South

Sometimes the best thing to do, the only thing you can do, is just drive away.

Head south. Stretch out under blue palms and skies.

Take a walk in the evening.

Laugh at the hopelessness of the situation,

paddle out

and let it go.

Paddle Surf Video: "Living the Stoke"... Get a copy, this is a killer film!

I was blown away to come home from surfing this afternoon and find this in my mailbox:

 

I knew the Von Piros crew, the minds behind the film, had pulled off an unreal stand up paddle trip to Papua New Guinea. A film was rumored to be in the works, we'd all seen the photos leaked to the internet. The boys contacted me a couple of weeks ago asking me for my address- they'd finished the film and wanted me to take a look at it. Are you kidding me??? Next thing I know, I'm standing in the kitchen with my very own copy. Stoked! 

The film follows a group of friends as they paddle surf the remote (and shallow) waves of Papua New Guinea. Hide your credit card and passport, after you watch the film you're going to want to book a flight to this tropical paradise of beautiful waves and people. The guys score super fun looking waves, surf with the eternally smiling children of the islands, sample exotic fruit from the local farmer's market and spend time touring the beautiful jungles, estuaries and beaches of the country. One really cool aspect of the trip was the idea to deliver books, clothes and other gifts to needy locals- I thought that was pretty darn cool.


The film is so much more than a mish mash of paddling footage chop-cut to music. It is, in every way, a super slick, professionally edited and expertly composed paddle surf travelouge. I'm not sure if these guys are professionals in the film industry but if they're not they may want to consider a career change. I loved the "accessible" feel of the film- there's no big name pro stand up paddlers just guys like you or me having an awesome adventure. The effect is that you get the feeling that you could pull off a trip just like this one... which get's me way too fired up, my passport starts crying!

I really enjoyed the film, "Living the Stoke". If you get an opportunity to grab a copy, don't hesitate- I'm sure you'll love it.

Get more information at: www.vonpiros.com

Santa Barbara... score!

Wow- the California coast lit it up today. Here's some photos of what I was sampling today up here in SB/Ventura:

Photo: Daylight right outside my door, coffee in hand, truck fueled, ipod loaded (new Steeldrivers), 9'1 in the back... ready to ramble down my favorite stretch of coastline in the world.

Photo: First stop, first surf... this is a super easy wave with a mellow crowd. I surfed it with six or seven others- paddled off to the side of the main peak and scored head to head and a half high lefts all morning long.

Photo: Sunny, glassy and hot, even the water was warm- I wore my 2mm long-sleeve spring suit (thanks Emerald City!) and was perfectly comfortable. This is the Rincon carpark- that weird land of trailers all in a row inches from trucks whizzing by at 60 mph- peaks all over the place.

Photo: If you've grown up surfing the Ventura/SB coast, then you definitely know this spot. This is the best spot to learn how to catch a wave on a stand up board on the whole California coast (in my humble opinion) and today it was looking super inviting. The wave up at the top was firing (guess where I'm surfing tomorrow morning).

Photo: This is the first spot I take paddle groups- everyone loves it because everyone catches waves here- it's a fun little spot if you've got a big board and the right attitude.

Photo: Had a killer lunch at Cold Spring Tavern (the one and only- a must see if you're in town... killer beer, killer tri-tip, don't miss it) chased that with a nice two hour nap and then jammed up to this little bend in the coast. It was small but fun- I passed on the surf session for a three mile paddle down the coast (got the Battle of the Paddle coming up) but it did look fun.

Photo: I'll leave you with a close up of that little point- how about that one-look-take-off? Be good to each other out there.

Lake Havasu Paddle Shenanigans...with girls in bikinis.

So what part of that title lured you in? Check out the Isle Surfboards crew going stando at Lake Havasu:

When in doubt... paddle out... right?

You don't have to be loaded to wake up to a million dollar view- you've just got to know where to go... and get up way earlier than everybody else. Here's my ocean front wake up call at the infamous Dog Patch at San Onofre.

I grabbed that shot from the warm depths of my flannel lined sleeping bag- straight out of the back of my truck, twenty feet from the edge of the water, inches from the sand. The surf was pretty darn horrible and it was getting worse by the minute. Strangely, I didn't care, in fact, I was stoked and amping to get into my wetsuit.

