Key Points
- The Bay Boys surf gang was disbanded after legal action and fort demolition.
- Recent large swell drew crowds, but police patrols prevented localism incidents.
- City policy states: “zero tolerance for surfing territorialism and localism.”
In recent years, the upscale Southern California hamlet of Palos Verdes Estates became ground zero for the debate surrounding surf localism. A local surf gang, dubbed the “Bay Boys,” had reigned supreme at Lunada Bay – slashing tires, throwing rocks, verbally and physically assaulting outsiders who dared surf the wave. They even had a fortress.
Then, following a legal dispute stemming from an incident that occurred in 2016, in which a non-local surfer was ran over in the water by a local surfer, the Bay Boys went to court. It seemed the surf gang was dissolved; the rock fort was demolished.
But does surf localism ever really die? Over the weekend, a solid winter swell hit the west coast, igniting Lunada Bay with 12-foot waves, and surfers flocked to the lineup. Up on the cliffs, however, Palos Verdes police patrolled with billy clubs. See below…