To Surf or not to Surf

[Howly Wolf]

I could live with that... can barely get a campsite in the summer these days anyway.

A season+ free of cals and vals is great for waveriders, but business must be freaking out. Recession-era Oregon Coast was a very different world-- I recall LC like a ghost town, almost entirely boarded up along 101 (though Candyland was still swinging). Sad that so many hamlets just recently seemed to be recovering from that downturn thanks to tourist $$$ and then this goes down. I could care less about the yuppies, but I'm definitely rooting for the working stiffs out there.

[Major Lazer]

Yep. I gave up on summer coastal camping many years ago. Prefer dispersed camping in the high country although there are some nooks in the coast range that are pretty sweet. Surf never that great anyway.

Kinda all depends on how quick the economy can bounce back and how many employees can get their jobs back. I've heard unemployment numbers comparing to great depression. City of Portland announced yesterday a mandatory 10 day furlough for non union employees, no cost of living increase, and no merit raises moving forward. Unions will likely follow suit during next contract negotiations.

Combine recession with coming election and well shitt surfing may just be an afterthought for many of us. Its likely gonna be a bumpy ride ahead. Save your pennies and prepare for the worst yet hope for the best.

[Tex]

Lots of "locs" on the PC cam this morning....so much for surfers social distancing.

[Howly Wolf]

Don't worry, Tex, I'm sure some of them own second homes in PC and are therefore officially "locals". Seems like there's no shortage of complexity in who gets to go to the beach and who doesn't. Check out this article:

https://www.northcoastcitizen.com/news_ ... 482c8.html

While I well understand the frustration of small communities desperately trying to avoid acollapse of their medical systems, it's not so black & white as "everybody with out of state plates = bad". Not too mention the latest COVID case identified in Tillamook Conty was a resident who commutes to Portland for their job... which doesn't quite square with the narrative that visitors are "contaminating" their town.

The reality of the situation is that we can't have it both ways. The stay at home order isn't enforceable and beaches are open, so outsiders gonna drive into surf. It's a dikk move, but not everyone accepts the responsibility of an egalitarian society.

Here's an interesting piece about Seaside, which has "definitively" closed the beach, except that for the fact there were 15 heads bobbing around at high tide yesterday.

https://www.seasidesignal.com/coronavir ... 1e28f.html

Anyhow, I'm officially frothing-- lots of energy in the water for the next week and here I am in Portland, living trife. Hope to someday surf again in a manner that jives with my ethics... or just try harder at being an a-hole, which come to think of it, never thought I'd really have a problem with in the first place.

[Major Lazer]

My guess is that people in say Tillamook, like other working class rural communities, are not as concerned as say the rich white folks of Manzinta who think they can turn their elitist beach town into a semi gated community by setting up check points and checking IDs. In the end, whether it's out of towners or the people themselves in these rural communities not adhering to recommended social distancing measures, the burden just comes back to Portland where they are life flighting all critical patents from around the state. Resources are limited here as well and the populations are at greater risk due to greater population density. So its safe to say everyone is part of the problem if your not following the rules no matter where you live.

In the end, at least as surfers or people who surf, we are privileged and pretty much make our own beds at the end of the day. It may be hard to watch people surfing on the cams, but I'm assuming (or would like to) that most of those people surfing are locals. They chose to live coastal and we have chosen to live in the valley. And if your a surfer who's never lived coastal, I highly recommend it. Its the dream. Now from my observations the parks and bikeways in Portland have been packed, so I don't see anything wrong with people going surfing, given its a bit of a unique situation on the Oregon coast.

For the last 2 weeks I have maybe left my house 2 or 3 times. As a white middle class guy who can work from home and has a nice backyard, I don't see any reason for me to make a habit out of leaving my house. In fact there are many days in the Spring and Summer that I would rather be in my backyard where I find more solitude than I would at any popular surfing beaches. But that's just me and in the end, its the individuals decision to take to their own measures and responsibilities. As the old saying goes, karma's a bitch.

[Howly Wolf]

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-nort ... s-say.html

Imagine getting busted for surfing Otter of all places. Did anyone check the cam yesterday? I could see how it might've been tempting given the variables...

[Major Lazer]

It was firing! Counted 28 heads out at PC yest am early too. That's pretty funny thou. Gotta get that 420 sesh yo. 1st I have heard of any enforcement whatsoever. And this is getting a bit ridiculous. Why is Otter even closed? Seems to go against 1st amendment rights and the Oregon Beach Bill? Guess they coulda gone to Agate? I'm sure people are going down to Short Sands too.

