Possessively guarded by a tight-knit crew of localsurfers, Swami’s is so renowned that even pro surfers must wait their turn for a chance at riding one of those 10-foot waves.
The idea that Swamis is some incredibly localized spot with a gang of tough enforcers is completely ridiculous. Swamis localism is an urban myth. The legend spills over the 1960s. Back then there was a small tribe of surfers who controlled the lineup with a deft combination of respect and intimidation, but those days are long gone.
The Union Tribune wants it's readers to believe that professional surfers are lower on the pecking order than some mysto hardcore local, sorry UT it's just not true. Pro surfers tend to dominate and take as many waves as they want wherever they paddle out.
Also from the article,
Cori Schumacher, a local surfer who competed in Benson’s contest in France this year, said the activities were respectful to the surrounding community.
“I’ve been to events that are huge and loud and obnoxious, and this is not one of them,” Schumacher said. She supports moving the contest to Encinitas. Schumacher believes some people have legitimate concerns about the contest’s effect on the environment. But she said the opposition appears to be the work of local surfers who view Swami’s as “theirs.”
“Anyone who’s paddled out to Swami’s knows it is one of the more localized, ego-filled areas to surf on our coast,” Schumacher said.
It's interesting how the local card is getting played here. Contest organizers and professional surfers Linda Benson and Cori Schumacher are considered good because they are Encinitas locals and therefore have to right to hold a surf contest at Swamis. However, all other Encinitas locals who surf Swamis are viewed as selfish thugs. The vibe at Swamis is described as peaceful but then also described as aggressive.
The San Diego Union Tribune today published this photo of Swamis taken this week,
21st century Swamis surfing is basically chaos. Waves are not an unlimited resource. There are only so many rideable waves per hour and there tends to be more surfers in the water than there are waves so this leads to multiple riders on one wave, which is dangerous and annoying.
The population of north San Diego county has boomed over the last decade and many of those people surf. Naturally people are drawn to Swamis due to it's fame, natural beauty, easy access and wide channel that makes paddling out easy. It's not unusual to see 50+ surfers in the water at once, all competing for a limited number of waves. When its really good it is not uncommon to find more than 100 surfers out.
The chamber of commerce and other city boosters appear to be looking at expanding surf tourism. I wonder, is it wise to promote Swamis the surf spot with events like surfing contest? Realistically how many more surfers can we fit on one wave?
See Also: More Phony Bologna about localism.
JP for Mayor!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that Swami's should be the first place to have a surf lift. A chair lift that would take surfers from the beach beyond the waves. We would be a first. Lift tickets could be sold at discount rates by grocery stores throughout the land. Perhaps we could do a joint marketing campaign with Mammoth Mtn.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think? No more paddling out wasting all that effort.
5:09am-
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea. It will help pay for my pension. Someone needs to do it.
" All competing for a limited number of waves"-WTF??? Limited number of waves?? There is no such thing. IF there are tides then there are waves, an unlimited number of waves. They may not be the waves you like or want to ride, but to say there is a limited number is an out and out lie!!
ReplyDeleteMore localism from the SSA.
Perhaps you might consider riding waves after dark. Fewer surfer in the water=more waves for JP and his posse.
Anon 10:46, you are an idiot. Tides make waves? Heh. Any wave counts as a desirable wave to surf? Heh.
ReplyDelete"there are waves, an unlimited number of waves"
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the amount of time being considered. Per day, there are a limited number of waves in any given surf spot. But since the big bang there are countless waves, but they're still finite.
I will support Linda's for profit contest if she want to ride the tide.
ReplyDelete