Watch: Tim Bonython // Snakes And Solander
Tim battles the undergrowth as the Cape lights up on a classic East Coast morning. The towing is questionable and borderline dangerous, while the paddle efforts are rock solid - noting some surfers are doing both.
Anthony Miller's boost at 9:55 is worth a rewind.
Comments
It is incredibly difficult to watch this video without getting angry about the skis tearing through the pack like that.
Tim Bonython, your footage is great but giving the ski clowns air time ruins these clips for me (and many others i'm sure).
Need a sniper on the cliff for the skis.
Who's the lanky kook on the pink board? Cringe to the power of cringe!
Just watched the clip then read your comment..well said Denyer
Totally agree
Ah yes - this would be from the NSW Gov website....seems like a pretty black and white case there. Video footage of an infringement.
Beyond the legal - there's just the sheer self interest at play. So arrogant.
From people
Powered vessels – including sailing boats over 5.5m long and personal watercraft (PWC) – must keep a minimum distance of 60m from:
people in the water, including swimming and surfing areas
the boundaries of designated swimming areas and surf zones (marked by signs)
a dive flag or float.
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/submit-vessel-incident-reports
Tim walking through the bush is uncool, why not use the road and the skies are a fucken nightmare.
Wot - not sunny enough?
LOL, obviously it was too blue!
Surely there's a track in there by now? But no, Intrepid Bonython has to once again indulge his narcissistic tendencies by trying to impress us with his battle against the elements and his victorious attitudes. I don't know why he doesn't focus on the surf instead of himself? Bushbasher, ski supporter, dramatic muzak conductor... yuk
Maby instead of commenting multiple times on a post you do something crazy like just not watch it or interact
And maybe u can mind yr own bizzo
I could do that but just like yourself I've chosen to comment on an open forum topic. Boab jockey
Beers are flowing today
.
Boab jockey?? Projecting yr own fantasies by the sounds of it there Trent ol boy. Stick to yr criticisms of the ski knobs huh
Have a look at 10:04. The ski so close the surfer needs to duck the spray. There's a reason it's illegal - because people die. Imagine riding a motorbike at speed within 2m of someone on a moving, uneven, undulating surface.
If that was my son or daughter sitting in the line up I'd be ropable. Breathtaking arrogance and selfishness. If you challenged them they'd probably say "yea...I know what Im doing..."
Like every person, ever who has had a motorbike crash and taken someone's life. Always think they know everything until they dont....
Hopefully you don’t pay for these SN.
For a minute there thought the Bush Tucker Man had been reincarnated for a three and a a half minute cameo! Those ski’s certainly suck!
Circus out there
Seems one of the Ski maniacs is none other than Dylan Longbottom and his daughter.
He is taking the "Dad pushing his kid into a wave and burning everyone in the process" to an entirely new level lately.
His daughter is a charger, but she hasn't earned her place in those lineups until she starts paddling into them like everyone else.
....and besides it's also illegal and ridiculously dangerous to all those in the lineup.
The crowed was cool with it no they arnt, they are just to nice to say it or in their best interest not to say. Fookn stunt
It's nice when a father gets the son he always wanted.
Dylan longbottom and his ski are pests everywhere they go.
First 3 minutes i wondered if Tim was auditioning for bush tucker man or gardening Australia
Gnarly waves
Bushknobman
not a lot of footage from tim's hard-won northerly possy.. how about that backwash-boogey-aerial that scared the drone at 9:55? makes the bald guy to the left look like a conjurer.
Is dylan longbottom serious? Towing his daughter through those crowds is ridiculous. I'm sure maritime NSW would love this footage.
As well as Tasmania last week.
Peanuts.
Some great shots in the video. Epics pits.
Noticing a lot of comments on here about skis and 'breaking the law'. Why does anyone on here care if you're not in the line up? Let the people surfing and towing sort it out between them. Someone might get hurt but sh*t happens. It looks like taking off on some of those waves is potentially as dangerous, or even more dangerous than getting bumped by a ski. But everyone wants to have a rant about the dangers of people "breaking the law!"
FFS when did surfers becomes such tut-tutting finger wavers? You guys sound like a bunch of strict, conservative nannies. Have surfers become the people they used to despise? Sounds like it sometimes.
