Surf and Wahoo.... yum.

Somebody turned the switch back to the "ON" position... waves started rolling through this afternoon and the tide looks like it will co-operate for the next couple of days. It's looking like our last two surf days might be fun ones. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed.



Photo: This is actually not a photo of the surf today, it's from Matt W.'s memory card- but it's so stoke-worthy that I decided to throw it on up.



Photo: Watch those fingers. Uncle Russ shows the boys what the mouth of death looks like.

If you don't know, that's the head of a wahoo. Those teeth are like scalpels. No joke. My friend Tim Hatler has speared 'em up to 80 lbs (that's no joke either) and he's told me that it isn't usually when the fish is alive that you get bit. Most of the slices come from a slip of the hand into a dead wahoo's mouth. Most times, the victim doesn't even know they're cut until they see their own blood dripping off onto the floor. Watch it!

Meanwhile, somewhere out there in the desert...

...others were scoring too. Somewhere south of the border:



Photo: Sunrise.



Photo: Heavy on the front foot, go fast.



Photo: Little bowl section.



Photo: Jose, slotted.

Smiles on the beach...

I was stoked to run into Tom English on the beach today (that was him ripping on his 8'11" Ron House on the big day!), he was all smiles having hit the jackpot on his trip down, scoring some of the best surf I've seen down here in years.



Photo: I uploaded a bunch of Matt W's photos and low and behold here was this killer wide angle shot of Tom snagging a healthy one.



Photo: Another Lab-in-the-foreground-with-surf-in-the-background shot for us lovers of the genre.

Happy New Year...

Best of luck to you and your family in the new year!

Here's a southern Baja good luck story: Matt Wilson rolled up to his palapa, reached down and loaded up a bottle of empty Pacificos, planning to take them to the deposito for an exchange. The case traveled in the back of the truck all day. The boys, little Kevin and Luke, jumped in and out of the pickup's bed playing and goofing around.




When it finally came time to make the run into town, Matt peeked in the box and found a desert rattlesnake napping amongst the medias! Now that's a turn of good luck, one blind reach could've been a disaster. Good luck to you... and look before you go sticking your hands in dark places!

Southern Baja: A few more photos... some good ones!

A few more from today (12-30-09):



Photo: My favorite shot from today.... even the dog's checking out that grinder.



Photo: Josh pulling in... charging!



Photo: A few more sequence shots from today- swooping and flying.



Photo: Such a fun wave, wait 'til you see the video clips from this session- some pretty cool stuff that I'm going to cobble together once I get back home.



Photo: Mark W., smacking it!

Southern Baja: Dec. 30th.... Rain!

Thanks everyone for the Happy Birthday wishes. I had a great one- early morning surf followed by a pancake breakfast (banana/pecan... thanks Kathy), nap, surf and finally a killer dinner pollo con mole poblano. Yes.



Photo: Still plenty of swell rolling through down here. Should be fun waves for the rest of the week.


Unbelievably, it poured down here. And it wasn't just a couple of sprinkles, we're talking an hour of deluge. Enough to stick on the ground, form huge puddles and muddy up the whole scene. And, consider, this is a thirsty desert, so for it to remain as surface water there had to be quite a bit of it falling. Weird, and cool. Here's some extra photos from yesterday:



Baja strange: I don't know, think there might be something wrong with the frame?



I convinced Matt Wilson to paddle my board out at the height of the swell- he snagged some big ones... I'm trying to get some clips together to make a vid once I get home. Guess who gets to sit on the beach and snap 'em?



Baja Strange Part II: I don't have words for this one.



Those are my friends on the beach and that's a roping right hander. Wow.

I came screaming out of the tube....

...41 years ago today! Here's some more photos for you:



Photo: Hauling ass...



Photo: Blowing right past the guy duck diving...



Photo: Gus, probably thinking, "Dude, either toss me a bone or paddle out..."



Photo: End to another killer day...

Bigger Surf... Tom English?

