But in sports as elsewhere there is a downside to the new information-rich, free-access environment. Some creative drift is lost in the information rich world. As another LAT article put it:
Yes, wave forecasts help surfers plan, but that has resulted in overcrowding at popular spots and more intense competition for waves. What’s more, says veteran San Francisco surfer Mark Renneker, forecasts are rendering obsolete the unique thrill of the wave hunt. Without forecasts and detailed reports, surfers are more likely to wander up the coast searching for waves, he says. In seeking out better surf, important discoveries are made. “You’ll learn something about the place,” Renneker says. “Maybe you’ll get to know the people up there because you didn’t surf but just talked. The whole subculture of surfing depends on that.”
