Surfers

A Malibu jury deadlocked Friday in the trial of two surfers charged with beating a French paparazzo on the beach two years ago. The hung verdict comes after about half a dozen delays in the trial of Skylar Peak, 26, and Philip Hildebrand, 31, who were each facing one count of misdemeanor battery. The June 2008 incident was caught on camera and spread across the Internet. A dozen paparazzi were angling for a shot of actor Matthew McConaughey when they were confronted by a group of local surfers, including Peak and Hildebrand.

Whose ocean is it? As an active surfer since 1957, I find it a shame that some surfers don't understand the value of enjoyment and camaraderie that surfers have shared since I began surfing. Challenging the elements, not other surfers, has been an important part of my life. To have to fight your way into or out of the ocean is absurd. It is a lower form of animal thinking that brings out territorial rights. Richie Collins, as good as he may think he is, has a lot to learn about human rights and sharing.

A Superior Court judge has refused to throw out a civil lawsuit filed by six surfers over a turf war off Lunada Bay in the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Judge Lawrence Crispo decided Tuesday that the suit filed against Palos Verdes Estates and local surfers can go to trial on Feb. 13.

The local surfing community will hold the No Toll Road Trestles Surf Classic May 9 and 10, an event they hope will raise money for a legal battle against transportation agencies' plan to connect the proposed Foothill Toll Road to Interstate 5. Surfers say that, if built, the toll road lanes would cut through San Onofre State Park and across San Mateo Creek just behind Trestles Beach--a popular surfing spot for more than 30 years.

After riding 1,010 waves in an eight-day marathon along the California coast, professional surfers James Pribram of Laguna Beach and Seth Elmer of Carlsbad figure they've raised more than $15,000 for surfers who have suffered spinal-cord injuries. They began their trip Aug. 25, hitting 60 spots from San Diego to San Francisco, said Pribram, co-founder of They Will Surf Again.

Re "Angry Residents Sink Police Chief's Surf Cam," June 7: Several years ago, as San Diego's lifeguard chief, I proposed state legislation entitled the California Open Waves Act, which was intended to reduce surfer localism. Localism refers to the protection of local surf spots through violence and intimidation. There have been many examples over the years that have included very serious assaults. The proposed act declares that "the ocean along California's coastline and the waves which strike it are an invaluable asset which is owned by no person and available for equal use by all."

Before 1972, Trestles was an even more thrilling beach to surf than it is now. The waves were great, sure, but there was the added fillip that came from having to sneak down to the beach with your board, out of sight of the Marines who controlled the land. Pat Nixon changed all that.

Mark Foo, a well-known pro surfer and television personality from Hawaii, crashed while riding a large wave Friday and was killed, authorities said. Witnesses told investigators that Foo was riding a large wave when he lost control and the wave crashed onto him, breaking his board in three pieces. At least one of the pieces apparently struck him in the head and he went under, said Dave Cammock, chief investigator for the San Mateo County coroner's office.

Just after dawn Friday, a veteran group of surfers put on their wetsuits, jumped in the cold ocean and set out to ride some of the Earth's largest waves--more than 100 miles off the Southern California shore. Long known to abalone divers and commercial fishermen, this spot called Cortes Bank is an underwater mountain that rises to within several feet of the water's surface, yet far out of sight of any land.

Richard Robb had that look on his face. The kind of look a father might have after trying to wake up his son to mow the lawn. In Robb's case, however, there was no lawn to be mowed, but there was a quarterfinal heat to be surfed. And his son is Kalani Robb, who is ranked fifth in the world of professional surfing. "I tried to get him up this morning, but after so many times of trying to get him out of bed, I just gave up," Robb said Sunday.