Surfing without legropes like 'driving without brakes'
This is article #13,768 in a series that began here: Longboarders, Legropes, and the Law
Former Greens MP Ian Cohen said the situation at The Pass in Byron Bay was now so bad he would not paddle out without a helmet. Mr Cohen said the famous point break had become a blackspot for violence and injuries.
"I actually think we're going to need some sort of patrol thing, like lifesavers with their flags patrolling for safety," Mr Cohen said. "Have a whistle and say to a person, 'look you're acting like a ratbag, you either get out of the water or we call the police'."
Mr Cohen said the dangers posed by aggressive crowds were made much worse by people who refused to wear legropes. He said during a recent swim at The Pass he counted 20 surfers from a line-up of nearly 100 who were not wearing leg ropes.
Mr Cohen said the growing trend that gave some surfers "an extra sense of freedom" was nothing but "selfishness". He likened it to 20 per cent of people driving cars without brakes.
"There's been some horrendous damage out there and people are getting life-changing injuries," he said. "Serious injuries where they don't recover, and I think that's an appalling situation."
Ian Cohen at The Pass (ABC Samantha Turnbull)
Broken ribs, collapsed lung
Thais Pupio was left with three broken ribs and a collapsed lung after being hit by another surfer's board at The Pass earlier this year.
"He looked at me and asked if I was okay and I said no, but then he started paddling away," Ms Pupio said. "I feel it's really bad that the guy made no offer to help me and had no idea of the consequence."
"I understand that accidents happen and of course we need to be more careful to avoid those things. But I reckon ... if you leave the scene, you [should face] really serious consequences like in a car accident or something."
Suffolk Park resident Dennis Haydock had a similar story about his nine-year-old grandson almost being hit by a runaway long board. He said the nine-year-old's father pushed the board away before it hit his son, only to be verbally abused by its owner.
"If I had been down there myself — I'm a bit more confrontational — I would have taken her board and snapped it in half," he said. "It's just so dangerous not to have a leg rope on."
Thais Pupio with her longboard at The Pass (Thais Pupio)
Not just Byron Bay
Max Pendergast, who runs a Facebook page called Byron Bay Surf Safety, said it had been overwhelmed by stories about injuries caused by surfers not wearing legropes.
"Whenever I put any post up regarding legropes, it's overwhelmed with stories about people being hit, people nearly being hit, arguments, physical fights," he said. "So much so that some of the posts we've done we've had to take down because people have replies threatening physical violence to other surfers.
"It's not just Byron Bay — I've had replies from up the coast at Currumbin and Snapper and those breaks too."
Southern Cross University law lecturer Andy Gibson said surfers who did not wear legropes could be legally liable if their boards injured someone. But he said the difficulty with filing a negligence suit would be the ability to claim compensation and legal costs from the culprit.
Mr Gibson said pursuing legal action would be time consuming and costly.
"You can always bring a negligence [claim] against someone who causes you injury," he said. "But that pre-supposes that that person's got the necessary funds to be able to pay the damages in the first place, and historically surfers have not been considered to be people with loads and loads of money."
Mr Gibson said even if laws around legropes were introduced, they would be difficult to enforce.
"If the number of injuries reached a sufficiently high number and they're also sufficiently serious enough, then parliaments may well decide it's an area that needs to be legislated on," he said. "But it would be a very tricky area to enforce as well.
"We've seen a code of practice be introduced by surfers about what's the right thing to do on the wave and what's the wrong thing, and maybe that's something that needs to be included into that code on conduct."
// LEAH WHITE and BRUCE MACKENZIE
© Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
Comments
I used to offer a spare one out of my car to them if they couldn't afford to buy one, but now I am in anger management mode, I just paddle a bit further down the bank. More concerning locally is the number of winged SUPs appearing. Getting hit by one of those things would be life threatening . There are lots of places they could use them safely around Long Reef, but no, straight out into the beach break crowd!
Mate I am so off them, some hero tried to paddle one out at the longy bombies a couple of swells back. Repeatedly kooked it, losing his board in front of someone - the hydrofoil narrowly missing their head. They are just not safe in a line up, you couldn't duck dive under them. Im yet to see anyone utilise one with safety let alone skill at longy/deewhy.
keep them away from theline up. already surfed with one clown on one at longy - it is NOT a safe beach for them
I was thinking some of the rarely surfed reefs, not the beach.
Someone say Byron Bay?
Splendour in the grass
(have another toke)
Splendour at the pass
(oh we're so bespoke)
Splendour my arse
(line-up always choked)
"oh I don't know, if I could live with someone,
who was'nt, you know, consciously conscious, ya know?"
Legrope on or Legrope release,
would it matter at a place,
so teeming with folks and
seething with jokers and
heaving with hoaxes
Call da police
That was very good, as were the 'pros and cons/sons of pros and cons' lines about Angourie. Sir John Betjeman's take on Slough comes to mind... hmm how to reply?
When I was young I accidentally found
how to surf long boards with no one else around
It was uncool, log breaks were empty
Now it's become a circus with risk aplenty
It's good VJ, succinct. That's the pass to a T.
40 years ago it was a languid log-riding wave even at it's very best. How did it morph into such a dramatic Mecca?
Last time I looked it was still the same old nanna-nap wave it's always been.
Mort, that you?
Isn't it time we enforced the status quo on this?
If you're surfing with others around and not wearing a legrope, you're a dick. Plain and simple. Nobody thinks you're cool. Nobody admires your sense of freedom, or whatever you're telling yourself. We think you're a selfish menace.
I'm no fan of aggro in the surf, but I suspect the majority of surfers have had or seen close calls with loose boards, or had kids endangered by them, so speak up. Most surfers are on your side. Let's close ranks and let them know it's not OK.
As a regular surfer at the pass I see the carnage on a daily basis and surfing without a leg rope is not the root of the problem. Putting a 10 foot legrope on a 10 foot board is not going to stop these accidents from happening, considering anywhere further than 20 feet inside the bank is shin deep water.
The pass is the one of the more dangerous spots to surf in the area and that’s mainly due to kooks with no awareness of what’s happening out there. These kooks are the ones getting hit by stray boards due to the fact that other kooks are dropping in or floundering around on the line of the wave causing the surfers to bail or straiten out.
Fathers of young kids seem to be the main aggressors when it comes to standoff’s about legropes, even though the kids that they are pushing into waves have ZERO control of the board (negligence).
School holidays are the worst and I’m surprised there has not been a fatality. Young kids swimming and playing in the line up on the bank not even facing the waves while mum and dad are working on their tan on the beach, Its just a matter of time before a fatality ocurrs and unfortunately it will be the surfer without a legrope that gets the blame.
If any authorotive patrol was to be implemented the main focus should be getting the kooks and anybody else with no idea out of the water. Kooks and learners are the ones getting hurt due to the actions of other kooks and learners and then the ones crying foul.
No I don’t use a legrope and if I did I would be more likely to take risks that would create more opportunities for harm to anyone in my immediate vicinity.
Now there's a brave comment!
Wow, I read it twice and its disturbing. Leg ropes are fantastic equipment and they allow you to surf all places/conditions. We all make mistakes and so do you. Kids love surfing the inside because its so soft and when you lose your board and permanently injure a child, Its your fault because you chose to use no leg rope. They have as much right to surf there as you do but you choose to consistently place others at risk, for what?. Your the kook brother and your the one they should pull out of the water.
Sorry Liquidline, you’re very wrong. But I suspect, given your mindset (which seems to reflect those that revel in crowded leashless freedom), that you wont realise or acknowledge it.
