Ouch - is it legal? Towns enacting restrictions on water?
I know this happens with surf comps - which are infrequent so infrequently complained about / no need for enforcement.
I'd guess that if enough dudes wanted to surf there would be lawsuit that happened already
What am i missing?
I dunno. Apparently the town of Hallandale in Florida banned all surfing, but the Florida courts threw it out. My guess is, it varies state to state.
What you are missing (I am guessing you are a Californian):
New Jersey has a short and very intense beach season. See and be "Scene". Wilmington, Philadelphia, half of Baltimore, and half of New York crash the place, and the primary daytime water activity appears to be standing in the impact zone screaming your face off all day long.
In contrast the powers-that-be in that zone are very career/goal-oriented. I'm talking, surfing doesn't mean sh!t to the Dean of Admissions at Penn (Gravy Jersey Shore) or Princeton (Snookie Jersey Shore) and I hope you had fun making that sandcastle/snowman when you were four, because after Labor Day, Kindergarten starts, and playtime is fukn over.
Typically every year I'll be surfing some rando street in Jax Beach and someone from Up Nawth will obviously Up Nawth all over the shop. Normally it's a tentative question about parking or beach tags, and when they get the good to go, they stride forth over the dunes as boldly and cockstrong as Ponce de Leon ever did. Sometimes it's someone openly gawking at me doing the towel wrap/trou drop/trunks or wettie on in public and letting everyone know. That one happens a shitload on the Treasure Coast/Palm Beaches.