I didn't wake up feeling that way- as a matter of fact, when I took a peek over the edge of my tailgate and saw how gray, cold and bumpy it was I started to get pissed.

Now what? I asked myself.

This sucks- came the answer. Fortunately, I'm not the kind of person who likes to wallow in grumpiness- and physical activity always seems to push away a generally pissy attitude. So, I gathered myself up and decided to embark on a little walkabout in the San-O lot.

If you've never been to San Onofre, the parking lot is something else. First of all, it's right on the sand. Second, it gets so crowded that once you've scored a spot you don't want to leave- so people come prepared for an extended beach day. We're talking major beach rigs: full RVs, killer surf vans, funky old VW combis and the ubiquitous truck/camper shell combo package. Then there's the hibachis, full size bbqs and every type of shade tent, floaty and beach chair you could ever imagine- they even bring special racks for their surfboards. It's very entertaining and I figured that, if I couldn't surf, at least I'd get an eye-full checking out all the highly specialized surf vehicles.

I saw all kinds of things on that little five minute walk through the lot. I saw a group of five girls standing around in bikinis- mind you, I was in full jeans, jacket and beany, it was cold! One of the girls was pulling on her wetsuit and she said, "Now we're only out there for, like, twenty minutes, right?" Another girl- possibly her mother said, "What?" "Are you kidding me? We are OUT THERE this is surfing- let's get it!" They all started laughing and wiggled into their suits- fired up to hit the water.

I walked on to the edge of the lot, to a spot where the beach bends a bit and forms a little left point. There was a bumpy little goofy wave bumping along the beach with thirty guys on it- mostly getting in each other's way but definitely surfing and obviously having fun. A little soccer mom van was parked a couple feet from me. On top of the van were two guys racking up four longboards, laughing, hair wet from their recent go out. The guys were stoked and looking healthy, vibrant and fired up for their day.

"So what do you think, boss?" One of them yelled out to me (I was standing on a log a couple of feet away watching the surf). I was surprised. "I think it looks fun", I half lied. "Oh man, it is sooo fun out there- never mind all those guys just go grab a few, everybody's stoked out there" the guy yelled back at me with a huge smile on his face. "There's all kinds of little lefts coming through, you just put your blinders on and paddle right through that crowd- you'll get some, you'll see- it's super fun!" he continued. "Yeah, you're right, I'm out there." I replied.

I turned and started walking back to my truck, only half convinced that I was actually going to follow through on my surf-declaration. But I started thinking about how that guy was going to look at his day after that sweet little session. It's a universal truth, the world looks a lot better after you've been surfing. He was probably going to head off to a Labor Day barbecue, laugh it up, feeling great after having paddled around for a couple of hours. How would my day compare if I just grumped it up and didn't paddle out? Then I thought about the girls in the bikinis and how fired up that one proclamation got them, "We are OUT THERE!" the woman said and like frogs off a frying pan those girls were hopping down the beach and going for it. The comparisons just keep ringing out in my head- surf and feel great, blow it off and feel like crap. Surf/crap, surf/crap... hmmm.

I'll take surf. And I did; it made a huge difference.

East Coast Update: Hurricaine Danielle

My friend Glenn on the east coast just sent me this little report along with some surf shots from a session he shared with his daughter and friends. Stoked for him... and I could use some clean surf and warm water right about NOW! Check out Glenn's report:

The swell from Hurricane Danielle began hitting the Maryland/Virginia beaches sometime in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 29.  When we pulled into the parking lot at our favorite summer-time beach break, we were greeted by long clean lines that were being groomed by a 10 knot offshore wind.  Approximately head high, with sets a foot or two larger.  Session one lasted 4 hours in clean conditions.  Lots of speed runs starting with one or two turns and then quickly up to the nose trying to outrun the rapidly pitching/sucking thick walls.  Usually successfully.  Not actually ON the nose - my Ron House 11’0” single fin is much happier when I’m 12 – 18 inches back.

I have to admit, I love that board.  Whether ankle high or double overhead, it does everything I ask . . . with gusto.  Someday I’ll bite the bullet and get a 9’6”ish multi-fin (either another Ron House or a Tim Stamps), but it’s hard to pull the trigger when one is riding a board that continually brings to mind the term “magic.”   

