Read Gold Coast Bulletin page 40

Just read it, then discuss.

Common sense to self regulate or be regulated.....

can someone cut and paste? sounds like this could be a 10 pager atleast....

Hope they diidnt take a pic of currumbin today , would have been 50 race sups out . But they werent in the surf zone , just doing in and outs. Just a media beat up , i surf the Alley a fair bit and 99% of sups stay out wide. I really dont see much aggro thier at all , and when I do its beween the prone guys mostly.

papers like this are known for pulling these kind of stunts : "we contacted XX and got no response", "YY was unavailable for comment" , then they write one side only + mostly BS and call it gospel.

they do it to sell papers only, they don't care about what they are doing to local business or local people targeted by their lies.

when contacted for a retraction they say "that writer has been dismissed" or similar BS.

don't even wipe your ass with these kind of papers...

i really don't know what can be done. long time surfers who now sup have the street smarts to stay away from trouble most of the time.

then you have local blokes like teatrea and say husq who didn't surf before supping but have the 'smarts of seasoned surfers,

non surfer background types i suppose are the targets for these beat ups, but again its subjective.

personally, and no offence to the longboard crew, my woes and hits have been from beginner mal surfers.

the alley is rampant with learners, but thats the way it is.

on the training issue at the alley this morning, yes with the two groups. fifty race board was about right. despite starting at 5.30am, there are fair amount of recreational surfers out there

i have got to say if i was recreational surfing this morning i wouldn't have been too impressed.




now on the other hand, i think the two training groups need to address the situation- it's dangerous for us with so many learners out there , they tend to panic and do some stupid things out there

Things are probably coming to the point Australia-wide where retailers of all watercraft (and by that I mean equipment let's say) will have to provide "best practice" advice and/or warnings when they sell their products.
Some already do.
From my point of view when I go out it's about giving respect & the etiquette that we (should) know to other folks - nothing finer than having a stoke shared amongst a crew (and it's even better stoke if I don't know 'em and we're getting a cackle out getting wet).
Given up plenty of good waves to other blokes & gals in bad positions or who've cut in along the line , didn't really care as there's always another wave!!!
I also try not to enter big crowded line-ups , just too hard , too much inevitability -doesn't matter what I've chosen to ride that day on that one either.

As for segregation or bans - geez how hard is that going to be?

For many in the industry, SUP has been and is purely the business of making money with no interest in the sport or experience in the rules and regs we as surfers follow so with new entrants entertaining the idea of being involved especially doing homework by reading forums and mags before having a crack, it's always going to end in tears.

Sups can ride rivers, creeks, oceans and the like, take advantage of that and piss off out of the surf breaks cause you are an absolute pain in the arse entering 'surfboard' line-ups.

Yes, I've ridden sups in the surf and absolutely hated trying to twist and turn a blob of a board around surfers with not a pinch of stoke that you get from a surfboard.

Go downwind, go creek adventuring and ripple riding but stay out of the surf unless your in the 1% who rip it apart and can gain respect quickly or know spots that are not populated or are far away from the known and / or crowded banks.

SUK'n a gold coast point is not using common sense for the majority, it's plain stupid.

(Stand Up Kook)

No need, the 1% stand out from the car park before they even hit the sand, the kooks dribble and drool, fall off, make arses of themselves and do as the kook in the video did.....I'll put you in that category based on the reply.

Surf = Surfing, SUK = paddling. Different breeds. If you want to surf, learn how to surf not pretend to surf with a paddle.

Go paddling or go surfing.....unless your red hot and trained up quietly and away from the crowds.......the 1%ers.

Examples....

Down here, unless your hot, you paddle Willies, Bulli etc and don't tempt Sandon, Sharky's or Headies unless your up to the task, down south, you don't paddle out at say Werri, Flatrock, Green Island or Bendalong unless you've clocked endless hours and are fully competent on the empty beach breaks that a littered on the coast.

Assume on Goldy you'd paddle across the Seaway and go up the beach and out of the way at Sth Straddie before you plagued the southern peaks or attempted the Spit and if you can't get up early and find an empty bank between Southport and Coolangatta to serve your apprenticeship, why would you think you'd have right to paddle out on one of the points ?

It's no different to surfing in the 70's......if you were not up to the task, you didn't paddle out at such spots and if you did, you'd have a fist in your face pretty quick.....I don't condone violence at all but that was the way I grew up and it's no different now, ply your trade out of harms way then have a crack when your buddies tell you that your ready.

ShireSUP has the idea, 12 months in the Bay, now heading to Greenhills and into waves on his own and not tempting fate at The Alley or Point.....using some brains and in time, he'll be competent to have a crack but knowing his limits, abilities and using common sense in the meantime while putting **** loads of hours and energy into getting there...doesn't happen overnight as a SURFER would know.

Dallash, not sure why you are taking it so personally mate but I think you need to take the blinkers off, it's a description of the selfishness of some and you should be able to see that being the man of the world and all, relax a little, it may or may not relate to you and I'm sorry if you threw yourself in the bucket I refer too.

The Goldie will will always be the Goldie.
Nothing much has changed in the last 30+ years except the variety of craft in the water......and perhaps the crowd sizes.
Surfing is no different to much of the rest of society......a lot of people just have no respect for others.

To all people learning to surf any kind of board (shortboard, mal, SUP, whatever)......do the telented surfers (of whatever craft they are riding) a favour and go and learn how to surf and controll whatever it is you are riding away from the crowds.
ITS JUST COMMON SENSE.
The bigger the board, the longer the legrope, the less the experience of the rider, the more dangerous they are in a crowd.

I've surfed shortboards for 30 years (mals & SUPs for a few) and I would be happy to share the lineup with anything (except jet skis, clubbies and goatboats) if they the rider surfed well and was respectful of others around him/her.

Maybe all surf craft sold to newbies should have a boidegradable sticker on 'em, that takes at least a couple of years to disolve, that says 'LOOK OUT, I'M A KOOK'......cause it seems a lot of people don't have much common sense.
That way every time they paddled out they would be reminded of their skill level.
Would also warn others to keep an eye on them.
M'mmmm.......maybe there is a more subtle way of going about it??

gold bully is sh1t,always full off sh1t and with second rate journalists. i would rather poke my eyes out than read the tripe that they come out with. nobody can tell me what to do,i am always polite and if someone wishes to give me crap,well im still pretty handy

Just like Ang and Mac said above it's unlikely that things will change based on this article.

The reality is that it's a very fun thing to do, it's no surprise that people from all walks of life want to get involved. It's great that they are, try it once and people want to do it more, it ain't going anywhere but up that's for sure no matter what part of they get into.

All you can do really is try to be a good ambassador for the sport, the suggestions on how to behave have been regurgitated here many times. Show people yourself that not all SUP riders are ignorant. You could be the reason another person tries it out or changes their opinion 'from they're all Kooks' to 'some of them are Ok'

It's probably not a bad idea to give people you see abusing the priviledge a bit of a gentle reminder that they are acting as such. You can lead a horse to water though...

A health tool lol now thats funny, depends on what side of the tool you are on!!