The owner of a surf school in California is under fire after pulling a female surfer's leash at the Venice Pier.
Wagner Lima, the founder of Brazilian Surf Club, grabbed Danielle Lyons' leg rope until she fell into the water. Lyons was riding a small right-hand wave under priority.
"Not only is what he did super dangerous - it's assault. If I was a novice surfer, I could have knocked my teeth out. In all my years of surfing I've never been attacked unprovoked like this," explained Danielle.
Danielle Black Lyons is the president of San Diego Surf Ladies. She is still not sure whether Lima's behavior was "was localism, racism or sexism."
But the aggression was caught on tape by Rhonda Rhodes, owner of Black Girls Surf, and by NBC. The TV station was filming a profile on Khadjou Sambe, Senegal's first and only professional surfer, who dreams of representing her country in the Olympic Games.
Caught On Tape
"Once he found out tapes were rolling he tried to tell people he accidentally pulled my leash, that his arm got caught," adds Lyons.
"Then he lurked around the parking lot and tried to come and shake my hand and tell the same lie to my face, claiming it was an accident. Dude, no."
The president of San Diego Surf Ladies has filed a police report against Wagner Lima. Lima not only broke the basic rules of surf etiquette, but he could also face charges for misdemeanor assault.
"We're going after him. This kind of behavior in the water needs to end. Surfing is about fun. This situation was pure hate," concludes the organization.
Following the incident at Venice Beach, Wagner Lima has deleted his social media accounts.