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At the beginning of the big wave season last December, Sef Krell began his descent down a steep pathway from a coastal bluff to Palos Verdes’ Lunada Bay, one of Southern California’s most storied — and notorious — surfing spots.

Suddenly, Krell found himself being pummeled by dirt clods thrown from above by men yelling at him to go home. They didn’t want a stranger using a public beach they considered off-limits to outsiders.

Krell had braved a beach that for decades has been known for its hooligan-enforced insularity. Surfers who are not local proceed at their peril, while authorities look the other way.

This year, however, as Lunada Bay once again enters prime surfing season, Palos Verdes’ new police chief, Jeff Kepley, is promising a change.

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In an undated photo, a surfer rides a big wave at Lunada Bay, where a local group called the Bay Boys keeps away outsiders. (Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
In an undated photo, a surfer rides a big wave at Lunada Bay, where a local group called the Bay Boys keeps away outsiders. (Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)