Dean Morrison at it again

Hmmm, let's see, it was very crowded with lots of pros and they got most of the best waves and dropped in ruthlessly......what's next, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? You know the game when you paddle out into that type of crowd so you should just play it as hard as you can and take Fanning's advice, come in and forget it. If you don't like that game, don't play, you are not under any obligation to surf. So if you had a miserable time on this swell, will you behave logically and give it a miss next time? If you truly valued the core surfing experience there were plenty of places with lesser quality waves but much more enjoyable atmospheres. Why not try one of them next time instead of putting yourself into an absurdly over crowded situation that was always going to be dominated by the elite few.

That's how I play it BB but don't you think it's fair enough to try and change the culture of giving these pros a free ride in spite of their shit behaviour?

lostdoggy wrote:

That's how I play it BB but don't you think it's fair enough to try and change the culture of giving these pros a free ride in spite of their shit behaviour?

Can't see any realistic way of tackling the issue and while I understand the frustration there is something to be said for the best surfers getting the best waves. If people want to take it in turns they should play tennis. Surfing has always had that aggro edge, it is not really an egalitarian activity. If you paddle out on a perfect day at one of the most intensely crowded spots on Earth then you need to be able to cut it one way or another. I have a mate who is nowhere near elite standard but who surfs there all the time and loves it. He keeps his expectations low and is just stoked when he does grab a good one. If you think you are entitled to better than that then you need to be able to play at that level and most of us simply can't...well not anymore!

Yes your right blindboy I think we should all just give up and give all the waves to the pros.
Why should hard working normal people have to think they might be entitled to one wave
to there 30 fuck what are we thinking. The hide and audacity of the less talented or older
surfers and groms what are we doing.
Now remember this boys and girls all round the country if the waves are just going nuts and
there is just a wiff of a pro in the area run away far away and find yourself some onshore crud
because that's all us low lives deserve. Long live the elite because they are SPECIAL.
No wonder you call yourself blindboy.

Blind boy still brutalised by the Shaun Thompson drop in 40 years ago telling people to put up or shut up.

I'm not calling you out BB.

Well, I am.

But I'm also totally in agreement with you.

Just watching the vids of those Goldy sessions makes me feel crook.

Don't know how you can do it to yourselves....

....until you're the dog having his day and the crowd miraculously parts before you every set .

Has been pro surfers really need all the exposure they can get dont they?(real jobs are actually hard work)and I have been wondering who the mad huey was for a while now(I thought it was a band)Maybe its time to reinvent yourselves as big wave surfers guys (i think drongo has already had a try at that). Dropping in is almost ok at Waimea so knock yourselves out and paddle out,everywhere else and your just a cunt, even on the gold coast apparently.

blindboy wrote:

Hmmm, let's see, it was very crowded with lots of pros and they got most of the best waves and dropped in ruthlessly......what's next, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? You know the game when you paddle out into that type of crowd so you should just play it as hard as you can and take Fanning's advice, come in and forget it. If you don't like that game, don't play, you are not under any obligation to surf. So if you had a miserable time on this swell, will you behave logically and give it a miss next time? If you truly valued the core surfing experience there were plenty of places with lesser quality waves but much more enjoyable atmospheres. Why not try one of them next time instead of putting yourself into an absurdly over crowded situation that was always going to be dominated by the elite few.

If blatantly dropping in time after time after time with an attitude of "fuck you I'm more deserving" is your version of "playing it hard" then clearly that puts you in the same catagory, which I think is no surprise to you, in fact you've stated as much plenty of times in the past in relation to this subject.

Dropping in is easy, any tosser can do it. Doesn't make it right, good or safe, never has, never will. Justifying it will be the death of surfings feel good vibe, which is clearly well on its way out.

Constant Drop-ins, coming to a line up near you. By the way, get over it, harden up or paddle in, it's all good apparently......

