Breaking: Rottnest Island added to Aussie CT leg

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

Adding to overnight news that Narrabeen wil host a CT event, comes news that Western Australia's Rottnest Island is also included on the calendar.

If all goes to plan - read: there are no more COVID outbreaks - there'll be four events on the Australian leg:

  • Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona: April 1 - 11
  • Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic pres. by Corona: April 16 - 26
  • Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro pres. by Corona: May 2-12
  • Rip Curl Rottnest Search pres. by Corona: May 16 - 26

With just six days between the end of the Narrabeen waiting period and the start of Margaret River, the confirmation hinged upon a guarantee by the McGowan State Government for quarantine-free access. Both the McGowan and NSW Berejiklian Government gave pre-approval to the WSL for a quarantine bubble.

The same guarantee couldn't be given in Victoria and Queensland, hence Bells Beach and Snapper Rocks aren't included in this year's tour. 

If all four contests are held, then the WSL wil leave Australia with five results thus far, plus two more events that are very likely to be held - Surf Ranch and Trestles - with a chance the postponed Santa Cruz contest may be rescheduled while the pros are in the US.

That will leave them with either seven or eight results to crown a world title, though there's a long time between now and September, especially in a COVID year.

Comments

Andrew P's picture
Andrew P's picture
Andrew P Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:11am

G'day Stu. How's the WSL dealing with the shark factor? at least 3 of those spots are known for their sea-life.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:34am

Sharks would be the least of their worries right now.

'Lock it in and deal with the contingencies later' appears to be their MO.

That said, the Woz can't leave a single thing to chance with these contests. They lost Sunset because of a slip up and they'll be acutely aware of how capricious Oz pollies are, so I expect that, among the COVID precautions, they'll also have J'Bay-style drone and ski monitoring.

Andrew P's picture
Andrew P's picture
Andrew P Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:10am

Cheers Stu.

Ha! Surfer's safety in the water during competition is the least of their worries!

Yeah you'd have to think J'Bay is a good reference for MR and Rottnest. Wonder how vocal the Brazilian contingent will be about the risk this time?

marcus's picture
marcus's picture
marcus Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:46pm

hey stu, where would they surf in Newcastle?
don't they need barrels for a pro conest?

what happens if the surfs over 3ft and the beaches are closed?

great place to live, however no one has ever travelled to Newcastle for a surf trip to get barrelled

benjis babe's picture
benjis babe's picture
benjis babe Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:32pm

not for a surf trip but for the 2020 surfest comp newy was pumping 6-8 ft... barrels everywhere. check out Maddy Job's barrel.

marcus's picture
marcus's picture
marcus Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:37pm

A few years before that i got sick big ben bombie. Where was the surf comp? Up a river.

Worlds best eh

Garryh's picture
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Garryh Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:59pm

Martin Pakula has a lot to answer for (to Victorians)....he could have turned this around and got Bells and say Phillip Island events which would have won him a lot of votes maybe. (or then again maybe some of you think it's great that WSL is out of Victoria perhaps for good?)

geek's picture
geek's picture
geek Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:28pm

He could have but after the AO (and latest lockdown) it would be political suicide imo

Ronson's picture
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Ronson Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:33am

At least three? So Merewether and/or Nth Narra are shark hotspots?

Pops's picture
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Pops Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:40am

got chased by a pack of bullies (unbeknownst to me; bloke doing watersafety on the IRB told me later) during a swim race in a nippers branch carnival at northy many moons ago... Dunno if you'd call it a shark hotspot though, so Merewether then?

MRsinglefin's picture
MRsinglefin's picture
MRsinglefin Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:21pm

3 shark alarms with beach closed over the last month

Andrew P's picture
Andrew P's picture
Andrew P Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:03pm

Newcastle area is but perhaps more Stockton north. MR definitely is. Rotto is. Narrabeen has a nice little creek mouth so could be. At least 3

campbell's picture
campbell's picture
campbell Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:16am

More sharks at Rotto than down south even.
No disgruntled locals to deal with though.

