Broken waves: Choosing violence in the surf
This story popped up over and over yesterday. It's not a nice one - police intervention and criminal charges following a violent altercation in my home town. Via local newspaper, The Northern Star: Described by police as a "surf rage" incident, at about 1.30pm on Monday, a Byron Bay man was surfing when police will allege "he and another surfer went to catch the same wave". Police said the accused 29-year-old pushed the pointy end of his surfboard into another man's face, causing him facial injuries that bled. Police went into the surf to get the guy, and he's been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which can carry up to a five year gaol term, or lesser penalties such as home detention, community service, or a suspended sentence. Whatever he gets, pushing the very pointy tip of your board into someone's face to cut them up is a shocking thing to do. And we're to talking about this happening in pumping surf, and unexpect...