Social distance

caught live not social distancing on surfcam!!!

Bullshit. If there was proper testing we would all know who was infected. Which may be "me" but may be none of us. Exclusion on the basis of knowledge, not conjecture! Keep paddling!

Should have seen the carpark at surfers point in Margaret River all this week, locals and tourists alike,you couldn,t have got a spot if you wanted one, it looked like new years eve there was so many people ,holidays! (just like Spain 4 weeks ago) everybody off work, kids out of school as their worried parents thought school too dangerous - hypocrites , all together in groups, talking , wingeing about the job that they just lost cause of this hoax "flue" , dumb fuckers in abundance but hey if humans were smarter they wouldnt have been eating fucking bats in the first place would they? (or fucking monkeys hey Balance? ha ha).

I avoid crowds as a rule. I,m still surfing ,, but I have more to fear from ticks and a cranky goanna than seeing someone else on my 'path' to the beach.

It's funny the different groups that think they are the exception to these rules.

I won't be surfing for the next week or two until the number of cases in Tassie give us a clearer picture. I'd hate to be the person that had the virus without knowing, and spread it into the small coastal towns that don't have hospitals. The problem with Tassie is that very few of us live right at the beach, and we converge there and bring all those contacts we've had with us. It's the same reason they've closed national parks here too.

Yep,
It's a nice breezy day here in Hobart.
Our local windsurfing community is using WhatsApp to arrange meeting up at Marion Bay for a sail.

So strange to see no one at any caravan parks , no backpackers obviously loitering. Hardly anyone around. A few cars doing a slow circuit of the beach like it’s an African lion safari....no one is getting out and walking around.

Saw the fella who runs one of the local tackle shops. Looked like he was going to burst into tears at any moment. Then he told me how busy he was last weekend. Sounds like it must’ve been the last hurrah. I didn’t really notice myself as I dont usually go anywhere on weekends anyway.

I hope people are documenting what’s going down. I’ve never seen anything like it in Australia. It’s like Nyepi around here.

Some pretty little peaks around.

Carparks are full here, QLD number plates everywhere.

Border is closed the other way, but QLD can come and go into N/NSW as they please.

This won't end well.

Yeah saw similar phenom here today. I think qlders think that it’s always quieter in NNSW and I guess it can be comparatively. Is that what pushes them down esp. on weekends? ........’palmies packed aaayyyy lets just go down to Spot X’.

But when your government is saying to stay put than it just smacks of self righteousness.

I’d have thought it would be a great time for most to enjoy the family time / or friends you live with. Reflect, take stock. I’m certainly not busting my gut for a wave at the moment.

Thumbs up from this message from our overlords:

UNLESS YOU LIVE AT THE BEACH, PLEASE DON'T TRAVEL TO SURF

COVID-19 is changing the way we think about surfing. Travelling to the surf now means you're putting an unnecessary strain on the resources of small regional communities. So, please stay home. If you live near the beach and want to surf, please maintain a healthy spacing in the lineup, don't hang in the carpark, and keep your surf sessions shorter to allow others the opportunity to get wet. Above all, stay happy, healthy and look out for one another.

Though, paradoxically perhaps?

Looks like plenty of crew have made the trip from Hidelaide to Dribs.

Just did a quick view around the surfcams. Looks like the Goldie is going to be the next hot spot for COVID-19 infections.

Have a look at the maroubra cam... about 100 out. People on top of each other.

Human stupidity knows no bounds.

Not anymore. Beach closed.

Mattlock, looks like nephew out (if he's still on the payroll), brother in. His surf reports back in the day were infamous for their- how shalI I put it - unenthusiasm.

If you really really must go out to the shopping centre for a top up of TP

Hey Chook are you well?

At the Local today about 20-30 Backpacker & Mal Boomer crowd all on one bank
Drive 1 min to next carpark and bank to my self 100m social distancing in place, waves no different. Fucken Sheeple
Scariest thing today was entering the supermarket with the zombie hordes, had to do the nude scrub down with the solvo after that. Should not have to enter for many weeks now milk bread meat seafood veg can be bought at smaller establishments. Beer stockpiled one month ahead. Happy Days
And yes i will continue to surf probably more as now I have to work from home.
Luckily I can social distance, I feel for you guys in cities however you made your life choices based on money or whatever so kindly stay the fuck away.
As someone said somewhere in the forums here the backpackers trying to set up in carparks of coastal areas a problem many communities have experienced in the past, there is talk of zero tolerance and late night visits to encourage people to move along amongst associates up and down the coast.
Lets just lockdown postcodes, and be done with it, Scummo could hire all the people let go recently to man the barricades whats another Billion at least the economy will be ticking along and people that want a go get to have a go in a new career

Hi guys, here’s a thought if you turn off the cameras and the reports people with NFI might not go to the beach....up to you of course.

Aaaaaargh. I'm going bat crazy. Haven't surfed in months.Kids have got cabin fever already. Little bloke just did a "Pete Townsend" with my ukulele. Lucky "I have friend and his name name is alcohol."

Edit. To correct spelling and get the appropriated lyrics right.

Keep your social distance.

"If you can stay home, you must stay home", is the message from government. It makes no difference whether you live at the beach or not. Swellnet, please remove that localism message from the surf report pages as the distance you need to travel from your home is irrelevant. There's already enough misinformation in the media. Be safe :)

AndyM ...Govt's could run that just as it is...

wtmit...so right! There is no locals only Surf exemption as many falsely imply.
Sure there were background murmurs by Premiers but nothing more than that.
True that Essential Prisoners can swim in pools but we can't swim anywhere!

mattlock ... Same here > 9 months no surf for tbb...now my pool is off limits....Argh!

yes! GC cams, also noticed Burleigh & D'bah were pissing in each other's wetties.

BOM tell Qld Govt to reel in Shark Nets as every 2 foot swell approaches
Beach is closed for 4 days prior + 2 days after..10 storms/year (2 month lock-down)
Last 5 years [BEACH CLOSED] is so normal, we're sick of it! So why not now?

Corona Tsunami...approaching ~~/(C`....

Premier: "If we stand to one side & leave the nets out to catch some whales!"
No! No mixed messages there...The Surfies look cool just the way they are!
Now tbb has to apologise on behalf of Qldurrz for this bullshit....We're so sorry Oz!

No-one actually lives at the beach. They live in houses and to get to the beach everyone has to travel. So regardless of whether you've travelled for 500m, 2 km or 50km you've effectively done what our premiers are telling us not to do, which is to not leave our home except for essentials. What this message is effectively saying is, if you're not a local, f&$k off. If you're giving this surf report from a packed carpark like Portsea, aren't you part of the problem?

A lot of people in a major city like Melbourne subscribe to this site. Don't bite the hand that feeds you swellnet.

The distance you travel to beach is not irrelevant.

Take Victoria for example, the virus is known to be in the Melbourne area while most coastal areas it's not yet, so anyone coming from these areas could spread the virus to other areas of the state. (even just getting fuel)

Quite simply if no one from affected areas comes to unaffected areas, unaffected areas will remain virus free.

Our beaches in Bass Coast are closed but our council still says as of yesterday

"People will still be able to access the beaches for a surf, run or walking a dog, however the closure is to minimise the locations being used as a gathering place during the COVID-19 crisis. Swimming is allowed at this stage, as long as social distancing and mass gathering rules are obeyed,”

So personally i will just use common sense, avoid surfing on weekends and just go for a surf alone where no one is out or only a few guys and keep a few metres away from others.

It's really about using common sense, dont travel out of the area you live unless you really need to, and if want to go get some exercise, be it a walk, run, swim, surf do it alone and keep as far away from others as possible.

And just remember swellnet, a lot of Australians have lost their jobs or forced to close their businesses and could be facing financial ruin. Meanwhile swellnet continues to operate and make money providing a service which is indirectly encouraging or at least tempting people to leave their homes and do precisely what our goverments are telling us not to do. So maybe time to remove your bullshit localism messages from your surf reports yeah?

Hey mate, there are a LOT of people contacting us imploring the forecasts and cams to stay for the sake of normalcy and their sanity.

Please try and look beyond your little porthole, there are other factors at play here. Another thing, it wasn't just surfers who hit the coast yesterday, it was everyone, the whole demographic shitshow, a species-wide response to an impending threat. If you think us not showing cams to our tiny audience would've made a lick of difference then we can forget the debate right now.

Clearly you're angry, a lot of people are, but I suggest you channel that elsewhere.

As Scott Morrison explained when he announced stage 2 restrictions: We're allowed to exercise. He encouraged exercise. If it goes to stage 3, that might change, so for now, get out there and do your favourite exercise! Of course, carefully follow physical distancing guidelines (especially you 24-29 year olds who have the highest infection rate) Swellnet, please remove your localist message on the surf report pages. It's not relevant and there's already enough confusion out there.

