The Virginian-Pilot
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VIRGINIA BEACH
In the surf community, a certain courtesy is expected.
In the old days, a surfer might hand another person 25 bucks if they dinged their surfboard, said Paul West, a Virginia Beach native who is president of the U.S. Surfing Federation.
Or when surfers hit another person with their boards, they would typically apologize, shake hands and shrug it off, West said.
In rare cases, however, surfers may violate that etiquette.
West said he'd heard of only a handful of lawsuits filed in Florida and California in which people have been sued for allegedly intentionally shooting their boards and hurting someone.
He and several Beach attorneys who surf and practice personal injury law said they hadn't heard of any similar local cases - until now.
In a lawsuit filed in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, Harry Stoehr of Virginia Beach says he was surfing between 78th and 79th streets on July 12, 2008, when another surfer, Nathaniel Lundstrom, kicked his board at him as a wave died.
Both were experienced surfers and Stoehr knew Lundstrom by sight, if not by name, according to his attorney, Jason Dunn.
The tip of Lundstrom's board struck Stoehr in the lower back, Dunn said.
Stoehr, now 31, had to get stitches, pay medical bills and missed time at work as a result, Dunn said.
He contends that Lundstrom was negligent because he was surfing without a leash, which is required by Virginia Beach city code.
He is seeking $75,000 in damages, plus attorneys' and experts' fees. Lundstrom did not respond to a note left at his Virginia Beach home asking for comment on the case.
Virginia Beach has long had a leash law on the books.
From Jan. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2009, police issued 41 citations to people surfing without a tether, according to the Police Department. The tethers are typically attached to a surfer's ankle.
But the laws are different else where, and many places - such as Hawaii and Brazil - don't have leash laws, said West, who has testified as an expert witness in a Florida trial involving surfers.
"The thing about Virginia Beach is that you have so many surfers at so many different levels, and it gets very crowded," West said.
But it's every surfer's responsibility - whether riding the waves in Hawaii or Virginia Beach - to maintain control of their surfboards, he said.
West pointed out that surfing was originally called the sport of kings and really was a gentleman's sport.
Just Friday, West, who is based in Florida, said he had just seen a really good surfer get cut off by a less-experienced one.
The two exchanged words, West said. But in the end, they shook hands.
"And that's the way it should be."
Pilot writer Lee Tolliver contributed to this report.
Jen McCaffery, (757) 222-5119, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com
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It was just an accident
It was just an accident involving surfboards and the act of surfing. Lets not go crazy and make accusations that surfers are the spawns of Hitler. I lived in Florida, and we never had any surf laws, and our tourist industry kicks your a$$ (don't get me wrong, I love VB), so I don't understand the necessity for the surfing laws... does it really accomplish anything for all the time and effort put into it?
Also, my opinion of tourists... they are a necessary evil. They are obnoxious, but their presence keeps the business in town alive, and as long as they keep coming back every year, there will be plenty of interesting things to do here.
Surfers can be a problem
Surfers do tend to be territorial and often have to be made to leave an area. Surfers are more often good though. there are the rare occasions, we can call them beginners, that want to get as close to the fishing pier, surf in the non-surfing areas that just need the experts get in there and drag them out by their ears! Like I said. Most are good and yes I have seen some quells ending in a handshake. Yes surfing is a gentleman sport and No, I am not a surfer, just an enforcer of surfing rules and regulations!
seriously?
You've got to be kidding me with the "surfers as guardian angels" approach. Surfers are more often obnoxious pests who think themselves "alpha dogs". Watch how they wade in the ocean and set up shop wherever they want, regardless if other people are swimming or playing there. Surfers think they own the ocean. Once they realize it's for all of us to share, everything will be better. That's why it cracks me up to hear them complain about stand-up paddle-boarders or kite-surfers getting in the way. That's EXACTLY what you're doing to the rest of us when you're ignorant of your surroundings or disrespectful of other's space. Spread out, be aware, and know that you might not be able to catch that next "juicy" wave if a 6-year-old happens to be wading in your projected path, brah. Move to Maui, seriously.
well said
you are absolutely right
Surfing isn't fun anymore
The surfers are rude, the beaches are too crowded and surfers and their kin are always looking for free-bees because they think they are rad. They always tell you if you spot them cupcakes, websites, burgers or board shorts, they will tell all the other surfers to patronize your business, but instead they just come by and ask for their free-bee. In reality, in order to making surfing fun and accessible to all beginners and experts alike, they should implement a system like a ski resort. Have some lifeguards regulate a paddle lane, wait in a cue and 3-4 surfers at a time go for the wave instad of malise of 50 at once which brings about a wall of fiberglass at the swimmers and raises the chances for collisions. Perhaps, they could even put down a reef to make the waves more consistent. surfing is a sport in need of civilization to make it fun for all, not just jobless locals who surf all day.
Packed in like sardines
In my thirty years of surfing in Virginia Beach I have seen countless accidents in surfing areas because we are packed in like sardines. There seems to be little sympathy that surfers are getting hurt, and boards damaged due to overcrowding. If there were more surfing areas, fewer restrictive rules,regulations we would have room to breathe. If this was the case I suspect there there would be fewer conflicts between surfers and less animosity all around. That being said there will always be the 2% who give everyone else a bad name, surfers, tourists, SUPs,boogie boarders etc. One more thing there seems to be a double standard, just today I saw some surfers ticked for being past the fence at camp pendleton yet boats were going into this area not much further out from the lineup. If the surfer were paddling out where the boats were at would they have gotten a ticket.
Surfing-then and now
I remember surfing in the sixties. It was about getting up early and heading to the beach, all the while hoping that that offshore breeze was holding up some tall, glassy walls. It was about padding out alone at the break of day into another glorious sunrise. It was about sitting in the lineup and feeling the first few rays on sun warm your skin. It was about watching the dolphins play all around you in the early morning fire-orange waters. It was about the rush of gliding down that first glassy wall of the day and feeling nothing but the wind in your face and hearing nothing but the sound of your board slicing through the water. And most of all, it was a feeling of being part of something much bigger; something truly amazing, something wondrous. I don't know what the surfing scene has morphed into nowadays, but I get the sense that, mostly, it has nothing to do with the above. And that is very sad indeed.
Sports are sports
Okay last comment here - surfing is a sport and as we all know people participating in sports sometimes get injured or cause injury to others. I've known people who've been injured golfing for goodness sake. Now, sometimes people who participate in sports become what we refer to as "passionate" and yes this sometimes involves tempers flaring. Please all of you self-righteous, holier-than-thou posters, name one sport, just one, where a fight or foul language has never occurred. I'm not trying to say that this is acceptable, but it is certainly a fact because we're talking about human beings participating in an activity that they may be passionate about. There are times, weekdays and locations were surfing is not allowed, if you'd like to swim, simply follow those posted guidelines. Believe me, if a surfer is illegally surfing, the police will handle it. One more thing, I've been hit in the leg by a board in use by an unleashed 15 year old and it hurt, like hell, for weeks. Do I want to ban surfing for everyone? No because I'm not that kind of person. If you're still to upset, just don't come to the beach, there are many other dangers than surfers - please stay home.
Surfers
I just want to say that my lovely husband surfer has saved four, count them 1,2,3,4 children from drowning over the past two summers. He sees them in trouble, throws the kid on the board and paddles in, sometimes while the lifeguard is still getting his gear on, and then he hands them over to their sometimes crying hysterical mom. We've taken pictures with some. Be happy the surfers are out there, because they will save your ass. Now that's etiquette and manners to a T.
Spcoli
All I need are some tasty waves and a cool buzz and I'm good.