OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Town officials approved a 50 yard beach expansion for designated surf beaches this summer. If conditions are good and the town expects a lot of surfers to come out, they could widen the areas surfers are allowed to be in.
From Memorial Day until the end of September, there are designated surf beaches. They are designated blocks, one South of 62nd street and one North of 62nd street that surfers can use when lifeguards are on duty.
Surfers can also use the Ocean City Inlet beach on weekdays.
So, if the designated surf beach for a day is 41st street to 42nd street, and the surf conditions are good, the town could open up 50 yards towards 40th street and 50 yards towards 43rd street to giver surfers more room.
Brody Grunewald, a surfer and worker at K-Coast Surf Shop, said he cannot wait.
"I'm super stoked for it and yeah, excited, really excited," said Grunewald.
Grunewald said this is something that could help tourists who are unsure about which direction to move if a surfer gets close to them.
"When they come here and we're going down a line, they don't know which way to go and we could end up hitting them," said Grunewald. "So the two block radius will help us a lot and help tourists have fun with their family."
Michelle Sommers, Executive Director of the Eastern Surfing Association, said this could not have gotten done without help from the town, Ocean City Beach Patrol and others.
"We finally put together a committee of people who would be invested in it like hotel owners, condo management companies, beach rental companies," said Sommers.
Sommers said with the growing popularity of surfing, this will improve safety.
"It's just so many people packed into one spot so it's going to keep people safer," said Sommers. "They're going to enjoy it more because they won't be fighting for one little spot."
The all encompassing effort between ESA, the town and others led to this expansion.
"What's going to happen now is the beach will start off as wide as it's approved for, and then if the waves aren't that good, it's not that crowded, the lifeguards will shrink the beach," said Chris Shanahan.
Shanahan, a Co-Owner of K-Coast Surf Shop, also sees this improving safety for everybody in the ocean.
"Pretty much anybody that's out there that sees somebody in distress would help," said Shanahan. "But I think surfers have a little more knowledge of how the waves are breaking, the current and stuff like that, so that is really a benefit."
There is still more surfers would like the town to do that would make surfing more accessible. For now though, ESA said baby steps are the best direction forward to make sure everyone who has a stake in this matter, is happy.