Can a justified fear of White attack create a circle of love?
I always get a bit sad when I read here, and elsewhere, that the worst thing about surfing is our fellow surfers, how much we hate them: all a pack of c…u….n…ts……or words to that effect.
I have a different view somewhat, I wonder if it’s widespread or just a result of becoming prey in the surf zone and a curious mix of survival and fun.
It was about the most glorious day imaginable when Tadashi Nakahara got taken in Feb 2015. Late summer, warm, crystal-clear water, delightful little baby food peaks being shared by a small crowd.
He disappeared and came up without his legs.
People scattered in shock, one of my friends went back and got him. On the beach they tried to revive him.
Tadashi died in my friends arms. I won’t name him, he suffered terribly from PTSD.
A man got hit at Lennox Point. Horror show, apparently. Huge White came up out of the water as he kicked off a wave and whacked him. Matt Lee, a bodyboarder was mauled, surfing perfect peaks on a bluebird winters day. He was torniqued by pals. Died three times and lives to this day because a rescue chopper, for the first time, was carrying blood supplies with them.
July 19, Mick Fanning had his encounter at J-Bay on live broadcast. Twelve days later, Craig Ison, a fifty-one-year-old former boxer, fought his way clear of the jaws of a White shark and then vowed to quit surfing. The surf was tiny, the sun was shining.
These facts are all well known by now. It made the atmosphere around here febrile and fearful.
A lot of people just stopped surfing altogether. Dawn patrols went unattended.
Ten o’clock in the morning and pointbreak peelers went unsullied by fibreglass and human beings.
In response to being prey local surfers closed ranks. Fires were lit on the points and kept alight all day.
The smell of driftwood burning became a comfort.
Driving around looking for people to go surfing with! Safety in numbers. The guy or gal sitting next to you stopped being an impediment to your wave count and took on a different role. An unspoken question lingered between every surfer in shrunken lineups.
If you were the next one hit would they paddle away or come in and save your life?
Of course you can see how that changes the equation.
How could you hate the gal next to you whose eyes you will be staring into as you mumble through grey lips: “How bad is it, am I gunna make it?”
Low crowds remained the norm in 2016 and 2017. It seems almost unfathomable to be able to go back in time and surf pre-crowded premium pointbreaks on modern equipment, but that is what happened.
When the crowds came back, full force and larger than ever, as if the shark restraint had been a taut bow pulled back further and further and then finally released, it was hard to deal with.
Not just the size but the nature of the crowd changed. Not sure what the deal is in California but in Australia one of the biggest rackets going around is fee paying overseas students. Students pay big money to study bogus courses and get permanent residency visas etc.
If there are 500,000 overseas students in Aus as estimated then 499,000 of them are between Byron Bay and Burleigh Heads. To a man, woman and child they had been deterred from coming here because of the sharks.
In 2018, that prohibition was removed and the resulting invasion was swift and relentless. The modus operandi was simple: safety in numbers. The first car load at the Point Facebook live-streamed it and within the hour multiple van loads were on site.
Brotherhood, communalism by the fire degenerated into bloody tribalism.
None of this will come out in the upcoming court case between Carcass and Jodie Cooper but that is the context.
I’m a low wave-count guy. Normally content to pick the eyeballs out of it. That strategy became untenable sometime last winter.
On a mid-week four-foot day any semblance of order got thrown out the window. I had my little corner bar stool, waiting for a wide wedge. When it came a throng converged. Two people in front of me, trying to paddle in right in front of me. I mean, directly in front. I had to literally elbow my way through and as I got to my feet I could see out of the corner of my eye I had elbowed a gal, Spanish speaker, in the head, to catch a wave at my local break.
Some people might have been happy to laugh it off; I couldn’t find the funny in it.
Fuck it, I hate surfers.
Except a couple of months ago an Asian rock fisherman got swept off at a local Point and a fifteen-year-old kid I surf with dragged him up.
Dead weight, blood-flecked spittle foaming out of his mouth, had to keep diving down and dragging this guy up.
Got him to the rocks.
He died.
I get a little moistened up when I think of it. Fifteen and he put his life on the line dragging some stranger in.
Do I hate, or love?
I don’t know what to think. It could go either way.
We are surly cunts, but we are surely good cunts!
Let’s just say there are 50-100 people surfing your local spot, Longtom, Don’t you sometimes find it weird there are only 50-100? World famous pointbreak, warm water, easy access, airports nearby etc.
