Dirty Little Secret

[Method]

Many Extreme Sport Athletes including myself had to 'fight' for our rights to Surf, Kite, Skate and enjoy other  "X" sports. Along the way many of us were fined and even jailed. During this process, I learned a 'dirty little secret'.
This is that the Jurisdiction of City and County (non-police) employees generally stops at the "Mean High Tide Line" or the Vegetation line.  This means that life Guards do not have any legal ability to enforce anything water side of the high tide mark. Most City and County officials know this but don't say much about it for obvious reasons.

I also learned that it is much better to get together as a group and approach these officials and work out an agreement before there is a problem. Friction leads to problems, the main one being that most "X athletes" park and walk through City or County Parks in order to access the water and this is where they 'get you'.  Experience has taught me to work things out long before there is a problem...for the most part, City and County officials are good people, a little respect goes a long way...good luck.

[paddlesurf.net]

Very interesting... I'd love for this to be true... Strand?

[rkuntz]

Have wondered about this as well. Back in the day when we ran Windsurfing Regattas on lakes created by and managed by US Corps. of Engineers the Feds always explained that once in/on "Navagatable" waters the Coast Guards rules governed, not those of any local jurisdiction.
The same argument also applied to the River in our back yard even though we owned contiguous shoreline on both sides. Even though you could walk across without getting your feet wet during dry seasons fishermen, boaters, swimmers and snowmobiles had free access/use OF THE WATER when there was water to had and there was nothing we could do about it. Only cared about the noisy +60MPH snowmobilers anyway.
So when a local lifeguard tells me I can't SUP, swim, windsurf or boat somewhere my response tends to be "Yes Sir, but you've got no jurisdiction". Actually used this in a State Park with the Park Manager (Licensed Law Enforcement guy, know him personally) when Windsurfing/swimming in an area marked "No Swimming" on shore and he walked away. (As I was in the water, I didn't consider that I was actually in the State Park anymore)
There are "No Wake" and "Swimming Only" zones yada yada that are reasonable and rational so it looks like there are gray and not so gray areas.
Strand, how does this shake out?

PS Seems to me that access and use are issues of direct concern for the formal SUP body that is developing just as they were/are for USWA.

[FB1]

Not always true, have seen LEO beach a boat and follow a PWC user into the parking lot of a condo to deliver a citation.

[Tom]

I think that in San Diego, the Life Guards are officially part of the police department and can issue citations for misdemeanor and only misdemeanor. They implemented this a couple of years ago so that they could control some of the rowdy behavior you often see on the beach.