Community Corner

Locals Only: How Tough Is Our Surf Turf War?

Share your surf-side experiences.

Surf culture is a part of just about every Southern California beach town. And part of that culture often includes a "locals only" attitude resident surfers take in regards to "their" waves.

While waves may be endless, only so many surfers can ride each and regulars don't appreciate having to share with newcomers who may or may not follow local etiquette, drop in on another riders' wave, mess up the lineup or simply crowd the beach.

Last week, the "locals only" issue came up on two So Cal Patch sites. From nearby Santa Monica, Martin Squires posted a blog about what he called Venice Beach hooligans who threaten visiting surfers, vandalize cars and steal property.

In La Jolla, editor Michelle Mowad spotted an online claim by a former surf shop employee who allegedly witnessed another employee injecting blood into rental surfboards in an effort to get sharks to eat tourist surfers hogging up the local surf lineup.

Admittedly, the latter smells a bit fishy, and when Patch reached out to the employee making the claim, we didn't hear back, but it does make us wonder what kinds of actions you've seen here. Are our locals good about sharing the waves? Could they be better? What's the most outrageous thing you've seen or heard about?


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