Liquidline, oh man you are the exact type of person that I never want to see in any line up anywhere.
Did you even read what you wrote afterwards?
That’s mind boggling shit you speak.
Here is a story from the last time i surfed the pass.
Yes there are kooks everywhere, its byron - kook is life.
Sitting in the lineup and a surf school mob comes out near where im sitting, no worries just sit a little further down than them and keep surfing. as the tide started to drop the waves started to join from one part of the bank to the other and one of the local heros starts trying to connect the dots and getting the shits that the surf school is in the way and trys to plow through the middle of them. absolute hero and not wearing a leggie either. Next wave he gets close to where the surf school is and turns around to ride through them facing backwards! absolute flog! the same dude a few waves later lost his board and washed in a good 15m to clean up a young chick doing nothing wrong.
My question is Liquidline are you that flog? cause you sure sound like one.
And if you rode a motorcycle you'd not wear a helmet for the 'real' wind in the face experience. Those young kids are just starting out, learning. You are experienced enough to take FULL responsibility for your actions. Just as with a motorcycle - it was the other bloke who caused the accident - no it wasn't - it was you not making allowances for ALL the variables around you. I personally avoid school holiday surfs if possible and let the grommets have a go.
Ha ha those evil dads out teaching their kids to surf. Liquidline there may well be kooks in the the lineup but you sound like a complete wanker.
Spoken like a true dickhead and defender of no legrope. Wake up to yourself mate
"No I don’t use a legrope and if I did"
...then your entire argument might not be treated with disdain.
I agree with the concept of the muppets causing problems though. I’ve been seeing it more and more lately that people with basically no idea are entering a line up that is WELL beyond their skill set and putting others at risk with their behaviour.
Don’t get me wrong , I’m definitely no Kelly Slater with ultimate board control . Nor am I opposed to people challenging themselves in the ocean as that’s where the excitement is but the situations I’m referring to are that of utter gumbies tossing boards rather than duckdiving - whether through laziness or inability- and people that basically CANNOT surf whatsoever entering advanced and / crowded line ups in which they have no business attempting.
Education is the key. If the recipient argues the point then maybe the education needs to be driven home with some force.
Of course the wheels fall straight off this plan when the Gumby is a female which is often the case.
As for no leg rope at the pass - you are officially a proper fuckwit.
"No I don’t use a legrope and if I did I would be more likely to take risks that would create more opportunities for harm to anyone in my immediate vicinity."
And that is what is referred to as a rationalisation. Ironically, there is nothing rational about it.
I commend your courage liquidline in owning up to it. May I suggest that you haven't looked at the problem in a clear-headed, rational, risk-assessing way.
And you haven't worked out that not using a legrope is not actually 'freedom', or any of those other reasons for not wearing a leg rope. It's about taking responsibility, and you aren't.
But I suspect my arguments won't provide the slightest dint in your armour.
Freedom in a line up of 100 people? I can taste it!
Cue Corona Beer advert...
I like halibut poem...covers it all
The pass should be a "designated soft top surf spot".
All glass boards shall be confiscated from owner, owner shall only ride softops in byron shire from that date forward.
If anyone reading this rides a board without a leash at the pass. Please just use an old rope instead. It will go well with your sixty year old designed equipment......
I think I'll pass on the Pass.
I’ve surfed all my life and grew up in Currumbin surfing the point my kids all now surf there as well .The crowds are out of control.I was surfing out the point one day with my daughter she is 10 but very experienced a guy paddled up to me and said I think you’re daughter has been run over by a Mal rider I paddled in to find a young lady with a mal comforting her as she was crying I asked my daughter how it had happened she said the lady had no legg rope on and copped her 9 foot mal in the head nearly knocked her out The lady was also crying as she felt so bad I ripped into her as she walked away. My daughter had pins and needles in her neck for two weeks could have been worse and ended up with a 12 inch fin in her head.I surfed out there around 2 weeks later with a bunch of hipsters without leggies who I’d never seen in my life on and couldn’t help but let them have it they just looked at me like I was talking another language.I don’t care how good or cool you think you are or if you’ve had you’re 3 lessons that week and are out there if you don’t put on a legg rope be prepared for the consequences
Sounds like you were pretty reasonable. Yeah my lad is only 2.5 and it would be awesome if he enjoys a wave. Having kids takes your perspective to new levels. I could only imagine my reaction if he suffered injury from what would be an otherwise avoidable incident.
Pins & needles in neck would be an instant 000 here
Legropes should be used if near any other beach user. Implement a 50mtr rule like jetskis. If any person is within the vicinity, use one and be responsible. Don't be worried if anyone says your less cool and not a traditionalist. I can't think of any rational reason to not use a legrope. Not one. But I can think of many extremely good reasons as to why everyone should. We can do a pro's and cons list and see how stupid this no leggy thing is. No issue if you're on your Pat Malone but at crowded places especially like the Pass. Liquid Line, your trippin thinking you won't ever lose your board and have it go unmanned through the crowd. If you want "freedom" go and find a desolate beach and do your thing. I would legally pursue anyone who injured me or my missus because of a stray board. Or if minor incident, board snapped or confiscated without hesitation.
“ Legally pursue “ - Does that mean you’d observe the speed limit whilst tailing them home in order to throttle the useless fuck ?
Yes Liquid line , you would be that very same useless fuck if your leggie -free board speared into someone’s loved one.
Maybe we should take the opposite tack and ban all legropes..this would cut thr kook count and reduce crowds...plus think of all teh ding repair guys that would finally be able to afford some new clothes
Give this man a slice of Ukraine!
I would like to bring to the attention the fact that i have my leg broken at the pass i am definitely no kook having surf all round the world for the last 30yrs.this was caused by a selfish,arrogant female brasilian who thought she was a really hot surfer burning people left right and centre.so the comment that kooks are the people getting injured is truly unwarranted. So heres to that waste of space girl,you cost me 10 weeks off work and a lot of pain.hope you receive your comeuppance.
That’s a very unpleasant story. How did she break your leg ?
Hope it’s all good now cobber.
Believe it or not I am reasonable and and I can see your points especially those by fathers of groms in the lineup, but your missing my point.
If this is a PASS specific conversation then any one you doesn’t surf it regularly needs to butt out because you clearly won’t understand its dynamics.
Most of the accidents I witness are kids swimming on the bank facing the beach with only their heads Obove water and being hit while the surfer is still riding while weaving the sea of heads. Leg rope or not these kids are going to be seriously injured, only difference being you will be free from retribution and negligence proceedings.
Old mate that counted 20 out of 100 not wearing a leggy is way off I think. Surely he was swimming around down towards Clarke’s on a dead flat day and those 80 legropes were connected to surf school or hire boards. If he were to have a count inside the point on a nice 1-2 foot arvo after work it would have been 80 without legropes and 20 without. Yes legrope users are minority at the pass.
Nah, I'm not convinced mate. Not at all. Please do everyone a favour and put a legrope on when it's crowded.
Bottom line if you are on a wave its your responsibility to not hit anyone - while you are on the board and when you are not. Yep it would be good if everyone understood and was aware of surfers but get real, pull your head out of your ass.
'Maybe we should take the opposite tack and ban all legropes..this would cut thr kook count and reduce crowds...plus think of all teh ding repair guys that would finally be able to afford some new clothes'
Exactly... however, just remember in a like scenario, chubbers, cripples, wounded losers and slugs have united, and have a voice, representation and a pass now. trump cards. And are expanding at light speed. In a nutshell.
