Famous last words, but Long Island and Rockaway Beach wave riders may soon be able to peel off their “Surfing Is Not a Crime” bumper stickers.

After handing out a number of tickets against surfers at Montauk Point State Park, Robert Moses State Park and the Rockaways over the years, authorities are quietly phasing out the practice.

Ronald F. Foley, the director of the Eastern Long Island region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – the main ticket-writing entity in Montauk – said that his officers had issued just one surfing-related summons in Montauk Point State Park this year.

Officials with the city’s parks department have issued none this year for surfing outside the legal breaks in the Rockaways. Patricia Bertuccio, a spokeswoman for the parks department, said that its officers have generally avoided summonses, choosing instead to direct wayward surfers to stick to the officially designated surfing beaches that were established in 2005 and 2007.

This is probably a mixed blessing for longtime surfers in the area.

On the one hand, they are not being harassed by the police. But if the phase-out holds, it would also seem to signify the growing acceptance of surfing as a local pastime, translating into more crowded breaks and more competition for waves.

“Surfing was not a very popular thing back when there were nothing but big boards and you had to have Hawaiian and West Coast-style waves,’’ Mr. Foley said. “Now, things are different, and the boards you have are different for the waves we have here in the Atlantic, so the interest has grown.’’

Huntington Beach — Jeff ‘Mr. Sunset’ Hakman, a former Pipeline Masters and Duke Kahanamoku Classic champion, and co-founder of Quiksilver USA, is entering the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.

Hakman joins Bruce Brown, Joey Buran and Pat O’Connell as the 2009 inductees into the prestigious Hall of Fame, at 10 a.m. Friday, July 24 in front of Huntington Surf & Sport (corner of PCH and Main).  More information is available at http://hsssurf.com/

“Jeff Hakman is truly one of the greatest surfer’s ever and has been one of the major influences of “Big Wave surfing,” said Surfers’ Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai,  “He’s about to get a little concrete on him…and we can’t wait to thank him for all he has done for our Sport of Surfing!!!”

Born in Southern California’s south bay in 1948, Hakman began surfing when his father bought him his first Velzy-Jacobs board at the age of eight.  The two would frequently take day trips to surf up and down the west coast.  Shortly after his family relocated to Oahu at the age of 12, Hakman would waste little time establishing his North Shore credentials.  He began receiving free boards from master shaper Dick Brewer, and also landed a cameo in John Severson’s surf movie Angry Sea.

At the age of 17 and pitted against 23 world class surfers, he won the inaugural Duke Kahanamoku Classic at Sunset Beach in 1965 before a CBS film crew.  His win would result in an invitation to join Duke’s surf team and promotional tour.   From age 21 to 27 Jeff won more major surfing titles than anyone in the world including the first Pipeline Masters, two more Duke contests, three Hang Ten Internationals and the Gunston Pro.  His mastery of and fearless approach to Sunset Beach led to his lifelong moniker, “Mr. Sunset”.

The Atlantic Ocean might have been choppy and cold, but that didn’t stop 11-year-old David Calderone from plunging into the waves for some surfing.

He was one of nearly 80 autistic boys and girls who spent several hours last week surfing on Brick Beach 3, thanks to the efforts of the lifeguards and township recreation department staff who volunteered their time.

David not only surfed, he also rode a Waverunner, his mother Brenda Calderone said.

“When we got in the car, he said ‘Mommy, I had the best day ever!,'” she said.

The weather was iffy on July 8. A southwest wind dropped the ocean temperature to a chilly 68 degrees. The seas were running 2 to 3 feet, a little bit more than beach captain Dan Santaniello had hoped for. Lightning flickered on the horizon and the event had to be delayed for about half an hour, he said.