At midday, the wind went on-shore and inexplicably, the swell got substantially smaller for a few hours.  The good news though was that the change in conditions caused my now fully-hooked-on-surfing 16 year old daughter to get out of the water for awhile, and I prevailed on her to get the camera out and spend 15 minutes trying to capture some of the SUP action for John’s Paddlesurf.net blog.  Not bad for her first attempt, but of course she completely missed the clean overhead pitching right that I paddled into when I first got back out.   

So here are a few photos.  I realize that for you California guys, these will look like a marginal day.  Oh well . . . next time I’ll try to find a non-surfer to snap some photos before the conditions deteriorate, and maybe prove that it does sometimes get good on the right coast. 

Glenn

Glenn and I first met when he contacted me at the tail end of a business trip out here to California. He told me he'd be staying in L.A. but was determined to get in the water. I gave him a couple of tips for spots in the Los Angeles area and then invited him down to San Diego for a surf- if he could fit it in. I was stoked when he told me he was going to squeeze in a day of paddling with me in my hometown. On a bright blue morning, Glenn rolled up in front p.net corporate headquarters hopped into the bomber and off we went looking for waves. 

We ended up scoring. The go-to spot was head high, north beach Coronado- as glassy as can be with zippy left hand wedges racing up the beach into the inshore holes. It was classic California and it was on! Glenn got a chance to try out a couple of the boards he'd seen on the site and I got to make a new friend. You can surf day after day and not remember one wave the second you pull off of it- but good friends and good times last forever. I've since met Glenn's two wonderful daughters and even taught them the basics of stand up paddling (while Glenn thoughtfully poached a little mini-session on the ocean side of the Strand). He's a good friend and if I ever get the chance I'm going to visit him on his beach, snag a couple on the right coast and eat a soft shell crab or something "east coasty" like that. 

Thanks for the update Glenn and keep charging!  

The Four Day SUP Travel Spot: "Must Haves" For A Quick and Dirty Surf Trip

Straight up, here's what I think makes a stand up destination spot a good one for the four day surgical strike:

1. Driving time from airport to surfspot is no more than an hour. "Our" surf spot is a forty-five minute drive from the local airport. This is important because you want to be in the water that first day and you can score a nice two hour session if you jam through customs and car rental and get there quick. The biggest drag is getting off the plane, amping for a surf, only to sit in a car for another three hours- especially if you've only got three more days to work out your cutback.

2. Spot must be a point or reef. Points and reefs have a solid substrate producing a predictable wave- you don't have enough time to sit around waiting for a sand bar to set up properly- that could take days and that's time you don't have. Go with the known producers.

3. Spot has a wide open swell window. You don't want a spot that's as finicky as Paris Hilton in a library ("Oh my total god, they all have so many.... words... in them!)- you're looking for a swell vacuum. You want a spot that will inhale even the tiniest little depression out there and turn it into something do-able.

Photo: Proximity to the local pub might be a qualifying item for the ultimate spot- preferably close enough to walk/stumble to and from, at night, without a flashlight. And a ping pong table to settle disputes is also a plus.

4. Accommodations are clean and must have a private bathroom.You don't need a Four Seasons with chocolate truffles on the pillow and toilet paper swans on the commode but on the other hand... a functioning privy is high on my list of must haves. Especially if your gut gets invaded my a swarm of Mexican microorganisms that make your lower G.I. flow like the Ganges in high season. If that happens and your running for the throne every twenty minutes, you'll be happy you've got your own personal toilet.

5. In the tropics, must have A/C. Man, when it gets as dank as Rosie O'Donnell's armpit and the humidity reaches the triple digits in the middle of the night, A/C makes it bearable. There's a reason that electricity was invented- it's called air conditioning. Unless you like sticking to the sheets like your prom date in early June, seek out the spots that give you an A/C escape cave... and then proudly crank that thing to high all day- and all night!

6. Varied local eating options. Got to have options: Pizzas, sopes, tacos, spaghetti, arroz con pollo... bring it on. Why? Because I eat- vigorously.

Photo: Here's a couple that almost made the list: Must have excellent, fresh mango smoothies and free wi/fi internet access. 

