The wind clocking south isn't that uncommon and isn't that big of a deal for kiters. When that happens there is still plenty of south wind to self rescue back to shore in less than 20 minutes.
The issue that causes coastguard calls is when the wind quickly switches from SE to W and then it's directly off shore.
- wind.png (17.1 KiB) Viewed 12548 times
When this happens kiters have these options:
1) Ditch your kite and swim to shore (hard to throw $1000 in to the ocean though)
2) Swim against the wind with your kite leading edge down, I did this in the summer at Jericho in this vlog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YP28xYlQ3E&t=130s and it was hard
3) Deflate your kite and swim in pulling a sea anchor (keep struts inflated for some floatation)
Always dress for the swim, not for the kite.
Glad to hear everybody made it in safe. Yesterday's forecast was pretty off the mark.