When it all comes together...

Killer day of surf yesterday! Sunny and glassy all day long. Even better, the water temp is notching back up into the "comfortable to trunk it zone". Down side are the summer crowds- tough to park close to the spot. Solution? Electra cruiser, board rack and my 6'4" Stamps fish. Got a couple of fun ones. All photos: Jeff Wallis

Stamps carving a couple up in Seal...

Here's a couple of Tim Stamps test driving a new 9'0 that he just put together... Check 'em out (all photos courtesy of Elva De Jarnet):



If I remember correctly, this one's a bit more foiled nose to tail and carries more width throughout.



Cool how a stand up board can transform an iffy surf day at a blown out rivermouth into a fun little go-out.



Check out the video I posted a couple of days ago- this is the same board that Farmer Dave was carving down in Mex. Cool board.



I dig the cutbacks with the paddle to the inside- they just seem to get the whole body moving in the direction of the turn- smooth carving.

Slippery Slope II

The fight continues... but if you read the following you'll realize it's less a fight and more of a civil request for a clarification of the rules governing stand up boards down at the beach. Check this out:

John,

Here is the e-mail that went out today… formal letter to follow today as well, pass it on or publish or both if you wish.

Dear Ms. Ray,

I have left you several messages over the past few days to try to better understand the regulations upon which your office and by extension US Ocean Safety Lifeguards is relying in order to determine that stand up paddle (“SUP”) surfing is banned from the above-mentioned beaches. On Friday morning, July 3, 2009, as I was exiting the water at the North Strand staircase at 9:00 a.m., (the newly re-built and re-opened stairs), I was met by a life guard who informed me that I could neither launch nor land my SUP at this beach. I could not understand this as my SUP is seven feet six inches long. To give you perspective, most surfboards sold (over 60% according to some estimates) are longer than my SUP. I asked for the basis for my being told that I could not launch SUP in this area and was given a pamphlet with the telephone number for US Ocean Safety. The lifeguard was of course pleasant and professional.

On Sunday, July 5, 2009, I was paddle surfing at the same beach, but did not launch an SUP from this beach. I was surfing in the designated surfing area, no other surfers were in the water, and no swimmers are even allowed in the water at this surfing area due to the boulders in the surfline. This is a stretch of “surfing only” beach that swimmers are kept out of… no waders are even allowed due to the danger posed by the boulders in the surfline. At that time I was told that I could not SUP in this area, period. I told the lifeguard that I did not launch an SUP from this beach, but was merely following the previous day’s instructions from another lifeguard at this exact same spot, namely, that I could not launch an SUP at this beach. The lifeguard informed me that I was incorrect, not only was I precluded from launching an SUP at this beach, but I was also banned from riding an SUP in the surf at this beach. I grudgingly complied with this order, and instead surfed at this spot. This is very disappointing as on a surfboard, it was very difficult to make the section at this wave, whereas on an SUP, it was much easier and less dangerous because of how early you can enter the wave on an SUP. Again, despite the wearying work over the Fourth of July weekend, this lifeguard was pleasant and professional.

On Monday morning, July 6, 2009, I called US Ocean Safety and spoke to James Watkins, a very polite young man who informed me that they were operating under a county directive and that the only beach wherein SUP’s can be launched and landed is Baby Beach in the Dana Point Harbor. He further informed me that under the current regulatory structure, SUP’s cannot be ridden in the surf zone. I asked for and was provided the governing regulations, namely 2-5-45, 2-5-66, and 2-5-77. I was also provided your name as the person at the County of Orange directing US Ocean Safety to take this position. As with my other interactions with personnel from US Ocean Safety, Mr. Watkins was knowledgeable, pleasant and professional.

Our office has reviewed the regulations in question and they do not support the County’s position. Firstly, it appears that you are lumping all craft that can be paddled with an oar in the same boat, (honestly, no pun was intended). I urge you to review the state of stand up paddle surfing. You will find that, yes, there are plenty of eleven and twelve foot stand up paddle boards, but there are also many SUP surfers surfing boards 9’6” and smaller. For sake of comparison, most longboards (surfed by prone surfers) are in the nine to ten foot range. Many stand up paddle boarders like to cruise in the harbor, or paddle in the open ocean on 10, 11 and 12 foot boards, but many also choose to surf with their SUP’s. On my SUP, I am just as maneuverable as with a surfboard, and on a few occasions while SUP’ing late in the afternoon and early evening have rescued swimmers and boogie boarders who have gone beyond their limits. I simply would not have seen these people if I were surfing in a prone position. I say these things as someone who has been surfing for over thirty years.

From the information provided, it appears that the County of Orange has determined that the distinction placed on SUP’s as “vessels” in the United States Coast Guard’s October 28, 2008, news release controls all SUP’s. In explaining their distinction, the Coast Guard was very clear that their regulation only applied to SUP’s that are in navigable waters and that its regulation does not apply to paddleboards in the surf zones: “It is important to note that paddleboards in the surf zone will not be affected by the decision and that the Coast Guard does not define the limits of surf zones.” (December 2008 Newsletter from The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Department of Boating.”) From this classification, the County has apparently determined that rule 2-5-66 precludes (a) the launching of boats and (b) the operation of boats in park waters. Clearly only section (a) applies as Park Waters is defined in section 2-5-2 to encompass waters flowing to the ocean, (and other waters), but not the ocean itself. Given that under the County’s interpretation only 2-5-66(a) can apply to this circumstance, the County cannot cite this section to conclude the SUP’s cannot be ridden in the surf zone. To the extent that the County of Orange chooses to classify all SUP’s regardless of size as vessels, and also chooses to enforce the prohibition against launching an SUP from the shoreline, then I expect that the County of Orange will apply this rule to all vessels, and not just SUP’s. For example, the Monarch Bay Club at the North end of Salt Creek sits on leased land. This club also has a catamaran on its leased land. The beach in front of the Monarch Bay Club, however, is the northernmost stretch of the Salt Creek Beach… a County Beach. The Monarch Bay Club has at least one catamaran on its beach and according to its website and my multiple visits to the club, also has numerous kayaks for its members to enjoy. These kayaks and this catamaran are all launched from the County of Orange public beach in violation of 2-5-66. If the County of Orange chooses to enforce 2-5-66 to preclude SUP’s from being launched from this beach, please confirm that you have ordered the Monarch Bay Club to remove its catamarans and kayaks from its facility to ensure that this ordinance is not violated. We will also work to ensure that no other private land owners who own property adjacent to a County beach launch their catamarans or kayaks over County beaches and will expect that the County of Orange will work to ensure that theses land owners do not launch their “vessels” from their beach adjacent properties.

While the County of Orange may be relying on 2-5-66 to preclude launching, as set forth above, it cannot use this same section to prohibit operation of SUP’s in the surf zone. Therefore, the County must be looking to one of the other two cited sections to conclude that SUP’s cannot operate in the surf zone. These other sections are 2-5-45 and 2-5-77. Of course there may be sections of the code that I have not reviewed upon which the County of Orange is basing its decision, but these are the sections provided to me by US Ocean Safety. Given that you have been unable to return my calls on this matter for the past few days, I must operate under the presumption that these are the only applicable regulations. A careful review of these sections, however, supports the position that wherever a person is allowed to surf on a regular surfboard, that person is also allowed to surf on an SUP, (provided that person is under control and not endangering others… as I believe that US Ocean Safety is vested with the inherent authority to “police” the surfline for out of control surfers, paddleboarders, etc.) As you know, 2-5-45 merely vests the authority in the County or its agent (in this case US Ocean Safety) to designate areas appropriate for “athletic activity.” Section 2-5-77, then goes on to provide that hazardous water sports are prohibited unless specifically allowed by the County or its agent. The next section then defines the activities that are considered “hazardous water sports.” This definition includes surfboards, paddleboards, and (if there is a distinction) stand up paddleboards: “No person shall use any surfboard, paddleboard, bellyboard, skimboard or any other similar object made entirely or partially of wood, metal, hard plastic, or any other hard substance in the Pacific Ocean unless designated as a hazardous water sport area by the Director or his/her authorized representative.” Clearly if stand up paddleboards fall outside the category of “paddleboards” then stand up paddleboards are “other similar objects” in that they are made of the same materials, used for the same purpose and can be prone paddled, knee paddled or paddled with a single paddle. To make a further point, my fifteen year old son can stand up paddle just about any surfboard over seven feet, and I can stand up paddle any surfboard over nine feet. Additionally, I can stand up paddle any “paddleboard” that I have ever seen. Without question stand up paddleboards, if they do not fall within the “paddleboard” category (which I believe they do), fall within the “other similar objects” category. This appears to be where the County of Orange is deriving its authority to ban SUP’s from the surf zone. The problem with the County of Orange’s position is that according to this regulation, SUP’s, paddleboards and surfboards must be treated the same. From the regulations cited to me, the County of Orange does not have the authority to simply “blanket” ban SUP’s without consideration of conditions or crowds from an area while at the same time allowing surfers to remain. Further, from the regulations cited, the County of Orange does not have the authority to force all SUP surfers out of the water while leaving surfers and paddleboarders to remain. The authority simply does not exist.