7. Other surf spots within an hour's drive from the home break. Always nice to mix it up- and if a spot is only forty minutes or so away, it makes the early morning spot check a possibility.

8. Accommodations are walking distance to the home break. You might as well live the dream, right? Don't we all want to be able to stroll out onto the lanai, coffee cup in hand, in our boxers and check out a long left hand point break peeling off right in front of us? Being right there also puts you in the prime spot for the forty minute surf session. These little micro-sessions get you into the water when the surf-shifts are changing (you know, the dawn patrollers switching out with the yawn patrollers- that switch time gives you a forty minute window of solitary surfing- as long as you can act quickly), you'll also be able to enjoy a couple of cold ones, spot the glass off and get on it before everyone else has even waxed up.

9. Cold beer easily available. Do I really need to explain this?

Photo: Travel tip- bring Coolies for keeping things a couple more minutes cold in the tropics... thanks Emerald City!

10. International destination so you get to meet cool people like Slovanian surfers and Swedish sunbathers (!). Traveling is about meeting people and experiencing other cultures. If I had to travel thousands of miles just to hangout with a bunch of B and C grade pros from Orange County I'd just drive up to Lowers and wade out into the zoo. You want to get to a spot where the participants are a little bit more exotic- wouldn't you rather buy a round for a Columbian Women's Surf School than jockey with the San Clemente High School surf team?

The Big Question: Does such a surf spot exist? You tell me.... I promise I'll keep it on the hush/hush!

Land of a million cutbacks...

Small and mushy and super fun... land of a million cutbacks!



Click here if the vid isn't playing correctly.

What's this all about???

By the time you read this I'm sure I'll have wrapped about a hundred cutbacks and surfed over a mile- that's right, heading to the big left southern point breaks... again. Yes!

This is all I need for a four day surgical strike (clockwise from the bottom): $400 in pesos (in two hundred peso notes), Headhunter sunscreen (the best), Sony Reader (loaded up with a couple of good reads), head lamp, back up set of Future Fins Gerry Lopez Thrusters, sunglasses, sound canceling headphones, O'neill longsleeve rashy with the back zip pocket (must have for Mex.), two pairs trunks, four tee-shirts, "going home" clothes (in plastic bag), full size tripod (hoping for some video footage), Emerald City coolies, FCS back up leash (FCS, the best I've tried), screw top water bottle (for mixing up Kool-aid which makes warm water taste good), couple of cameras and some SD cards. Done.

For boards: I'm only bringing one this time- 9'1 Stamps Viking/Bump in the FCS stand up board bag (I've heard they stopped making them which is a shame- they were great travel bags).


I'll try to post from down south.... check back, amigo.

Have Pump/Will Travel: Europe with an inflatable stand-o

I just had a nice chat with Emerald City's Vicky Carson- one of the original south bay stand-o women. It turns out that Vicky just got back from an extend excursion to the old country- a trip she decided to spice up with an inflatable C4 stand up board. She was stoked on how it all worked out... I was stoked by some of her shots. Check 'em out:

Photo: Here's our girl in the canals of Amsterdam... note high-tech, electrolyte replenishing, re-hydrating sport drink in Vicky's hand. Evidently, if the Dutch think you're doing something super cool (like paddling a stand-o in their canals) they reward you by handing you a beer. Yes.

Photo: So this was Vicky's travel rig.... there's a board, paddle and pump in one of her two bags. I'm not a big fan of the inflatos but I can understand the convenience. Vicky told me that this C4 inflatable was a super improvement over the other air bag boards out there- maybe there's a test paddle in my future.

Photo: "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your board up" Here it is- Vicky said it was killer. This one is an 8'1 iSUP Sub-Vector it can float up to 160 lbs and inflates in five minutes.

Photo: How's that.... castle in this photo (easy guys)... this is Vicky's sister paddling in Turkey. Vicky told me that the water was so clear you could see a hundred feet down to the bottom from the middle of the channel. I told Vicky that this photo alone is going to get me a thousand hits. 

Photo: This one's titled, "World's Whitest Human Being". You ever peel the two black sides off an oreo- then break the white middle part in half? That inside middle part- that's how white this guy is- but he's having fun... let's just hope he's sporting SPF 100.

