Australia's government goes to war against "hipsters!"

Australia’s government took an official position on retro-style surfing yesterday in an important vote won overwhelmingly by progressives.

A motion was introduced by Byron Councillor Cate Coorey for a safety awareness campaign about the problem of “hipsters” surfing leashless in and around the Byron area. And let’t turn to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation without delay. Let’s go straight to Councillor Cate herself.

“It comes from personal experience and many people I know have nearly been mowed down by out-of-control boards,” she said.

“A couple of times I’ve actually grabbed kids to keep them out of the way of the board.

“I just think it’s incredibly irresponsible.”

Cr Cate said the trend appeared to be particularly rife among so-called hipsters trying to emulate a retro style of surfing.

“It’s mostly people riding long boards who seem to be having a love affair with times past, but we also used to drive without seat belts and there were many fatalities,” she said.

“Sometimes there is a good reason for advances in technology.”

The council’s decision to embark on an education campaign and investigate other possible deterrents has been welcomed by the surfing community.

Seven-time world surfing champion Layne Beachley said people riding boards without leg-ropes were a disaster waiting to happen, and it should be mandatory for people to wear leashes at point breaks.

“It’s getting crowded out there and when people lose their boards, especially the long boards, and they just come running through the line-up, it can cause some serious damage to people,” she said.

I usually don’t like top down approaches to social problems nor do I like campaigns for safety awareness but I like the cut of Councillor Cate very much, especially when she talks about hipsters having a love affair with the past.

Imagine, though, if she met the future, in the form of the World Surf League President of Content, Media and Studios Erik Logan galloping across the horizon on a SUP foil.

Would she still think there is a good reason for advances in technology?

Much to consider.

"It was definitely rough out there and a little windy."

This year, our World Surf League based in Santa Monica, California made many major moves with regards to the Big Wave World Tour, most importantly transitioning it the the Pretty Big Wave World Tour with famous San Diego-based tuna company Chicken of the Sea signing on as title sponsor.

Initially, both Jaws and Mavericks did not meet the “almost impressive” criteria needed to run and while Jaws found a later, nearly big day, Mavericks died on the vine, staying too big all year long.

As it enters the offseason, new potential venues might be vetted and I would like to suggest Lake Tahoe, which straddles both California and Nevada and is not far from that scary Mavericks. And let us turn to San Francisco’s SFGate for more. Let’s dig right in.

The surf was up at Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe Tuesday.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Department captured video footage of a surfer hanging ten on the waves just after sunrise (see below). We can only hope he was wearing an extra-thick wetsuit while playing in the 40-degree water.

Whipping winds churned up Lake Tahoe, with three to four-foot waves rolling onto beaches.

“It was definitely rough out there and a little windy,” said Petty Officer Joshua Brown. “It’s nowhere near that today. It’s pretty calm today.”

3 – 4 feet, rough and a little windy one day and pretty calm the next? Plus inland like a Kelly Slater Surf Ranch?

Sounds absolutely ideal and you’re welcome WSL.

"I basically evacuated Mavericks!"

What’s scarier than the cold, mean, rocky, deadly, foggy, big, cold, seaweedy, cold, big waves of northern California’s pride and joy Mavericks? A huge Great White shark swimming in those murky depths, acquiring a taste for delicious bootied feet.

Yikes!

But it’s true. There is a shark there and let’s turn directly to the Bay Area’s ABC affiliate to learn details. Let’s not waste even a moment’s time.

Mavericks surfers got a major dose of adrenaline Sunday, but for once it had nothing to do with surfing huge waves.

Instead it came from a close encounter with a humongous great white shark, estimated to be 18 to 20 feet long, that cruised within inches of one jet ski and forced the evacuation of the entire surf break.

“This was by far the biggest and scariest creature I’ve ever seen in the ocean.”

And Drake Stanley would know.

A big wave surfer and professional surf rescuer, Stanley has been the ocean his entire life, diving and spear-fishing.

It started as just another day out at Mavericks.

Stanley said he had surfed in the morning and was working as a jet ski rescuer for other surfers in the afternoon.

He told ABC7 News that he was sitting on his jet ski with the engine turned off around 1:30PM by and area known as Mushroom Rock when he first saw the huge shark.

“It looked like a whale,” explained Stanley as he watched it rise out of the green depths of the ocean.

Stanley said the shark swam just inches under his jet ski, close enough for him to see the scratch marks on its skin and its dark gray eye.

He estimated the shark to be about 16 to 20 feet long since it was much longer than his jet ski and rescue board.

It was so big, that it didn’t even fit into the frame for the one picture he was able to take of it.

But the frightening encounter got scarier when Stanley said the shark spotted a surfer paddling in from the Mavericks break.

“It saw the surfer and just made a beeline for him… I thought, ‘I’m going to watch a shark attack.'”

Realizing that the surfer had no idea the shark was out there, Stanley turned on his jet ski and revved it loudly several times in an attempt to draw the shark’s attention away.

It worked and Stanley was able to scoop up the surfer on his jet ski but the shark then started heading for the waiting lineup of surfers at Mavericks.

Stanley raced out to those surfers and alerted them about the huge shark, pulling as many as he could onto his rescue board and towing the rest in on their surfboards.

“I had like 8 people in,” recalled Stanley “I basically evacuated Mavericks!”

I’m going to crawl under the covers now and never come out.

So long!