Lord Humongous's picture
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Lord Humongous Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:59pm

Probably 5 to 25 surfers at Strickos for about 120 to 150 mornings a year.
Regular sightings but no attacks on surfers to date. To many snapper and dhuis.

t-diddy's picture
t-diddy's picture
t-diddy Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:25pm

- 1 shark death at Rottnest ever - there's too much wildlife for them to be bother
- 19km from perth - the locals are everyone who lives in Perth and I'm disgruntled

worldwidesurf's picture
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worldwidesurf Thursday, 18 Feb 2021 at 12:03pm

You should be disgruntled. The mystery of some locations to those who want to monetize and are motivated by profit should be called out. And who did the design of the comp ad with a quokka standing in what is a sad attempt of a surfboard.

willburb's picture
willburb's picture
willburb Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 9:30am

I ride my bike down to the ferry and then across to strickland around once a month, if the surf is decent there's a fair croud. I don't know why anyone would want WSL around.

quokka's picture
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quokka Saturday, 20 Feb 2021 at 3:21pm

We don’t want them around. Those pretentious little cunts and their circus can go and fuck right off. Leave Rotto alone.

.cylinders's picture
.cylinders's picture
.cylinders Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:18am

This is actually fucking disgusting. WSL are cooked.

.cylinders's picture
.cylinders's picture
.cylinders Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:18am

Lol at all 4 events “Presented by Corona”

garyg1412's picture
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garyg1412 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:27am

Yeah it makes the old Gunston 500 seem like a healthy option.

Polly2's picture
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Polly2 Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 10:33am

copy that.. surely a piss take
lets all just smile and have a really good laugh. i’m puttin a helmet on before my head explodes
lol

Pops's picture
Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:41am

you'd have the shits if you'd won the rotto lotto for those dates only to have the tour move in...
Still, makes a fair bit of sense on paper to have an event there - not many permanent residents to piss off (grey-suited variety notwithstanding), fairly easy to isolate the event from the public ...

Trentslatterphoto's picture
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Trentslatterphoto Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:45am

fuck they are clutching at straws. pretty sure the waves on rotto are fun but sub world quality. the wa government is happy to pay for the surfers to get a photo with the quoka though so its green light. rotto box will tear your skin off quicker than the box. eh

t-diddy's picture
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t-diddy Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:30pm

totally agree - super fun for regs especially in perth but far from world class

3vickers's picture
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3vickers Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:50am

at risk of being the odd one out around these parts, i'm glad that they've been able to schedule 4 events.

….I've been missing it like heck and can't wait for it to kick off.

mfatt's picture
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mfatt Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:26am

Yep, agreed, keen to see some quality contest surfing

Gra Murdoch's picture
Gra Murdoch's picture
Gra Murdoch Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:52pm

I'm with you 3V, it'll be good to pretend I'm working but in reality just staring at a wozcast.

Lord Humongous's picture
Lord Humongous's picture
Lord Humongous Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:02pm

Yeap for sure. Go Jack Robbo and a couple of sneaky wildcards for Jacob Willcox.

Quentinc4589's picture
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Quentinc4589 Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 12:01am

To be fair I’d be surprised if Robinson has ever even surged Strickos .. why would ya

sandgroper's picture
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sandgroper Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:52am

Wonder if it will be a webcast, moveable site with no spectators so the event could run at box, stricko's, cathedrals, stark or even further on the north side depending on conditions? Certainly most of these events wouldn't sustainably hold a big crowd spectating from shore.

I rekon any wave on the CT can be sub-quality or world class depending on the day so no reason why May shouldn't offer some favourable winds and a bit of swell. Afters at Pinky's.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:45am

Consistency is the issue. Sydney Beachies are sub par (not anywhere near world class) 300+ days of the year. They need to fluke it.

joesydney's picture
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joesydney Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 9:39am

Is North Narra any different to Peniche or Saquarema? I have seen North Narra as good as Peniche...most of the time Peniche is an average beachie like North Narra.

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 9:46am

Yep my argument exactly. No beach breaks except maybe France (I reckon Peniche is more protected from the prevailing wind than North Narra particularly up the northern end, same iffy swell though).

lostdoggy's picture
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lostdoggy Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 7:00pm

I think N Narra is more contestable when it's small and average than Peniche.
Peniche only good when pumping.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 8:11pm

Yeah but do you really want to see the creme de la creme jumping around in 2 to 3 foot slop.

lostdoggy's picture
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lostdoggy Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 8:19pm

No, but I don’t mind ranking turds.

And it does get good every now and then.

Quentinc4589's picture
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Quentinc4589 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:49pm

No crowds allowed ... lucky they can burn past in the rotto ferries as that’s all the swell they are going to get

velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:56pm

Party at Pinkys yew!