Got to definatly agree with wharfjunkie and grey hound as my name says I am from vic and luckily in vic I haven't had to put up with this shit. I am going to sound like a bit of a dick but I don't really care that mick has had a hard year as he is starting to piss me off. Gives him no right to drop in on ordinary people trying to get a wave. He seems like a good bloke from all I have read and seen of him but I am starting to loose sympathy for him. All these stories are starting to make me not like him like others. Sure he seems like a good bloke out of water but in the water he is sounding like a prick. I leave on this note I surf a wave around the surf coast area with 3 of my mates but I live in Melbourne so I don't get to surf it that much, so I will be going down there in the holidays when the bells comp is on and before and after it has started. It's a reef break which on low tide can produce some great barreling waves when the swell is good and the winds are offshore and this wave is not bells. All I can say if he rocks ups and even puts a chandelier on a wave that I am on even though clearly I was on the inside then stuff him. He deserves a punch on Becuse he is not bring this shit attitude to Victoria. Go have your perfect sand bank point breaks with 500 people you can fuck off Mick fanning and all the Gold Coast pro flogs.

I will now go to sleep my rant is done for the night

Fannings advise is "come in and forget it" classic! Prob thats because hes the one out in front would be my guess. Such self absorbed wankers they actually believe it too. Bet he doesnt do it at Pipeline though, you can get punched out for riding behind some of the Hawaiians much less in front. Should be more of it here in Aus, no matter who you are be respectful, wait your turn, dont drop in and that especially goes for all you backpacker euro fuckstix that are trying to turn Aus into Bali with their no rules ,no fucking idea brand of surfing -learn to surf before you learn to hassle you arseholes. Come on groms do better than this gen with a bit of local enforcement before its too late.

Not any real solutions to this, but maybe:

1) don't follow them on social media
2) don't watch them on wsl
3) don't buy their sponsors products
4) write a letter to their sponsor, local media, newspaper, wsl
5) call em out of you see it happen - "gee mate that was a pretty blatant drop in, poor effort"
6) encourage a more objective media site - ie swellnet - to put some exposure on it through some quality journalism. Ben here's your chance to establish a clearer point of difference with your articles...you do dabble away from the mainstream at times maybe take a chance with something even further out there?

Never bought quicksilver anything for 35 odd yrs c/o jake pato being such a hassling ,dropping in knob even as a grommet so point 3 taken, 1 and 2 for sure, some good points Roystein. Love this topic, who hasnt been snaked by a sponno or had a good surf ruined by a contest or photo hogefest?

freeride76 wrote:

Wharfjunkie wrote:

wellymon wrote:

freeride76 wrote:

the worst part is that behaviour becomes normalised then people begin to "export" it wherever they go.

Down to the 'Ox'

Let's see what happens then;)

Haha

Probably fuck all.

incorrect.

Fuck all would happen they wouldn't pick the old crew just another unknown face in the line-up. No one would say a word.

greyhound wrote:

Do not tollerate this shit in victoria !

Thats a load of crap mate same shit would happen.

Victoriasurfing1 wrote:

Got to definatly agree with wharfjunkie and grey hound as my name says I am from vic and luckily in vic I haven't had to put up with this shit. I am going to sound like a bit of a dick but I don't really care that mick has had a hard year as he is starting to piss me off. Gives him no right to drop in on ordinary people trying to get a wave. He seems like a good bloke from all I have read and seen of him but I am starting to loose sympathy for him. All these stories are starting to make me not like him like others. Sure he seems like a good bloke out of water but in the water he is sounding like a prick. I leave on this note I surf a wave around the surf coast area with 3 of my mates but I live in Melbourne so I don't get to surf it that much, so I will be going down there in the holidays when the bells comp is on and before and after it has started. It's a reef break which on low tide can produce some great barreling waves when the swell is good and the winds are offshore and this wave is not bells. All I can say if he rocks ups and even puts a chandelier on a wave that I am on even though clearly I was on the inside then stuff him. He deserves a punch on Becuse he is not bring this shit attitude to Victoria. Go have your perfect sand bank point breaks with 500 people you can fuck off Mick fanning and all the Gold Coast pro flogs.

I will now go to sleep my rant is done for the night

Ha Ha love it no it doesn't happen in the Ox or Vicco just if it happens ill fix the cunt good work.