To the extent that you are concerned with safety of swimmers, I agree wholeheartedly that swimmer safety is paramount, hence the blackball. To the extent that the County of Orange is indiscriminately choosing surfers over SUP’ers, it cannot. I do not believe that any new regulations are required and that 2-5-77 sufficiently protects the bathing and swimming public. As provided in my anecdotes set forth above, SUP’ers can actually enhance the safety of the bathing and swimming public. Additionally, please understand that some of the most decorated SUP athletes hail from Dana Point and call these beaches their homes. Namely Chuck Patterson, recently named Standup Paddle Surfer of the year by Surf Sail and StandUp Journal, (you can get a copy at Infinity or Hobie or I can drop a copy off at your office). Chuck has won just about every race he has entered, impressed all with his big wave exploits at Puerto Escondido, and has brought significant recognition to the sport and his sponsors, one of whom is a significant local employer and longstanding surf brand, Hobie. As you might also know, the SUP industry much like the surf industry in general is based in Orange and San Diego counties. The surf industry, soft goods and hard goods, is contracting mightily in this difficult economic environment. One of the few bright spots in the industry is the explosion of Stand Up Paddle surfing. With boards costing $800-$1500, and paddles clocking in at $200-$400, this is significant to the local economy. The premier paddle maker in the world for stand up paddles, in my opinion, is right in Costa Mesa, Quick Blade paddles owned by former Olympic kayak racer Jim Terrell. The most innovative retailer in the business is Paddle Surf Warehouse… they are based in Costa Mesa just a few blocks from Jim Terrell’s shop. One of the most progressive stand up surfing custom board makers is Tim Stamps, his factory is in Huntington Beach. Steve Boehne of Infinity Surfboards in Dana Point perfected a method for venting the gases from epoxy stand up boards while innovating and tinkering with stand up paddleboard designs. Steve and Infinity are in the forefront of design and innovation in this new industry. Ron House, who essentially, brought stand up board shaping to the Mainland has his offices in San Clemente. Mind you, these are innovators in this industry that I can think of just off the top of my head. To the extent that the County of Orange regulates SUP surfing significantly differently than regular surfing, and forces SUP surfers into a tiny area of the coast, you will certainly damage this industry significantly and likely cause it to migrate to San Diego County, already the home to many SUP pioneers. San Diego County, much like Ventura County, regulates SUP surfers in the same category as prone surfers. Time after time we hear government spokespeople decrying about job losses and revenue shortfalls, when government policies are sometimes the very thing that hastens job losses and exacerbates revenue shortfalls. Please be mindful of these issues as you try to understand if additional regulations governing stand up paddle surfing are necessary. Stifling the ability to stand up paddle surf will most assuredly stifle the local industry and encourage migration to our neighboring county to the South.

Lastly, if there are different regulations upon which the County of Orange is relying upon to in order to preclude stand up paddle surfing from Orange County beaches, please immediately advise our offices so that we can review the impact of these additional regulations on our analysis. If not, please confirm for me by the end of business tomorrow that the County of Orange will instruct its lifeguard agents (“US Ocean Safety”) that stand up paddle surfers (at least once they have “launched” legally) must be treated in the same fashion as prone surfers. If we do not receive this confirmation by that time, our offices will be moving ex parte for a temporary restraining order precluding the County of Orange from mis-interpreting its own governing regulations on Friday morning at the Superior Court for the County of Orange, Harbor Justice Center. We will provide formal notice by Thursday Morning at 10:00 a.m. as provided in the California Rules of Court Rule 3.1203.

We look forward to positively resolving this issue and will be sending a more formal letter on this issue via facsimile, e-mail and US Mail later on today.

Additionally, if the County of Orange is currently reviewing this matter with an eye towards creating additional regulations, please advise our offices in order that we can ensure that the County or Orange is basing its decision on the facts as they exist, and not as provided to the County of Orange by one interest-group at the expense of another.

Thank you for your time, I understand that it is valuable.

Respectfully,

Timothy M. Ryan

I'll keep you posted- this is one that we should all be watching!

Slippery Slope?

Tim up in Dana Point just sent this note regarding stand up boards, the surf zone and the application of some vague "laws" out on the sand. I think this is an important one to follow because it might set a precedent for other parts of the coast. Who knows - your beach might be next.

John and all interested SUP’ers.

My name is Tim Ryan, and I am an SUP’er. This weekend was the first anniversary of my addiction, and I was looking forward to celebrating. I am so stoked about this sport, that I conned my wife into letting us buy a place by my favorite little SUP spot in Dana Point. Well, the honeymoon was officially over this weekend. I had been hassled at this spot by the lifeguards before, but never too seriously, with a lot of “looking away.” Not so any longer.

