The WSL Seeks Use Of North Point And The Box
With the Woz waiting till after Final's Day to release next year's tour schedule, at least one contest is making arrangements to lock in a date.
The Margaret River Pro is applying for a further five years stay, with the Woz recently approaching Augusta Margaret River Shire to use, not just Mainbreak, but also the Box, and North Point too.
The request is for up to four days use at North Point - of a twenty day total that the infrastructure at Gracetown is set up.
Meanwhile, the Surfers Point infrastructure will be in place for 31 days - including setting up and packing away - plus an extra four days if Easter falls within the window. The 31 days can be taken at any time during a four-month window from early March to late July.
It's not an insignificant whack of time through prime swell season.
Wonder why CT comps cost so much? Check the plans for the Surfers Point megapolis
The Shire is now hosting a 'your say' page as the application proceeds. Submissions close Tuesday 26 September at 5pm.
Comments
They always seem to miss the target when they go to North Point. My vague recollection is that the year Zeitz got that ridiculous perfect ten was actually a pretty bad day at north point overall. The link doesn't seem to refer to north point though.
Ah it's the link within the link. Inception
I vote we cancel the WSL all together. It doesn't do anything for the average surfer or have our needs considered. It seems to be all about the entitled few.
The wozzle are gaslighting us now, aren’t they? Request permission to run heats at the box after they made every excuse under the sun this year not to do so this year, despite the box pumping all comp.
JMD's AIDS.
Slow creeps
The Schedule hasnt be released?
Vote now to cancel Trestles....
"Wonder why CT comps cost so much?"
Only if you run them like a circus.
Have they ever floated idea of running it at gas bay ? Way more consistent and conducive to surfing than fickle north point and slabby box ? Both of which don’t have large surf windows.
? a sign the Woz wanting push 'proper' waves next year? Still no CEO?
Bring back snapper for start
Throw in indo
And Fiji
Get rid of truffles
El salvobore
Brazil
Beggsie, comrade, why on earth would you want the WSL to spend time in Indonesia? Haven't they hurt us enough?
I concur
Huzzas; Riverdogs; Sewers. Holy Toledo!
Haha I’m with Mario Speedwagon on that
having that infrastructure at Cowaramup Bay is tragic IMHO
can we decommission the seppo wozzle mess and bring back the asp dream tour... rabbits earn't his 'cosmic apricot on the surf club deck' retirement, i reckon dingo's got the chops to nick the dream tour HQ, bring it back to gods country and resurrect the dream tour?
maybe sally fitzs could use a post tour top spot?
can we sponoo the spartan with a working visa or something? ANYTHING but this corporatocracy we're enslaved to!
I wouldn't be real happy if the wozzle took over my home breaks for 31 days!
Can’t say I really miss the CT at Snapper
Yeah groovy it's not fun. as a regular on the SC, Easter bells takes out one of our main spots for a good while, then add in all the other miscellaneous comps there and you're talking easy couple of months. very frustrating
Pipe (January)
Sunset Beach (February)
Superbank (March)
Bells (April/May)
Margies (May/June)
Indo (June)
J-Bay (July)
Brazil (August)
Trestles (August)
Chopes (September)
there is enough short stay accomodation in gracetown surely they could make use of it for the buffets and athlete zones, why do they need to clog up the whole carpark for a month, bloody annoying
"It's not an insignificant whack of time through prime swell season."
Back at The Box? I wanna see that, Flippy would get pantsed by Caity
Nice to hear the wozzle have it locked in at margs. The locals here were only told of the plan this week and the local rubber stamp August Margaret River shire have just called for submissions to be considered before granting approval. P.S the comp here always comes after Bells at easter so the setup period always falls in easter. Nice try to sneak in an extra 4 days of carpark lockdown. Every year they come here they want more and give back less. Oh I nearly forget the mental health checks they are offering local surfers to get over the fact that 35 fkn days they are locked out of home.
Fair go Shoogsy, Kanoa Igarashi and Lakey Peterson planted half a dozen shrubs in the region last year
Genuine question: Does the wozzle provide any direct benefit to the community that they run in? Or is it a case of 'we bring more people through for your retail stores'.
