Unfortunate Death in Very Gusty Conditions

bulae99 · Since 12 Jul 2006 1692 Posts XTreme Poster

mauizoom wrote:

I wasn't there yesterday but my husband Reinhard was (photo of Tatsuya and Reinhard in 2006). He had launched Tatsuya on a 7m Best Waroo and everything appeared fine. Tatsuya was kiting for about 30 minutes or more before another kiter noticed the kite sitting on the water on edge of the wind window, ready to launch but with no input from the rider.

The spotter who was not an advanced kiter, went back to shore to get help from the lifeguards. The lifeguards finally got to Tatsuya about 20 minutes later and he was already dead from what we hear, and still hooked in.

Anybody who kites knows how difficult it is to drag somebody else in even when they're conscious and can hold on. We talked about this situation as far as what could have been done to perhaps save Tatsuya's life. There's some controversy about why the lifeguard didn't respond when the bright pink kite was obviously bobbing on the water outside of the boneyard for 15 minutes.

Nobody really saw if the kite was looping or doing radical things before hand, although it was pretty windy. Tatsuya didn't appear to have any high impact marks, blood, or cuts from kitelines. His kite was ripped by the time it got to shore, but the bar wasn't super tangled or anything. His custom mahogany board is still missing. If anybody finds it please contact me.

Tatsuya was 60 years old, an orthopedic or spine surgeon from Japan. He started kiting about 5 years ago and has kited around the world. He came to Maui every year from April to September and would go for 2 hour sessions or longer. He had a gentle spirit and was no doubt a great father and husband and friend.

Tatsuya was fit and healthy, his death is a mystery and very sad because we'll never know what happened to cause this untimely event. We do know that he died doing something he loved. Life is short, so remember to live it to its fullest.

Source
http://www.ikitesurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13802&highlight=rip

A while back I posted a comment about gusty conditions. I thought this would show up on our site, but it didn't so I'm posting source and some text.

**The gorge is gusty, like Maui, and make sure you know it and understand the risks. Kiteboarding in gusty conditions is very risky while over powered. My thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Tatsya's family and friends. Crying or Very sad

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C Johnson · Since 17 Apr 2009 854 Posts Seattle Opinionated

very sad to hear that. I hope his family gets the support they need to get through such an unfortunate event

do you know if there was an autopsy scheduled or done to determine cause of death? without any signs of impact or trauma it sounds like it could have been natural causes like potentially a heart attack or stroke.

I'm not trying to discount what you are saying. I do definitely agree that gusty conditions are very dangerous for riding in especially when combined with high winds and small fast kites.

this is definitely a good reminder. it is just unclear if kiteboarding killed him or if he died while kiteboarding....

Edit:

just read the story on ikitesurf. sounds like a hard impact may have killed him but there is speculation on broken ribs being caused by intensive CPR vs the impact. that's very sad. my heart goes out to his family.

Tommy · Tue Jul 28, 09 5:26 pm

Ugh... sad... It's worth remembering that falling on water can be as hard as falling on concrete. Doesn't really matter how skilled or experienced you are, if you get knocked unconscious, even in the shallows, chances are you'll have drowned before anyone can get to you. This could have happened to any of us, even in the gorge. My condolences go out to his family and friends...