I heard on good authority back in the late 70s or 80s the Vicco boys
took care of the heavy pro Hawaiians of the time. But back then you
wouldn't surf my local point break either without the ultimate respect.
Politically correctness has a lot to answer for.
I wonder if any of these pro dicks would ever read any of this?

staitey wrote:

Now I know this topic to some may be like complaining about the heat in Alice Springs but here goes anyway.

Was out on the Snapper stretch on Saturday afternoon. Smaller than I thought it was going to be, barely any sweep so crowds were in full force…..no worries Saturday at snapper what do you expect?

I was paddling around for quite a while looking for any wave to get me down the point when a reform white water came my wave, I was on the inside sweet! Got up, wave began at little marley and grew into this absolute dream race track. Got about 30m down this gorgeous beast and someone with a Mad Huey's sticker decides it was his turn, looking closer I realised it was Dean Morrison. I screamed every world appropriate for such an act, he decided to turn around and yell at me and when the wave began to barrel I got faded and caught inside and he………..well, he probably got shacked of his dial for the 30th time that day whilst I was left floundering on the inside wondering if that could've been one of the best waves I've ever had……

……Ok so suffice to say I had a shocker for the rest of the session and left to go home a little dejected. We've all had this, you either get a few screamers or you get nothing. But I think I was most disappointed at Dean and all the other pros out there. The extent to which they were going to to deprive average joe's like myself waves was out of control!

I saw Fanning, Parko, The Huey's (Deuy and Lewie in tow) snake and drop in on normal punters on nearly every wave they caught. One of Brent Dorrington's tactics was to drop in and stay high, hope the guy would just give up. If he didn't give up he'd bide his time above the wave's true owner and when he spotted a barrel section would pick up speed to get in front and once in the pit the poor bloke on the inside has no chance. I saw the Hazza's do this as well double dropping in on blokes!

But anyway that's my rant. Deano if you're reading (ha, that's a joke course you can't) you are as despicable as every person on other forums has attested to following similar episodes caught on camera.

What can we do???

That is typical of dingo abusing someone for getting a wave the honest way.
Remember the leg rope tugging at pipe masters?
Really there needs to be a hall of surfing shame for serial fuckwits that are paid to surf
The likelihood of swell net or any other media facilitating direct discussion with these demigods is about zero sadly

Maybe start your own Instagram page to hold up their mongrel acts to the public
Then post comments with a tag to the pro and sponsor

Looks like fanning has made his bid for 2016 The people's prick award. THE GOLDEN DINGO
It's was fun to see a woman comment on his Insta post chugging a red bull while snowboarding--- how dissapointing it was to him abuse his status to promote such unhealthy choices on youngsters

Most of us just accept this to be, it's just how it is.

That attitude needs to change pros and sponsored guys, need to start acting like professionals and role models and not pricks and bad examples to everyday surfers.

We all need to make this a huge issue and stir up shit.

Best way is first video it, get heaps of footage of them dropping in, then post it on social media, someone needs to start up a Facebook page where people can share their pro drop in vids to name and shame, I'm sure it would be a hit and bring focus to the issue.

In the water all us non pros and sponsored guys need to then stick together and if it happens fight fire with fire, if mick or someone drops in all the time, we just need to burn them every wave, if it results in a fight even better, the media like current affair won't care to much for a story on getting dropped in by a pro, but a pro using violence or his mates using violence would go viral.

This shit will never change until those pros or sponsored guys have something to lose which is just getting a bad name in the general public and risk losing sponsors, also the wsl would hate the bad media.

As a Vicco surfer, the water especially during summer is getting busier and busier every year, however there still seams to be a bit more water etiquette being up-held than up the northern warm bath waters of Australia.
Maybe the set up of the surf coast means there is plentiful amounts of waves to go around so the frustration levels are not as high, and the punters really drop off once it starts to get cold.