This is what their DA says they do:
WSL One Ocean restoration program with local conservation groups;
No single use plastic on-site;
General, recycling, compost and cash for cans waste programs on-site;
Engage local suppliers, businesses and staff to help deliver the event;
Local trials event for Western Australian athletes to compete in the main event;
Rising Tides program for young female surfers to surf with WSL athletes;
Healthway and Surfing WA Mental Health Workshop for Boardriders Clubs;
Frontline Services Evening;
Engage Margaret River Chamber of Commerce and Margaret River and Busselton Tourism Association to promote local businesses, local wine producers and service providers;
Engage local food vendors; and
Opportunities for local wineries to promote their products at the event and to wider audiences.
So basically it's a mix of "we manage the enormous waste we bring in to the area but pretend that is somehow a service to the community" and "you will be able to sell things".
I'd be surprised if any surfers outside those desperate to be professionals see any real benefits other than the spectacle of it all. The environment, no matter how they spin it, is almost certainly worse off because of their touring circus.
a) WSL One Ocean restoration program with local conservation groups
—>dig a few holes and use to do a Shisedo add
b) No single use plastic on-site
—> it’s 2023 that’s not something to brag about
b) General, recycling, compost and cash for cans waste programs on-site
—>so ya f#%kn should (May as well say, ‘we won’t throw the rubbish in the ocean’)
b) Engage local suppliers, businesses and staff to help deliver the event
—> see repeat point ‘g’
c) Local trials event for Western Australian athletes to compete in the main event
—> like every other event ever run
d) Rising Tides program for young female surfers to surf with WSL athletes;
&
e) Healthway and Surfing WA Mental Health Workshop for Boardriders Clubs —> Ok, both good things, Can’t bag that.
f) Frontline Services Evening
—> WTF is that? They throwing on a spread for all the nurses, firies and teachers?
g) Engage Margaret River Chamber of Commerce and Margaret River and Busselton Tourism Association to promote local businesses, local wine producers and service providers;
Engage local food vendors; and
Opportunities for local wineries to promote their products at the event and to wider audiences
—>You already said that Woz
(Point ‘b’) and the absolute least you could do
Genuine question: Does the wozzle provide any direct benefit to the community that they run in? Or is it a case of 'we bring more people through for your retail stores'.
None on the Goldie. All the event crew, scaffolders and security are hired out of Brisbane
hey stunet what pressure did you cop to make you rewrite the report on the wsl locking in margs for 5years? bet it was nothing like the pressure im getting coz i posted your original report over here. Let the cat out of the bag a bit early did ya? Why didnt you note the retraction in the rewrite? shoog
31 (35) days locked up surfer's point to run 4 days of surfing in the event , not only a massive overreach but shows why the wsl is going broke with the amount of infrastructure and costs to keep the massive taj mahal venue running 24 hrs a day for over a month
Where else in the world does a multinational company get gifted free use of a towns main beach and surrounds with little to nothing ( ok a handful of pigface planted in the dunes maybe) in return ?
Local surfes and beach users locked out while our rates pay for said event and vip pigs to feed from the trough
( free for the wsl =someone else pays for everything )
Wsl and surfing wa all out of towners , most of the crew employed on sites come from Perth with exception of the business belonging to one of the shire councillours gets the electrical contract every year ( funny that..)
Fuck the wsl and fuck surfing wa , greedy cunts
As a completely surfed starved Perth resident this comp has been a pain in the butt for years. Summers are too hot and days too long for camping down there, winters are bloody wet and cold with onshore winds and huge messy surf.
Our lovely little Autumn is jammed up with school holidays, Easter and this bloody comp! Margies is a long drive to pop down for the weekend, I just want my little 3 or 4 day surf trip down there with some quiet waves and less crowded surf.
I can't believe this circus gets to own the point for a month at the expense of everyone else and now they want some other breaks?
Wow surfing 2023, times sure have changed.
Maybe I'll just give it up and come watch the elite athletes flick and hop and cheer as I try to work out whether that 8.76 really was better than the other guys 8.68.
Surely something decent within the same driving distance north of perth? Maybe not, I'm an east coaster so wouldn't know
No mate, the coast around here is very different to NSW. Its a shallow ocean with loads of reefs and small islands, any swell that gets in here is secondary and refracted. Another problem is lack of any sand movement to create banks.
