The Trails Less Travelled

DarcyM · Post by **DarcyM** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:29 pm

So, this is a topic that seems to be hitting close to home this week, and I have yet to understand it fully. Being a photographer and a one time journalist, as well as a surfer who loves to travel, I'm trying to come to terms with this need to keep surf spots secret by either not taking pictures, or if pictures are taken, by changing the name or identity.

To me this reeks of censorship, and maybe I'm not making any friends this way but I really don't believe that a picture is going to threaten a spot. I think if someone wants to find someplace, they will, whether or not I've taken a photo of it. Chances are, they've already found it, it's already been photographed, id'ed, catalouged and published in one of the hundreds of surfing or online publications already out there. It's just that the more locals who call it home the more paranoid they get and the more they try to save it just for themselves. Trouble is, the population keeps growing, and the population of surfers grows as well. Even though most of us most of the time won't travel more than the few miles it takes us to get to our familiar stomping grounds. The rest of the time we only dream of those far away places which may have perfect, uncrowded surf. Maybe if we're rich, lucky, or well connected we'll actually get to visit those places. And the perfect uncrowded waves ... well, they're usually just another myth as well, but the fun is in the adventure. There may still be hundreds of unknown, undiscovered surf spots out there, but in the real world most of us don't have either the time, resources or inclination to hump around the world with a backpack and a board searching them out.

Yes, I understand that the people who surf a local spot may not want everyone to know where it is or how good it gets, for fear that it will be overrun by other surfers. Yet if I take a photo and call it "seaside", or "boat house", or "threes", or "fullers", and you don't have a clue as to where those places are, have I really identified it other than by name? Does that name make it any easier for you to find the place and run out there with 20 of your friends? I really doubt that it does. There is far more likely to be a heavy impact on a spot by word of mouth: my friend takes me there to have someone to surf with, then I take my friends there for the same reason, then they take their friends there ... etc.

As a little perspective on crowds, I surf regularly at one of the most crowded spots in San Diego. Without a doubt it is one of the most consistently good spots in the county, it is easily accessible (unlike the other premier spot), and has a reputation for aggressive localism. It's good on a south, southwest, west, and northwest swell, and tends to blow out less and later than most surrounding beach breaks. Yet I invite anyone on this site to visit and surf Windansea, as I'm proud to be able to surf there and share it with others who would appreciate it and respect it as I do. I've posted many pictures of the place, and if you don't know where it is I will tell you how to get there. I will still be able to get the waves I want when I want to, and chances are it won't be as good as it can be on any given day you choose to visit. I will get to surf it on the best days of the year, because I know the place and I live here. And I realize that in the real world, it will probably always be this crowded, will probably be more crowded in the future no matter if I take pictures or not, and it will likely never be less crowded. That is the reality of the world.

So if I post a picture of Backyards and call it Backyards, does that mean that you're going to find out where it is and fly out there and crowd it up? If I instead call it "the place in front of Buddy's house" does that mean I've protected it from being mucked up by unwanted visitors?

Localism is an ugly thing, and surfers are already an elitist, priviledged group with enough personal resources and time to participate in a self-absorbed recreation. There are more people in the world who don't have enough food on the table, much less the time to worry about whether their local spot is going to be exposed and become a limited resource for their exclusive use. As big issues in the world go, this one is pretty far down the list.

And one last point, about threatened resources. Consider the case of Killer Dana. Harry's in Baja. Surf spots that were threatened and eventually destroyed completely, not by crowds but by big money and lack of any kind of organized protest. Granted, Killer Dana was long before Surfrider Foundation, but Harry's was a big wave secret spot so secret that no one said "boo" to Exxon until the jetty was already built and it was too late to stop it. However, what if there had been pictures out there? You see a picture now of the place firing, and you would be outraged that the big money moguls took it out so easly. How many other unnamed, unknown, unphotographed places out there might also be threatened, given the current undermining of EPA and other coastal protection agencies in the current administration. Not that a picture can save a place, but it certainly can rally the troops if needed. More so than the handful of seasoned baja locals could have done on their own.

