Controversy of divulging up to date river wave info has alway been hotly contested. Pole cams on a river wave, be it live-streaming or still pics, heats up the controversy even more. But we need to considers the use of these mediums for safety, growth, and public engagement with river surfing.
For example are the Wave Sixx pole cam at RRP in Sheridan/Englewood minutes from Denver; the Scout Wave live steaming cam; the Bend Oregon Wave Cam; and the Boise Idaho Wave Cams.
-The Boise and Bend wave cams are for viewing of river surfing at their respective waves.
-The Sixx Wave Pole Cam and Scout Wave both are cams that were never meant for public view of river surfing or consumption by river surfers.
Here is a bit of background…..
BOISE, ID WAVE CAMS
The Boise “WaveShaper Cams” are three (3) live streaming cams funded and provided courtesy of Boise City Parks & Recreation. Paid city WaveShaper employees manage the WaveShaper waves all year long. The wave cams are an important tool used by the WaveShapers and the cams are informational to both surfers and kayakers who recreate in the waves at the Boise Whitewater Park on alternating days. Here is the link to the Boise Wave cams: https://www.boisewhitewaterpark.com/waveshaper-cam
BEND, OR WAVE CAM
The Bend Whitewater Park is operated by the Bend Park and Recreation District in the Deschutes River but the wave cam is funded by, The Bend Bulletin, their local daily newspaper. The Bend wave cam is also used as a tool by the city employee paid waveshaper and is very informational to the river surfers in Bend, OR….. On April 30th, 2022, seventeen year old river surfer Ben Murphy died stuck on the Bend wave. People watching the Bend wave cam observed the accident and calls were made to the waveshaper to drop the wave. Unfortunately Ben Murphy passed away and it is not apparent if footage was saved from the incident or not. The Bend Park and Recreation District in their review of the accident pointed out that the wave cam would be and was utilized to help re-open the wave after repairs were made to the Bend wave and a “no leash” policy was implemented. Here is the link to the Bend Wave cam that streams live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/Ib8zEnX-RPk?feature=share
WAVE SIXX POLE CAM
The Wave Sixx cam was originally placed as a construction site camera and then later used as a surveillance safety cam by the WaveShaper volunteers who were unsure of the safety of the Sixx during different river flow events. Ironically the cam was not known to the general public and was listed for a couple years under another project name up north next to CSU in Ft. Collins. Eventually and begrudgingly, the Sixx pole cam was divulged and shared out to the local river surfing community. Months later an upgraded pole cam was installed at Sixx under the name of “River Run Camera” but there was no public announcement made of the change of camera and URL. Luckily the cam was easily found on line by internet sleuthing (no, Google Search did not reveal the cam) and the new cam was quickly shared out to the public. Eventually Ben Nielsen of McLaughlin Whitewater Group and engineer/brainchild of RRP, authorized the extending of the hours of the pole cam (albeit only every 15 minute still pics) from work-week “bankers hours” to seven days a week sun-up to dusk…. Then later in a closed door meeting, the future existence of Sixx pole cam was placed into jeopardy of removal; but cooler heads prevailed, and the cam was allowed to remain and will be funded by the “Denver Water authority”…. Efforts to convert the Sixx pole cam into a live streaming cam have been ignored and was met with total rejection by the former head of the Mile High Flood District. Hopefully we can get a live streaming pole cam at Sixx and a live streaming pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) cam at Benni’s/Chiclets. Here is the link to the Wave Sixx Pole Cam: https://www.senserasystems.com/public/embed/3M7824646H83
SCOUT WAVE POLE CAM
The Scout Wave cam is actually the pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) summit of Tenderfoot Mountain (the mountain with an “S” on it) that used to pan across the view off Spiral Drive road and would sometimes zoom in on the Scout Wave. The name of the Scout Cam is “Salida Tower Tenderfoot Mt. Spiral Drive PTZ“. At some unknown time, the PTZ cam was focused in on the Scout Wave and thus the clarity of the the live stream is somewhat grainy having to reach so far from the tower to the wave. It appears the cam has recently become out of focus and no longer properly focused in on the Scout Wave. This is a dangerous status of the wave cam for surfers, boaters, tubers, and swimmers at the Scout Wave. The hope is the cam is properly re-focused on the wave. Here is the link to the Scout Wave cam: https://www.coloradowebcam.net/camera/salida-co-spiral-dr-summit-tenderfoot-mt-ptz-webcam?q=node/595&img_folder=salidatower3&nid=279&width=1280&height=960
PROS AND CONS OF RIVER WAVE CAMS
Before some well intended person wants to climb up and commit a series of felonies ripping down the river pole cams at RRP, Scout, Canyon City, Boise, Bend, or wherever else; let’s talk these river wave pole cams over for the Pros and Cons.
