Legrope ban and $1,100 fines for Byron Bay?

As reported by the ABC, April 24: A Byron Shire councillor wants to introduce a regulation that would see surfers fined up to $1,100 for not wearing a leg rope.

Cate Coorey will present the motion at this week's council meeting.

She said the council could enforce the use of leg ropes under the Local Government Act.

"We would have to have the signage at the entrances to the beaches and then we would have compliance officers that would be on the alert for it," Cr Coorey said. "We have officers that go along the beach, we have rangers and we have people in the parks."

The move comes after local surfer Matt Cassidy suffered a serious arm injury when he was struck by a loose longboard at Wategos Beach in Byron Bay.

The accident sparked renewed calls for leg ropes to be made mandatory and Cr Coorey said it was not an isolated incident.

"We just had one recently that was quite serious at Broken Head, but it needn't have happened if that person had a leg rope on," she said.

"They happen quite often, and they're potentially fatal.

"It's one of those things like wearing seatbelts — it's not that hard to do, it should just become commonplace."

'Rebellious' surfers may not comply

President of the Byron Bay Boardriders Club Neil Camero was sceptical about whether surfers would comply with the council regulation.

"I totally respect that they're trying to protect people, but I think it comes down to the individual," he said.

"Surfers have always been rebellious and they'll continue to be rebellious. I see people paddle out without leg ropes and, to be honest, a lot of them are good surfers and don't lose their boards."

Mr Cameron said collisions could still happen with leashed boards.

"You've got a nine-foot board and a nine-foot leg rope — there's 18 feet between you and contact with someone else and it does happen," he said.

Surfboards become like 'a missile'

But Wilsons Creek surfer Mike Duff told ABC North Coast he supported the council's plan.

"If you watch the best surfers in the world, and they're surfing in Australia at the moment, they all wear leg ropes," he said.

"And particularly if you're surfing on a nine-foot board, that thing is a missile. When the surf gets a little bit bigger those things are much harder to hold onto.

"So I absolutely agree with the councillor, there do need to be rules around this."

The motion is due to be debated at the council meeting on Thursday.

 - AUTHOR: BRUCE MACKENZIE

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE