Nighttime surfing on the Gold Coast is a step closer, with council giving initial backing to the idea at Tuesday’s full council meeting.
A trial is planned for next year’s World Surf League event at Snapper Rocks.
While a full plan will still need to be approved, council has given its support to the concept despite some safety concerns.
The proposal would see temporary floodlights installed at Snapper for the May event.
Donna Gates was the only Councillor to object to the plan, raising safety concerns and questions about who would be liable in the event of a shark attack.
“I have been concerned about this because of the dawn and the dusk issue with potential shark bites or attacks,” Cr Gates told the meeting.
“I just wondered if, by endorsing this, who would wear liability should that, you know, hopefully not happen, and there be an attack during the World Surfing League championship?”
Councillor Gail O’Neill, whose division takes in Snapper Rocks, urged her colleagues to back it, saying the idea is part of the Surfing Infrastructure Master Plan.
“I don’t think there’s a better place to actually have that trial than within the WSL event,” Cr O’Neill said.
“It has been done before as well at Burleigh Beach, and they’ve surfed at night during an event, and I believe there was no issues.
“Certainly, in the report, it does talk about water safety, and I’m sure some of that would include staff being on jet skis out in the ocean, keeping an eye to make sure all the participants are safe.”
Michael Kahler from Infrastructure Gold Coast assured councillors that it was about backing the concept, and a full plan would still need to come before Council.
“So should this be endorsed as an event, we still have significant work to do in terms of legal, environmental, technical, and we would be coming back to Council with that Gate 1 project approval,” Mr Kahler said.
“And at that time, I would recommend that’s when we would look at any legal liability issues, rather than at this very early stage, which is really just a concept.”
The proposal was passed with a supermajority.
