This could happen in OZ. Think about it!

[jaffa1949]

If you are visiting Australia or an overseas expat Please think about this! As it will seriously effect how things go down in surf spots around the world
There is a proposal being aired due to stinking behaviour by SUPs and newly "graduated" surf school students and learning tourists hitting high quality breaks and being basically just shrapnel in the water.

The proposal is to grade all surf spots up in levels to a double black diamond spot ( just like in skiing).
However in the surf, surfers will need to be graded and have to wear a colour patch designating their competence for the break, so too will the purchase of board registration stickers come back, and some locations will be matched to certain surf craft i.e. SUP only spots, mal* spots and mixed and then short board spots and boogie board spots.

It probably will begin at the Super Bank and crowded locations like the Pass at Byron and Lennox Head, Crescent Head will be a Mal* only spot and if successful others will follow.

If it works and councils get enough from the rego fees and fines then it will only be a matter of time before the idea occurs in other surf zones!
Councils have been looking for a long time for a way to control surfers and gain money from them, this is the start of something horrible and the policing of something once beautiful will begin.

There are already occurrences of individuals being legally banned from surfing certain beaches both in Australia and the United States.
Please think about your skills and attitudes in the water, bureaucratic control of surfing would be a nightmare.
* Cultural note here; Aussie speak for longboard is Mal.

[drowningbitbybit]

So we have a hung parliament, Abbott may yet end up in charge, internet filtering still probable... AND NOW THIS!!

Might be time for me to find another new country....

[zangpakto]

No kidding, I have family up there that I visit, and I surf the Kom and Noordhoek/Long Beach... But you tell me I can't then go into DO waves etc because in Australia I'm not graded? That is crazy! I may not be confident to go into barrels in DO at moment but I still can ride them fine.

So what your saying is that I would have to start on a crappy mushy learner beach in order to progress up whilst on HOLIDAY?

Nuh uh, not buying it sorry, I say let those kooks be shrapnel, let us ride over them, it will be character building for them rather! Hell if they are cocky enough to have graduated and go to reef breaks etc, let the reef shred em! Let em find the hard way they can't surf there. I'm sorry but a nice few spots we have to jump fences into navy buildings and run to sea to surf some nice waves. If everything will be graded, then will these spots that are a bit secret become sort after and get crowded next and then close em down for us?

I say we raise a vendetta if this were to happen and show that if they think they can control and grade beaches to people and can only go there at certain "grades" then we ride at those "learner" or "early" or "white" beaches or however they want to be called before we can move up, and just be complete wave hogs, be complete inconsiderate idiots to those people until they understand to leave this sport alone!

There is always uncrowded or barely crowded spots available if people were to search instead of following people blindly. Take Indo for instance! So many go to there and go to the main spots, but the fact is there is sooo many nice spots there that aren't usually on peoples list So what if you have to search for it, you can have the whole day with maybe 1-3 other people out besides you max if you look enough... And they aren't bad waves either!

EDIT: Also, would this be the end of the fact that if I wanted during my trip to relax on a mini mal one day and have fun with my brother who can't surf but can bodyboard I can't? Don't they realize that bodyboarders as annoying they are, they found most of the monster mutant waves we surf today! And then the government want to take what they found and tell them they can't surf there because of a protocol? Stupid governments.... Good for surfers, but bad for sport, they do find more waves than most surfers and this might be the end of them going to do it for us...

[Deepwaterdesigns]

This is getting absolutely ridiculous, they have been talking about doing something similar in england too, they are talking about having you register your board and be insured and held legally responsible if some kook doesnt move out of your way at a break and you hit him, he can then get your insurance details and claim compensation!

what the eff ever happened to being responsible for your own actions? because some idiots go out and attempt breaks way too advanced for them and hurt themselves, we all must pay the price for it?

if im not comfortable at a break or in a certain wave, i dont surf it. A, its not as fun and B, i know i could get seriously hurt. yeah its good to challenge yourself once in a while but you dont paddle out to a barrelling reef break just because youve managed to pop-up on the last 5 waves you rode at your 2-3ft sand bottomed beach break...

it is also up to the instructors teaching to instill the need for experience, propper etiquete and surfing within their abilities to their students.

If councils do decide they want us all to register our boards and get insurance, im packing up my bags and moving somewhere far away with a backwards leadership and easily bribed government officials that wont bother with us surfers.

[naniekso]

it won't happen. $5 bucks

[jaffa1949]

It happened in the 60s in Australia. The breaks were not rated and neither were the surfers but registration stickers were required for all boards or the Surf Clubs or Lifesaver could confiscate your board. Rego cost if I can remember rightly about 10 shillings but don't hold me to that.
The scheme failed, surfers jumped off rocks to get out fights caused the Lifesavers injuries and caused an almost permanent schism between clubbies and surfers.
I KNOW THE GOLD COAST COUNCILS ARE LOOKING AT IT!
There have been some shocking injuries at Byron Bay by flying boards and the councils think that regulation will control the masses.
Unlikely but Councils are looking.
Would Bournemouth Council be liable if some gets injured or drowns at the installed reef? Probably!
FERINSTANCE. An body surfer who had been out at Bondi many times unfortunately dived through a wave and broke his neck on the sandbar he had been wading out on.
He sued for damages as he became a paraplegic as the council had posted no signage warning him of the sand bar. He was successful .
Australia has become a nut case in strange and wonderous litigation where commonsense would have been enough to avoid disaster in the first place.

[Deepwaterdesigns]

Chances are it wont happen, but it is worrying just that they are thinking about it. the entire coastline is WAAAY to big of an area to police but im guessing big tourist spots such as Bondi, Manly and Byron in OZ, or places like Saunton, Newquay and Bournemouth in the UK would be areas that they would consider policing.

these days its sad that common sense has become so uncommon and any moron can sue councils, companies or people for their own stupid behavior just because they werent warned about it, or there wasnt a sign letting them know, and they are ruining things for the rest of us that do have common sense and use our own judgement.

Whats even sadder is that judges and juries will find in favour of the idiots that dont pay attention or think for themselves. society has created a monster and we are the ones who must suffer because of it.

[zangpakto]

I still think it's bad idea, no matter how anyone wants to say otherwise.

Wait... I thought of something... "stinking behavior by SUP" Well there yer problem be, SUP not being SUPper for sharks... they are rude!

They need to get back in water and feed our grey suited friends >:) then, when there aren't any more SUPpers left, we can enjoy peace and order in our lineups ones again