enjoy the small stuff.

East Coast...and then Malibu

Scored two days in a row this Sunday and Monday. First day was 5' and fast, but lots of sneaky closeouts.

I sometimes get in this pattern of initially paddling out and getting a string of nice rides, then it quickly turns to shite and I start surfing like the town drunk. I almost quit after this happened on Mon but turned it around with a nice one from the jetty all the way to the beach. That fixed the stoke all right.

So much that when a larger, perfect peeler showed up, I gave it to the other cat, a stranger that I was trading waves with. He took it all the way in to the sand, then turned to look back at me. A grateful hand went up over his head before he headed up to the boardwalk and out. Brother, when there's enough waves to go around, it's all good.

Which brings me to this video, which blows my mind:



No rules of the road, way too many bodies in the water. Beach 90 at Rock is like the wilderness compared to it. But why does it still look so fun?

The style of these cats works for me...smooth, in a dance with the wave. The absolute best is the very end of the video, that last ride is something to see!

The stiffness of skill

Im starting to notice something...I am a hater. Well I didn’t just notice that I’ve been aware of my douchebaggery for a minute now. So yeah I sometimes spite the next guy for being better than me in the water. But what I’m noticing is that the intentionality of peoples surfing affects my perceptions. I think I tend to resent those who use elaborate moves to master the wave, its very punctuated and the rides tend to look like –insert maneuver here-. Yet there are others who seem to be getting loose when they bust out and I become downright inspired. I guess it comes down to attitude and style, or maybe haircuts.....

Board Lust

The other day I was scanning the interweb for surfboards. I'm looking for a new board and a shaper that is environmentally aware. While browsing Board Riders Review I found an interview with Solid Surfdoards Dan O'Hara and I really liked what I saw. Check out the interview here.

Below is their 5'9 Discus board made with recycled EPS foam strips stringerless blank, bamboo cloth, hand-foiled bamboo fins, a Bio-Plastic leash plug, and epoxy resins.


I would be more than happy to ride a recycled board with replenishable materials, such as bamboo. Check out the Solid Surfboards website for more info and more boards. Be sure to check out the shaping videos. Being on the East coast and riding mostly small waves, I thought the boards pictured below would be cool to have in any quiver. I'm looking forward to ordering one this spring!

Solid Surfboards: F-Bomb, shortboard fish hybrid.

Solid Surfboards: DisFish, discus fish hybrid

Solid Surfboards: The Kwad, shortboard fish hybrid.

A shaper i've admired

Geoff Mccoy's nugget is a board I've always wanted in my quiver. I saw them out in Byron Bay while I was still in my newbie longboard phase. The nugget's shape and heft seemed to make sense to me and I'll forever kick myself in the ass for not bringing one home.

Mccoy in his own words.

the sea blob

Four on One

Added four fins to my Catch Surf ONE. I want it to stick to the wave when I kneeride it. It kept side slipping out but the quads should keep it tracking and get me howling.



So I can fly like this: