Interesting article in today’s New York Times [1]…

“Surfing, once the sport of Hawaiian kings, has come full circle. After becoming a counterculture activity for beach bums and bohemians, it has emerged as a status sport, like skiing and golf.”

Good grief!

“This new species of surfer contributes to a booming market for vacation packages, instruction, equipment and real estate near some of the world’s best surf breaks.”

Damn those yuppie surfers!

“Todd Juneau, a real estate consultant in San Diego and a longtime surfer, trolls for business in local lineups. ‘I’ll sit in the water and listen to conversations, and if someone says something about real estate, I’ll find a way to interject,’ he said. ‘And it pays off.'”

Huh??? If Todd “interjected” with a RE pitch while I was waiting for a wave, they’d be a serious smackdown.

Back in the late 1970s, my brother and I would get off work on a Friday, stock the “fridge” in his old VW camper van with a block of ice, beer, Lambrusco, cold cuts, and a loaf of bread, drive to Mission Beach or La Jolla, and literally spend the whole weekend at the beach. We slept in the van in the beach parking lot (not in La Jolla, natch, but at Mission or Pacific beach). We used the beach showers to clean up every morning and would then run yelling into the cold surf (we didn’t have wet suits). We would body surf and boogie board all day (we didn’t have surf boards, either) taking breaks only to eat and drink and chat up the girls. There used to be a little food place (I forget at which beach) where you could get a fantastic veggie omelet — besides the gas and beer, that was usually one of our biggest expenditures. We would head home on Sunday evening, worn out and happy. My brother and I were not sophisticated enough to be bohemians, so we must have been beach bums. Things have certainly changed.

[1] Surf’s Up, and Upscale, as Sport Reverses Its Beach Bum Image