John John Florence riding a Jon Pyzel-shaped Ghost at Margaret River
John John Florence proving the worth of the Pyzel Ghost at Margaret River. | Photo: WSL

Margaret River Pro “in limbo” after locals demand its axing from world surfing tour

Are you for, against or indifferent to the Margaret River Pro on tour?

That pretty little winery town and Great White hotspot called Margaret River one hundred and seventy two miles south of the Western Australia capital ain’t so little any more. 

It ain’t a surprise.

There’s a million reasons why you’d wanna bivouac to Australia’s south-west corner. Live down there amid the giant Karri and Jarrah trees, on a coastline dressed in white sand beaches and world-class reefs, with a sublime Mediterranean climate and where no natural barriers mean there’s empty land to build on for miles and for a tenth of the price of dirt in Sydney or Byron Bay. 

Each year, the world’s surfers get a little taste of Margaret River when the tour comes to town, the Margaret River Pro where John John Florence proved his Ghost model Pyzel to the world in a fashion similar to Simon Anderson’s thruster domination at Pipe in 1981. 

The event, which has run for thirty years, is in doubt, howevs, after local residents lodged sixty-nine objections to the Shire of Augusta Margaret River rubber-stamping the Margaret Pro for the next five years. 

“While the Margaret River Pro attracts widespread community support each year; submissions received during the consultation process raised several important issues,” a Shire spokesperson said. 

Broadly, the objections raised concerns about the length of the contest, public access to the foreshore and recreational areas, impact from the use of North Point, the use of Surfers Point over Easter and the licensed area.

Even though the Margaret River Pro is funded by the Western Australian government, the WSL still has to get shire approval to access public land and the surrounding infrastructure. 

But while sixty-nine objections ain’t a trifling number, the shire did receive forty-eight supporting the event and twenty-four “indifferent” responses. 

I guess I’d fall into the indifferent response group.

Do I like watching the Margaret River Pro? Yeah, it’s…ok…time zone is more helpful for my viewing needs than Brazil or South Africa but I am oftentimes puzzled watching a collection of the greatest surfers on this earth struggling with a wave that has, roughly, two sections before an awkward closeout on the limestone shelf.

You?

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Clunge
Clunge
2 years ago

Particularly tasty out of a cardboard box

7dollarsurfboard
7dollarsurfboard
2 years ago

Be careful what you wish for. If they scrap the Margs event from the CT it might be relegated to a CS which IMO is way worst. 200 odd frothers and their possie storming around trying to prove themselves.

Panda's sack rash
Panda's sack rash
2 years ago

Exactly, 2 to 300 hassling cunts plus extras

badwaves
badwaves
2 years ago

Not sure why someone from Dunsborough and a bloke from Denmark (town 5 hours away) were chosen for interviews, strange journalism. Margs is a great but no longer a small town, the local groms love the comp and the WSL loves state government money so I doubt it’s going anywhere. It would be nice if they could run it as less of a circus and therefor more mobile but then how would any of us know what brand of soy milk to put in our coffee?

Brutus
Brutus
2 years ago

the local N*****’s ???

Michael Flatlately
Michael Flatlately
2 years ago

All for it with Kieren Perrow of CJ as guest Chief. Book JMD on a whinery tour.

Sean Connery
Sean Connery
2 years ago

Time to reset. Back to you Pottz.

Stick man
Stick man
2 years ago

I cuntcur… ban it!

Barnycle
Barnycle
2 years ago

It’s a strange one. The locals clearly don’t need a contest with all the best pros in the world as they surely have plenty of other high-quality contests throughout the year.

But if it’s a “net gain” for the economy of the area then it’d be in their best interest to keep it going. Having 50-100 salty surfers saying that its not worth it is probably not enough, by themselves, to justify scrapping it. Pretty sure that If I was a local to the area and I’d seen the contest a few times then I’d be over it. At the same time I’d be denying the gremmies the opportunity to see amazing surfing such as what JJ lays down on a regular

PRN
PRN
2 years ago

Tour needs a major change. New owners. Let the surfers have a voice again. Do the QS first part of year and the CT starts later. Get rid of Bells and Margs and Brazil and Wave Pool. No final 5. All you need is Queensland, Fiji, Tahiti, JBay, Trestles, Indonesia boat trip, Europe and finish at Pipe.

NEGATRON
NEGATRON
2 years ago
Reply to  PRN

Yeah we all know this. New Owners part is the hard bit.

Barnycle
Barnycle
2 years ago
Reply to  PRN

I’m always amazed when someone suggests getting rid of Brazil.

Won’t happen. There’s not a more passionate or faster growing surf industry than Brazil. The mediocre-to-good waves justify it for the industry to continue growing and selling more of their shit. France and Brazil should be the two stops on the tour where it doesn’t matter if the waves aren’t perfect because the locals there live and breathe surfing. Snapper, as well.

