Surf’s up on Council radar

Waverley Council is aiming to enforce safe surfing through a series of educational brochures and signs at local beaches later this summer.

Billed as the ‘Surfer’s Code of Etiquette’, Council’s initiative will provide a series of guidelines encouraging the responsible conduct of surfers in local government areas (LGA) including Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly.

The guidelines will be set out on a variety of surfboard-shaped placards, outlining the rules concerning acceptable behaviour in the water. A spokesperson for Waverley Council said the aim of the initiative was to foster a culture of respect and responsibility to promote communication between surfers and regulate boarding behaviour.

The spokesperson said: “The idea is to educate beginner surfers, including tourists, and remind experienced surfers about the safest way to surf in the Waverley LGA beaches.”

On May 21, Waverley Council met with representatives from Surfing NSW, Let’s Go Surfing, Bondi Board Riders Club and Council lifeguards to discuss the issue of surfing conduct and the wider implications that it presents for the community.

It culminated with a discussion about the need to facilitate a safer environment for surfers. This could be realised by improving education through community brochures and promoting principles aimed at minimising violent behaviour. Brenda Miley of Let’s Go Surfing said: “The aim is to… develop a holistic approach to safe board riding at Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama Beaches.

“At the meeting with Council [we agreed] to develop a surf education programme at all Waverley beaches that includes safety signage…and distribute brochures to backpackers hostels and hire places.”

The Council’s move is a response to an increasing number of dangerous surfing-related incidents in Waverley Beaches, including a beginner surfer at Bondi sustaining a severe pelvic injury in March this year.

According to the latest report by Surf Life Saving Australia, there were 61 fatalities in 2010-11 associated with coastal drowning and 12,042 rescues conducted by surf lifesavers – an increase of 28 per cent on the previous year.

Ms Miley expressed the need to take appropriate measures to help prevent these incidents from occurring in the future: “Wherever there are surfers and waves, there is always an element of competitiveness which can lead to conflict. It is better to take preventative steps before something serious does happen,” she said.

Neel Shah, a local surfer, believes that the protection of boardriders needs to be addressed through the implementation of warnings and fines, particularly with the growing occurrence of conflict over waves and where to paddle.

“Surf rage is getting bigger and bigger, as tourism gets more and more people on the beach,” he said. “I think it would be effective if people were given strict, cautionary warnings. And for [severe] misconduct, they’d not be allowed to surf anymore. People should be made aware of the consequences.”

Mr Shah said an alternative for Waverley Council could be the use of public announcements to alert others at the beach of potential surfing hazards, but ultimately, raising awareness is crucial. “If there’s not enough coverage of the issue, then the signs won’t be very useful. We’ve got to make sure that the broader community is aware of this, and not just the surfers.”

Waverley Mayor, John Wakefield, said that the Council is in the process of putting together a report that will examine the ways in which the initiative can be implemented later this year. “The Council is talking to all the stakeholders involved…as to how best to proceed with the surf safety messages,” he said. “So everything will be in place [by Summer], hopefully for the first big wave.”