I try to avoid the know breaks so I can't really comment all that much on the etiquette of say bells and winki, again like I said, we are lucky in that when Bells and Winki and on the pump there is 100 other options along the coast with less tourist blow ins and punters thinking they are Mick and Kelly because they surfed bells.
But I can tell you, like said above from some other vic surfers, I don't care who you are and your background, if you rock up and jump in where I'm surfing and start doing that shit, you will not get the, OMG its Mick Fanning he can do whatever he wants treatment. He can wait his turn like everyone else, or he will get his coming. Now I'm not saying Id take him in the carpark and try beat the shit out of him, but I would certainty word him up and see where it goes from there.
Fists are for unintelligent bogans, use your brain and words to get your point across, fists are a last option for a deadshit who just can't get the point.

If you were going to burn Mick Fanning successfully you would need to be a bloody good surfer .
I suggest a better way would be if you see him burn someone a well timed ditching of your board so it goes over with the lip while he is getting barreled , should lead to the desired affect. A surfer of any level can do this and you can tell him why you did it when you both surface and he's trying to untangle your leggie from round his neck, or if the mood takes you gouge his eyes out.

Its weird that I went to the Nth Shore in January stay 16days of perfect pumping surf
and never had one dropin or snake. This place is supposed to be the mecca of heavy
locals and bad vibes etc but was the exact opposite full of respect,mellow vibes and so
chilled,didnt want to return home. Sure locals got most of the perfect bombs but not all
and never burnt anybody on one, only cheered you on. Every body got plenty of waves.
PS: Never surfed pipe or backdoor thou.
You go back to Goldy or Bali and its just dropins, snakes and lunacy.

I don't mind the social media idea...in the spirit of kookslams maybe something like "kookpros" would work. #kookpros

Yes evo also experienced the same. The vibes were cool and what was great were the chats with the locals and each calling others on.
There was a day a V Land which was busy and a local older bloke was getting a bit stressed. But his two sons told him to settle and cool it. The old bloke did get his share. His sons Aloha'd him out.
Must admit there were a host of options - what a season that was - unbelievable. And the Eddie capped it off.

Overcrowding on the Gold Coast? Pros dropping in? The only thing that surprises me is that anyone else is surprised by it.

Extract from Australian Surfing Life, January 1994:

Five years on, surfing at Kirra during the one or two swells that arrive each year, has become, well, painful.

This year 160 pros, enticed by Rabbit's Midas-like touch, flew out for the Billabong Kirra Pro in March. Every morning - Jesus! Before 5:30am even - Kirra's Big Groyne and inside section were hideously packed. Gumbies and the world famous all fighting like pigs at the swill trough for the opportunity to stand inside the Kirra Barrel.

"It was shithouse," grumbled former world champ Barton Lynch. "I had a few good waves but it's dissappointing to surf such good waves with so many people in the water. It's the worst place in the world to surf for crowds. It's worse than Pipeline."

"You have to drop in or you don't surf," said Slater.

Added Rob Bain: "It's probably the most crowded surf I've ever seen. Some of my mates were saying: 'this is the most perfect surf I've been out in but I can't get waves'."

"The bottom line was, you drop in or you don't get a wave," says former Gold Coaster Tony Ray.

"The first few surfs I had I wasn't dropping in and I couldn't get a wave. It was when I started dropping in I had some good surfs. That's pretty sad."

thomas11 wrote:

As a Vicco surfer, the water especially during summer is getting busier and busier every year, however there still seams to be a bit more water etiquette being up-held than up the northern warm bath waters of Australia.
Maybe the set up of the surf coast means there is plentiful amounts of waves to go around so the frustration levels are not as high, and the punters really drop off once it starts to get cold.

I try to avoid the know breaks so I can't really comment all that much on the etiquette of say bells and winki, again like I said, we are lucky in that when Bells and Winki and on the pump there is 100 other options along the coast with less tourist blow ins and punters thinking they are Mick and Kelly because they surfed bells.
But I can tell you, like said above from some other vic surfers, I don't care who you are and your background, if you rock up and jump in where I'm surfing and start doing that shit, you will not get the, OMG its Mick Fanning he can do whatever he wants treatment. He can wait his turn like everyone else, or he will get his coming. Now I'm not saying Id take him in the carpark and try beat the shit out of him, but I would certainty word him up and see where it goes from there.
Fists are for unintelligent bogans, use your brain and words to get your point across, fists are a last option for a deadshit who just can't get the point.

You get a 6ft+swell with NW winds and just about every break from the heads to Apollo bay are working.
6ft+ swell and sou-easterlies up here and you get the whole population at a few name breaks.

That said, the inconsistency of vicco means that if the crowds do get up, there just isn't enough waves to go around IMO.

I reckon the lack of fists is part of the problem. When I was learning to surf the repercussions of a drop-in, especially a blatant one were not perceived but very much real- verbal spray at best and a smack in the mouth at worst. Dropping in on someone no matter who they were could result in serios violence. That's what I think minimised it.

These days with increased litigation and new laws such as the one punch law etc. no matter how much the antagonist deserves a clip around the ear, they know the law is on their side.

All the above such as banding together and dropping in on them and taking vids and naming and shaming are all good in theory, but seriously who would really do that? Surfing is an inherently individual and selfish sport and as the me generation ages and creates another generation of entitled drop-in artists, it's only going to get worse.

The only way I see it changing is when a big-name surfer kills somebody (and it will happen one day) .

stunet wrote:

Overcrowding on the Gold Coast? Pros dropping in? The only thing that surprises me is that anyone else is surprised by it.

Extract from Australian Surfing Life, January 1994:

Five years on, surfing at Kirra during the one or two swells that arrive each year, has become, well, painful.

This year 160 pros, enticed by Rabbit's Midas-like touch, flew out for the Billabong Kirra Pro in March. Every morning - Jesus! Before 5:30am even - Kirra's Big Groyne and inside section were hideously packed. Gumbies and the world famous all fighting like pigs at the swill trough for the opportunity to stand inside the Kirra Barrel.

"It was shithouse," grumbled former world champ Barton Lynch. "I had a few good waves but it's dissappointing to surf such good waves with so many people in the water. It's the worst place in the world to surf for crowds. It's worse than Pipeline."

"You have to drop in or you don't surf," said Slater.

Added Rob Bain: "It's probably the most crowded surf I've ever seen. Some of my mates were saying: 'this is the most perfect surf I've been out in but I can't get waves'."

"The bottom line was, you drop in or you don't get a wave," says former Gold Coaster Tony Ray.

"The first few surfs I had I wasn't dropping in and I couldn't get a wave. It was when I started dropping in I had some good surfs. That's pretty sad."

I think the tighter takeoff spot at 94 Kirra is a bit different to having the whole super bank, but I get you.

If everyone on the GC waited their turn, I don't think we'd ever see that stretch produce another world champ.

stunet wrote:

Overcrowding on the Gold Coast? Pros dropping in? The only thing that surprises me is that anyone else is surprised by it.

Extract from Australian Surfing Life, January 1994:

Five years on, surfing at Kirra during the one or two swells that arrive each year, has become, well, painful.

This year 160 pros, enticed by Rabbit's Midas-like touch, flew out for the Billabong Kirra Pro in March. Every morning - Jesus! Before 5:30am even - Kirra's Big Groyne and inside section were hideously packed. Gumbies and the world famous all fighting like pigs at the swill trough for the opportunity to stand inside the Kirra Barrel.

"It was shithouse," grumbled former world champ Barton Lynch. "I had a few good waves but it's dissappointing to surf such good waves with so many people in the water. It's the worst place in the world to surf for crowds. It's worse than Pipeline."

"You have to drop in or you don't surf," said Slater.

Added Rob Bain: "It's probably the most crowded surf I've ever seen. Some of my mates were saying: 'this is the most perfect surf I've been out in but I can't get waves'."

"The bottom line was, you drop in or you don't get a wave," says former Gold Coaster Tony Ray.

"The first few surfs I had I wasn't dropping in and I couldn't get a wave. It was when I started dropping in I had some good surfs. That's pretty sad."

Need the south Aussies to come over and set up an SMP by the sounds of things. 20 years of people bitching and whinging about the lack of etiquette and no ones come up anything resembling a solution other than put up with it or fuck off.

This is just a classic case of too may rats fighting over not enough cheese.

Scientists have studied it for years. The results are always the same: aggression, chaos.