On Friday morning I was out before dawn. Paddled up to Salt Creek where it was small and surprisingly uncrowded. Took a few waves, talked to some friends, talked to some people who want to rip my eyes out because I like doing something that they are too embarrassed to try… but generally had fun and shared the ALOHA. Didn’t take any set waves (as usual). I was trying out a new (to me) Craig 7’6” two plus one. (7’6” by 31 by 4 1/8… I think I am going to order one that is an inch narrower… with a stinger… a swallow tail, and a quad as the tail area seemed too wide for the 2+1… I spun out on a few critical bottom turns… oh well… just working it out.) I worked out the basic balance issues at the Strand, figured out the paddle entry angle, and rode a couple of small waves before heading up to Creek. Spent about 45 minutes at Creek, and headed up to the Dana Headlands, surfing the shorebreak… trying to find workable shoulders.

As I was heading back to my towel and skateboard, a lifeguard went into the water after me… mind you, it was 9:00 a.m., with no one on the beach… and no one (I mean no one) in the water. I was getting out of the water and met her at the shorebreak. She told me that SUP’s are not allowed to be launched or landed at any beach at the Strand or Salt Creek. I asked for her authority, and she provided me with the number to the US Ocean Safety Headquarters. Armed with this information, and fuming. But at least she was hot.

The next morning, (July 4^th), I go out again… water photog out at the Creek… caught a few… “trust me I got the shot, send money…” (ha ha) … but leave by 8:30, and have a nice chat with a different lifeguard as she is opening up her station, and I am toweling off, grabbing the skateboard, etc. She says nothing, is quite pleasant and I wished her best of luck for the toughest guarding day of the year.

I could not surf on the morning of Sunday the 5^th, so when I went down with the family at 11:00, I brought a shortboard and my paddleboard and decided to follow the rules EXACTLY. The beach was very crowded… but the water was not. In fact, the area that I SUP is completely restricted from swimmers due to the reef and boulder field. Swimmers are not even allowed to wade in that area, (about 300 yards). It makes for a very challenging left on a Southwest swell, with water sucking off the reef, steep sections and a big ramp if you can make the section. At most tides, you just can’t get in early enough to make the section… unless you are on a standup.

So, I paddled my 7’6” SUP out just like a surfboard… tied off to some kelp, swam back in for my paddle, swam back out to my board, and tried to figure out this really tough wave on a new board. After about fifteen minutes of some really good waves, and some spectacular spinouts, the life guard yells out to me that I am not allowed to SUP at this beach. I yelled back that he was incorrect… I simply was not allowed to launch or land at this beach, but could paddle as much as I wished. He corrected me, stating that I could not ride waves but could paddle outside the surf line. I asked him for his authority, and why his explanation contradicted the other life guard from the day before, (the one who I lovingly refer to as Sporty Spice). He did not know, but was instructed that he had to pull me from the water…

At this point, I wanted to test the situation so I paddled my board back out… tied off to kelp… swam back in with my paddle… and swam back to my board and tried to knee paddle my way into the waves and around the section, (and to see how the life guards would deal with this conundrum). They left me alone, but it was boring and sucked, so I took a wave in and got my shortboard, (6’8” Bessell Eliminator.) I proceeded to surf without a leash, right next to the blackball area… which is kind of funny in that what I was doing at that point was WAY more dangerous (to me and others) than SUP’ing. To make sure that you understand how tragic this was… there were occasional five foot sets just exploding on the boulder field… and on my shortboard, I made the section twice in three hours… whereas in the short time on my SUP, I made just about every single section.

It was soooo painful to be sitting in the water knowing that if I was on my SUP it would have been an amazing session… in front of a packed beach… that REALLY would have made people appreciate SUP’ing. I did not intend that last part to sound conceited… but very often people comment to me that they had a great time watching me and that it is a beautiful and graceful sport… and then they ask questions about it. (try it South of PB pier on a big swell on a Saturday or Sunday morning.) I know it happens to you too.

This morning after coming back from court, I called US Ocean Safety HQ (949) 276-5050, and spoke to a very polite young man named James Watkins. When I introduced myself and the reason for my questions he said, “Oh that was you at Strand yesterday.” He took a few moments and gave me both the regulations that (according to the County) govern the activity… and the name and number of their contact at the County of Orange, (Leslie Ray, (714) 973-6863).

I took the information and looked up the regulations… 2-5-45, 2-5-66, and 2-5-77. After reviewing the regulations, I noted that 2-5-66 concerns launching boats at beaches and figured that they were using the mis-guided Coast Guard classification to conclude that all SUP’s are boats. The other two sections govern regulation of surfing and hazardous water activities and basically lump surfboards and “paddleboards” with “any other similar object.” This would seem to cover SUP’s… but these two regulations do not distinguish SUP’s from surfboards. So if surfing is allowed in a certain area, SUP’s must be allowed as well. Additionally, if the County chooses to interpret SUP’s as vessels… how is a surfing object classified as an SUP? My son can SUP anything bigger that an 8’0”… so if the definition is anything that can be paddlesurfed, then every board over 8 feet must be banned from the surf.

