"Forget about The Pass. Go exploring!" A short documentary about The Pass, talking to people affected by the overcrowding at Byron's most popular wave.
my two pet hates right there ! crowds and no legropes!
spencieWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 4:17pm
Lived there for 30 years. Left in 2004 and only occasionally visit family and a few friends. What a shithole now. A salient lesson in how to screw a beautiful place up with rampant tourism and lack of infrastructure. I see it happening in Tasmania now with the insatiable drive to bring in more tourists without improving infrastructure. Soon there will be no wild places left in Australia.
islandmanWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 4:32pm
yes spencie i have to agree with you on that allthough i still can get in my car and take a drive for little under one hour and score epic uncrowded waves you just have to put in the effort, i mean places like the pass and noosa are very easy waves in major tourist destinations ofcourse they will be busy , i still love that i can visit places like phillip island in winter and score uncrowded waves or even in summer drive one hour from noosa and score as well they can have the pass but lets hope that tassie stays nice and uncrowded
dandandanThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 12:07am
Yep. It's happening in Tassie too. It's strange how blind people are to the process even if they have seen it happen it before their eyes more than once before. "Nah won't happen here mate, too cold/remote/boring/etc"..."There's still quiet corners" etc. etc. Ten years later house prices are four times higher than they were before, the bakery is an organic larder selling Egg and Bacon pies for $14.50 and doesn't stock any milk, small shacks have become giant (and empty but for 4 weeks a year) mansions, and every rubbish bin is full of take away coffee cups. Don't even get me started on the line ups.
As a Tasmanian it drives me insane how desperate the government and others are to sell it. "Look we have great food - let's up production by a billion tonnes and sell it. Look at our wilderness - let's put a cable car across it and sell it." What's worse for me is that when people do take the plunge and move down to Tassie from Sydney/Byron wherever they simply can't wait to turn it in to everything they left behind. They start blogs and travel guides and whatever the fuck they can to drag all the hassles and worries and god-forsaken people they left behind down with them and quite simply, fuck it up for the people who were genuinely happy with the quiet country lifestyle and uncrowded waves.
I'd take low-income/low SES Tasmania with no crowds and a quiet way of life any day over a stronger economy with more dickheads on the roads and in the water.
scottishspongerThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 2:22pm
Good comment danandan. I lived in Tassie for a number of years and was impressed with how strong the local movement is to protect what makes Tassie, Tassie. It's a truly unique part of the world and it would be a real shame if it became overrun/overdeveloped. Sometimes the Green movement can be its own worst enemy, however I firmly support it in Tassie where there's a hardcore bunch of rednecks who want to chop everything down. The current government trying to withdraw World Heritage Status from areas of the state is also despicable. Can these cretins not see past their own lifetimes, when a short-sighted approach to resources will screw everything up for future generations?
dandandanThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 5:13pm
Nope - the whole thing is just a greedy rort. I'm sure this bloke isn't on his own, taking taxpayers dollars to leave the industry (more than a million over his lifetime) but still chopping trees last. It's unbelievable really.
Haha,i lived in lennox for 15 years and moved when the round about went in in 89.The pass was getting crowded then and lennox was well on its way,problem is everyone wants a slice of the pie and the pie aint that big,so good luck trying to solve the problem.Shame surfings gone the way of the yuppy groovy crew that see it as being cool when years ago it was seen as something the down and outers did.......We are all to blame in one way or another.But come one come all and get a slice of the pie.
Rabbits68Wednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 4:52pm
Improved infrastructure would possibly help the natural environment in these areas but nothing is going to solve overcrowding at certain places. Change is constant & as history shows us it's clearly not always for the better.
Can't blame people for wanting to surf & visit & live in beautiful places.....
simo66Wednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 6:06pm
Noosa is just as bad. Wear a leg rope ya beardy weirdy pelican try hards. (nothing against bearded people)
wallyWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 6:59pm
It puzzles me when a place is beyond maximum crowd, and you still see another 50 people going in. Why? Whatever you are looking for, it ain't here, currently. It makes no sense.
cuttlefishWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 7:55pm
wally wrote:
It puzzles me when a place is beyond maximum crowd, and you still see another 50 people going in. Why? Whatever you are looking for, it ain't here, currently. It makes no sense.
I kinda think the same thing when seeing all the cars jamming up the highways while heading into the cities.
scottishspongerThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 3:36pm
Totally agree. It's idiocy on an unprecedented scale to look at an overcrowded line-up and go, "one more won't make any difference". Well it will and even if it didn't, how shit-hot a snake do you think you are to be able to paddle out and catch a number of waves to make the surf worth it? Surfing's about exploration - go and find another wave to surf
freeride76Wednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 7:25pm
tbh I didn't surf the Pass for ten years or so save for the odd tiny day on a mal when it was nor-east wind slop but this summer because i was working in the Bay I surfed it alot.
Somehow I came to some kind of acceptance of the crowds. I'd get one or two on the lunchbreak and go back and surf it on dark for another one or two. Yes, dangerous, but not that hard to get waves if you know what you're doing.
But no, don't go exploring stay at the Pass, at least then the kook crowd is contained. We don't want it spreading like a virus.
wellymonWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 10:32pm
Haha Fr76 its already spread mate and will keep spreading all over your place like a big virus, suck it up champ;)
dastashaWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 7:39pm
Its very sad... surfing for sport... its more like dancing really... and these places have become freaking moshpits
Jelly FlaterWednesday, 17 Jun 2015 at 9:59pm
Crowds are and will always be a problem... The real issue though is etiquette. Too often wherever you surf there is little respect. People see someone already on a wave yet still go... I will never understand this. Patience is a long gone virtue and dropping in is the norm. And those without leg ropes, well... idiots
dandandanThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 12:15am
I hear ya. Twice this week people flat-out stared at me in the face before they took off in front of me. On both occasions they fell off immediately and then paddled back to the line-up and put on the Australian bravado face of pretending nothing happened, looking non-plussed. I pulled them both up on it and they paddled away, but I don't think it made a difference. At the very least, if you are going to drop in on someone, make sure you actually surf the wave and not just go over the falls.
I don't let crowds bother me when people can actually surf. But when people who can't surf insist on paddling out to a good spot on a good day and just kooking the whole thing up it drives me insane - you really should go surf somewhere else. If you are still riding the white water do you really need to be surfing the Superbank? If you can't duckdive and still throw your board away every time a wave breaks in front of you, should you really be out at the best spot on the best most crowded day?
freeride76Thursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:52am
Totally agree.
The democratization of surfing has now led to total chaos crowds like the Pass and Superbank.
It galls modern ears to hear but some kind of local regulation of the lineup makes for a safer and better experience.
redrocketThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 8:44am
1st world problems hey.... Its a tough life ya sooks. Go live in a country where your not even allowed go surfing or have the luxury of time to go surfing.......sooks.
ChannelbottomsThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 9:08am
Its funny ....whining about the overcrowding by those who use forums with webcams, surf reports and forecasts. Simple as 1+1=2 really. Horse bolted long ago on this one, but do agree about the wanker, look at me, too cool for school dickheads who ride without leggies in crowded surf spots. "Instant karma's gonna get you"!
Channel bottomsThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 9:41am
Great user name.
HighlanderThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:00am
Australia was doomed as a wilderness as soon as white man set foot upon it. Imagine how the aboriginals feel. It's still a beautiful place with many amazing natural environments. Everyone who is fortunate enough to live in or visit this unique continent should feel grateful and show respect to each other in the surf and in land. Be kind to each other and amazing things happen.
wildenstein8Thursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:12am
Line up, take a ticket.
Sou-WesterThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:47am
Was a time you'd get up for the early to miss the crowd on weekends. 5 years later my local is packed with part timers on mals at dawn who disappear by 9.30 for a latte and brunch. I sleep in now.
calmbutnotThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 12:46pm
we need more sheeple surfing the pass and snapper - then there's more waves at other spots for me !
seriously wear a fing legrope, poor kid is lucky to be alive.
longboarder420Thursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 12:54pm
keep a smile on your face and the crowds are no worrys,
stay happy, ! It really is the 40 YR old locals who think they own waves what are the problem, chill out.... Ive surfed the same spot for the last 7 years, (Im 19)
and will for the next 7, And i get told off by 40 year olds on SHORTBOARDS on a 2FT day ! ease up turbo,
blindboyThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 5:33pm
A 9ft board on a 2ft day longboarder and no way you would ever sit just that bit further outside and take a wave in every set or anything like that.....No? Well there are plenty that do, day after day, week after week, year after frigging year. So make sure you keep those good manners up!
Rabbits68Thursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:29pm
Open both your eyes BB. You might just see that these type of surfing line-ups consist of dickheads with no manners who ride all sorts of crafts, and yes, even old blokes on short boards......
blindboyFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 7:21am
.........maybe but there's nothing like an extra 2ft of dick to go to people's head.
wallyFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 8:04am
BB, you mean just like how shortboarders have treated body boarders and bodysurfers for decades.
blindboyFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 8:30am
I don't mind body boards and give them the same respect as someone on a. board. Seems to me that is the approach most take these days. As for body surfers anyone attempting to body surf in the current crowd levels should know that bad attitudes are a distant second to accidental decapitation in the hazard stakes.
Rabbits68Friday, 19 Jun 2015 at 9:56am
BB I think it's time you took some of your very own advislce based on your vast experience
In surfing. You often talk about when your surfing or watching the surf, you observe a high percentage of surfers not surfing the waves technically correct, missing sections, failing maneuvers etc, due to several things, some being a poor choice of equipment in relation to their ability & in relation to the conditions. I agree with this in principle. So based on your observations........
If someone paddled out 6ft - 8ft Dee Why on a traditional 10ft log, waited their turn, showed total & due respect to the locals (who ever they are), how many good quality waves do you reckon this person would get? My guess is they would be lucky to get even one wave. I personally don't think that is right, each to their own, ride whatever you like I have always believed, but thats another topic for another day. But I would suggest that would agree that choice of equipment is not functional for that wave.
Now, the same person paddles a short board out to The Pass on 1ft-2ft day, waits their turn, shows due respect to the "locals" (haha) etc but struggles to get a wave due to long boarders already up & riding these waves & the fact their equipment is not allowing them to successfully surf these types of waves.
The long boarders are not just up & riding, but riding these waves functionally well before the short boarder gets near it.
I always find it staggering & funny that people with similar attitudes to longboards like yourself, always comment in these threads that are related to surfing small Pass or Noosa but can't bring themselves to admit that longboards, be they high performance or traditional logs & everything in between, are tailor made for these types of waves. Short boards are not, not even higher volume short boards. You may not like longboards but surely yours and others egos aren't that big that you can't admit this fact...
I choose to ride an array of equipment so that I can functionally enjoy surfing all types of waves. I recommend it highly & reckon even you BB might just get a kick out trying the same......
Dave DrinkwaterThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 5:26pm
There is still massive residential development install for West Byron and while the local council wrestle with the infrastructure, which is a debacle. There is not going to be many winners but everybody just loves the North coast so they keep coming.
Nice comments ED, totally agree with the leg rope issue, fucking kooks.
Hey i should come and see you about another board?
indo-dreamingThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 5:36pm
I think the nail in the coffin was when they put that H-way from the Goldie down to Byron area about 15 years ago, prior to that i use to spend a lot of time surfing lennox and use to get plenty of low crowd good days.
The crowds are getting worse all the time here and Indo but compared to whats coming i think we are still in the golden years, and there is still perfect uncrowded waves if your in the know, so enjoy it while you can because one day we will look back and recall how uncrowded it was and lucky we were.
scottishspongerFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 8:31am
I think you're right Indo. We look back at the 60's/70's now as halcyonic days, but in another couple of decades people will look back at this period as realize how good we had it. Complete saturation is probably coming. Whilst all the major spots are crowded, there's still heap of spots off the beaten track in every country that remain quiet and chilled. Places where you can get waves to yourself. It's really not that hard. I rarely surf in a big crowd and I regularly surf in Aus, Fiji and Indo. People need to stop being fucking sheep. The world is huge. Go and explore.
Nic_maguireThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 8:08pm
Hey guys, so this video depicts me as a shit surf and a kook for not wearing a leg rope? Yes I am bearer guy on the green log. I don't know how this footage was gathered but it was not with my permission (I don't really care) so in saying that I am not a kook I have never injured someone surfing, rarely do I loose my board. Not wearing a legrope can be dangerous and I understand so I do wear them when it gets punchy and a massive crowed but when it is 1-2ft slope it's just fun to muck around and get in the water to cleans the soul and be at peace, if you look at the video I was having fun laughing and just mucking around!!
Share the love and relax people get injured getting out of bed in the morning aswell
Nic.
scottishspongerFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 8:35am
Nic, you're a cretin and despite all the comments on this thread, you're still oblivious to your own stupidity. There's absolutely no reason not to wear a leggie, but I'd like to hear you're excuses anyway. Why don't you wear one Nic? Take it you also never wear a Johnny when you have sex? It makes zero difference to performance or how fast you can trim, cause you're on a fucking LONGBOARD!
udoThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 8:34pm
Nic youre a fuckwit
I have never injured someone and I rarely lose my board..
its only a matter of time before you do injure someone
unless your surfing solo somewhere just wear a legrope you tool.
zenagainThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 9:33pm
Sorry Nic, I won't go as far as call you a fuckwit but you're tripping if you don't think your 'loose' board that you occasionally 'lose' can't hurt somebody in 1-2ft slop.
Seriously man, why don't you go against the grain of your inconsiderate brethren and be the smart one that sets the example rather than the tool who thinks he's infallible.
Edit: PS Nic, is that you dropping in on the shortboarder at the start of the vid? Poor form if it is buddy.
Nic_maguireThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 11:18pm
Yes I dropped in, it was my uncle and well he owed me cause he dropped in a few waves earlier
zenagainThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 11:41pm
Fair enough Nic, I've been known to drop in on my bro from time to time. And him me.
Regarding your post below, I know some pretty stylish longboarders in my neck of the woods, all of them wear leggies but they attach them just below the knee. It doesn't seem to hinder them one little bit. I think you're using those excuses as a bit of a cop-out.
You are right, accidents can and do happen with gumbies flailing around in the impact zone with their boards still attached, but if that 9ft missile of yours goes carreening into the shorey you've got Buckleys to no chance of stopping it. With a leggie you at least give the victim a fighting chance.
SickazThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:15pm
Can someone tell me why you wouldn't wear a leggy? Nick why dont you wear one?
