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General Discussion => WHATEVER => Topic started by: Yushin Okami on July 16, 2014, 10:15:06 AM
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I realize this is pretty specific to pals who live near a coast but any surfers in here? I only first tried it a couple of years ago but loved it immediately. If I have a bad day skating I'm usually pretty bummed but a bad day surfing just means I spent the day at the beach.
Plus, the photography is rad
(http://vito.es/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/Newport%20Beach%20Surf%20at%20Sunset.jpg)
(http://stwww.surfingmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/MorganMaassen_loaded06.jpg)
(http://cdn.business.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/SRF0213P_JON_033.jpg)
*This thread is for locals only
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SLAP SURF MAG BRUH. I GET WET CONSTANTLY. ::) ::) ::)
:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
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I feel like there is a stigma attached to relating skateboarding to surfing, Unless your from the West Coast it seems like people don't respect surfing. Fortunately, being from Chicago, I've surfed a few times in California and I loved it. I can't really do it, and struggle to stand up on a wave, but it was amazing how much strength and balance it takes.
I frequently watch surfing videos and love the photography and videography attached to it as you said, its a great way to cool off and relax after a hard day.
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or go skate and then take a shower.
just saying man.
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Sometimes I like to do several activities per day before I sit on the couch and smoke weed all night. Weird.
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i know right? at least you are staying active. respect.
even if you're on a surfbort.
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I've lived on the West Coast my entire life, and the answer is no, not ever.
Because
(http://www.whalewatchsa.com/wp-content/gallery/species-great-white-shark/gansbaai-great-white-sharks-4.jpg)
I don't care what the odds are, the odds are 0 if I take myself out of the equation.
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I've lived on the West Coast my entire life, and the answer is no, not ever.
Because
(http://www.whalewatchsa.com/wp-content/gallery/species-great-white-shark/gansbaai-great-white-sharks-4.jpg)
I don't care what the odds are, the odds are 0 if I take myself out of the equation.
this 1000% and i use that exact same "odds" sentence every time.
surfing is rad, but i saw Jaws at too young of an age to get past it.
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Can't be serious afraid to go in the ocean? Better take Zumba classes you morons.
I've had to kick away eels and barracudas going for me on diving missions, even saw a hammerhead in the distance. They dont want to eat you there's plenty of fish in the sea that don't contain GMO and preservatives. Your biggest worry out there should be coral reefs/ rocks.
Surfing is insanely fun and good for you. I learned in Hawaii with the most perfect waves and warm water, still took me a few days to hit real breaks with some swag. Getting up is easy but that's not surfing. There's something great about riding something completely natural
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I've had to kick away eels and barracudas going for me on diving missions, even saw a hammerhead in the distance.
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I've lived on the West Coast my entire life, and the answer is no, not ever.
Because
(http://www.whalewatchsa.com/wp-content/gallery/species-great-white-shark/gansbaai-great-white-sharks-4.jpg)
I don't care what the odds are, the odds are 0 if I take myself out of the equation.
this 1000% and i use that exact same "odds" sentence every time.
surfing is rad, but i saw Jaws at too young of an age to get past it.
Ha this is pretty much where i'm at too. All the statistics about the likelihood of a shark attack don't mean a thing because sharks are probably the closest thing I have to a phobia. It's irrational, but I don't give a fuck.
I will still go in the ocean but I am paranoid as hell out there. I usually just avoid it.
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so i'm glad i used the search button instead of making a second thread. i went surfing once before back home. i always thought it was super lame and not that hard, and then i got to the beach. the crashing waves are so loud i couldn't even hear my buddy talking. now that i live in southern california i've seriously been thinking about starting, but i haven't had the free time to do it yet. with my broken ankle i'll be able to skate again just as winter creeps around, which coincidentally is the perfect season for surfing in southern california apparently. i'm strongly considering taking lessons because i don't want to go out and get frustrated after buying all the gear; board and wetsuit.
all things considered i'm realistically looking at going 2-4 days a week when i can. you can say what you want, but none of my friends will be going skating at 7 or 8 am anyways, so there's plenty of time in the day to go surfing and then be skating by noon. one of my best friends explained why he thought it was crazy and i couldn't stop laughing "imagine a bunch of skaters in a parking lot waiting around for a moving box or quarterpipe to pop out of the ground that you had to chase". but that seems like that's it in a nutshell: a big moving quarterpipe that you have to chase and roll into at the right moment
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE#)
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I've lived on the West Coast my entire life, and the answer is no, not ever.
