The video, which appears to be an Instagram Story post posted by pro-surfer Jacob Szekely, known as “Zeke,”, shows a shirtless man wearing a backward baseball cap swinging a golf club from a concrete pad above Blacks Beach. A location tag reading “Blacks Beach, San Diego, CA” is visible, along with the caption “Sickest Driving Range.” Several other young men appear nearby, watching and laughing as golf balls are hit in the direction of the shoreline below.
Screen grabs of the video were reposted to Reddit’s r/sandiego community, where the post quickly gained traction, drawing hundreds of comments and more than 900 upvotes within hours. Many commenters expressed outrage over what they interpreted as deliberate littering and dangerous behavior in or near protected coastal waters, questioning how such conduct could occur at a site closely associated with marine recreation and conservation.
Blacks Beach sits adjacent to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and near marine protected areas governed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations. While online commenters debated the precise boundaries of protected waters at the specific location shown in the video, environmental advocates noted that golf balls are known to pose risks to marine life if left in coastal environments. Past studies and incidents have linked non-biodegradable golf balls to injuries and deaths among marine animals.
Several commenters called for the video to be reported to California State Parks, the California Coastal Commission, or UC San Diego officials, noting that vehicle access to the area is restricted and often controlled by gated keys. Others raised concerns about public safety, pointing out that striking golf balls from a bluff presents a potential hazard to beachgoers below, regardless of whether anyone was visible in the brief clip.
Szekely, a La Jolla native and former National Scholastic Surfing Association national champion, was identified by online commenters as being involved in the video. In response to an inquiry from SanDiegoVille, Szekely disputed key assumptions circulating online. He stated that the golf ball shown in the video was biodegradable, did not go into the ocean and was retrieved from the beach, and that he was not the individual swinging the golf club, explaining that he filmed the video but did not take part in hitting the ball.
Szekely has competed in World Surf League qualifying events and has built a following within Southern California’s surf community. After the video circulated, he posted footage of himself surfing at Blacks Beach, though he did not initially address the controversy publicly.
Szekely’s career has previously included a highly publicized redemption narrative. In a 2018 profile published by surf outlet Stab Magazine, he openly discussed past arrests, probation, and substance abuse issues stemming from incidents in La Jolla during his teenage years, describing those experiences as a turning point that led him toward sobriety, education, and community involvement. That history resurfaced in online discussion surrounding the Blacks Beach video, with critics questioning whether the conduct depicted aligns with the accountability and personal growth Szekely has publicly emphasized.
The incident has also prompted broader discussion about accountability in action sports and sponsorship culture, with some online users urging brands associated with surfers and athletes to take environmental stewardship seriously. Others cautioned against online harassment while still emphasizing the importance of responsible behavior in public coastal spaces.
SanDiegoVille reached out to California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission for comment regarding whether the activity shown in the video may violate any regulations. No response had been received as of publication.
Originally published on December 13, 2025.