Surfing Hummies - da rules is da rules

Cooking Hummies back in the 60's. Check out the 'No-surfing' sign above the guys head. Image by Malcolm Turner.

The article about when we're allowed to surf Hummies and when we're not raised some lively debate. Good - cos the more peeps talking about it the more the word will spread about the thin ice we're treading on. Hopefully everyone will see the big picture and play by the rules, whether we like them or not.

Surfers as a rule are pretty anti-establishment at the best of times, so when someone like a lifeguard tries to tell us what to do we don't generally take it that well. Unfortunately we're going to have to suck up our knee-jerk reaction to authority and rather choose to live to fight another day - well, make that surf another day!

This is where we as a surfing community can maybe do a bit of our own self-management. Let's not have an "us vs them" attitude about this. If you're out there when the lifeguards call the surfers in, then encourage the guys to paddle in with you, and explain why. Don't just sit out there and slag the lifey's off, and ignore their instructions to get out. 

Yah, you might feel like a breeker cos you're flipping your middle finger at the establishment, and sure, you might still pick off a coupla more waves. But for what? So you can antagonize the authorities to the point that they're so gatvol of us and our inflated sense of self-importance that they eventually just boot us out of Hummies for good? 

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, I've done it myself back in the day. Coupla years back I also refused to get out the water at Hummies. Just John and I out there, small perfect lil waves, not a soul in the water. Next thing they're calling us in. Whaaat? So we ignored them (ignorance is bliss!). Next thing a cop van comes screaming onto the grass above Hummies and the police come running down and yelling at us. 

Gave the policeman a piece of my mind as to why he was wasting his time on this kak instead of being out there doing his job, like catching murders and rapists, not surfers! Anyway, long story short - some research into the regulations revealed that everyone was just doing their jobs - surfing is prohibited at Humewood. What good did it do do just shoot the messenger.

Better to try be part of the solution, not part of the problem. It's a rule, we can't change it - although if you want to, feel free to run for office, get your seat in the municipality, and then re-write the rule book. But hell, that's a long shot. So better we just try work within the existing system as best we can.

We're fortunate the beach manager allows the lifeguards to permit surfing at their discretion. By law he doesn't have to. So why don't we rather just be thankful for at least sometimes having the opportunity to surf there, instead of getting into a huff when we get jerked out.

I'm not for a minute saying I wouldn't be the moering to be called in when the waves are fun just cos some ou is wading knee deep at the beach, but nowadays I'll stick my head down and paddle in. Not cos I'm some spineless "yes Sir, no Sir" wimp, I can see the big picture. And the big picture means I want to surf at Hummies again in future.  

Simple.