Can surf comps take over your local beach?

mtw's picture
mtw started the topic in Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 9:09am

Noticed in todays report from Phillip Island that the following reference was made:

"Aussie Titles have taken over Cat Bay, so pickings are slim. "

I might be wrong but I thought they were schedulled for Woolami, but they have obviously moved the location to take advantage of the best swell possible for the comp.

I am not shit stirring and I am not about to paddle out in the middle of a comp to make a point, if you did so you would probably make a few enemies on the beach.

but

What rights do comps have in taking over breaks? and not allowing you to paddle out. I often make the trip down to the island to go for a surf and I would have been spewing if I had made the journey to be told I am not allowed to surf, sounded like today that those breaks were the only option.

I also recently turned up to a spot which is a small reef break, which had been taken over by a local club, tried to pull into the car park to be told in a rude way that the car park and break was closed, due to a comp.

Can they just close a beach, whether it is at a club level or at an ASP world class level,it is a public place?

You never see cops or council rangers around the comps and it is usually just some wanker with a clip board a rude attitude who is telling you that you cant surf at that break, what rights do they have?

seal's picture
seal's picture
seal Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 10:22am

mtw, in cases such as the Aussie titles, they would have gotten approval from the local council to hold the comp at various breaks during a set time. They usually have to pay for permits and such to hold the event which in turn gives them the right of usage of those breaks that come under the council control. You will see that most national parks can't be used in this way except Bells(I'm assuming Bells is in a national park).
Most local boardrider clubs also have to get permission for a certain number of comps per year from their prospective councils to hold them at local breaks.
Now, i've been on both sides of the fence when it comes to comps and I know it does piss you off when you turn up to surf a break and it's a no go cause of a comp but when you've jumped through the hoops for the local council to get priority at a break and you can't keep the punters off it that gives you the shits also.
Basically you can't please everybody but I'm sure that the Aussie titles would have gained approval to hold their event with priority.
Anyhow you wouldn't want to make a cunt of yourself at a national junior event by paddling out in the area, with 100 frothing groms who can probably surf rings round most of us watching would you? Unless you rode a SUP I suppose, in which case it would be par for the course.

redbeard's picture
redbeard's picture
redbeard Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 10:42am

that is a very good question as far as I know they have no "right" to take over a break
i guess it's in the similar vein to what right do you have to claim a wave as your local. But a bit of respect both ways goes a long way in these situations I haven't had it happen in a comp sense but I have experienced rocking up to a fickle but very good local semi secret wave to find a certain large surf company shooting footage for a team video. The guy shooting video tried to suggest in no uncertain terms not to paddle out as they got there first and had "claimed" the break. Now In this case because he was being such a dick I respectfully declined his suggestion by telling him to **** off and paddled out but if you've traveled for a wave and you rock up to find a contest on not much you can do.

vlad's picture
vlad's picture
vlad Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 12:07pm

One that gives me the shits are outrigger canoe clubs - They turn up with 4-bys with trailers that can't fit in regular car parks so have to park sides ways across 4-5 car parks.

benski's picture
benski's picture
benski Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 12:35pm

I think seal makes fair points. Around my area the local boardriders clubs are pretty good. They hold a few comps a year in the area and will set up for one at each of the most consistent waves in the area over the year but only for a day or two at a time. And then only on the weekend. It's not too bad. If they're holding the comp at a beachie, surfing with em between their heats at the next bank is usually good fun cos they're up for a good day and keen to try a few things on waves.

But one thing I've always wondered is that council gives permission and charge fees etc but I don't think local councils have any jurisdiction over the ocean do they? I'm guessing based on another situation. In NSW you can fish off the beach and rocks in the coastal national parks cos the boundary of the park (and therefore the species protection) ends at the high water mark. Course you can't fish in marine parks. But the administrative boundary is the ocean. I would have thought the same thing applies to local councils which would give them no control over the waves. But it really doesn't worry me, I'd rather go surf somewhere else than get in a fight over a wave.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 8:45pm

I don't know if councils have jurisdiction over the ocean or not, but if they don't then their policing of the flags during summer is a big (and successful) charade.

mtw's picture
mtw's picture
mtw Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 8:53pm

By no means am I going to paddle out in the middle of a comp, to try and push the point. It interested me that you can book a beach, then have free reign to use any beach under that councils area. How much do those permits costs, I would imagine that they would be pretty pricey but a local club would not be able to afford much?

Imagine getting a few mates together and booking a break like Snappper for the day, then telling everyone to fuck off, when they try to paddle out. Ofcourse you would have to wear your rashie on the outside :)

Benski, I dont fish so dont use what I say as a defence. But I reckon you would be right in suggesting that the council have no jurisdiction when it come to fish, but the Department of Fisheries do. So iam guessing that a council ranger cannot book you for taking a protected specie of fish but Dept of Fisheries can.

benski's picture
benski's picture
benski Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 11:13pm

Sure that's true mtw, but I don't think the ocean is necessarily protected in national parks. Fish in a green zone of a marine park and you'll be in trouble with Dept of fisheries or whoever, but I'm pretty sure the boundary of the land based nat park (overseen by dept of environment) is the high water mark. If you're in a nat park but the water's not a marine park...fish away.

