always offer bait on your way in. It may make someone's day.
Yeah, don't be pretending that you don't see someone when you're passing 10 yards away. "Hi" is civil.
Give people crap when you catch a big fish. I heard that's back in fashion again.
Behave at the ramp.
KFACA's got a great write up by fellow kayakers:
La Jolla Shores Beach Launch Etiquette
La Jolla is one of the best kayak launch sites we know of in Southern California. Think of the benefits - variety of sea life, coastal beauty, amenities, and about the only place where you can pull your car on the beach to offload your gear.
But as we all know, there are some rules that have been set by the lifeguards including; 5 minute load or unload, keeping a clear path along the water line, no kayak surfing in the launch area, and others. Unfortunately, the lifeguards routinely need to give verbal warnings at the launch ramp.
We all love the beach launching aspect and should take that as a privilege not a right. It would be a shame to see that privilege taken away due to injuries, confrontations, or abuses. Without access to the ramp, we would need to drag our yaks and gear from the parking areas.
That is why whenever I go to La Jolla I try to do my part and follow a few simple rules:
1. Get there early and beat the traffic. Not only the launch site traffic. Parking too.
2. Keep my yak way up on the dry sand. Lifeguards do not like the yaks (or cars) blocking vehicle traffic or access along the water line.
3. Get my car off the sand as quickly as possible. Not as important at a 6:00 a.m. launch when few people are around. Very important when leaving because that is usually midday when launch site traffic is at it's peak.
4. Pack/arrange/organize my kayak and gear and break down what I can before going to get my car.
5. When the car is on the sand, it's time to unload/load - limit socializing, eat later, play later. Nothing seems to bug lifeguards more than when the area is jammed with vehicles that are parked and not actively being loaded or unloaded.
6. I avoid blocking the beach access driveway, giving other traffic the space needed to cross loose sand without bogging. When driving onto the beach I keep to a steady speed to glide over the loose sand and don’t stop where I might get stuck.
7. When the beach launch is crowded such as on the weekends and holidays I carry my kayak or use wheels or a kayak cart to get my kayak to and from the beach. Doing so can save time by allowing me to go straight to my parking spot and leisurely ready or stow my yak.
8. I dispose of all of my trash properly. Besides being unsightly, a hook carelessly discarded in the sand could ruin a beachgoer’s day.
9. Be good neighbors by being very aware of the hotel guests when launching early. In order to minimize their disturbance, avoid shining your headlights directly on the hotel, or playing loud music.
You might not be able to load or unload in five minutes. If all we had was a yak, paddle, and seat it would be easy. But there is a lot of gear on our rigs and it can easily take 10 to 15 minutes. However, if you follow these etiquette tips it is much less likely you will be approached by a lifeguard. Contributed by KFACA members Bernard and Pumori
http://www.kfaca.org/articles.htm#La%20Jolla%20Shores%20Beach%20Launch% 20Etiquette