thedrifter
05-11-07, 11:02 AM
Marine sanctuary Surf's up at Camp Pendleton's Del Mar Jetty
UNION-TRIBUNE
May 11, 2007
Marines think strategically. They size up a beachhead. Seal it off. Seize it and ...
Go surfing.
Camp Pendleton's DMJ – that's shorthand for Del Mar Jetty – is one of Southern California's most exclusive surf breaks. To paddle out there, you must be active duty, reserve or retired military; a military dependent; or someone with official business on the base.
DMJ is just north of the Oceanside-Camp Pendleton border. The beach features a boat basin, restrooms, barbecue pits and several cottages. A breakwater pushes almost a mile into the Pacific, which rolls in with authority.
“It's a heavy wave,” said Gunnery Sgt. Eric Franklin, president of Camp Pendleton Surf Club. “South swell, the waves just hollow out.”
Often, waves are 4 to 6 feet and unforgiving. But Franklin says DMJ is safer than off-base beaches. Here, lifeguards scan the water and Marines watch each other.
“You don't have to worry about people bugging you, breaking into your car.”
In recent years, Camp Pendleton Surf Club's 150 members have gotten out of practice. The water may be fine, but the international climate isn't conducive to Marine Corps surfing.
But on those rare days when Marines trade uniforms for swim trunks, the Pacific is a great equalizer. This mighty force doesn't care about your orders or, noted a gunnery sergeant who often surfs with officers, your rank.
“When we're out there, we put that stuff aside,” Franklin said, “all that stuff on our shoulders.”
– PETER ROWE
Ellie
UNION-TRIBUNE
May 11, 2007
Marines think strategically. They size up a beachhead. Seal it off. Seize it and ...
Go surfing.
Camp Pendleton's DMJ – that's shorthand for Del Mar Jetty – is one of Southern California's most exclusive surf breaks. To paddle out there, you must be active duty, reserve or retired military; a military dependent; or someone with official business on the base.
DMJ is just north of the Oceanside-Camp Pendleton border. The beach features a boat basin, restrooms, barbecue pits and several cottages. A breakwater pushes almost a mile into the Pacific, which rolls in with authority.
“It's a heavy wave,” said Gunnery Sgt. Eric Franklin, president of Camp Pendleton Surf Club. “South swell, the waves just hollow out.”
Often, waves are 4 to 6 feet and unforgiving. But Franklin says DMJ is safer than off-base beaches. Here, lifeguards scan the water and Marines watch each other.
“You don't have to worry about people bugging you, breaking into your car.”
In recent years, Camp Pendleton Surf Club's 150 members have gotten out of practice. The water may be fine, but the international climate isn't conducive to Marine Corps surfing.
But on those rare days when Marines trade uniforms for swim trunks, the Pacific is a great equalizer. This mighty force doesn't care about your orders or, noted a gunnery sergeant who often surfs with officers, your rank.
“When we're out there, we put that stuff aside,” Franklin said, “all that stuff on our shoulders.”
– PETER ROWE
Ellie