January 17, 2014
Page 33
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
FROM PAGE 32
Regulations, life jackets are also re-
quired on non-motorized vessels in-
cluding canoes, kayaks, stand-up
paddleboards and any other device
capable of being used as a means
of transportation on the water or ice.
"Mr. Mancini had mentioned re-
classifying them [SUPs] in the code.
The federal government says this,
the state government backs it up
and is even more restrictive, so I
don't see how the city could unclas-
sify it as a watercraft," Kovacs said.
"I have extensive experience paddle
boarding. The paddleboards we
[OCBP] use are 12 feet long. I know
how they handle in the surf, and just
because you put a leash on some-
thing it doesn't mean you have con-
trol of the board when you get wiped
out on a wave when you're surfing."
In putting a measurement to it,
Kovacs figured a standard SUP is
12 feet long plus the length of a
leash and a paddle, the danger
zone created by a SUP can equal at
least 38 feet.
In comparing surfers to SUP us-
ers, surfers generally stay in one lo-
cation except when moving with the
current. SUPs are made to travel.
"They are in one area and before
you know it they will be a mile
down," Kovacs said.
Kovacs contacted a SUP vendor
in Virginia Beach where they allow
SUs on surfing beaches.
"He said the surfers and SUPrs
do not get along," Kovacs said.
Although the SUPs will go to the
surfing beaches with the most dis-
tance, the flotation power of a SUP
makes it is easier for them to catch
smaller waves farther out, which re-
sult in SUPs interfering with surfers
in the surf zone because the surfers
don't see them coming.
"We are very much concerned
over this because it is a growing
sport," Kovacs said.
OCBP Capt. Butch Arbin polled
OCBP officers and crew chiefs and
there is overwhelming concern over
safety and less experienced users
being unable to negotiate currents
and wind on the ocean side.
Kovacs cited an Ocean City area
SUP company, Walk On Water,
which recently posted on Facebook,
"We understand that there is a re-
quest before the Ocean City Council
to allow SUP at surfing beaches.
There are some SUPrs that are pro-
ficient enough in the line up to safe-
ly mix in with those crowds. The
vast majority are not. In addition the
snappy beach break waves in town
are not much for SUP. Unless the
town was to grant SUP an exclusive
beach, the combining of novice
SUPrs with novice surfers would be
dangerous."
Kovacs furthered, although Man-
cini asked for SUP to be considered
allowable on modified surfing days,
those are usually days with bad
weather or are overcast, which
wouldn't be safe for SUPs to oper-
ate in the surf anyways.
Recreation and Parks Director
Tom Shuster added currently it is
permissible for a SUP to go into the
ocean any time year-round except
from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. between
the start of June to the end of
September.
"So right now the period of time
they are allowed in is much greater
than the period of time they are re-
stricted," Shuster said.
Mitrecic asserted Mancini's point
was when he goes to the beach in
September and the beach and
ocean is empty he cannot utilize his
SUP."I think he is more concerned
there are people who like to do it on
a weekday in September when we
have modified surfing and there is
not a soul in the water," Mitrecic said.
Councilman Dennis Dare sug-
gested allowing SUP in the surf dur-
ing September but first giving swim-
mers and surfers priority.
"It would be nice to be able to try
something out that is very restrictive
to begin with," Dare said.
Councilman Lloyd Martin made a
motion to have OCBP develop a
pilot program to possibly allow limit-
ed access to SUP in the surf after
Labor Day in September during the
times of modified surfing. The com-
mission approved.
OCBP will return with a recom-
mended pilot program to the com-
mission, which will in turn present
the program to the Surfing Commis-
sion for input and consensus.
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