California's Surf Wars: Wave 'warlords' Go to Extreme Lengths to Defend Their Turf

According to The Guardian, Lunada Bay is a legendary surfing spot at the base of cliffs on the Palos Verdes peninsula, just south of Los Angeles.
It looks idyllic. Should you enter the water, however, three things may happen: the surfers may surround, harass and possibly assault you. Their friends may roll rocks on you as you clamber back up the cliff. Every surfer encountered on the beach warned of vague, unpleasant consequences if strangers entered the water. One adult male surfer, plucking a beer from an ice box, said “Too many surfers, not enough waves, that’s why there’s localism, man. If we let every nice guy surf, there’d be a hundred guys out here. You have to nip it in the bud. The reason it’s not crowded is that people protect it.” Localism declared certain beaches off limits, with Lunada Bay reputedly southern California’s most forbidding spot. The Los Angeles Times reported in 1991, “The area is known as a war zone of sorts,” citing assaults, rock-throwing and vandalism.