IMO the only time you should not be wearing one is if you are about to get mowed down by a wave big enough to drown you.
I have been hit in the head by a large board that was connected to a surfer with a leggy -fair enough accidents happen. If i was hit and the board was not attached with a leggy and it hit me or worse one of my kids i would try to strangle you with my legrope.
Is there any valid reason not to wear one and drag is not a valid reason the fastest waves in the world get surfed by surfers wearing legropes.
upliftThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 10:33pm
Bummer for the kid. But, even with a leggy he would have been hit. In fact there might be more damage because of the few thousand or so leggies. Every geek, every known and unknown form of floating object, is out there 'performing' in the useless slop, looking for a slab, a bomb. God help them.
Lets face it, from noosless down has always been a ludicrous, embarrassing, steaming hoax. Geek valley. The eastern seaboard has always been the same, dribbling, steaming drivvle. With leggies... without leggies. What are they fucking thinking... no I take that back... please, please don't tell us!!!
The solution is simple. A cyclone wire, electrified, geek proof fence needs to be placed around the whole zone. Any geek caught in there should be payed by the government to stay in there. There they can play surfees, callers, filmers, clothes designers, crafts geeks, industry geeks, swilling nut geeks, editor geeks, journo geeks, magnate geeks, icing geeks, well, just a pack of fenced in geeking, whinging nut, swill nutting fucking geeks. Planes should do regular geek supply drops. Dropping more geeks, leggies, hipster shit, mals, logs, guns, retros, modern shred sticks, 70mph sticks, the shit, artificial reefs, pools, bags of drugs, ice, coke, mull, bazookas, machine guns, chia seeds, knives, highchairs, karate suits, bibles, multi coloured mma belts, hairdressers, carrol bros, gourmet pie tins... give them anything they want. Just keep the fucking fence up, and electrified. Keep the surfee geeks where they truly love, where they belong. Unflushable floaters. Soon all will be solved.
Just sayin.
SickazThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 11:01pm
Why make a short, nonsensical yet offensive comment when you can make a long excruciatingly embarrasing one?
upliftThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 11:03pm
Why read it, if you don't want to?
Nic_maguireThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 11:16pm
I'm sorry my grammer skills them were shit. So thankyou on that. And no need to call me a fuckwit that is abit offensive and we'll just down right internet trolling. The reason I don't wear a leg rope
- you cannot properly cross step/hang heel, running back switch.... Etc
- I know I could hurt someone without a legrope but so can kooks in the inside that bail their boards every wave that breaks in front of them
- and well practice from comps (style is a huge part of longboarding)
So I'm sorry I am a fuckwit, dickhead that doesn't wear a legrope. Call me a hipster kook geek nothing will change the love and the connection I have for the ocean that I respect and hope you do too. I am only 19 and trying to get somewhere with my surfing and well this negativity is dumb. Surfing accidents happen there's nothing you can do other then not surf.
fitzroy-21Friday, 19 Jun 2015 at 10:00am
Nic_maguire wrote:
Call me a hipster kook geek nothing will change the love and the connection I have for the ocean
You're a hipster kook geek Nic and that comment says it all. You think you are something special and have something special that no one else has, but in reality, you are just plain selfish. One day you will grow up, mature and look back to see what a selfish dickhead you were, hopefully you haven't hurt or killed someone, but the odds stack up the longer you do it.
upliftThursday, 18 Jun 2015 at 11:25pm
Everything, absolutely everything, is in that zone, because its what those there want. And, they always want more. Just one big market.
goofyfootFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 6:59am
Nick just be careful at some spots when your not wearing your leggy.
I can guarantee if you were surfing at the beach I mostly surf at here on the Mornington peninsula and your 9ft log was bouncing around in the wash and took out one of the little groms that play/learn in the Shorey, all because you didn't want to wear a leggie, the said groms old man would quickly turn your 9ft in a few 3ft mini mals.. And you might as well start swimming to tassie.
Seriously mate have a think about it..
indo-dreamingFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 8:48am
Sadly i think surfers just need to take the situation into our own hands, if there is some kook out in the water not wearing a leggie and the board hits you or gets washed up on the beach us leg rope wearing surfers need to ensure we punch or kick out the fins of their boards, its the only way these people are going to learn and not do it.
Its just a way to dangerous practise to tolerate.
scottishspongerFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 10:32am
Yeah, or just take the board and cut it down to make a new shortboard. Or flog it on ebay. If there's no surfer attached to it then it's flotsam in the open ocean and anyone can claim it.
trippergreenfeetFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 12:52pm
indo-dreaming wrote:
Sadly i think surfers just need to take the situation into our own hands, if there is some kook out in the water not wearing a leggie and the board hits you or gets washed up on the beach us leg rope wearing surfers need to ensure we punch or kick out the fins of their boards, its the only way these people are going to learn and not do it.
Its just a way to dangerous practise to tolerate.
Don't stop at the fins...let's paint the beaches red with the leggie-less ;)
udoFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 9:12am
Nic , just take another look at the xray and surgery pics of this boys skull, would you really like to be the person responsible for causing an injury like that........the same or worse could happen to you one day ?
wingnut2443Wednesday, 24 Jun 2015 at 1:46pm
Well said.
Surely you get this, Nic? Just stop and think Nic, and all you other no leggie dudes ... How the fuck will you feel when, yes WHEN, not if your board seriously hurts someone?
uncle_leroyFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 9:12am
Nic,
You just don't get it do you and that is the problem with society in general these days
Everyone is just in it for their own two seconds of fame and don't give two hoots about anyone else around them.
You claim to not wear a leggie because you can surf better without one if this is the case for your training, FUCK OFF up the northern end of seven mile and catch the reforms to practice your line dancing moves AWAY from other people and putting them at risk for your own glory.
What happens when you do loose your board and it breaks some ones jaw or splits them open and leaves them with brain damage??
That's right, you feel sorry for a few minutes and move on, but they then have to live with it for the rest of their life, family stress, medical bills, life wasted in hospitals, lost work, depression, it all adds up...........and for what reason............my name is Nic and I think I am the next best thing to surfing so I surf without a leggie in a crowded line up for my own self glory!
Nic, your a dick
Faunt LeroyFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 9:43am
It's ironic that you rarely lose your board yet your the guy on the film that loses his board.
Do us all a favour and wear a leggy.
benskiFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 9:52am
I get that wearing a leggie on a longboard affects the cross step, but there's a time and a place. And I'd say the pass isn't ever the place, no matter the time.
I've been in the water on relatively uncrowded days with fellas with no leggies and it hasn't worried me. Clearly very good surfers in control of their boards on mellow days with a low crowd. I see who they are so know to watch for them when they are taking off in front of me. No problems.
But when it's a zoo, like at the pass, well forget it. You gotta use one.
But props to Nick for manning up with his identity. Unless of course it's some bloke pretending to be Nick to get him trolled on the internet. Could be the modern day version of the public toilet scrawl, for a good time call Nick on 0456 123 456!!!
zenagainFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 10:10am
You bastard Benski. That isn't Nick's number, it's the Broadbeach CIB;)
benskiFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 10:34am
haha!! I figured they'd know how to look after you zen.
mikehunt207Friday, 19 Jun 2015 at 11:26am
Surfing any surfboard can be a lot of fun with no leggie, learn to fall less, learn to swim fast, keep the exercise factor in small waves, just don,t do it when there are any other people who might"get in the way" of your stick when it gets washed in, pretty simple, save it for empty sessions.