Imagine how fucking hilarious it would be if leg ropes were banned!!! The whole eastern seaboard swept up and into seaworld.
Im a mellow guy, but if i knew a guy was surfing without a legrope and his board smacked me in the head, id be super pissed off and possibly knock his fins out.
I know i can't be alone in feeling like this, so how do guys get away with surfing in crowded lineups without a leggie and why?
Gotta agree, ID - not getting the thought process that has no regard for fellow human beings be they kids, kooks or whatever.
My daughter had her nose spread across her face by a stray leashless 10ft mal. Crunchies in westernport Vic. She froze when it came at her, she had nowhere to go except for under. The fear in the arrogant owners eyes when I paddled at him made me stop, he was instantly green with with the realisation of what had happened. Pines westernport Vic, similar thing regularly. Young hipster-ish teens trying to create the cool vibe of a bygone era, but missing the mark, as it’s done with arrogance, defiance, selfishness and belligerence. They think they can control it, because they can surf well enough, until they can’t. Despite a talking to and some free advice, they paddle back out and repeat. You’re can’t belt them, so they continue with that smug self assured grin. Soft spots great for the kids now avoided, due a risk and anxiety level far too high.
sorry to hear about your girl that's bloody disgraceful. Just as bad IMO is the ditching of boards in a crowded break. There's definitely a time/place to ditch, but anything that's reasonably duck diveable or with a tightly clustered pack is definitely not it.
Thanks. I reckon we all experience stuff in the water that gives us the shits, or puts us in harms way. This is just one of them, and it seems much less of an issue as waves get more serious - I’ve only experienced this when it’s small, and with the kids.
Does liquid lines surf the Wreck or Tallows without a legrope????
Or does liquid lines only surf the Pass!!!
Its pretty sad to see what surfing has become in the last ten or so years, so many clueless morons who have barely scratched the surface thinking they know it all, In the 70's most breaks had enforcers and kooks knew they were eggs and had a bit of respect. Oh for the good old days when surfies were all considered losers ,bums and druggies sponging off society . IA crowd of experienced crew without leggies is probably safer than a single kook with one, I'm no man bun wearing hipster but I like to go for the odd leggy less session but only when its small and no other pricks are around. Less drag, and at my age you need all the help you can get. BTW Mal riders should be ashamed.
Fucking hipsters, get over yourselves.
Surfing crowded point breaks such as The Pass, Noosa, and Currumbin can be dangerous. Backpackers, novices and surf school lesson graduates frequent these locations with little regard for line-up etiquette or their current skill level. Surf schools and those who generate an income from the hire of surf craft have a social obligation to inform their customers of surf etiquette and suggest beginner appropriate breaks. I'm sure that this would lessen line-up congestion and frustration during busy periods such as school holidays.
Surfers who choose to surf without a legrope are a vast and concentrated minority usually surfing 1-2 ft point break waves. At my local point the majority of surfers on a sub 2-3 ft day do not wear leg ropes. Surfers do occasionally lose boards, but in general the only incident is a couple of dings from the rocks.
Regardless of your stance on legropes, I don't think that the solution is threatening longboarders who choose to not use a legrope with violence or litigation. Shortboards can harm people too, pointed noses, more fins (bit of a stretch). Many great surfers have surfed and continue to surf safely without legropes. Many novice surfers surf unsafely with legropes.
True enough. Here, the spots I described earlier are as you describe. Easy pointbreaks, usually smaller in size, easy access, soft. A fruit salad of all manner of surf craft and abilities. Grumpy old mal riders, happy mal riders, stand ups, young kids, grumpy shortboarders, etc. I’m the latter. Increasingly more crowded as well. But the logic that some great surfers can surf without a leash is flawed, or reckless. It’s all okay until it’s not, and the consequences are potentially significant (having been through it, not just potentially). I just don’t see the risk to others, in crowded conditions, being more than a very selfish choice. Go have a leash free blast somewhere on your own - which would seem more commensurate with their ideal of the freedom - however i feel they generally want the crowd to perform to. And yes some with a leash are also potentially dangerous, as are many other things, but that only seems to seek to obscure the issue. We’re just avoiding those spots now, plenty of other choices without the fruit salad.
I grew up surfing the pass during the 80's. My old man dragged a couple of people out of the water when they lost their boards and they hit me as a grom. But I was lucky, my Dad's best mate lost his board when he was surfing back in the day when leggies weren't the norm. It hit a guy who later suffered a brain hemorrhage and died. Neither of them entered the water again. If you can wear that on your conscious then by all means go for it but know that every time you head out without one into a line up that is the risk you take. I surf without one at the local occasionally, when it's small and their is no one around, but they were invented for a reason and it wasn't to repress our freedom of expression in the water. Short board or long board has fuck all to do with it. Its common sense.
.
.
If I were someone who enjoyed surfing in a crowd without a leggy, that comment right there would be more than enough to change my behaviour.
Thanks for the contribution.
What we need to do is get inside their head.
Find out what is going on!
Why! do you feel the need!
Do you understand the concequences of your actions!
Have you a suppressed need for attention!
So don't abuse them, they need help.
The world needs to be more caring, instead of the usual look at me, F you, I'm a hero.
Humans are often flawed and desire to be cool. Some won’t pull peers up, even when warranted, for risk of not being cool themselves. When my daughter was hit, it was just a mess screaming and blood, and all I felt was intense rage. I paddled at the guy and would have killed him. I cursed him and told him as i paddled to him I was going to break his nose. But something happened that made every bit of anger in me disappear as i got to him. He was so scared, horrified, literally green, and he never took his eyes off my daughter. He had absolutely no fear of me, and I reckon at that moment he would have preferred i did kill him. He would have taken any punch, anything, because all he could do was stare at my daughter and apologise. He got really faint, and i started to apologise to him for threatening him. I told him it was an accident, and it would be ok. I ended up having to help them both in. To that moment, he was being cool, and as I said above, it was all okay until it wasn’t. I don’t want to be seen as the fun police, I take plenty of risks that hopefully don’t affect others. Maybe having kids concentrates my fears, because it seems to be a heightened risk at those kind of kid friendly spots. Try think about the consequences, and how you would live with yourself. I guess some haven’t got the care, and it says a lot about them.
I do use a legrope when I longboard at the pass, but I do enjoy not using one when I get the chance when no one is around.
Not using the legrope, makes you do everything you can to not lose the board, paddling out and also while surfing the wave and this, I find, carries on to the times when I am using a legrope. It makes you surf somewhat safer.
Personally, I've experienced much more close calls and actual incidents from kooks 'with' leggies bailing in front of me and SUPs also, doing the same, than I have from a stray board.
That said, there is definitely a 'coolness' factor to surfing leggieless that mediocre surfers are well and truly overestimating their ability for the sake of.
New surf law. Boards washed in due to no leg rope are considered lost at sea and finders keepers salvage laws apply! That should sort it out.
Your right to freedom only exists as long as it does not impede on other peoples right to safety.
If you could harm someone and you don't do something to reduce the risk, what does that say about your attitude?
Well it's not really freedom then, if all we are concerned about is everyone else. It never exists. There's a whole raft of stuff we can dig in to there but I don't think we'd have the time.
I'm some who does both - wears leggies and not wears leggies. If it's crowded, I generally do put a leggy on my log, like where i live in Newy. Simply because I don't want someone to loose their shit at me for not wearing one. But my partner, she copped a log in the face that was attached to a leggie. and that leg it as attached to was about 15 feet away - or for those of you like metric, approx 4.5 metres away. She ended up with a fractured eye socket and trauma surgery to her face. Good thing the doctors are amazing at their job. I don't wear a leggie when I get away somewhere quiet, but with these kind of ideas or rules, the wouldn't be possible. I can't see how you could litigate over such an issue. There's way to many factors.
