A popular surfing spot in Southern California may appear stunning on the surface – but this gorgeous stretch of coastline hides a dark secret.
For six decades, a surfer gang known as the Bay Boys have aggressively defended what they consider to be their turf at Lunada Bay.
Now furious locals have laid bare the terrifying tactics the group uses to drive away tourists. Speaking to the LA Times, surfers described the how they have been subjected to intimidation, harassment and even violence.
It was hoped that a recent lawsuit settlement would ensure the city of Palos Verdes Estates takes steps to ensure public access to the beach and root out this behavior.
But residents like John MacHarg fear this alone will not be enough to put an end to the Bay Boys’ reign of terror.
‘I think [the Bay Boys] still feel like, ‘Oh, we’re protecting this sacred place,’ MacHarg told the LA Times. ‘They don’t realize that the more sacred it is, the more of a sin it is to do their so-called protecting.’
A notorious surfer gang has been harassing and intimidating locals at Lunada Bay for decades
The group, branded the ‘Bay Boys’, has operated from their elaborate hangout (seen here) at the base of this bluff along Palos Verdes Estates for decades, a lawsuit alleges
The Bay Boys’ actions are motivated by a belief that they ‘own’ the break, a sentiment known as localism rooted in a desire to preserve the character of the community.
The group, which operated for a time from a fort-like base under the cliffs, has been known to verbally harass, vandalize cars and throw rocks at visitors. Some victims have even reported being assaulted by members of the gang.
Their terrorizing tactics have led to decades of conflict and legal challenges, culminating in a recent lawsuit demanding the city of Palos Verdes Estates take stronger measures to ensure public access to the beach.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs identified at least 85 individuals – core members of the Bay Boys gang, along with their friends and family – who were considered ‘entitled’ to surf Lunada Bay.
The city agreed to settle the case that had been ongoing since 2016 without admitting any wrongdoing.
But while the city pledged to improve public access and enforce beach rules, the settlement did not state specific measures for preventing harassment – and some surfers are not convinced the city will protect them.
Local surfers who have experienced this hostile environment firsthand described a culture of fear to the LA Times.
While the gang’s more overt acts of violence, such as physical assaults and vandalism, have become less common in recent years, subtler forms of harassment persist.
These include verbal abuse or maneuvering their boards in a way that puts non-locals’ lives at risk.
‘If you get on a good wave, they’re going to instantly try to burn you,’ Long Beach resident Sofly Matturi told the LA Times. ‘They’ll take off in front of you and then try to do a really long bottom turn where they’ll try to push you into the rocks.’
Matturi said he had personally experienced the gang’s harassment. Back in April, he said a gang member attempted to push him off his board mid-wave, yelling, ‘Get out, you’re not supposed to be surfing here.’
Palos Verdes Estates, which has approximately 13,300 residents and its own police department, has long been determined to protect its community from outsiders.
News articles dating back to 1939 indicate that one of the primary reasons residents voted to establish their own city was to safeguard local control over the coastline.
Diana Milena Reed (pictured) claimed she encountered the ‘Bay Boys’ when she visited the surf spot in 2016 at the age of 29. She returned there a second time and said she was ‘flashed’ by a man all while allegedly rubbing his private parts in a sexual manner
While the gang’s more overt acts of violence have decreased, subtler forms of harassment persist, such as verbal threats and maneuvering offensively in the water
The Bay Boys started out as a relatively benign surf club in the 1960s, as reported by the local newspaper Daily Breeze.
However, as Lunada Bay became more popular in the 1970s, members of the Bay Boys started employing increasingly aggressive methods of bullying to deter outsiders – an issue the recent lawsuit claimed had gone unchecked by city officials.
The surge of new residents to California in the early 2000s overwhelmed the efforts of locals to maintain exclusive control over the coastline.
But while many surfing spots became more accessible, Lunada Bay remained a stronghold of localism.
The recently settled lawsuit against Palos Verdes Estates alleged the actions of the Bay Boys surf gang and the city’s failure to maintain public access to the beach violated the California Coastal Act.
Plaintiff Cory Spencer recounted an incident in 2016 when a gang member intentionally struck him with a surfboard, resulting in a deep cut on his wrist.
Following this, Spencer, along with the nonprofit Coastal Protection Rangers and fellow surfer Diana Milena Miernik – who reported being verbally and sexually harassed by the Bay Boys – filed the lawsuit.
As part of the settlement, the city has agreed to improve infrastructure to clearly indicate that Lunada Bay is open to the public.
This includes plans to improve the trail along the cliffs, add signage indicating that the beach is accessible to everyone, and install benches along the bluffs.
The city also plans to train staff on coastal access laws and report any bullying allegations to the California Coastal Commission.
Additionally, the suit held individual Bay Boys accountable, with several facing fines of up to $90,000 to continue surfing at Lunada.
‘I think the city’s going to be, maybe, a little bit better of a partner at this point rather than a foe to make Lunada more open,’ Spencer said. ‘We hope that’s what the lawsuit accomplished.’
This was not the first attempt to make Lunada Bay more accessible to nonlocal surfers.
In 1995, Torrance surfer Geoff Hagins filed a lawsuit claiming locals engaged in violence and harassment to deter outsiders. Local surfer Peter McCullom settled for $15,000, and the city agreed to proclaim that the beach is open to all.
Locals and nonlocals alike believe that more needs to be done to address this issue and ensure that Lunada Bay is truly accessible to everyone
‘We’ve protected this beach for years,’ McCullom told LA Times in 1995, expressing concerns about increased crowds who disrespect the environment.
Localism at Lunada Bay has often been linked to classism and racism. In 2014, native Hawaiian surfer Chris Taloa faced hostility during a peaceful paddle out when a local approached him in blackface, telling him ‘you don’t pay enough taxes to be here.’
Matturi, a Black surfer, said he has also experienced racially motivated violence.
‘It’s like half is localism, half is racism. Either way, they don’t like me,’ he said.
Despite the harassment, he believes the ocean belongs to everyone, and the thrill of riding Lunada Bay’s waves outweigh the cons.
MacHarg, a Palos Verdes Estates native opposed to the Bay Boys’ bullying, sees the recent settlement as a chance for outsiders to claim their right to surf.
He told LA Times: ‘The moral of the story is: Get out there and go surf, break it open. The door has been opened, but if nobody goes through the door, it’s not going to make any difference.’
