Grommets and politics may not seem to go hand in hand, but Kiama surfers are up in arms about Norwegian oil company Equinor's plans to commence exploratory drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
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Surfers and ocean lovers are being called to paddle out at Kiama Harbour at 10am on Saturday, May 11.
Gerringong surf school owner Rusty Moran said several groups had come together to plan a paddle out.
"We all live on this part of the coast to be close to the water, we all enjoy surfing and swimming in clean water, and we want to keep it that way," he said. "If there's a spill in SA, the modelling shows an oil slick could wrap around and extend all the way up to Port Macquarie. Some people will only notice when they're down the beach with sponges mopping up."
Mr Moran said the issue was a no-brainer, and should be opposed by all parties.
"There's no profits in it for Australians, it goes back to the Norwegian Government," he said. "They've ruled off drilling off their coast, and now they have a partnership to drill off our coast. It's pretty presumptuous, and our government haven't done much to stop it. It should be bipartisan. It should not be about collecting revenue in the short term with the long term potential cost to the community."
Mr Moran said the majority of Australians lived on the eastern seaboard, and an oil spill will have a dramatic impact on their mental health, as well as the environment.
"It's not only affecting a bunch of surfers in SA, it has the potential to affect everyone on the coast," he said. "We live here because we have an affinity to the ocean, and that will be jeopardised if we pollute the water quality. It's not just surfers, swimmers, surf life saving clubs, beach users will all be affected. I can't believe the government is thinking of rushing this through."
Mr Moran wants hundreds to attend on Saturday.
"Everyone's invited, because it affects everyone," he said. "We want to have a strong campaign to make it big, and send a powerful message."
Paddle outs have happened in each state and more than 30,000 people have joined the campaign. A recent paddle out in Torquay attracted World Surf League professionals including John John Florence, Mick Fanning, Owen Wright and 4,000 members of the public.
