Surfing is an ancient beach 

 activity that was practiced by 

 Hawaiians before becoming 

 commonplace in California in the 

 1930s. However, it didn't become 

 a popular leisure activity in North 

 Carolina until the 1960s, when the 

 Southern California subculture 

 spread to the state through surf 

 movies, clothes and music. 



Early on, surfers developed a 

 reputation as beach bums with 

 irregular work habits. In recent 

 years, the image of the surfer has 

 changed. 



"Surfers are misinterpreted 

 because they have a laid-back 

 lifestyle," says Missy McMillan, 

 former chair of the Surfrider 

 Foundation's Outer Banks 

 Chapter. "There are lawyers, 

 judges and cab drivers who surf." 



Rex Barnes, a contractor, 

 exemplifies the casual lifestyle of 

 a surfer. He lives in a cedar house 

 built on stilts. His living room is 

 decorated with surfboards, surfing 

 photos and bongo drums. He trots 

 around the globe to surf — from 

 Hawaii to Costa Rica. 



"I love the sport because it 

 doesn't cost anything," he says. 

 "You get as many waves as you 

 want for free." 



Surfers also are good 

 Samaritans. 



"I have seen surfers rescue 

 people who are caught in the rip 

 tides near the Cape Hatteras 

 lighthouse," says Ray Gray, a 

 surfer and principal of Cape 

 Hatteras Elementary School. "A 

 couple of years ago, another guy 

 and I saved two girls who were 

 drowning near the lighthouse." 



Despite the increased interest in surfing 

 on the East Coast, it is still more accepted 

 on the West Coast, says Orbach. "In North 

 Carolina, the dominant water-related 

 activity is fishing." 



Surfers also have to follow more 

 regulations on the East Coast than on the 

 West Coast. 



Since piers are publicly owned on the 



Young "gremmies" check out some new shapes. 



Surfers pass heat signal flags and contestant jersey racks. 



West Coast, surfers aren't restricted from 

 going under piers, says North Carolina Sea 

 Grant researcher Jeff Johnson, an ECU 

 sociologist who has traveled the world to 

 surf. "Piers make good surfing spots 

 because of sandbars and better waves," he 

 says. "In contrast, most piers on the East 

 Coast are privately owned." 



In North Carolina, the legislature has 



given municipalities the right to 

 regulate surfing as long as the 

 rules don't inhibit a citizen's 

 constitutional rights, says Walter 

 Clark, North Carolina Sea Grant 

 coastal law and policy specialist. 



"The state has jurisdiction 

 and ownership of ocean waters 

 and land under the ocean from the 

 mean high tide to three miles out," 

 says Clark. "However, the state 

 recognizes that local governments 

 have an interest in certain 

 activities that occur in state waters 

 which are adjacent to their 

 jurisdiction." 



Most coastal municipalities 

 have adopted surfing regulations. 

 At Atlantic Beach, surfers have to 

 stay 200 feet away from the 

 fishing piers and can't surf in 

 heavily populated areas. In Nags 

 Head and Kitty Hawk, surfing is 

 prohibited within 300 yards of a 

 fishing pier. Wrightsville Beach 

 requires surfers to stay 500 feet 

 away from commercial fishing 

 piers and from the jetty at 

 Masonboro Inlet. 



Most townships also require 

 surfers to have leashes on their 

 boards. "If you have a leash on 

 your board, your board won't get 

 away from you when you fall off 

 and possibly hit someone," says 

 Julie Hume. 



Except for the regulations 

 around fishing piers, most surfers 

 have free access to North 

 Carolina's waters. 



"Dare County does not have 

 any rules banning surfing at 

 certain times," says Julie Hume. 

 "Some places on the East Coast 

 don't allow surfing at certain times 

 of day and only in designated areas. We are 

 fortunate we can surf at any time of day or 

 any place on the Outer Banks." 



Because of surfers' affinity for oceans 

 and beaches, some have become advocates 

 for coastal issues. One of the most active 

 grassroots organizations is Surfrider 

 Foundation, which has 25,000 members, 

 42 chapters in the United States — 



16 AUTUMN 1999 



