Stop censoring

What happened to my comment on Lennox Head is was fare and polite.
As I said if you can have a cam on the holy grail on the east coast (shark Island)
and 4 cams in Cronulla you can stop your bitchin and put them every where.
I'm surprised there isn't one at Voodoo hell why not you have completely
over cammed Cronulla to begin with.

This is getting very interesting.

There are 6 cams in Westernport Bay over perhaps 2 kms of coastline. The operator of those cams encourages those new to surfing as well as sweepers to use the multiple reefs to learn on! Westernport Bay is now less than an hours drive from much of Melbourne and the surf is always crowded even on howling onshore days. I speak to people who surf there and its never "man, I had such a great surf", mostly its "I got a couple before I got dropped in on for the 5th time and came in". Not much of a return for busting your guts all day at work and then an hours drive each way on and then off the peninsula after work.

The waves aren't Lennox standard, mostly fat and slow but the point being cams do make a difference to numbers in the surf.

#fuckthecamsoff

Agree with evosurfer. My comment from Sunday(12/2/17) at about 8am has been removed. I only made that up as a joke about the Webber Wave Pool being built near there. Is it true ? or is there another reason?

There's a couple of threads with the same title. Your post is still there MR.

Am absolutely NO fan of surf cams - they encourage a supine laziness and disempower surfers by way of diminishing the motivation to learn about weather patterns, conditions, the idiosyncrasies of a particular break or coastline etc....they lend themselves to the creation of a culture of crowded ineptness. They are only one component of the complex puzzle of change that is occurring at an escalating pace - worth also mentioning the need for self and peer censorship? All those social media fots, posts, sms's and onsite surf reports to maaaates (and everyone else who reads them) are just as significant in creating crowded lineups in spots that would otherwise be relatively uncrowded....practice self and peer censorship and call out a dog.

Fair go $wellnet, do the right thing and take the Lennox cam down.

Maybe move the cam view down the line, say after the boat ramp. That would allow most to get a fair view of whats happening.

Im surprised there wasn't a cam to start with at Lennox.

BTW. i think Swellnet a fairly reasonable in regard to censoring, many forums would have just deleted the original threads especially with "Fuck" in the tittle, instead they let two threads run (should have deleted one) then let it turn into a bitch and moan session that started to get abusive.

In a perfect world there wouldn't be Cams or surf reports, and there also wouldn't be people paying their way in to remote Indo locations on charter boats and boats, but sadly that's reality it's 2017 not 1987.

@Guysmiley

I doubt the cams in Westernport bay have little to do with the crowds, i remember doing trips over there before the internet and it was always crowded and I know most of the older guys that live down my way grew up surfing that area, its always been popular because they are waves anyone can surf from kooks to rippers and when they are breaking the open beaches or coast is big and generally onshore.

Hidy holes are always crowded on the Island here Flynn's, Right point, and Catbay are also crowded whenever they break and there is no cams.

Not to mention SE Suburbs are one of the fastest growing area ofd Vic and those waves are the closest waves for most that live on the east side of Melbourne, with or without cams it would be crowded.

There is much truth in what you say Indo but are Cat Bay/Flynns/Right Point crowded on on and cross shore days? I doubt it. Proximity to Melbourne and the opening of the freeways have played a big part in it so have the Westernport cams.

Indo dreaming " in a perfect world there wouldn't be cams or surf reports.." - so let's make it a perfect world then!!!! I get so tired of people's defeatist attitudes they do nothing to inspire. See it all the time. Cams are the main issue. Surf reports could maybe get toned down a little to allow crew to still think for themselves. Surfing IS a refuge it is a place where many people go to GET AWAY from the human madness on land . . So it makes absolutely no sense to encourage crowds. I have NEVER heard One person say how much they prefer surfing in crowded surf. People have had enough. It's a slap in the face and I am not surprised at some of the responses. Really it's time they were gone, with all due respect

Seen recent reports that vinyl is back? E-books sales are declining as people clamber for real books again?

Back to the future?

I say bring back the surf report on radio.

Okay lets say we are aiming for this prefect world.

If i could pick between removing cams and removing surf forecast id pic removing surf forecast and reports.

Surf cams are kind of a bit overrated if you live near the beach it's easy to check the surf for most of us it's the first thing we do i check the surf then go to work, if you live a few hours away by the time you get to the waves conditions have often changed.