The freedom these long boarders speak of relates to movement up and down the board, when cross stepping or going to hang some toes over the nose. For those who ride shortboards and not longboards, you need to understand they are a different type of craft entirely with a different set pf physics and techniques. I don't know anyone who talks of the freedom just meaning nothing strapped to their leg.
I think the simple thing is that these waves are too crowded. Leggie or not people are still getting whacked with heavy boards due to surfers' inexperience or negligence. It's something we're going to have to get used to, especially with surfing becoming an olympic sport. Crowds will increase, particular with a new boom of beginners. Leggies won't and don't save anyone when there's 3 surfers per square metre of line up.
Surfers legropes were first introduced along Gold Coast 1829.(Bne River Sup'ers 1825)
Be honest! Near all boards that hit people still have their riders attached.
Riderless boards are less vengeful being rather tame by comparison.
Share Snapper with 500 homeless boardz or Share Snapper with 50 boardriderz.
No brainer! Bodybasherz prefer 1000 feral boardz over one attached to Beach Bully.
People are the Danger & you could say the surfcraft projects their anger.
I'm honest in saying Iv'e been hit 500 times by boards at Snapper. (I'll be back!)
Byron Bodybasherz council favoured our waterboard torture with no legropes...
As this cuts down on hang-noose drownings/lead arm tourniquet & hog tie.
Leggies latch on & keel haul basherz at topflight leaving us with horrid injuries.
Good as drown or kill us a dozen times over on same wave and again on next.
(Huey says to tug on the line so Pro gets airtime) Then duckdive several murder attempts.
Naturally Swellnetonians make some good point from all sides
*Everyone is equally expert at something to do with the ocean!
* Surf point to point without assistance or become expert in need of floats'n'ropes.
*Should Legrope wearers install rear view mirrors to empty bodybasher bycatch.
*Shark Shield Boards can kill frail waders..Surely Law would enforce legropes in this case!
*Permit Skysurfers to unleash from craft & twinkle toes for a split second. One small step...
* Nipperboardz have no leashes.When kidz wipeout crown gran & pops in crowded flags.
Wedged firmly at Bikini Bottom Boadybasherz know our rank in Seafood chain.
We won't argue Skegz preference for ankle chains.
Just curious! Legropes/Wetsuits for Shopping Mall wading pool standing wave...Say When?
I didn't realise not wearing a legrope was a thing.
What a pack of fkn idiots.
"drag, freedom". You are kidding yourself.
Bring back the good old days when we didn't have legropes and surfers could actually swim..Oh yea, and no crowds..
People.
None of you know aaaanything about Byyyyron.
It's not Freedom without leggies - its Faashion baby.
And for extra faaarshion points always make sure you turn your jeans up at the bottom to show your coloured socks. For even more faaarshion points, wear odd coloured socks so that it looks like you really don't caaare what the sub-5k instagrammers think! It's so fantastic! It's so fabulous! It's soooo Dreeeamy!
FAAASSSHION! Yaaaayyyy!
Legropes or not. Are crowded line ups a good place for little kids to be.?
Plenty of boards get crazy when they are still attached to a surfers foot.
I am not a parent but perhaps the little ones would be safer on the soccer field.
Overpopulation! Why would anyone in their right mind want to surf ANY well known break. The poster who talks of fashion & impressing the ignorant said it all. I've been fleeing the human tsunami for 40 yrs, now only surf beachies the cold side of Lat. 45, just me & the seals. For now!
Too many quality , uncrowded warm / temperate water waves to do that to yourself mate.
'Are crowded line ups a good place for little kids to be.'
Exactly. Of course not.
And why would you even want to 'surf'(sic) waves that little kiddies are battling for and frothing over. Flapping shoulder to shoulder with squwarkin' little kids!!?? Squwarkin', charging, shredding, ripping bombs with other little kids and 'fin punchers'.
'Oye... watch it youse, corse I'll get real, real mad aye... like real mad, really... an'... an'... I'll... well, well... I'll punch yar farkin' fins in aye!!!'
Fucking hilarious shit. Swillnuts in a nutshell.
Only on the eastern seaboard, or the mighty fluerieu.
Little kiddies should be supervised in the water at all times. Don't use the excuse of chucking little kids in the drink, unsupervised, so you can get a surf in, and have no idea what they are doing, or where they are, while you are charging, and performin' shoulder to shoulder with the other unsupervised, little, fin punchin' kiddies. Leave your 'surf'(sic),your performance(sic), with the chargin, squwarkin' little kiddees for later. Watch over your little kids. Swim or paddle out with your little kids, supervise them, forget about your surf(sic), so that you can keep an eye on them at all times, and teach them manners and techniques for keeping out of the way. As people learned before leg ropes meant that every intermediate idiot with more cash than sense took up surfing.
And make sure they don't get attacked by dead whales at the same time.
Or banned from bondi.
And don't go squealin' for eject buttons from stupe and bent, or even worse, don't ring in, and spill ya guts to andrew fuckin' denton.
In a nutshell.
Ive broken some fingers in my hand from an out of control sea kayak and had countless near misses with sups and no leggy boards. its a ridiculous argument honestly. freedom is the biggest bullshit excuse ive heard. go surf in brownwater or collaroy for freedom instead of longy crowded all the way to dee why. its fucked
Yup the only good SUP in the lineout is the one going over the falls backwards on a clean up set. Piss off to some inside inside f**khead corner and crash into each other, no-one that surfs decent breaks should have to duck/weave clowns on SUPs in a line-up. The inventor needs castrating.
Buy a cheap leggy and it will break soon after, because the weak plastics .
If a lose 9ft board is coming toward you, why don't you just duck dive it or move 4.5ft in either direction to avoid it.
If you cant do either of those you shouldn't be trying to surf crowded spots.
I've never been hit by a loose board but I've been hit by many boards whose riders were wearing leg ropes due to them ditching at the sight of a 2ft wave.
Hey Nogaryno
I’ve been checking out your profile pic and I can’t figure out what’s going on there . It looks like the hell pit you’re riding but it’s too grainy to tell how you’re surfing it. I’m tending towards backhand grab rail , maybe a kneelo. It sort of looks like you’re riding an oceanic version of the begging cart that Eddie Murphy used in Trading Places before he got rich.
Sick barrel though.
Whatever it was there was no leash attached and it was a busy line up.
Thats very brave of you to risk the safety of others in the line up like that .
I mean , whilst they only had to deal with your errant board cracking their skull open , you were faced with a challenging swim all the way to shore in those freezing Indonesian waters after catching those wide close outs.
I’ve heard many great surfers telling me that the only reason they weren’t coming out of pits at overhead Nias was because of legrope drag.
Said no one ever.
Only joking with the no leash thing, you’d need deep pockets to surf there without one cause the local kids charge ransom to give ya board back.
One set snapped 6 leaches and a bunch of boards that day, the kids cleaned up.
PSEUDO SURF-BOARDERS (Letters) Brisbane Courier 28th Dec 1926
Sir,-If it were not for the fact that they are a source of danger, the grown up babies(male & female) who go into the surf to play with their mothers ironing boards would be ludicrous.
(Blah Blah Blah...references Hawaii...Blah Blah Blah...references Baseball... etc)...
