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Crowded California
- Thread starter Bob
- Start date
I counted close to 150 guys at an A-grade spot that was hardy picking up any of the swell... to the point where it was almost flat. lol.
and you didnt create a Post for that ?
its really come down to every reef worth surfing has more people out than capacity, every hour of every day of the week
u can go to a closed out beachbreak and wait for an odd wave with shape, sometimes, without as bad a crowd
u can go to a closed out beachbreak and wait for an odd wave with shape, sometimes, without as bad a crowd
Lived in Cardiff on and off for a year and never surfed Swamis once, crowded when flat.
I got it empty-ish a few times when I lived in NCSD but that was as rare as hen's teeth
It's crowded because (a) no one quit; and (b) everyone taught their kids how to surf.
When I first started surfing as a teenager, the "older" crew were only in their 20s. Anyone older than that was a spooky, creepy oddball. I think me and most my peers assumed we'd surf for awhile, and then "grow up" and move on into "normal" middle class lives.
Wetsuits, leashes, the pill/abortion and technology changed all that. The transition from a classic resource intensive, production based economy to one based more towards information allowed people to stay/work by the coast - simply because they didn't have to commute to some kind of factory job.
With the the pill/abortion, both biology and culture changed, so now you could screw to your heart's content without worrying about the classic "gotta get a 9-5 job" to support the (unwanted) kids. thereby following the traditional footsteps of millions of others who had to knuckle under the system.
The result of these and other trends - like the overall population explosion - was the creation of 'peter pan' surfers, the ones - who in the eyes of society - not only never had to grow up, but could carve out lucrative lifestyles doing exactly what they were doing. Because the general population was still growing, and still moving to Calif, all of a sudden staying by the coast could allow one to be involved in real estate, and all the attendant jobs that sector provides.
So, who got the last laugh? The surfers of course. And, since they didn't pay a penalty for their life choices, surfing became more respectable, because now it was no longer broken down drunks, drug addicts and other typical "beach bums" dominating the public image.
And then what did all these parents do once it was established that: (a) surfing didn't cause them any negative outcomes; (b) it was/is still the most bitchin' activity ever invented by man; and (c) it's something most felt should be passed on to their kids, rather than boring ball sports, then guess what the end result was?
When I first started surfing as a teenager, the "older" crew were only in their 20s. Anyone older than that was a spooky, creepy oddball. I think me and most my peers assumed we'd surf for awhile, and then "grow up" and move on into "normal" middle class lives.
Wetsuits, leashes, the pill/abortion and technology changed all that. The transition from a classic resource intensive, production based economy to one based more towards information allowed people to stay/work by the coast - simply because they didn't have to commute to some kind of factory job.
With the the pill/abortion, both biology and culture changed, so now you could screw to your heart's content without worrying about the classic "gotta get a 9-5 job" to support the (unwanted) kids. thereby following the traditional footsteps of millions of others who had to knuckle under the system.
The result of these and other trends - like the overall population explosion - was the creation of 'peter pan' surfers, the ones - who in the eyes of society - not only never had to grow up, but could carve out lucrative lifestyles doing exactly what they were doing. Because the general population was still growing, and still moving to Calif, all of a sudden staying by the coast could allow one to be involved in real estate, and all the attendant jobs that sector provides.
So, who got the last laugh? The surfers of course. And, since they didn't pay a penalty for their life choices, surfing became more respectable, because now it was no longer broken down drunks, drug addicts and other typical "beach bums" dominating the public image.
And then what did all these parents do once it was established that: (a) surfing didn't cause them any negative outcomes; (b) it was/is still the most bitchin' activity ever invented by man; and (c) it's something most felt should be passed on to their kids, rather than boring ball sports, then guess what the end result was?
Closer than you think. I've got a few good ones that give away spots and I don't like to do that.A little north, Bob, but yeah, that's pretty much my old local area. A little more crowded than it used to be but not too bad.
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