It's sail vs. kite in wave war
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
A kitesurfer heads in to shore, pulled by his kite. The sport, which was developed on Maui, has grown quickly in popularity, leading to conflicts with other water users. One case of "wave rage" goes to trial in June.
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
KAHULUI, Maui — It's the hottest new water sport around, and Maui's windy north shore has a reputation as one of its top playgrounds.
But kiteboarding — described by one enthusiast as a virtual roller coaster gone out of control — is suffering from growing pains.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is looking into complaints about conflicting uses on the water, and there has been a recent increase in violations of a Federal Aviation Administration ban on kiteboarding near the end of the Kahului Airport runway.
"If we continue to have violations, it's possible we will be off the north shore — period,'' said Martin Kirk, president of the Maui Chapter of the Hawai'i Kiteboarding Association.
Added to the growing pains is the animosity between some sailboarders and kiteboarders. In what has been dubbed a case of "wave rage," a Wailuku sailboarder is awaiting trial on charges he allegedly assaulted a kiteboarder in the waters off Kanaha.
Kiteboarding, also called kitesurfing, is a blend of surfing, wakeboarding and parasailing that employs a wing of light fabric to harness the wind for aerial maneuvers and jumps that soar several stories.
Worldwide, kiteboarding has experienced huge growth, with more than 50,000 kites sold last year — a fivefold increase in five years — and more than 30 professional events scheduled, up from just one five years ago.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Many diehard sailboarders, including former Hawai'i pros Robby Naish and Pete Cabrinha, are tossing aside their bulky sailboard equipment for the relatively lightweight kiting gear, and they're not looking back.
A kitesurfer does a midair flip suspended by his kite. Those who love the sport are trying to work out conflicts to prevent any kind of ban.
"Kitesurfing is taking off," said former Maui County water safety supervisor John Silberstein. "I've never seen anything take off that fast.''
Maui is at the epicenter of the sport, which was developed here, and many of the top professionals continue to train and test equipment in local waters. It's been estimated that at least 100 Maui residents owe their jobs to the popularity of the sport and that it is a significant contributor to the island's economy.
But like the popularization of sailboarding on Maui's north shore in the 1980s, kiteboarding's increasing prominence is creating some hard feelings on the water.
"There definitely is a small contingent of windsurfers who do not like the kiters," said Brad Price, a kite buyer for Hi-Tech Surf Sports in Kahului and pro team rider.
Sailboarder Dane Barnhard, 54, is scheduled to go to trial in June for second-degree assault for allegedly running over professional kiteboarder Marcus "Flash'' Austin, 26, while he lay in the water following a jump in late 2000.
Austin, considered one of the world's best kiteboarders, suffered a six-inch gash along his shin that required nine stitches.
Barnhard allegedly made his feelings about kiteboarders known just two weeks before the incident when he was heard saying he would hurt any kiteboarders if he had the chance, according to prosecutors. A judge ordered Barnhard to stay away from Kanaha Beach.
Carole Shé, interim Maui District manager with the DLNR's Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, said her office has caught wind of new complaints, and she intends to summon the leaders of ocean-user groups to a meeting in the coming weeks.
In the '80s, the then-new sport of sailboarding faced banishment from the north shore before a compromise was struck with fishermen and swimmers, resulting in sailboarding zones and time restrictions.
When kiteboarding started taking off, three years ago, government officials called a meeting with kiteboarders after reports of conflicts along the six miles of Maui's windward coast, from Ho'okipa to Kanaha. In the end, the kiteboarders agreed to launch downwind of the Kanaha sailboarders at a small stretch of sand at Ka'a Point they call Kite Beach.
But the informal agreement may be falling apart under increasingly crowded conditions.
Kanaha lifeguard Jay Sniffen compares the situation to a puppy growing and wanting to defend its yard.
"There are a lot of dogs out there,'' Sniffen said. "I love them all, but I just wish they could all get along.''
Part of the problem may be the visitors who don't know local rules about where and when they are allowed to kiteboard. Some of them lack the skill to control where they're going.
Another problem relates to the granting of an FAA waiver last month that officially allows kiteboarding within five miles of Kahului Airport.
When kiteboarding first came onto the scene at Kanaha, aviation officials weren't quite sure whether to include the sport in a rule that prohibits kite-flying and similar activities in the vicinity of airports because of concerns it could interfere with aircraft.
Although initially it was lumped together with the prohibited activities, the FAA looked the other way as long as the kiteboarders stayed away from the end of the runway.
FAA spokesman Jerry Snyder said tower officials have been handling the complaints so far by working with Kirk. He said the problem appears to be caused mostly by visitors unaware of local requirements.
As for conflicts between ocean users, Kirk and other kiteboarders are confident they can co-exist and avoid the outright kiting prohibitions that exist in some areas of the Mainland and Europe.
They say kiteboarders on Maui will be able to work out any problems, as they did at Kailua Beach on Windward O'ahu. After complaints from residents and talk of restrictions, kiteboarders placed signs at the beach listing rules and launch sites and promised to work with officials to develop permanent rules.
Maui kiteboarders say only a few sailboarders are complaining about the kites, and Barnhard in particular has been leading a crusade against the sport. Barnhard could not be reached for comment.
Shé acknowledged that the latest complaints were from Barnhard, but also said she wouldn't be surprised if the gentlemen's agreement that relegated kiteboarders downwind of the Kanaha sailboarders is starting to break down.
"My experience is that those agreements last about two years, and then there are a lot of new guys who don't know about it,'' Shé said.
David Dorn, president of the Maui Kiteboarding Association, said kiters continue to be vigilant in self-policing and observing safety guidelines and unofficial rules that, among other things, call for giving way to fishermen and Hawaiian canoes.
"I don't think there's a problem at all," said Dorn, who owns Actions Sports Maui kiteboarding school. "A lot of people have worked hard to circumvent conflicts and segregate our areas. Kite Beach is run like a little airport. We know how to launch and watch out for each other."
But Kite Beach can be crowded, and Dorn and others concede there's a need to find new launch areas on the north shore.
Craig Powell, a sailboarding instructor and kiteboarder, said the conflicts are the same for surfers in a crowded surf break.
"It's just like another person trying for your wave,'' he said.
Powell said that as kiteboarding increases in popularity, kiting technology will advance as well, allowing greater efficiency, more control of kites and the ability to use less space on the water.
"There's so much ocean," he said. "There's plenty of room for everybody."
Reach Timothy Hurley at (808) 244-4880 or thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com.