Thanks Vicky for the killer photos. Look up Vicky's Facebook page at supcoronado.

Sean Poynter: Northern Baja Ripping on a 6'6" SUP

Keep your ears peeled, your going to be hearing a lot more about this kid. Sean Poynter rides a 6'6" Starboard stand up called "The Impossible" and it's not a gimmick- the guy rips the shite out of it.

On our recent Northern Baja run Sean showed up with his little tadpole of board, paddled out and on his first backhanded wave, went straight upside down, punching the lip twice right in front of me. Legit turns, like nothing I'd seen done before on a stand up board.

Photo: Just in case you forgot the dimensions on Poynter's board, just click on the photo.

Manny Vargas (MannyVphotos.com) was there to shoot our sessions- he'll be doing the same for stand up paddlers coming down on our Northern Baja stand up trips a little added service for those of you willing to charge uncrowded surf. Check out some of the water shots he grabbed of Sean doing his thing:

Photo: So Manny's shooting with a wide angle lens. This means that he was in serious jeopardy of taking that rail to the grill.... but he got the shot.

Photo: A little forehand snap on a little stand up board. The young guys, like Poynty here- bring a whole new set of skills to the stand up table. Tail whips, busting fins loose and above the lip antics are nothing new to them- and they're eager to translate it all to the world of paddle surfing.

Photo: Twenty year old ankles, twenty year old knees... shock absorbers ready to cushion the coming drop.

Photo: Above all, Sean Poynter's a nice guy- let's do it again Poynty!

All photos courtesy of Manny Vargas (www.mannyvphoto.com). Manny's booked on all Northern Baja SUP trips and will shoot your stand up paddle sessions. 

Travel Pics: Wave potential

We ended up heading north to check out a couple of other spots in the neighboring state of Michoacan. Here's a couple of spots we just passed right on by. If you had the time and inclination, you could surf by yourself everyday down there. Check these out:



Photo: Check out the left hander peeling off in the distance... nobody out, nobody going to paddle out... all yours.



Photo: Same problem... nobody to surf with.



Photo: Santi snapping away... save this spot for next time!

A Mainland Mex Snapshot

Here's an overview shot... from the camera at the end of my paddle... of the place I like to go to down south.



No high rises, no flashing neon signs with guys hawking time shares and tequila shots- just a fun little wave out in front, palm trees and cold beers. Sure the electricity goes out almost every time it rains and it does get a little hot at times but I'll gladly accept those shortcomings to keep "big Mexico" out of this little corner by the sea.

Mexico Travel Gear: Part IV

More gear info:

13. Waterproof wallet: small enough to fit in your wax pocket yet large enough to hold your passport, credit cards and pimp roll. If you're staying in a semi-sketchy zone or have to park the rental car off the beaten path, you'll want to know that the paperwork that'll get you home is safe and secure.

14. Mexican TelCel pay-as-you-go cell phone: Pick one up, they're everywhere. Load the thing up and make your calls. You lose it, it get's stolen or you break it? Who cares?

15. Ding repair kit: Tube of Solar-Rez (in my case, epoxy Solar-Rez, since I ride epoxy boards- make sure you use the right kind or you'll end up with a disaster), sand paper, screwdriver for installing fin nut, length of shoelace for leash plug and, most importantly, a roll of sail repair tape. The plastic film sail repair tape sticks like crazy and is totally impervious to water. I buy mine (it's the white roll of tape) from West Marine- don't get the nylon fabric kind!

16. Dell Mini-Inspiron Laptop: This thing's rad- and it's cheap enough that if it was stolen, I wouldn't be too worried about it (which definitely wouldn't have been the case if I'd sprung for the $1600 + Apple laptop I was drooling over). I picked up this little laptop (10" screen, 2 lbs) for $320 bucks. It's the perfect size for throwing in a backpack (super lightweight and small) and it does everything I need... and not much more. Which is okay because this thing isn't my primary workstation it's just meant to keep me in touch with this site and my email... and maybe a surf report or two. Only downer is the 2.5 hour battery life- maybe there's a better battery just around the corner.