Because
(http://www.whalewatchsa.com/wp-content/gallery/species-great-white-shark/gansbaai-great-white-sharks-4.jpg)
I don't care what the odds are, the odds are 0 if I take myself out of the equation.
this 1000% and i use that exact same "odds" sentence every time.
surfing is rad, but i saw Jaws at too young of an age to get past it.
Ha this is pretty much where i'm at too. All the statistics about the likelihood of a shark attack don't mean a thing because sharks are probably the closest thing I have to a phobia. It's irrational, but I don't give a fuck.
I will still go in the ocean but I am paranoid as hell out there. I usually just avoid it.
i agree with this. i live about 2 miles from the beach and the water scares me. ill go in up to my waist and thats about it. ive tried surfing a few times and its def fun, but animal planet has ruined me. these fuckers.
(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/anticherries/this%20girl%20digs%20horror/AnglerFish-1.jpg)
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I've lived on the West Coast my entire life, and the answer is no, not ever.
Because
(http://www.whalewatchsa.com/wp-content/gallery/species-great-white-shark/gansbaai-great-white-sharks-4.jpg)
I don't care what the odds are, the odds are 0 if I take myself out of the equation.
this 1000% and i use that exact same "odds" sentence every time.
surfing is rad, but i saw Jaws at too young of an age to get past it.
Ha this is pretty much where i'm at too. All the statistics about the likelihood of a shark attack don't mean a thing because sharks are probably the closest thing I have to a phobia. It's irrational, but I don't give a fuck.
I will still go in the ocean but I am paranoid as hell out there. I usually just avoid it.
i agree with this. i live about 2 miles from the beach and the water scares me. ill go in up to my waist and thats about it. ive tried surfing a few times and its def fun, but animal planet has ruined me. these fuckers.
(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/anticherries/this%20girl%20digs%20horror/AnglerFish-1.jpg)
you wussbois need to trade homes with me. ive always wanted to surf and sharks dont scare me. plus getting eaten by a shark is probably one of the most badass ways to die, so i wouldnt even be that bummed about it.
the only surfing ive ever done is on one of those wave machines they have at waterparks. that thing kicked my ass.
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so i'm glad i used the search button instead of making a second thread. i went surfing once before back home. i always thought it was super lame and not that hard, and then i got to the beach. the crashing waves are so loud i couldn't even hear my buddy talking. now that i live in southern california i've seriously been thinking about starting, but i haven't had the free time to do it yet. with my broken ankle i'll be able to skate again just as winter creeps around, which coincidentally is the perfect season for surfing in southern california apparently. i'm strongly considering taking lessons because i don't want to go out and get frustrated after buying all the gear; board and wetsuit.
all things considered i'm realistically looking at going 2-4 days a week when i can. you can say what you want, but none of my friends will be going skating at 7 or 8 am anyways, so there's plenty of time in the day to go surfing and then be skating by noon. one of my best friends explained why he thought it was crazy and i couldn't stop laughing "imagine a bunch of skaters in a parking lot waiting around for a moving box or quarterpipe to pop out of the ground that you had to chase". but that seems like that's it in a nutshell: a big moving quarterpipe that you have to chase and roll into at the right moment
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE#)
What part of SoCal are you in cause I'd always be down to go out. I've never taken a lesson and have just been teaching myself so I'm very much a beginner. I do have a old wetsuit and board you could use if needed (it's a shortboard though...)
