04-18-2006, 05:31 AM
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| Jet ski ban anger surfers---(Australia)
Quote:
SURFER Warren Cornish says the big waves are like gold but his chances of catching them are growing thinner.
Mr Cornish and other North Coast surfers are furious that under new laws starting May 1 banning personal watercraft for leisure purposes from the Cape Byron Marine Park, they will no longer be able to use jet skis to tow to the biggest waves.
Tow-in surfers say they shouldn’t be thrown into the same bucket as ‘hoon’ jet skiers. They also say the laws will be ineffective as people will ‘gladly pay fines to get a good wave’.
But Cape Byron Marine Parks Manager Andrew Page said public opinion was behind the move.
He said a lot of people wanted jet skis banned.
And the majority of complaints to the Ballina Maritime Authority are to do with tow-in surfing, according to Peter Miller.
Several complaints a week were made, mostly claiming jet skiers were not keeping a safe distance of 200 metres or more from swimmers and other surfers, he said.
As of May 1, anyone using personal watercraft like jet skis will be required to hold a permit to ride at Cape Byron Marine Park.
Permits are likely to be only given for safety purposes such as for life saving clubs and for training.
Mr Cornish, from the Lennox Head Tow-In Surfing Association, said the regulations were unfair and were poorly thought-out.
"A good wave is worth everything more than any fine," he said.
"You just can’t get the big waves without personal watercrafts; you can’t get out there.
"These big waves which require us to tow-in surf don’t come all that often, but when they do, they’re like gold."
Mr Miller said tow-in surfing had been a major complaint lately.
"Especially in the Lennox Head area," he said.
He said there was a dramatic increase in complaints over the summer when people from Queensland came down to the region with their jet skis.
But Mr Cornish said North Coast people should realise there was a clear distinction between jet skiers and tow-in surfers.
"The whole idea of jet skiing is to ride as hard and as fast as you can they’re ridden by hoons," he said.
"But we use them to ride the big waves that would otherwise go unridden."
Mr Cornish said the surfers who used PWCs for tow-in surfing had been surfing since they were about nine years old and ‘knew what they were doing’.
"It’s come to an issue of public image and they’re throwing us all in the one bucket," he said.
Lennox Head surfer Mick Dahl said it was ridiculous that tow-in surfers were being treated the same as jet-skiers.
"What we do is a sport and it only happens when the swell is big," Mr Dahl said.
"We’re not like the jet skiers who just hoon around any time."
Steve Walshe, also of Lennox Head, said there was also a safety issue at play.
"On big days, like last Monday, it’s safer if we’re out there on our jet skis because if someone gets into trouble, we can get to them quickly and easily," Mr Walshe said.
"It will be just a matter of time before someone gets into trouble at Lennox and they’re looking for a jet ski to help them.
"With the new regulations, we won’t be there."
Mr Cornish estimated there would be no more than 10 personal watercraft being used for tow-in surfing between Yamba and the Queensland border.
And he said about 95 per cent of paddle surfers, who didn’t use personal watercraft to catch waves, supported those who did.
What is the marine park?
THE Cape Byron Marine Park covers an area of around 22,000 hectares, extending from Brunswick Heads in the north to Lennox Head in the south, and from the mean high water mark and upper tidal limits of coastal estuaries, seaward to the three nautical mile limit of NSW waters.
Ups and downs
PHIL ROXBURGH, The Northern Star’s surfing columnist said the ban would mainly have an effect on pro-surfers and up-and-coming prosurfers, as they’re the ones who use personal watercraft for tow-in surfing.
"In the past the use of PWCs have been a bother to some of the paddle surfers who get out in the big waves, because they can get run over by the PWCs," he said.
"However, tow-in surfing should only really be used on waves that are too big to be paddled out on, so theoretically this shouldn’t be a problem."
"The upside of the new regulations is that it’s not safe to mix paddle-surfing with tow-in surfing, so maybe it’s the way to go.
"The downside is that the more rules we’ve got, the less freedom we’ve got."
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