Further, down that same stretch of beach is the Monarch Bay Club… the club has catamarans and windsurfers and operates on private land but crosses the County Beach. I know this for a fact because I toured the club intending upon joining until I found out that their dues are $14,000 per year (!?!). So, if the County chooses to stand on the fact that anything that can be SUP’d is a vessel and cannot be launched, I will make darn sure that every single catamaran pulled into every private residential area behin every single County beach is removed. As folks who belong to the Monarch Bay Club and live oceanfront tend to have money… I don’t think that the County will choose this route.

I am still waiting to hear from Ms. Ray. As Mr. Watkins informed her of my impending call, perhaps I will receive a call back from County counsel rather than Ms. Ray. I called four times today and left two messages. A very nice person from Maxfield provisions e-mailed me a few hours ago and informed me that Ms. Ray took her call, was very nice, was clueless about stand up paddle surfing, and was just going by the Coast Guard guidelines.

I look forward to a positive dialogue with Ms. Ray, but will do anything and everything necessary to give SUP’ers the same rights as surfers, the rights we deserve… Remember that we will never ever ever keep these rights if SUP’ers kook out, hog waves, go out into the surf before they are ready and generally act like dicks.

If you are an Orange County SUP’er and want to be apprised of what transpires… shoot me an e-mail and I will keep you posted. I have also started a thread on Stand Up Forum and will be updating that as well.

Thanks,

Tim

Read more about this issue on the StandUp Zone in the section titled "General Discussion". Look for Tim's thread and add your name to the growing list of stand up paddlers in support of safe, stand up surfing in Orange County.

Stand Up Paddle Surf Video: Mainland 2009

Here's a little bit of the point, eats and friends. Check it out:


Find more videos like this on Stand Up Paddle Surfing


All stand up boards were made by Tim Stamps, go check his site at www.surfboardsbystamps.com.

Farmer Dave's (light blue rashguard, yellow and black camo pad on all white board) is on one of Tim's new shapes- it's a 9.0', little bump in the tail, foiled and a bit wider- the thing looks fun, I regret not giving it a whirl.

Big Chad's on a blue railed 10' Viking model- Chad's at least 260lbs- so for all you big boys out there who think you're stuck on some 12' Starboard tanker, there's hope- get a real board. I'm on a 9'4 Viking (235lbs) and Mike's (orange railed SUB on top of the rental car) on a 9'2 Vike.

Here's a tip: order a new board.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego. This is the summer of the paddle- get out and get up! This summer we are proudly featuring the full line of Isle Stand Up Boards. Now's your chance to paddle Isle's latest and greatest offerings. Stand up paddling is for everyone- come book a lesson with us. We're not a "cattle call" stand up machine- churning out SUP CLONES. We only teach private lessons! For more information click here. Be sure to read about your instructor! Email: john@paddlesurf.net or call 619.213.6622

Here's a couple more photos from down south...

I hear you. It may seem like I'm holding out on the full report- but I'm not. I'm just trying to get back to normal. And I'll tell you what's crazy- I'm seeing stand up paddle everywhere around here. And the stand up paddle surf lessons are going nuts- I'm booked everyday!

Anyways, I'm ruminating about how I'm going to report on this one. I'm thinking "vignette" which isn't something you put on a salad. Maybe a story in captions... something like that. Whatever. Here's a couple more shots:



Another overview of the point. I've said it before- this is not the main event wave in the area- but it makes a hell of a back up wave.

You know the story right? On the good days, no surfer worth his flip flops was going to sit around and shoot vid or photos, so the best days went undocumented. Out of my fourteen days down there I'd say that two were in the, "dude, are you kidding me about what we're scoring right now?" category and eight were in the, "this would be all-time at home" ranking.



Pack it in. Getting the car you ordered is a crap shoot. We reserved a van a year ahead of the trip- we ended up with a Durango for a couple days and the van for the remainder. Be flexible, things change in Mexico.



You step off the plane and the warm, wet, towel hits you hard. It's the tropics, man. Slow down, hydrate and smile. Here's Marcos doing all three.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

Just a quicky: Back from down south...

Had a great paddlesurf trip down to mainland Mexico. Plenty of waves, stories... and bug bites! Trying to clean up and get back to normal back here in San Diego. More photos and stories coming soon.



Photo: Matty heading out- the point is made for stand up paddling. Fun stuff!

Paddlesurf lessons in sunny San Diego: Book your spot now! We're super busy- stand up paddling has taken off! Click here for more info. Email: john@paddlesurf.net or call 619.213.6622.

Life is tough down here...

