The West is the Best!

No, actually I have massive love for Strong Island. But on a recent work trip to L.A., I made the most of my downtime and was amply rewarded. Ventura county. The right point breaks I've been missing all my life.

With good buddy Shaw, checking the local shops. You'd be grinning too. Read on.

Shaw getting lost in the well-stocked longboard section.

Look up and get history! No one but the owner rides these.

A nice thing about the left coast is used boards have nice prices. Campbell Bros Bonzer, good condition, 300 benjamins. Damn American Airlines board fees!

Waves seem to break slower on the West Coast making them super easy to get into, whereas in NY it seems to require more split second timing. I love both waves, but there is something friendly about the still punchy, but more predictable/slower developing breaks out West. You can sort of turn off your brain and just relax into things. And (with the possible exception of Malibu), fewer people dropping in makes it a more mellow experience. I'd like to see the Rockaway crowd moving more in this direction.

My unintentionally semi-Cubist Malibu panorama (click and drag on the screen to look around):