Just advising I have reported the black pipe sticking out of the sand at Southern Clifton when the tide is low to both MAST and the Clarence Council. The council was going to send someone down at low tide today or tomorrow to check out. Will update when I know more but in the meantime take care sailing in this area - it's straight out from the surf club.

I was going to use it as gybing mark yesterday but my mast snapped before I got a chance

How far out is it?

10-20 meters off shore depending on tide. pretty much in front of tower.
right in the swimming, surfin g and sailing zone.
100mm diameter with a 10mm wall,
as stiff still as steal and as deadly.
been there for two years but has surfaced again over winter.
Local surf school operator cut it down to sand level last summer but it has " uncoiled" and exposed more.
The thought is that it is a bit of a fish farm

Right in flag zone of surf patrol but they dont want to know about it.

kite surfer ran into it on Saturday.

MAST called me back this morning to advise they had been in contact with the surf club. The club advised they were aware of it and were working to get it removed.
I don't think it will be easy.I will go and see a member of the club tonight and suggest that in the meantime they drill a hole in it and attach a series of buoys to allow for tide movement. At least that way it should be some sought of marker because as it is at the moment it's just so bloody dangerous.

All the best with the meeting tonight, as usual nothing gets done until someone gets injured. Guess who got the pole in the pond that was slightly submerged straight through the middle of their board a few years ago.... yes blondie here. Luckily it was the board and not the body. I complained to MAST and suddenly the pole was removed and all the poles in the lagoon have little white caps on them now.

Wait for a flat day. Scuba saw rope

Hit it and sue them

We have progress. An extraction attempt will be made around 4.30pm tomorrow. The surf club member I met is a friend who lives across the road who happens to have an excavator and other machinery. The plan is to drill some holes as near as possible to the base so we can attach a rope/belt and try to slowly pull it out. The very low tide will help us see what we are dealing with - most of it was exposed today at low tide. If it won't budge we will attach some buoys as markers and look at other options. We may have to cut but would be nice to know what's at the bottom first.

It's probably a breather pipe the Chinese have dug through to get some fresh air.

Well done Dave

Good work Dave

Hopefuly they pull it out.
According to the local surf school operator They have already cut it off at base before and that did not work, as now it is out of the water again!

I hope it isn't a coastal erosion measuring stick then...the powers that be will think that the little island is getting bigger

Well done Crackerjack, Relic and Ian from the surf club for getting out that pipe. While you guys played with the pipe or should I say attacked it with an excavator, Geared4 and I attacked the waves...........we were with you in spirit

Was that Ian White? Good bloke.

Thanks Anthony and thanks to Relic and Iain who did most of the work - Relic with the investigation work including under water photos and Iain who fought for 20 minutes with his excavator to pull the beast out, but to no avail. Buzzy was on the money - probably goes all the way to China. So in the end we had no choice but to cut it off at the base/entry into the sand. It was a site to be seen when Relic appeared back on the beach with full scuba gear and a brand new $10.00 hand saw (tradies choice) - he was on a mission. We removed about 2.5 metres and given that another large section was cut off last year, makes you wonder just how far down it goes. End of story for the time being - but will the beast return?

Nah Cracker, its nothing to do with China they the good blokes it was the periscope from a bloody Russian submarine and I've just got word the poor b.stard lookin down the scope when you yanked on his pole is up for workers comp

Tas gas rang and want to know who cut through southern Tassies supply pipe which comes a shore at Clifton !not reds under seabeds after all but could be a westcoast Eagals premiership players from the 1990ites crack pipe