Moored's picture
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Moored Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:53pm

Hopefully not Cathedrals, that joint makes Main break look like a slab...

quokka's picture
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quokka Saturday, 20 Feb 2021 at 3:28pm

It shouldn’t be run at Rotto at all but because it is it must be restricted to Stricko’s...no other spot on Rotto needs to be broadcast to the world especially due to the reach and audience the WSL has.

jayet-010's picture
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jayet-010 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:00am

Rotto really is a B+ wave destination (maybe A- on its day) and is unlikely to ever be overcrowded due the difficulties in getting there.

It'll make for some scenic backdrops but. And you'll have the inevitable quokka selfies.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:40am

I thought Stricklands was pretty good.

Quentinc4589's picture
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Quentinc4589 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 3:00pm

You must’ve got lucky plus it faces SW probably the easiest place on the coast to get blown out by the doctor ... no way it’s suitable for a Tour event

jetson.rover's picture
jetson.rover's picture
jetson.rover Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:29pm

Haven't you seen the Brazzo storm in average waves on tour in recent years?
The freo doc will give them air ramps aplenty at 3 foot stricko's.
Look at all of Italo Ferriera's vid clips he's dropped in the last year.
His name is written all over that event already..

Quentinc4589's picture
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Quentinc4589 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:45pm

Great ! Shitty onshore waves and Shitty Brazzo surfing ... just what I want to watch . Least Italo is a top bloke my only consolation will be watching Crybriel getting breastfed by Charlie on the beach when a dolphin swims past

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:48pm

He may not get in the water as he was the most paranoid of sharks. Bit of a come down after the stuff out of Hawaii lately.

quokka's picture
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quokka Saturday, 20 Feb 2021 at 3:30pm

Mate it’s in May, doctor is off skiing by then

criso's picture
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criso Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:00am

Medina wont be happy when he finds out theres more sharks at rotto than margies

jetson.rover's picture
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jetson.rover Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:40pm

It breaks a lot closer to shore than the waves at Margs so i think between the drones,the shark patrol tinnies and the 3 foot frontside ramps for him to launch off every wave will more than settle his mind.

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:18am

The WSL. Coming to a fragile A-Class reserve near you!

The permanent seal colony at the West End keeps the “true locals” well & truly interested. Whilst a shark attack would be highly unlikely, based on the size of the beasts cruising around the Island, it probably wouldn’t end well.

Bring on the southerlies....

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:25am

FFS

Surfalot67's picture
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Surfalot67 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:29am

Pat O "transitioned" out of the commish role, all hail the new commish Jesse M-D. Was Pat the most useless commish ever? Did he actually attend any events? I seem to remember KP and Renato doing all the talking still at the last events....Seems the Wozzle couldn't run a chook raffle these days

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:36am

something something piss-up, something something brewery...

Body slide's picture
Body slide's picture
Body slide Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:40am

Far out...bit like betting on the first goal in the GF.....bookies will be taking odds on first to get chomped!?
Reckon I'd prefer covid over surfing the south end of Rotto....

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:42am

So everybody from overseas has a min 14 day lockup in covid hotel somewhere in NSW?

san Guine's picture
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san Guine Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:46am

I paddled off the beach out to Transits one day, that's a shark paddle no doubt

velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:07pm

Sure is, can be such nice clear water tho

Redmond Clement's picture
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Redmond Clement Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:55am

Hmm the Transits paddle is Boiling with sharks!

Legrope's picture
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Legrope Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 9:05pm

Had a 14 foot tiger shark swim under us there years ago on that paddle.

gearyman's picture
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gearyman Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:59am

Medina will probably be happy to deal with the sharks for a decent left-hander like strickos tho

Quentinc4589's picture
Quentinc4589's picture
Quentinc4589 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:37pm

Decent left hander ... you for real the left has one turn in it even at it’s best

jetson.rover's picture
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jetson.rover Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:36pm

Medina and the other top guys won't be doing turns there i doubt.
They be doing any of the various airs they have down pat.
I can see Italo Ferriera winning it right now with yet another stomping air reverse to showman claim in 3 foot sets.

criso's picture
criso's picture
criso Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:03pm

I would rather see money being spent on the quokas fresh water supplies instead of the WSL every summer nearlly half of the quokas die of dehydration no fresh water the oldest and youngest die first they even try to drink the less salty top bit of water from the salt lakes they need government help more than any rich kid with a surf board

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:42pm

Yes Criso, dead quokas is not good for Paul Papalia tourism selfies with the "stars", which WA taxpayers cover the bill for as well

Howie66's picture
Howie66's picture
Howie66 Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 1:43pm

The whole of WSL now is a quokka shit

jayet-010's picture
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jayet-010 Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:10pm

What did they do 150 yo before European settlement?

