An Almost Fatal Kite Safari

Bipin comes by in the morning. He has organised a bangka for a kite safari to the islands in the far south-east of Mindoro. The crossing takes almost an hour and a half and is very rough. We are expecting strong and steady winds coming in over the open sea at deserted tropical dream spots where no one has ever kitesurfed before. Our first stop is the outermost island of Masin.

On the west side is a fishing village on a coral beach, with seagrass plantations in front of it. The people are friendly. They have never seen longnoses before. The north-east wind is blocked by the island. We go to the other side. The wind picks up. Shorebreak a good metre onto large pointed rocks. There are kiters who go out at spots like this. Not us.

We swing back into the bangka and head around Masin to the north side of the island. The sea passage between the islands of Masin and Tambaron, which is only 200 metres wide, acts like a jet and increases the wind. To the left on Tambaron is a small sandy beach in the leeward cover in front of high hills. On the right on Masin there is a seaweed plantation in front of a stony beach. As the wind is better there, we moor here.

We check out the small spot. We look around and discuss possible dangers. We brief our two companions on the emergency rules. We decide that a water start is the safest option due to the lack of space. Max is the first to go out after hanging a few lines in stones. His seven kite goes too far up in the power zone during the water start. I can barely hold him. He grabs the board and heads out through the seaweed plantations into the estuary.

I set up my kite and follow a few jumps and how Max heads further east between the islands. There are two lines in the sky. Dashes? Cables! We didn’t see them despite a good spot check, they are very thin and hang very low between Tambaron and Masin. I gesticulate wildly at Max on the water, but it takes him a while to realise what I’m shouting at him: “Power cable just behind you!”. Until then, he continues to cruise along. He only turns around a few metres before the cables.

What happens when kite lines fly into a 220V cable? Lines plastic, bar foam-coated, harness hooks plastic-laminated. But all wet. I’m glad I didn’t find out. Max understands me and wants to land again. Then his safety unintentionally releases. The kite almost smears into the cages of the seaweed plantations. The bar goes to the swap station and becomes entangled in coral. I save him both.

We should have stopped there. I still consider the spot to be kiteable. Water start with Max as holder. My kite keeps going up the edge of the wind window – so far that it almost smooches a plantation cage. We clearly overestimated the space. Immediately after that, the kite rips to the left, inverts and hits the beach. The cause was a jammed tube on the last cross tube, as we realise later. Shame! You have to notice something like that immediately.

We pack up and head over to Tambaron Resort. At least we had guessed this spot correctly after clarifying it on the phone: full leeward cover behind the hills of Tambaron. A seven-kilo monster rooster eats the remains of our lunch. I slide to the side.

An upwinder from Tambaron over to the other side of the bay, about four kilometres away, was also under discussion. But the lee behind Tambaron and the following peninsula is too powerful. This plan was also cancelled. Last chance: Our home spot on the pier next to Felipa 2 Lodge really is the best spot in the whole bay.

I check the nine, wind too weak. I go out with 13, the bridle line gets tangled during the water start. Kite looped a few times, fully powered up. Philippinos save it for me. Out again, this time with a launch assistant. I’ve dangerously messed up enough water starts today. The wind bucks, sometimes almost completely gone, then fully depowered at the limit. Not much fun. A few jumps, a nasty one-legged high-speed crash with a backflip and a seventh sunglasses victim later, I go ashore again. Simply enough. Lesson learnt today: even after 13 years of kiting with only one minor accident, you can still make bad mistakes.