17. RadioShack rechargeable AA and AAA batteries and Energizer Rapid Recharge station with cigarette lighter adapter: Everything I need to keep my Canon S5 IS and GoPro powered up and working. The Energizer charger is great; go from dead to full charge in about fifteen minutes. Fire the thing up in the rental car or the casita- a super versatile piece of equipment.

18. Photo gear: Want a killer little camera that snaps fairly sharp photos, decent video and has a zoom that's the equivalent of a 650mm lens? Pick up a Canon Powershot S5 IS. This is a tough little unit, it's not an SLR so there's no worry about dust infiltrating the body when you change lenses. The camera is simple to operate as a point and shoot but does allow for a moderate level of control if you're into messing with all the different photo controls (I really like the exposure compensation button). I've carried this camera all over Mexico, treating it badly every step of the way and I've never had a problem with it. I use the thing to shoot most of the photos you see here on p.net and almost all of the video that has been posted. This model is last year's version, the newer SX10 IS is also very nice but its lens doesn't allow you to add aftermarket telephoto accessories. If you can find one of these out there, grab it.

Here's a couple from down south...

I'm going to give my inner gear-geek a rest. We'll wrap up that "What-to-bring-on-a-stand-up-paddle-surf-trip-to-mainland-Mexico" piece next time. How about a couple of surf photos from down south? Sound good to you? Check these ones out. Sure was a good time... can't wait to do it again!



Photo: Mercedes and Chico. Chico is the baby deer that Lourdes (owner/proprietor of the bar/restaurant on the point) found on the highway. Chico roams the point, sleeps with Lourdes' two dogs and comes in every now and then for a little feed from the baby bottle. I'm sure it won't be long before he's ripping the point.



Photo: I'll call it "Up the road", if you've been there you know where it is. A good, fun, non-life threatening wave. Plenty of lonely waves to be surfed if you have the means to paddle away from the ten or so guys surfing the main peak. Check this one out, running both left and right, empty the whole time we were there.



Photo: "Out in Fronts" doing it's thing. Super long and really fun.

Packing for a stand up travel trip: Part III

Hey! I'm back. Here's a bunch more info about my travel rig, trying to finish this up to get to some trip photos... maybe even a little video clip.



6. 15' Thule straps with the rubber covered, cinch-cam. Stand up boards are trouble when it comes to racking them with standard soft racks. Our wide boards tend to eat up all the webbing- leaving nothing for the boards of your travel mates. The problem is compounded when you're traveling with more than one paddle board. Here's my solution: Skip the fancy soft racks and buy a pair of these. When you're ready to roll, just throw the boards directly onto the car's roof, stack the boards in two rows, run the straps over whole mess and completely through the windows, cinch 'em down and your in there. On this trip we transported four surf boards and my stand up without a problem.

Tip: I like the Thules because the ratchet cam seems a bit higher quality then what you'd find at, say, Walmart. Also, Thule's straps come with a cool rubber covering that keeps that metal cam from knocking a dent in the side of your car (or an incisor from your jaw) when somebody tosses that little metal wrecking ball over the pile of boards.

7. Lee Child novels: My surf trip reading list doesn't include nail biters like Anna Karenina or The Scarlet Letter. I need something a little more accessible. My "go to" choice? Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. In a nutshell: violence, intrigue, espionage, bad guys who've got it coming them and super cool fight sequences centered around elbow shots to the Adam's apple and ear drum busting head slaps. If you like it down and dirty and need to know why the first squeeze of the 9mm Steyr requires a fourteen pound pull, this is the series for you. Perfect surf trip reading.

8. Future Fins: My new infatuation? The Futures Gerry Lopez SUP thruster fin set. Get yourselves some of these, they do it all- especially in head high to overhead surf. I also never go anywhere without my G10 Scimitar 3/2/1s; if the surf gets small I pop these things in for an instant small wave speed gain. I'm a little conflicted with where I'm at with my middle fin when running the 3/2/1s so I usually bring the Futures 7" cutaway style center fin and a 6" FCS offering and switch them back and forth until I'm totally confused. Fin's will mess with your mind- find a couple of sets you like and play with them.

Tip: Be sure to bring an extra finbox screw and plate- these do get lost, stripped or broken, be sure you've got yourself covered.

