Village Cracks Down on Surf School

The Southampton Village Board on Thursday assuaged the concerns of village residents up in arms about a surfing camp they say disrupted others enjoyment of public beaches.

The camp, operated by Flying Point Surf School, took place at village beaches in summer 2012 and drew many complaints. Mayor Mark Epley said Thursday that if the surf school wishes to return in 2013, it will need to clear some hurdles first and the volume of campers will be reduced.

In an interview Monday, Epley explained that after last summer the village had a chance to conduct its research and found that the camp should have had a license from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

According to the county health department website, day camps must be inspected twice yearly to ensure they are in compliance with state sanitary code and that they follow county law requiring that defibrillators be kept on site. Staff credentials are also inspected and the county makes sure food safety protocol is followed.

Epley said he has spoken to the camp owner, Shane Dyckman, of Sag Harbor, and laid out the deal for 2013. “I told him in order for you to even contemplate operating in the village of Southampton, you need to get a license.”  Only then can Dyckman come before the Village Board for the village's approval — and any approvals he received in the past, formal or informal, are no longer valid.

The biggest objection that residents had about the camp is the volume of campers, Epley said. “I’ve had all sorts of reports from different people, and was never really able to get a straight answer out of anyone about how many people participated in that camp.”

No matter the exact number, Epley said there were too many students, instructors and parents concentrated on small areas of the beach. “It's too many people.” And, he said, the camp moved on a regular basis to be where the break is — where the best waves are.

The village itself had objections as well, including an apparent violation of a village code prohibition on commercial enterprises being operated on the beach.
"From what I understand, there was money exchanged down at the beach," Epley said. "He was conducting business down there.”

Tim Behringer, a Southampton Village resident and part of the Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long island Chapter, which advocates beach access, told the Village Board Thursday that a private camp does not belong on the beach.

"This is about allowing somebody to create a commerical use," Behringer said. "You're walking into a sea of quicksand. Where's it stop? Can I sell newspapers down there?"

The Flying Point Surf School is currently accepting registrations at a cost of $750 per week, Monday through Friday with half day lessons. The website states that the location is to be announced.

Dyckman said Monday that he does not have any comment at this time. He did confirm that his camp has been in business for 11 years. In the past, it has operated at town-owned beaches.

Epley said he does not object to the idea of a surf school on village beaches, because in a beachfront community people should have the opportunity to learn how to surf. However, he said, “it will be done legally. It will be done with approval of the board. We’ll know all the operational policies before it occurs.”

The village code has been modified in the past to accommodate the concession stand at Coopers Beach, yet it still prohibits ice cream trucks, hot dogs vendors and other businesses at beaches, including camps, he said. He is open to modifying the law to permit surf camps, but said no one has come to the board for permission yet so no legislation has been brought forth.

Fran Adamczeski told the Village Board Thursday that if a camp is going to happen on village beaches, it should be run by a Southampton Village resident and be exclusive to Southampton Village residents. He said the village could even operate the camp itself.

Epley said a village-operated surfing camp could be feasible as soon as 2014, overseen by the parks department. Many village lifeguards are surfers and could teach the lessons, he suggested, and he said it could be a good source of revenue for the village.