Surfpolitik

"One of the most significant changes in the line up in recent years has been the increasing numbers of young children." Swellnet contributor, blindboy, explores the often-overlooked issues surrounding kids in the surf.

It was inevitable. The Western Australia shark debate has arrived at a point of stasis. The public discussion degraded to the point of protest, each side bunkered in their beliefs with little forward progress being made. 

So where to from here?

On Friday Greg Webber signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build the first of his Webber Wave Pools. The agreement comes two years after Webber's first public proposal. Since then a number of potential developers have been mooted but this is the first time the dotted line has been signed.

Turn your fins into an electromagnetic field. A Western Australian company is currently developing a product that promises to ward off sharks and protect surfers. Will it work? Will surfers buy it?

In big waves the current trend is away from towsurfing and toward catching waves unassisted on ten foot+ boards. The individual challenge of paddle surfing may be greater but collective progress is almost non-existent. In this article, blindboy argues that towsurfing is the only means forward if surfers are to keep pushing the outside of the envelope.