Want to surf the Pass? Better get that leggie strapped on. Photo: Gustavo Barbosa//Unsplash
The Byron Shire Council in New South Wales, Australia, has passed a motion that effectively makes it illegal to surf without a leash in Bryon Bay.
“It sends the right message that people are starting to take it seriously, that surf safety is something we should have top of mind when we enter the water,” said Mathew Cassidy, who nearly bled out on the sand after a longboard fin cut his brachiocephalic artery at Wategos Beach. “I think if it helps just one kid hanging out at the lagoon at the Pass not get hit in the head by a mal, they’ve done the right thing.”
Cassidy was instrumental in passing the new law, which is being made obvious to surfers with signs on area beaches. The motion, which was initially put forward by Byron Shire councilwomen Cate Coorey, isn’t just about punishment. “This is not all about being punitive,” Coorey told ABC. “It’s about changing the culture and saying, ‘this is for other people’s safety.'”
According to Coorey, she was told early on that “surfers are a rebellious community and they won’t support it,” but she disagrees. “They nearly all do,” she said, “because they nearly all wear leg ropes.”
It won’t be an easy law to enforce, though, but according to council member Mark Swivel, handing out tickets isn’t the real point.
“There are plenty of laws, as we all know, including planning laws and regulations, that go unenforced,” he explained. “The idea here is to send a signal to the community to try to establish what standards ought to be, and to back up the people who are trying to do the right thing.”
Leash versus no leash has long been a point of contention in the surfing world. There are indeed a few benefits to leashless surfing, but, in my humble opinion at least, they don’t outweigh the dangers.
A leash adds a bit of drag, but unless you’re extremely dialed into your equipment, not enough to notice. Leashes can get caught up in kelp, which can be maddening, sure. If you’re riding a longboard, a leash is definitely an annoyance, since longboarding requires crosstepping. Leashless surfing also has an added benefit of making you consider what you’re doing a little more. If you’re going to end up chasing a surfboard to the beach, you might be less inclined to take risks, which is good and bad. Albee Layer, in fact, has some strong opinions about that last point in particular.
“Why would you want to surf in a way you know you’re going to make it?” Layer told us about why he prefers a leash. “How is that any fun? That’s the most boring thing ever. That’s like walking. Wouldn’t you want to try something that’s hard? That’s how you get the achievement in surfing… as well as anything else.” A leash, of course, means less swimming and more trying new things on your board.
Surfers like Albee also think that people who don’t wear a leash — unless they’re surfing in specific situations — are just selfish jerks who don’t care all that much about the people they’re surfing with. Anyone who’s been caught by an errant surfboard can attest that it does not feel good. Even worse if it’s a 10-foot log that hits you in the teeth. And in Bryon Bay, where there are a LOT of surfers who don’t like to wear a leash, that kind of thing happens all too often. Which is why the council voted to hit surfers who skip the tether with a $75 on-the-spot fine, with a maximum penalty up to $1,100.