So that's my somewhat biased viewpoint, as a photographer, traveller, and writer. I do respect these places. I feel personally that taking a picture celebrates a place. I embrace it's beauty, majesty, and yes it's rarity. I think the pictures help others to embrace it as well. And I applaud the locals who are lucky enough to call a place their own. But I don't agree with localism or elitism of any kind on public property. And I do challenge anyone who tells me I don't have the right to take a picture.

but, I'm a bit of a hard head too ...

doc · Post by **doc** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:46 pm

Call me fortunate...or call me Ishmael. But I live in a place that is all sandbar beachbreak. What's good on this swell may not be on the next. What works won't. Keeps us searching some.

And as to localism, well, I guess I'm as local as they come, with 350+ years of family in this spot. We take care of the place. Surfrider, here, is a bunch of self-serving real estate peddlers and general losers looking to make names by supporting 'causes'. Recently, the wash-ashore latecomers ( with a surfrider endorsement, by the way, courtesy of a local real estate peddler) tried to push a new town beach here, one that was questionable in terms of ecological impact, finances, public good and more.

We voted it down. The real locals.

It's a matter of stewardship, keeping our eye on things.

I take pictures, yes. Some for myself, some for others. But the wave I took a picture of, it's gone long before I upload it to the computer. And the spot it broke at, the sands have moved and it's gone too.

That's surfin'. A very temporary art form. Gone when gravity brings it back to level.....

doc...

W.G. Facenda · Post by **W.G. Facenda** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:25 pm

I just think that some people like to surf in crowds and some don't. last Sat the surf was smoking and I was almost the first guy out soon many showed up and I was done anyway..surfed out. I was hanging on the beach with my son beachcombing and watching the still excellent surf. i noticed this guy on his cell phone ,just making call after call after call. I wanted to ask him ,"why he would call guys to come to surf and why so does he have to call everyone he knows?" I have come to the conclusion that some people need to surf with other people......a group hug!

john - · Post by **john -** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:32 pm

Hi Darcy

as the Eagles sang..."call some place paradise, kiss it good bye" ...rest of the words quite topical too.

being a travel journalist can/could lead to a clash of personal values...not good for the pay cheque but great for the soul

public property is an interesting thing....just how public...and not all the public are good citizens...a judgement yes...but i dont let my kid wander past the gate

if im in the himalaya and i come across a village not frequented and it hides an amazing temple i would hope to keep "mum"

sometimes frienships are built on maintaining a silence...sometimes the unspoken energy developed from silence is pure beyond belief

dont see why it cant be the same for some wave spots

some lights are best kept under a bushel

on the other hand ..only learnt of some amazing places cos of other travellers documenting it

have i made sense...i dunno

surfhorn · Post by **surfhorn** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:04 pm

Don't have time to get into this now but want to let Doc know that Surfrider was founded for very different reasons than to be a haven for elitists and kooks.

Gov't and the powers-that-be only recognize one thing....power. And there is power in numbers. Thats what I saw for surfing through Surfrider. We would be the big environmental stick that could kick butt. Surfrider would supply the money and resources to save waves, access to the beach and water quality. But we all must participate for that to work.

What's that line from R.E.M.?..... "Stand in the place that you live."

ross · Post by **ross** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:41 pm

interesting topic Darcy,
i've never had any problem with locals anywhere.mind you i've always been pretty discreet with the photo taking.sometimes i opt not to take shots out of respect for the place and its people.
something i find quite amusing is that in some of Australias desert regions we have communities of blokes who run their breaks.they claim to live for these waves,but to be honest their ability would suggest they wouldnt even register in the hierarchy of your average point/reefbreak.some of them live in these places to act out a fantasy of being the dominant surfers in an area,cause they cant cut the mustard elsewhere

however i dont think waves should be exposed.they are hard enough to find.
nothing worse than thinking you've gone to the end of the earth to find your jokeying for position.
if a person doesnt have the time/inclination/resources/contacts to explore secret spots they sure as hell dont deserve to be told anything.
let them continue to grovel i say

ps.only 3 weeks till i head to Tassie for a quick trip

.i took me a total of 3 yrs of heading down there to get the place sussed/make contacts etc .
i'm taking my 2 best mates this time and no i'm not showing them the good spots

