Issues of Localism

[Koo Nass]

[XBlueSilverX]

" I don't remember eating corn!"

[Bison]

Brewster's draft of the law stated that "no person, regardless of residence, lineage, social status, or other reason may lawfully claim the right to a wave . . .

A Web camera helps officers monitor trouble areas and police loan surfers waterproof cameras to document locals who hassle them. Undercover cops, posing as outsiders, routinely paddle into the lineup.



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... N95379.DTL

[wanty]

undercover cops in the line up? are they serious? There you go OST maybe you can get that gig.

[Gazsurf]

Jesus just what that Nazi needs another reason to hit the beach! Are you going to stencil the OST logo on the @ss of your wetsuit too?

[Tyedog]

Undercover cops, posing as outsiders, routinely paddle into the lineup.

There was one at the Lane a few years ago, on a bodyboard. He dropped in on EVERYONE, yelled at EVERYONE, and kooked every wave he got. Sounds like entrapment to me.

[Gazsurf]

Tyedog....please for the love of God shut up....OST is a real prick and will prolly use that tactic next week at Shorties, he loves to frog march arrestees up the path there, I thinkit gets him up for the old lady in the trailer park!

[redliner]

Fish?......

[kevinfromseattle]

two older ~35 yrs old guys at westport that drive big trucks with ladder racks will get on you, but only on off days when the swell is really pumping at TC (winter). Ive had one tell me in advance that "if you drop in on me, i'll break your fawkin face"
thats it

[thurgood jenkins]

Yeah last time I was at Westie there was this one guy playing police officer at the break trying to teach everyone ettiquette I tried to ignore him and shrug it off. At one point he was calling out this Hawaiian guy on a long board for taking off early on the sets telling him to learn his ettiquette they started screaming and the guy from Hawaii said "This sh*t happens everytime I come here." "If you pulled that attitude in Hawaii you'd be dead!"
At the time there was only 4 of us out there surfing the groins. I ignored them for the first 5 minutes then simply said. "Guys, theres only four of us out here for god sakes, chill out and enjoy the waves" they got quiet after that I guess they felt silly. It's funny htough because after the guy told me off earlier in the session he started up conversation with me several times. He was a nice enough guy after the initial bs but his attitude turned me off and I really didn't want anything to do with him, I don't want to make any enemies though so I was polite.
It amazes me that these guys cop an attitude like that in this day and age it's not the smartest thing to start mouthing off a total stranger, you never know, the guy could be waiting for your a$$ in the parking lot with a tire iron or a gun or something. I figure unless I have something positive to say to someone I usually won't say anything at all. No sense making enemies. Besides why fight over waves anyways, another one will roll through in about 11 seconds. The whole localism deal is pathetic not only does it not work it's completely opposite to the soulful nature of surfing. These people need a wake up call, maybe if they didn't surf the same wave everyday for the last couple of decades they'd have a more open mind.

[nm]

you never know, the guy could be waiting for your a$$ in the parking lot with a tire iron or a gun or something.

Any of you guys that have been around the page for a long time remember the guy in Westport that pulled a gun? .......couple years ago I think?

[thurgood jenkins]

I wouldn't be suprised that place is teeming with attitude and bad vibes, some of the most miserable surfers I have ever encountered which is a little odd as they get pretty good, consistent waves. The town kind of sucks but I have been in worse places with better attitudes and far more fickle surf, case in point Port Renfrew, that place is sooooooo fickle, has one of the highest suicide rates in Canada yet the locals there are stoked and friendly. One guy even hooked me and 2Tone up with some nugs as we were out and feinin, thanks man!

[pro moe]

longboard paddling around everybody

sounded like that hawaiian needed to be regulated and lest he forget he aint in hawaii

and skilz in my experience is the great silencer

[Bison]

In a recent Surfer article about localism Steve Barilotti writes:

"But the hard-line localism of yesteryear-where a small, close-knit crew of regulars uses such intimidation to keep outsiders at bay-is fast becoming extinct. The sheer number of surfers in the water these days makes policing the line-up a bootless exercise."

From what I have seen (limited I admit) in the PNW it seems like the "localism of yesteryear" Barilotti speaks of is alive and well at a few spots, most notably the point. Perhaps because the numbers of people in PNW waters is comparatively low this so call "policing" still exists.

I can't see that "sheer numbers" will however ease the tensions. Perhaps it has been chugging along at a steady rate for years and it is just me that is new on the scene but it seems like tension in PNW waters is reaching a boiling point where we could soon be seeing the sort of nastiness more well know surf locales have known.

Those of you who have been around for a while in the PNW....
Has localism existed at a steady level, increased, or decreased over the years???

[Bison]

ok one more question for everyone....

As Paul Holmes, contributing editor of LongBoard magazine, wrote:

"Few surfers in comparatively crowded conditions have not seen or experienced the phenomenon of social hostility. Verbal abuse and threats, punches, rock-throwing and tyre-slashing are so commonplace they have become part of the fabric of daily surfing. The core issue is wave possession. In localism, it's about 'our waves'. In surf rage, it's about 'my wave'."

As defined here, what is more common in the PNW, Localism or Surf Rage