I just found out that most people bypass what I write and go right to the photos. So, I'm going to save the screen space and keep the words brief- plus I'm really tired. Surf's been soooo good:



Photo: For starters, it was much bigger today...



Photo: Big waves bring out the big glass... bummed yet Wallis?



Photo: This guy shows up out of nowhere, small Ron House board, familiar deck... could it be?



Photo: Tom English??? Homey snagged a fat one and laid down this turn.



Photo: Stucki was out killing it... came flying out of this barrel... always flowing.

Southern Baja: Fun surf continues...

Broken record: another super fun day in the water.

6:00 am: Roll up to the beach, actually, put the truck into 4 Hi and roll onto the beach. Sip my coffee and check it out.

6:30 am: Wiggle into wet trunks, throw on the rashy, time the sets (it's a foot or two overhead today... building) and make my move through the shorebreak.

6:45 am: Bypass the, in your face, right in front of the truck, firing, cobalt blue wall that's winding down the beach. A big fast righthander, if you're a regular footed surfer, this might be too much for you to pass up.



7:15 am: Complete the quarter mile paddle up the beach to the hidden from view, firing, left hander up the beach.

7:20 am: Snag this wave, come up off the bottom...




... tap the breaks, drag the paddle, release the sea anchor... whatever it takes to slow this rocket down.



and tuck up as tight as possible. Got a legit little tube today, watched the lip pour in front of me and popped right out of it... stoked!

Repeat 'til 10:00am.

Wonder what's on the agenda for tomorrow?

Southern Baja: It's picking up

Today was the best day of surf so far- and it's getting better. Rumor has it that we should have some substantial surf in the next couple of days, I'm not holding my breath but I'd love to see it get a little bigger.



Photo: Here's Stucki flying down the line on a board he calls, "the molar". This one's only 4'10 with a cut off nose and almost no rocker, when he paddles it it looks like a boogey board- it's amazing how fast he gets that thing going.

Even though it's only been head high, it has been really fun. The water down here is beautifully clear and warm with Humpback whales busting up the water way outside. Stick your head underwater and you can hear them calling to each other. Fact: if the water was this beautiful at home, none of us would ever get anything done.



Photo: Wind it up!



Photo: Early morning set up.

Southern Baja Extra Surf Shot and etc.

Hey, when you get a chance be sure to check out the Photo Annual Issue of the Stand Up Journal- some pretty mind bending photos in there. Here's a link to check out a preview.

Here's a couple more photos from down here. Enjoy:



Another shot from our first day down. It was pretty damn spectacular. I have run into other stand up paddlers down here. I was surprised to know that first paddler that I talked to. He's a local guy who I met three years ago when I first came down with a stand up board. The gentleman's name is Fleet, he wanted to try out my board and, inevitably, he's now hooked! Flash forward to the present, Fleet's now paddling down here year round. He's on a P.S.H 10'0 -and he's stoked!



The light down here is unreal, hear that Wallis? Early morning and right before sunset, the golden hour. The place is really beautiful.

Paddle Royale in La Ventana: Register Here!

Don't miss this one! There's none other like it. Called the Paddle Royale, the featured race is a first ever "Crossing". This race is an invite-only 11 mile run from Cerralvo Island to La Ventana. The Crossing will feature a cash prize for the winner. There will also be 1 and 2 mile races featuring both Stock and Unlimited classes that are open to all. The "fun race" will be a stand up paddle relay race. Interested? Click here for registration information.



Here's more information about the races straight from the Palapas Ventana website:

PADDLE ROYALE SUP RACES
THE CROSSING – an 11 mile invite invite race for advance paddlers – Pangas take competitors over to Cerralvo Island in the early morning and they paddle downwind back to the La Ventana shores and the cheering crowd. Competitors will ride stock 12’6” and under boards.
CASH prizes (amount TBD based on sponsor participation) and trophies for top men’s and women’s winners

2 MILE and 1 MILE RACES-held close to shore in front of the crowd with divisions for under 12’6” and over 12’6”
CASH prizes (amount TBD based on sponsor participation) and trophies for top men’s and women’s winners

RELAY RACE
Teams will be made on event day and stock 12’6”and under boards will be used
Prizes for winners

Just surfing: Ninja Bump Part II

Hey Guys and Gals: If you haven't checked it out yet, the newest issue of the Stand Up Journal is pretty spectacular. Here's how you can get a sneak peek. Click here.

