Nor Cal Tow-Ins: Ruining the Surf, or Just the Attitude?

Surfermag.com: So in Santa Cruz, you can't do this.

DK: Right, and they enforce it rigorously. The harbor department sends a boat out immediately if they do it. In Monterey County we can't get that kind of cooperation from State Parks. They say they're unable to enforce, even though they have a Jet Ski. So what they have been doing after numerous calls, when you call and say there's a Jet Ski harassing the surfers, they come and hang out at the beach and intercept them at the boat launches and warn them. That's all they do. With all the near misses and all the other stuff that's going on, that's what it's boiled down to. One of the disadvantages we have is that we only have two lifeguards for all of Monterey County. And for NOAA, there's only one enforcement officer for the whole Monterey Marine Sanctuary. But to make a long story short, both of our lifeguards -- both of our enforcement officers -- are avid Jet Ski enthusiasts. That's Eric Landry, who was just featured in the big article in The Surfer’s Journal. They have a huge article on Pescadero Point -- trying to make it look like a real surf break -- and they show him on the shoulder of a wave. Then the other enforcement officer is Eric Sturm, who is an avid recreational Jet Skier. So those are the two guys who show up to do the enforcement.

Surfermag.com: So when did you first start noticing guys towing out there?

DK: It was about four years ago, and it was always the same guys. It was Peter Mel and a couple of the other guys who surf Mavs. It was mostly Westside guys and it was never a problem at all because they would only show up when the surf was big. You'd never see them when it was small. And there were only three or four crews, and that was it. That went on for two years, then all the sudden the sport became popularized and everyone had a Jet Ski, and now it's a free-for-all.

Surfermag.com: What typically happens at Moss now?

DK: Well, I showed up today and there was one guy out in the water and there were two tow crews. As I watched, one of the crews cut right inside of the guy surfing and took a wave. And went around him and came back out. So this guy is sitting out there all by himself being intimidated by a thousand-pound 240-horsepower machine. So I immediately went and called State Parks and told Eric Sturm, you gotta come out here and talk to these people, they're obviously not from around here. So then I paddle out and three more skis showed up. So what should have been a really nice day of surf -- it was okay -- but because these guys were right next to us, even more than a hundred feet away, there was a constant train of wakes coming across the surface of the waves. I caught one of the bigger waves today, which was a little bit bigger than overhead, and I did a stairstep drop over three or four wakes in the face. There's just no such thing as a perfect day anymore. You know those days you wait for all year long, they don't happen when the Jet Skis are there. It's like sloppy springtime surf no matter how good it is.

Surfermag.com: Are they on 2- or 4-stroke machines?

DK: A lot of them are on 2-strokes, and the guy that almost ran me over a couple of weeks ago was on a 2-stroke. That was the second time that's happened to me. The first time was many years ago when these guys first started.

Surfermag.com: What happened then?

DK: There were only two crews out and a guy had lost his partner and was looking for him on his ski. He had been inside and I was sitting outside. It was pretty big and I had no idea he was even coming because he came through the top of the wave and when he came down the back, he was right on top of me. I was looking up 10 feet in the air and a Jet Ski came out of the lip. He saw me and tried to turn but couldn't. When he hit, he washed out and fell of the ski. It righted itself, fishtailed back and missed me by three feet. It had so much momentum that it was about 50 feet from me when it stopped. He swam to it before I could paddle to it because I was going to kick his ass. He hauled ass away. Then two or three weeks ago, the guys were out there again and we're trying to surf. There were maybe some 8-foot waves -- it wasn't huge -- and I just got pummeled, caught inside. And after the second or third wave, I came to the surface and out of the right side of my eye, I could see a Jet Ski hull just passed me with two guys. Then the wake from it hit me and I couldn't see anything because another wave hit me. I came up again and saw them picking up a third person, then I never saw them again. I went to the ramp later and there were some guys there, and I said, “Hey, you guys almost hit me.” They just went ballistic and said it wasn't them and wanted to get in a fight. It just went on and on. Rich Schmidt was standing there and saw the whole thing. I told these guys -- I could name names but I'm not gonna -- I said, “Look, if it's not you, then it's up to you guys to police yourselves. When you see people towing in among the surfers, you've gotta stop waterskiing for five minutes, even though it breaks your heart, and motor over and tell those people to get away from the surfers. You're giving yourselves a black eye.” But they won't do it. There's no self-regulation. It's kind of like a motocross attitude.

Surfermag.com: How many guys have been having the sorts of experiences you have out there?

DK: Well, Pete Mel almost ran over a guy named Casey a year ago and he claims that he never Jet Skis around people surfing.

Surfermag.com: But there's a good-sized contingent of guys that surfs Moss regularly, are they having the same sorts of problems as you?

DK: Yeah. Other people are having similar experiences. Steve Coletta did, and another friend from Aptos. It's hard to remember how many people have almost been run over.

Surfermag.com: What's the general vibe among the skiers?

DK: Well, have you ever been out hiking and a guy on a dirt bike shows up? What do they do? They haul ass and throw dirt on you. That's the same attitude out there. I tried to paddle up to a ski that was sitting in the water the other day because they were waiting for a guy to swim over. I asked him politely to back off. The guy swimming got hold of the mat, the guy on the ski gave it gas and gave me the finger and sprayed water right in my face.

Surfermag.com: Sean, what do you think when you hear this?

Sean: I have gotten reports from other areas where people are fishing or boating and having similar experiences. They're trying to share the waterways with Jet Skis, but the skiers make it difficult. It's funny, the mantra that you hear from the industry is: “Can't we all just get along? Why can't we share the water?” I think most people are trying, but it's the attitude of a good number of Jet Ski drivers that is ruining it for everyone. The other mantra is, “It's a few bad apples.” Well, I'm getting reports from all over the country, so they've got bad apples everywhere.

