Turning off the South Coast road, you get your first taste of Kangaroo Island’s unsealed roads  as you veer toward the coast. The road is reminiscent of many on the SW tip of Yorke Peninsula – shiny white, and actually quite smooth given the amount of traffic it gets at peak times.  The road meanders through scrub and past the tiny township of Vivonne Bay,  concluding in a small, sandy carpark that looks out over the turquoise water. Walking through the clearing and looking west, a pristine half-moon shaped bay sweeps around, abruptly ending at a long rocky point that usually shelters a small flotilla of boats moored in its lee. To the east a stretch of OMO white sand runs for 3km, broken up by the occasional small rocky outcrop, beckoning for  you to  hike up the beach to see what lies beyond. Sometimes you might spot one or two heads out in the water down that way, and chances are, it means waves at one of the little gaps between two reefs. If you pick up your boards and gear and walk a bit, in a fairly short space of time you’ll arrive at a fun looking little left hander, know as Spot X.

When I first heard news that a six star ASP event was planned at Spot X, my initial reaction was utter disbelief. If you’ve been there, and sat in that clear, cool water alone, gazing back at the small cliff and expanse of dunes receding back from the narrow beach, it’s near impossible to reconcile that tranquility and solitude with a 10 day surf / music festival with 5000  odd people.  I’ve surfed Spot X alone on two occasions, back in December 1998 - once at around 3 – 4′ and another day at around 2′. Both times the beach was deserted, and both times I got spooked after about an hour out there. In spite of that, the beauty and peacefulness of the place, and the trippy, cheesy “oneness” I felt bobbing around alone with unseen marine predators, stuck with me. The wave itself was less than special – bowly and good for some little snaps off the lip, ending too soon and petering out in the narrow channel. “World class” was certainly not an adjective that sprang to mind at the time, nor has it ever since.

wait… that’s the wave? you bet…

News of the Kangaroo Island pro came as a complete surprise to KI locals, least of all its surfers including the Island’s pro-in-residence, Teale Vanner.  Like many more remote locations in this state, the young guys get out and head for the big smoke at the first opportunity – leaving behind a firmly entrenched old guard. Typically the reaction from the younger crew has been excitement at the thought of anything remotely thrilling happening on the island, and even some older crew expressed delight at the prospect of watching some of the world’s best surfers shredding in their very own front yard. Local businesses also were upbeat at the massive windfall attending to the needs of such an event stood to deliver. But amidst all this optimism, a small group of locals began voicing opposition. Around the same time, a rather hastily arranged “meet and greet” barbecue put on by Surfing SA, who have a   considerable stake in the event, was called off.

What ensued was an exchange between Surfing SA officials Steve Reddy and Tim Doman, and the local dissenters, mostly via email. This volley ended with assault charges being laid against a key figure in  the KI Pro’s rebel alliance, Zephatali Walsh – but not before Radio JJJ’s Hack current affairs program picked up the story. Meanwhile, Surfing SA continued to issue small snippets about the event via its Facebook group, dropping names like “Occy”, and unveiling the music lineup. Steve Reddy commented on Hack that “events like this typically polarise people”, no doubt alluding to one of the recent scraps. Zephatali was briefly gagged with charges pending, but once clear resumed his campaign via his  un-apologetically biased  website, kangarooislandprosurf.com.  On it he accuses Surfing SA of a “green wash”, Events SA of unspecified skullduggery, and Sealink of a monopolistic cash-grab.  Over the last few weeks, Zephatali has compiled and released some documents and other information that  while designed to cast the KI Pro organisers in a very poor light, demand further examination.

A key claim is disruption to local flora and fauna at the hands of the surging crowd. The Hooded Plover nests in the areas surrounding Spot X and Vivonne Bay, and is on the critically endangered species lists - and the event coincides with the birds’ breeding season. Surfing SA counter this citing extensive consultation with species experts, including training in management. Then there’s claims of heritage listing withdrawals for the area, lack of public consultation, and no publication of event emergency and environmental plans. It appears the last two have also not gone unnoticed by the KI Council and SA Greens representative, Mark Parnell. In response to some of these concerns, Surfing SA posted a somewhat hastily cobbled together “FAQ” regarding the event – but it’s often lightweight and repetitive style does little to convey either transparency or accountability. Perhaps understandable given the number of moving parts and tight schedule, but it will only draw negative publicity if no follow up occurs. The “P” part of PR seems in short supply.

