Hamptons Homeowners Irate Over Georgica Pond Surfers
The East End has some very popular surfing spots, drawing surfing enthusiasts from near and far. Until now these spots have always been on public beaches, and because of that the surfers have never been considered disruptive. Recently, however, the addition of Georgica Pond as a new spot in the surfing circuit has nearby residents up in arms.
“Ever since they installed the man-made wave maker in the pond, we’ve had no peace,” says longtime Georgica Pond homeowner George Sneed. “The surfers have taken over, with their crazy bleached-blonde hair and their broken-down woody wagons.”
RELATED: Hamptons Surf Report
Apparently the new spot has caught on among surfers because, while the man-made waves are not quite as “gnarly” as those that can sometimes be found at Ditch Plains and other popular breaks, they are far more consistent and predictable.
“It’s like clockwork,” says Charlie Bontemps, a regular at Georgica Pond. “You know the waves are just going to keep coming, no matter what the weather is. No rips to worry about. No sharks. It’s pretty sweet.”
Not so sweet for residents of the wealthy enclave, though, who have been registering their displeasure with the Hamptons Police—to little avail.
“We’ve received a lot of complaints,” Hamptons Police spokesman Larry Hirsch says, “but as far as we can tell, the surfers are within their rights. It seems like maybe the real mistake was installing the artificial wave machine to begin with.”
The $3.5 million wave machine was installed by the Georgica Pond Homeowners Association in order to provide an “oceanfront feel” to homes situated around the pond, but it would seem little consideration was given to what to do about surfers who are attracted to the waves. As of press time, there was no word on what may be the Georgica Pond residents’ next step.
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