Montauk Pioneer - April 5, 2009

Surfing is what it's all about for a lot of people in Montauk. The endless pursuit of finding the best waves, the camaraderie shared between friends and the lifestyle attracts all types, from the uberrich to surfing bum. Everybody is the same when they are out on the water.

But at Montauk State Point Park, there has been a bit of a tiff for a long time. Surfers couldn't legally surf there thanks to a State law that drove most people crazy. The sign would stand extremely high, sending a spear through the hearts of many. "NO SURFING" it read. To many Montaukers, it might have well said "NO EATING."

Needless to say, there was an insane uproar among the surfing community, who are not known for their expertise in being subtle. Two years ago, "The Montauk Eight" made a statement by deliberately going out to the North Bar on surfboards and deliberately got themselves hauled out of the water by New York State Police and ticketed. The act made some significant headlines, and an East Hampton judge dismissed the entire case.

There were others surfers who would get ticketed then tear it up to pieces. How can you ticket somebody for surfing?

For some surfers in Montauk, their goal in life was to prove to the State that they were going to surf where they wanted no matter what. This is America, damn it.

But times have changed, and it seems that after a lot of public attention drawn to the issue, a compromise has been made this year. A new sign stands high in white and red and says "Surfing Is Prohibited at Montauk Point State Park from April 1st to December 15th."

In other words, surfing is allowed from December 16 to March 31. Surfers are now allowed to surf only a few months out of the year at this amazing spot.

Are they serious? Are you happy about this? Why can't surfers surf where they want when they want to?

The logic has always been that surfcasters want the North Bar for themselves, at least, this is what the State says. In reality, according to just about every surfcaster I've ever spoken to on the issue, they have no problem with the surfers there, and they surfcast in harmony with the surfers. The reason they don't have a problem is because they do this AT EVERY BEACH IN MONTAUK, because so far, there are no laws that say you can't surf at Ditch Plains, where surfcasters and surfers flock to every summer.

I'm not one to be on the side of the surfers on every issue. I've written my fair share of articles in favor of a revetment to protect the Montauk Lighthouse commissioned by George Washington (you know, our first president!) from falling into the ocean versus picking it up and moving it back to the dislike of most surfers. This is because a revetment will apparently change the wave patterns in the area.

But not allowing surfers to surf in a specific spot because it disrupts fishermen in the area makes absolutely no sense. Fishermen and surfers recreate together on every other beach in Montauk, why is this being singled out?

In an article in The New York Times about the issue, much praise was sent to the State for coming up with the "compromise." The sense of the article was that the issue was over and will dissipate as surfers have made a victory and now are getting what they want.

The fact that is even an issue up for discussion is amazing to me, but I can tell you this, surfers do not want a few legal months out of the year to surf. They want to surf when they want, where they want to, year round and there is absolutely no logical or fair reason why they should not be allowed to do this and no official should be allowed to ticket somebody for surfing in the ocean.