it's your kuleana

sometime in my earliest days i learned what kuleana was. in school as a young barefoot haole you learned it quick. teacher looks at the mud on the class floor, and says "oh what! who was this!" and i'd look down at my feet caked in dirt from running on the playground, in the rain, and think "ho no..." Miss would drag me out of class by the ear to the faucet outside and scold "kay, it's your kuleana to make sure you wash your feet!" Man you learn quick, to make sure you line up and wash you feet after recess, cause it hurts to get tugged outside by the ear. In high school most of my teachers where surfers. they knew when the surf was firing, and knew exactly why you missed class. No excuse would work, and they didn't care anyway, they just tell you "hey, education is your kuleana." basically, the i'm-not-mad just-upset talk that made you feel worse.
If it's not clear, Kuleana means responsibility.
In a round and round about way this is a lead up to 'surfing rules and regulations.' Maybe to be fair this is talking about city beaches, crowded points and places (superbank, i'm looking at you...) weekend warriors and after-work quickies.
Being part of a group of sliding yahoos know as the Los Log Gos, and living-surfing in the central beach village of Bondi, Sydney Au, i can say i see and feel the brunt of this lack of responsibility in the water.
In honesty, most just don't know. British tourists with a turtle shell of sunburn because they can't reach the middle of their back with the sunscreen shouldn't be expected to know not to drop in. Sometimes contending with the mass of murph's paddling like bugs, and dealing with those competent but stressed by the flailers, is not a fun time in the ocean.
Lucky surfing has legends with a capital L, like Nat Young. Nat is part of 'the spirit of surfing.' Or thats what he calls it, it's the implementation of the "Surfers Code" signs. These signs grace the shores of Byron Bay and the Sunny Coast in Australia, Rincon in hazy California, and (translated of course) in Biarritz, France. Maybe it's Nat's way of ensuring surfers and grommets re-learn the kuleana we have, especially in these more crowded than ever days. Maybe not, maybe Nat is just bummed with going to get a nice wave, then spending his time consoling the kook with blood dripping down his forehead that he just ran over. Man have i been there.
So, with the aid of the Los Log Gos, Coastal Care Australia, and hopefully Waverly Council, we're gonna try and get Nat to grace the shores of Bondi with one of these necessities. Check it out to see how it goes... And if you think your spot needs one check out Nat's site.