It pretty much sucks when the electricity goes out and that happens whenever it rains. Supposedly, the last time it went out was the work of robbers who stole five kilometers of wire to sell the copper. Ballsy; standing in the rain, with a pair of bolt cutters getting ready to snap a high voltage line in half- if they really pulled that one off, they deserve the money.

In a week you can count on a night of misery at least once or twice. Last night it went out around 9pm and it didn't come back on until close to 1pm today. No electricity means no A/C. No A/C means a night of sleeping in a pool of sweat, listening to the subsonic whine of mosquito wings. That's why they invented Vicodin. Thank god.

More of Trent's Bonzer stand up board

Still waiting for some paddle feedback on this one. Where you at Trent? Until then, here's some eye candy:



Photo: Oh the new board- squeaky clean, unknown promise... the anticipation of the first surf, the first wave... enough to kill a man.



Photo: One thing's for sure- this one's a looker.



Photo: Now we just need some surf... and a dead coastal eddy (arghh!)

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

Get out and find some: Part II

I love the homegrown surf shot. Especially when it features somebody you know- the photos are so much more legit. They hit close to home- you get the feeling that, "Heck, that could of been me!".

Central America, warm water, roping right hand point breaks up a panga ride up and down the coast- what's not to like? Or dream about. There was a stand up board on the run- and I'm working on getting my hands on those pics. For now, check out a few grassroot snaps of one of our local boys:



Photos: Regular foot face track with momentary pauses to shwack it!



Photo: Or wrap it around...







Photo: Get out and find it- and snap some keepers.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

Mainland Report: Something's coming...

Surfing everyday down here. The point always has something to ride and the spots down the road are the go-to in the morning. When we first pulled in we caught the tail end of the last big south that came through; surf was head a half to double overhead pushing hard and lining up. It came down a bit since then but, like I said, there's been something to surf everyday- that's just how it is down here, definitely a wave magnet.



Photo: Here's me, working; satellite wireless, cold ones just a few steps away. And the most unreal pancakes I've ever had- I could get used to this.

Been receiving multiple reports of a big swell coming soon- couple of days out and it should be roping through here. It might get interesting on the point. Even when it's two foot the wave holds and pushes hard enough for you to wrap cutback after cutback- if it jumps up to eight foot, things could become a little more intense.

As long as I can get to this wireless node I'll post more up, stay tuned.

A couple of shop pics: Something new from the Stamps factory.

Picked these up out of the email a couple weeks ago. All the note said was "Brian's creepy new stand up board" and a little scrawl about, "wider, thinner, winged... we'll see". Definitely going in a different direction with this one. Indeed, we will see.



Photo: A little thickness in the middle leading to a flat paddling porch. Interesting. And super foiled at the nose and tail... sexy.



Photo: How about those little wings on that round tail?

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

Mainland Mex. Report: Getting in/getting comfortable

This one's a quicky: Sketchy internet, hot/humid, cold beers waiting, electricity went out for twelve hours last night- sweat and stick to the sheets. Sitting here at the bar looking at the point... just ordered another round. Watch got ripped off my arm on my first wave. Pounded. Surf: FIRING- did more cutbacks and lippers in the last two days then I did all year long. Head high plus- more coming, geckos, iguanas.



I know you wanted a photo of the surf- too amped to snap any yet. Here's what you do when you're waiting for your flight in LAX.

More to come!

Baja Rigs.

I wrote and posted this one a while ago. But I'm off in Mexico and it just felt right to put it up again. Plus I like it. Best with a beer preferably a Pacifico.

"Misery"

The swap meet guy took my money and gave me two things: a key and a lament, "Lo siento, amigo".

Inside, it smelled like Cheetos, farts and beef jerky. There was nothing beyond the driver's front bench seat. The Mexican had replaced everything back there with shag carpet remnants, pressed and matted with some crusty mixture of organic goop. The van was infested with fleas. Las pulgas had taken over the carpet and were using it as a command center for blatant, non-covert ops up the calves of my leg and all along my shin bone. It was getting itchy. The windows were spray painted black. None of them opened. We named her "Misery".



The tranny was sketchy, it popped out of fourth gear. A bent coat hanger fastened to the passenger's seat and looped around the gear shift solved that problem. When the wire broke, Ralph redefined the meaning of "manual" transmission by holding it in gear for five hundred Baja miles. When the vibration up the stick put his arm to sleep, he wrapped his toes around it and cradled it between the fat one and the long one next to it. It worked but it wasn't a nice thing to look at.

The VW ate gas and oil at the same rate and the starter jammed so often there was a hammer taped to it to whack it free. The fuel gauge was consistent, it always said "Full". There were no wipers and only one headlight but there was a hole in the floor with a funnel and tube. And that was a plus because we weren't stopping until we hit Scorpion Bay.