I should say though, what I do probably shouldn't be called fishing, more correctly it would be called "standing" or perhaps "waiting." I'm pretty ordinary at the actual fish part.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Sunday, 28 Nov 2010 at 11:22pm

NSW maritime is the main enforcing body when it comes to inshore waterways, outside of Marine Parks.

batfink_and_karate's picture
batfink_and_karate's picture
batfink_and_karate Wednesday, 1 Dec 2010 at 2:35am

Do what you like. I'm sure if push came to shove you would find that the local councils have no authority past the high water mark, that the permits they issue do not give any rights to any wave.

And Stu, yes, the surf lifesavers are working on the basis of a hoax. They have no right to tell people where to swim, you are perfectly entitled to tell them to piss orf. They have no legal rights to confiscate your board either.

It's all about good will, and the willing suspension of disbelief.

It's sort of like the financial markets. Everything is predicated on the assumption that a dollar note is worth something, in spite of its intrinsic lack of value.

Test the waters if you're up for a fight, me, I couldn't be bothered any more.

toothless's picture
toothless's picture
toothless Thursday, 2 Dec 2010 at 6:21am

form your own club and off ya go IF the locals let or havnt done it b4 you. stopped asa once,went out in one first comp at another then moved on .no one owns the water or waves.

wellymon's picture
wellymon's picture
wellymon Monday, 13 Apr 2015 at 1:18pm

Have always wondered about this situation as its happened to me twice in the last month or so, with board rider clubs having comps on a certain bank/beach.
Even TOS...? Which kinda was gobsmacked at that one...?
Is there a law of all or is it just etiquette not to surf around them...

davetherave's picture
davetherave's picture
davetherave Monday, 13 Apr 2015 at 2:13pm

they do get permits from local councils but as suggested, past the high water mark. I spoke to JOhn of KIrra Surfriders about this issue and the permit indicates that the waves are included in the permit as the beach is being used mainly for the water-waves. Snapper boardriders will surf snapper, we all know that and good luck trying to get a wave off one of them. I got chipped once by a new snapper member for bodybashing out there while junior contest was on, but Mont soon came across and said it was cool for me to be there cause they love watching me and i give the groms encouragement. AS for u Welllymonster, I'd just go find another place and tear it to pieces as u usually do with power and style with a bit of psychodelico thrown in.

yorkessurfer's picture
yorkessurfer's picture
yorkessurfer Monday, 13 Apr 2015 at 2:36pm

I heard a club competition held at Waitpinga Beach last weekend ended up getting a fine from the National Parks for running the event without permission or a permit.

mothart's picture
mothart's picture
mothart Monday, 13 Apr 2015 at 8:34pm

Really, I thought they ran a pretty tidy show.

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Monday, 13 Apr 2015 at 9:45pm

nsw council permits don't give clubs exclusive rights to waves, they only allow clubs to stage sporting events at the beach.
you have every right to surf that beach as any one else. that being said we probably all are happy to give the boys a go and surf another bank.
BUT often its not that simple.
many times I have been out for the early only to have a bunch of frothing contest heads rock up and try to get me to leave , red flag to bull.
these are often the same wankers that try to paddle up the inside and hassle all week then expect you to give em all the waves on the weekend .
its just greed.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Tuesday, 14 Apr 2015 at 9:30am

Last Aug I took the wife and kids to Arawarra for a surf trip. It's perfect for the wife and kids, nice easy pointbreak with easy paddle-out.
First morning there we were woken by the sound of sirens. Aus Longboard championships had taken up residence.
Strong S winds with SE swell......no-where remotely rideable unless we drove another hundred K's to Scotts Head. They surfed the Point until dark.
Next day, our last day, the same.
So our surf trip featured zero surfing because a bunch of longboarders had claimed the only rideable wave in a hundred k's for the purposes of satisfying someone's ego.
I surfed briefly the second morning, but really, after being shouted at over the loudspeaker, having an argument with one of the competitors in the water and then on the beach with one of the contest directors, who needs the fucking grief when you go away to ride a few waves with the family.

If there was an alternative we would have taken it but these clowns had the joint locked down.

wingnut2443's picture
wingnut2443's picture
wingnut2443 Tuesday, 14 Apr 2015 at 10:00am

Yep, it's fucked ... if everyone could just learn to share and enjoy the waves together. If everyone just took their turn, the lineup would be way more orderly and enjoyable.

"... many times I have been out for the early only to have a bunch of frothing contest heads rock up and try to get me to leave ..." it's the HPC wankers around here that do it, and well, they are really rubbing a lot of the crew the wrong way, almost everyone I speak to are over it ... who the fuck do they think they are? They paddle out, straight to the inside, start hassling and change the vibe in an instant. The only option is to give it back, which brings on agro when they don't get the waves ... I can see some serious stuff going down very soon. There will be blood, and property damage. A lot of people are pissed off.