Most of the time, we can either surf or we have other commitments, if we can surf and we are keen most of us have a good idea if the waves will be worth surfing.

Surf forecast in my view are more valuable they tell you whats going to happen and they are pretty spot on these days, swell size, period, wind direction and strength, even things like previous wind direction and speed.

For me forecast are more valuable than surf cams, surf forecast are like having a magic glass ball where you can look into the future, while a surf cam is just like having a window in your own house that you can look out to check the surf in real time.

You guys can have here and now, i want too see into the future.

Maybe this topic deserves a thread of it's own.

some people in here obviously haven't considered that cams can work the other way too

many a time i've chosen not to head to a particular break because the cam shows that it's already packed, so i'll go somewhere else

i don't know if anyone has proof that cams actually effect crowd levels? it all seems like pure conjecture to me

You're not getting how this Swellnet joint works, are you Synchy?

I'm with Indo, forecasts are way more valuable.. How many times have you set the alarm for the early based on a forecast, got down to your spot only to find a cast of thousands had the same info and same idea.

With a cam you can only check it when its light, so plenty of time to get a few before the hordes arrive from the Goldy or Bris Vegas..

Oh and the title of this thread 'Stop Censoring', well isn't all the carry on about removing the Lennox cam a form on censorship ?

My insincere apologies for the plug, but there is another view to all this malarkey about a camera on someone's verandah. And Ashnet and I have shared a commercial advertising arrangement so I'm almost entitled.
https://petebowes.com/2017/02/13/the-oxcam-problem/

Why the hell is Lennox Head so important everybody knows when there is swell
we all know what tides and swell direction is best for it so who cares. There is cams
every where I now vote for one at Angourie.

Love your work Peter. Got lost on your web page for hours.

Thanks Eugene, I've been lost from time to time writing it ..

It's got me wondering Pete.

I write a couple of brief posts about the fascist boardriders clubs of Lennox and I'm too big a target who's ego needs deflating.

Yet here you are spruiking an entire eponymously named website containing nothing but the undiluted chicken scratchings of you who couldn't bear to see any voice over represented on an open forum.

You literally linked to yourself in your restless search for self aggrandisement.

Lest the spotlight go dim....

Wasn't too bad though , Pete.

I might even go back .

You miss the point of the original post, Blowbaby - nevertheless I'm glad there's something in the blog for you, you and I both appreciate spotlights, right?

Chk chk boom

Ah, the stage spotlight is addictive.

Insert quote about sound n fury n shit.

Surfing's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the water
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by a kook, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

... with apologies to Shakespeare

You seem to fancy yourself as a bit of an author, PeterB

What's your address? Gary could send you a bit of literature* that's a bit higher brow than your posts above. After reading it carefully you may be able to write gooder as well as unlocking the secret to developing rock hard abs in just 6 weeks.

*Full set of Men's Health Magazines 2004-2007.

Gary, I was the best surfer in the world for 3 minutes at the Pass in 1963 ... even MP stopped to watch me glide by on the wave of the day.
From then, all downhill.

I'd like to apologise to Will too. Will Smith.

I mean "chk chk boom"?! What was I thinking?

Correction:

"Boom! shake-shake-shake the room / Boom! shake-shake-shake the room / Boom! shake-shake-shake the room / Tic-tic-tic-tic Boom!"

Carry on.

Jezzz, peterb, you need to go back to you day job of giving online handys to clif (and receiving them in turn), or pretending to be try-hard can't win a argument forum-punter on a swellnet forum, because I had a peek at a few of your stories, and well, your stories are as boring as. (Regional) local paper below-average feature standard, potentially.

But hey, keep trying.

Thanks Terrance, getting a bucketload from blokes like yourself is what a man needs to keep from getting a big head. Appreciated.

Why would you get a big head peterb

By believing too much bullshit.

No bullshit here mate

The thing is that Lennox head isn't Sydney it's not a city and people live there to because it's not a city.. so saying that just because Cronulla and shark island have cams etc then why not Lennox etc isn't justified. There are less people in Lennox and the town wAnts to keep it that way , for good reason. As for the break it just cannot hold that many people . It's not made for it. Cams do attract crowds and you can all do your "but is it proven" bullshit till you're blue in the face.either you are just too lazy or too young and too dumb to know the before and after effects. The thing is we all love to surf and you protect what you love . It's not about money it should never be about money. I'm not saying don't forecast and I actually like the radio idea- so you can do things while you listen.and a good ol synoptic chart to read keeps the respect flowing and a connection to what it is we are doing. This day and age there is just too much of over explanation, technology and computers and apps and appliances all doing it "for you" , "making your life easier" , "for those with busy lives..." etc etc, and in truth the culminative effect is just dumbing us all down .. taking away our ability to think for ourselves to keep our memory and brain active. I saw some gadget thing the other day - it was a box that grew a plant inside that connects to your phone with an app that sounds alarms to tell you when it needs water. Ffs. Studies have shown dementia is on the rise and Alzheimer's and people's memory's are getting worse. I would like to see a society where people are encouraged to think for themselves . Where they feel more connected and I don't mean connected by way of social media, but real physical and spiritual connection. I see that people wanted to make a career , a job from their surfing but it must be done with respect for the surfing community as a whole, with thoughts to how it could effect things long term . I am not sure that these things were considered.

Cameras at surf breaks are a contentious issue but from my understanding the unwelcoming behaviour towards visiting surfers by a portion at Lennox they get what they deserve well some of them anyway. Makes you wonder if some of these jokers ever go to WA, Fiji, Into etc.

Personally I would like to see less cameras and surf forecast toned down as with a lot of things in life there shouldn't be shortcuts and surfing is one of them. Lennox, Byron and other areas along the Australian coast seem to love the tourist dollar from visitors so long as they don't surf their breaks its a small minded territorial mentality.

Hi SN (Ben, Stu, Craig),

Sorry if I've missed it elsewhere on the site but just wondering if SN are going to publicly comment (on this site) in regards to the Lennox cam issue/opposition etc?

I note that fairly recently Ben announced publicly (on this site) the arrival of the Sunshine cam but not so this Lennox cam. Just curious.

Cheers & thanks.

Seems the locals are worried by a significant increase of outer towners. The Ox can handle a decent crowd. Many sections, big beach. Now a live cam is put in. Great for the Ballina, Byron blokes. But they are local, no ?
Ok, what about the throng from the Goldie or even Brissy. Well, how long does it take to drive. Ahhh, and by the time you get there, the tide ain't right, the winds are changed and you have missed the early. Well, might just have to surf Snapper, Burleigh, Currumbin, Straddy, D Bah or ....

salty, you don't seem to know much about cities. you think that sydney beaches don't have locals? you think the cronulla point doesn't have locals?

On the subject of censoring it's best to start with the reporters rather than the punters "macabre slabs" WTF.

Quiet interesting considering the amount of shark action in the area. I personally would like a few extra people to make the odds better. The camera was up and running last week in the swell and on Friday max of 20 people in the water. Any threats made on the forums have ISP numbers which can be traced and its not hard to work out who they are.

someone call a nurse for Salty..doing his head in.....Nurse!

Chook yeh I get that everywhere has locals- I don't ageee with any cams to be honest. Would prefer it how it was before. Don't see the point of putting in more cams.

And just for the record I don't live at Lennox but it's a place that's dear to me , and I can't imagine any people of that community wanting a cam set up on the point.

Or any community for that matter what makes Lennox immune from the shit every other coastal community deals with.

Saltyone you do know its the 21st century don't you?
I say at Lennox one cam at the top of the point and another two thirds
down just to get the right perspective of sections.
Why should Lennox be exempted from cams.
Also one at Bolders that can be fun at times.

Geez evo, maybe count your blessings rather than slinging shit.

You'd have to say the 'nulla has been given the velvet glove for the last 20 years wouldn't you ?

Smack in the middle of the most populous city in Australia with some amazing waves - most of which get very little exposure commensurate with that they deserve really. And some are exempt from any exposure at all !

Crew have little drama dragging their cameras out to the middle of nowhere Mid west of WA regularly - but when was the last time you saw a sponno crew filming out the Island our that other reef ....or that other , other reef ?

Just cause you feel oppressed doesn't mean youll feel better when everyone else is too.

Yep West Oz is a free-for-all now. Pretty much all over ( except maybe Jaques and Margs ) have lost any kind of pecking order. Anyone who's put in their time and minded their p's and q's over many years now get shat on by the new entitled crowd. Try and restore a bit of order with a deserved drop in or stern word and now YOU are the prick.

Blowin the reason as you say no camera crews all over Cronulla is because
it has very ordinary waves.
For the record I'm far from oppressed just calling it how it is and if its good for
most surf spots ( QLD points) and other hot spots why is Lennox so special.