How much y'gonna pay to avoid the rip and the takeoff at Kirra?
Ain’t nothing Australians like more than blowing whistles, riding car horns and, if a uniform is involved, handing out fines.
And therefore, when surfers used jet skis to avoid the rip and the takeoff during Queensland’s recent cyclone swell called Oma, the cops thought Christmas had arrived early, photographing the ID numbers of jet skis and sending fines in the mail.
Other fineable rules include, not having an observer on the back when you tow or whip and if you’re in partially smooth waters, ie Kirra, not carrying drinking water, a map, a compass and a GPS.
Fines range range from $250 to a mandatory court appearance.
Perhaps this event, from last year, prompted the arrival of the police.
Now, some questions.
Do you appreciate it when police officers execute their duties to the letter?
Or does it make your native contempt for authority and for anyone who picks up a badge flourish?
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the only jetski that sucks is the one thats not giving you a free ride
Cali One/Two: Dora/Edwards
There were plenty [I was one of them] guys doing the run around. Sure I was fucked by the end of my surf, but I just jumped on a bigger board to get more waves. The paddle out from CLSC was pretty mellow if you timed it right. I thought the ski’s [for the most part] were out of the way and I personally didn’t have any issues apart from the odd wave wash from their wake, but there were guys out there who weren’t happy with the skis at all.
Respect the law which is there for safety more than anything, or don’t take your ski into the lineup. Take responsibility for your actions and don’t winge about it later when you get a fine.
Hawaii’s most dangerous beach?: Sandy’s, on the eastside of Oahu – a joint crushing handicapper.
I’d be curious to see the stats on serious injury caused by Sandy’s, even at ‘friendly’ sizes.
A few years ago I was at a training and they showed the statistics of injuries at Hawaii’s beaches; they broke it down by spinal cord injuries, drownings and near drownings. I thought Sandy’s was the worst but it appears Mckenna on Maui is the most dangerous overall. Kauai has most drownings. This is an older report but I feel the trends haven’t changed much.
http://health.hawaii.gov/in…
Well, don’t surf 1′ death pit barrels. Jeez.
Derek, can you actually tell the difference between a Maritime Worker and a QLD Police officer? These guys were not Police. They didn’t have the usual equipment like a Police officer.
Micheal Peterson would have paddled out while fucking tripping. Stop acting like a bunch of entitled pros. If you can’t go out and nab a decent one without ski assistance don’t fucking paddle out. If you can but you’ll only get a few waves because of that fucking rip…..welcome to the ocean mate sack the fuck up. I don’t have a problem with a safety ski out the back ready to respond to a emergency but they should respect the lineup and those who are taking a dig.
Guy is terrible at keeping secrets.
It’s funny. Alot of these Aussie pros were targeting statoil/equinor on their instagrams over the oil-spill risks of their planned oil well in SA. ‘How dare you pollute our pristine coastline!’, ‘greedy capitalists!’ Etc Now whattaya know the same cunts are buzzing around Australia’s premium, pristine breaks illegally on jet skis. Obviously not concerned about oil spills anymore.
Funny that innit?
Also towing said skis with over-sized coal-rolling 4x4s.
I had a bit of a chuckle at all these surfers going mental over the proposed drilling, and I was even a bit offended at the harsh name calling towards Norway . . . the insta posts seemed . . . juvenile. Admittedly, i don’t know shit about the risks of drilling off the AU coast and i am definitely a proponent of clean energy . . . still, the irony is inescapable.
I was just irked by the hypocrisy of it all. I’m as oblivious to the dangers of drilling as anybody, but a quick google reveals the SA government has been actively promoting offshore drilling since the 60’s and has resulted in 7 offshore wells, all dry, so yeah.
WHIP ME IN
DHD really ruined it for everyone, That vid never gets old. WTF was he thinking!
Like parking your Bentley in a ACROD (Disbaled) Car bay. Just a pay to use service.
However… there should be subjective application law enforcement in some cases…especially turning a blind eye to drink driving on a new years eve, and Jet Skis tearing around areas where the majority of people are paddling. Really, how bad could it be?
Yeah, a lot (not all) of the Goldie ski mafia brought this shit on themselves. Everyone else in Australia seems to have figured out how to behave with skis and paddlers. It sounds like they’re improving at last, but there wouldn’t have been any fines if they hadn’t been such cunts for the past three years.
There were more than a few at Noosa too. Just dropping off and collecting from the inside. It was solid, but if I can get off the rocks and out the back without having to duckdive once, you don’t need a ski. I typical Noosa fashion, they didn’t give a fuck about driving at angles that pumped their wash through the lineup either.