For me though, there are two elephants in the lounge room.

First and foremost, and a question I have yet to see answered, is where exactly will you fit 3 – 5000 people on that beach?  The area immediately in front of Spot X is fairly narrow and visibility is blocked by the short cliff on the western side, but more importantly, there is practically no beach at high tide. Surely this means spectators will have to retreat to the dunes to see anything…  and given that Birds Australia have strongly recommended this area is off limits… you have to ask if perhaps everyone needs to bring their own flotation device.

Secondly, there’s the choice of location over potentially far superior, if not quite world class surf breaks not that far away on the island. Again, Surfing SA have pointed out quite rightly that any location on KI will share several of the issues an event at Vivonne Bay does – but given that’s the case, why not work as hard on a location with far more contestable waves? In fact, why not work less hard on a nearby location with better waves and less potential for eco- destruction? D’estree’s bay anyone? Hanson bay anyone?

30 minutes drive away from Spot X

Now we’ve shot the elephants though, there are still things that don’t quite add up for me. Whilst all of them may be proven over time to be nothing more than products of the mind of a professional cynic who’s heart’s not in it, they remain unanswered.

Concerns have also been raised over the local airstrip’s capacity to cope with the influx of vistors prior to the event, but  what about the ferry? By my reckoning, at the maximum 12 trips per day with both operating ( that means no breakdowns or rough weather ), best case is around 500 non-local cars a day. Won’t it take at least a week to get everyone in… support, supplies, and finally, spectators? Perhaps local traffic will have to be be barred for the week leading up to and following the event…

I also wonder about ongoing access to Spot X, after the event. Given the road that they’re building is through private land owned by Sealink, will visitors after the event (enticed by publicity, and possibly having traveled hundreds or thousands of miles ) arrive to find a padlocked gate? Let’s assume that’s not the case… next question is,  having generated a dramatic influx of visitors to a very environmentally fragile area, who ends up defending it after the circus has packed up and left? Do organisers bare any of this responsibility… or do they just move their band on down the road to the next sold out show?

In Surfing SA’s FAQ they say they are consulting with “experts in security for outdoor events”, SAPOL, and local council with regard to crowd control. The focus seems to be on reigning in any potentially unruly behavior – fights and such - but what about environmental damage? As surfers I think  most of us have carried out caveman- ( and cavewoman-) style ablutions camped at some far flung remote beach,  but made some effort to “do the right thing”. How, exactly you persuade potentially 5000 people ( if you saw what happened at Daly Heads before they closed it to camping you’d have some idea ) to do that defeats my limited mental faculties. How much urine, fecal matter, vomit (and worse ) will be deposited into nearby fragile vegetation in the dead of night around  day 5 when the portaloos are too rank or too overflowing to contemplate… especially when you’ve got a skinful and that bush is oh-so-handy?  Will there be “poo police”? How many Hooded Plover nests could be accidentally crushed in one single, premix and doob fueled night?

Surfing SA are quick to pull out their “spotless” eco record, and it’s certainly hard to argue otherwise.  They cite their work inside Newland Head conservation Park as a shining  example, and  I challenge anyone to find a stray Fantastic Noodles cup at Waitpinga Beach the day after a contest. But these events are nowhere near the scale of the KI Pro, a twentieth at best – and they are held on totally familiar soil. Given the potential downside, crowing about carbon neutrality, the eco equivalent of a dozen Hail Marys, doesn’t count for much in my humble opinion. How much event infrastructure will be solar powered? Will the gensets run on bio-diesel? Will recycled paper be used for scoring sheets and in the portaloos? Even ignoring those, answers to basic questions such as cost, package deal details, catering facilities, hygiene facilities and waste management are very fuzzy with the event just 9 weeks away.  Then I look at things like the Flowrider that Surfing SA announced with so much fanfare earlier in the year, only to find months later there’s no follow up… almost like it all just  never happened.

