The Quickening of the Apocalypse
a reason for birth control
PLEASURE POINT — "Surf schools are kook factories" was the Labor Day theme at the Hook. More than 50 die-hard surfers united Monday on the sidewalk above the 41st Avenue break to carry handwritten signs with surf lingo insults such as "If you ride a foamie, you ain’t my hommie (sic)."
The group of mostly old-school surfers, many of whom have been riding waves here 20-40 years, strolled along East Cliff Drive, taking jabs at the schools that teach beginners how to paddle and catch a wave.
"Sport of kings, School of kooks," one sign read. Another said "... My wave is not for sale." "We hate surf schools," organizer Joe Henry said. "Basically what happens is the surf schools bring so many people to a peak that it becomes a health hazard."
Surf school owner Ed Guzman, who’s been teaching the sport since 1983, said he understands the problem and tension it causes in the water.
"I take my surf camps to Manresa or Rio Del Mar so I don’t have to scrape for room on Pleasure Point," Guzman said. "And I don’t think it’s fair for the people just learning the sport to be exposed to bad vibes."
The surf school hazard, say the guys who make the sport look easy, is the hoards of people who flock to the water not knowing anything about etiquette. And that can lead to accidents and injuries.
The schools aren’t teaching people anything about the "surf community or the environment," protesters said. Plus, the increasing number of surf camps and classes spilling into popular areas such as 38th Avenue are "choking us out of our spots," Henry said. Cowell Beach is known as the consummate beginners wave spot.
Protesters complained that most students — many brought here by out-of-town surf schools from around the Bay Area — don’t have much in the way of swimming skills or "water smarts."
Novices don’t know how to sufficiently watch out for oncoming surfers, and they don’t know how to get out of the way quickly, longtime area surfer Pat Farley said.
Many collisions, he said, are caused by students, who have no clue what they’re doing. "It’s not fair to the surfing community," said Farley, a mirror image of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" character Jeff Spicoli. "How can one instructor teach 15 people how to surf? That’s what they’re doing, and they’re in the way."
Surf school protesters say they don’t begrudge anyone the opportunity to join the legions who make the sport part of their daily routine. Rather, they want beginners to ditch the schools and instead learn through one-on-one instruction. "If they can get themselves in the water, they’re welcome," Farley said, preferring people learn on their own or in a private lesson. Surf schools were criticized Monday for exploiting a natural resource "just to make a profit." Some charge $85 for a two-hour group lesson.
Surfer Mike Gerard compared the way the surf schools take over peaks with 15-20 students at one time to the government seizing someone’s property through eminent domain. "We live here at the beach. This is where we spend our lives," Gerard said. "We’re getting pushed out of our lives so someone else can make money."
Surfing is more than a weekend pastime for these guys. It’s a way of life that comes with a rite of passage earned by knowing when to grab a wave and when to let the other guy (or gal) have it, they say. "Surfing is a lifestyle, not a class," a sign said.
posted by el Craplastico | 9:24:00 AM
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