I’m so sorry it’s been such a long time since my last post. The truth is I’ve been dreading having to write this post because I don’t know what to say or how to say it. Many of you in the kiteboarding community have heard that we had a fatality at our local launch, Magnusson Park in Seattle. Tragically, 47 year old Daniel Bergin lost his life on October 18th, the day after my last post. Though we didn’t know Dan very well, we’ve heard wonderful storied of his life in the last two weeks. He was an adventurous soul who traveled the world sailing and flying as a jet pilot. He loved to share his passion by teaching others how to sail and naturally he was incredibly stoked on kiteboarding.

The truth of the matter is that we’re lucky more people were not seriously injured that day. Forecasters had warned of a major storm with gusts up to 60mph. Other experienced kiters were on the water that day making it look enticing to anyone on the beach. However, a local kiting veteran later admitted that they were the most challenging conditions he had ever been in and tried to warn others that it was brutal out there. We will never truly know the specific details of what happened, but all that matters is we lost a fellow kiteboarder that day and the shockwaves are still rippling through our community.

It seems that everyone who knew Dan felt blessed to have had him in their life. If you’d like to read more about him, the Seattle PI published a great tribute to him that can be read here. His best friend, Sean, also wrote a beautiful eulogy and posted it on our local forum, PSKite.org. The thread can be viewed here. I wish that we would have gotten to know him better in the year that he was kiting in the northwest. He sounds like a true inspiration to live your life to the fullest, as cliche as that sounds.

It’s impossible to not to think of him as we’re out on the water these days. Not a day has gone by that Jason and I don’t think about Dan. I hope that he watches over us while we’re kiting. If anyone has any questions about the events that occured, or kiteboarding safety, don’t hesitate to e-mail us at Jason@gokiting.com. Jason has been safely kiting at this spot for 8 years now and knows the ins and outs better than anyone. We’re willing to do whatever we can to ensure that this never happens again.

I believe the take-home message from all this is different for everyone. For me, it is to never underestimate Mother Nature and the power she holds. Please everyone, be safe and make smart decisions.