City Finalizes Beach Surfing Schedule

The City of Long Beach has finalized a beach surfing and swimming schedule for the coming summer.

The schedule designates beaches between Lincoln and Monroe boulevards and Maple and Pacific boulevards strictly for surfing, but most beaches at the center of town will be on a rotating schedule for surfing, as will be the beaches in the West End. At the discretion of lifeguards, surfing will be permitted to past the hours on limited-hours beaches unless swimmers are present.  

"We are pleased to announce a schedule that keeps a reasonable balance for swimmers and surfers alike,” City Council President Fran Adelson said in a statement released with the new schedule April 20. “The city has taken last year’s successful pilot program and expanded it to include additional rotating surfing beaches.”

The schedule also place surf camps beaches between Maple and Pacific boulevards and Long Beach and Riverside boulevards, after an earlier draft proposed moving one camp, Skudin Surf, to National Boulevard, one of Long Beach’s most populated beaches located in the shadows of the Ocean Club condominiums and Allegria Hotel.

At a March 20 City Council meeting, when an earlier draft was first proposed, some of the condo’s residents and beach-goers who favor National beach expressed concern about relocating the surf camp there, highlighting everything from an inability to use the beach and potential parking problems.

Cliff Skudin, owner of the surf camp, said about the 2012 summer schedule: “We are happy to hear that the city manager, chief of lifeguards, LBSA, and the community have all come together to open more surfing space.”

Billy Kupferman, president of the Long Beach Surfing Association, said about the plan: “The interests of surfers and non-surfers alike were taken into account, and the result is a fair and efficient use of space,” said
                
For details about the 2012 beach schedule, visit the city’s website at http://tinyurl.com/7wr55lp.