On a giant west swell, a behemoth of a wave starts breaking at Pescadero Point in Monterey Bay. Ghost Tree, as it became known, was a wave that—for a while, at least—was right there alongside Jaws and Maverick’s. Peter Davi, legendary Central Coast big wave aficionado who died surfing there, didn’t like the name. “It’s not called Ghost Tree,” he told Anthony Tashnick just prior to his death. “It’s called Pescadero Point.”
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, NOAA, the organization that dictates what goes on at Marine Sanctuaries like Monterey Bay, took notice of something new that was going on there. Tow surfing was quickly gaining traction, so NOAA created the MPWC regulation. It effectively banned personal watercraft from the sanctuary. Stand-up Jet Skis and two-seaters were no longer allowed there, but surfers found a loophole. When personal watercraft manufacturers made a three-seater, surfers realized that they could squeeze them through the loophole and began surfing again. But not for long.
“We were having so much fun,” said Adam Repogle. “We were catching massive waves. We were having the time of our lives. Maybe some purists saw us having too much fun; catching too many waves, and decided to throw a wrench in this and try and redefine what they say is or isn’t allowed in this sanctuary.”
Soon, Jet Skis were banned. Two-seaters, three-seaters, and stand-up crafts were all included. “For the sanctuary, when we look at these things, it’s about protection of the wildlife,” explained NOAA’s Scott Kathey. “To get to Ghost Trees, MPWC were launching at Monterey Harbor, going 11 miles through six protected marine areas en route just to get there. In the end, we decided that no, Ghost Trees was not an appropriate place to have this activity.”
It was a blow to surfers who loved surfing Ghost Trees, but it was an understandable one. But in a way, it cranked up the volume on paddle surfing. “Part of me was bummed, but part of me totally understands,” said Ken Collins. “Those first couple of years were epic, and all of a sudden the bandwagon comes along and it’s not so epic anymore. It forced us to go back to paddle surfing, and we’ve always been great paddle surfers, but now with all the knowledge that we learned from tow surfing, we were peaking in that as well, too.”
