Jan 10 10 In Byron Bay Today

Hang On To Your Board, In Byron Bay Today. Ok for the few of you who haven’t heard by now. There’s currently an eleven year old boy in Brisbane hospital struggling for life after having fragments of his skull removed from his brain tissue. He was hit by a learner surfer at The Pass. He’s had metal plates inserted into his skull and quite naturally his parents, family and friends are very distraught by this incident. Our hopes and prayers go out to little bloke and his family for a speedy recovery from us here at In Byron Bay Today. You know folks. Last week on top of the above mentioned near tragedy, I was hit in the face by a beginner. Yoko was hit in the arm by a learner on a hire board. A friend of ours son was run over by an inexperienced surfer and bruised. Now that’s only the incidents we know about. Learning to surf is about fun, but being a learner is no excuse for ignoring your responsibility to your fellow surfers. Famous and crowded breaks are no place for the inexperienced, it’s just that simple. Byron Bay is no exception to this rule regardless of what misguided reputation it may have gained as a place for learning to surf.
When you’re learning to surf it’s not the locality that counts, It matters little whether the break is famous or not. What is vitally important is where on your chosen surf break you choose to learn. Let me explain. Traditionally beginners have always learnt to surf on the inside break, first in the white water away from the main break, and away from the crowd. Then they would progress to the smaller breaking waves on the inside over time, still away from the crowd. This is done over a year or two at least and it’s the way it’s been done throughout surfing history. In recent years however surfing’s popularity has exploded and naturally many folks wish to surf the same waves as the experienced surfers. But they want to do it without doing their time in the white water first. But it just doesn’t work. You learn better balance in the white water. You also have room to make mistakes without injuring others; you can take your time and not feel pressured about being in someone’s way or getting run over. But most importantly of all you will develop stronger paddling skills, catch more waves, have more fun and grow as a surfer, faster. The experienced surfers know this they’ve done their years on the inside in the white water. To earn your place in the lineup, you need to do it too. Having a lesson with a surf school may be a lot of fun. But it does not make you an instant surfer or replace your first few years of surfing. No matter what anyone tells you there are no shortcuts.
You must develop mastery of these three basic skills before you move into the main crowd on any break no matter how big or small it may be:

1. You need to be able to turn your board confidently and accurately to avoid hitting another surfer without falling off.
2. You need to be able to paddle out, without ruining another surfer’s wave and avoid a collision by being able to quickly and accurately paddle out of the way of an oncoming surfer.
3. You need to be able to take the hit from the white water without ever relying on your legrope to save you your board. That is, without letting go of your board or panicking and paddling in front of an oncoming surfer.

If you cannot honestly tell yourself that you possess these three simple skills, then you have no business paddling out into crowded surf in the first place. This is not about surfing hierarchy. It is about public safety, In Byron Bay Today.
To all those fabulous folks that chose to pose, thank you, for being here with us In Byron Bay Today.