Greater legal protection is needed for surf breaks in Australia, according to a study conducted by the Australian National University, which estimates that the sport injects almost $3 billion AUD into the national economy each year.
The study, which was conducted earlier this year, stresses the importance that surfing, surf breaks and simply waves have on people’s wellbeing, as well as value for ‘community collectiveness’ and the economy.
Dr Ana Manero, survey lead, said: “We asked participants how much they spent on domestic travel and how often they’d travelled to go surfing during the last 12 months, but also how much they spent on new boards, wetsuits and other surf-related accessories.
“Our research shows adult surfers spend more than $3,700 per person, each year.
“Using data from the Australian Sports Commission, which shows there are more than 720,000 active adult Australian surfers, we found that surfing injects at least $2.71 billion into the economy each year.
“This is a conservative figure at best because it doesn’t factor in overseas visitors who travel to Australia to go surfing or money generated through professional surfing.”
Dr Manero states that Australia’s surf breaks are coming under increasing threat from a range of issues including climate change, coastal erosion, poor water quality and overcrowding pressures.
She argues governments have, for too long, ‘overlooked’ the value of surf spots and sees an opportunity for better policies and local coastal management plans to help safeguard the nation’s surfing environments to ensure they are more resilient.
Researchers pointed out that of the 1,400 documented surf spots in the country, only 20 currently receive any kind of legal protection in Australia. These are afforded by the New South Wales Crown Lands Act of 1989 and Victoria’s Heritage Act of 2017.
“Other forms of recognition exist, like the Gold Coast surf management plan and World Surfing Reserves, although these lack legal weight.
“Unlike countries like New Zealand and Peru, where surf breaks are recognised by national-level legislation, Australia’s environmental laws and polices largely overlook surf breaks as valuable natural assets.
“This means that in Australia you can basically make a wave disappear and no one bats an eyelid because these surf breaks sit in a legal vacuum.”
The battle to better protect surf breaks in Australia is nothing new and has been going on for a number of years. In 2022 the expansion of the Ocean Reef Marina in Perth led to the loss of three surf spots; Mossies, Big Rock and Pylons.
The phrase ‘only a surfer knows the feeling’ seems applicable in this scenario. Is it because many in positions of authority don’t understand the importance of surfing to certain people’s lives? While the impact of the study may only be a drop in the ocean, hopefully it will continue to the conversation of better protection for surf spots in the near future.