So far, the only solution has been enforcement by violent localism, which paradoxically has the result of producing much more peaceful, orderly lineups.
But who has the stomach for that anymore?
And when the worst perpetrators (of drop-in chaos) are the locals themselves then what hope is there?

The take home message is be very careful about inviting pro surfing into your neighbourhood: the results are always the same.

Twenty two years ago Lostdoggy! In that time the GC population has risen by 66% (ABS stats). Every single GC Tourism campaign has featured surfing in it, the Quik Pro Snapper Rocks has been running for 15 years as a massively popular internationally webcast franchise, the Superbank has been unanimously proclaimed as a wonder of the world, and pro surfing has evolved from the Dream Tour into its post-Dream Tour iteration where every single country with a coastline watches the WSL and the local hotshots from Portugal or Tahiti or Costa Rica aspire to be Mick Fanning...so guess where they head?

Kirra was crowded in 1994, so it's no surprise that all the above factors have combined to exponentially grow the GC crowds and fill the other spots.

All during the Winston swell we ran still shots of the crowd at Snapper on Facebook. The numbers were absurd but those images and bad press didn't do a single thing to keep people away. It really says something about a surfer's inherent optimism that they can paddle out in that throng and think they're in with a chance.

Just like the swell is always about to come up, or the next board will be the magic one, they see the crowd yet think they'll defy the numbers and jag a drainer. It's not for me but there's something kinda cool about that.

Mate it's a hard siren song to resist. When it's in your face day after day you think......surely I could get just one of those endless tuberides.....

I didn't go up, but I know heaps who did. They knew what they were in for.

Totally, Stu.
Time to engineer another bank then ;)
Kingscliff?

Ted Grambeau has a nice shot of the 'Good ol' days' up on insti - 2012.
Still too crowded for me but I could at least fancy my chances of jagging just one drainer that day.

I still remember early 2000s shots of the super bank in it's 'first' prime? Can't remember what site they'd being put up on but it would be good to see side by side comparisons of the crowd. I remember them being absolutely ridiculous at the time.

lostdoggy wrote:

Totally, Stu. Time to engineer another bank then ;) Kingscliff? Ted Grambeau has a nice shot of the 'Good ol' days' up on insti - 2012. Still too crowded for me but I could at least fancy my chances of jagging just one drainer that day.

I've never been a big believer in artificial waves but the argument presented by Dan Ware and the crew behind the Gold Coast Surf Management Plan is worth pursuing. If the tourism bureau keeps promoting surfing, and the GCCC keeps green lighting surf contests, and the state council keeps giving the thumbs up to development for people who want the 'beach lifestyle', then the onus is upon all those agencies to provide amenities for the people they attract to the coast. i.e artifical waves, even in the form of beach controlled bomboras or sand slugs to break up swell lines and disperse the crowds.

The only way anything like that will happen is if surfers band together and take on the might of the fishing and boating communities who always get a large slice of the budget pie.

I dunno, but I reckon there was a little bit more decorum a few years back. There used to at least be some respect given to those already on the wave. The take-off spot was where the hassling occurred, and if you were good enough to be on the inside and make the drop, it was yours. Now it's a free-for-all, all the way down the line.

The length of the superbank definitely has plenty to do with it, where people would think 'you've had long enough, now it's my turn'. Also the fact that the Greenmount stretch was the pick in the last swell. People probably couldn't be stuffed paddling all the way up to Snapper in order to get the spoils of Greeny, when they could just steal it and hop out at Cooly and walk around again.

Either way, the pros are under more scrutiny/ adoration than anyone else in the water, and the actions of the masses would in some way filter down through them. They are in the fortunate position to be gracious, but they do not give a fuck.

"The only way anything like that will happen is if surfers band together and take on the might of the fishing and boating communities who always get a large slice of the budget pie."

I don't there will be any antagonism from those communities, if anything they are natural allies.
The main thing holding the GCCC back from considering artificial reefs is the massive backlash when they last proposed it for Palm Beach. Basically wealthy landowners didn't want their exclusive beachside real estate turning into carparks for surf spots.

