Question for Jerseyites

the badges are only in affect from 9am-4pm. you can get on the beach free anytime not on those hours. We have badge checkers on each walk in on the beach. They ask you to see your badge and you proceed. and everyone has to buy them..locals..surfers...bennys..its all about the money baby.

 

Considering I work Beach Patrol at Manasquan, that is my job to make sure you have them.

Yes, they are only needed for guarded hours. No discount for locals. Surfers have to have them. Daily tickets are $6 weekdays and $7 weekends/holidays at Manasquan. Yes it is a ticket-able offense, but we come up to you first and unless you give us a hard time, you won't get one. If you get pissy and start cussing we'll call a cop for you Then you'll have to pay, and then probably get kicked off the beach. I recommend just paying to begin with.

Lastly, unlike other states, New Jersey Government does not give the towns a budget for the beach. That means that the lifeguards and beach crew (people who pick up trash) would not get paid, so each town has to make its own budget (selling beach badges and requiring them to get onto the beaches). Different towns run different rates, and some towns do not require them (Towns that can afford the budget without tourist profit)


Edit: GoinRetro: Personally me and the badgecheckers make sure they have badges more than just normal looking tourists.

 

Ok here's everything i know.. They only apply during guarded hours and if you just go to the beach to surf then you don't need to buy them. They cost $25 before the season starts so if you're a local there's the discount. Beach badge checkers check them who wear white shirts and yellow shorts, easy to spot because they are usually teens who are carrying a pouch of badges. If you somehow don't see them coming or don't have one they'll just tell you the rate per day, per week, and the increased rate per season which you can buy on the spot. Who knows what the money goes for, but there are ways to get out of not buying them. Just going in the water excludes you from being checked because they don't chase you. You can pretend to be sleeping if you see them at the last second. Or you can point to a bag you came with and say they're in the bag. Some checkers are airheads and just say ok, but if they ask where, just check the bag and tell the person I must have left it at home, sorry. They'll usually just say ok can you go and get them because another checker is coming soon. That's your que to get your board and go surf.

 

I can't believe locals and tourist alike need to pay to go to a "public" beach. The city, county, or any governmental official should be embarrassed about charging people to go to the beach. I am sure there is more than enough tax revenue or general consumerism to pay the salaries of the "public" employees. If not, then that particular municipality should have an outside auditor take a look at the books and see who is lining their pockets.

This just my opinion and this is what I would say if you came up to me at my local beach, of which I paid taxes to live in that area, and demanded to see a beach badge. The cops would definately have to come and I would have to file a civil suit against the city to get the restriction lifted.


RIDICULOUS!!!!
________
Honda RC161

 

Yay! Seriously, Manasquan is about a square mile. The ONLY thing in that town is the beach and houses. The only type of profit comes from tourism in the summer. How the hell would they be able to pay salaries for 50 people for the entire summer. Oh wait, yeah, they could just not have lifeguards, and not clean garbage off the beach, then it would probably look like NYC cause thats the trash that comes there. The 50 people do not include the badge checkers and other people who work there because they have to make sure they make money. 50 is just the lifeguards and crew.

If you wanna complain, take it to NJ Government and ***** all you want at them.

 

Our lovely City does NOT require surfers with boards to pay for a tag. If you're carrying a board (or a kayak or a kon tiki boat), you get on the beach for free dollars.

 

'Swim at you own risk" signs are much cheaper than guards.

 

hell yeah, where I surf the badge guys don't give a **** if your going on the beach simply to get to the water. Providing access to the water is my right and if some kook working beach patrol told me to pay, I'd tell him to go **** himself. Another reason why summer sucks in NJ, hope this winter is as good as last

 

Then move somewhere else cause you're pretty annoying yourself. The locals are bigger ****s than the tourists are.

 

surfers/people in the water NEED badges? do they seriously check them or do people get asked as they walk onto the beach?

 

In Long Branch, surfers dont need them.

 

Asked as they walk on.


Depending what girl you go to, you'll either have to pay or not.

 

dont listen to mister beach patroll

just get to the beach before the badge checkers get there ussually around 9-10am
surf your session then leave soon as the sea breeze kicks in and craps out the surf no ones gonna search you out of the water for a badge.

 

yeah let me just get up and move because I think its ridiculous to pay to get onto the beach 3 months out of the year, ****ing brilliant tbing.

 

true...as well as many other beaches....surfers and fisherman get on free. Some beaches charge and some do not......You just gotta know where to go. I never ever pay to get on the beach. EVER!!!!

 

same here, its totally ridiculous

 

badges

i used to badge check up in lavallette....didnt surf at the time(started the summer after), but let surfers go on with no badges. now i wish some of those badge checkers would lighten up...dont they know were not using there beach and theres a rare chance we will need the service of a life guard, so what do they want us to pay for??..... also i heard somewhere that if you have a surfboard its considered a flotation device and they cant charge you.....not here but its prob true somewhere??

 

I've surfed OCNJ for the last 18 years and have never been required and/or asked about a beach tag while surfing at the designated surfing beaches during guarded hours.

Considering it is a tourist economy and the tags are mostly for the people who come to the beach and treat it like their public trash can, I have no problem paying a few $$ to have it cleaned and dragged every morning.

You can get a tag for the entire season for $20, $15 if you buy it before the season.

It is easy to take the view of "paying to access a public beach" but I would look at it more as a service fee to keep the beaches clean. I'm sure if we had enough volunteers willing to clean the beaches we could eliminate the fee.

I'm not an apologist - just a rationalist. I've surfed these breaks enough to know that the majority of people have no respect for the beach and leave a lot behind.

Now - a bigger issue for me is "no dogs" on the beach regardless of time OR leash during the summer season. You can't even pay money to do it. Since my dog pre-dates the rule I consider her grandfathered in....

Locals...