One of the blokes mentioned something about them not being allowed in National Parks. Does anyone know about that?
Fuck the lot of them.
They’re even occasionally round here on 3 foot slop.
They’re not allowed within 100m of the NP (or something like that). Clubbies were out last week on their skis giving harsh words blah blah
Fuck you Red Bull
Hoping footage of Harry Bryant fading Julian Wilson drops soon. Wasn’t a happy camper I hears …
It’s not just some of the local pwc teams who break the rules.
Cunts come from everywhere to surf the points…..during a previous swell TB was the worst offender.
I appreciate that DH is still getting laughed at for his ski driving even after a year.
Interestingly: when I was a partner in a ski, we deliberately deployed a ‘baby-steps’ common sense approach to learning (piloting the ski / navigating within the surf zone / rescue & recovery /step-off technique / towing et etc …). We’d search for a bank / beach were nobody was – and get into it … observing all the necessary legal requirements to the letter (equipment required et etc …) even calling-in / registering with Marine Rescue prior hitting the ocean.
On one occasion, km’s along a long stretch of beach, Maritime spied us and came in for the shake-down … after a lengthy, polite conversation, we discovered what we already knew – there’s a grey area in the (NSW) legislation, specifically regarding ‘step-offs’… aside from observing safe distances – there is none (!) regarding having an observer on board … the Maritime officer was intent on issuing a fine (for having no observer), but decided to issue a verbal caution.
At another (fickle, epic & unnamed) location; the local crew have adopted a self-policing approach – if nobody is stepping-off / towing – no-one else can! – aside from the odd fckwit – this seems to have tempered things.
It’s a basic issue of respect… for yourself, equipment and others!!!
The Goldie is a cluster-fcked write-off. Crew would simply view any fine as entry fee worth every cent! (and the Pros’ possibly claim it as a tax deduction?)
They’ve relaxed the observer rule specifically for tow surfing purposes. But yeah, the ski turns you into a 550-kilogram Incredible Hulk, if you don’t understand that and fail to act with great caution in the presence of other water users, you’re pretty dumb. And if you deliberately decide to use that Hulk status to bully other surfers, you’re a fuckwit.
…. oh yeah!
As you’re obviously more than aware …
… it’s way too easy to find yourself one moment in a relatively sticky situation that escalates into a potential life-threatening (and costly) FUBAR – in a heat-beat!
We concluded it’s a toxic cocktail of selfishness, ignorance, naivety & bravura – plus, the assumption that it looks easy [and generally it is – ONLY IF!!! you train, prepare and practise, practise, practise] formed from viewing footage of crew at massive / life-threatening locations and employing that reverse psychological/internal dialogue/reassurance mindfck ‘… if they’re doing it in 60 foot surf, how hard can it be when it’s only 10 -12 foot!!!’
I’m more comfortable as Bruce Banner nowadays …
ha ha what do they say, you only want a jetski till you have one.
Anyone noticed the ads flogging Coastalwatch memberships on their surfcams ? At least half a dozen jetskis in amongst the lineup full of paddlers.Seems they have no problem using (illegal) ski action footage for promotion.
… I have. But how sassy does that double-up pipe of Joel’s look? Yew!
sound advice, I wish someone told me that about having a wife.
In more ways than one. I learnt to kite board while overseas, thinking it would add more water time when I got back here. The chaos I saw down the Goldie in particular, but not limited to, scared the shit out of me. To the point where I have been selling the gear off rather than mix it with the cashed up and clueless.
… truly a paradise lost. I’ve endured two tenures on the GC … I too was tempted to learn to kite board, as a means of retaining some semblance of sanity during the relentless late spring / early summer northerlies / wind swell slop and never-ending winter flat-spells… until, I witnessed the madness from Broadbeach to Miami … in and OUT of the water.
What got me more than anything was coming from a country renowned for a lackadaisical approach to safety in many cases, was way more effectively safer than the shitfight with seriously under ability adult learners. We think surf Adult Learners are an issue? Try adding in the power of a 12m kite, some high tensile 30m long garotting ropes and 25kn winds.
Aren’t they all ironmen? The biggest wave I saw was 5ft…..
Da rip
What about the guys that can handle it? It should be their day in the sun.
Yep, but they can so they do.
Id be driving doen the coast anyways, fucken hard work out there for iffy reward.
I won’t shed a tear for the jet skis, they know the fucking rules.
I’ve paddled out to head high huntington, I think I have a shot.
And blunts