What I really don,t get is the open Hawaiian shirts or tuxedo vests "hipster longboarders" seem to be very much in favour of surfing in these days, not "retro" in any way, (maybe a footy jumper actually would be if you want to reinact being a mal rider in the 60,s before wetsuits). Not only do they look like total wankers there is absolute zero function, even makes swimming for you "log" while it bounces off the groms inside a lot slower.
wingnut2443Wednesday, 24 Jun 2015 at 1:50pm
mikehunt207 wrote:
Surfing any surfboard can be a lot of fun with no leggie, learn to fall less, learn to swim fast, keep the exercise factor in small waves, just don,t do it when there are any other people who might"get in the way" of your stick when it gets washed in, pretty simple, save it for empty sessions...
Ah, yep. Just so very simple...
Solves two problems too:
1. Reduces the crowd at the crowded spot, and
2. Reduces risk of injury to others.
If only these no leggie heroes could think and see the sense in this simple solution.
freeride76Friday, 19 Jun 2015 at 11:33am
it looks cool flapping in the breeze. end of story.
indo-dreamingFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 12:16pm
Could there actually be legal implications if you don't wear a leg rope and your board hits someone and their fin takes out an eye or even worse.
Could you be sued or something?
When your wearing a leg rope and you fall off or your leg rope snaps and board does someone serious damage it could be said that you were not at fault as you had done your best to ensure the safety of others by wearing a leg rope.
However if you don't wear a leg rope, ESPECIALLY in a crowded surf scene like the Pass and your board does serious damage to someone, it could be said that you have behaved irresponsible and continually shown a disregard for others safety, having knowingly putting others people safety at risk as your board becomes a projectile almost a weapon in a sense that you have no control of whatsoever.
stunetFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 12:19pm
In short, no, legal recourse isn't possible here in Australia. From an old article I wrote that you can find here:
"I then went looking for legal precedents, lawsuits created by victims of stray boards. In the US they were easy to find as some states have leash laws making it illegal to enter the surf without one. If an accident happens due to a protagonist not wearing a legrope they are automatically assigned blame.
In Australia, where no such laws exists, cases are harder to find. In 2002 the NSW State government introduced the Civil Liability Act. The Act created significant hurdles for injured persons to recover damages, even in instances where the other party was negligent or at fault.
Andy Munro is a senior associate with Slater & Gordon Lawyers, Coffs Harbour. Prior to the Act, says Munro, "a number of high profile personal injury cases...prompted the then government to significantly change the laws insofar as they related to persons injured in public places."
The Civil Liability Act includes restrictions that relate to 'obvious risk' and 'recreational activities'. "In my view," says Munro, "the courts would likely find that surfing is a dangerous recreational activity within the meaning of the Civil Liability Act. That would apply regardless of whether the board rider was wearing a legrope or not."
Further, says Munro, "the act of placing oneself in a crowded line up in the circumstances where it may be expected there will be a varying degree of skill and experience would likely leave the courts to conclude that there was an obvious risk, notwithstanding the use or otherwise of legropes or the type of surfcraft being used."
The Civil Liability Act therefore protects irresponsible longboarders on two fronts. "The prospect," Munro concludes, "of a person injured by a stray surfboard in recovering damages, is not impossible but fraught with difficulty."
Which ultimately means that the law doesn't protect surfers should they be hit by an errant longboard – or any other surfcraft - irrespective of how negligent their owner is. Just how the victim responds is dependent on their temperament and tolerance; they may turn the other cheek, take an eye for an eye, or like me, stop surfing at 10am on summer Sunday mornings."
indo-dreamingFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 12:25pm
Thanks Stu…oh man that sucks.
BTW. That links a good article.
stunetFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 12:54pm
Cheers ID. The article stemmed from a prick of an incident but I figure the info is useful. Surfers can't rely on the law, if anything is to be done about legropes we'll have to figure it out ourselves.
upliftFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 1:01pm
Leggies, no leggies isn't the issue. According to the worlds greatest ever surfer, leggies are actually a problem. Even with his leggie on he hit a kid, and nearly ran over another one.
So imagine that kid. Slattsey, whom some say is the the greatest athlete that ever lived, others the greatest human that ever lived, tells the kid his leggy nearly killed him. Tells the kid to go on the inside and find Zenny. The kid takes his offending leggy off, finds Zenny chargin' slabs on the inside, and gets screeched and squwarked at by Zenny for not wearing his leggie. Indo punches his fins out. Slattsey bites his lip, wanting to cry out... gee... geee ...geeee....
Its just the eastern seaboard. The market combined with slop. All sorts of things can happen in a marketplace in slop, soft waves. Everyone there gets what they want. A market, in slop and soft waves. And as I said, they all want more. More billies so to speak.
An obvious answer is that in those type of eastern seaboard marketplace areas, that so, so, so, so, so, so, so many love, they should all have to use soft boards, by law. Zillions of shocking injuries, some very well known, are actually caused by wearing leggies as well, as even slattsey says through bitten and chewed up lips.
And, before stewart, or blinder, or even bennie write an important surfee article about whether or not to measure billie's hair from the front, or back, for once I have to say I don't know, and, who cares? Measure it from the side for all I care.
OMG, I've just done it again... solved a major, major issue that has plagued and tortured surfees since the passtime's inception! Of course, keep evoone happy and just measure waves from the side! Well done lifty! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!
zenagainFriday, 19 Jun 2015 at 1:54pm
Where would we be without you big fella? Thankyou once again.
I love it when I get a mention, makes me feel impotent.
Les yeux sans visage.
longboarder420Friday, 19 Jun 2015 at 1:35pm
Surfers Blaming Surfers , LOL ... Chill out !!! Maybe Surf Ettiquete Should be the Topic ? And yes I agree We need to take this into our own hands ! I was Pulled up when i was About 13 or 14 for dropping in on someone and neally bashed by a 30 40 year old ! Never done it again , I always join the back of the lineup and wait my turn , Simple and easy! Need to pull up those who dont ! And Every surf is a worthy surf, Its those who think weekend surfs are a comp and get angry when they miss a turn ! surfing is meant to be fun.... CHILL OUT !!!! ........ LIVIN LOVIN CHILLIN from SEALS ROCKS
mowgliSunday, 21 Jun 2015 at 11:24am
In relation to crowding at The Pass....
I remember seeing an image of a billboard adjacent to a heavily congested roadway promoting taking public transport or cycling to work instead of a private car that said "You're not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic"...
Such a principle seems valid in this case regarding The Pass. All involved, locals, "locals", tourists, road trippers, day trippers, backpackers and weekenders, are virtually all committing the same "transgression", but each wants "the others" to cease and desist. All the while not even pretending to venture an admission of guilt themselves for committing the same act.
Seems to me that many Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials have all coalesced into one a single generational group I refer to as the "me-lennials".
The rise of selfishness and attitudes of entitlement over others...
Bob's 2 Bob'sMonday, 22 Jun 2015 at 7:52am
It galls modern ears to hear but some kind of local regulation of the lineup makes for a safer and better experience.
