Crowds : Where to from here ?
Is it frivolous to suggest that, with an ageing population, locations like (for example) Currumbin and Noosa will become more crowded, and locations requiring a little more finesse (or fitness!) like Straddie will start to taper off?
People will have to work longer.... No more dole for 6 months..... Have to move after 12 months if no work......
These places will soon be surfed by the elite only.... say goodbye to the working class surfer..... Buy a 4/3, and join us down here...... Cheap houses, no pestilence in the vege patch, good fishing, get to know a farmer for cheap meat, heaps of fire wood..... Can survive on working 30hrs pw.......
Not keen on the tiger snakes though SD. Had a biggun' scare the crap out of me on King Island many years ago, it took up a spot right next to my tent.
But I agree.. it'll be interesting to see how the residential demographic changes along the coastal margin over the next 10-20 years. I'm living in a hyper-version of it on the Northern Beaches (house prices are extraordinary here) but there seems to be no shortage of demand.
Yeah,,,scary snake the old tiger snake.... Been told the venom stays in your system for years.... Dunno if true...... But hey, Tiger, king brown, taipan, death adder...... All nasty...
BTW, had a king brown bail us up in Coromandel valley S.A.... Lucky our dog wasn't nailed..... Psycho snake on a 40' day......
Regarding the changes in housing demographics, I reckon we will see a reversion to the situation of several generations living in the same house.
Grandparents, parents ,kids. Maybe even several families like Indo and Oz of generations past.
With the prolonging of the modern surfers involvement in the sport it will be the whole family filing down to the beach like ants from the one house.
By 2050 Blowin you will probably be 73 maybe 82...? zooming around the waves and dropping in on a chopper remote controlled wheelchair, attached with a 2'4" pension heliwellysurf brd from the government and the latest GoPro called the PenPro, that catches all the scowl faces on the young groms.
At least you and me will get pension bus fares eh.....! and movies :)
Way ahead of you Welly. Already getting a Lazyboy recliner and a Waeco beer fridge fitted to my jet board.
Been in negotiations with Tripper Green Feet to sort me out with remote control technology then steer me around the lineup as I struggle to surf sitting down with a beer in my hand. It's looking real promising.
Welly... "total recall"..... Just "plug in" to an uncrowded 6 to 8 foot left and right peak...... Not one wipe out.... At the end of a surfing day you retire to your 4 lovers, A jet black haired mysterious stunner, a sporty toned blonde, a cute and daring japanese "pop culture girl", and an ebony jamaican beach goddess.....
Only $5000 for a 5 day "experience"....... hehehehe.....
I knew you guys were 2 steps ahead, I was gonna mention TripperGreenFeet but........
Fuck thats why he never answered his phone, he was already in conversation with you boys, damn it...!
Blowin, was snapper your only option? my biggest surfing expense is the fuel taking me to places the crowds are thinnest. Yeah, the waves maybe not so good, even pretty shit, but for me, 10 shitty waves beats 1 good wave considering the agro and waiting that goes with it.
Care should be taken talking about imposing any form of taxes on surfers.. it'll be the local communities that will suffer more than the surfers and as people will go to places that are not policed, taking their revenue with them..
More crowds but far, far kookier. Some locations far more crowded others less so.
Adapt or die.
Artificial reefs are the only solution in urban areas.
Bluem00n, I don't surf near Snapper mate, just saw a photo and accompanying comment on Swellnet yesterday. Seeing if anyone has any ideas for the direction our sport will take in a surfer saturated future.
You would think that communities would not want to lose revenue wouldn't you ? I hope the communal voice is enough to prevent any imposition of taxes.
Ben, I reckon your right about the crowd increases at the mellow locales, I for one have been thinking about my surfing twilight years and have taken steps to ensure the proximity of myself to some decrepit blowin friendly waves for when the time comes.
No probs Blowin.. it's something any surfers going to have to contend with at some point so it's a good talking point.
freeride76 - the challenge of the past weekend around SEQld was the winds were too strong so everyone wanted a piece of the points. I'm completely ignorant about artificial reefs but I'm not sure how they would have worked this past 'typical' weekend given the wind was the major factor..
Another day at Snapper Rocks, another 100 people in the line up.
Australia's population is meant to virtually double by 2050, you would have to therefore assume the number of surfers will also double then. Not including the overall growth in participation that will occur from surfings increased popularity.
Wave pools may save the day or they may prove to be the ideal learning environment for an entirely new demographic of surfers that would not have braved the ocean for the initial stages of the learning experience.
Not to mention the landlocked surfers that would have previously had no access to waves.
So more surfers.... Are we going to look at government intervention to prevent conflict over the limited wave resources as has been slated for the Gold Coast ?
Pay to Play ? A lottery system to gain access like a Christmas Holiday at Rottnest Island ? Maybe a permit system based on historical wave quality at each break - the better the wave quality the more expensive the permit ?
A reversion to a Tamarin Bay style localism where thugs rule the line up ?
Local access permits ?
Turnstiles in the car park ?