Clivus Multrum's picture
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Clivus Multrum Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:13pm

The Brazilian contingent would have mad quokka soccer skills

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:45pm

I hope the renown massive GWS do a lineup cruise when the comp is on, no attacks of course but just a drive by to say hello

jammin's picture
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jammin Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:51pm

Strickos is the obvious location, Stark Bay would be #2,
after that who knows?
Rotto Box, Spiders if it's a macking swell.

plenty of breaks in the area if there is a decent swell running.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:52pm

May they be blessed with small swells and S/SW winds the entire contest period

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:54pm

Never fear, Starky still has his eyes set on Gnaraloo and/or Jakes

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 12:58pm

They’ll be inundated with pros doing video runs regardless as the Oz leg will be over. . Prepping the ground for the metro crew to demand to see JJF in a heat at Tombies next year.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:14pm

Indeed Blowin, indeed

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:51pm

I thought they got ran out of town up there or was it the RC search event?

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:31pm

Its still on Stark's hidden agenda Mem

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:13pm

Be interesting to see what McGowan would do with respect to WA border should there be an Covid outbreak/cluster in NSW during their contests

Clivus Multrum's picture
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Clivus Multrum Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:20pm

Dare to dream, sea slug

Blowin's picture
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Blowin Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:40pm

The WSL has been granted an exemption from any state border closures.

I shit you not. Crazy state of affairs when Aussies aren’t allowed from SA to WA but Elo can do what he wants after spreading it through Hawaii.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:57pm

FFS, is that only for WA? If it's all Australian borders then I'm confused why Snapper couldn't go ahead, something else going on behind the scenes

seen's picture
seen's picture
seen Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:24pm

Qld wouldn’t pay more than $500k.... and the wsl is broke. Forget Jeep, the main sponsor is the Aussie taxpayer...

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:51pm

So "quarantine" was just a smoke screen, all down to what you said Seen, no more than $500k towards staging the event, WA government 5 mil

jetson.rover's picture
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jetson.rover Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:44pm

They've minimised border crossings from 3 down to 1 by cancelling snapper and bells,which means the risk of covid affected restrictions affecting events has been lessened by two thirds.
It was the only way they were going to run a half decent tour leg this year in Oz without major (and highly likely) risk of dispruptions.

Clivus Multrum's picture
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Clivus Multrum Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 1:58pm

That stinks

Lord Humongous's picture
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Lord Humongous Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:14pm

Travellers from very low risk states and territories are not required to quarantine when they arrive into Western Australia.
Current states with Very Low Risk status include:
NSW
ACT
NT
QLD
S.A
TAS

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:29pm

Yes LH understand that but what if there should there be an Covid outbreak/cluster in NSW during the contests, apparently WSL has been guaranteed a WA travel bubble if that occurs but there is only about 6 days from end of NSW contests to start of Margs so 14 day quarantine does not work....

velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:37pm

then they grant them safe passage through the wasteland

.cylinders's picture
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.cylinders Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 11:08pm

Good to know. Much like the Vic government they appear to be losing control of the ability to make consistent decisions.

I wouldn't bother listening if any of ya's wanted to cross the border in the next few months, McGowan has set a precedent that would fall apart if the fines or arrests for crossing are challenged in court.

Kellya's picture
Kellya's picture
Kellya Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 2:24pm

Rotto a great idea I reckon. Decent chance of swell/conditions in May.
People already booked in for a holiday still get to go? Usually pretty quiet mid week not in the school holidays, but I'm sure some people have accomodation booked.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 2:29pm

If you are already booked at Pinkies during that time, you might well get cancelled and get a refund due undergoing emergency renovations haha

Kellya's picture
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Kellya Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 3:00pm

Haha, yeah.....can see the pro's set up nicely and enjoying the glamping!
Not that I can ever afford to stay in those 'tents'. Rotto is a joke as a holiday destination for most people!

geek's picture
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geek Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:17pm

Friend of a friend stayed there late last year and checked out after a night. Apparently you can hear EVERYTHING. Can see why, they are so packed in.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:52pm

Yeah Geek, heard the same thing and you pay for the privilege of that. Rotto used to be great

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:53pm

Why too expensive? Back in the 80's it was cheap as chips.

velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:13pm

Used to be awesome for a family holiday out of season in the 80s, so many good memories.

