“Without jetskis, it’s really just body retrieval..."
And as the top thirty-six men and eighteen women whisk in and out of West Oz for this week’s Margaret River Pro, community tensions boil.
Promises of increased water safety outside of the contest times and zones fell short as Shire of Augusta Margaret River officials continue to frustrate locals. The call for Hawaiian-style life saving systems and resources have gone unanswered.
Seventy-five drownings were reported in AU last year. That number isn’t expected to drop without additional support, some say.
“Without jetskis, it’s really just body retrieval,” water rescue trainer Shanan Worall said.
A host of high-class waves decorate Margaret’s edges: Main break, of course, and the Box to the left; heavy Redgate and Boat Ramps; Yallingup (push a little east wind on it, and it absolutely rolls) alongside plenty of undercard waves.
It was the blackboard of former world number two Taj Burrow and current number five Jack Robinson. Toss in the vineyards and bespoke restaurants against the coastline, it’s an easy draw for tourists to spread their cheddar.
A multiyear marketing plan of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River aims to increase travelers to the region to stimulate regional commerce. After all, flowing cash makes everyone happy, does it not? Who can blame them?
Apparently, locals. The Shire are pimps, they say, but mother nature ain’t no tramp and they want to turn off the red light. Too many bodies in the water, they say. Mix the relentless marketing campaign with the annual WSL broadcast and you’ve got a perfect recipe for breaks crusted in black rubber.
Unsafe.
There’s not much to do about it, either. While groups such as the Margaret River Recreational Surfers maintain pressure on the authorities to scratch the permits for the contest, a change is unlikely as the WSL inked a deal securing the spot for another four years.
But, hey, we all know the feeling of packing too much foam into a break on any given three-foot swell. Whaddya gonna do?
The more immediate issue is the lack of promised support for water safety. While the group Surf Life Saving WA is contracted to patrol Rivermouth and a few other hotspots, they still lack the resources for quick water rescues. With so many bodies bobbing around in serious waves drownings should be expected.
Bec Sheedy-Ryan, a de-facto spokesperson for area surfers, says the Shire can’t have it both ways. You can’t promote tourism but fail to adequately protect the tourists.
“Nothing’s changed in terms of safety for the past 20 years.” But “Come to our beautiful place—it’s notorious!”
Sheedy-Ryan concedes that the Shire allocated a little funding over the past two years for rescue training and the installation of a defibrillator at Mainbreak. (Da Fin Australia also threw in some flippers for the cause.)
Still, she feels the government needs to bear more responsibility for protecting the influx of surfers drawn to the area.
“Look at the safety set up of the [WSL] contest. Alone, it should be a guideline as to what is required from a duty of care aspect for a notorious section of coastline that is heavily promoted by the surfing world and the Department of Tourism WA,” Sheedy-Ryan said.
It’s a fair question. Why are safety protocols, drones, rescuers, and skis put into the lineup for WSL surfers but are withdrawn after the final horn? After all, the WA government funds the contest.
In defense, a state spokesman suggested that “beachgoers can find a patrolled beach by visiting Surf Like Saving Australia’s Beachsafe website.”
To me, that website will do as much good in preventing the masses from entering the water as keeping a dog away from a tossed frisbee.
It’s all economics, of course. Sure, Augusta-Margaret River officials want to see everyone who paddles out paddles in, but securing perpetual funds to do this is tough. The Marg’s coast is long and the cost for professional rescuers and their trimmings is hefty.
Maybe the Portuguese have an answer. The Association of Surf Schools of Portugal recently banded together to provide training to local surfers in a handful of municipalities. They’ve trained over 350 volunteers so far, right on the beach.
Participants learn rescue techniques with and without boards and life support steps. AESP director Afonso Teixeira said, the trainings “not only teach how to help drowning victims but how to act in situations in which they may be in danger.”
It’s a good start.
Still, without skis, there’s only so much savin’ to be done in Algarve or Margaret River or anywhere else.
But what say you? Should the Shire swing their advertising bucks toward safety? How much responsibility should local governments shoulder for keeping surfers afloat?
