A Hipster Sliced My Head!

In defence of longboarder, Dean Harrington shows how many bald heads there are in Snapper line-up. Photo: Azad Sellars


Craig Warren, a 40-year-old gent from Currumbin, copped this head injury at Snapper Rocks because a “hipster” (his words, not ours) wasn’t wearing a leg rope on his wooden mal.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reported Craig (a Globe employee) was surfing with his nine-year-old son two weeks ago when the, yes, bearded, man lost control of his 60’s-styled board, but allegedly not his style.

“I was paddling out when I saw a young guy with a beard fall and fling his board at me,” Craig said. “These young hipsters are coming to the Gold Coast and refusing to wear leg ropes on boards that are very difficult to surf. I tried to dodge it but it was too shallow and the board was too big… the board just spiralled straight into my head.”
His son, Taj, and an off-duty paramedic dragged Craig to shore before he was sewn up by surgeons at hospital.
“The worst part of the whole thing is that my son and daughter saw me bleeding on the sand. I’ll never forget the look on their faces.”
It’s unclear whether the board was fitted with a leash plug or not.

All-round legend and Snapper local, Jay Philips said: “They come from Byron or Brisbane in huge packs and surf really dangerously. Lots of young children surf and they should not be forced to dodge large wooden boards that should be hanging up on wall as art.”
Because the two are so similar, councillor Chris Robbins likened the incident to a car hitting a pedestrian: “Your board is a weapon and you may well be breaching local law if your board hits someone because you don’t have a leg rope.”
To strap or not to strap, should it be a question of style or practicality? Once upon a time, bodyboarders were the absolute devil to surfers. It’s 2014, so what would you prefer to be hit in the head with? A bodyboard, a SUP or a 60’s-style longboard?

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