Kellya's picture
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Kellya Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:32pm

Pretty much out of reach for most people these days. Especially in summer and during school holidays.

velocityjohnno's picture
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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:39pm

Sad to hear that. Dad used to take us to Geordie and Longreach and we'd be free to cycle/fish our way around the island. It was affordable, quiet, and he said it reminded him of what the Balearic islands were in the 1950s when he was a lad (not the shite-fight Ibiza has become)

Legrope's picture
Legrope's picture
Legrope Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 3:27pm

Rotto doesn’t need the WSL trapesing all over the dunes. The wave is too short and only good for 3 months of the year if there’s swell and can’t handle a big crowd. There are locals and regulars who will be mighty pissed off. I was one of them. Shark smart app might spook everyone as it’s extremely active there.

Greebs's picture
Greebs's picture
Greebs Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 3:49pm

Spent a couple of years on Rottnest back in the day and the news of it being further exposed to the world's surfing population makes me feel sick.
It's a small, beautiful, fragile island, the coastline especially, and it can do without a bunch of bozos and hangers on showing off a few tricks for a quick buck, broadcasting it to the world then moving on. There's actually a good chance the waves will be OK, the settings and scenery will certainly look brilliant, and thus be extremely enticing to hordes of cashed up Brazilians (and the rest) looking for their next adventure once travel resumes. Great! Not. I feel so sorry for WA surfers right now.

Further, this seems to have been "announced". Where's the public consultation? How do the people of WA - surfers and non-surfers alike feel about this???
Tell ya what if I was still in WA I'd be up in arms.

Kellya's picture
Kellya's picture
Kellya Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:08pm

Think you are a few decades too late to save Rotto. Perth's Millionaires paradise is a lost cause. You don't also have a holiday house in Kalbarri?

Greebs's picture
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Greebs Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:32pm

errr... no holiday house in Kalbarri. But even if it's too late to save Rotto from exposure to even more surfers (although surely a WCT event won't help in that respect) we should still be concerned for it's fragile coastal environment regardless. It just seems like a hideous idea, totally out of synch with what most people enjoy about the place, once they make it out of the beer garden. But yeah I know its changed.

Kellya's picture
Kellya's picture
Kellya Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:48pm

Rottnest Authority will hopefully keep doing a good job to protect the fragile ecosystem on the island. I just wish I could take the family for a week holiday over there without having to re-mortgage the house! Going to be torture seeing the Pro's living it up at Pinkys.

Tooold2bakook's picture
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Tooold2bakook Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:38pm

I'm with you Greebs. Absolutely gutted to hear this news, even though I haven't surfed there for near a decade. The thought of rotto becoming an international surfing destination is sickening. It just feels too precious to be opened up in this way.

ringmaster's picture
ringmaster's picture
ringmaster Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:03pm

and the winner is........

A witty character named 'Wincy' who contributed this little gem on one of Swellnet's competitors today. 'Dream Tour' becomes 'Reality' Tour........

"I'm into the Reality Tour idea. Make em sort themselves out. Up at at 4am and drive to the servo for fuel, buy ice coffees and pies, drive for a bit, lose reception, get bogged, get lost, get stung, get skunked, get punched, jump off at the wrong spot, get scraped, finally figure it out, see how many waves they get, if any, get home, find their own drugs by the pub, get punched again, get laid, spew pies and longlife coffee milk and beer, and do it again the next day. Make it an endurance test. I'd watch that."

Excellent Wincy! I'd watch that too!

memlasurf's picture
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memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:55pm

Sounds like the Pig of Steel reincarnated.

MRsinglefin's picture
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MRsinglefin Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 4:27pm

I’m hearing limited crowds / black out fencing along Bathers Way for Merewether event

Rabbits68's picture
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Rabbits68 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:08pm

Naturally Surfing WA are talking it up big time having been a key player in orchestrating and securing this event. Gotta say it was very hard listening to JM from SA raving on about how good this event will be for "ALL WA surfers" blah blah blah. All the appropriate clichés were pouring out. You wonder how these people manage to keep a straight face when saying such things. I assume they believe it...

tubeshooter's picture
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tubeshooter Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:24pm

The WSL 'brand' needs a fair bit of panel beating to make it look roadworthy again.

Spuddups's picture
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Spuddups Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:41pm

Well VW turned Skoda round from a laughing stock to a quality brand. Maybe that's the key for the WSL: Get bought out by The Germans. Hopefully then they'd have a more European focus and leave us alone.

