For the last week I have watched Moms in cars swinging into the parking lot dropping their little 6-10yr old girls off at the beach to surf and take off like they dropped them off at the soccer field. Watching them out there they donot have the skills needed too be surfing the last few days much less paddle out . Who exactly is supposed to be watching them , the Mom does'nt even get out too look at the conditions , and me and my surf friends don"t want to become responsible for them and their well being . Since that couple who sent their kids to the park got so much uproar What is the safe age too drop your kids off at the beach and leave , especially when the surf has been this big..
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I totally agree with you. As a parent and surfer for over 20 years, I would say at least 12 and that would be dependent on conditions, if lifeguards is present, surfing with friends, and of course skill level. If my son starts surfing, I will tag along for his safety (and my fun) until he decides to elude his old man or take off in his car. I, myself, have pulled two kids (guessing ages 5 and 7) out a bad situation down at Sebastian Inlet and their parents were on the beach (and totally out to lunch)! My two cents is a lot of people are too wrapped up in themselves and don't want to be inconvenienced or accountable.

OMG 5 or 7 would be way too young to be dropped off and left to surf.

I have to say I probably took my son out in the 8-10 range when it may have been too big. But I was right there with him. Of course you take a wave he takes a wave and your no longer "together".

The first time I left my son alone I had been surfing with him so I left him in conditions I knew were ok, there were people there I knew who would help him if he needed it (he never did) and I came back and got him after a couple of hours- he was around 10 at the time. I would never have dropped him off if it was big without looking at the conditions- even at 14 or so.

Not until he was able to drive himself did he ever go by himself without any friends and an adult.  I still always encourage him to not surf totally alone.

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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

Edited: 10/07/2015 at 08:33 AM by daner

Was watching in Sat Bch and a young girl (I'm thinking she was a very young teenager) didn't make it out.
She looked exhausted after battling large waves and the current. Her Dad was out, her Mom on the boardwalk taking pictures.

Mom says ... "walk down there a bit (pointing a bit more north) it doesn't look like its breaking as big."

Thankfully, the young girl didn't make another attempt. This was on Mon afternoon with still plenty of big waves in Satellite.

Though I don't really know the capabilities and skill of the young girl, .... I don't know what Mom was thinking.








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Puerto Rico 11 - 24 - 2013

I live a couple hundred yards south of Paradise... This entire week I have been seeing people washing up on the beach after being denied... I didn't see any real young kids but it wasn't their age that made me wince it was their obvious lack of surf skills and lack of knowledge. You watch somebody paddle for 5 - 10 seconds and you know they're going to have trouble and have no business being out in that kind of surf. I firmly believe in the old adage that if you can't make the paddle out you shouldn't be surfing that day...    I think the whitewater protected a lot of beginers from getting into situations beyond their skill sets... 

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When they are on their own insurance?

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Specializing in sarcasm and condescending rhetoric since 1971.

There are actually kind of two questions here if we wanted to get at it.
What is the age it's fine to drop your kid off at the beach and leave?

What is the age to drop off and leave if it's big?

For the prior, of course it depends on the kid, helicopter parent vs free range parent. I wouldn't leave my 11 y.o. and his buddy on the beach even with small waves, though he's a smart kid and a good swimmer. Leave him at home for a little while, that's different. I'm not scard of the world, but there's pedo freaks out there, especially wouldn't leave my daughter.

Like Sunrise mentioned in his post, typically in florida beachbreak of decent size, because of the difficulty paddling out,  when the ocean decides you aren't ready, you aren't going to make it out. There are exceptions to the rule, long periods, big lulls etc...but most get b**ch slapped back to the sand before they get in serious trouble. I don't think kids get the muscle mass till they get a bit older to really paddle out well.

I saw 2 kids around 13 y.o. crossing a1a one evening with surfboards, prolly 7 pm, getting dark and it was onshore and windy and the surf was decent size for here. I just thought to myself....I hope their parents know they're out.