DK: The Sanctuary enforcement officer took the Sanctuary boat out when it was about 8 feet, just to see the tow guys, because he' d never seen them. One of the skis took off and he chased one down. But his comment later was, “Those guys didn't look like they were in good enough shape to be surfers.”

Surfermag.com: So are some of them not surfers?

DK: You see some on the beach and they look like weekend warriors who'd be better off balancing a can of beer on their bellies than balancing on a surfboard. That's not all of them, but you're seeing a lot of that. It's an alternative to longboarding that's way more fun.

Surfermag.com: So Sean, if new regulations go into effect, will this cancel out towing at Moss or will people do it illegally?

Sean: If regulations are written how we'd like them written, then tow-in surfing other than Mavs would be eliminated. The large caveat is that it depends on enforcement.

DK: One of the two lifeguards told me he'd refuse to enforce it.

Sean: That's what it comes down to. Part of me believes it will cut down on the number of incidents. If it's against the law, some won't do it. But some are hardcore and won't care and know the risk of getting caught is small and write it off to the cost of doing business.

Surfermag.com: One of the things that Mel said in the Monterey Herald article had to do with wildlife, and that dolphins seem to like the skiers around.

DK: I saw a sea lion get run over. And I'm not a fan of sea lions by any means. I actually witnessed a Jet Ski on a flat day chasing dolphins.

Sean: I just got a report from a group in the U.K. They have a huge problem with boats and skis harassing dolphins. Peter's experience, I can't really speak to what he's seen or what he's doing, but there is research out there that shows that these machines are detrimental to marine mammals. They can strike the animal, but they also have the ability, unlike other boats, to get into areas that other craft cannot. On the one hand, they say they're no different than other boats; on the other hand, they say they should be allowed to go and do search-and-rescue at Maverick’s because they can get into places that other boats can't. You can't have it both ways.

DK: I was in the water today for two hours, and I saw not one diving bird. And we were not 300 yards from Elkhorn Sloughs, which is one of the largest bird-breeding and sanctuary estuaries on the West Coast. I saw not one diving bird, and four skis were out. I've watched many times and have surfed the Salinas River Reserve. When there's nobody there, the amount of bird life is amazing. It's the bird life I've really noticed gets affected. One ski shows up and they're gone. I actually documented that sitting on the hang-glider ramp with a minister. When the sea lion got run over, I was watching the crew that did that. I was also watching with binoculars to see where all the surf scooters (little shorebirds) went. They vacated about a half-mile down the beach. In the spring especially, the active surf zone is a refuge for birds. It's a place they won't get chased by a dog, or eaten by a coyote or fox, or have some oceangoing animal like a killer whale after them. It's where they brood. And in the summertime, there are guys tow-surfing 10 feet from the beach at 40 miles per hour. That brooding zone is gone, and that irritates me way more than the surfing.

Surfermag.com: Well, how do you guys think this is going to play out?

Sean: Well, if Gulf of the Farallones is any indication, I'm somewhat confident, because early on in the Bush administration, they prohibited Jet Skis throughout the entire Gulf of the Farallones. So there is precedent for taking a strong stance in Monterey Bay. I'd be surprised if at a minimum, NOAA didn't just tighten the definition and maintain the four zones. We're going to push for total closure. It doesn't make any sense -- Cordell Banks is closed, Farallones is closed, there's plenty of scientific support and evidence and public support for closing Monterey Bay as well. At that last public meeting, I was pleasantly surprised at how many people turned out and spoke about restricting these machines.

Surfermag.com: When will you hear the next step from NOAA?

Sean: They'll have something out this year.

Surfermag.com: Doug, what will you do in the meantime?

DK: Well, I've been trying to educate these guys, but you can't talk to 'em, and they won't get close enough to you. You go to the docks and they won't have anything to do with you. The local guys here who I know are tow-surfers, they've toned it down tremendously. And they're not even out there unless it's big. As far as the issue with animals, I'm afraid these regulations as proposed might be so draconian that you'll see a backlash. I think the Yellowstone stay that puts snowmobiles back into the park sets a horrible precedent. There's a chance a similar situation could come here and be a backlash from Washington. I've watched these guys operate and when the surf really is big, there are very few impacts. The only animal I've seen in the active wave zone in 20-foot surf was an elephant seal, and the dolphins stay far away and the birds are gone. But the free-for-all that we have now is just unbearable. There has to be a middle ground. Hawaii has adopted regulations and I don't know how well they’re working. But I do know that before they were adopted, my cousin who lives outside of Lahaina was totally discouraged because of Jet Skis. I think that's pretty much stopped now.

Sean: If there isn't some strong regulation, you're going to see tow-in creep all up and down the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. They're going to go more places and the waves are getting smaller and smaller.

DK: 90 percent of the tow-surfing out here now happens when the buoys are smaller than four feet. It's already a small-wave sport.

Surfermag.com: Well, it makes for good photos and big airs.

DK: I'm still conflicted. I think Jet Skis should be allowed when it's big. But I have to agree with Sean that there have to be extremely rigid regulations controlling the access to these pristine beaches when it's small. It can't continue the way it is now. It's not fair to the wildlife and the people who go out of their way to enjoy that wildlife. The skiers think they're causing no harm whatsoever, and they believe it firmly. But if you're sitting there all alone on five miles of empty beach, you can see all the animals and what they're doing. The Jet Skis show up and the animals are gone. Well the Jet Ski never saw them in the first place. It has to revolve around training, certification, and minimum wave size.