I'd been waiting for this day. I knew it was coming sooner rather than later.
In a nutshell, when I emerged from my mat session (at my homebreak in closeouts that weren't worth surfing on a board), I was met by the lifeguard. He was very nice. As a result, so was I. He told me that he had no problem with me matting, but that it was against the law since the mat doesn't have handles, or a string to hold onto or something equally unimportant. This lifeguard told me that he had no problem with me since I was obviously competent in the water and had fins. However, his boss would be the problem. Then he went on to relate that another lifeguard had been written up by said boss for allowing someone in some kind of kayak to go into the water. I guess what he was trying to say was, "I'm cool with it, but others won't be."
Well, I'm not cool with this law. As I walked back to the car, I was met by the crew. They didn't understand how the mats could be illegal for the reason he stated since there are so many surfers, especially in our crew, who surf without leashes. They wondered how that is any different from being out on a mat without being tethered to it.
I knew this was coming. This will not keep me off the mat. My attitude is: If you want me out of the water, you're going to have to come and get me out. Granted, at some point that's not going to end well. In the meantime, I'm willing to take my chances. The problem I foresee will come when I try to take the mat to a local point break. I've already been told that Malibu is out. I may try Sunset at some point. I'm not keen to mat there because of all of the rocks. I'm not sure what my options are for another point.
For those of you in L.A., Orange County or other parts of California, what is the status of this law? Is it a state law or is it local? I know someone commented on my blog that mats aren't illegal. I need that information.
11 comments:
Yeah, it's LA County. I actually forgot about that and was never caught while I lived there. I'm sorry that I don't have an actual statute for you, but I rode the mat a lot in the years in LA w/o problems. You just have to be stealthy. I kind of made it more fun. :)
I didn't even expect the lifeguard to be there today. They usually don't show up during the winter months. But I know other guards have seen me on the mat. This guy was a substitute. Maybe that's why he said something. The normal guards know all of us at the home break and leave us be.
I gues I could punch in two small brass grommets in the front of mats going to L.A., and run a small nylon rope between them. It would serve no purpose other than fulfilling the legal obligation.
you can explain that the way the mat was designed is that you are supposed to hold on to the seam that sticks out (where you'd put your grommets). its as much B.S. as the stupid law!
soulglider
When I received my mat from Dale I was visiting my sister in Cape May NJ. I'd never been there before, let alone surfed so I was blithely skipping into the water at one bay (rock groynes at each end) when I was called back by a guard. Apparently this spot was 'reserved for surfboards' and they had fought long and hard for their own patch. Interesting feeling as a hard-shell stand-up surfer of 40 years. I was now being discriminated against! 8-o
Before moving to NZ, where hardly anyone even notices that I'm riding a "lilo", I matted all over SoCal with no friction whatsoever with the authorities. My trick at strict beaches was to blow the mat up fairly hard, drape a towel casually over it on the way to the tideline, and then use The Force to make people believe that I was a bodyboarder for the last few yards from the dry sand to the sea. Once in the ocean, I let some air out and held the mat fairly flat on the surface, plus refrained from sitting on it, which is a dead giveaway. Maybe thing have tightened up lately, but blending in with the spongers might help.
I'm sure being the only one (i.e., person) out for a few yards in either direction made it hard to blend in. Still, as the lifeguard said, I'm competent in the ocean and it was obvious I could take care of myself. The waves were waist high at the most.
Again, this guy was cool. He was mainly warning me to watch my back in the future.
When Bear said in Big Wednesday that, "We're living under the jack-booted heel of the lifeguard state," he wasn't kiddin'.
Last September a couple of Irish life guards at Bundoran in County Donegal said I could not go out with my mat, took me over 5 minutes to convince them to let me out, irritating and but extremely funny in equal doses.
funny...
i have had similar attacks due to the guards not knowing the actual county code....
so we ended up actually stenciling:
LACC 17.12.460 on the bag!!
i have the photo and if u want it email me at
parsimony@earthlink.net
your friend
greg
17.12.460 Inflated equipment--Use restrictions.
A person shall not use in the Pacific Ocean opposite any beach regulated by this Part 3 any inflated equipment of any kind except:
A. A standard surfmat which is:
1. Constructed of a durable material with a nonslippery surface;
2. So constructed that when inflated for use it will not fold in any direction;
3. Not smaller than 24 inches by 40 inches;
4. Not larger than 30 inches by 60 inches;
5. Equipped with a safety rope;
B. Coast Guard approved inflatable equipment launched for lifesaving purposes from a sinking or burning vessel or a vessel that is hazardous to the crew’s continued occupancy. (Ord. 85-0206 § 7, 1985: Ord. 9767 Art. 3 § 59, 1969.)
Night time Mat sessions at the 'bu are a great way to avoid the law. I can remember a few great south swell sessions with just a couple buddies out, all on mats. It's been a while since I've put in any time there but it's worth the effort once summer and warmer water rolls around.
Prone pointbreak perfection...
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