And, because I promised I'd finish out the sequence before I left for Baja, here's the last frames of the wave I started surfing a few posts back:



Retreat! When the nose starts to plow (check out how close the board is to pearling), it's time to move back on the board. No shuffling- you crossed it forward now cross it back.



In this shot, I'm trimming the board trying to make speed to beat the little section that's shutting down on me. Look how close together my feet are; don't even ask, I have no idea, that's just the way I surf.



That 9'6" has got a lot of speed. Here I'm just letting the board run around this little corner.



And, finally, finish every wave clean. Always make it a point to pull out nicely at the end.

Southern Baja Report I: Yep, we're into some surf!

Made it; battery's dying, Pacifico is getting warm and my chilaquiles are getting cold. I'm just going to throw some photos up with quick captions- full story later. Check out what I surfed this morning:



Enter the southern circus... first, get your documents in order- stay cool, this part of the trip sucks.



We scored a killer place to stay this time- plush deluxe as my better half would say.



Usually, we're in the dirt just trying to keep scorpions out of our huevos rancheros... this is the view from our kitchen. No scorpions here!



Here's what you're waiting for: Yes, it's going off. Check back for more of this because, rumor has it, it's coming...

Just surfing: 9'6" Ninja bump and a small clean day

I've been loving the 9'6" Ninja Bump that Stamps sent my way... here's a little break down of a fun surf I had on it last week.



This one's got a nice glide to it. The board is a couple pounds heavier than my usual ride but that doesn't take away from the board's overall performance. In fact, in some situations, the extra heft feels just right. For example, beefier boards allow you to build up a nice head of steam making wave catching a bit easier. Here I am on a small, glassy day powering in early and thinking about what the waves going to do and how I'll handle it...



I like coming off the bottom as hard as I can. Even if it's small, I'll work on getting a little "zing" out of that first turn. A flexy fin helps. The most important part, though, is the timing. You've got to wait for the wave to develop some curve before you hammer down on it. Josh Farberow has this turn perfected. I can still remember watching him slingshot off the bottom of two foot waves on a crappy day at County Line. The guy could develop un-natural speed off that first turn, just body torquing out of it and launching himself down the line. A sweet turn, I can see it clearly in my mind.



I've seen a couple articles about walking the nose. It's a tricky little bit of footwork if you haven't worked on moving your feet on the board. Start by just lifting a foot up and then putting it down as you're surfing along. This will get your mind to start believing that your paws aren't stapled to the deck. A big part of the act is knowing when your board is ready for you to make your move. In this shot, my board's just starting to stall up the face and I've got most of my weight on my forward foot. In order to keep the board in trim, I've got to move forward- here comes the cross step...



I'm a clunky cross stepper. Ever see those shoes that Frankenstein wears? I swear I'm sporting a pair of those monster mashers when I go for my nose walk. What ever it takes, get yourself up there.



Cross-stepping, nose riding and trimming big boards for speed is super fun. Once I was back on a fuller nosed board I remembered what I'd been missing. I'm stoked on the 9'6" it's much more of a high performance longboard shape than a big heavy point and pray 12'er, it's a great all around stand up board.

Check back for the last five frames of this fun little wave!

Stand Up Paddling Southern Baja: Outta Here!

On the road to Southern Baja in about 15 minutes... gassed up, loaded up, boards ready to go... STOKED. Three weeks of paddling, wireless internet should allow posts from down south. Stay tuned.



Photo: The ass end as I head south, counting down lift off from my driveway in 5, 4, 3....