It's kinda like dead-eyed stunt porn, @ntheasterly, just because it is consensual within the video, doesn't make it a good thing to put out there. I think some surfers, in special places, places where the sea is the only sound, are sometimes subject to incompetent, unwelcome, blowin eshays on jetskis, and think that normalising towing thru a line-up might be sending the wrong message.
because absolute kooks (like some in the vid) will watch this, then take their ski into another crowded lineup and cause chaos.
Skis are for waves that CAN NOT be paddled. Every single wave in this vid could be paddled.
These guys and girls whipping in through the crowd are tools. No chance everyone in that line up was ok with it happening.
You've just made my point by having another rant - "Skis are for waves that CAN NOT be paddled."
Says who?
Are you the person who decides when when someone can use their ski? No, you're not. People who own skis can do what they want. It doesn't matter if you don't like it. They can tow 2 foot waves if that's what they want to do. Yeah they shouldn't be in a crowd like in this video but whatever... To your comment, they can use their ski to tow when they want, not when you say the waves are big enough.
Just for the record, I don't own a ski. I'm not interested in getting one, or towing and I don't really like it when skis are in the water. I don't even know anyone who owns one.
I guess I'm just amazed at how many people are ready to call the cops. I thought this was a surfing forum.
@northeasterly
"Yeah they shouldn't be in a crowd like in this video but whatever... "
Would you be saying whatever if someone was injured or killed by a ski?
It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
I agree that people should be able to do whatever they want....as long as they don't put other's lives at risk in the process. I agree that it's up to people if they want to use a ski in 2ft surf, but there ARE laws saying you can't put others lives in danger whilst riding them and that's the real issue here.
There are actual rules about driving boats(skis) around swimmers and paddling surfers, for safety ,it's not about "your right to do what you want " as such either , but surfing etiquette and general common sense when it comes to this kind of surfing situation
It is NSW though so maybe anything goes ,depends what coast your on and how people behave .
Bashing though the bush to take photos would be considered a fucked thing to do here but again it's Sydney so not sure what's normal behaviour .
Humans.....
Not sure about "tut tutting finger wavers" - more about possibility of killing someone else's kid. Not sure you'd be so forgiving and libertarian if your own child got taken out with a ski.
Not to mention the way it flies in the face of the unwritten surfing rules - etiquette, the joy of being in nature, the energy and relief you get from being AWAY from the noise and pace of the normal world.
If someone paddled out at your local blasting tunes from their waterproof speaker, or paddling up the inside, or splashing water in peoples faces or taking whatever waves they wanted.....I reckon you'd say something.
There's no written law about dropping in or snaking people - it's the wisdom (and pressure ) of the crowd standing up for those rules. If we let it all go..... history has shown that we frail humans are only ever one step away from Lord of The Flies....
The money shot generation hey??
Shipsterns with about 5000 punters on it.
Drones ruining the side on angle.
High octane missiles flying through crowded lineups.
Kudos to the boogers who have to put up with this shit. They should have priority on any wave they want.
Sign of the times.
Ray, the world is full of a$$holes. Yea and you know why? Because people let them get away with it. Everyone in the lineup should have to told them to leave. Simple. Lost all respect for you after this vid Dylan.
Bonython reminds me of Steve Irwin compared to Harry Butler. Irwin was always about " look at me look at me" until one pissed off stingray had had enough. Harry Butler on the other hand was about his subjects and their ecological harmony... a very humble guy. I wonder if Bonythwin will eventually film his own demise (snakebite) or the death of a paddlesurfer in their own environment being king hit by a feral ski?
As a still-surfin' 'refugee' of the MOTE era (16 in '72) it never ceases to amaze me how much surfing has changed, in equipment (in and out of the water), numbers, and perception (both among surfers and the general public). And in communication - from a couple of monthly or bi-monthly glossy and plain paper mags and a movie or 2 a year, to daily multimedia (including this website of course), as the surfing industry has expanded globally. These days, many thousands make a living from surfing by selling 'product' of themselves, via media exposure, whether on the competitive scene, or as a pro free-surfer (surely one of the best examples of a 'non sequitur' going). With that 'need' for exposure comes increasing risks, and as others here have said, more people will be badly injured or worse by errant jetskis, having had a couple of near-misses with them myself. And don't count on the authorities doing anything about it. The ghost of John Severson must wonder WTF he helped create, and how far we've parted from a 'surfer being alone with his thoughts'. With drones, water camera-people, mouth-held and board-mounted cameras, land-based folk jostling for best vantage point, PWCs and boats all buzzing around, it's surprising more folk aren't injured. Or perhaps those stats aren't mentioned much ... Similar to the numbers of reef-inspector style casualties from a surf season in Indo ...