Surfing, pure and simple, is a game played and enjoyed by thousands of people, then why should these people be expected to tolerate the intrusion of a lot of grown up children, who want to play a different game entirely.I have known of several accidents from this cause and I trust that the local authorities who control our beaches will immediately take steps to restrict the ironing board fiends to their own playgrounds. Fairplay
Surfer's letters of the day all demanded that Mum's ironing board babies be penned in.
Century on and the ironing board babies now pen said surfers into Red & Yellow cribs!
Careful what you cry over babies! 100 years time' have 2 legs chained to yer ironingboards !
PS: Top marks to Swellnetonians noting no shortage of Gold Coast surfchix in 1920's era.
I've commented on this before (years ago), not sure whether it was on this site. For the record I wear a legrope when i surf my short board and mid length but I don't when i ride my long board (Log) and i don't when i ride my Oldmal (longboard thats Pre 1968).
Before you all slay me, hear me out and then give me your thoughts.
To address the original article; this is a clear case of having a minister that's slightly miss informed as "driving a car without brakes"? and "only doing it for the feeling of freedom", is missing the mark. If he attended the Noosa Festival/Crescent Classic/Old Mal Nationals and asked particularly the experienced fraternity as to why people choose to not wear legropes you'd be getting some different answers. We all have brakes you just have to stall, straighten out into the flats or pull out over the back. So the car without brakes doesn't really work for me. It really comes down to are you in control of your craft?
Saying this, then the question begs.... if your not in control of your craft are you being a "bloody idiot" (like some hoons are on the road) or are you just inexperienced. In Victoria I've had to talk to people in the water who have lost their boards both with and without leg ropes and told them to control it. The most collisions and near misses I've had is by people who cant swallow their egos and think they can push past a section whilst i dart to the shoulder or the inside or learners who had leg ropes on and as I'm paddling out, a section breaks in front of them and they don't know how to straighten out quickly, or pull out, and they just jump off not realising that there is still 2m of legrope that will propel the board forward either smashing into me or my board.
Im with the minister on policing the dickheads that lose control of their surfboards, just like we do on our roads (it'll be bloody hard to police though, lets be honest) and I'm also for skilling up the inexperienced so they know how to control their boards and take educated risks.
As they did in the 60s perhaps you'll need a permit to ride a board? and/or pay a registration fee? maybe one day you'll have to bank 120 hours experience in a wave pool before you come out to the ocean or complete a course to get your L's? Ludicrous i know but maybe that's where we should be headed.
I know for some you'll all be thinking just put a legrope on ya dickhead. but do we then start leashing up skateboards, skis and anything else that can get lost from our feet and injure someone? think about the precedence it will set. There's nothing stopping a hoon smashing into you on your way to a surf check or a inexperienced bloke on a snowboard coming down the hill, to take your legs out.
A lot of you are blaming the stereotype which is the hipster that wants freedom e.t.c. I get that. Although its cold down here, we have them here too and yes they were felt hats.
Getting back to asking real riders of these boards as to why they/we do it without a leash.....If you know your history and your riding a traditional style longboard (pre 68 style), whether an Oldmal (the real thing) or a LOG (a replica style of an old board). We do it as to value that era and style of surfing like they did back in the day. If you were to look at a comparison its like Dogtown in skating or driving a classic car, you want to keep it as original to the era as you can and you simply just enjoy celebrating a bygone era, and the way they surfed those boards. I might also add their is a bit of functionality that goes into this as well, because constantly cross stepping back and forth, doing reverse drop knee turns and reverse walks - you could imagine the tangles and getting constantly tripped up with a legrope on. So if you put a leggie on you cant surf the board the way you would want to.
Clearly i wear a leggie when on my shortboard or midlength because i dont really move my feet much, and then only thing to celebrate there is how hard you can bank a turn or float a section, so there is way more risk of losing a board with this style of surfing.
I'm never going to stick up for people that aren't in control of their craft, some of the stories you have all told, have been absolutely horrible and it makes me angry that surfers can be so ignorant to put there happiness ahead of someones safety. Because there are hoons though on the road do we then punish everyone that drives a V8 commodore??
Certainly what we cant excuse is these people that hop on these big boards that are inexperienced and continue to try to surf on edge or on the fringe of their ability. If i use myself as an example when i ride my log, unfortunately ill have to pull out, straighten out of some sections and hop down to my belly or simply not go some waves because i know i have a higher chance of pearling, therefore losing my board and hurting someone. And i know your all waiting for it.... yes, i have lost my board, but, the times i have lost it is because no one else has been around my immediate area and ive looked at a section ran up for a noseride and been on the edge of my ability, pearled, lost it and swam in.
This brings me to my final point, if we are not talking about the inexperienced and helping educate them on controlling their boards. Then we are talking about people that ride these boards and want to do all these great moves but are happy to compromise others safety (the dickheads). I think some of my fraternity need to take a big ego check and prior to taking off... have a look around, before you commit to a section or try something that is on the fringe of your ability, have a look around. To quote a familiar phrase, "dont be a bloody idiot" and try something that's on the edge of your ability, thus losing your board and compromising someones safety. Quite simply if you want to do that, go surf a spot where there is no one around and lose your board all you like (much like a hoon, going to a controlled area to do donuts).
In summary, hopefully some of you can see my points about skilling up the inexperienced and ensuring that the "hoons" out there check their egos before they find themselves getting into a confrontation, copping a fine or worse hurting someone.
Enjoy the waves,
Chad
put a legrope on dickhead
Like - 14 paras to justify not wearing a legrope.
".....or worse hurting someone" and if someone gets hurt, then what?
I’m hearing you about paying homage to another era. Good for the soul to relive a golden age.
That’s why I’m getting a lime green Torana and I’m gonna sink a dozen and a half steel cans of KB before I drive anywhere because.......How good were the 70’s !
Ha , don't forget to mistreat women!
Oh? I thought that was a new thing...
I've never been hit by a leashless board but have copped a few hammerings by boards with leashes..Go figure that one out??
My experience also.
Maybe you guys got in the way.
When someone paddles their mal wide to get to the shoulder desperately and ends up paddling right in front of you then bails their board. You reckon I'm in the way?
Maybe you're a dickhead.
Is this referenced to what i wrote lostdoggy? if so,
I said that I've had experiences where I'm paddling to the shoulder OR the inside (depending whether or not ill be in someones way). In two cases i can remember, where I've been hit, I've chosen the shoulder and people that are inexperienced cant turn (as they just set their line and don't move) or people that cant swallow their egos (and think their making the tour next year) don't turn out and have collided with me. I never said i bailed my board. Although maybe i should have to avoid getting finchopped or a ding.
If inexperienced surfers haven't learnt to do a check turn to avoid someone or an experienced surfer wants to put their enjoyment ahead of my safety and not do a check turn your ok with that? . I hardly get in peoples way but these two instances i speak of were just to justify my main argument around inexperience and ego's being the issue. I'm sure you've been in someones line before and they've had the courtesy to go around you?
Getting back to the main issue around Longboarders without leashes losing their boards, i think the same principles apply. People are heading out on these boards without a leggy and losing them because of inexperience or in the other case you have experienced riders that are willing to compromise others safety because they cant swallow their egos and their willing to try a high risk move in a crowded area and lose their board.
Maybe I'm a dickhead? maybe i am, i don't know. To assume this though having not met me is a little judgemental. I'm not here to troll, or call anyone out. We are never going to get anywhere as a "tribe" if we cant talk about this stuff.
Bwahahaha!
Check turn... Tribe....
