Jetskis....WHY????

drizabone's picture
drizabone started the topic in Tuesday, 26 Oct 2010 at 8:10am

I have been out of the daily surf program for a few years.. Sailing....! I have really been enjoying getting back in the water catching up with my old mates.
Nice to be enjoying the fitness benefits of surfing regularly again too..
QUESTION.
At what point did we allow jet skis to be part of the culture??...????..???????
THIS IS NOT WHAT SURFING IS ABOUT!
Stinking fumes,wash,silly sleds,noise,bad energy,yelling obnoxious crews,obliteration of a cool sport founded on the aloha sprit and a brotherhood. Eliteism,arrogance. Stupid!
WHY?????????
NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Okay for waves like the Hawaiian outer reefs and other waves that CANNOT be paddled.Go for it!!
It is embarrassing to tow what can be paddled...Where is the pride ?The focus on fitness. What are we doing?
Drop offs at Corsair; when others are paddling ...W_R_O_N_G!!!! Unacceptable ! I was looking around at the other guys out there and everyone was just looking away pretending it wasn't happening .. As I told one of the drop off crew " You boys will reap what you sow in years to come.. How would it be with 15 skis out here all doing the same thing...Lots of fun...!?
Reality is, personally I have had so many good waves, great mates , epic sun sets , funny as fuck experiences. and all the wonderful gifts that being born a surfer hands you ...(Luck lucky bastards)And Im cool if this is me.. and no more good waves for me.. Whens enough? ....Alright one more before I go in .. :)
But we need to share the love, keep the good oil flowing.. Sure more crowds=less waves for each of us.Give a wave now and then.. Always a better one behind .. Funny that...
'More' makes the MORON.
One of my old mates "Basil" Hunt was a fisherman and a surfer born in Lorne 1930 He loved the ocean til' the day he died. We often spoke about what was the best part of surfing ?The anticipation of the ride... or the wave itself. The feeling of paddling in the sea and catching a wave was the common answer for us.
Its great to see the airs and spins and great stuff the new age crew are doing.. Thats creative.. I love watching it.
I was disappointed though to see the pros getting shipped out on skis at Bells last year..
Bad message.
Why miss the display of paddle skill??
I often think of Basil looking out his hospital room window at Lorne ...Thinking of his surfing days..Wishing he could paddle out one more time..
I cant seem to imagine him thinking ... Tow me.
Enjoy the power and paddle... its not yours forever..:)

Courtney Dalton

scoopmaster's picture
scoopmaster's picture
scoopmaster Tuesday, 26 Oct 2010 at 7:40pm

i'm with you courtney, given the option i would ban jet skis in nsw. in 15 years of bodyboarding i have seen 2 sessions where waves could genuinely not be paddled into due to extreme size and too much water sucking back off a ledge. large swells are nowhere near common enough in nsw ( and probably QLD too ) to justify the safety risks asssociated with the use of jetskis in crowded lineups. I can see an argument for their limited use in WA, vicco, tas and SA - as these states do receive powerful groundswells on a semi-regular basis.

evo62's picture
evo62's picture
evo62 Wednesday, 27 Oct 2010 at 2:37am

Sure there probably is the 'monkey see, monkey do' thing going on with the pro's. Marketing has most punters brainwashed into thinking whatever the pro's do is cool and that aura of coolness will rub off onto them if they buy the same boardies/mimic them.

I have a jetski and it is great way to get away from the crowded spots. There's no way I could afford a boat big enough to handle the bar or swell when I'm anchored up when the swell is running. And when there is a hell sweep I'd rather power out on the 'ski then spend 15 minutes paddling and duckdiving just to get out the back, getting swept down the beach.

There are new laws in QLD that prohibit tow ins at beaches when there are other water users, and jetski exclusion zones at some spots. Although that hasn't stopped people doing it,hopefully it is enough of a deterrant for the masses. I agree there is nothing worse then some cowboy getting too close to the lineup.

samurai81's picture
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samurai81 Friday, 29 Oct 2010 at 2:35am

Speaking of which i have a killer one for sale if anyone is interested
http://www.boatsales.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?R=9542119

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Friday, 29 Oct 2010 at 4:02am

Yeah I remember in Tracks they use to totally write jet ski's off and now they feature in mag storys even seen adds with em....they have there place but thats in huge waves far from paddle in surfers.

gannet's picture
gannet's picture
gannet Monday, 15 Nov 2010 at 11:47pm

Courtney, good to hear you're back into it.

I tend to agree with you, but I think we're in the minority. Old school. This is the new reality whether we like it or not.

At my local big wave spot skis outnumber paddlers just about all the time. Now that said, most of these guys know what they're doing, whether towing or paddling, and have enough manners (respect?) to give paddlers their due.

Its not for me. Wash, fumes, noise etc. But you've gotta admit that most of these guys have made pretty serious investments in this new (ish) caper. Not just financial, but in terms of aquiring the skills and knowledge required. Its a whole new realm, but friction at the overlap with paddlers is inevitabe unless everyone keeps a cool head.

I reckon this topic deserves more attention than its received to date.

stunet's picture
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stunet Tuesday, 16 Nov 2010 at 12:34am

There's a pretty fundamental flaw in the thinking that 'the guys on skis have earned their stripes therefore can tow.' That being, because they tow any time it's big - even when it's marginal - they severely restrict the next generation from earning their paddling stripes.

I mean, seriously, who sits out there these days, amongst the smell and ski-wake, waiting for the one wave every hour the skis don't catch? It's a case of if you can't beat them, join them and it's limiting the chances of younger crew to get big wave paddling experience.

gannet's picture
gannet's picture
gannet Tuesday, 16 Nov 2010 at 3:44am

Fair point stunet.

Yes, I'm the guy sitting among the smell and ski-wake!

And it does shit me to see these guys towing when its 8-10 ft. However, I realise that by getting the experience on those days, they're able to give it a crack when its big and nasty (days when I'm not paddling)

I dont reckon many groms have the wherewithall to get into the tow racket, which means that they dont have much choice but to do it the old fashioned way. As I said, so long as the towboys don't get greedy, the young blokes still get a chance.

I don't mean to be facile, but if we really want to be traditionalists, lets ditch the legropes too.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Tuesday, 16 Nov 2010 at 9:26pm

Unless your tow surfing slabs that can't be paddled it's already a dying fad.

Paddling is the go at big waves again.

Tow surfers shouldn't be anywhere near guys paddling: at most big wave spots this is the etiquette, at some it is the law.
In NSW skis must remain 60m away from swimmers or surfers paddling.

gannet's picture
gannet's picture
gannet Wednesday, 17 Nov 2010 at 12:44am

"Paddling is the go at big waves again" I really hope you're right freeride

I think Courtney put it best by saying that its embarassing to tow what can be paddled

This is an attitude that surfers need to cultivate.

timberskills's picture
timberskills's picture
timberskills Wednesday, 17 Nov 2010 at 9:15am

I've heard it all before, they have their place alright! but theres nothing like getting the 7'4 double stringer, fixed fin, long drawn out pin tail rhino chaser out..... yeeewww!

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the-spleen_2 Thursday, 18 Nov 2010 at 2:17am

Here Here...