BIPOC surfer fires broadside at “Malibu Karen” and her recently declared war on VALS: “Good morning to everyone except the White woman who tried to hold a meeting yesterday to discuss how to make outsiders feel less welcome and less safe being there. ⁣⁣Localism equals racism!”

Joy is resistance!”

Two days ago, Professor Carla Zamora from The Surf Institute, a longboard surf consultancy, used Instagram to launch a scud into the VAL kingdom, at those vulnerable adult learners who’d gotten to crowding Malibu.

It read, in part,

Correct me if I’m wrong, but just two decades ago being “from Malibu” carried an air of prestige. We were masters of our spot, encouraged, even pressured, to surf at the highest caliber possible and given no leeway or forgiveness when we faltered. It was chaotic then, too, but there was a method to the madness; control to the chaos. Rules were not just established, they were enforced. If you publicly cried about it, you felt it even harder.

Fast forward 20 years. A pandemic singlehandedly changes people’s lives and increases the surfing population by astronomical proportions. As an outdoor activity relatively safe from exposure, 2020 saw nearly every other Joe take up surfing and every other Schmoe become a surf coach. Young adults already versed in the sport, begin flocking in droves to park, no, camp, in our lot for days on end. (Note: this has been a problem prior to COVID). Photographers and videographers arrive with their own talent to rape and pillage the waves, shunning the existing talent who have paid their dues.

Please join me Tuesday 5/25 4p at The Wall to discuss, create, and implement a strategy to take back our home.

We didn’t go, natch, but one woman who did, BIPOC surfer Jae Bella wasn’t sold on the concept.

Bella also took to IG.

Good morning to everyone except the white woman who tried to hold a meeting yesterday in Malibu to discuss how to make outsiders feel less welcome and less safe being there. ⁣⁣
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According to her, people she doesn’t consider “locals” are not doing a good enough job of “acknowledging her existence, let alone her local ‘status’..” and photographers are showing up with new surfers to “rape and pillage” the waves. She’s so upset at this because she has declared that she and the “locals” have “mastered” the “sport.” She called a meeting bc she “cannot and will not let guests dictate the state of her ‘home’…” yes. Her call to action for this little gathering was to encourage the “locals” to “take back their home.” Bihhh are you a dolphin? Because NO. ⁣⁣
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As much as she wants to make Malibu great again, needless to say she did not keep that same energy offline, and said not one of these things at her little meeting last night, which we attended. ⁣⁣
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Friendly reminder that localism=racism. Not gonna spend time unpacking that right now, but today is another day where joy is resistance. And for the record, we’ll be at Malibu, or wherever else our hearts desire, smiling, happy and free. Connecting with the ocean and earth that belongs to no one but god. Taking up space. At peace and unbothered.⁣⁣

Comments on the post were almost entirely positive, localism equals racism etc.

Indicative reactions.

“Beautiful photos, send that lady love and peace”

“She and her wrinkled raisin eyes could not contain nor comprehend this level of Beauty and Glory in a wetsuit coming at her all early 9in the morning in her precious ‘Bu. Work ALL of it my Sis. You look so amazingly glorious in that sea.”

“1. You’re amazing, powerful and beautiful. 2. Fuck that bitch. Hell fucking no!! 3. Thank you for speaking on this!! Wishing you a love and joy filled day!”

A rare dissenter.

“Get better at surfing before you can saying you fuckin’ popollo kook. You don’t surf. You’re not a surfer. You take pictures of yourself floundering around in one-foot shorebreak. Stop labelling everything as racism cuz you’re black. You’re not a surfer. You’re a poser. You’re like scooter kids at the skatepark but worse cuz you think your opinion actually matters.”