Hopefully the Governor comes to her senses sooner than later. The curves been pretty much flattened and it's not as bad as we thought it would be. NC and Fla have opened beaches back up and in New England they never closed. Cousin sent me pics of DOH surf at the point last week. Fakars! We are well ahead of them. Santa Cruz has opened back up. Given the right is starting to get fired up, I'd guess most of the coast would vote to open things back up, given the choice. Don't tread on me!

[BOX]

Did anyone check the cam yesterday?

The cams at Otter have been pointing up more towards the horizon the past few days/week so you can't see the break any more. It was an agreement they made to discourage people from going there to surf/recreate since the county kept getting so many reports of people crossing the barriers. They put out a warning that they were going to start enforcing if people didn't start taking it seriously but, well...

Via the Newport News Times

Otter rock barrier crossing.jpg (183.76 KiB) Viewed 20964 times

Why is Otter even closed?

It's technically Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area so it's covered under the Governor's shutdown order. In theory if you can get to the beach through a private access you should be ok, but these folks were blatantly crossing the barrier and flaunting the rules in front of law enforcement, so (arguably) they were kind of asking for it.

I've had several discussions about whether or not Agate is ok to surf. The state wayside down below is closed as is the big parking lot and changing rooms run by the city up top. But the mayor says it's ok to be on the beach itself. People were parking in the neighborhood and accessing it but then the neighbors complained to the city so the city announced that law enforcement was going to start enforcing that spot as well. However, I still see people on the cam when I check it so folks must still be accessing it somehow. Agate has a lot more alternate accesses than Otter, though, so I'm sure some enterprising minds figured something out.

As for me, I still haven't been out since before spring break. I'm starting to froth and hope I've still retained what little skill I had when I finally get out again. There's a beach near my house that looks absolutely terrible for surfing but I'm seriously considering trying it out just so I can get some paddle time in if anything. My yard's starting to look good though. My haircut... not so much...

[Major Lazer]

Dude go surf!!!! Coastal peps are driving around to different spots to surf. I'm sure that other dude from PDX that used to post here, but now lives there is checking all the spots and surfing. Cases are low. And surfing is pretty much safe. Don't let the government take it from you. Go surf.

[Howly Wolf]

Given the right is starting to get fired up, I'd guess most of the coast would vote to open things back up, given the choice.

I completely misinterpreted that at first

Yesterday was cranking alright! Didn't cross my mind to check the OR cam, but even at the odd angle, would've seen (or not seen) what I was looking for.

The half-assed beach closures was what I was getting at in my last whinging session. When Seaside, for instance, "definitively" closes the beach, but there's a jammed lot and double digit lineup on the cam, it just sows confusion and siphons people into a handful of spots or prompts them to barge closed areas.

It's an imperfect situation, but I'm glad people are taking things more seriously these days... or most of us anyway. Surfing does less harm than a hundred mouth breathers assembling to protest a pretend police state, so might as well drop the facade and let folks surf at our own risk.

[Major Lazer]

I'm glad you get my sarcasm Howly.

[Major Lazer]

Totes surfin'...not even a question. I'm potentially doing more harm by
going to work everyday and "working from home" is not an option in my
line of work. Unless you're bumping rails, pulling leashes, shoulder hopping and spraying
hassles in seaside it's not that hard to maintain distance from people in the line up.
But by all means, stay home if you have even a passing consideration. Please...

Hows it been brah? Where you been scoring?

[buoyhead]

As one who resides on the North Coast, all I can say to those surfboarders who don’t is.... you haven’t missed much. Most who live here would agree that this has been one of the worst Fall/Winter season ever. Which is fine by me since ethically speaking, during these times, I’ve made the choice to sit this out awhile. I will confess to surfing 2 times on a Saturday and Sunday on a small east wind day at a place within walking distance from our home that I never surfed before in my life. Nothing special at all but so nice just to be in the water by myself, get some paddling in, and enjoy the day. You couldn’t pay me enough to go out in the Cove nowadays. A clusterf**k of kooks, SUP’s and Washingtonians, with the usual locals lost in the crowd. My diversion of choice being riding my bike on “secret spot” logging roads.
We’ll get through this. Remember, the spread of the virus depends on two things :
1. How dense the population
2. How dense the population

[Major Lazer]

Good intel Buoy. Have heard of a few choice spots going. Not sure if you venture south of the head. Anyways, been ripping urban multi track on my cross bike. My hood has some fun dirt to gravel to paved alleys that go for quite a while. Otherwise getting pretty fat.