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servant Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 10:29pm

".....protection from what Tommy, Ze Germans?" (Ha Ha - "Turkish"/Jason Statham)

What about the flies on Rottnest? Wife and I, with two little ones travelled there in Jan '89 and were issued 1000 flies, personal swarm, each, open arrival. It was miserable and could not get off quick enough. Beautiful island otherwise, lot's of set ups for nice waves but no swell then, so didn't surf it. Perhaps at that time of the year all the W.A. inland flies were blown out to there?? Maybe an unusual plague that year?? Never found out why, but not fond memories. Two of our family were in tears that day, and it wasn't the children! Ha
Then went north and got best barrel of life at Jakes, Kalbari, and didn't want to leave.
Looking forward to watching some good surfing again, (heat summaries to avoid all the blah, blah).
Probably a blessing in disguise there's no WSL contests in Victoria. Lockdown number 3 and counting. We can't plan anything.
Anyway, God Bless you and them all

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Spuddups Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:15am

Spent a weekend down at Windy Harbour many moons ago. Had a similar experience with the flies. We had to eat in the car to get away from the little fuckers. They would even follow us out into the surf and buzz round for a while before giving up. God knows where they come from. They just appeared within five seconds of us arriving.
I had a can of fly-spray and tried spraying them just to see what would happen. We ended up with the ground absolutely thick with dead flies and somehow exactly the same number of them buzzing round us. It's a beautiful spot down there and we scored some good waves, but I'm unsure as to how it's possible to ever get used to those goddamn pesky flies. I reckon the WA state flag should have a swarm of flies on it.

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Blowin Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 1:38pm

The flies are pretty common when the offshores blow them to the coast from around the inland livestock.

One year in the Norwest we had a stay of about 7 months in a nice little spot and I trained a ta-ta lizard to eat the flies around me. Started off swatting flies and throwing them to it and after a while it’d climb over me to eat them off my body. Just like Rex the echidna only it was scaly, not spiky and I wasn’t unbelievably hot. Got it to jump through a little hoop I made from a looped straw by the end of my stay.

Miss me little ta-ta buddy (sad emoji )

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ringmaster Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 1:46pm

Poor little fella! Probably starved to death after you left..........

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servant Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:15pm

Thanks ringmaster. God bless you too

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Spuddups Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 1:54pm

I guess if you're sifting round in the middle of nowhere for seven months then training an echidna to eat flies seems like a viable option.

I've done a number of trips down to the SW corner of The South Island and there's these things called sandflies. Not sure if you get them in Australia. Basically they're tiny flies that bite like a mozzie. Sometimes you end up having to cover up any exposed skin and apply repellant everywhere else. The little bastards can drive you nuts otherwise. Fortunately it's not particularly warm down there so covering up is a good option. Any of you guys who have been to Milford Sound would have experienced this. Anyway, as it happens there's these cute little birds called Fantails or Piwakawaka in Māori. They eat sandflies. Often when you're walking through the bush they're flittering around within arm's reach since they're going after the sandflies. Your echidna story got me thinking...

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servant Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:20pm

Thanks again Spuddups. We get those horrible little buggers here too, usually about now and March, on the back beaches of the Mornington Peninsula. Can't feel them bite but next day oh so many itchy sores. I'm really careful now to cover up.

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servant Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:14pm

Nice one, many thanks Blowin. I have fond memories of that ad too!
God Bless you

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servant Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:05pm

Nice one S. Thank you and God Bless

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servant Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:25pm

Sorry Spuddups if I've doubled up.
Had so many replies to my comment/thread that I lost track of who was who. Many thanks for your comment, nice one about the flies and the flag. God Bless you

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geek Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:24am

Flies are still there. Did a day trip around Xmas and it was insane. As I over from Victoria I had my mask in my bag so wore that when walking around haha

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servant Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:08pm

Many thanks g. Good one with the mask. When we were there the "locals" all had broad rim hats with full netting down to their shoulders. We enquired where to get them but none for sale. God Bless you and them too

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crg Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:52pm

The irony of all of this is Starky will be loathed by the normal everyday surfer looking to preserve their local area but lauded by his employer...

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memlasurf Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 5:56pm

When do I get to change my image is Elo still around?

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udo Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 6:49pm

Part of the Rottnest Pest management program are Galahs and Rainbow Lorikeets WTF..

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rooftop Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:13pm

What about Brazilian peacocks?

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Rabbits68 Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 9:38pm

Rainbow Lorikeets were introduced into WA in the 1960's (10 birds, now there is over 40,000) and are considered a feral pest here (for good reason too).

https://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/operation-rainbow-roost

Not sure what type of galah's they are trying to manage though. Possibly a few of the WSL variety which will hopefully be extinct shortly :-)

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 7:04pm

This is pretty awesome:

A bit of history and the legends of WA surfing. Met a few of them when growing up. Some incredible stories, like paddling over in 2 hours in the 1950s, to surf Transits...
fastest swimmers do it in 4h I think? Some great pics of CE in there, total legend!

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Kellya Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 9:29pm

Awesome little Doco! So good to see what Rotto used to be.

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quokka Saturday, 20 Feb 2021 at 3:57pm

I’m calling BS on the 2 hr paddle, back in the day the Temeraire II took 2 hrs and it had an engine.

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SurferSam Tuesday, 16 Feb 2021 at 8:13pm

Send em out to rotto box , will very entertaining viewing
10 points if ya make the drop
https://m.

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southey Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 12:46am

@SS, Thats not real Rox . Chickens and Stark can be fun and brutal at times too .

I might have to dust off the comp singlet . lols

Strickland can get good but is usually pretty windy when its sizey .
The only time i ever saw Brazillians there ( atleast notable numbers >6 ) was the cleanest big day in 2005 . It snapped all their boards and i ended up finally collecting the pieces from along the shoreline up till 2 weeks later .

They might get a decent day in late May , but rarely better than this average footage .
The Right is the best wave until it gets too big for both left and right .
Strangely west swells hit the left better and make it a longer wave that can be backdoored .

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Johan Wohlleben Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 12:54am

Rotto being exploited. Rich people and clueless politicians barring desperate and committed Perth surfers from relief. Has been too expensive and inaccessible for a normal family for 20 years. Yet McGowan opens his super safe quarantine station up to international “sports stars” and their onhangers-hypocrite. Can get really good, but short powerful and woohoo. Gotta say I think the WSL should fuck off.

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SurferSam Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 9:41am

Fremantle doctor in late May?
Umm I don’t think so , that’s a summer thing
Personally I love the place and the waves
Not world class but definitely super fun and the island atmosphere is awesome
Agree it’s way overpriced tho
Stricko a super fun wave, have done many a paddle of death over the channel from the boat to surf it
Lots of other nooks and crannies over there as well
I reckon it will be a fun comp to watch , but not sure how I feel about the joint being exploited

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freeride76 Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 10:19am

maybe no Doctor, but getting tagged by cold fronts or pre-frontal troughy NW/W winds is definitely on the cards.

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SurferSam Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 11:18am

NW wind is dead offshore at a couple of spots tho

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Theboyhasnoname Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 10:53am

Narra is going to stink it up if they only get Sth Swells.

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Sheepdog Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 1:06pm

Maybe thy could do a deal with a Maldives island, or a Mentawis charter co, both which would be struggling in these strange times.

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D-Rex Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 3:24pm

Rotto sharks won't be a problem if the Wozzle plans ahead and stocks up on the dying quokkas (see criso post above). Any shark heading the conest way can be lured out to sea with a trail of said quokkas. Problem solved.

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theblacksheep Wednesday, 17 Feb 2021 at 6:59pm

Vaccines are here. Why arent they vaccinating the wsl as part of the conditions?
I’ll take a jab if I could get the fuck outta dodge but me thinks nobody knows how the hell to get outta this mess yet

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Surfalot67 Thursday, 18 Feb 2021 at 11:22am

And just like that, the Wozzle is gone from Facey....lol

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Lord Humongous Thursday, 18 Feb 2021 at 3:49pm

So how am I going to buy my Florence 12 jersey now?

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Dan Zina Friday, 19 Feb 2021 at 10:35am

WSL is a greedy events company that make money flogging footage of the top 44. I support nothing they do and strongly oppose their taking advantage of culturally and ecologically sensitive locations to do so.

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etarip Saturday, 20 Feb 2021 at 2:21pm

Wondering if the increase in drones will result in an increase in sightings of GWS and other noahs. Would be interesting to know if there’s any regular drone or helicopter patrols over there to provide a baseline of shark activity?
I’ve only surfed over there a couple of times and never saw anything, but a few mates have had big sharks sniff around when they’ve been surfing and diving off Rotto.

