Trestles Beach

Surfers are basking in glory after the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday dealt what might be a death blow to a proposed toll-road extension that would have blazed a six-lane expressway through pristine San Onofre State Beach. And deservedly so. Surfers did not win the decade-long battle, of course. Environmental groups were also on board and, ultimately, common sense among the commission panel prevailed in the form of an 8-2 vote of disapproval.

A major pro surfing competition begins today at Lower Trestles near San Clemente, just four days after a fatal shark attack occurred 30 miles down the coast. But for many in the field of 192, there will be too much at stake in the Trestles lineup to be concerned about what lurks below. The 6.0 Lowers Pro, sponsored by Nike and running through Saturday, is an $80,000 Assn.

Time was, surfing one of the world's most famous breaks required driving to the boondocks, bushwhacking through a reedy marsh and confronting armed men who threatened arrest. This wasn't Baja, but northern San Diego County in 1958. That summer, Leo Hetzel was a 17-year-old Long Beach kid looking for adventure. He found it at Trestles, the breaks off a beach that seemed like wilderness despite the fact it was on the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.