So I’m officially retiring as a professional photographer! I will be picking up where I left off as a rigger/rope access technician (which I did while building up my photography business) and joining once again the ranks of the hobbyist. Fuck yeah. This blog is being left for dead, but you can follow my new life as a rope-dangling, rock climbing, BASE jumping, beer swilling photo enthusiast at http://joshcaple.tumblr.com/

Much love & props to all the countless amazing folks I’ve worked with along the way,
Josh.

 

Police are appealing to the community to remind them about the dangers of base-jumping and that it is an offence to do this activity in New South Wales.

About 4.40pm yesterday (24 July), Wollongong Police were called to reports of possible para-gliders experiencing difficulty near the Coledale escarpment.

Members of the public told police they saw two people, with a glider or parachutes, fall to the base of the escarpment and were concerned for their safety.

An extensive search was commenced involving Wollongong Police, Police Rescue Squad, NSW Ambulance Paramedics, NSW Ambulance Helicopter and the CareFlight Helicopter.

The search was concluded about 7.30pm after inquiries showed no-one had been reported as missing or injured. Further information also received said that the area had previously been used for base-jumping.

Police are reminding the community that base-jumping is an offence and is a dangerous activity.

The search conducted used a large amount of emergency service resources and took a considerable amount of time.

And my response (to the article and to comments on the article by other members of the public):

The reason that BASE jumping is illegal is due to a lack of understanding on the part of the majority (because the only time anyone hears about it is when someone gets hurt & the major news media presents a sensationalist witch hunt, they never bother reporting about the vast majority of jumps which are well planned and executed, accident free and a whole lot of fun) and the unwillingness of the police force and National Parks to work with the jumping community on a sustainable management plan. It is easier for them to turn a blind eye, while jumpers are left with no choice but to jump illegally (which, in the pursuit of stealth, can make otherwise safe jumps much less so) or to simply give up their passion in life!

I can assure you that if the media were willing to present truthful representations and authorities were willing to work together with jumpers then these kind of incidents would not be an issue- jumpers could simply have a respectful working relationship with authorities & call in to the local police dispatch before/after a jump to clarify whether assistance is needed and police could then reassure any call-ins about the reality of the situation. This is how things work in the US and all through Europe and it works fantastically. There are still sites designated as illegal but the vast majority of jumpers stick to the managed legal jumps and everyone is happy. Public response to BASE is also vastly different, jumpers are treated as world class athletes participating in the sport that they love, not as criminals and menaces!

BASE jumpers are putting only themselves in harms way and that is their own choice to make. They are also making this choice in a self-managed scenario involving extensive training, preparation, and a thorough risk assessment at each site before each jump.
Emergency personnel have elected to perform rescues as their job and if they are putting themselves in any unreasonable danger throughout the course of any BASE jumper rescue then it is due directly to their own incompetence and that of the rescue leader. I have personally rescued jumpers off the side of cliffs on occasion & can assure you that any ‘danger’ is perceived due to the ignorance of the general public about the reality of competent people operating in a wilderness vertical environment. If you know what you are doing then you are in significantly less danger than when you drive your car.

This trip also gave me a great chance to test drive one of the new FStop camera bags, the Tilopa BC, which I am now officially in love with. I was recently signed onto the FStop Pro team and I’m stoked to now be using their bags for all my camera, computer and travel gear.. they really do kick ass for those of us operating off the beaten track!

Well actually, sometimes I do… and it was an absolute pleasure and an honour working with my friend George Tang to help launch his new company Helping Wing. No gimmicks, no sales pitch, just good people helping good people smile. Check out G-Tang’s site and if you like what you see then have a think about supporting what he’s up to.