Wave of change key to solving crowd pain
The number of people taking to the water to catch a wave on the Gold Coast is only growing and Surfrider Foundation spokesman Chris Butler says our most precious asset is drowning under its own popularity
Getting a park near the beach is one problem … getting a wave is a total wipeout. Our beaches are officially being flooded by a tsunami of surfers. And for Surfrider Foundation Gold Coast spokesman and Palm Beach local Chris Butler, it’s a crisis that is at breaking point.
According to data from the five-year review of the City of Gold Coast’s surf managem ent plan, his own local beach has been hit by a 150 per cent surge in usage, while it’s doubled further north at Miami, and the Seaway has surged by 75 per cent.
While the report does not detail usage at every beach in the city, the council collects data at all patrolled beaches with lifeguards providing observed estimates of beachgoers as well as other coastal monitoring systems.
Regardless, Chris has seen the evidence with his own eyes. And as the projects co-ordinator for Surfrider, the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our oceans, waves and beaches, he says our crowded coast is creating a climate that demands urgent action.
He says just as our coastal suburbs struggle with unprecedented growth and traffic gridlock, it’s the same situation in the waves … but far more dangerous.
“Our population is set to hit one million by 2041, although many experts believe we’ll reach that even earlier, and you can see the proof in the water,” he says. “We have thousands of new arrivals who want to enjoy our surfing lifestyle, and the old salts like me who won’t stop
Surf rage is one problem, but another is that there are a lot of newbies who don’t understand when they are literally out of their depth
surfing. Plus, in the last 20 years we’ve seen a great increase in the number of women who surf, as well as new sports like paddle boarding and hydro-foiling.
“Everyone wants a wave and we just don’t have enough.
“How do we manage it? That’s the billion-dollar question.
“But if we don’t find an answer, we’re going to be in trouble. Crowding is dangerous, people get hurt.
“Surf rage is one problem, but another is that there are a lot of newbies who don’t understand when they are literally out of their depth.”
It’s a concern addressed by the council in the latest report, which states that responding to the challenges presented by overcrowding, including surf etiquette and safety customs, will be ‘critical’.
Chris says it’s essential to deter locals from adopting the vigilante-style solution of Hawaii’s infamous ‘Black Shorts’ gang.
The group was initially formed in the mid-70s to water patrol surf contests, but the function of the foundation soon became to keep nonnative surfers away from the best waves, with our own Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew allegedly one of the first to suffer at the hands of the infamous surf gang, losing several teeth in the process.
Chris says while the group was effective in ensuring inexperienced surfers were not endangered (by the waves, at least), a manned patrol was not warranted on the Coast.
“Lifeguards here don’t have any control over the surfing community … but they don’t want that either. Their job is tough enough just with the increase in swimmers.
“I don’t think we need a ‘Black Shorts’ group here either, but we do have a problem when the surf is good … our geography means that typically when it’s great on the southern beaches it’s not on the northern end, and that just condenses the crowds all over again.”
Chris says creating more breaks should be a priority for the city, especially given the economic benefits provided by surfing.
A socio-economic study of recreational surfing on the Gold Coast, conducted in 2008 by Griffith University’s Centre for Coastal Management as part of the council’s Shoreline Management Plan, showed that annual expenditure by recreational surfers was worth up to $233 million … and that was 15 years ago.
The report stated that expenditure did not account for the value of surf schools, airline travel to the Gold Coast, accommodation taken up by visitors who surf, or surf industry related values such as rent and the wages of those involved in the surf industry.
The report recommended the city invest in the widespread creation of artificial reefs as well as ensuring surfing elements were incorporated into the design of coastal protection structures.
Chris says that while the council currently spends millions on coastal management, the primary aim has been to prevent damage to
property by combating erosion.
"Numbers are increasing dramatically, but we aren’t creating any more surf breaks," he says.
“The council have attempted to address the issue in part, with the artificial reefs at Narrowneck, and then at Palm Beach in 2019, but they aren’t specifically artificial surfing reefs, they are more designed to address erosion issues.
“Creating new breaks is possible but expensive … and rarely permanent.
“Natural sand movement up the east coast means a lot of what we pump ends up on Fraser (K’gari) Island.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t do it, it just means we have to really examine whether it’s worth it, that’s why I would love to see an update of what surfing is worth to our economy.
“Judging by what was found 15 years ago, it seems it would be money well spent.
“This surf management plan says it focuses on the ‘preservation and enhancement’ of surf amenity.
“We can protect it, that’s one thing, but we also have to enhance it. We have to provide more.”
Chris says the creation of surfing wave pools, such as has been proposed for Parkwood, was a great option, but not necessarily an alternative to real beach breaks.
While he admits there is no easy – or cheap – solution, he says access to ocean amenity should be a right of every resident.
However, he says some effective steps could be made through simple education and awareness campaigns.
The council has already produced a series of cartoons explaining the rules in the water, with signs explaining the “surfers’ code” used at some locations.
“Addressing overcrowding - whether in the suburbs or on the sand – is a huge headache for the council,” he says.
“We don’t want to be Noosa and say people aren’t welcome to come here.
“There is enough room on our beaches, so long as everyone is not aiming for the same beach.
“It would be great if the council could provide some real-time service in terms of each day posting which beaches would be best for beginners, intermediate, pros etc … so that you don’t get everyone heading for the same place. Right now, if you’re a newcomer to the Coast, you’ll Google where the best surf beaches are and it will send you straight to Snapper … which is the last place you should go if you’re brand new.
“We’ve also lost our free surfcams on the Coast.
“The company that used to provide them has now been taken over by another company which charges for that service. It would be great if the council could provide free streaming so that people can see whether it’s worth heading out there or not – that could prevent further crowding.
“It’s a real education process too, helping people understand the risks as well as the etiquette of being out in the waves. We all want to see surfing thrive and the culture grow, but we want it to be a safe space.”