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bluediamond Saturday, 20 Feb 2021 at 2:39pm

Rottnest's dark history. Excerpt from... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-25/rottnest-island-black-prison-to-w...
"More than a hundred years later, a friend of mine is staying at the island's most upmarket accommodation — The Rottnest Lodge. She wakes up terrified in the middle of the night from a nightmare in which she's watches blood run down the walls. It turns out the room she's sleeping in is a former cell in the infamous Rottnest Island Prison Quod.
"There are a lot of innocent people who don't realise what they're renting," Professor Len Collard says.
"Have the authorities, the state government, the Rottnest Island Authority, have they got moral and ethical responsibilities to inform the public about what they're renting? Or not?"

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Blowin Sunday, 21 Feb 2021 at 4:14am

That’s so heavy.

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brutus Sunday, 21 Feb 2021 at 10:01am

I can't say a lot , but there are conversations and hopefully actions going on with Noongar elders , as they were not consulted at all , over the Contest at Wudjemup/Rotto....as this is very culturally sensitive area , with a significant sprititually and Historic history....Australia's largest death in custody site.....Australia's Aushwitz.....
when you read the article and quote Uncle Lenny Collard...who is a surfer and is a lecturer/anthropologist, translated the Noongar Language into English......
The conversation now is how do we respect a 40,000 year living culture....from the Blackfellas perspective it's simple , they want recognition of their culture and the colonial past recognized , so that there can be healing , and to build a foundation of understanding and reconciliation so we can all as Australians understand our past , understand a culture that has stories that go back to when Wadjemup /Rotto was still part of the mainland......there's no Aggro , just sadness that they have been overlooked by the WSL and WA govt....and shit is now being sorted ........there's a long way to go....anybody and everybody who comes on this forum should take 5 mins of their lives and read what blue diamond posted.

as an Australian I am part of the solution in embracing my history...the good the bad the ugly.....but Australians have the longest living culture the World has ever seen.....so let's get on with it!!!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-25/rottnest-island-black-prison-to-w...

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Optimist Sunday, 21 Feb 2021 at 3:23pm

Brutus, Sickaz posted that story in the Strickland thread as well....Unbelievable sad story
Couldn't believe the cruelty.

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brutus Monday, 22 Feb 2021 at 7:04am

the saddest part is the failure of WSL /Govt's to recognize the Noongar culture , as most of Australia doesn't really care .

hopefully the meeting today will sort out the logistics of the contest to be inclusive of Noongars and there will be a comp !

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udo Monday, 22 Feb 2021 at 8:02am
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stunet Monday, 1 Mar 2021 at 3:15pm

Rumour has it Rip Curl are looking for naming rights to the CT Final Series at Trestles in September.

If it happens that'll mean RC will have sponsored five of this year's events.

More news when/if it happens.

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wally Friday, 23 Apr 2021 at 7:10pm

I’m sure the WA events will all go ahead, but there will be some little butterflies in the WSL tummies with the Perth lockdown.

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seaslug Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 1:05pm

Doubt it Wally, they have been given a guaranteed travel bubble by the WA government months ago, don't think that will be pricked

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geek Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 1:25pm

I think that was in the event the border into WA from an outbreak state was closed, not sure what would happen if the state is in lockdown. Rottnest was cleared of all holiday makers yesterday with only staff and residents remaining, SW remains unaffected.

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seaslug Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 4:25pm

That's correct geek, but they are coming hell or high water

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Blowin Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 1:38pm

Money talks.

The WSL will be going to WA regardless if they’re Covid positive or not. Twiggy and Kerry Stokes could land at Perth airport looking like the rabid zombies from 28 Days Later and they’d be greeted warmly by their private immigration officer.

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SurferSam Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 1:55pm

Didn’t quite work for Clive Palmer tho !?

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seaslug Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 4:28pm

That's because he's a fat cunt SS haha

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bluediamond Saturday, 24 Apr 2021 at 4:37pm

haha. Beautifully put seaslug :-D

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eat-your-vegies Sunday, 25 Apr 2021 at 1:59am

McGowan has used rotto as a quarantine island a short while ago and yesterday mentioned he was ready to again if needed.

I guess if that happened they could quarantine the woz there and do the cuntest , then do marges second.

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bluediamond Friday, 14 May 2021 at 2:55pm

"We want to bring crew together, we want to do a treaty settlement among surfers because there's really fine attributes in surfing… but I think we can do better."

Good on ya Lenny and hats off to the WSL for getting on board and supporting this.

https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/470882/professor-lenny-collard-wad...