Surf Rage

Surfing can be a wonderful way to wind down, or even meditate. I'm one of those lucky few Irish people who has managed to actually try it out, with a little but not much success (I managed to kneel up on the board rather than stand up, but I did catch a few waves). There's a lot to be said for those moments when you just hang out on the water. (I think I'm going to need lots of water around if I ever settle.) Very nice.

There's a craft and a crafting to be learned and plenty of teachers about.

That said, there are not so good social pressures going on in certain places.

I have been trying to find more information about three surfers who were arrested in a federal park in San Francisco in March after allegedly attempting to kill another surfer who might have intruded onto "their" wave. If any one has any more info on this, please let me know.

Also, I'm having difficulty working out whether the following is an urban legend or not. I have found it listed all over the Internet, but nearly always with the same wording, and nowhere with any more information than ...

"Two surfers went to court after one had allegedly stolen the other surfer's wave. The case was dismissed after court officials found it impossible to put a monetary value on a wave".

Again, if anyone has any more details ...

Surf Rage
http://www.drdriving.org/rages/surf.htm

http://www.natyoung.com/surfrage.html

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/books/news/11/27/australia.surfing.reut/

A Circuit Court judge sentenced a surfer to six years in prison for surf rage assaults ...
http://starbulletin.com/2006/01/20/news/story08.html

An Australian surfer accused of “surf rage” was banned from riding the waves at nine Sydney beaches
http://www.7days.ae/2006/03/03/you-stole-my-wave.html

Surf Rage Hoax (2004):
Journalists from across the country descended on Portreath in Cornwall last week to witness for themselves what one national newspaper described as the "surf rage" that threatened to "cripple the thriving local tourism on which the town survives". But this week the threat of all-out surf wars receded when a group of marketing and journalism students claimed the whole thing was a hoax - and boasted they had hoodwinked the nation's media.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1357552,00.html

'Localism' intensifying at ocean breaks:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/15/SP97503.DTL

Hey man, like, is surfing mellow and laidback?
http://www.wavescape.co.za/top_bar/tidings/oneoffs/surfrage/
LongBeach_Surfrage.htm

Surfrider group focuses on surf rage campaign
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2003/s987606.htm

Santa Cruz tries to tame surfing wars Brochure spells out unwritten etiquette for dropping in on a wave
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/04/BA120105.DTL