oc 19th

[...lostgirl]

no hating on OCBP so don't take it personally esp since I dont surf there anymore. just observations of guards at various beaches over the years. you sound like you are in the 10% category.

On Delsurf under another screenname.

oh. theres a john that has ur screen name over there and thought it was the same. used to surf with him years ago but anyways.. yeah i know some people can use their authority the wrong way. it does seem like the last couple years we've had a good group though. the whole whistling out at 10am thing was a big issue this year. beach patrol officers pretty much reemed people who were giving it until 1015 or so. so know that a lot of the time it's not that we aren't trying to be chill about it. it's just that the hammer has been layed down and we've been written up about it.

[...lostgirl]

[QUOTE=xgen70;36496]This thread was more of a general blog of the days events.

2. I have talked to that big guy more then once, over the years,. got his name as well,..nice enough guy. But if he is going to police like he blows his whistle, that could be a problem. And he has been here long enough to be able to control the situation without making so much noise. (And he really should have a better understanding of how it all works and who is who by now.) In fact that much noise on such a constant basis in and around the surf zone is a hazard and potential liability. I could even argue that perhaps the reason the guard farther away had to make the save was due to the noise in... some way. Also, the focus should be on insuring that the swimmers and those not riding are the ones staying away from the surfers, not the other way around. of course, depending on swell direction, winds, rips...surfers do finish their rides past the flag at times, but never to the extent that would warrant such a focus on them to such a degree. I see no reason why money is not spent on a least a few bull horns, for the surf beach attendants and those at the inlet and exposed jetties still in town. Control would be so much more effective both for the swimmers and surfers. Verbal warnings could be Politely issued to both swimmers and surfers, and for the surfers much more easy to enforce asking one of them to leave if need be. Totally agree. Overdoing it on the whistle only aggravates the surfers in the water and desensitizes everyone to the sound (including swimmers who may be in a rip). Unfortunately, a lot of surfers just ignore the whistle and hence the need to keep using it. It's typically just one person, maybe two that is pushing the boundary. Then all the surfers have to hear the obnoxious whistle b/c of one person. Bull horns, been suggesting that for so many years. Would be so much more effective. I've seen them used at the surf beaches in CA and it works so well. As far as keeping the swimmers away from surfers, we do that. The surf beach technically ends at the chair, not the flag. The area in between the two is a buffer where no one is supposed to be. We make the buffer bigger depending on the current, surf conditions, rips, etc. But in fairness, if you surf past the flag, you're in the swimmers territory and they have the right of way. 8 foot board plus 9 foot leash=we need to keep surfers at least 20 feet away from swimmers. Hence the buffer we set up. I know that most guys are on shorter boards and they're in control and kick out of the wave. But honestly, there are also a lot of guys who surf past the flag and then ditch the board. Then the board is like a half foot from clearing out a kid's head.

3. I know Ben pretty well I think,.. it is one thing to swim out and talk to people, but to tell some to get out? That just was not smart, and not needed. There are other, smarter ways to handle a real problem. I already mentioned one. Ben is a pretty chill guy. What I understood was that there was only one surfer that he told would have to get out if he kept going out of boundary. It was the same surfer large-guy-with-whistle was trying to move repeatedly. Can't see him being a d*ck to you guys when he swam out, doesn't seem like his personality.

Again, any suggestions as the summer goes along, let me know. Really hoping we can improve the surf beach and make it run smoothly this year. The days of cops being called, surfers being ticketed and whatnot.. hate that drama and it only creates more animosity. It should never have to escalate to that point. Here's counting down to September.. warm water, more consistent ground swell and no more surf beach.

[aka pumpmaster]

oh. theres a john that has ur screen name over there and thought it was the same. used to surf with him years ago but anyways.. yeah i know some people can use their authority the wrong way. it does seem like the last couple years we've had a good group though. the whole whistling out at 10am thing was a big issue this year. beach patrol officers pretty much reemed people who were giving it until 1015 or so. so know that a lot of the time it's not that we aren't trying to be chill about it. it's just that the hammer has been layed down and we've been written up about it.

at the carousel?

[Salty J]

It was like shoulder high at best on Friday. Let's not loose it yet. It's super silly for another 2 months, especially on the weekends, but if ya can't find some waves around the clowns and babysitters during the course of an all day swell then your just going to have to bash your head against the wall (or jetty) at your "top spot" until vacation season is over.

[...lostgirl]

at the carousel?

yeah carousel.

[aka pumpmaster]

damn. my old assed brain must be failing cause I don't remember surfing there with a girl.

[ECsponger]

Ya'll crazy man I read this a few days ago and I left it alone then but I had to say a little something now. I'm friends with a lot of guards and I like the education sessions for the tourons because they really need it. The only thing that bothers me is the stupids in the water that are in your way wading around. Obviously, I bodyboard so I can go out anywhere anytime. But on a nice weather/nice wave day, where is my salvation? Assateague? There should just be some "ride only" areas i.e. southern st. jetty areas, where tourons/waders shoudn't be swimming around anyway. like a 1/2 block area either way by jetties. Those are the places I like to ride due to some shifty/rippy conditions, it can be very challenging.
Several of the guard recognize me in that area so they don't give me any hard time and obviously I wear fins so that instantly makes me a better swimmer. But when I go bowling into a group of 10 teenagers that have waded into my "ride zone" it kills it for me. I believe the BP are doing a good job and I'm glad they let me do my own thing because I spend a lot more time in the water than they do around those areas anyway. But keep the tourons away from me please.

[capesurfer]

year round surfer, summer time ocbp here.
we're not all kooks.
surfers get shafted in the summer, and it sucks to be the one having to do the shafting, but not all of us are douches. we do what we gotta do, or we get reprimanded, simple as that. it's too bad our reputation is more as a police force then as watermen. i for one prefer to be associated with the latter.

[LVl<E]

i get the point of these surf only beaches...up here in jersey we can surf wherever whenever which excludes a few towns here and there scattered along the coast but for the most part as long as we stick it near the peak and out of the small designated swimming area the guards want say sqwuat to us. and this allows for the surfers to spread out over the beaches. i mean it still gets crammed at the best breaks but sometimes you can find a lonely break where you a few friends will be the only ones out

[chong]

Why even bother with in town mid day in the summer. I like to surf, not fight in the water and withthe price of boards these days... We drove out the OSV and had empty waves all day long...