Tropical Cyclone Alfred: Australians put themselves in danger to ‘sightsee’, threats of $16,100 fine

There is a crazy reason Australians are likely putting themselves in danger to “sightsee” as a cyclone approaches, with authorities threatening massive fines.

Videos are emerging across social media of Australians heading to the beach to get a look at the monster waves and storm surge caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, despite authorities pleading with people to stay away from coastal areas.

Videos of people walking and taking pictures near the shore before getting smashed by huge waves have racked up hundreds of thousands of views online.

One group of people got trapped at a look out on Elephant Rock in Currumbin after huge swells took out the road to the mainland. Viewers of the viral video could not believe the people were there in the first place, lashing the group for “sightseeing” during a storm.

A jet skier has even been reported missing on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast Acting Chief Superintendent Peter Miles said there was no place for people being near the beach.

“We all need to be a bit more smart about this and ensure that we don’t have any unneeded rescues or potentially worse where we’re looking at fatalities,” he said.

“This isn’t a sunset where you can take a nice picture. You’re dealing with Mother Nature at her wildest.”

Gold Coast acting mayor Donna Gates had to threaten a $16,100 for “stupid” behaviour on Thursday afternoon.

“For all those people that are going down to the beach and standing on the rock walls or on the sand, please stay away,” Ms Gates pleaded.

“We’ve been in touch with police today. There’s been some really foolish behaviour and it’s so important that people stay away from the beach.

“We have been declared a disaster zone, that enables police to take action and anyone performing a reckless action can actually be fined up to $16,100.”

She said she wanted this message spread widely.

“It’s really in an effort to keep people who are a bit stupid, safe. We need to tell them over and over again, stay out of the water. It’s dangerous,” she said.

People checking out the storm surge on the Gold Coast got a surprise. Pictures: TikTok / @walitmichael

Earlier on Thursday, Lismore mayor Steve Krieg also begged people to heed the warnings.

“Don’t put others in danger because you want to become an environmental tourist or take some of these selfies and put yourself in harm’s way,” he said at a press conference alongside NSW Premier Chris Minns. “Heed the warnings, stay at home and protect your loved ones, and please stay safe.”

So, why are people doing it?

UNSW psychology professor Steven Most told news.com.au there were a number of factors that could drive people to want to get a closer look at the dangerous weather conditions.

This includes different personality traits such as sensation seeking (those who search for thrilling or exciting experiences more than others), psychological reactance (people who may do something because they’ve been told not to do it), and openness to experience (having a curiosity that others might not have).

Social media and how the brain responds to likes or views, specifically among younger people, can also be a motivator.

“Teenagers are very sensitive to social rewards. A study a few years ago using neuroimaging

looked at how the brain responded to likes on social media posts and found there was greater activity in areas [of the brain] that typically respond to rewards like food or money,” Prof Most said.

“I can’t say this for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the rise of Instagram and people posting their exploits in a way almost exacerbated some types of risk seeking behaviour among some people.”

The same factors can be applied to those people who seek out a genre of tourism called “dark tourism” or “thanatourism”.

Dr David Beirman, an expert in tourism risk management, previously told news.com.au there are always tourists that get excited about going to dangerous places or previous sites of conflict.

He worked for the Israel government tourist office for Australia, New Zealand and the South West Pacific between 1994 and 2006, and said the number one question he was asked was, “is it safe?”.

His job heavily involved informing travellers which areas were perfectly OK and which areas they should sensibly avoid. However, there was a minority that seemed to have none of these concerns.

“There was always a tiny group of people who would want to go to the most dangerous place on the border with say Syria or Lebanon or Gaza, who would be somehow excited by that prospect,” he said.

He believed the “do not travel” government travel advisories can sometimes have the opposite effect on people.

“There will always be people who think ‘ah everybody tells me I shouldn’t go there so what the hell, I’m going to go,’” he said, adding that often this type of travel was among rich danger lovers because the financial cost was high.