No leash zones? Is that a thing?

[seano732]

Tldr: Thing Two was surfing Sunset Cliffs ( not sure which break), and some asshole starting giving her shit about she couldn’t be there cause it was a no leash zone…. She was with a group of friends, several guys, all of whom told the old guy to go fuck himself. Is this an actual thing? And if so, why?

[Meadow Skipper]

That was bullshit, some guy probably trying to fuck with them.

Though it might have been funny if she’d strategically taken the leash off and let her board hit the guy when he was inside of her.

[PB]

I see what you did there ....

Are no leash zones actually a thing ANYWHERE???
If so, why?

[liv2ski]

Obviously surfing with no leash requires a higher level of skill unless you like swimming. I can imagine some old fuck at the cliffs being an asshole and claiming that to keep less experienced surfers out of his pond. I have met quit a few assholes in front of PLNC.

[seano732]

Obviously surfing with no leash requires a higher level of skill unless you like swimming. I can imagine some old fuck at the cliffs being an asshole and claiming that to keep less experienced surfers out of his pond. I have met quit a few assholes in front of PLNC.

Good to know. Obviously I don’t want my daughter to have a bad experience, and kudos to her crew, but I’ll be out there next month and will be sure to paddle out with her

[liv2ski]

The further south you go down the cliffs, the more territorial the locals can be. At the cliffs, I just go down the stairs at Garbage and paddle out there. More crowded, but less assholes. A little further south at Abs is a great spot, but numerous dickheads (locals) surf there.

[Ottime]

I don't know the situation at Sunset Cliffs or anywhere in SoCal really - other than to notice that every where is way over crowded.

Sounds like a bs comment, but there is a reason to have some enforcers in the water. Humans are pretty much entitled idiots, and without someone laying down the law, lineups become a complete shit show. I for one appreciate a few heavies in the water keeping the line in tow.

I typically surf zones that are a little more shaky, a bit more work to access, and even a little bit lower wave quality, and/or finicky set ups that most can't figure out when they are working - and often without a view from the road - mainly because surfing is too crowded even up here. I prefer to surf with the people I showed up with and maybe one other person I know. Once a lineup gets beyond 10, its hard to play the Gentlemen's Rule of etiquette and all other forms of etiquette suck (tho, Im starting to benefit from the Old Man's Rule).

I'd tell here to brush it off. There really are no rules that govern surfing.. Can someone create the Leash Free Zone Rule. Absolutely. Do you need to follow it? No, because surfing is anarchy. Tell her to try to take turns, paddle out of peoples way, don't let your board fly toward someone else and ignore angry dudes.

[seano732]

Thanks Ott…. I think the key for Sunset Cliffs is to either do dawn patrol or sunset…. She was at La Jolla this afternoon and had a blast.

[CascadeCrudSkier]

That's really odd to get that kind of feedback in the summer at those breaks, most of the grumps and locals don't really appear until the winter swells arrive. In the summer it's mostly college kids and longboarders who dig mushy waves or don't know any better. Anything south of PLNU, particularly Newbreak, is full of old grumpies who feel that everyone in the lineup should be on a handshaped fish from before 1980, surf without a leash, and have lived in the area for at least 4-5 decades. You hear things but I've never seen it get physical; it's just more of a poor vibe when it gets crowded and the regulars let anyone who isn't in the inner circle know that they aren't welcome.