Kitesurfers have been slammed for their ‘stupidity’ after they were spotted flying in rough conditions as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred still wreaks havoc.
The daredevils were caught on Channel 7’s cameras flying over Currumbin on the Gold Coast on Sunday morning.
‘We’re on a red zone here that stretches from the Sunshine Coast down to the NSW border,’ Paul Burt said while reporting live from the ground.
‘You cannot be on the beach, you can’t be in the water. There’s a $16,000 fine.’
One kitesufer was seen about 20 metres in the air being wildly blown about by the powerful wind.
‘He gets a wind gust under the kitesurf and it literally rips him up,’ Burt said. ‘That’s dangerous.
‘There’s a lot of water pushing out of the Currumbin Creek into this treacherous surf.’
He added ‘if something goes wrong with these guys, there’s no one down here to save them’.
Kitesurfers in Queensland have copped a vicious spray from a Seven News reporter
‘Coast Guard SE Rescue VMRs will not go out, nor neither will lifeguards cause they, they’re not even on the beach,’ he said.
‘And they shouldn’t be either. So that’s just stupidity 101, which is not good.
‘Kitesurfing for dummies, I’m sure it’ll be released with those blokes as the authors.’
It comes after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was re-categorised as a tropical low and crossed the Queensland coast about 9pm on Saturday.
The cyclone has also brought widespread rainfall and inundated low-lying and riverine communities in NSW’s north.
Strong winds were seen lifting roofs from homes in Queensland.
Larger-than-normal tides and strong swells have washed away large swathes of beaches on the Gold Coast, with lifeguard towers seen poking out from the whitewash and large sandbanks carved away by the waters.
Tens of thousands of residents have been warned to stay indoors as an emergency declaration was put in place at Hervey Bay, 300km north of Brisbane.
Reporter Paul Burt labelled the act in the ‘red zone’ as ‘stupidity 101’ on Sunday
More than 300mm of rain has pummelled the region since Sunday morning.
Wild footage showed streets inundated with brave drivers attempting to navitage through the treacherous floodwaters.
One resident stood out in the heavy downpour to reveal he awoke to ‘a lot of rain’ at 4am.
‘Hervey Bay is absolutely flooding,’ he said. ‘Have a look at this behind me.’
The resident pointed to Officeworks with the department store completely cut off by floodwaters.
‘This is absolutely crazy,’ he said.
An emergency flood alert has been issued for the Fraser Coast.
The State Emergency Service has received about 100 calls for help from the region.