You probably thinking by now I come down squarely on the anti-progress, anti-event side of all things KI Pro related – but you’d be wrong.

The prospect of a 6 star ASP event in SA… anywhere in SA.. excites me, and I consider it quite a coup if it can be pulled off successfully.  An event such as the KI pro has the potential to go from strength to strength over time, boosting struggling local business, and etching  Kangaroo Island as a destination into the minds of domestic and international traveling surfers.  Personally… I’d love to see the best surfers in the world can do in waves I know. I’d love to hear them say what they loved about the place and revel in great conditions and quality waves.

But somehow, I can’t see that happening with Spot X. Instead, I see the potential for it to become one of those  slightly cringeworthy stops on the World tour, where a whole load of  sponsorship factors have lead to an “also ran” venue hosting the event. Pro surfers may well end up looking at it with a sense of drudgery, bemusement and cynicism because the best case scenario for it in November is a fairly short, very average, possibly cross-shore, four foot  wave. Knowing far better empty or near-empty waves are reeling off half an hour away plays on the mind of any surfer  faced with enforced  mediocrity.  When you throw in the potential ecological impacts, it’s really hard to find a good reason to hold the event at Spot X beyond the main Sponsor’s ownership of adjacent land. It all seems perhaps just a bit too convenient to me.

If Events SA and Surfing SA are serious about using a surf competition as a vehicle for promoting this state as a surfing destination to the world, then put the contestants out in the best waves, in the best conditions, in the best setting possible. Anything less just sells us short, and the stakes are too high at Vivonne Bay.

After days of SE winds the south Coast finally came up trumps this weekend with offshore Nor-easters and the coveted arvo glass-off. While the wind had left a few lumps in the swell, direction was almost perfect with not much variance in size from Goolwa to Parson’s. The swell had been a good size late last week and definitely faded during the day, but with sunny skies and summer-like weather no-one was about to complain.

Waves around the Middleton side were a bit patchy ( and brown ) but there was the odd fun section to be found. Waits and Parson’s looked far more appealing, and with a few bank options at both beaches there were plenty of waves to go round. Today’s pics were taken after lunch once the crowd had thinned a bit. Hardly crowded for a sunny sunday, in fact I’d say by Sydney standards this is practically empty.

Not so hot-off-the-press news this week reveals yet another plan to get a Flowrider up and running in South Australia, following on from a series of false starts dating back to mid 2007. The article appeared in yesterday’s messenger and was posted on the website, but something worth noting is the first mention of a proposed venue. The other thing worth noting is the sudden appearance of Surfing SA as the bidder – a departure from the private consortia floating the idea over the last couple of years. This raises a shipload of questions for me… but I’ll come to that later.

The proposed venue is the vacant Scampi’s Restaurant site on the Glenelg foreshore – a prime piece of real estate in an already well established tourist precinct. With The Beachhouse amusement center next door it would seem a good fit, as well as numerous shops and eateries within splashing distance. The Southoz Flowrider, or the “whoever scores naming rights to it” Flowrider, would bring the total number in this country to four - after the two on the Gold Coast and one in Kalgoorlie. The Gold Coast installations are owned by Dreamworld, whereas the Kalgoorlie Boulder council coughed up the cash for theirs in 2008.

With the exception of a handful owned by city councils, and one privately owned, all 57 Flowriders in the United States are owned by Resorts or theme parks. In every case where a council has bought one ratepayers have been divided on the 2 – 5 million dollar price tag. Which brings me to the surprising and unusual interest Surfing SA have in such a project of late. I may be very much mistaken… but I would not have thought one of the smallest state chapters of Surfing Australia would have that sort of dosh hanging out of its back pocket. Don’t forget… that amount of money will only get it built. The Kalgloorlie-Boulder council have been at pains to defend the estimated $92,000 annual loss their own Flowrider incurs, suggesting that the influx of tourists to the remote gold mining town will be of huge benefit to local business. But in our case you’d have to ask… where’s the money coming from, who’s backing it, and who will foot the ongoing costs?

