Photo shoot ends in arrest

Local surfer Alexander Knost was arrested, released and cited Friday after refusing to stop surfing near the fishing vessel that ran aground near the Newport Beach coastline, despite several requests from lifeguards to get out of the water.

Knost, 21, said he thought it would be “cool” to get some photos taken of him surfing with the 63-foot boat serving as a backdrop when he entered the ocean with his 9-foot-6-inch longboard.

“I saw the tape and it said ‘Caution,’ not ‘Police Line: Do Not Cross,’ ” Knost said. “Obviously I’m going to be cautious because there’s a boat out there, but I didn’t think it was going to be a crime against humanity.”

Eventually coming ashore, Knost was informed by lifeguards of a law that prohibits surfing on a closed beach, and they detained him until police arrived.

After being handcuffed and taken away by a Newport Beach police officer, Knost was soon released and left with a citation and a $400 fine.

“The biggest bummer of the whole thing was that I had to walk up Superior hill in my wetsuit,” said the Costa Mesa resident who appeared in the documentary “Step Into Liquid.”

“And I didn’t even get any good pictures because I broke my fin on the way out.”