Local regulation?Pfft Who's the locals Free? The guy who blew in 5 years ago? 10 years ago?, The guy who lives there and surfs it everyday on welfare and believes he owns it? The guy who relocated from Sydney, claims zero local status and surf rings around some other claiming "local" status and lets common sense, experience and ability prevail and adjusts to the line up accordingly or goes and finds another break happily - which then disappoints some other so-called local!?
Soren ClearyTuesday, 23 Jun 2015 at 9:35pm
no no no the real problems are stand up paddle boards in the surf so many get severely injured from those things and soon enough someone's going to get killed!
WEAR A LEGGIE
gibbsyWednesday, 24 Jun 2015 at 8:13am
Teach the little groms playing on the shoreline that any board that washes in is fair game to be pounded with rocks. First to knock the fin out wins.
wingnut2443Wednesday, 24 Jun 2015 at 1:52pm
gibbsy wrote:
Teach the little groms playing on the shoreline that any board that washes in is fair game to be pounded with rocks. First to knock the fin out wins.
Ah, yeah but ... The law protects from that, kids be charged with property damage.
Stupid fucking laws.
udoSunday, 26 Jul 2015 at 1:56pm
Roy please watch the above vid.......hideous fucking injury ......by a longboard.....which is much lighter than your log .
Roy 2.40mins !
wellymonSunday, 26 Jul 2015 at 3:18pm
Agreed, Roy you're in a different world champ.
Have emailed you about fins two weeks ago and no response......!
winkieMonday, 27 Jul 2015 at 1:10pm
I was at a well known east coast point the other day,walking on the rocks with my son.
we were watching this guy trimming along on his log,doing all the tricks, switch foot, hanging ten,all that shit and lo and behold he falls off. You guessed it ,no leg rope. The boards going sideways in the whitewater straight for a young kid who duck dived ,how he was not killed is beyond me. The boards coming straight for the rocks where we were,
and this guy is swimming like a maniac yelling to me to save his board! Get a leg rope i yelled back as the board at my feet was showing more dings with every ocean movement. Finally i bent down and picked it up but being heavy and slippery i dropped it on the rocks.When i got hold of it again i said 'stay there i'll throw it to you' , he screamed NO! as i skimmed it over the exposed rocks to him. The fuckwit didn't seem impressed with my help.
Comments
my two pet hates right there ! crowds and no legropes!
Lived there for 30 years. Left in 2004 and only occasionally visit family and a few friends. What a shithole now. A salient lesson in how to screw a beautiful place up with rampant tourism and lack of infrastructure. I see it happening in Tasmania now with the insatiable drive to bring in more tourists without improving infrastructure. Soon there will be no wild places left in Australia.
yes spencie i have to agree with you on that allthough i still can get in my car and take a drive for little under one hour and score epic uncrowded waves you just have to put in the effort, i mean places like the pass and noosa are very easy waves in major tourist destinations ofcourse they will be busy , i still love that i can visit places like phillip island in winter and score uncrowded waves or even in summer drive one hour from noosa and score as well they can have the pass but lets hope that tassie stays nice and uncrowded
Yep. It's happening in Tassie too. It's strange how blind people are to the process even if they have seen it happen it before their eyes more than once before. "Nah won't happen here mate, too cold/remote/boring/etc"..."There's still quiet corners" etc. etc. Ten years later house prices are four times higher than they were before, the bakery is an organic larder selling Egg and Bacon pies for $14.50 and doesn't stock any milk, small shacks have become giant (and empty but for 4 weeks a year) mansions, and every rubbish bin is full of take away coffee cups. Don't even get me started on the line ups.
As a Tasmanian it drives me insane how desperate the government and others are to sell it. "Look we have great food - let's up production by a billion tonnes and sell it. Look at our wilderness - let's put a cable car across it and sell it." What's worse for me is that when people do take the plunge and move down to Tassie from Sydney/Byron wherever they simply can't wait to turn it in to everything they left behind. They start blogs and travel guides and whatever the fuck they can to drag all the hassles and worries and god-forsaken people they left behind down with them and quite simply, fuck it up for the people who were genuinely happy with the quiet country lifestyle and uncrowded waves.
I'd take low-income/low SES Tasmania with no crowds and a quiet way of life any day over a stronger economy with more dickheads on the roads and in the water.
Good comment danandan. I lived in Tassie for a number of years and was impressed with how strong the local movement is to protect what makes Tassie, Tassie. It's a truly unique part of the world and it would be a real shame if it became overrun/overdeveloped. Sometimes the Green movement can be its own worst enemy, however I firmly support it in Tassie where there's a hardcore bunch of rednecks who want to chop everything down. The current government trying to withdraw World Heritage Status from areas of the state is also despicable. Can these cretins not see past their own lifetimes, when a short-sighted approach to resources will screw everything up for future generations?
Nope - the whole thing is just a greedy rort. I'm sure this bloke isn't on his own, taking taxpayers dollars to leave the industry (more than a million over his lifetime) but still chopping trees last. It's unbelievable really.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4255487.htm
Haha,i lived in lennox for 15 years and moved when the round about went in in 89.The pass was getting crowded then and lennox was well on its way,problem is everyone wants a slice of the pie and the pie aint that big,so good luck trying to solve the problem.Shame surfings gone the way of the yuppy groovy crew that see it as being cool when years ago it was seen as something the down and outers did.......We are all to blame in one way or another.But come one come all and get a slice of the pie.
Improved infrastructure would possibly help the natural environment in these areas but nothing is going to solve overcrowding at certain places. Change is constant & as history shows us it's clearly not always for the better.
Can't blame people for wanting to surf & visit & live in beautiful places.....
Noosa is just as bad. Wear a leg rope ya beardy weirdy pelican try hards. (nothing against bearded people)
It puzzles me when a place is beyond maximum crowd, and you still see another 50 people going in. Why? Whatever you are looking for, it ain't here, currently. It makes no sense.
I kinda think the same thing when seeing all the cars jamming up the highways while heading into the cities.
Totally agree. It's idiocy on an unprecedented scale to look at an overcrowded line-up and go, "one more won't make any difference". Well it will and even if it didn't, how shit-hot a snake do you think you are to be able to paddle out and catch a number of waves to make the surf worth it? Surfing's about exploration - go and find another wave to surf
tbh I didn't surf the Pass for ten years or so save for the odd tiny day on a mal when it was nor-east wind slop but this summer because i was working in the Bay I surfed it alot.
Somehow I came to some kind of acceptance of the crowds. I'd get one or two on the lunchbreak and go back and surf it on dark for another one or two. Yes, dangerous, but not that hard to get waves if you know what you're doing.
But no, don't go exploring stay at the Pass, at least then the kook crowd is contained. We don't want it spreading like a virus.
Haha Fr76 its already spread mate and will keep spreading all over your place like a big virus, suck it up champ;)
Its very sad... surfing for sport... its more like dancing really... and these places have become freaking moshpits
Crowds are and will always be a problem... The real issue though is etiquette. Too often wherever you surf there is little respect. People see someone already on a wave yet still go... I will never understand this. Patience is a long gone virtue and dropping in is the norm. And those without leg ropes, well... idiots
I hear ya. Twice this week people flat-out stared at me in the face before they took off in front of me. On both occasions they fell off immediately and then paddled back to the line-up and put on the Australian bravado face of pretending nothing happened, looking non-plussed. I pulled them both up on it and they paddled away, but I don't think it made a difference. At the very least, if you are going to drop in on someone, make sure you actually surf the wave and not just go over the falls.
I don't let crowds bother me when people can actually surf. But when people who can't surf insist on paddling out to a good spot on a good day and just kooking the whole thing up it drives me insane - you really should go surf somewhere else. If you are still riding the white water do you really need to be surfing the Superbank? If you can't duckdive and still throw your board away every time a wave breaks in front of you, should you really be out at the best spot on the best most crowded day?
Totally agree.
The democratization of surfing has now led to total chaos crowds like the Pass and Superbank.
It galls modern ears to hear but some kind of local regulation of the lineup makes for a safer and better experience.
1st world problems hey.... Its a tough life ya sooks. Go live in a country where your not even allowed go surfing or have the luxury of time to go surfing.......sooks.
Its funny ....whining about the overcrowding by those who use forums with webcams, surf reports and forecasts. Simple as 1+1=2 really. Horse bolted long ago on this one, but do agree about the wanker, look at me, too cool for school dickheads who ride without leggies in crowded surf spots. "Instant karma's gonna get you"!
Great user name.
Australia was doomed as a wilderness as soon as white man set foot upon it. Imagine how the aboriginals feel. It's still a beautiful place with many amazing natural environments. Everyone who is fortunate enough to live in or visit this unique continent should feel grateful and show respect to each other in the surf and in land. Be kind to each other and amazing things happen.
Line up, take a ticket.
Was a time you'd get up for the early to miss the crowd on weekends. 5 years later my local is packed with part timers on mals at dawn who disappear by 9.30 for a latte and brunch. I sleep in now.
we need more sheeple surfing the pass and snapper - then there's more waves at other spots for me !
seriously wear a fing legrope, poor kid is lucky to be alive.
keep a smile on your face and the crowds are no worrys,
stay happy, ! It really is the 40 YR old locals who think they own waves what are the problem, chill out.... Ive surfed the same spot for the last 7 years, (Im 19)
and will for the next 7, And i get told off by 40 year olds on SHORTBOARDS on a 2FT day ! ease up turbo,
A 9ft board on a 2ft day longboarder and no way you would ever sit just that bit further outside and take a wave in every set or anything like that.....No? Well there are plenty that do, day after day, week after week, year after frigging year. So make sure you keep those good manners up!
Open both your eyes BB. You might just see that these type of surfing line-ups consist of dickheads with no manners who ride all sorts of crafts, and yes, even old blokes on short boards......
.........maybe but there's nothing like an extra 2ft of dick to go to people's head.
BB, you mean just like how shortboarders have treated body boarders and bodysurfers for decades.
I don't mind body boards and give them the same respect as someone on a. board. Seems to me that is the approach most take these days. As for body surfers anyone attempting to body surf in the current crowd levels should know that bad attitudes are a distant second to accidental decapitation in the hazard stakes.
BB I think it's time you took some of your very own advislce based on your vast experience
In surfing. You often talk about when your surfing or watching the surf, you observe a high percentage of surfers not surfing the waves technically correct, missing sections, failing maneuvers etc, due to several things, some being a poor choice of equipment in relation to their ability & in relation to the conditions. I agree with this in principle. So based on your observations........
If someone paddled out 6ft - 8ft Dee Why on a traditional 10ft log, waited their turn, showed total & due respect to the locals (who ever they are), how many good quality waves do you reckon this person would get? My guess is they would be lucky to get even one wave. I personally don't think that is right, each to their own, ride whatever you like I have always believed, but thats another topic for another day. But I would suggest that would agree that choice of equipment is not functional for that wave.
Now, the same person paddles a short board out to The Pass on 1ft-2ft day, waits their turn, shows due respect to the "locals" (haha) etc but struggles to get a wave due to long boarders already up & riding these waves & the fact their equipment is not allowing them to successfully surf these types of waves.
The long boarders are not just up & riding, but riding these waves functionally well before the short boarder gets near it.
I always find it staggering & funny that people with similar attitudes to longboards like yourself, always comment in these threads that are related to surfing small Pass or Noosa but can't bring themselves to admit that longboards, be they high performance or traditional logs & everything in between, are tailor made for these types of waves. Short boards are not, not even higher volume short boards. You may not like longboards but surely yours and others egos aren't that big that you can't admit this fact...
I choose to ride an array of equipment so that I can functionally enjoy surfing all types of waves. I recommend it highly & reckon even you BB might just get a kick out trying the same......
There is still massive residential development install for West Byron and while the local council wrestle with the infrastructure, which is a debacle. There is not going to be many winners but everybody just loves the North coast so they keep coming.
Nice comments ED, totally agree with the leg rope issue, fucking kooks.
Hey i should come and see you about another board?
I think the nail in the coffin was when they put that H-way from the Goldie down to Byron area about 15 years ago, prior to that i use to spend a lot of time surfing lennox and use to get plenty of low crowd good days.
The crowds are getting worse all the time here and Indo but compared to whats coming i think we are still in the golden years, and there is still perfect uncrowded waves if your in the know, so enjoy it while you can because one day we will look back and recall how uncrowded it was and lucky we were.
I think you're right Indo. We look back at the 60's/70's now as halcyonic days, but in another couple of decades people will look back at this period as realize how good we had it. Complete saturation is probably coming. Whilst all the major spots are crowded, there's still heap of spots off the beaten track in every country that remain quiet and chilled. Places where you can get waves to yourself. It's really not that hard. I rarely surf in a big crowd and I regularly surf in Aus, Fiji and Indo. People need to stop being fucking sheep. The world is huge. Go and explore.
Hey guys, so this video depicts me as a shit surf and a kook for not wearing a leg rope? Yes I am bearer guy on the green log. I don't know how this footage was gathered but it was not with my permission (I don't really care) so in saying that I am not a kook I have never injured someone surfing, rarely do I loose my board. Not wearing a legrope can be dangerous and I understand so I do wear them when it gets punchy and a massive crowed but when it is 1-2ft slope it's just fun to muck around and get in the water to cleans the soul and be at peace, if you look at the video I was having fun laughing and just mucking around!!
Share the love and relax people get injured getting out of bed in the morning aswell
Nic.
Nic, you're a cretin and despite all the comments on this thread, you're still oblivious to your own stupidity. There's absolutely no reason not to wear a leggie, but I'd like to hear you're excuses anyway. Why don't you wear one Nic? Take it you also never wear a Johnny when you have sex? It makes zero difference to performance or how fast you can trim, cause you're on a fucking LONGBOARD!
Nic youre a fuckwit
I have never injured someone and I rarely lose my board..
its only a matter of time before you do injure someone
unless your surfing solo somewhere just wear a legrope you tool.
Sorry Nic, I won't go as far as call you a fuckwit but you're tripping if you don't think your 'loose' board that you occasionally 'lose' can't hurt somebody in 1-2ft slop.
Seriously man, why don't you go against the grain of your inconsiderate brethren and be the smart one that sets the example rather than the tool who thinks he's infallible.
Edit: PS Nic, is that you dropping in on the shortboarder at the start of the vid? Poor form if it is buddy.
Yes I dropped in, it was my uncle and well he owed me cause he dropped in a few waves earlier
Fair enough Nic, I've been known to drop in on my bro from time to time. And him me.
Regarding your post below, I know some pretty stylish longboarders in my neck of the woods, all of them wear leggies but they attach them just below the knee. It doesn't seem to hinder them one little bit. I think you're using those excuses as a bit of a cop-out.
