It was a glorious day, the southerly blew, the local crew came down from the hills for a few slides and there was much rejoicing. All was going well in Byron Bay today. But the ratio of beginners on hire boards with little to nil surfing experience was slowly increasing. Unfortunately that’s often a recipe for injury. Then it happened. An unassuming and unsuspecting chap turned up on a hired S.U.P (stand up paddleboard) eventually dropped in on one of the local ladies Deb. While at the same time, another bloke on another hired board dropped in on her from behind. Wedged between the two utterly inexperienced surfers, Deb was forced off her board and jammed into a rock receiving a smashed heel, a stay in hospital and of course several months now to come, of painful rehabilitation. As for this incident, well yes it was an accident and accidents do happen. But there are deeper underlying issues here, Issues often spoken of quietly in the car park at The Pass and occasionally loudly with the frustration born of near misses and the fear of injury. So what now? Well for Deb, who was so much looking forward to summer, it doesn’t look good. As for the blokes on Hire Boards? Well one ran away, there’s no honour in that, while the other, was traumatised by the experience as well. Nobody seems to profit from this experience, except perhaps the people who hire the boards to absolute novices in the first place? So what next, who knows? I suspect this is not the last we’ll hear of this or similar incidents, although I sincerely hope we see no more of this, In Byron Bay Today.  Deb, we are all wishing you a speedy recovery.