The eye in the sky angle is a beautiful way to capture surfing.
Before the advent of the drone, filmmakers went to great lengths to make it happen. Remember “Sipping Jetstreams?” How about “Fair Bits?” Both films were released in the early 2000s, and each featured a marquee section filmed via helicopter that required tons of planning and money to make happen.
These days, filming that same section is as simple as launching a $1,000 DJI drone. Which is why everyone from surf YouTubers to the WSL owns one. In fact, the WSL uses their drone as one of their main broadcast angles
At least, for now.
If the US Government gets their way, House Bill HR 2864 (Countering CCP Drones Act) looks to ban all new DJI drones and possibly retroactively ground all currently owned DJI drones regardless of whether they’re for personal and professional use.
Matteo Colombo/Getty
Why? The issue is that DJI drones use and transmit location data, and the Government is concerned China is using that data to spy on the US.
According to this article, “Congress is saying that DJI captures user data, and that that data is available to the Chinese government, essentially allowing them to surveil US territory and our behaviors.
“Proponents (i.e. Internet commenters) argue that the drones’ LIDAR (used for obstacle avoidance) is essentially mapping our terrain for China, and that flight logs add more data to the mix. DJI maintains this isn’t the case, and that users can opt out of data collection entirely and restrict all data to the local device.”
So, what would a DJI drone ban actually look like?
Well, the Drone Advocacy Alliance (yes, that’s a real thing) says that “according to a 2023 economic impact analysis by John Dunham & Associates, removing DJI and its products from the market would result in the closure of 67% of American small drone businesses and the loss of more than 450,000 U.S. jobs.”
Related: Gallery: A Bird’s-Eye View of Pipeline and Beyond
Whether or not that analysis took the WSL and independent surf filmmakers into consideration is unknown, but either way, if the government gets their way, one of surfing’s most beautiful angles will be in jeopardy in the United States.
A surf filmmaker we spoke with said that if this bill passes, while there will likely be jailbreaks and workarounds for the average drone user, a government ban would almost certainly affect the WSL. Which means the WSL’s broadcasts at waves like Pipeline, Sunset, Huntington Beach and the WSL Finals at Lowers would look a lot different, and for the worse.
So, whether you’re a drone owner or simply a fan of the angle, to oppose HR 2864, fill out this form.