Enforce Surfing Etiquette on the Crowded Seas

It’s 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and I’m sitting on top of Roberts Road checking the surf. I'm almost on dawn patrol. 

It’s shaping up to be a gorgeous day: light winds blowing offshore, 65 degrees and comfortable. There are a couple of folks walking their dogs and a handful of surfers out at the north end of Linda Mar. The rest of the beach is pretty much deserted. I’m finishing my coffee so I can get a few waves before the crowds show up.

I pull into the main lot at Linda Mar and a car rolls in behind me — a late model mini-SUV type rig with about twelve soft-top (beginner) surfboards hanging out the back.

As the driver jumps out and starts unloading his cargo, I notice that waiting on the wall are a handful of folks suiting up. It's a group of students at one of the few surf schools in town. It’s very obvious they’ve never surfed as they struggle to get into their wetsuits and booties. If you’ve been a surfer for any amount of time you’ve seen it before; you’re out in the line-up and somebody paddles by with his or her wetsuit on inside-out and backwards. And, of course, nobody says a thing.

Once they finally get into their wetsuits, they don their red jerseys, grab a soft-top and follow their leader out past Taco Bell to ride the wild surf. I grew up around here so crowds of newbies don’t bother me as much as they do others. There are plenty of un-crowded spots around town to surf. 

Now that surfing has penetrated our mainstream culture, it has become one of those things “to do” in life. It has definitely become the target of corporate retreats, boys and girls weekends and more. Face it: it’s fun and everybody wants to try it. 

But with this kind of popularity indelibly comes overcrowded surf spots loaded with inexperienced surfers, which breeds tension amongst the local inhabitants. One loose twenty-pound torpedo to the forehead can cause some real problems out in the line-up.

On any given day the surf line-up at Linda Mar can be loaded with surfers a couple of hundred deep. That includes three surf schools, their alumni, visiting surfers, tourists and the locals. 

“It’s not a numbers thing,” said Shawn Rhodes, owner of Nor Cal Surf Shop in Pacifica. “It’s etiquette. Private or group, they need to be teaching everybody the basics in order to keep the line-up safe.” 

Nor Cal rents surfboards and hosts private instruction through the shop with qualified instructors. 

The fact is, Linda Mar has been over-run with beginners forever. According to Rhodes, about 80 percent of all the students collectively don’t continue surfing. It’s an overwhelming concensus of everybody I interviewed for this column that in order to keep order, basic surfing etiquette must be emphasized. Most beaches, including Linda Mar, have signs clearly posted explaining the basics of surfing and surfing etiquette. 

Santa Cruz, one of California’s most popular surf destinations, has implemented a strict set of rules to help keep a multitude of surf schools under control. No more than a 4-to-1 student-teacher ratio, staff must be CPR Certified and the kicker: there can be no more than a total of 44 students in the surf zone at one time.

“We do have three permitted surf schools that we have authorized and licensed on a yearly basis,” said Pacifica Parks, Beaches and Recreation guru Greg Cochran. “All the schools have guidelines, requirements and have to show proof of liability insurance.” 

According to Cochran, all other group instruction is prohibited at Linda Mar. 

The competition for those three spots is fierce. Folks are more than willing to shell out the cash for the beginning of their endless summer experience. Prices range from $250 and $400 a week for the camps and from $50 to $100 an hour for one-on-one lessons. That’s a real revenue stream for the shops and camps year-round. 

When I asked how people felt about surf schools and beginners in the waves on Facebook, I received a mixed bag of responses:

“I believe everyone should learn the hard way - get out on your own, get rolled, dumped, held down and generally battered,” said Sarah Mosely of Pacifica. “That's what surfing is all about. None of this mamby pamby hand holding and foamy boards nonsense.”

“I think Greg and Amy Gubser's surf camp (Surf Camp Pacifica) is incredibly great,” said Karen Peterson, also a Pacifica native. “For years my kids went to the camp when they were young and they developed a love for the sport early on. The instructors are awesome--tons of patience. They teach kids surfing etiquette, how to be safe in the water, are highly qualified in water rescue, and make the whole experience fun.”

“It can be very crowded and busy with the multiple schools out there at once... University of Surfing with Matt Cole does one on one school and stays with you the whole time,” said Lauren De Maio, a Surf School student from San Francisco. “So nice and encouraging!”

And my personal favorite:

“Do not fall prey to the siren call of the "surf schools" who are only interested in counting their wads of cash while pretending to turn you from a kook into a Kelly (Slater),” said Ward Walkup, a Pacifica resident. “You will be shoved out into the already over-clogged lineups ill-prepared to deal with psycho locals, chop hopping punks, SUP malcontents and gray haired longboard wannabes.”

Learning proper surf etiquette is not brain surgery. There won't be a written test after your lesson. It’s just being mindful of your fellow surfer. It’s hard being a beginner and trying to concentrate on anything but standing up.

But, as you progress, make sure you take a glance behind you to see if anybody else is on the wave and don’t ditch your board, be polite and pay attention to the more advanced surfers. There's a lot to learn by just watching.

The tide is definitely rising against the over-crowding due to the camps at Linda Mar. If the camps, shops and the City of Pacifica are to learn anything from Santa Cruz’s woes, everybody involved will start taking note now.

If you’re willing to shell out the cash for your surf safari or you’re looking for some summer fun for the kids and are willing to withstand the harshness of the North Pacific and all the strange wonderful creatures (both aquatic and human) that you’ll be sharing the line-up with, check out these sites and be mindful of your fellow surfer.

Aloha!

Camps–

University of Surfing

Surf Camp Pacifica

Adventure Out

Shops and Private Instruction-

Son Light Surf Shop