Bulletin’s weekly Surf Scene column with Andrew McKinnon
It was inevitable that World Surf league would pull the pin on the Corona Pro at Snapper Rocks for the world tour opener scheduled for March 26-April 5, as Andrew McKinnon writes in this week’s Surf Scene column.
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IT was inevitable that World Surf league would pull the pin on the Corona Pro at Snapper Rocks for the world tour opener scheduled for March 26-April 5.
And that the Kirra Surfriders annual teams’ event, the world’s biggest boardriding club’s competition, would follow suit for this weekend.
It is such a shame as these events bring excitement and stoke the local economy.
This is unprecedented in the history of surfing events that is apart from when 9/11 cancelled out the remainder of the World Tour in 2001.
As the whole world goes into pandemic lock down one can only speculate that the next major cancellation will be the Olympics in July.
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Or that Japan may holdoff until October which would promise better surf with the seasonal typhoons swells that’s if COVID-19 is contained by then.
Perhaps the internet and live coverage without crowds can save the sporting world such as the soccer example.
In terms of surfing, wave pools televised events without crowds is an alternative.
Ironically surfing is not confined to competition activity which only represents 10% of surf population.
Surf travelling will be impacted heavily with surfers having to withdraw from planned surfing trips which will have a ripple affect for the surf boat tours in Indonesia and other International surfing locations where travelling has become impossible.
Former Coolangatta Kid and our first World Professional champion Peter Townend who makes the GC pilgrimage at this time every year was forced to unload his bags at LA International airport on Sunday.
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However, on the local front the recreational side of surfing will continue on and grow especially as we have seen with this week’s surfers taking advantage of TC Gretel swell.
Although one wonders whether if there are more than 500 free surfers at the Superbank will the Federal Government ban overcrowding in the surf? Obviously, this would be an absurdity but who knows as the great sporting writer of gonzo journalism Hunter S Thompson once wrote, ‘these are strange times, we live in!’
While the Wayne Rabbit Bartholomew National Never Surrender Tour has been put on hold until further notice, I am happy to convey that the Cooly Surf Collective Exhibition will continue at the Strand Shopping Centre Coolangatta 7 days a week from 10am – 2pm.
Maybe the cure to the coronavirus is to simply go surfing!
They say that gargling saltwater can help and sharing some waves with your mates without the fear of catching germs or wearing a mask in the line-up could be the answer to this virus.
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By the way I have received word from the Rainbow Bay based Surfers Table of Knowledge newsletter which incidentally is virus-free, that their next barbie will be tomorrow Thursday, March 19.
The TOK are not expecting more than 500 guests and are calling it the Corona free barby but have stressed BYO toilet paper and welcome donations for raffles and their charity fundraising causes.
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