At Guerrero Negro an empty beer bottle flying out of an approaching truck detonated the passenger side windscreen like a frickin' grenade. On the East road in, Ralph blew a front tire on someone's cast off fender. A drunken llantero fixed it for twenty bucks, eight beers and five precious hours of daylight.

Deep into the cervezas, I drank ice melt in the cooler thinking it looked nice and cold; I was right about the cold. We hit the point at 2 am. Ralph slept in the dirt. I squatted in Misery like some disgusting circus freak, my knees jittering as I hovered over two plastic garbage bags simultaneously blowing from both ends. Mercifully, only the fleas stuck around for my grand finale.

But, ask me what I really remember and I'll tell you this: I remember an empty Baja point firing like an overripe habanero, I recall laughing endlessly with a life-long friend and I'll never forget my first bad ass, Baja rig.

Surfing makes your life better- it eases the Misery.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

It's on: BlueLine Paddle Surf's SUPport

This one looks fun and if you've never paddled Santa Barbara, well, now you've got an excuse. Paddle your ass off and then go hit Holdren's on State Street ((805) 965-3363) for a nice rib-eye, wedge salad and double baked potato. Take the edge off with a nice local red from over the mountain and your set. Shoot, looks like I just did you the favor of planning your weekend.

One more thing: While you're reading this I'm cracking a beer on a plane heading towards a super fun left point break down in Mex. Don't worry I'll take lots of photos and report from the road if possible.



Big Fat Stand Up Paddle Lessons in Sunny San Diego, California. What more could you ask for? The water's warm, let's get out and do this! Call me 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net and we'll get you out and paddling today. For more information about the lessons and for some great testimonials click here and read all about it!

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.

Packing it for Mexico: Two boards, one bag, one fee...

It's getting closer! Only a couple more days and I'm out of here- heading south for some mainland juice- yes! I can only dream about how fun it's going to be surfing the spot on my 9'4". Last year, I took my 10' Stamps down there- I was stoked on how well the board worked but we've upgraded and refined since then and I can only dream about how fun it's going to be on the Viking.

Check out how I'm packing my quiver for the trip, it's pretty cool:



Here's the FCS stand up travel bag that I wrote about a couple months ago. Alexis hooked me up with this one at the FCS warehouse (the candy shop). This bag was made for a 9'6" so there's a little bit more room in it with my 9'4". Actually, there's room enough for the Vike, my 6'4" fish and two carbon fiber paddles! Check it out- it doesn't even look overstuffed. The boards are so light that it's not even too heavy to lug around.



Zipped open and spilling its guts- hopefully an overzealous ticket agent won't require me to do this when I'm at the counter at LAX. Alaska charged us $75 dollars a bag last time. On that trip I only brought my 10'er. My friends, on the other hand, had bags stuffed with multiple boards. Alaska's cool, they not only loaded up my over-the-size-limit stand up board but also only charged us per bag- not per board. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our luck holds this time too.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

New Stamps Stand Up: 10' Viking and a couple quiver builders...

Big Chad jammed up to Stamps' board factory this afternoon and came home with a truck full of treats. Check 'em out:



Chad pulled the trigger on his second Stamps stand up board; this one's a 10' Viking, 31 inches wide and four and half thick. This one's a big boy's rip stick- can't wait to see him let it fly down south.



The boys approve. The spray on Chad's board is one of the best I've seen- the photos don't really do it justice- it came out great.



Chad checking the foil. Chad and I surfed about thirty minutes after snapping these photos- the board's volume came out perfect. What you don't want in a high performance stand up board is a cork- too much float and you're not going to be able to hammer down on the rail when you need to come off the bottom. This one's right were it should be.



The thing really came out sweet.



Here's what I ordered- a 6'4" big boy fish in eps and epoxy. I wanted a little conventional board to hide in my board bag for my trip to mainland Mexico. This one's sick!



A little comparison shot for Steve. That's his board in the foreground, a 6'6" Stamps Fuse model. That's a clean one too- can't wait to surf it!



We live in a cool little surf town- if you've got some freshies laid out on the lawn, someone's bound to stop by and help you check 'em out. Here's Matt Wilson with the 6'6".



Here a shot of the 6'6" bottom, set up as a quad (my 6'4" too). I surfed my board right after snapping these and was able to easily paddle it around and snag a couple of waves- the thing went really well- I can only dream about how it'll be on a big open faced, point break left hander- whooo.



My mainland Mex quiver- and it all fits in the FCS SUP travel bag- with two paddles! Check back in a couple of days for more photos of boards, bags and travel supplies.

Couple fun ones in the water today...

Finally cleaned up a little around here. Nice little south pushing through, snagged a couple this morning- and you?



Photo: Kiwi, on it.





Photo: Wrapping it up for the day.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

Get out and find some.