PROS OF RIVER WAVE CAMS:
- Safety– This is the most important aspect of a live streaming river wave cam. It allows for those who manage the recreation in the rivers a vantage point to what is happening realtime at these waves. It also allows for first responders to hopefully show up to assist those in distress or those about to do something that will put their lives in jeopardy.
- Liability– These live streaming cams can provide the ability of officials to proactively react to dangerous events (large tree stuck in the wave, etc) before someone is hurt. Not having proper eyes on these waves just opens things up for all kinds of legal actions. Also these pole cams can store 30 days or more of streamed video in the cloud for later review if needed.
- Recreational Knowledge– Live steaming river wave cams will assist surfers and other people in determining the status of the river wave: Is it surfable; What skill set will be needed to surf the wave; How many people are at the wave; Who else is using the wave or passing through the wave; etc.
- Economic Benefit– These man made river waves are built with taxpayer funds, state grants, and at times federal grants with the purpose of public use and hopefully an economic return to the communities where the waves are located. A pole cam is like a never ending commercial for the economic benefit of having a river wave. Scout Wave for example is bringing in thousands of dollars each week if not each day into the Salida economy in the form of food/drink purchase, lodging, gear purchase, and general tourism expenditures by visiting river surfers.
- Public Engagement– The pole cams allow for river surfers and non-river surfers to enjoy a view from their smart phones and computers of what is happening on the wave, be it surfing or off-season interaction of wildlife and others with the river.
- Cost– The cost of hosting a river wave cam is negligible when it comes to the bigger picture of the cost of the building and upkeep of the river waves. Municipalities like the Mile High Flood District for RRP can very well afford the few grand it costs for purchase and install of high quality live streaming cams as well as the couple of grand (if even that) of internet service and cloud storage. This is a no brainer investment and cost compared to the overall construction and upkeep budget and sound of mind and legal expense protection.
- Public good– River waves are a free to use public assets. Wave cams will promote equitable use of these river waves. Nobody or no particular group owns the rivers and the river waves that we all surf on/in.
- Promoting River Surfing– Live streaming pole cams of our river waves actually being surfed will promote the future building of additional quality/surfable rive waves (like the BV Pocket Wave 2.0 project see https://arkvalleyvoice.com/planning-and-funding-the-bv-whitewater-park-pocket-wave-2-0/). These live streaming river wave cams alone will be a major catalyst for other municipalities to build river waves.
CONS OF RIVER WAVE CAMS:
- Crowding– River wave pole cams, like Surfline does for ocean breaks, will make for more crowded days and times on river waves.
- Surveillance– Do we need to be under constant surveillance by who knows who? River waves have no legal expectation of privacy, but do we need to be scrutinized every moment of the day even when recreating?
- Cost– Pole cams will need to be maintained and updated. This is a cost that we might not really need. Mile High Flood District receives millions upon millions of dollars from real property taxes (you pay either as a property owner or your landlord pays via your rent) and they don’t see the merit of live streaming cams in RRP. Should taxpayer funds be used on a such expenditures of pole cams?
- Legality– If a pole came is mounted and something bad does occur such as a drowning, the lawyers and investigators will be quick to secure the footage for review. Paid staff and volunteers are now possibly on the hook if not “scoped” by the municipalities and their insurers (un unlikely scenario).
CONCLUSION
The Pros outweigh the Cons for river wave cams…. River wave cams are being successfully used in places like Bend, Boise, Glenwood, Sixx, etc. for safety, wave knowledge, and public engagement. Though, River Run Park in particular needs to get with the times with proper live streaming wave cams on Sixx and Benni’s/Chiclets…
You may disagree or agree. Comment section is open. (Be cool and any out of line, disrespectful, or snarky comments will not be approved for posting.)
Peace, LBK
The Denver Surf Report 