In her 12 years of kitesurfing, Lison Mage has never experienced anything like her recent brush with death.

While preparing to launch off a Gold Coast beach last month, she felt overpowered by her kite as it began dragging her away from the water.

“I think my brain went into freeze mode,” she said.

“I didn’t know what I was doing because I was under shock.

A woman holds another woman lying on the ground with a bloodied nose.

Lison Mage broke her spine, ankle and toes after being thrown more than 10 metres from the beach onto land. (Supplied)

“A gust of wind propelled me and then next thing, I’m above the trees.”

She said using the quick release, a crucial safety measure in kitesurfing emergencies, might have averted what came next, but the panic and pace of the moment overcame her.

“The line of the kite went through the trees and I was getting [pulled in] and that’s where I did the release,” Ms Mage said.

“Then I saw the ground and in my mind I said, ‘I am dead.'”

Ms Mage landed on the road after she was thrown more than 10 metres in the air.

She sustained a burst spinal fracture: a severe injury in which the vertebra crushes in multiple directions, as well as a broken ankle and toes, and impact to the chest.

Ms Mage believes she could have been paralysed if not for her helmet, impact vest and strong harness.

Wind considerations non-negotiable

Australia has had at least five deaths in kitesurfing since 2003, with almost all involving an impact with a structure or object after a wind gust.

Gold Coast-based former competitive kitesurfer Anna Williams said the sport came with two key dangers.

“Inconsistent wind can get really dangerous and nasty,” she said.

“And also launching. I think launching is the most dangerous part of the sport.”

A woman stands on a board in the ocean tilting backwards ad she holds on to a kite line

Lison Mage has kitesurfed in Australia, Fiji and Europe for more than a decade and done more than 250 skydives. (Supplied)

Gusts are more likely when wind travels from land to sea, conditions Ms Williams said were best avoided.

Onshore winds on the other hand, while generally safe, can push the rider towards physical hazards along the beach if they don’t have full control of the kite.

Ms Williams said safety came down to experience level and choosing an angle of the beach that worked well with the wind direction.

Ms Mage said wrongly evaluating the wind proved perilous in her case.

“Kitesurfing is safe when done right,” she said.

“It seems like I made a bad judgement call on that day that put me in a very tricky situation.”

Research shows most serious kitesurfing accidents resulted from being blown away by wind and hitting solid objects, falls from height, and being unable to break free from the kite.

Injury risk low but impact high

Kitesurfing is widely considered an extreme sport but the numbers suggest the risk of injury or dying is low.

Findings from a survey of more than 3,000 people in January found an injury rate of 4.8 per 1,000 hours of kitesurfing, in line with the average injury rate of contact sports.

It found the most common kitesurfing injuries were cuts and grazes, followed by damage to the rib, knee ligaments, lower extremities and head.

However, it showed a risk of polytrauma, a “rare but devastating” kitesurfing injury where a person suffers multiple traumatic injuries to body parts and organs.

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It is what Ms Mage was diagnosed with.

“The likelihood of risk is quite low, but the consequence is high, as you can see,” she said.

The study found the risk of injury significantly decreased with experience, but Ms Mage’s accident shows even advanced kite surfers are vulnerable.

Some ‘compounding’ factors

Kitesurfing has rapidly grown in the past two decades, with an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people now in the sport worldwide.

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Australia has thousands of active kiters, but in what is still a largely unregulated sport, the onus of safety falls on participants.

Nicholas Austin, who kitesurfed for 17 years, knows the hazards firsthand.

In 2016, the Geraldton man witnessed a fellow kite surfer die from a “death loop”, a dangerous situation where a kite line tangles with the harness.

Mr Austin said the man was tethered to his board by a leash at the time, something kiters did to avoid losing their boards.

But he said most in the kitesurfing community advised against it.

“Whatever the cost of your equipment, it’s not worth your life.”

Mr Austin said accidents were often caused by “compounding factors”.

“One is the location. In general, kitesurfing next to buildings, roads, trees is pretty dangerous unless you have a good handle of the equipment and can read the situation,” he said.

Others were tide, wave size and equipment condition, he said.

Best practice is about the basics

Kiteboarding Australia encouraged anyone wanting to learn the sport to take lessons through accredited providers, and be across safety protocols.

In a statement, it warned riders to ensure the weather conditions matched their level of experience.

Mr Austin’s advice for beginners was to join local clubs, buddy up with kiters and always get insurance.

“Make sure you check your equipment and double check it. Don’t wear a leash. And don’t go out in conditions above your capacity,” he added.

A blonde-haired woman smiles widely as she sits on a chair in an outdoor area

Lison Mage has completed over 250 skydives and kitesurfed across Australia, Europe and Fiji. (ABC News: Glenn Mullane)

Ms Mage said her accident would see her advocate more on risk management, but, for now, she was focused on being grateful.

“I felt like the universe is sending me a sign,” she said.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to give more to this world.”