If I take off my foil lined hat and cynical expression for a moment, I’ll admit…. a Flowrider in SA would be awesome… and I’d love to ride it. Given the run of extraordinarily shite waves we’ve had on the Fleurieu this summer, I have no doubt the Glenelg Flowrider queue would stretch around the block. Maybe twice. The big question for me is, under Surfing SA ownership, will I… or you… the average recreational surfer, ever get a look in?

Quoting from the Messenger article,
“He said it would attract school groups, boost tourism and introduce juniors to the sport and help develop their surfing.

“It would provide an entry-level pathway for surfing by introducing more children to the sport,’’ he said.

“We do junior lessons on the beach at Glenelg, but we just don’t have waves here.’

Mr Redding said the attraction would be all-weather, with wind-protective sides and a removable cover in winter, and could cater for single or double riders.”

Now I may be jumping to conclusions here, but think about it. A Surfing SA surf school at Glenelg can either try and teach kids the fundamentals over a school term on a rare 5 inch ankle snapper, or on a perfect, predictable, weather impartial wave. If you look at (School) surf schools on the Mid Coast, where a group numbering between 6 and 12 typically occupies one break, a quick back-of-an-envelope calculation is in order. Let’s say 2 school surfers are on the Flowrider, 5 minutes each time with a minute changeover ( for ease of calculation ) = throughput of 12 an hour, or looking at it another way, 6 school groups between weekday hours of 9 to 3pm. That covers the entry level, but you also now have to cater for the needs of elite surfers in Surfing SA ranks. These guys will want longer sessions ( to work on contest moves like airs etc. ) so throughput will be a lot lower. Let’s say for argument sake you let 6 guys at it every weekday from 3 – 6pm, and that time slot is booked ahead. Finally, you also have events - because now you can charge admission for spectators, maybe even sell some advertising or naming rights. These could easily block out one weekend a month – but I’m sure if it turned a few bucks that number would increase. Is it only me that wonders if Joe Average’s access to the awesomeee wet-ness and fun-ness of SA’s one and only Flowrider will be rather limited?

Right about now I can see a few of you frowning or possibly getting all fidgety, all ready to tar me with the “anti-progess, anti-competetive” brush- but it isn’t so. I came up through the ranks of BMX and Junior Moto-x, competing at club, state and national level. I understood the need to nurture and coach anyone who showed ability in those arenas, just as I do in surfing. We need to offer a kids a development pathway, and we need to encourage and foster talent. We need help the elite have a crack at making it on the pro circuit, and breed more guys like Dion Atkinson, Jarrad Howse and SA pro trailblazer Josh Lock.

At the same time though, I carry a degree of skepticism about how this latest bid has been sold, carried along and aided greatly by the enthusiasm of the surfing public at large. You’d have to feel pretty duped if, for example, you’d signed a petition to get a Flowrider that you were rarely allowed access to. Perhaps if I could look out at a publicly owned asset like South Port beach, and on a half decent weekday see the surf schools had left the best bank free for recreational surfers not affiliated with any governing body or club to enjoy, I might have a slightly more rosy outlook. I also wonder about how many artificial reefs could have been built on the Fleurieu with the millions of dollars a Flowrider installation costs, and how many people would have enjoyed them for years to come. But then again… I imagine charging admission to an artificial reef to be an administrative nightmare.

At this stage it’s all speculation anyway, as I imagine there’s still all sorts of funding, permission, and ongoing rights hurdles to negotiate. In any case, I’d encourage anyone interested in this whole caper to have a think about it, ask all sorts of questions, and share information. Right now, this has the potential to be a pretty massive thing for SA, and more importantly for surfing in this state. With inside knowledge of numerous past and present surf related enterprises here, I can only hope it lives up to everyone’s expectations…

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