Damian King has surfed Port Macquarie's world-renowned breakwall wave since he was an 11-year-old grommet.
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From dawn until dusk he either sat on one of the many rocks which make up the breakwall or fine-tuned his craft which led him to three world-champion bodyboarding titles.
But now the man known as 'Kingy' feels a planned upgrade of the wall could spell the end of one of the best waves in the world.
Transport for NSW has embarked on community consultation ahead of a $5m upgrade that will see many of the famous painted rocks submerged in the river and new rocks placed on top.
King believes there is a risk - if it's not done properly - that it will damage the water flow and consequently the wave.
"What we're worried about is 60 rocks being dropped onto the head which will change the current flow and trap the sand because what we have here which is a very special break," he said.
"If we stop the current and the sand, it will change the waves that people have enjoyed for generations and that will happen by changing the structure or the footprint of the profile of the break wall."
The world-class wave has brought up generations of surfers and bodyboarders and has also been a regular conversation starter at many breaks internationally.
"It's the crown jewel of Port Macquarie," King said.
"I used to travel all around the world and people would ask me about Port Macquarie's break wall.
"Without sounding cocky, there's not too many people who know that breakwall better than I do. Those same rocks I climbed onto 30 years ago as a kid are all still there and they're all in the exact same spot."
King says submerging the rocks in such large numbers will undoubtedly have a negative impact.
Port Macquarie's equivalent of Pipeline would potentially be no longer if the planned upgrade is not done carefully and correctly.
"We have a world-class wave out the front which comes out of deep water from the river and creates a super shallow sandbank and really heavy wave which is something Port Macquarie doesn't really have," King said.
Whatever the final decision is will need to be undertaken with care.
"If it's bunged up, it will definitely be a massive negative effect for Port Macquarie," King said.
The three-time world champion said the break wall wave is a huge part of the Hastings' community and a huge part of Port Macquarie.
"It's the prime spot in our whole town," he said.
"It's well-known all over the world and it offers a type of wave you can only get until you get to Newcastle. It's a very heavy, challenging wave and it's made up of the natural elements that has created it from the break wall and the river."
Fellow bodyboarder Joel Groth agrees the plans "would be seriously detrimental to the wave."
"It's a very unique wave where if there's sand around and the tide's right and the swell is on, it's a world-class wave. Kingy has won three world titles and he's from Port," he said.
"There's 10 or 11 guys from the bodyboarding association that have been on the world stage and they're all from the breakwall. It's an amazing wave and if there are any rocks put in the wall or anything that can potentially stop that water flow it could potentially ruin one of the best waves in the world."
A final information session will be held at Town Beach Park between 9am and 1pm on June 21.
Have your say via portmacquariebreakwall@transport.nsw.gov.au.
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