As part of an expansion in operations, Surfline.com may soon add as many as a dozen new break reports to its San Luis Obispo County index. According to site administrators, the additions have been in beta for several months and it remains uncertain what the new reports will entail or what information, upon implementation, they will include.
The appearance of links signaling the new break reports caused a bit of a stir in local surf circles, particularly among vets worried about sprawling lineups along guarded breaks like [censored] Canyon.
"For the most part, it's not a big deal, but there are a lot of guys who take certain spots very seriously," said Anthony Randazzo, owner of Morro Bay Surf Company. "There's a whole lot of tension."
Surfline.com founder Sean Collins cited the need for his outlet to stay ahead of emerging competition like WannaSurf.com and WaveWatch.com both of which, the swell forecaster asserted, have displayed few qualms with disclosing the location of treasured breaks. Surfline.com, however, proves by and large the swell forecasting service most widely used by the general public.
"The fact is, there's a lot of information out there," Collins said. "For 20 years, we've been extremely careful in how we grow.
"For the people who are worried about this, I would ask them to think for a minute about how much we don't do."
Collins explained that many of the new report locations would merely plug into a swell model map rather than employ personalized break reports or the installation of cameras. Currently, Surfline.com streams camera feeds from Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, and Avila Beach.
"The shame of it is the cameras take a lot of the hunting out of the experience," Randazzo commented.
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