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my son is 13 and has been surfing for 8 years....and I was STILL concerned for him saturday and sunday....paddled out with him and watched him like a hawk for both sessions...and we had his uncle and a bunch of other guys out there keeping an eye on him as well.....watched him take a big outside set on the head and was very proud of his composure.....paid off of him big time. He was so stoked.

 

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https://www.instagram.com/dj_kaye_/

Edited: 10/07/2015 at 09:30 AM by dkaye

Have been fortunate/unfortunate to be in situations where i have paddled/saved a few of these kids to the sand. I have to feel 100% comfortable with my kids swimming ability in the ocean to let them out. most non surfing parents have NO clue how easy it is to get hurt. i think i have been hurt more on small days than big ones. Swimming in this last swell was no joke. leash snapped and i had to power to the beach. our community has been VERY luck to not have a kid hurt. i think it is the brotherhood of surfers here that watch out for these kids in the water.

I started when I was 13, rode a heavy 9'6" pop-out, before leashes, and surfed in any/all conditions. Then, again, I passed Senior Water Safety Instructor when I was 12. The only time I (we) did not challenge the surf was during Hurricane Betsy, Labor Day 1965.

When I first started walking to the beach with friends to surf Sandpiper Towers my mother was totally freaked out. My father said something to the effect that I "swam like a fish" and she should not worry. She shot back at him that she was not worried about the ocean, but that I was crossing A1A! LOl

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Dora Hates You

Please don't project your own internal fears and deficiencies onto the kids or incite "parenting rage". There were tons of young kids exceeding expectations out there this week..
True they should be capable of self rescue and aware of the conditions before entering, and have a decent overwatch by family etc..
As far as who watches over them, it's also their brothers and sisters in the lineup...Which means everybody. Relax and don't overthink it.
I have never seen clueless parents drop and leave clueless groms at any beach w significant surf.
I worry about and have rescued far more out of shape Monday night footballers/internet warriors than most other types of victims.
No need to troll the little ones....

Amen 19W. Many of the kids at Pelican where I surf were charging hard for the past two weeks. I would much rather surf with them than car loads of kooks who clogged the lineup in that same time frame.

I don't think I saw anyone that looked under 15 at Pelican on Sunday.

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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

19w I am not talking about the ones that CAN surf well, I'm talking about the others, i agree we have alot of kids ripping in the waters these days , and 19w i dont have internal fears or deficiences you dont know me so dont judge me. This has nothing to do with parent rage more like COMMON SENSE , as far as clueless parents there are millions of them out there , no one's trolling just curious as too whens too young ??? see you in the surf

Saw way more clueless adults out that needed someone to look after them, than kids.
Teens are a much better age to learn to surf than out of shape 30,40,and 50 year olds.

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https://i.imgur.com/rMXKWWK.gifv

haha I cant say I saw many kids that didnt belong - though I won't be leaving my 1 1/2 y/o son alone at the beach anytime soon I agree with the comment on crossing A1A being the most scary part, if you know your kid is comfortable in the water that is.

definitely saw plenty of older guys I did not want to get too close to for my own safety's sake, that happens every named tropical swell

Edited: 10/07/2015 at 11:31 AM by johnny

As a parent, I'm torn on this one. I will never forget walking the beach and looking for Chris Gooch, and seeing the heartbreak in his parents eyes even years after that. Certainly some kids surf very well (Chris was an excellent surfer, and accidents happen and all that malarky). But one of the things we KNOW about kids (and teenagers) is that their brains are not fully developed. They don't have the judgement or the years of knowledge to know when they are overmatched, and when they get in trouble they often make poor decisions because of that. Adults do too, but we KNOW that about the adolescent brain. So while I don't think you can guard against everything - I don't want to walk the beach again like that...

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[Feminism is] a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. ~Pat Robertson

Ugh I never heard that story about Chris Gooch

http://articles.orlandosentine...istian-melbourne-beach

tough story.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

Always wear a leash.