Winter? I watch the south swells march by! Urgh

If you look at that "other" site you'll see a webclip of SATURDAY MORNING ON THE GOLD COAST and check out the 0.48sec mark. Check the last set wave and the drop in. Now look at the attitude of the guy who drops in. He turns looks back, surfs a bit more, seemingly exchanges a few unpleasantries and flicks off.

Not really the Oh sorry mate flick, peace out. I'd have been swinging.

That said, in the late 80's I dropped in on a guy at National Park. (yep it does happen) I flicked off as soon as I noted he'd made a seemingly unmakeable section and as I flicked off I felt a sharp pain in my left inner bicep. I'd suddenly realised the guy had purposely speered his board out at me as I was flicking off. I still have the bump in my muscle nearly 30 years later. Coulda gone through my arm or worse my eye.

Re: Mick Fanning.. Be prepared this year for his Thorpe moment. The closet door is opening..........

So what are the rules of surfing ?
There seems to be an illusion here that these unwritten laws of surfing are sacred and must be followed or, we get elitism , and lesser surfers get burnt by better surfers until you finally get to the top , and you rule,or not!
How much taxpayers money goes into creating more surfers through Govt funded surf school systems , $ go to creating more kids to surf and all ages.
Talk of more artificial surf will just create even more surfers,.there has to be a self regulating way of keeping crowds in check , and the natural way is overcrowding and all the issues that have been posted here show that when a place becomes too crowded , the top of the food cahin comes to the surface , just natural human behavior especially when there are NO formal rules!

freeride76 wrote:

"The only way anything like that will happen is if surfers band together and take on the might of the fishing and boating communities who always get a large slice of the budget pie." I don't there will be any antagonism from those communities, if anything they are natural allies.

Don't mean to imply there will be antagonism (though there has been a bit over Currumbin Alley dredging), rather both those communities have well funded bodies that represent them in the political process. They get heard and their requests often get acted upon.

Until surfing has an equal organisation lobbying government then we're too easy to ignore.

And don't expect anything from Surfing Australia. The needs of recreational surfing appears in their charter and they receive govt money to service said recreational surfers ("There are 2.3 million surfers in Australia!") but their focus is entirely on attracting younger surfers and advancing competitive surfing.

I take your point but on the Gold Coast there is a fairly organised surf management body that is well integrated with council .......so there is political representation.

I know for a fact that surfing matters get a hearing at the GCCC...I've sat in on meetings with Neil Lazarow and I know that the GCCC has considered and may consider again artificial reefs.
Hell, the GCCC just spent taxpayers money re-extending the Kirra Groyne based on years of sustained pressure from the surf community.

Surfers have a seat at the table on the Gold Coast it's just that there are inherent obstacles involved in changing the status quo, notably the interests of wealth landowners, some of whom are very highly placed in the surf industry.

Point taken on Surfing Aus.....their game is increasing numbers to hell with the consequences.

I am on the committee of the Gold Coast Surf Council. Whilst I've only a part of it for a short time, my understanding is that it's only been recent developments - the announcement of the Surf Management Plan and the World Surf Reserve - where the Surf Council actually now has proper input into Council decisions.

The text below is taken from the comments section of the press release "Gold Coast creates groundbreaking Surf Management Plan" we published on Feb 9th:

"At the Council meeting two Fridays ago (29th Jan), not only did they approve the SMP (which underpins the World Surf Reserve), but they also appointed a Local Stewardship Committee that will oversee the World Surfing Reserve, moving forward. 

Interestingly, this was recorded in the minutes:

"While the WSR is purely ceremonial and the LSC would have only minor oversight work to undertake, I feel there is an opportunity to create an LSC with the additional status of being an official Advisory Committee of Council so as to provide the city with the benefits of community sourced advice on surf management matters into the future.

I envisage this advisory committee of Council would meet once or twice a year. The Charter of the LSC is to celebrate, promote, support and further the designation of WSR status on the southern Gold Coast beach breaks, while satisfying the annual reporting and oversight requirements of the Save the Waves Coalition peak body."

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/documents/ma/council-20160129-minutes.pdf

So, the LSC will have direct input into Council and can advise on all surfing issues. This is a major step forward."

Point being: we're in the infancy of surfers having direct input into Council. But it's a big advancement.