There are waves in winter but they are small little closeouts. Anomalies like Trigg Point that can get a pretty decent little wave sometimes are probably the most crowded waves in Australia.
Small closeout waves on the beaches here could have 50 to 100 guys out just enjoying a paddle and getting some takeoff practice. The same waves on the East coast would be completely empty and considered a rest day.
A 4.5 m plus ocean swell will bring 2 to 3 foot waves to a few spots on Perth beaches, and they will be hollow and quite challenging with an offshore wind.
This type of coastline extends from Bunbury to north of Geralton, at a guess maybe 700 km. And yes there are a few spots that the swell can sneak through on larger days.
The Margaret River region juts out into the Indian Ocean and gets the full open ocean swells.
This region is famous for good surf but what many east coasters don't realise is it actually has very large surf.
Your 6 foot thruster is not going to cut at Main Break Margies on a moderate swell, despite what the jet ski assisted pros ride there these days.
Here you see people riding 8 ft surfboards or bigger as its a hell of a paddle out. Many older guys prefer 10 ft plus pintail surfboards, something you don't see being ridden outside Hawaii.
8 to 12 foot surf is quite a regular thing here and the townsfolk have adapted to the local conditions. Its a unique place and an important part of Australian surf culture.
Just like everywhere else this coast has pretty crowded surf at the accessible spots, especially public holidays and school holidays. Bunbury is a city and not too far from this region, as well as other large towns and Perth city surfers chasing waves down there.
Margies is about a 260 km drive from Perth depending on where you live.
Ah yuck, makes you appreciate three foot beachy peaks!
I support the WSL and try to have a little dig at those espousing constant negativity towards the people involved its production. I enjoy the show, the level of surfing is outstanding, and to top it all off -it's for free! I love for free stuff. Honestly to me it just feels like a lot of people posting bile on chat forums such as this one perhaps sometimes struggle with juvenile identity issues and misconceptions around masculinity.
All that said - fuck this proposal and fuck the WSL. A month! A month with my two faves under construction. Fuck that- yeah nah nah nah naaahhh no way!
1. you shouldn't do it
2. if you do it- 12 days. Four days to get it up, 4 to get it down, 4 to run the comp. But you should really adhere to point 1.
Spend the money turbo charging your construction, deconstruction of the sites. Piss less people off.
Other tour changes.
1. Two events in Brazil. 1 in a tub. Dates flexible to catch the maximum dribble at the Sack.
2. Event dates flexible generally. Mostly fixed but if a giant one comes you can pull up stumps mid comp and piss off to the next location. (can't be done often - has to be mega- but the points are double once you get there.
3. At any one time absolutely no more than two Seppos in the commentary booth- but no one gets fired or gets too much of a haircut. Maybe more of the Pom. He's a bit exotic for surfing, which sort of fits- plus he doesn't seem as eager as the likes of Strider, Mel, and Turps to defend Rome at all costs. Rome is burning fellas, burning through cash and cred. Rome might be fucked. Basically, it's like religion or Aliens. There is no point trying to convince people that the whole thing is not rigged... The more you try the worse it gets.
3. Speaking of E.T I want to see one of these pros with a great big Nordic or Grey painted to the bottom of their board next year. Aliens clearly abound whether it be this dimension or another, that probably means uncrowded waves somewhere. Represent dickheads.
4. Open the buffet up to the public and provide free food. - Last year a vendor raped me. Straight up raped me.
5. Obviously free beers wouldn't go amiss either.
6. More wildcards across the board.
I had more but the ideas they come and go.
No.4 : Straight up! So sorry to hear Leroythemasochist...that sounds pretty serious!
Thanx Stu...Agree that 31 days is a long time to hang out for Surf = WR Lay Days.
That's 2x Olympics duration...for half the Athleticism!
www + Apple + WSL now need months for CT > years for BWT events?
Yet the crew scores shit hot waves weekly.
Did some checking...
Firstly...WA Licensed Beach events cost many x more (We can start there!)