It's highly relevant for the reasons Indo outlined above.

if you are travelling from an area of higher infection rate (an urban area) to an area of lower infection rate you're increasing the risk and rate of viral spread.

the coastal and regional areas have less ICU beds and ventilators, and more retired old people.

Coast is packed cause a million odd people just lost their jobs .

Pull your head in Joshea. Swellnet aren’t “ tempting “ people to go to the beach with a surf report.

This may sound strange in the modern age but people need to put on their big boy pants and act responsibly off their own bat. Particularly as we enter a time when the focus and effect of authorities is needed elsewhere and we really need commonsense to come to the fore if we are going to pull through this little episode OK.

We all need to take personal responsibility for our actions. Do you blame women wearing a skirt for being raped ? No , of course you don’t . So don’t go shifting blame from the fucktards that are doing the wrong thing and are going to do the wrong thing anyway.....because they’re fucktards.

It’s called having an act. Get one .

In the meantime, I find the Swellnet online community extremely helpful as my physical community gets smaller. This is a good and valuable service when we are locked down and pressure makes things weird. It’s a great line of open communication where we can help each other and keep each other informed of what’s going down.

So rather than going full retard with the burning torches and pitchforks, please consider those of us who appreciate Swellnet retaining a semblance of normalcy and a connection to each other and the passion for surfing that we all share.

Cheers

The virus doesn’t travel, we travel and transport it. Don’t travel, no transport.

Morn pen beaches closed for all activities yet cams show plenty oxygen thieves on front beaches and back beaches.
Put them in the same room and they’d be complaining about they're rights to walk / surf in fresh air.
I stopped going to beach when they closed them.
Portsea car parks packed yesterday.

Oh well bring it on - those who touched a hand rail used a public toilet stood on a look out with So many other retards yesterday and continue to do so today ?

I’ll think of you when I’m paddling out for a quiet one when it’s all over and crowds be reduced because of those same people Making them examples of Darwin’s theory right there baby.

Yep I’m all better and out of hospital. Thanks for asking, Optimist. Hope everyone here and your families are well and stay that way.

swellnet provides frontline #1 surf forecast service sourced by life guards & others.

tbb surfed daily before retiring due to illness.
Like all here, love swellnet & visit daily & have really missed surfing for 9 months.
Yes! Crew have encouraged tbb to surf (Salute!) but not during Corona outbreak.

Ben calls for [Beach Closed] on many days when BOM are asleep.
Stu & crew lead surf safety initiatives more than any...(Possibly Globally)
I respect swellnet's civic mindedness & note respect to coronavirus rules.
re: swellnet pulled out of Lifeline boardswap + Posted COVID-19 charts.
swellnet never started a fight outside a chatroom + No washing got rained on!

If Govts never wanted us to Surf they would reel in the shark nets & save Whales.
Ask! Why have shark nets if we're in lock down...maybe Qld nets slow the virus?

All that time I swim in my pool as only exercise (Too weak to walk or drive)...
PM banned all our pools but allows Prisoners their Essential daily swim routines.
Yes! All are starting to see that prisoners life is better in every way...
They toss Cooked meals & stroll out while we're chained to porridge bowls!

Just pull up Shark nets & put out [beach closed ] Signs (That Simple!)
Reopen our only Corona free zones (Chlorine Pools) for restricted exercise.
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidanc...

PS: tbb swears he's gonna buy 3 weet-bix to win a Big House Pool Party invite.

All south arm (southern tassy)beaches have been closed

Most surfers aspire to social distancing as a rule , the less in the water the better !!! I have lived on the beach , and (as now also) a gypsy surfer , no real home in the ocean , but treat everywhere with respect !
Over crowding is / has become a problem every where.
Sorry if I was there.

I had a bit of a reality check on the weekend sitting quietly out in the surf when it became apparent that the herd of guys paddling out were tourists. Yep fresh out of quarantine. Nice guys who left home before CV-19 was a thing to travel around Oz and then got stuck right in the middle of it. Now their challenge is getting home.

They didn’t pose any real CV-19 risk but all of a sudden going for a surf stopped being a fun thing to do and and more of an avoidable CV-19 exposure situation. Fortunately with the current larger swell social distancing is easy but when it drops back to 2 or 3 feet I can’t help but wonder if surfing will be like enthusiastically jumping into a Petri dish.

Some debate about local rights and keeping non-locals away, however the inconvenient reality is that everyone is a potential threat.