Hi Guys

You might already know this but Ripcurl are trying to organise an event at Gnaraloo.

There is a petition against it through this link:

www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-gnarloo/

There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea. You will have your own....but think of the negative impact on the already fragile environmental system that this comp will bring. It will have international exposure which means that we will have MANY people travelling here every year. That will undoubtedly have an impact on the environment and the safety of everyone that sails, surfs or kites at Gnaraloo. Can we afford to risk one of our last remaining "untouched" treasures??!! I am all for tourism. But this needs some serious thought.

Please spread the word around. Even if it does not stop the competition it will bring the issues to the attention of the people that matter and hopefully have them addressed.

Thanks!

To address a couple of your points.

It will have international exposure which means that we will have MANY people travelling here every year.

We already do. Gnaraloo is an international spot. Check out any decent international kitesurfing/surfing mag/website. If there aint a reference, there is bound to be a pic. the lineup is busy at peak times.

That will undoubtedly have an impact on the environment and the safety of everyone that sails, surfs or kites at Gnaraloo.

It already does. Unrestricted camping/visiting whatever currently is not environmentally sustainable.

Can we afford to risk one of our last remaining "untouched" treasures??!!

Its at risk already without any comps.

Billabong have had comps at Gnaraloo for years. Pros have surfed Gnaraloo for years. Its old hat.
The west coast is changing, quickly and perhaps not for the best.
Maybe Rip curl having a comp isnt a bad thing it might at least force authorities to do something in order to have sustainable, environmentally friendly development and keep Gnaraloo the gem it is.

Discuss..........

Why would you rather surf with a dozen or so pro-surfers? You'd never get a wave mate. Why do you want more and more people at a spot!? I kited it with 14 blokes from over-east…you think people like to take time off work, drive 12 hours, live in a dust bowl to kite an over-crowded break? The place simply cannot handle more than a handful of kites let alone the additional sailboarders.

IMO, it's not about trying to keep it all yourself (although I'd much prefer to ride with 1-2 mates rather than 50), it's about trying to preserve what is left. I haven't surfed it/kited it my whole life like a lot of others, but I do know that the number of people hitting that place has increased heaps in the last 4-5 years and you can see the difference in the whole place.

Billabong did it in ‘96 but the level of media attention in the mid-90s was no where near what it is today (thank you Mr Internet). It follows that any surfing event held nowadays will receive 1000 x more attention that what it would have previously (in magazines, tv, video).

So you don’t think that holding a competition there will affect it? You don’t think that any additional media attention will change the status quo? Sure, there’s a chance that it won’t (although it is minimal), but you increase any chance there is by holding a comp there and bringing additional media attention to it.

You also talk about Rip Curl going to G-land etc. Why don't you look at the before and after shots of the place? Getting a wave or two to yourself there is now next to impossible and check out the development going on around it!

The whole notion of being 2-3 hours from town will be thrown out the window in a few short years when they run a potable water line up there. It’s a matter of time because developers will eventually work out that people don’t go where it’s too harsh.

The dynamic of the landscape is what makes the place special in my mind. Development (which is inevitable) means that the unique dynamic that exists will all but disappear.

So it follows that the only chance of maintaining the place as it is, and ensure that future surfers/kiters/windsurfers/fishermen sees it in it’s most pristine condition in the future is a surfing reserve! Forget about petitions because at the end of the day, money talks and it won’t make jack-**** difference (although I still did sign it), push the WA government for a surfing reserve.

Rant over. Bitch.