WA Trigg Beach Fees :
(Large Unlicensed Beach Event) $1,000-$5,000 / day
(Large Licensed Beach Event) $6,000-$10,000 / day
Min $186,000 - $310,000 (Prime 31 days Surf Break/s Hire over Peak Easter!)
WSL could charge 100 locals $100/lay day to recoup Beach Hire ... that sounds fair! (A joke...duck!)
https://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/leisure-and-culture/venue-and-facility-hi...
First obvious kicker is 31 days = 1 month (Regular Client WSL may have bargained Discount Rates)
In other words 31 days is cheaper than 20 > 30 days at standard day rates
tbb is merely exampling how common Oz Mates Rates Hire Deals could play a lead role!
Could be looking at Monthly Discount Rate...(eg : 50% day rate cut by month hire)
Kinda like renting a car @ Day / Weekly / Monthly (10 years) > 50% Daily Discount kicks in!
That could work for either the Govt or WSL to champion legit new found savings to punters!
Next would have to be the Beach Grog Licence!
Possibly a similar 31 Days cheaper or again Mates rates (Only if one inquires or deals such!)
tbb checked & 21 days does figure & may slot within this deal.
But Govt aren't gonna advertise cheaper rates for more mates or days on the grog!
Nor is tbb gonna waste crew's time on discount Easter Grog Licence Mates Rates.
Just sharing this is also a kicker for shoppin' out a Legit Monthly tab deal over a Daily Slug
There are many other non surf related reasons (Here's some relating to here!)
2023 WA Marg's Telco Towers don't ping them Fancy WSL Apple Watches...
Recall Leo Flagged for the emergency Jet Ski Armada to triangulate the G Signals..
The break is too far for Muscles to Manipulate Massive Priority Discs...
That's a lot of much needed prime space for Beer Ads!
Reckon they need a back-up Hot Apple Pie that can 'ping' [ S.H.A.R.K ]
#1 Best Shark response time Break may also play a lead role to keep #1Brazzos.
Just guessin' if WSL Shark ain't got an Apple in his mouth > Then No Surfing!
Also Consider this...
All Cams are locked onto the Right but...
Notice Italo's Long Left was perfectly filmed...(He pre informed WSL of intention!)
Guessing WSL are looking to Hot Wire (Triangulate) 1/2/3 breaks as one!
Not saying they can...but will anchor as close to that 3 in 1 Format.
eg: Is there a real need to move the Judges from their base camp?
Wave Pool has already shown that WSL Judges need not Judge wot crowd sees!
Does it really matter which Surfscape soundwave washes over the crew! Huh!
Still sounds like a Garbage Truck Clanging Coronas.
PS : WSL insist they only lockdown the break during Comp Mode?
During that 31 days only Locals / Vehicles can access thru [P] to beaches.
Sure! If you're holidaying at near beaches...one can try to paddle around! (Cough!)
Kelly has likely hot wired his Local dormant Wildcard...can keep that...well durr!
Found typical Oz Hire deals for WSL (Toyota) Fleet car hire
Starky could ask long term clients WA to match Beach / Grog / Insurance hire deals.
2 examples of Monthly Site Rental Hire + Hire Insurance Savings
Airbnb weekly rate save 32% > monthy rate save 46%
31 days = (44% Daily Saving on 2023 Comp Venue )
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/airbnb-monthly-rentals-pros-cons
Now watch the gap for Insurance on Oz rental car...
https://www.kinto.com.au/faqs#Fees-and-Charges
Insurance Hr $2.50 > Day $25 > Week $12 > Month $5
31 days = 60% Daily saving on 2023 Comp insurance
Reckon you could get similar 50% on monthly Grog Permit / Insurance.
That's yer standard monthly discount for any of us!
WA / WSL Mates Rates...(Gotta be worth a bonus 10-25% monthly package)
Just makes business sense to upgrade all Comps to Monthly rates to save 40-60% on 2024 tour!
Don't need any more reason than trimmin' the bottom line!
Can imagine Hawaii / Goldie be hard to lock in a month to bag a bargain!
The Augusta-Margaret River Times are reporting pushback against the North Point proposal by the Woz. Curiously, it's also rejected by the local boardriders club, who generally support contest surfing wherever and whenever.
"WSL did not respond to requests for comment."
Says it all really.