Bwahahaha!!!
Going for a paddle now with 300 other dickheads.
See you out there
No, I wasn't speaking about you.
Lostdoggy. I may be a dickhead mate, but at least I have a sense of humour. Resorting to personal attacks shows a lack of intelligence. And yes I can see the contradiction in this comment.
I did say 'maybe'.
As did you.
Fair enough. The only time l've been hit by someone else's board it was my fault.
All good, mate.
If everyone from both sides takes a bit more care, it goes a long way.
Leave a clear path for the surfer up and riding where possible.
Don't bail your board.
If you do need to bail your board, have a look around first.
If the waves start to get a bit steeper, maybe it's a good idea to wear a leggie.
If there's a kook in your way, don't run him over, just straighten out and explain the situation to him. Then get another wave, there's plenty more.
If they offend again after been told, maybe suggest they surf somewhere more within their ability.
If you're going to push the limits of control in a crowd, wear a fucken leggie.
Legrope... An Oz invention? {Swellnet Exclusive}
I love surf history and I can assure fellow Swellnetonians... Legropes were long essential kit.
Little known Secret! Shh! You know our Convicts in Chains heritage... Blah Blah Blah!
Well the Brits/Oz never bothered too make chain they imported it all from France.
In fact much of our convict re-enactment shows Roped Hammocks & Chained chains?
Colony's long chains were reserved mostly for the locals. Still keen on re-enactment.
Rope was more rare, made by women prisoners for replacement (1820 - 30's onward)
You'll see miles of Rope/chain decorating displays replicating these times...Don't Ask!
1825 Brisbane Settlement was a business first, prison 2nd but with harshest punishment.
Prisoners was assigned as a value to the business. Lose prisoners then lose your bonus.
Day one a blacksmith would kit out Prisoners with Ankle Shackles strung to Waist.
No spare chain/Rope was afforded for Shipping/Loading or Chain Gangs.
Because of the warmer waters Brisbane Commanders 100% policed Convict boating.
All convicts were to be shackled to craft at all times. (Not Sydney not Tasmania only Bne)
Convicts were shackled SU'Punting supplies up to Ipswich & returning with Limestone.
Convicts were ankle shackled to surfing craft returning from Stotts Island(Tweed River).
Surfing thru all GC Surf Reserves and seaway to Dunwich Wharf & Settlement Lumber Yard.
Great question! These rafts were huge so in 1829 where did the rope/chain come from?
Growing tall wrapping the Cedar trees were spiraling vines of unimaginable length.
Convicts unraveled the vine to then use as a stringer to bind the pioneering surfcraft.
Originally as centre stringer to allow Surfcraft the flex with surf thru lineup swingsets.
Later designs experimented with complete rail or sectioned rails to suit pay load weight.
Akin to a harder front rail on strarboard or flexy tail.(80 years surf log design was to follow)
Different sized groupings of thicker to thinner logs also changed surfcraft dynamic.
Other designs relied upon diagonal strapping. Re: Craft varied from 10-200 logs long!
Ships hull determined Wharf size determined Lumber Yard Size determined Surfcraft Size.
Bne Convicts were indeed the first pro surfers riding the most valuable surfcraft in history.
Royals wasted no time refurnishing the exotic haul throughout the palace.
The Leggie!
The final vine lashed 1/2 to Whole Length of the craft via lugs (spikes).
Before this was tied off it was threaded thru the Convicts Leg iron.(central Round link).
This allowed the Surfer a 2ft wide stance. (Sounds familiar but i'm quoting that.)
Secured Shackled Convict but still being able to access the surfcraft perimeter by oar.
Wait for out going tide ...Surfs Up!
Sing yer Surf song!..and Captain Logan he had us Mangled on the Triangles in Moreton Bay!
Anyhow that's my story on the very first Oz Legrope...Told for the very first time @ Swellnet.
'put a legrope on dickhead'
Again swillnuts to the rescue!!! In a nutshell!!??
The ultimate mod, contemp, groovy, fin punchin', swlllnut anthem... and hence brilliant, worldwide solution!!!
'Nothin' beats leashed up dickheads!!!! Gotta probby, leash that fucker!!!'
You gotta love the new era, here's another one, another swillnuttin' dude, dreamin' of indo, that knows shit, and is an intermediate, expert leash master!!! Just havin' another one of them cool, sick days, and justa telllin' the world!!! In a nutshell!!!
Leash em up!!! The new school, in a nutshell!!!!??!
My apology to Saltwater People of Tweed.
I do acknowledge Stotts Island wrong doing leading to closure of Outpost.
There is much written on this and I was wrong not to include incursion from beginning.
Is now a good time to mention the CLUBBIES with their massive paddle boards and skis ? A pack of 30 came through Fairy Bower last weekend, two rang into each other and then we had two skis going sideways at at least ten surfers. Shits me they pretend to be surf "life savers"
My mate had a new board chopped in half by an out of control 'death ski' out bower a few years back, bloody scary when they come through like that- dive and hold onto Surge rock!
Lots of problems, not many solutions. One of the things that we should keep in mind is that for such an active sport, surfing has a very low injury rate and in general is much safer than comparable activities. Serious injuries and fatalities do occur but are extremely rare. Remembering this helps put concerns in context. It is extremely inconsiderate to ride without a leg rope in crowded conditions and, as testified above, does lead to injuries that would not otherwise have occurred, but this is against a low overall injury rate. Not much consolation if it is you or your child that cops it but worth considering before advocating for council regulations or taking matters into your own hands. Aggression makes people defensive which confirms people in their behaviour. If the aggression is physical these days it can easily end up with an assault charge and, in those circumstances it is hard to imagine any magistrate being sympathetic. It is worth approaching people assertively and if a group of locals can do this consistently without slipping into aggression, it can make a difference. If people feel welcome they are more likely to conform to group norms....... all true but the arrogance still gets up your nose!
Well said brother Blindboy. I agree that there are not many solutions. I guess that's because there is only one real solution: That is that people in uber crowded surf spots should wear legropes! I suppose the real problem is convincing them to do so.
I was holidaying up that part of the world last week and my experience was that there are miles of empty beaches with decent waves available for those that want to surf without a legrope.
Its an eastern seaboard thingy. Well, yet but another one... but... in a nutshell...
You can't have hoards, masses of performing gronks, geeks and tiny little kids charging, shredding and ripping danger mouse bombs and slabs side by side, shoulder to crippled shoulder, without issues, and yes, of course, tissues.
Forget leashing them all together, that's just molly coddling gronks and grommies even more!!! Forget anger management, forget court cases, go to the top, no one over there has a clue what to do, so get the best in to help, and sort the gronks and geeks out once and for all!!!
Or, join in, and just carry on swillnuttin'!!! 'Support'!!!
In a nutshell?!!
Well that's sorted then Crypto .......
The solution is very simple. Council by-law. You have to keep a dog on a leash at all times or cop a fine. It is a public safety issue so a council has the right to do something about it, as they are doing in Bondi
Grey area that...Council only have powers to low water line.
Not so sure about that udo, the lifeguards certainly believe they have the right to move board riders out of the flags and councils regularly lease areas for contests. I'm not a fan of regulation but think, even without it, lifeguards could play a role in talking to people headed for the water without a leg rope.
.
Please blinder, please don't ask for the swillnut intermediate expert surfee kid's email address!!!?? Not that!!! And please don't publicly goo and gah when you get it. And worst of all, please don't be one of the swillnut subscriber names that the swillnut intermediate expert kid reads out... in a nutshell...
