim was taken away for treatment.
Firefighters also removed the kite sail which had become tangled on the roof of a property
on Marine Parade.
#6.
Delaware native killed while kite surfing However, the accident took place near Dewey
Beach, Delaware.
The 48-year-old male victim had been practicing his kite surfing on October 4, 2019 when he
decided to challenge himself by kite surfing without a board.
Unfortunately for him, winds began to strengthen right up until he lost control.
He tried to let go of the kite, but he was too tightly attached to the harness.
And so, the strong winds dragged him beneath the surface of the water, drowning him.
Authorities were called to the scene and they searched for the man for hours.
Unfortunately, they discovered his body along the shore just after 1:30 p.m.
By then he was dead, and it was too late for any kind of first aid.
His body was taken away for an autopsy to be carried out.
#5.
Teacher dies after kite surfing collision On January 20th, 2019, 37-year-old Logan Gemming,
a beloved teacher, died in a kite surfing collision.
The incident happened in Fergusson Park, Tarangua, New Zealand.
That day, there were about 25 other kite surfers in the water.
Wind speeds, which were typically between 18 to 23 miles per hour, had kicked up to
32 miles per hour that day.
Logan had been strapped by his friend, and the moment he began kite surfing, things started
to go wrong.
He was moving at speeds at speeds of up to 18 miles per hour when he lost control and
fell facedown on the water.
Unable to navigate, he was dragged by the kite right through a log and died instantly
from aortic rupture after the high-energy collision.
Investigations by the police later on revealed that the friend who strapped him to the harness
ignores several safety protocols, placing Logan s life at risk.
#4.
Kite surfer dies after being blown into wall Despite several signs warning kite surfers
not to set up their gear near the rocks, the victim ignored the advice and proceeded to
do just that.
And so, while he was still getting things sorted out, before he could hit the water,
the wind kicked up, blowing him away.
At first, he slammed into the sea wall.
After that, the wind continued to carry him, dragging his body across the rocks.
The authorities were called, but by the time they arrived, there was nothing they could
do for him.
The coast guard had to be summoned to retrieve the man s body.
Both witnesses and authorities remarked that the weather conditions were perfectly fine
at the time.
The wind speeds were at about 23 miles per hour when the accident happened.
#3.
Kite surfer blown away and hit by car The victim was setting up his kite surfing
gear with his girlfriend near the beach.
Then, the wind began to pick up, getting too much for him and dragging him off.
He bounced on the ground three times, picking up several injuries and landing in front of
the highway.
There, things only got from bad to worse as he was hit by a car, giving him life-threatening
injuries.
Authorities arrived at the scene where he was transported to San Francisco General Hospital
for treatment.
According to experts, he was unable to dislodge the kite from the harness, causing him to
sustain heavy injuries.
#2.
Kite Surfer slapped around by strong winds This happened on August 19, 2008 in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida.
At the time, darkening skies were warning of an approaching storm, causing most kite
surfers to clear the waters.
However, there was one daredevil kite surfer who thought he could brave the strong winds.
His name was Kevin Kearney and he was 28 years old.
While kite surfing, strong winds, he suddenly began to lose control.
In a horrifying moment that got caught on camera, the wind picked Kevin out and slammed
him into the sand and then picked him up again and threw him into the parking lot.
Finally, he flew across a street before crashing into a building.
Upon all that, Kevin survived and was transferred to a hospital for treatment.
Other kite surfers on the scene remarked that the winds were way to high for him to have
tried to go into the water at the time.
#1.
Pro kite surfer collides with shark while practicing
This incident happened on January 2, 2019 off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
Pro kite surfer, Alex Soto, was practicing for the 2019 Pan Am Games taking place later
in the year.
He had been riding a hydrofoil surfboard at the time and had a go-pro attached to the
kite.
And so, the exact moment he collided into the shark was caught on camera.
After the collision, Alex Soto was sent flying into the water.
Lucky for him, the shark was reeling from the impact of the blow and ended up swimming
away.
However, he got out alright without any further complications.
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