Surfing Localism

Last week I drove down to Palos Verdes in hopes of catching a few waves. There was a nice northwest swell running and conditions were ideal, with light offshore Santa Ana winds and a medium tide. I made my way down the steep cliff side and took in the beauty around me. After about a ten minute hike, I dropped my gear, suited up and paddled out into the cold, not so blue Pacific. I had set my sights on the outside peak where the set waves were running about 3-4ft overhead with only 2 guys surfing. As I was paddling by the 4 or 5 guys surfing the inside corner, I gave a "howzit" to one of the guys. Not surprisingly, he scowled at me. The reason I wasn't terribly surprised by this behavior is because Palos Verdes (for those of you non-surfers) is known to be quite localized.

I couldn't help but think, "here I am on this beautiful, stellar day. Minimal crowd and a consistent swell with beautiful conditions. How lucky am I! Perfect vision, health, job, food, warm bed at night." All these things came to mind. And this guy has the nerve to try and vibe me because he doesn't know who I am. I guess I should have been thankful that no one slashed my tires or threw rocks at me, something that has certainly happened at some of the most localized breaks. I can understand and in fact support local stewardship of A class surf spots. But the idea that an individual can lay claim to a piece of the ocean is ridiculous. At places like New Break in San Diego, Palos Verdes in LA, Hazards in San Louis Obispo and of course Fullers in Big Sur you can regularly see grown men act like a spoiled two year-old who can only focus on the toy they don't want to share..." Mine!" It's a very bizarre and also sad thing to witness. These are fit, healthy individuals who are fortunate enough to be spending time doing what they love. They are fortunate beyond belief. Yet, they're emotional maturity hasn't developed beyond their childhood years.

Check out the following link and read the comments posted by local and non-locals alike in regards to localism at Fullers.

http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/North_America/USA/California/Monterey/fullers/index.html

If I paddle out at a localized spot, don't show up with a crowd, follow the rules of etiquette and know how to surf then these self-proclaimed locals should show the respect they expect shown to them. If someone paddles out and does not adhere to the unwritten rules of surfing etiquette then they by all means should send that person packing. But no one has the right to claim ownership of a particular piece of ocean.

Rules for surfing an A class surf break-

1- Respect the locals.
2- Don't show up with a group of people.
3- Don't paddle right to the peak. Hang wide or inside and wait for the leftovers.
4- Don't jockey or back paddle for waves.
5- If caught inside and someone is dropping down the face of the wave that's breaking in front of you, don't attempt to paddle for the shoulder, paddle inside the surfer and take the wave on the head.