Its never too late... blinder... is it... oh no...
... it was your orange fin wasn't it...
That guy Ian Cohen doesn't need a leash he needs an Friggin anchor and an outboard, that thing is a dinghy!!
Council & SLSA do patrol and close all coastline surfbreaks including outside Flags.
No shortage of times I've been hustled into shore for Bodybash'n down the beach.
Bodybasherz often dive under waves to dodge SLSA beach sweeps . They'll hunt you down!
Strap my wrist to an ice cream lid & they'll call me onto that rising tsunami. (Not Joking!)
GCCC privatize beaches more often for Contests/Carnivals/Concerts/TV/Films/Beach Bars
If Hollywood wants Thor to surf Snapper Set for a year then local crew gotta get a career.
Aquaman recently surfed Hastings Point to himself for half the year.
BOM Weather Warnings are policed by State/Council -Confiscation and fines apply
[BEACH CLOSED] Tsunami/Electrical or Dust Storm/C-5 Cyclone/Water Spout/Algal Blooms
2015 Lightning stopped Byron surf Comp {R.IP.} German Boardrider was Struck & Died.
Lightning strikes are on the rise. Your insurance will confirm that.
GC beaches now close 8-10 days a month thru peak holiday season. Xmas/NYE included.
BOM says LOW = GCCC says [BEACH CLOSED] Whenever/Forever. Mayor says take a shower.
A lost kite/grumpy cloud without a silver lining sends beach into lock down...sirens blazing!
[BEACH CLOSED] Sharks/Whales/Deadly Stingers
This is also happening more as whale numbers increase they & sharks get closer.
As we also get more of the bigger whales the longer the beach closure.
[BEACH CLOSED] Missing person/Drowning/Fishermen/Police Divers/Naval exercise.
During WW2 Americans surfed all WSR's and most beachies as locals watched behind wire.
Should commercial Beach fisherman cast their net & if you're trapped inside ...Good Luck!
Increasing built environment of Nets/Drum Lines/Reefs/Groynes more safety zone policing.
[BEACH CLOSED] Royals or World leaders can shut whole city including surrounding ocean.
How big an exclusion zone if President Obama were to bodysurf Snapper at last Bne G20.
With thousands packing headlands untold damage to Saltwater sanctuary is increasing.
A Time will come when a line in the sand is drawn to protect ancient surf culture from new.
The Future policing of wavepool lost boards.
Theme Park Insurance weeded out Fibreglass boards from twin rider gentle Wave/Pools
How the hell can Fibreglass boards now be promoted for a 240 rider pounding wavepool?
This Flymo Factory gonna invite Nan & Pops for a skinny dip & who'll get the bigger fright?
I need one of those Beach Closed signs for royalty. when its cooking I'll just wear a tiara as I pull in.
hmm... well how I see it- they want freedom etc and surf like the old days well then gotta also accept the old way of dealing with it when it goes wrong. Act like a kook then get treated like a kook. What happened to tyres getting punctured, wax on windscreens etc etc etc?? biff ups on the sand???! There is no way in hell you would see the uncontrolled mayhem like the Pass in Byron happening somewhere like the North Shore Hawaii. The difference there is palpable, you can feel it in the air. Long history there of respect and understanding how dangerous the ocean is and how dangerous surfing can be, and how if you don't know what you are doing- then don't even think about going out there. Or you will know about the consequences! In all the places I have surfed i saw the least amount of drop ins and reckless behaviour. Not wearing leg ropes at a crowded break? You probably wouldn't get past the carpark. They have flags set up on the beach to separate swimmers from surfers.. and lifeguards keeping an eye on things. And it works. There is respect. Something very lacking here in Oz in comparison. All the rainbow loving, unicorn riding dolphin wielding conscious soft fluffy pathetic mung beaning , bunning, instagramming ego flaunting narcissists devoid of respect need to get their man/ woman buns out of their bums and wake the f up. Saying "sorry" just isn't good enough and won't be met with an " it's ok" anymore. Things have changed. You wanna go old school then expect old school consequences if you behave like a fuckwit!
Hehehe...
Clever cookie, Mr Cederman, and a shit hot surfer.
everyone even the pros need to wear leggies, don't be selfish - you all loose your boards. yes I have been hit by a stray board - note I do surf old boards and I wear a leggy and I don't trip on it.
Few thoughts on this one,
Will take being hit by stray board over surfer on board every time. 99 injuries out of 100 are people being run over.
Every time you wipe out you are effectively getting rag dolled with your own stray board attached to you, How often does it hit you? I reckon im on being hit 500 times and getting stitches once.
People surfing without leggies in crowded line ups are selfish morons.
If you want to channel the old days then drive up the coast and surf alone and don't post it on insta! You cant make that point then paddle out at one of the most over crowded shit show waves in Australia with surf schools, euro backpackers, scuba boats, kids, swimmers etc etc and think you are doing it just like the 60's! Lets be honest, you just want the style with eyeballs on you.
This is a common sense issue but as we all know, not many people have any.
Well.
I don't always post on these kinda topics. But here goes.
I think there's a multi-pronged approach to this. It seems like some surfers see it black and white, the way most people see issues (black/white, man/woman, rich/poor etc.)
There needs to be a stronger emphasis on safety in the water.
This is hard to nail home, mostly due to the fact that people are surfing to teeter on that magical line between chaos and order. You wan't to be in control but still have that feeling of consequence if something should go wrong. It's that arena where you are pushing yourself to the limit and keeping it together. A place like the pass doesn't really provide that from the wave alone compared to surfing places like North Point or the Box. (Yep, I'm from WA. But used to live on the Gold Coast.)
Regulation needs to be happen, but not in the way it has been done previously.
It's easy to slip back into the old ways of flattening someone that gets out of line. But given the fact that there's so many people taking up the sport it's dangerous to start doing that. The 'kooks' will just keep coming. A more sophisticated approach to a self regulated line-up might be the key. I don't fully know what that 'sophisticated approach' might be but let's say that it could start with a less aggressive approach to education in the water. If you notice someone doing something that isn't the norm in your lineup just have a chat with them, ask them where they're from, how long they've been surfing, give them some helpful pointers. You might find yourself soon achieving that desired outcome, a safer lineup.
We don't want the state controlling the surf.
It might not stop at leashes. Once a 'no-leash ban' or something similar comes into play there's no telling where we might end up. Could it lead to a point where we aren't allowed to surf heaving slabs? The cost to the taxpayer for potential recovery of a body is too great? An alpha in the lineup gets too many waves and then we end up with patrols that regulate wave count? A drop in is considered reckless endangerment and therefore requires a written warning or prosecution for multiple offences? You must pass a swimming test to enter the ocean?
I'm going a little overboard here but I think people know where I'm going with this.
I love surfing without a leash as much as the next guy, but maybe you just have to go get that out of your system in an uncrowded spot and use some common sense when paddling out at a lineup where you know there are people of mixed abilities.
Leashes are like seat belts I guess.
i'd say good place to start would be with the "role models" i.e. the hipster free surfer "pros' who don't use leggies, get them on board and and i'm sure all the unbuttoned shirt sheep would follow suit.
I spent a week at Byron Bay a few years back. Had a ball surfing non stop with my son and i saw all sorts of "Strange" set ups. Yep it was crowded with Beginners, their was also second tear pro's surfing behind the point and some absolutely smoking long boarding.
But the amount of lose long boards was plain crazy. The one time i was directly in the path of a barreling old school board, a quick look inside me saw no-one in its path, so at the last second side stepped and watch the board ride into the rocks. The guy decided it was all my problem and tried to start on me for not grabbing his board. If it had been my local i would have knocked out his poxy fin, good news was the rocks did it for me this time..