9. Box of Kool-Aid individually packaged drink mix and a box of EmergenC individual drink mix packets: Staying hydrated is easier when it tastes good and the EmergenC keeps me in the vitamins (even if I'm really just peeing them away). I mix one Kool Aid packet and one EmergenC packet in my Nalgene bottle, stash it in the fridge and drink it throughout the day.

Tip: No, Vodka and EmergenC don't make a tasty cocktail.

10. Liquid Pepto-Bismol: Yes, the tablets are lighter, don't leak and work well. For me, though, nothing says I'm going to coat, soothe and relieve that stew of chorizo, jalapeno and horchata churning in your gut like a bottle of original pink. As soon as that thick sludge slides down your throat you know you're going to make it through the night... or your three and a half hour plane flight home. Believe me, don't leave home without this stuff.

11. Mosquito net: Light weight insurance against the longest, most miserable night of your life. I used mine on this trip and was snug, happy and extremely satisfied to see those sneaky little bastards bumping against it all night long. Hah.

Tip: Throw a shoe string or a short length of twine into your mozzie net's bag- you'll thank me when it comes time to hang that thing up.

12. Telescoping 8' fishing rod and reel set: All carbon, high quality travel rod. This thing's slick, made for legitimate fish handling and available at compactfishinggear.com I picked up the Mobistick, haven't used it yet but I'm excited to try it out.

About half way done with this stuff... Check back for more!

Travel Gear Part II plus a Mainland Surf Pic!

Photo: Surf has been super fun and today it started building.... gonna be interesting tomorrow!

Here's a little more info on my travel gear:

4. Hand towel: Big beach towels are heavy, take up room and don't dry too well in humid tropical surf spots. A hand towel will get the job done. The downside to it is it makes the beach change a little interesting.

5. Sanuk slip-ons: light, comfortable and fast drying these are the perfect back ups to a pair of flip flops. On the plus side they cover your foot for night time mozzie protection and if you have to slip them on and off for the TSA guys, you're into and out of them in a flash.

Quick Mainland Surf Report

Hey Folks- after a little messing around with my new netbook (yes, I did contemplate going fully postal on it and beating it on a palm tree) I'm up and on the 'net.

Quick down south surf report: Been here two full days now and have surfed seven different times. The surf has been super fun- chest to head high, glassy in the morning and a bit choppy in the afternoon but smoothing out nicely by sunset. Water's beautiful- high seventies- possibly more. The kind of water temp that is absolutely comfortable when you first hop in... at 7am. Like a nice warm blanket.

Crowds? Super light. Maybe ten/fifteen guys in the water during the prime morning surfing hours. So much space though- I've surfed every morning session by myself up near the rivermouth. Funny how lemming like surfers are. If there's any easy to reach peak, you can bet everybody will head right to it. Easy enough for me to paddle right on past and surf by myself. Good, long, warm water surf.

Gerry Lopez SUP fin set: Simple enough, these fins are HOT. I've used them now in everything from slopey, slow, mushburger point surf to roping head and half reef/point waves. The fins just work- and they're fast. I did have to make an adjustment in fin position for the bigger, faster days; I moved the middle fin all the way to the back of the box to give me a little more drive and sticking power off the bottom.

I'm super surprised at how well the things hold- I haven't spun out once although I did get a little moment of skitteriness on a bigger wave- moving the fin back solved that. I am going to experiment a bit with a six inch fin in the box and see how that goes. Surf is supposed to jump in the next couple of days so that may be a great time to see how it all works out.

Mainland Mexico Paddle Surf Trip: My Gear...EXPOSED!!!

These next few posts are dedicated to the gearheads out there... those who love to anyalyze, re-analyze and over analyze equipment and its performance. I'm flying out of here tomorrow for ten days of surfing the left points and reefs of mainland Mexico. Here's a breakdown of my travel kit.

If you're a gear nut you're going to dig this- I give a play-by-play description of what I bring and why. If you're the kind of guy who jams it all into a duffel and sleeps in your board bag you'll be bored to tears. The best part of this whole deal? By the time you see this I'll be 30,000' in the air sinking in to my second beer... enjoy!



1. FCS Leashes: I'm not sponsored by these guys- in fact I pay full retail (well close to full retail- SurfHut, the local surf shop helps me out on equipment) so I've got no bias when I say that these are the BEST stand up leashes that I've used. Check out the yellowing one with the black core, it's survived two trips down to mainland- that's almost a month of continuous (three session a day) use.

