Long Beach finalizes 2012 surfing schedule

After more than a month of public input and debate, the city has floated its official 2012 surfing schedule, aiming to strike a balance between the needs of residents and surfers.

In March, the surfing community urged city officials to consider adding more surfing beaches this summer in order to address overcrowding and safety concerns, amid a surfing boom on the East Coast that has attracted a growing number of enthusiasts to the city. The Long Beach Surfer’s Association contended that limited access to waves in the summer has created a dangerous situation for thousands of surfers and swimmers, which in the past has led to a number of accidents.

The city launched a pilot program last year to address the issue by adding surfing beaches in the West End and opening designated beaches in the East End and central part of town to surfers from 9 a.m. to noon.

In 2011, there were two permanent surfing beaches, at Maple and Lincoln boulevards. A proposal the LBSA submitted to the city last month called for the addition of a third permanent beach at Laurelton Boulevard — now renamed Danny Bobis Beach — and the extension of the schedule of beach rotation in the West End to weekends, among other recommendations.

Meanwhile, a number of residents, including tenants of the Ocean Club condominiums, at 100 W. Broadway, have raised concerns about the proposed schedule, which includes the operation of the Skudin Surf camp at National Boulevard, arguably one of the city’s busiest beaches.