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# City considers limiting summer surf camp permits amid safety concerns
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/cowabummer/
- Published: 2007-11-03T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T01:13:34.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Sports, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Summer surf camp fun is drawing a crowd to the beach*

(sub) Summer surf camp fun is drawing a crowd

By Kevin Herrera

Daily Press Staff Writer

SM BEACH — Surf’s up, dude, and that seems to be a big problem.

Concerned that an increase in summer surf camps is degrading public safety at the beach, city officials are considering limiting the number of permits they issue to just two a season while eliminating a section of the law that allows camps with less than 20 students to operate without a permit.

The Open Space Management Division is planning to hold a public meeting to discuss the issue on Nov. 12 at the Ken Edwards Center in downtown, and is encouraging camp operators, surfers and swimmers to attend.

“We have been getting a number of complaints from the public about the conditions on the beach and we promised those people we’d give every opportunity for them to voice their concerns before changing any ordinance relating to those activities,” said Callie Hurd, City Hall’s open space manager.

441,“Our intent is to better regulate so that we know who is out there and what they are doing so we can ensure everybody’s safety.”

Surfing has long been an integral part of the Santa Monica lifestyle, but in recent years, the surf and sand have become increasingly crowded as more surfing schools hit the popular breaks. Lifeguards said at least one fistfight almost broke out this summer when the operator of a permitted camp took offense to attempts by another operator to steer clients and instructors away.

Others feel that the beaches should be open to anyone and that surf camps are helping introduce new people to the sport and should be encouraged.

Contributing to the rise in surf schools is City Hall’s liberal surf instruction policies, which allow for unregulated surfing instruction for groups that have less than 20 children or any number of adults. A limited number of permits (three) are available for larger groups on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, City Hall contracts with surf instructors to offer surfing lessons through the Community Programs Division.

Other managing authorities in Southern California, such as Los Angeles County and California State Parks, strictly limit all surfing school activities, Hurd said.

City Hall is proposing to limit instruction to those groups issued a permit through Open Space, or contracted through Community Programs. During summer months or other peak-use periods, surf instruction may be limited solely to classes offered through Community Programs. At no time would instruction be permitted without authorization by City Hall, regardless of group size.

It is unclear if private, one-on-one lessons would also be regulated. City officials are looking to gather input from the community and then talk with lifeguards to see what will work best.

Only three permits were issued last year to groups of 20 or more. That was in addition to the two permits issued to instructors contracted with Community Programs, city officials said. Thirteen surf camps applied for permits. It is unclear how many unregulated surf camps were on the beach.

Lifeguard diversion rate

In addition to concerns about public safety, city officials said there is also the issue of business ethics. Instructors operating without permits or Santa Monica business licenses can work under the radar, meaning there is no record of how much they pay their instructors or charge students. Other groups that obtain a permit from the Open Space Management have a maximum capacity of 30 people and do not have to pay the city any portion of the revenue. Un-permitted groups also have no obligation to pay the city.

Tower 26 near the end of Ocean Park Boulevard has proven a popular spot for surf lessons, as has the Bay Street break, said Patrick Jones, a captain with the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, who are in charge of monitoring the beach.

“It can become a safety issue at times,” Jones said, alluding to the large number of surf camps in the water. “We have to make sure that these groups police their students so they are not surfing in swimming areas or places that are restricted. There’s a lot of house cleaning going on, getting groups back where they belong. Unfortunately, that takes the attention away from ordinary duties of public safety.”

Instructors who seek permits are happy City Hill is addressing the issue. They feel unregulated camps are taking advantage of Santa Monica’s generosity and are showing little respect for those who have paid their dues.

Pat Murphy, of Learn to Surf LA, has been pushing City Hall for years to come up with a better process for permits, having sent a letter to the City Council in 2006 stating that the permit process made it difficult for surf instructors to run viable businesses because of the lottery. No one knows from one season to the next if they will be able to obtain a permit, putting them in limbo.

“They should be providing permits for more than one year so that there is some predictability involved,” said Murphy, who had an Open Space permit this past summer. “Last year, we didn’t know we were going to get a permit until a month and a half before the season started. That’s not enough time to prepare and it forces people to scramble. It’s really just a crapshoot.”

“It just makes sense to me that (city officials) would want to know who they are dealing with, who’s in the water and that they are representing Santa Monica well,” Murphy said.

“There’s a lot of house cleaning going on, getting groups back where they belong. Unfortunately that takes the attention away from ordinary duties of public safety.”

Patrick Jones, captain, Los Angeles County Lifeguards.

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*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 3, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)