SURF COUNTY USA : As Surfers Increase in Number, Every Wave Becomes Battleground

On the beach and in surf shops, there is a peaceful coexistence among surfers as they chat about the waves or buy wax, T-shirts and sandals together.

But the demilitarized zone often ends at the water’s edge.

In the water, Orange County’s growing population and surfing’s increased popularity have combined to make competition fierce among surfers for every wave.

“At times, it’s like World War III out there,” said Aldo Israel, 20, a Brazilian surfer living in Huntington Beach.

The crowd that will gather on the beach this week for the Op Pro Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach, starting today, attests to the growing popularity of the sport. But every day, there is a crowd in the water all up and down Orange County’s coast.

As morning breaks, the competitive drama unfolds. Surfers on short boards jockey for position with others on long boards. The revival of the long surfboard, which is easier to paddle and consequently easier to catch a wave with, has increased the water stakes--and the tension.

Meanwhile, the ranks of the Boogie Boarders--or foamies, as they are called--are increasing.

“I don’t mind bodyboarders because they’re ‘legal,’ said Gabriel Mauser, 18, a sales clerk at the Duke’s surf shop in Huntington Beach.

Legal? “Yeah, you can legally run them over with your board.”

But Mauser, who rides short boards, added, “Long boarders are another thing.”

Rules of surfing are simple. Jockeying is essential for wave position. The best spot is closest to the breaking wave. But usually the first surfer up on a wave has the right of way. When another surfer gets up after him, cutting him off, it’s war.

Some skirmishes have been legendary, such as the Mickey Dora-Johnny Fain clash in Malibu caught by photographer LeRoy Grannis in the 1960s, in which one pushed the other off his board with both hands.

Tactics have become classic. The old “kick out,” in which a surfer puts his weight on the tail of the surfboard and causes the front of the board to rise off the water (usually with someone’s head as a target), has given way to “board whips”--sweeping the entire board in a wide arc and sending a spray of water into the face of a rival.

Heated words in the water can lead to fistfights on shore, but usually it’s peaceful.

One longtime surfer, Paul Burnett, 44, co-owner of Duke’s surf shop, looks at the skirmishes philosophically.

“More people going to the beach means more people in the water. It’s as simple as that, and you have to adjust and compromise,” he said. “Just look at the number of bodyboarders now. Just a few years ago, they didn’t have the different types of bodyboards. But now they have their own magazines.

“We have to recognize that bodyboarding is a growing sport (and) that long boarders and short boarders have a right to be there too. There’s only one ocean.”