Surfrider Foundation USA - Palm Beach County Chapter

Surfrider Gains Access For Surfers At Juno Pier

New Rules for Surfing at Juno Pier, posted by Tom Warnke

We have finalized the plan with Palm Beach County for surfing at the pier. I am proud we finally have some concrete results to let everyone know about. Seven months ago we helped to convince the county that surfing should be allowed at the pier, under certain flexible guidelines. The plan is to take the best of the systems in use at piers in California, the east coast, and especially Rescue Board Donation.jpg (10581 bytes)

at Lake Worth, where the guards decide day to day who surfs where. It has been successful at Lake Worth for many years, and there is rarely any friction between the fishermen and the surfers. Park use at the Juno Pier is up 151% during the past year, since the pier opened, and the county has now committed to a package costing more than one hundred thousand dollars to make sure surfing is legal at the pier. It will include all those things we recommended. Our local Surfrider Foundation chapter committed more than two thousand dollars to help jump start the funding of the new system. This Saturday, the Palm Beach County Beach Patrol will be distributing flyers outlining the new flexible guidelines we have been working for. Surfrider Foundation endorses the new guidelines, and actually helped write them. The most important part of the plan is that the beach patrol will have complete control over deciding the location and the size of the surfing areas. Most of the beach patrol are surfers, and they will do their best to provide both swimming and surfing areas. It can change from day to day, so we have to do our best to let all surfers know that fact. Where you surf today may not be a surfing area tomorrow. The beach patrol will do their best to give the surfers the best area, but swimmers have a right to use the ocean, and their needs will be taken care of with the same priority as the surfers. As an example, if the surf is best on the north side, it is possible that the swimming area could be on the south side that day. It will be completely up to the beach patrol working on that day, that hour. In general, the surfing area will be the south side of the pier.

So here are the details:

No surfing within 100' of the pier. The surfing area will be designated with a black and white checkered flag.
Paddle out zone NEXT to the pilings during swells!
Paddle out zone is immediately NEXT to the pilings, on the downdrift side.
No paddling out or surfing under the pier.
Paddle out zone can change, at any time, and will be decided by the beach patrol.
When paddling out, surfers must begin to move away from the pier as they get to the first shelter.
Green arrows will be placed on the pier, under the railing, where the paddling surfer will be able to easily see where to start moving away from the pier.
After paddling out, surfers must stay 100' from the pier.
The beach patrol will decide where surfing is allowed. North, south, inside and outside.
All surfers must adhere to the rules decided by the beach patrol, or face being banned from the park.

The temporary lifeguard tower is now in place on the south side of the pier. A permanent tower will be built there, and is already funded (25K), along with the extra personnel and safety equipment (60K). (after the planning was completed, the county set a record in funding the new beach patrol positions. The process was completed in just over three weeks!) A new access point will be opened at the pier. Surfers and other users will be able to access the beach on the south side of the pier via a new, first class stairway and landing connecting to the pier (15K).

The county ordinance which designates surfboards as "vessels" required to stay 500' from all piers and jetties in the county will have the word "surfboard" deleted. This has not happened yet, but it is in process.

Thanks to all the volunteers with Surfrider Foundation, and the staff of Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, Aquatics Department, for all their hard work, especially Don May. Thanks to County Commissioner Karen Marcus, who helped make the voice of reason heard by all concerned. Thanks to the fishermen and the pier operators, who sat down with the surfers to work things out.