[ricki]

All these guys are experienced local riders, some have been at it for years. They know the rules, ANYONE who spends anytime around Ft. Lauderdale Beach knows you stay outside the buoys. I learned that in no uncertain terms decades back growing up there, nothing has changed in that regard either.

How long did it take for these guys, riding back and forth to cover the entire Ft. Lauderdale Public Beach, thirty minutes, more? In the photos, they were approaching within 50 ft. of the beach, the buoys are about 400 ft. offshore! Lifeguards were in fits, perhaps 20 of them at several hundred foot intervals, trying to get these guys out of the swim area. If a guard is repeatedly blowing his whistle, running down by the water and you are 800 ft. offshore, you can't miss it. At 50 to 200 ft., it is right in your face and something you can't ignore, unless you choose to.

What is the greatest problem we've had at Ft. Lauderdale, for almost TEN YEARS, guys riding inside the buoys in the swim zone. Thanks to a lot of hard work, it has become more rare. This is common knowledge and why lots of us spent a great deal of time in Commission meetings for years trying to preserve access here. Multiply that by a few hundred times, and that is what Neil has invested in trying to keep the sport alive here. No way, this should be trashed for the misguided efforts of a very few riders.