Raves & Rants . . from Penzance

It was morning, and work timings had unusually left me free for a couple of hours. That would normally mean the surf was onshore, or blown out, or flat or something, adhering as it usually does to the First Law of Surfing . But not today. Blue Rinse Today looked like a bleak, grey, midwinter day with (from a brief glimpse of the sea on the school run) a weak looking swell and the wind threatening to go onshore. But I had time. Time to take pictures. So I trawled along the coast looking for surf or seascape images, but found very little. Until I came to the reef. Which, oddly, seemed to be firing. Fryer  Several locals and some of the Aggy crew were making the most of a small day before the expected 'Hercules II' storm at the weekend. An acceptable peak Empty Dan Joel Mole getting critical Captain Fryer on a set wave A chill wind cut through the grey pall that hung over the break, warmed slightly by the relaxed atmosphere. Styling ...

So here's the rub:  Imagine it's  the weekend and you go for a game of football at your local park with a few mates. Other people are spread around the park playing in similar games with varying skill and intensity. A usual Saturday or Sunday morning, the vibe is good whatever the weather. Now imagine that every time it rained, the whole park, including the football pitch you normally play on, got covered with a mix of rainwater and raw sewage.  How long would the water company responsible be allowed to pollute a public space in this way?  And how big the fines for allowing it to happen even once ? And yet every time it rains fairly heavily, this is what is happening at some surf breaks.  After heavy or prolonged rain, raw sewage is discharged into the river at Gwithian, immediately finding its way into the sea and spreading along the near shore surf zone - the surfer's football pitch if you will - where hundreds of surfers, swimmers and other water users ar...