Great work LT. Highlights the strange duality well. You’d think the very real chance of being hit and checking out, could in some metaphysical way, check the hordes ego driven wave lust. Points are in my experience, a most frustrating affair when crowded.
At least a beachie in a crowd, us spread apart somewhat, coming and going.. higher chances of picking of a lil something without accidentally elbowing Spanish speaking ladies all up in ya biz.
I also hate surfers that paddle up the inside after just catching one………
Snaked today in much the way you’ve described. A younger me used to fight for a wave, now when that shit happens, I just go in. No point in getting mad. I’ve also “resorted” to surfing solo at beaches literally less than a 10 minute walk from the “city” beach(s). I’m scarred of getting chomped every time but fugg it.
Overseas student numbers at Noosa is at a peak. Van life all over. Flotsam in the lineup. Think we’ve turned some bad corner and ain’t ever turning back
got a friends kid who left ‘Merica to Aussieland. Not sure where he is, but according to his proud pops, he is
working in a coffee shop, making 20$ and hour
living in a hostel for $20 a day
and guess what???
just started surfing…
oh and he loves it and don’t know when he is coming home
your welcome.
Seriously they are not at the peak. Maybe they are more than you have experienced to this point…..but you are in for a rude shock (as you maybe aware)…….they are only going to keep growing….as are the other punters in the line up. What you need to do is rejoice in your previous sessions with less people. The crowds there are going one way, and its not your way, and its foolish to think otherwise. I feel for you. I am sure many others do as well. But despite that there are many who are envious and want to live that dream. Thats whats going to further ruin it for you. Your good times are over. Its nothing personal – its just the harsh face of reality. Your best chance is to leave now and escape to another place that is not yet on the map but still close to essential services and warm, yet maintaining your real estate so you can at least benefit from the increase in crowds.
LT, you know that it’s basically fucked.
Ain’t no going back. The noobs and wannabes have reached critical mass now.
Even here in fucken astrograd there’s pressure – not the numbers that you have, yet. But more and more each year, exponential growth.
Some breaks have been totally overrun with sup/mal. No shortboarder even bothers paddling out into this right point wave I’m thinking of. It’s been totally fucked, which is a shame coz I loved that wave …. shrug.
The words you give are one of the reasons I don’t move back to the homeland. I have found some still good glory holes in the land of Oz. I am not sure how long they will last though. Each year it gets worse and worse. I still want to move back to a place not far south of the rising sun. Fingers crossed it happens before the Vals and van lifers set in.
You’re a gent in the water LT, I don’t know how you do it – throwing the occasional accidental elbow shouldn’t cause you any grief.
It was a glorious morning when Tadashi got taken. Beautiful peaks for only a dozen out there.
Taken only bout 90 minutes before and sent to a few mates to come down for a surf.
Thankfully they didnt.
RIP https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
For me, this is the appeal of the wave pool. No more kooks have taken over line ups where humans become the onshore. Just, I’m next let’s have some fun.
The fifteen year old kid deserves a bravery award and the odd set wave at the point. That is an amazingly selfless act for a teen boy. Also based on my stays in your neck of the woods over the past couple of years it still seems like there are a lot of sharks in the vicinity.
Your best writing in awhile. Real shit.
Nice piece. I feel the same. I hate my fellow surfers with a passion. I don’t even tell my mates where I am surfing as I prefer there to be as few in the water as possible. I frequently lie about where I am going / have been.
I really hate people who turn up to the beach and get their phone out and start telling all their mates that its on and they should get down here. Ahhhhh
Looking forward to your court reporting.
I went one step further, I don’t even associate with any cunts who surf. My non-surfing cunt friends ask me how it was and all they get is “it was ok” then we move on to the next topic. No overly detailed descriptions of bottom turns, crowds, number of waves caught etc. I’d recommend it. Most of my old surfing buddies where kinda whiny bitches.
Nothing is free
Even the free things
Cash is only one form of payment , there are many.
We never had to go to war and watch heads come off then go home and mow the lawn
So pay up snowflakes
That’s a lotta wank, bexy.
Fukall to do with crowds n surfing.
Cheers, mate !
Thats the straight dope
Straight from a dope
Isnt it both love and hate, all together at the same time?
Just run cunts over then buy them a beer later.
See also: life, aquatic poncing.
love the people, hate the archetype?
This is too profound for any witty banter. Great job.
https://m.youtube.com/watch…