I'm not trying to make an example of that one guy, I just happened to come across that photo as an example of what the finish area was like. He wasn't alone. I'd reckon fully half of the participants had difficulty of varying degrees. E.g. that vid of last year shows a guy sanding back his ski along the rocks on the way in in milder conditions, struggling heavily.
As I mentioned a couple of times, it would be great to not finish where it does. However, I don't really see a solution because the organisers would probably prefer the current location with the natural viewing platform and the (un)natural finish area leading straight to the facilities.
100m further north would work. As would southsides, but then they risk competitors being pushed into the rocks and a much dumpier shore break. And I get the impression that the organisers might like the difficult finish spectacle. Everyone loves a demolition derby.
I don't think closing the beach would be a solution, because as mentioned it's the most popular beach on summer evenings and particularly that 50m area. Also, non-mandatory beach closures don't work. I've been there a few times during shark alarms and people ignore the lifeguards. Unless it's a council by-law and some consequence will be enacted, people will still swim. Particularly if it's a rare 3' summer swell.
Someone's suggestion of a water finish wasn't bad. I'm not sure if that's a palatable solution. You could water finish in line with the end of the rocks and then people come in further north at their ability level. Maybe send out some of the clubbie kids who were gathering skis to escort them in. Seriously, a lot of the participants had no business negotiating the waves. Whites of the eyes showing, panicking.
Here's another photo that I find more concerning:
Obviously the situation was of no concern to someone as accomplished as me (although it was highly annoying and distracting). But here are four little kids directly in the finish area where race craft were plowing into the beach sideways, only one kid supervised. Again, there were plenty of other swimmers and kids with no awareness of the consequences of heavy craft getting smashed in 2-3' double and triple ups. Many foreign tourists use this beach and have no water sense and it's impossible to teach it. I often offer advice to little kids playing unsupervised next to rips and I've often seen tourists washed out around the rocks. Frequently they don't speak English and just look at you blankly. How can you explain to them to watch out for the boats? On the plus side I guess they'd respect a closure, although the lifeguards did sort-of close the beach when the racers came in. But then it was knock-off time and their duty-of-care was over and everyone kept swimming.
Maybe they also need to survey who is taking part. I heard at least a couple of foreign accents (English). Could it be the case that these people weren't brought up at the beach and don't have the experience to handle these conditions? Then maybe they need to re-evaluate their participation themselves. I know that there is an unusually large participation rate at SLSCs these days from migrants and no offence, I think that maybe SLSC is a great activity to tell your friends back home about but they just don't have the experience that an Aussie kid growing up in the water has.