Still places with the MOTE vibe out there, Lindo., you may be happy to know. No mags. No drones. Just a few friends surfing, frothing, kooking, laughing, and away from the maddening crowd. Albeit, it’s very cold.
Good stuff clif - enjoy every session. That was true on this coast as well, up till last decade, when relentless self-promotion and social media by a few, a womens WSL event, and a widely seen film 'Last (Lost) Paradise' brought people from all over. It's still nowhere near as madding crowd-wise as some other places, but then neither is wave quality or consistency. Share and share alike works well when there's a small crew in the lineup, but once there's (many) more people than waves, polite society tends to unravel, and surfing can take on the nature of the rut, with waves rather than females on heat, driving desire and competition. Some of that footage from the Cape looked legitimately dangerous, with both the jetski and the tow rope posing risks to surfers. Plus the fumes and noise would not be my idea of a good session, but as above, I'm 3 generations down the line ...
It’s impressive how badly these are edited.
Every now and then I tune in - but it’s always the same format and music. It’s savage.
Yeah he just doesnt get it... it's always the dramatic narrative (we KNOW it's dramatic) with the shitty crescendo muzak and the usually boring af vox pop. Now the whole bushbashing embarrassment of his Steve Irwin alter ego... truly cringey stuff. It's not his little rich kid privilege that I detest but the total lack of imagination/same ol narcissistic crap when he has such opportunity flying all over the world to the best breaks going off. And it's wasted... aside from some good footage here and there
Oh yeah... and supporting obviously dangerous and seemingly self-entitled ski knobheads... ffs, makes me wanna PUKE
Haha classic Tim, trying to make the vid all about himself, as if his bushbash is so extreme it’s somehow on par with the surfers throwing themselves into those caverns. We just want to see the surfers Tim!
So are you blaming Tim for the presence of the skis or for the fact he filmed them and made you aware of them? I bet not one person here whinging about this vid has made a a call to Transport NSW or NPWS?
Personally, I think Tim does great work and has brought to us some amazing sessions, beautifully filmed from around the globe. Questionable music at times but you can't have everything. I hope he continues to bring more.
Also, he filmed himself doing a bit of bush bashing, who cares? It's not as if he was slashing and burning his way through virgin Tasmanian rainforest. He was carrying a camera ffs, not a machete.
Yeah nah... and coming from a Pauline Hanson supporter!! Tim Irwin and Longarse seem to be good buddies/travel companions so it seems to be a deranged double act... Longarse goes manic on the ski knowing his little mate is filming him ...
Who's the Pauline Hanson supporter? Me?
Haha Zen … ignore em. Hope you’re good
Sorry got u mixed up... i meant Trump supporter
Could you be any more of a wanker?
Sorry mixed u up again... the highly dangerous ski knobheads supporter
No worries, you obviously are confused and indisputably a tool.
Have a good one.
@zenagain I hear you. It's like surfers love complaining. Tim brings us great videos, for free. If people don't like them, then don't watch them. Maybe surfing brings out the inner Karen? Gotta yell at someone.
No mate, Tim Irwin is supporting and even promoting self-entitled dickheads on skis showing disregard for everyone except themselves for their 15mins of little Timmys filmic fame... see also the shippies footage
Only Karens bitch about Karens
Tim is turning into Steve Irwin, would have loved him to come across a nest of brown snakes and filmed them biting him.........now that would be commitment...and worth watching........only joking of course ........i think.
Hate to say it , but I have more respect for the body board surfers than those tow in surfers. PS I hate body boarders
well... they CAN paddle into anything....& usually make it ..thats the whole point of crazy slabriding i thought
My first surfing education was DON'T DESTROY WHAT YOU CAME TO ENJOY . That to put yourself above every one else in the water on a tow in . This dangerous ski footage shows where there mental attitude is at . You are destroying what we were enjoying !
e Safety Commissioner censored or Wrong Page maybe?
Was after the All Forums are starting to sound the same, it's no wonder we get them mixed up all the time!
Apologies!
really poor from tim. Shouldn't promote dangerous and doushebag tow-ins. really questionable ethics imo. swellnet should speak to tim or consider not posting his vids