PRN
PRN
2 years ago
Reply to  Barnycle

Fair enough. Good point. Keep Brazil. Just make sure to include some heavy waves and finish on the beach at Pipe.

tim_nelsen
tim_nelsen
2 years ago
Reply to  PRN

yep. WSL buys a Seabourn Cruise ship! oh, the possibilities…

PRN
PRN
2 years ago
Reply to  tim_nelsen

This is the final solution. Disney buys WSL, cruise ship, surf parks at Disney Worlds, pedos on parade. 🤮

tim_nelsen
tim_nelsen
2 years ago
Reply to  PRN

snow white & the seven dwarf’s and the tea-cup ride and small world after all…REUNION…buy e-tics in advance…

Gil Gunderson
Gil Gunderson
2 years ago

That’s cool, their back up is Ganrloo, which is backed up by Lennox.

snapper
snapper
2 years ago

Locals just jelly they can’t throw down like John.

Beef & Beer
Beef & Beer
2 years ago

The best Margaret River comp ran at Uluwatu…

Stick man
Stick man
2 years ago
Reply to  Beef & Beer

won by a a “surfing Panda!”

Hippy
Hippy
2 years ago

There should be an internal rule, ya don’t have to write it because it’s so obvious.

Don’t host a contest at a wave you wouldn’t travel to.

I know, seems rhetorical but it bears repeating.

Hippy
Hippy
2 years ago

Wonky right off a left point that no one will ride?

Scratch, no one will complain.

Sellme fitzgobbins
Sellme fitzgobbins
2 years ago

WA does not need any more advertising for tourism which was the excuse for state gov and local shire sponsorship of the contest until now ( well since the surf industry died anyhow)
WA and the Margs region is being loved to death ( shat all over ) by tourists and vanpackers to an incredible degree the last few years ,north west the same during the winter . These places are not the empty “wilderness of desert and forrest” that it is being sold as , include the rapidly growing “local” community it is as busy in the surf and in town as anywhere .
Top it off the pros all whine and bitch about Margs as a wave anyhow
Fuck the wsl

Ramathorn
Ramathorn
2 years ago

That you uncle Lenny?? Get back in the fucking booth for us!

Clunge
Clunge
2 years ago

Took my van down to Margs and Albany. Had a lovely time.

Sellme fitzgobbins
Sellme fitzgobbins
2 years ago
Reply to  Clunge

Camping in a beach carpark next to a pile of your own faeces and toilet paper is definitely a popular thing to do #shittyarsevancuntz

Clunge
Clunge
2 years ago

It was nice when I was there. Plenty of empty car parks and empty waves. Just shit in the ocean #fullbodybidet

Panda's sack rash
Panda's sack rash
2 years ago

Gnarabup (near prevelly) was a wilderness before they carved it up 25 odd years ago, now all the cunts that bought land have Save Gnarabup stickers on their ev’s and landcruisers because of a hotel being built near by when it was planned at the same time their blocks were being planned. Same cunts protest about the comp when it was being run well before Gnarabup was thought of.
They’re like cunts that move next to a pub then complain about live music.

Sellme fitzgobbins
Sellme fitzgobbins
2 years ago

Nowhere in the south West or Aus for that matter needs another 5star resort built on the beach

Panda's sack rash
Panda's sack rash
2 years ago

Didn’t need Gnarabup either but once you’ve got your slice it’s pretty easy to say NO MORE, it’s also hypocritical.

V3 Rocket
V3 Rocket
2 years ago

West Oz is a great location for a Woz event, but just not at Margs

JOBBOD
JOBBOD
2 years ago

Main break/Box/North Point >>>> Bells/Winki

Noncompetitor
Noncompetitor
2 years ago

North point and the box should be the main venues and main break the backup. Done

Ramathorn
Ramathorn
2 years ago
Reply to  Noncompetitor

5 month waiting period should see it run and done

Hippy
Hippy
2 years ago
Reply to  Ramathorn

hilarious.

Barrelled
Barrelled
2 years ago

Go back to the Dream Tour idea. Day to day, Margs sucks. Consistently surfable, yes.
Tour will drastically change without going back to Dream Tour idea.

Big Mack
Big Mack
2 years ago
Reply to  Barrelled

not gonna happen, lucky to have anything

Derek Hynd's Missing Fins
Derek Hynd's Missing Fins
2 years ago
Reply to  Barrelled

You from the area? I’ll be down that way later in the month–if you are, suggestions for places to surf?

Barnycle
Barnycle
2 years ago

Lol.

Cheeky.

Derek Hynd's Missing Fins
Derek Hynd's Missing Fins
2 years ago
Reply to  Barnycle

Where’s that located? It get crowded?

Michael Flatlately
Michael Flatlately
2 years ago

Two shallow limestone mounds with a right and a left breaking into a deep trench. Best surfed no wind or light onshore. Typically only surfed as a backup.

Barrelled
Barrelled
2 years ago

Nope and nope

deeks
deeks
2 years ago

Does being utterly embarrassed to be associated with such an organisation count as an objection? If so I’m in.


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