You are right, accidents can and do happen with gumbies flailing around in the impact zone with their boards still attached, but if that 9ft missile of yours goes carreening into the shorey you've got Buckleys to no chance of stopping it. With a leggie you at least give the victim a fighting chance.
Can someone tell me why you wouldn't wear a leggy? Nick why dont you wear one?
IMO the only time you should not be wearing one is if you are about to get mowed down by a wave big enough to drown you.
I have been hit in the head by a large board that was connected to a surfer with a leggy -fair enough accidents happen. If i was hit and the board was not attached with a leggy and it hit me or worse one of my kids i would try to strangle you with my legrope.
Is there any valid reason not to wear one and drag is not a valid reason the fastest waves in the world get surfed by surfers wearing legropes.
Bummer for the kid. But, even with a leggy he would have been hit. In fact there might be more damage because of the few thousand or so leggies. Every geek, every known and unknown form of floating object, is out there 'performing' in the useless slop, looking for a slab, a bomb. God help them.
Lets face it, from noosless down has always been a ludicrous, embarrassing, steaming hoax. Geek valley. The eastern seaboard has always been the same, dribbling, steaming drivvle. With leggies... without leggies. What are they fucking thinking... no I take that back... please, please don't tell us!!!
The solution is simple. A cyclone wire, electrified, geek proof fence needs to be placed around the whole zone. Any geek caught in there should be payed by the government to stay in there. There they can play surfees, callers, filmers, clothes designers, crafts geeks, industry geeks, swilling nut geeks, editor geeks, journo geeks, magnate geeks, icing geeks, well, just a pack of fenced in geeking, whinging nut, swill nutting fucking geeks. Planes should do regular geek supply drops. Dropping more geeks, leggies, hipster shit, mals, logs, guns, retros, modern shred sticks, 70mph sticks, the shit, artificial reefs, pools, bags of drugs, ice, coke, mull, bazookas, machine guns, chia seeds, knives, highchairs, karate suits, bibles, multi coloured mma belts, hairdressers, carrol bros, gourmet pie tins... give them anything they want. Just keep the fucking fence up, and electrified. Keep the surfee geeks where they truly love, where they belong. Unflushable floaters. Soon all will be solved.
Just sayin.
Why make a short, nonsensical yet offensive comment when you can make a long excruciatingly embarrasing one?
Why read it, if you don't want to?
I'm sorry my grammer skills them were shit. So thankyou on that. And no need to call me a fuckwit that is abit offensive and we'll just down right internet trolling. The reason I don't wear a leg rope
- you cannot properly cross step/hang heel, running back switch.... Etc
- I know I could hurt someone without a legrope but so can kooks in the inside that bail their boards every wave that breaks in front of them
- and well practice from comps (style is a huge part of longboarding)
So I'm sorry I am a fuckwit, dickhead that doesn't wear a legrope. Call me a hipster kook geek nothing will change the love and the connection I have for the ocean that I respect and hope you do too. I am only 19 and trying to get somewhere with my surfing and well this negativity is dumb. Surfing accidents happen there's nothing you can do other then not surf.
You're a hipster kook geek Nic and that comment says it all. You think you are something special and have something special that no one else has, but in reality, you are just plain selfish. One day you will grow up, mature and look back to see what a selfish dickhead you were, hopefully you haven't hurt or killed someone, but the odds stack up the longer you do it.
Everything, absolutely everything, is in that zone, because its what those there want. And, they always want more. Just one big market.
Nick just be careful at some spots when your not wearing your leggy.
I can guarantee if you were surfing at the beach I mostly surf at here on the Mornington peninsula and your 9ft log was bouncing around in the wash and took out one of the little groms that play/learn in the Shorey, all because you didn't want to wear a leggie, the said groms old man would quickly turn your 9ft in a few 3ft mini mals.. And you might as well start swimming to tassie.
Seriously mate have a think about it..
Sadly i think surfers just need to take the situation into our own hands, if there is some kook out in the water not wearing a leggie and the board hits you or gets washed up on the beach us leg rope wearing surfers need to ensure we punch or kick out the fins of their boards, its the only way these people are going to learn and not do it.
Its just a way to dangerous practise to tolerate.
Yeah, or just take the board and cut it down to make a new shortboard. Or flog it on ebay. If there's no surfer attached to it then it's flotsam in the open ocean and anyone can claim it.
Don't stop at the fins...let's paint the beaches red with the leggie-less ;)
Nic , just take another look at the xray and surgery pics of this boys skull, would you really like to be the person responsible for causing an injury like that........the same or worse could happen to you one day ?
Well said.
Surely you get this, Nic? Just stop and think Nic, and all you other no leggie dudes ... How the fuck will you feel when, yes WHEN, not if your board seriously hurts someone?
Nic,
You just don't get it do you and that is the problem with society in general these days
Everyone is just in it for their own two seconds of fame and don't give two hoots about anyone else around them.
You claim to not wear a leggie because you can surf better without one if this is the case for your training, FUCK OFF up the northern end of seven mile and catch the reforms to practice your line dancing moves AWAY from other people and putting them at risk for your own glory.
What happens when you do loose your board and it breaks some ones jaw or splits them open and leaves them with brain damage??
That's right, you feel sorry for a few minutes and move on, but they then have to live with it for the rest of their life, family stress, medical bills, life wasted in hospitals, lost work, depression, it all adds up...........and for what reason............my name is Nic and I think I am the next best thing to surfing so I surf without a leggie in a crowded line up for my own self glory!
Nic, your a dick
It's ironic that you rarely lose your board yet your the guy on the film that loses his board.
Do us all a favour and wear a leggy.
I get that wearing a leggie on a longboard affects the cross step, but there's a time and a place. And I'd say the pass isn't ever the place, no matter the time.
I've been in the water on relatively uncrowded days with fellas with no leggies and it hasn't worried me. Clearly very good surfers in control of their boards on mellow days with a low crowd. I see who they are so know to watch for them when they are taking off in front of me. No problems.
But when it's a zoo, like at the pass, well forget it. You gotta use one.
But props to Nick for manning up with his identity. Unless of course it's some bloke pretending to be Nick to get him trolled on the internet. Could be the modern day version of the public toilet scrawl, for a good time call Nick on 0456 123 456!!!
You bastard Benski. That isn't Nick's number, it's the Broadbeach CIB;)
haha!! I figured they'd know how to look after you zen.
Surfing any surfboard can be a lot of fun with no leggie, learn to fall less, learn to swim fast, keep the exercise factor in small waves, just don,t do it when there are any other people who might"get in the way" of your stick when it gets washed in, pretty simple, save it for empty sessions.
What I really don,t get is the open Hawaiian shirts or tuxedo vests "hipster longboarders" seem to be very much in favour of surfing in these days, not "retro" in any way, (maybe a footy jumper actually would be if you want to reinact being a mal rider in the 60,s before wetsuits). Not only do they look like total wankers there is absolute zero function, even makes swimming for you "log" while it bounces off the groms inside a lot slower.
Ah, yep. Just so very simple...
Solves two problems too:
1. Reduces the crowd at the crowded spot, and
2. Reduces risk of injury to others.
If only these no leggie heroes could think and see the sense in this simple solution.
it looks cool flapping in the breeze. end of story.