That particular leash is battle tested. I've trusted it in double overhead surf where it's been stretched to twice it's length. I've treated it bad, it lives in the open bed of my truck- I just chuck it in the back after each surf. And still, like Old Yeller (pre-rabies) it's never let me down. I've used the others and have reached a verdict: FCS leashes win hands down.

Here's a tip: Buy a new leash before each trip, be sure to switch out your old leash string with new one that comes with your fresh leash- when it gets gnarly, you'll be happy- and so will your board.

2. Patagonia Paddler Trunks: These are basically the only trunks that I own- I've got five pairs of them. If you're like me, meaning you possess a basically square, Torso-Man physique, these are your trunks. They are the most comfortable, durable, best-fitting trunks I've ever had. The inseams are cut a little bit shorter than normal so you don't look like some gangster-vato with your trunks hanging down to mid-shin. The best part is that the trunks have a hanging inner polyester liner (no, it's not a mesh brief-type liner like the shorts you wore in fifth grade) that allows the shorts to slide over your upper leg when your moving around.

Hot tip: Buy the solid black or the dark blue patterned trunks- the dark colors hides guacamole stains, beer dribbles and fish blood. The light green ones look good (I've got a pair) but they get dirty fast and don't stand up to the trunks-as-a-napkin for all meals test. On my two week trip I brought just two pairs of these (and one pair of "go home" shorts but we'll deal with that later)... and wore them the whole time- they're that good.

3. Short sleeve button up shirts: In the tropics, tee-shirts turn into sweat soaked, clingy layers of cotton insulation. If you want to stay cool you need to take advantage of evaporative cooling- and for that function, shirtsleeves are the way to go. Standard wear for me is my white Guayabera- this one's a total crack up. Think more Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray's excellent King Pin character) than Don Johnson; it's got embroidered roses, white on white, running down the front of the thing. Cheesy? Completely. But totally comfortable and there's no better way to fade into the back ground than to sport one while chugging a Ballena at the taco stand.

Hot tip: Throw in a long sleeve version to keep the sun off your arms and the mozzies off your back.

Check back for more (I'm hoping to update from the road).

Travel Essentials: Here some cool stuff that makes life on the road a little nicer...

I can't take credit for all of these little doo-dads but they're worth sharing and I'll give credit where and when I can. That being said, here's some cool stuff I'm packing for my upcoming Mex trip:



Go to Home Depot, drop twenty bucks and get yourself a roll of this stuff and some blue painters tape. Wrap the rails, tail and nose of your board in it- believe me, the Bloody Marys will taste much better in the airport bar once you know you've layered on a little more protection. This is what we call double bagging, it's an insurance policy.



These are the racks you need for the rental car. Instead of fastening on the gutter these ones go all the way through the cab of the car- much more secure. These are double racks too so the straps are a little longer which makes loading up big stand ups do-able. You should also bring some extra webbing to extend the racks if you have to. You just tie the extra webbing onto the racks and feed it through the cam and voila! You're ready to rack multiple big boards. Yep Dave- those are yours, still got 'em from last time... just keeping them safe for you!



Extra leashes- FCS makes the best, strongest ones I've used. Tropical wax for the 6'4", get an extra couple bars to give away to the locals- they'll be stoked. Bug spray, get the 100% Deet stuff like I have here (actually it's 98.9% Deet according to the fine print). Be careful with this stuff- it's gnarly. Specifically, don't get it on the plastic of your leash- it weakens it and be careful with it around your trunks too- it can make the nylon all weird. Most importantly, keep it off your balls... some types of pain don't leave your brain so easily.



These little Kool-Aid single serving packs rule! Got to thank Tucker for this one. The place we stay at supplies purified water but who wants to drink plain, luke warm water all day? Put a packet of this in the stuff and it goes down much nicer. Here's an even better one, buy a plastic, screw top Nalgene bottle- put the Kool Aid and water in it and screw it tight. Pop it in the freezer or fridge (our rooms come with small refrigerators) and you've got cold Kool-Aid for your after surf beverage. Unless you drink beer- if that's the case forget the Kool-Aid just buy more Pacificos.