Well, Ben, going from the discussions here lately and the fact that there is interest from the Council for artificial reefs then its time start building some groins, sand bags whatever. We definitely need more breaks for the southerly winds.

So artificial reefs , bigger car parks to service the reefs , maybe even a surf shop and couple of surf schools , has anyone thought of artificial wave pools ?
At least they recognized the WSR is only ceremonial , and a token advisory committee , to just advise is in place!

tonybarber wrote:

Well, Ben, going from the discussions here lately and the fact that there is interest from the Council for artificial reefs then its time start building some groins, sand bags whatever. We definitely need more breaks for the southerly winds.

You've touched on a good point. Personally, I think the focus on the Gold Coast should be behind creating wind barriers than artificial reefs.

An artificial reef anywhere north of Burleigh will be blown out and unrideable for 70% of the year (most of the summer months, and many afternoons throughout the remainder of the year when the sea breezes kick in).

And an artificial reef anywhere south of Burleigh will suffer from small surf whenever the swell has a degree of south in it. Palm Beach is in the middle (picks up enough south swell to be worthwhile, and its exposure to S thru' SE winds is less than further north) but that's the only spot that warrants the attention for a permanent structure.

Surf isn't the problem away from the southern points - but the wind is.

How do we fix this? Short of ten well positioned groynes from Miami to Main Beach, I'm not entirely sure. But artificial reefs aren't a silver bullet.

Just my 2c anyway.

evosurfer wrote:

Its weird that I went to the Nth Shore in January stay 16days of perfect pumping surf
and never had one dropin or snake. This place is supposed to be the mecca of heavy
locals and bad vibes etc but was the exact opposite full of respect,mellow vibes and so
chilled,didnt want to return home. Sure locals got most of the perfect bombs but not all
and never burnt anybody on one, only cheered you on. Every body got plenty of waves.
PS: Never surfed pipe or backdoor thou.
You go back to Goldy or Bali and its just dropins, snakes and lunacy.

I reckon what you have seen there is that people know, through rumor and reputation and pretty horrible video footage, that if you bring that attitude to Hawaii you will be on the receiving end of a horrible beat down. I know very competent surfers who just plain up won't go to Hawaii for this reason; like the primary school kids who are convinced they will have their head flushed down the dunny in high school. It can be similar in Bali when there is a strong and vocal local crew out. In the line-up it seems as if fear creates respect which encourages a more peaceful, orderly line up.

I'm all for such an atmosphere to take over in Australia. I'll start by smearing fake blood over the showers and tell passers by it's from the last bloke that dropped in. I'll tow a banged up shitheap from the wreckers to the carpark just before a good swell, knock out the windows and set it on fire, and tell everyone it's from a blow-in that kept snaking. I'll get my housemate to paint my face black and blue and I'll the tourists that I was beaten up bailing my board on a busy day. Either that or I'll just revert to spreading shark myths on FB. That ought to sort it out.

MP dropped in at Sunset on Ben Aipa....Ben Aipa punched out MPs glassed in fin on the beach with his left hand ..which hurt ..so he put one on MPs nose with his right .......MP didn't drop in again
Problem solved.

udo wrote:

MP dropped in at Sunset on Ben Aipa....Ben Aipa punched out MPs glassed in fin on the beach with his left hand ..which hurt ..so he put one on MPs nose with his right .......MP didn't drop in again
Problem solved.

Simple but true.

The problem being the old ways of surfing are still with us today, which is all good, but that one part of the puzzle has been dropped out of the box over the years given societies lack of tolerance for such actions these days. Now it's just mayhem in these overcrowded line-ups.

By the way Stu, I don't think anyone is "surprised" by this topic content, I think "had a gutful" is more the tone that I'm gathering.

had a gutful of what , human behavior?

Udo has the right idea , back to violence in the surf , he who fights best gets all the waves , shit is there any difference between the best surfers and the best fighters?

ah the best surfers probably have the best fighters backing them up , and that's what surfing is , anarchy!

Easy enough to go tell Mick Fanning what you think in person....

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/02/27/20/00/mick-fanning-and-joel-...