Could there actually be legal implications if you don't wear a leg rope and your board hits someone and their fin takes out an eye or even worse.
Could you be sued or something?
When your wearing a leg rope and you fall off or your leg rope snaps and board does someone serious damage it could be said that you were not at fault as you had done your best to ensure the safety of others by wearing a leg rope.
However if you don't wear a leg rope, ESPECIALLY in a crowded surf scene like the Pass and your board does serious damage to someone, it could be said that you have behaved irresponsible and continually shown a disregard for others safety, having knowingly putting others people safety at risk as your board becomes a projectile almost a weapon in a sense that you have no control of whatsoever.
In short, no, legal recourse isn't possible here in Australia. From an old article I wrote that you can find here:
"I then went looking for legal precedents, lawsuits created by victims of stray boards. In the US they were easy to find as some states have leash laws making it illegal to enter the surf without one. If an accident happens due to a protagonist not wearing a legrope they are automatically assigned blame.
In Australia, where no such laws exists, cases are harder to find. In 2002 the NSW State government introduced the Civil Liability Act. The Act created significant hurdles for injured persons to recover damages, even in instances where the other party was negligent or at fault.
Andy Munro is a senior associate with Slater & Gordon Lawyers, Coffs Harbour. Prior to the Act, says Munro, "a number of high profile personal injury cases...prompted the then government to significantly change the laws insofar as they related to persons injured in public places."
The Civil Liability Act includes restrictions that relate to 'obvious risk' and 'recreational activities'. "In my view," says Munro, "the courts would likely find that surfing is a dangerous recreational activity within the meaning of the Civil Liability Act. That would apply regardless of whether the board rider was wearing a legrope or not."
Further, says Munro, "the act of placing oneself in a crowded line up in the circumstances where it may be expected there will be a varying degree of skill and experience would likely leave the courts to conclude that there was an obvious risk, notwithstanding the use or otherwise of legropes or the type of surfcraft being used."
The Civil Liability Act therefore protects irresponsible longboarders on two fronts. "The prospect," Munro concludes, "of a person injured by a stray surfboard in recovering damages, is not impossible but fraught with difficulty."
Which ultimately means that the law doesn't protect surfers should they be hit by an errant longboard – or any other surfcraft - irrespective of how negligent their owner is. Just how the victim responds is dependent on their temperament and tolerance; they may turn the other cheek, take an eye for an eye, or like me, stop surfing at 10am on summer Sunday mornings."
Thanks Stu…oh man that sucks.
BTW. That links a good article.
Cheers ID. The article stemmed from a prick of an incident but I figure the info is useful. Surfers can't rely on the law, if anything is to be done about legropes we'll have to figure it out ourselves.
Leggies, no leggies isn't the issue. According to the worlds greatest ever surfer, leggies are actually a problem. Even with his leggie on he hit a kid, and nearly ran over another one.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/confidential/kelly-slater-al...
So imagine that kid. Slattsey, whom some say is the the greatest athlete that ever lived, others the greatest human that ever lived, tells the kid his leggy nearly killed him. Tells the kid to go on the inside and find Zenny. The kid takes his offending leggy off, finds Zenny chargin' slabs on the inside, and gets screeched and squwarked at by Zenny for not wearing his leggie. Indo punches his fins out. Slattsey bites his lip, wanting to cry out... gee... geee ...geeee....
Its just the eastern seaboard. The market combined with slop. All sorts of things can happen in a marketplace in slop, soft waves. Everyone there gets what they want. A market, in slop and soft waves. And as I said, they all want more. More billies so to speak.
An obvious answer is that in those type of eastern seaboard marketplace areas, that so, so, so, so, so, so, so many love, they should all have to use soft boards, by law. Zillions of shocking injuries, some very well known, are actually caused by wearing leggies as well, as even slattsey says through bitten and chewed up lips.
https://www.mivision.com.au/surf-eye-injury-study-result/
And, before stewart, or blinder, or even bennie write an important surfee article about whether or not to measure billie's hair from the front, or back, for once I have to say I don't know, and, who cares? Measure it from the side for all I care.
OMG, I've just done it again... solved a major, major issue that has plagued and tortured surfees since the passtime's inception! Of course, keep evoone happy and just measure waves from the side! Well done lifty! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!
Where would we be without you big fella? Thankyou once again.
I love it when I get a mention, makes me feel impotent.
Les yeux sans visage.
Surfers Blaming Surfers , LOL ... Chill out !!! Maybe Surf Ettiquete Should be the Topic ? And yes I agree We need to take this into our own hands ! I was Pulled up when i was About 13 or 14 for dropping in on someone and neally bashed by a 30 40 year old ! Never done it again , I always join the back of the lineup and wait my turn , Simple and easy! Need to pull up those who dont ! And Every surf is a worthy surf, Its those who think weekend surfs are a comp and get angry when they miss a turn ! surfing is meant to be fun.... CHILL OUT !!!! ........ LIVIN LOVIN CHILLIN from SEALS ROCKS
In relation to crowding at The Pass....
I remember seeing an image of a billboard adjacent to a heavily congested roadway promoting taking public transport or cycling to work instead of a private car that said "You're not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic"...
Such a principle seems valid in this case regarding The Pass. All involved, locals, "locals", tourists, road trippers, day trippers, backpackers and weekenders, are virtually all committing the same "transgression", but each wants "the others" to cease and desist. All the while not even pretending to venture an admission of guilt themselves for committing the same act.
Seems to me that many Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials have all coalesced into one a single generational group I refer to as the "me-lennials".
The rise of selfishness and attitudes of entitlement over others...
It galls modern ears to hear but some kind of local regulation of the lineup makes for a safer and better experience.
Local regulation?Pfft Who's the locals Free? The guy who blew in 5 years ago? 10 years ago?, The guy who lives there and surfs it everyday on welfare and believes he owns it? The guy who relocated from Sydney, claims zero local status and surf rings around some other claiming "local" status and lets common sense, experience and ability prevail and adjusts to the line up accordingly or goes and finds another break happily - which then disappoints some other so-called local!?
no no no the real problems are stand up paddle boards in the surf so many get severely injured from those things and soon enough someone's going to get killed!
WEAR A LEGGIE
Teach the little groms playing on the shoreline that any board that washes in is fair game to be pounded with rocks. First to knock the fin out wins.
Ah, yeah but ... The law protects from that, kids be charged with property damage.
Stupid fucking laws.
Roy please watch the above vid.......hideous fucking injury ......by a longboard.....which is much lighter than your log .
Roy 2.40mins !
Agreed, Roy you're in a different world champ.
Have emailed you about fins two weeks ago and no response......!
I was at a well known east coast point the other day,walking on the rocks with my son.
we were watching this guy trimming along on his log,doing all the tricks, switch foot, hanging ten,all that shit and lo and behold he falls off. You guessed it ,no leg rope. The boards going sideways in the whitewater straight for a young kid who duck dived ,how he was not killed is beyond me. The boards coming straight for the rocks where we were,
and this guy is swimming like a maniac yelling to me to save his board! Get a leg rope i yelled back as the board at my feet was showing more dings with every ocean movement. Finally i bent down and picked it up but being heavy and slippery i dropped it on the rocks.When i got hold of it again i said 'stay there i'll throw it to you' , he screamed NO! as i skimmed it over the exposed rocks to him. The fuckwit didn't seem impressed with my help.
Gold:)