The District of Squamish has temporarily closed the watersports beach at Sp’akw’us Feather Park on the Oceanfront to kites and kiteboarders.
In a press release, District said an investigation is underway to understand the details of what contributed to Monday’s fatal accident where a kiteboarder was blown onto the rocky headland. While the investigation is underway, kites are restricted out of caution to ensure public safety. Wingfoiling and windsurfing continue to be permitted.
“Public safety is paramount, and so we must take this cautionary step while we work to understand the contributing factors to the accident,” says Bill Stoner, the District’s General Manager of Corporate Services. “We urge kiters to adhere to the closure. The results of the investigation will guide our next steps.”
Access to Pepahím̓ (Spit Island) for kiteboarding is available through a seasonal shuttle operated by the Squamish Windsports Society. Shuttles occur daily between noon and 7 p.m., and access to the shuttle launch is a short walk from the Sp’akw’us Feather parking lot. Visit squamishwindsports.com for information on current weather conditions.
David Colwell says
If there is any reason to close the park for wind kiting use, it might lie in the projected underwater old pilings. The persistence of these pilings has recently been carefully underlined as a potential safety issue by Tim Cyr. But the Council seems to have not removed them. Now they are seemingly in a knee-jerk reaction closing off a healthy activity. Hopefully, I am wrong in any of these assumptions.