Ahh, knocking out fins is so macho, love it jb..
Maybe 80 % of the people out at the pass aren,t getting any waves. They just sit out there and paddle around in circles without getting a wave. Same deal at Snapper. WTF.?
Why bother ? They would be much better off getting away from point setups and "SURFING" beach breaks.
The freak show that is the PASS will never be a safe place to surf so you better get used to it.
To all those that want regulation. Be carefull what you wish for.!
You fucking MUPPETS.... It's so FUCKING simple!
No one is to EVER wear a leg rope at the Pass ever again and you all watch the hipster 'freedom' surfers start to whinge about how dangerous it is! How 'they" get hurt and are concerned for their safety now ...
But, seriously.
Legrope wearers need to unite. Call out the fuckwits not wearing a legrope and back up each other ... I surf the pass and find no one speaks up to support me when I call out dangerous surfers loosing their boards through the crowd.
And, yep I've been hit my a board lost due to no leggie, cut arm, and head and I smashed the fuck out of the fins and bottom of the board with the owner getting upset ... fuck you mate, look at the blood coming from my head ... you didn't give a fuck, why shouldn't I take it out on your board.
I've had loose boards, no leggies, come through the lineup among the dads and kids and have no problem when they 'hit me' and lose a fin or get some damage ...
What pisses me off if that no one says anything ... time to stand up and let the MAJORITY rule and stop this stupid fuckwit attitude of not wearing a legrope. But, that won't happen because everyone is a keyboard warrior ... right?
Prove me wrong ... start to speak up in the lineup.
No legropes.
Drop ins.
Etc.
It's time the MAJORITY spoke up and united!
'What pisses me off if that no one says anything ... time to stand up and let the MAJORITY rule'
Haha, what a classic statement. An oxymoron if ever I've seen one..Just wondering if the dude was bigger than you or was he smaller and you picked your target?
recently had to go strait to miss a stay board - stuffed up a good wave on a north coast point (wave wasted) the guy who lost his board call for others to grab it- no one did and it was washed up onto the rocks, better than cleaning up the learners on the inside
he was a kook without a beard
Its not so simple... in a nutshell. Its been a very, very traumatic, tough week for swillnuts!!!
Firstly, the skis and photographers have run amock (again), filming and towing to their hearts delight (again), miles and miles away from the pass, trampling highchair, swillnut warriors in their wake. Swillnut warriors are then claiming sole ownership of trampled highchairs!!!
Then, the horrific, the seething boiling pot at the pass, hell's kitchen so to speak!!
Trubes decides to go for a body bash, davo suggests the pass. Meanwhile, rasto gets the vibe, and is pass bound as well. Seemingly unconnected, two mysterious figures have departed from dee why, in the wee hours. Arguing as they drive, not really angry, just arguing, and arguing, and arguing... above the roar of the bitumen. Anyway they are both conducting scientific research, on seemingly unrelated projects, and, the swillnut club has charted, and highlighted the pass as the place to be.
Meanwhile it is extremely overcast, and the swillnut club predicts no sun all day, rabs has rounded up abs, a quick call, and turns is on too, for pits at the pass. Drones have launched en masse, massive tripods are erecting. Every angle is covered. At the pass.
Squwarks ring out!!! At exactly the precise moment, give or take a few weeks, the bomb of the year, the wave of the day thunders in... at the pass. Turns is going it!!!! Rabs/abs talks him in... and up... drones swarm, tripods flicker, shutters shutter, and turns begins the perilous drop into hell's own kitchen, when suddenly out of no where trubes launches through the sky, headbutts turns, turns stumbles, and although the fluttering bomb has yet to break, davo, at high speed slams into turns!!! Turns screams and dives, only to be speared by a sword fish like, hydrodynamic, high speed rasto!!!! Drones are swooping... tripods are frothing... and as turns screams in agony, one of the mysterious, not really angry dee why arguers, sliding and spinning out of control, across a now finally crumbling bomb from hell's kitchen, slams into the lot of them!!!
Eventually the last surge of power dumps the mass of writhing screaming surfees onto the beach, mysteriously very close to the other, mysteriously calm, dee why scientist.
Turns has had a fuckin' guts full!!! 'I'll punch ya farkin' fins in cunt!!!' The mysteriously calm scientist has long been waiting for this very moment, and his specially calibrated instruments begin measuring every element of flexion and forces required to successfully punch fins in!!! The mysteriously spinning, scientific craftsman cackles deliriously and as he turns his beakless craft over, he screams 'yeh, you and who's farkin' army cunt!!!!' Turns freezes!!! A shocked murmur echoes around the beach at the bottom of the pass... no fins to be seen anywhere!!! Unfazed, turns, who's been working on the heavy bag, starts reflex jabbing, air swingin', at fins that aren't fins!!! Drones and tripods zoom in for close ups, the footage transmitted directly to putes!!! The mysterious scientist with nothing to measure, starts getting angry... rasto and davo pick up the vibe...
Turns is at a crucial moment, in ozzie history, in ozzie surfee history. By now the armed forces have cordoned off the beach, the sun has popped out, so rabs/abs flee.
What to do!!! Who to blame!!! How to fix this monumental moment, during the swillnut club swell of the year (give or take a few years), on the wave of the day (give or take a few waves... and days), which has gone viral. Pute's watches closely. Turns mans up, and takes control. 'Grab those three unleashed body fuck'n bashers, they started the whole fuck'n thing!!! Put a fuck'n leash on the cunts, and ban em from fuckin' bondi too!!! And you, put some fucking fins in that spinning, useless fucking craft!! And you, measure every fucking thing while I punch the fuckers in!!!'
Rasto, straining at his leash is gettin' mad, real mad. The mysteriously calm scientist is very calm, and scribbles a name and phone number on rasto's forehead. Doc Tanzi.
An intermediate, but expert kid, dreamin' of indo, walks by. A seemingly unrelated orange swim fin drops out of his backpack. Everyone has their attention on leashed trubes and davo, as turns tries to teach them to sit and heal. Only the mysteriously calm scientist notices. He smiles calmy, knowingly.
A jet flying overhead notices a ridiculously bright, reflected glint of sunlight. It is emanating from the head of a mysterious, brooding, somewhat edgy figure, dressed in black.
Putes has seen enough, sneers, and orders a couple of his teenage reserve army recruits to attack Australia immediately.
In nutshell.
I enjoyed that new novel by Cryptoknight. It felt like I was actually at the Pass, terrifying. I won't get any sleep tonight,......... the Pass is out there, somewhere
Straight to the Swellnet hall of fame
Straight to the pool-room.
Thanx fellow Swellnetonians for sharing inaugural [No Surf Product Planck].
A monumental Golden breed Zeptosecond! Cigarette? Thanx!
...Same again next Supereon? Can't wait!
"those who do not remember the Pass are doomed to repeat it"
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then they lose their longboard and it crushes your skull." - Gandhi
Paddling back out at the Pass a few years ago i was nearly cleaned up by a youngish lady on a mal when she bailed ,the approaching 2 foot mega set was too much for her ! When i politely enquired why she didn't do an esky ,she looked at me like i was speaking a foreign language .I then showed her what an eskimo roll was .Dont know if she copped the tip ,but couldn't believe she didn't have a clue what it was. Banned myself from the Pass ,i don't ride a mal and I'm in my mid sixties .
"we will not regret the Pass"