Ordinance banning surfboards, boogie boards in Oceanside Harbor gets committee approval

OCEANSIDE—The Oceanside Harbors and Beaches Advisory Committee, at its Aug. 17 meeting, approved an ordinance proposing to restrict watercrafts, such as surfboards and boogie boards, from the harbor.

“No person shall use the following types human-powered watercraft in the harbor

including the entrance or main channel: surfboards, boogie boards, float tubes, fishing float

tubes, and single air chamber floating devices customarily found in swimming pools, including

but not limited to air mattresses and floating chairs,” the ordinance stated. “Furthermore, no person shall use a surfboard, boogie board, or similar device, propelled through the use of hydrofoil, or similar machine propelled technology, in the channel or harbor entrance”

The ordinance received unanimous approval from the committee but will need City Council approval before taking effect.

Oceanside Harbor Manager Ted Schiafone said the restriction on surfboards, boogie boards and similar watercraft had been in the Harbor Code for decades. He said when the code was modified back in 2016 to allow standup paddleboards (SUPs) and kayaks in the harbor, somehow the restriction on surfboards, boogie boards and similar watercraft were inadvertently deleted.

“All this is doing is adding those watercrafts back in the code as a restriction,” Schiafone said in an email.

Schiafone there has been an explosion of activity in the harbor including people on surfboards and boogie boards. However, he said Harbor Police have not had the ability to restrict them, because the code was lacking the language. He went on to say boats with engines running and surfers simply do not mix.

“Boat operators have trouble seeing them due to obstructions in and around the water, and poor visibility of the small fraction of the person that is above the water’s surface,” Schiafone said in an email. “Same reason applies to not allowing vessels in the swim/surf areas of the beach. Swimming in the Harbor or Harbor Inlet is already restricted by code.”

SUPs and kayaks are not affected by this proposed ordinance. SUPs and kayaks were prohibited in Oceanside Harbor until 2016. The City Council in 2016 unanimously approved changes to the Municipal Code to allow for the human powered crafts, which also included surf skis, outrigger canoes, dinghies, inflatable boats and pedal-boats.