'An ultimate flog move!' Aussies officially sick of selfish beach trend

It's being hailed the most annoying thing you can do at the beach. But, is there a right way to go about it?

3 min read

January 6, 2025 - 11:07AM

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Picture this: you’ve headed down to the beach with your family for a relaxing morning out. The sun is shining, but the ocean breeze means it isn’t too warm. You close your eyes for a moment to soak it all in, but then you hear it - a Kanye West dance remix blaring out of the speakers of the group next to you.

It’s nothing short of a nightmare - but is there any scenario where using a speaker in public is okay?

Aussies are weighing in, and we think we have the answer.

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Image: Supplied.

“An ultimate flog move”

One Melbourne local has taken to Reddit to share a hot take about bringing speakers to the beach.

“PSA: Don't bring a massive hifi sized party speaker to a packed beach,” the post said.

“It's an ultimate flog move, if you're considering bringing it to a packed Melbourne beach consider the following:

“Everyone around you will probably think you have terrible taste in music.

“It's really annoying if people around you just want to relax, read or sleep

“Even the people on jetski's don't like you

“Headphones are cheaper and you can keep your extra special rap or dance mix to yourself.”

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“They should be banned immediately”

Commenters on the post agreed with the poster, comparing playing music out loud at a public beach to playing music on public transport.

“The same flogs that ride the bus with said speaker blaring music all the way to the beach,” one commenter said.

“Begging to be yeeted into the surf,” said another.

“Exactly. When ppl do this I pull out my wonderboom and pop opera on so high. Not my fave genre but hey, I don’t want to listen to your taste either!” a third said.

Some even said there should be repercussions for their actions.

“They should be banned immediately. I don't go to a beach to listen to other humans noises. But to relax and unwind,” said one commenter.

The Kidspot team weighs in

Is it ever okay to play music at the beach?

The Kidspot team have shared their thoughts - and they’re a little more mixed.

Nama agreed with the commenters on Reddit, saying there’s no acceptable time for someone to be playing their music out loud at a public beach.

“Please buy your own private beach if you don't want to behave in a courteous manner in public,” she said.

Liz and Leah’s opinions were a little more nuanced, saying it depends on the type of music and the volume.

“You can enjoy your music, but keep the volume low enough so it doesn’t disturb everyone around you!” said Liz.

“I love peacing out in the outdoors so personally dislike music playing around me if it's offensively loud or has swearing in lyrics - it's a little entitled to assume people around you will enjoy the same music as you,” Leah added.

Lauren, however, said if she likes the music, she might even ask them to turn it up.

“I don't mind if it's not offensive or clashing with someone else's music!” she said.

“If they play Taylor Swift I'd encourage them to turn it up.”

Moral of the story - unless you’re listening to pop hits or Aussie classics, maybe grab your headphones.

More annoying beach habits

The peak of summer means a host of other annoying beach habits have emerged once again.

One of the biggest is the great CoolCabana debate.

Sure, they’re a great way to ensure some shade for you and your loved ones, but there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about using them.

Next time you’re thinking of bringing one to the beach with you, be sure to adhere to a few important yet unspoken rules - don’t hog the shore, try to get a different colour if you can, and be sure to actually use it if you’ve got it!