KAVA · Post by **KAVA** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:54 am

Maybe if we're rich, lucky, or well connected we'll actually get to visit those places

I hear ya there lol uh i wont be visiting kauai any time soon (oahu yes as i have fam there. kauai no)

I have seen localizm problems resulting in thrashed boards, keyed vehicles and blows thrown in several socal breaks. Of course it wasnt applied to me heh heh. In fact i remember a couple kooks getting pushed off the peir in newport back in the late 70's (they swam to shore only their pride hurt and their cars waxed and sanded).

but unlike you i think there is a need for localism to a degree. how long have you been surfing windansea?? You dont get sick of seeing all the crap in the water that the inlanders bring with them when they flock to our beaches? even though there is a trash can every 20 feet.

I live in huntington and our beaches used to be open allot later till there were several shooting between INLAND gangs. now the beaches close at 10 sharp (you still here you get a ticket or towed or both). I could go into all the crap that tourist bring with them but i wont. Tourist should respect the place and respect its customs when visiting a place. If not then suffer the consequences.

kage · Post by **kage** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:05 pm

It seems to me that most of the trashing of beaches is done by young men who are drinking alchohol. Not to put too fine a point on it.

You dont get sick of seeing all the crap in the water that the inlanders bring with them when they flock to our beaches?

Lots of the parking lot surfers, who are local, standing around leaving little bits of debris for us to step on/in. I am not so sure about the "inlanders", at least at the beaches I frequent.

DrStrange · Post by **DrStrange** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:21 pm

I'll only put one foot on my soap box and just for a moment but one of the biggest issues involved is population's explosive growth.

tick-tick-tick---BOOM

There are other big issues involved too that have to do ultimately with individual consciousness en mass.

Oh, well. I guess when the house really is on fire, what else ya gonna do but rearrange the furniture?

surfhorn · Post by **surfhorn** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:07 pm

So correct, Dr. Strange. Population is the critical factor......and what a touchy subject.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:08 pm

What is this thing called "localism" you speak of

ScottMac · Post by **ScottMac** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:35 pm

doc · Post by **doc** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:12 pm

Correct, I think. Population, especially a mobile population, that's what's causing it all.

On the other hand, was just watching the head of the hurricane forecasters saying something to the tune of these storms that are beating the bejeezus out of the coasts are gonna go on for a while.

And then there is the fuels thing. Y'know, for most of human history, we rarely went more than a day's walk from where we lived, and when we did it was likely to be permanent. Now, in an hour we can and do go far further away, often for no reason at all. But the idea that anything you can't see isn't yours and you needn't care about it - well, that seems to have stuck.

In the year 2105, will they be looking back and saying 'automobiles? internal combustion engine powered automobiles? what were they thinking of? '

doc...

Man O' War · Post by **Man O' War** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:14 pm

Darcy,
Great topic.

I can't tell you how much I disagree with you on this one. Respect dictates that while you take all the pictures you want, send them around the world, sell them, whatever... you don't name the spot. You enjoy it while you're there, it is public property, but you let the guys who surf it name it.

Sorry, your Windansea example doesn't apply. Pick a secret spot you ride.

Yes, you're a little hard-headed, but you're in good company.

W.G. Facenda · Post by **W.G. Facenda** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:25 pm

I agree. Naming spots is not ethical ----we all know this! To buy into this new "free for all" is utter crap! Take all the photos you want ,but don't name spots ! It shows a complete lack of respect and is a very rookie thing to do.Plus, it's not nice.......