You've heard what is said about locals right? Here it is, one of my favorite pieces of surf wisdom: "A local is just a dirt bag who never got his act together enough to travel". I wish I had somebody to credit that to... if you know drop me an email so I can give due 'props.

In the spirit of getting out and finding some, here are a couple of shots my local friend sent me from his recent trip to Central America. Scored. Definitely not a dirtbag. Enjoy:



Photo: If you're in the water and you see this, you're about to get drenched.



Photo: Nope, not a stand up board. But how easily could you superimpose yourself onto this wave? Now just get your act together and do it.



Photo: The cool think about long points like this is that if you stay with them long enough (keep cutting back!) you're bound to score the inside racetrack.



Photo: That wave looks insanely carveable.



Photo: The aforementioned racetrack section.

Stand up paddle surf lessons in sunny San Diego- get 'em while they're hot! The water's warming up, the surf is rolling in... get yourself on a stand up board now and learn the skills you'll need to be part of the hottest water sport around. Click here for more information. To book a lesson call John at 619.213.6622 or email john@paddlesurf.net

Paddle Surf Video Collection: A few from the past couple years.

I think I've made almost twenty different paddle surfing video clips over the past two (three?) years we've been online. Here's a little collection of some of my favorites; along with a little bit of the backstory on each one.

Of all of the clips I've made, this one is my favorite. I just cruised around town one Saturday morning shooting whatever and whoever I came across. I got all kinds of stuff; sunny days, cool front lit morning shots of friends surfing, bikes, boards. All capped off with a snappy little song called Shining On by Big D and the Kid's Table.

Adding the sound track is my favorite part. There's real magic when you drop the music over your clips- it's the mana that brings the thing to life. This one just makes me smile everytime. It's all about the cool little upbeat, the jangly little guitar riff; reminds me how good it is when the suns shining over our little beach town.


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I think Big Chad hit a home run with this next clip. Chad couldn't paddle surf that day because he'd busted up his knee playing basketball. He showed up on the beach with his camcorder and said he'd shoot us, edit it up and post it that night. We were bummed for the guy, but, I have to admit, we were also secretly stoked to have someone taping us. Yep, we're that shallow.

That night, when I saw this one up on p.net, I was blown away. Chad was able to take a mediocre session and make it look pretty darn fun. And the guy had a cool style with his editing too. His slow-mo cuts fit the groove of the video and his music choice was spot on. Common Sense's little piece dropped a dreamy little feeling over the whole thing. Bravo, Chad! Four Stars


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I first heard Easy Star All-Star's version of this Pink Floyd classic deep down in Baja. We were camped out under a billion stars, perched on a cliff above a classic, desert point break. I was all hopped up on red wine, feeling fuzzy and under that huge, Baja sky I was contemplating how I was basically just a little piece of human fluff on the navel of the world... or something equally boozy like that. Anyway, Dr. John's kid pops this track on and just floored me. It was an order of Pink Floyd- hold the melancholy. Pink Floyd-lite, if you will; perfect for me because I'm basically intellectual-lite. I did my best to edit the surfing to the music... I think it worked out pretty well.


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Here's a cool one with absolutely no surfing in it. The track, "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano is just so velvet smooth it kills me- which is an anomaly because the song violates one of my music ground rules: No bands with organs in them. I can't stand The Doors because of that cheesy little organ- but this one, this one just knocks me out. Stamps lays it down nice and smooth making the difficult look easy while El Chicano takes off the edges. I dig it every time I see it.


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Can't wait to put together the next couple of vids- got a whole list in my Ipod that'll knock your socks off- at least the plan. Get out and get some!

More Chopes Stand Up Paddle Craziness

My friend Sheldon sent me this link to Tim Mckenna's photography website. If you're into that poured-glass-over-razor-blade-reef type of island surf thing, this site is for you. I'm just going to post the links, you go check 'em out. Unreal shots. Click here and here and here to view 'em.

Couple thoughts about those shots:

1. Did you check out how absolutely beautiful the water is over there? Go to the last link and have a look at the flatwater paddling (Lisa Anderson shots)- even if you didn't paddle some of the breaks there, the flatwater paddling looks like it'd still blow your mind.

2. Is it me, or do you actually think you might want to try to pull in on maybe one of the smaller ones? I guess the whole thing would be about living in denial- just take off, don't ask about or look at the reef as it flies right by you- a couple inches from the bottom of your fin.

3. Did you click on the last link and scroll down enough to view the photos of the guy backhanding a barrel on the stapped board? Unreal angle- beautiful photography.

Thanks for the links Sheldon and thanks Tim Mckenna for the masterful photos.

Do a good deed: 2nd Annual Tijuana River Valley Cleanup this Saturday

Happening this weekend. Get out and build your karma rating, do something good, be part of the answer. June 6th, 9am - noon: