A Hobart man has been filmed strapping a rope to a bridge and surfing through a flooded suburban rivulet.
During this week’s massive rainfall, Harry Jacoby and his mates spotted the South Hobart rivulet surging with rainwater and decided to make the most of it.
“We saw it rained a lot and we headed down to the rivulet and there was a lot of water in there and we thought, ‘Geez, we can probably surf in here’,” Jacoby, 22, told Pulse.
“So we grabbed a bit of rope and tied it to the bridge and then put some wetsuits on and jumped in the water.”
The group spent around 45 minutes riding the floodwaters on a boogie board, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
“There were a few passersby that came and stopped and there were a few people who gave us some thumbs ups and gave us some tips and pointers and things,” he said.
Jacoby, who moved to Hobart from Victoria, said he’d been surfing for around 18 or 19 years and knew straight away the conditions were rideable.
“I’ve never seen it [rushing like it was] and I was like, ‘Oh, this is totally possible,'” he said.
When riders fell off the board, the current swept them up to 150 metres downstream.
“You just sort of just go feet first and swim to the side,” Jacoby said.
He acknowledged some people weren’t impressed.
“There were people that shook their heads but I guess you could call it dangerous but I mean like if you do dangerous things safely then it’s okay,” he said.
“Hold on to the rope nice and tight and we had a few friends down river just grab the boogie board and grab people as well.”
Tasmania Police took a dimmer view of the stunt.
Inspector Brenda Orr from Hobart Police warned people to never drive, walk or ride through flooded waterways.
“Floodwaters can be deeper and faster moving than they appear, and even small amounts of flowing water can sweep away a vehicle or a person and may contain hidden dangers not visible from the surface,” she said.
“If it’s flooded, forget it.”
