Here’s how to throw a rock at a drone

Lunada Bay. You know it? Even if you know it, you’ve never surfed it before. California’s probably-most-localised spot was recently the proposed scene of a peaceful protest, in the form of a paddle out. See, for decades, nobody but a tight crew of locals have been allowed to surf there. Try to paddle out, or even walk down there, and you’ll be asked not so nicely to leave, probs have some rocks hurled in your direction, and maybe even some fists depending on how much you try and tango. Yesterday was the supposed day for those who’ve had enough to descend on the place, strength-in-numbers style, and go surfing. Police showed up to Warren G the scene. People lined the cliffs. And, according to reports… around 25 people paddled out. Hardly the “Let us march on the palace!” revolution that was intended. The Lunada gang have such a pinch on the place that even when called to rally, non-immediate locals were too concerned for their boards and cheekbones.

So, more pertinently, and as if to put an accent on the failed proceedings, here we have a clip of a gentleman not-so-cleverly flying a drone into Bluff Cove, part of the Palos Verdes fam. Dude on the beach hucks rock at drone. Drone aborts and retreats up cliff. A dramatic reaction to a poorly thought out act.

With an over saturated and ever growing surf population, maybe we kinda need dynamics like Lunada. Before you drop some “One Love” vibes, consider your local beach and how much you sometimes wish that, on the best days, you could trim the lineup to a quarter of its size and see only faces you recognise and people who grasp the pecking order. Ain’t that a radical thought! Or maybe the Lunada regulators are hypocritical in policing their spot and then surfing at spots outside of their domain, backwards thinking and ignorant in believing they can preserve a time capsule in an age when surfing’s more popular then ever.

Which is it?