Surfers Rally Against Board Ban at the Wedge : Protest: A group of wave riders launches petition drive after bodysurfers ask Newport Beach city officials to prohibit all hard objects in famed area’s waters year-round for safety reasons.

Fearing that they may be squeezed out of a coveted surfing area here, a group of surfers rallied Saturday against a proposed year-round ban on surfboards and bodyboards in a stretch of water near Balboa Peninsula.

More than 30 people gathered at the West Jetty View Park to garner support and compile signatures--700 in all--to protect what they consider their right to the waves in an area known as the Wedge, roughly 200 to 300 feet in the southern tip of the peninsula.

“I think that everyone with the skill and the courage should be allowed to challenge the Wedge waves themselves in whatever manner they choose,” said Bill Sharp, a member of the Save the Wedge Coalition.

The group hastily formed last week after learning that a group of bodysurfers had proposed that the City Council approve a year-round ban on all hard objects in the waters, including surfboards, knee boards and bodyboards.

Bodysurfers, who don’t use boards, said that the proliferation of surfboards and bodyboards in recent years has created a dangerous surfing area for them, and they want the boards out.

“We thought something had to be done to protect the Wedge and the bodysurfers,” said Mel Thoman, a leader of the Wedge Preservation Society. “I’ve been hurt by boards. We’re getting so many (board surfers) that the danger level rises.”

Boards are now prohibited in the area from noon to 4 p.m. each day from June 15 to Sept. 10, Newport Beach Mayor Clarence J. Turner said. Lifeguards can extend or limit those hours depending on the wave conditions.

Sharp disagrees that the presence of surfboards and bodyboards is a hazard.

“It’s not a safety issue,” Sharp said. “I think that (the current regulations) were worked out in good faith. It’s unfortunate that now they have to push to have it all to themselves.”

Both groups can agree on one thing: There is no surfing area in the country like the Wedge, where powerful and intense waves during the summer months lure top performers in board and bodysurfing.

The waves have been known to swell to 15 to 20 feet during the summer, contrasted with the typical three- to five-foot waves seen on regular days, Sharp said.

“It’s unpredictable, that’s what makes it so appealing to bodysurfers,” Thoman said. “The Wedge is the most famous bodysurfing area in the world since the late 1950s. It has always been a place of high-performance waves.”

City Council members will vote on the proposed ban Monday. If passed, it could begin as early as June, according to Turner.