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Never surfed before but as I hit my late teens it looked really, really interesting and I was down for it. I didn't have a board/gear myself or friends that would go until a co worker a couple years ago. I told him I always wanted to but he didn't really throw an invite on a session until I tore my ACL and that was a little over a year ago. I live in west FL so the waves are kinda dirt in comparison to Cali and whatnot (I assume). I think my knee is good enough to give it a shot though. Looks super fucking fun.
I went skimboarding with some homeys once and picked it up super, super quick. Definitely not saying surfing is anything like skimming but hell, surfing is an activity where you're riding a board, requires balance and other shit that coincides with skating. Don't see why I couldn't pick it up in time as well.
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so i'm glad i used the search button instead of making a second thread. i went surfing once before back home. i always thought it was super lame and not that hard, and then i got to the beach. the crashing waves are so loud i couldn't even hear my buddy talking. now that i live in southern california i've seriously been thinking about starting, but i haven't had the free time to do it yet. with my broken ankle i'll be able to skate again just as winter creeps around, which coincidentally is the perfect season for surfing in southern california apparently. i'm strongly considering taking lessons because i don't want to go out and get frustrated after buying all the gear; board and wetsuit.
all things considered i'm realistically looking at going 2-4 days a week when i can. you can say what you want, but none of my friends will be going skating at 7 or 8 am anyways, so there's plenty of time in the day to go surfing and then be skating by noon. one of my best friends explained why he thought it was crazy and i couldn't stop laughing "imagine a bunch of skaters in a parking lot waiting around for a moving box or quarterpipe to pop out of the ground that you had to chase". but that seems like that's it in a nutshell: a big moving quarterpipe that you have to chase and roll into at the right moment
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE#)
What part of SoCal are you in cause I'd always be down to go out. I've never taken a lesson and have just been teaching myself so I'm very much a beginner. I do have a old wetsuit and board you could use if needed (it's a shortboard though...)
i live 20 minutes away from ventura, but i'm moving down to la/hollywood by october. i may take you up on the offer, but most likely i'm gonna buy the board used and get a decent wetsuit. i'm getting a shorter board, too. allegedly manhattan beach is a good place to learn/it's where i might take a couple lessons before going off and figuring out how to ride. i have dreams of one day being able to ride something like the waves at huntington beach, but that could be a bit of a pipe dream. or not. i just gotta keep going as much as possible. where in southern california are you?
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so i'm glad i used the search button instead of making a second thread. i went surfing once before back home. i always thought it was super lame and not that hard, and then i got to the beach. the crashing waves are so loud i couldn't even hear my buddy talking. now that i live in southern california i've seriously been thinking about starting, but i haven't had the free time to do it yet. with my broken ankle i'll be able to skate again just as winter creeps around, which coincidentally is the perfect season for surfing in southern california apparently. i'm strongly considering taking lessons because i don't want to go out and get frustrated after buying all the gear; board and wetsuit.
all things considered i'm realistically looking at going 2-4 days a week when i can. you can say what you want, but none of my friends will be going skating at 7 or 8 am anyways, so there's plenty of time in the day to go surfing and then be skating by noon. one of my best friends explained why he thought it was crazy and i couldn't stop laughing "imagine a bunch of skaters in a parking lot waiting around for a moving box or quarterpipe to pop out of the ground that you had to chase". but that seems like that's it in a nutshell: a big moving quarterpipe that you have to chase and roll into at the right moment
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjZGX84iaE#)
What part of SoCal are you in cause I'd always be down to go out. I've never taken a lesson and have just been teaching myself so I'm very much a beginner. I do have a old wetsuit and board you could use if needed (it's a shortboard though...)
Newport Beach. The waves here can be pretty gnarly so I only go out on mellow days or head up to Manhattan Beach/Venice. Shoot me a PM when you're in the area
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(http://www.trbimg.com/img-5263ff49/turbine/la-me-ln-surfers-bodysurfers-tussle-for-contro-001/580/580x352)
newport looks gnarly as fuck. i'll hit you up when i'm down there though. i wont be surfing or skating until maybe november, but most likely december
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So much fun. I'm not very good and just longboard at this point pretty much. Bring in the ocean is nice. I just got this
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn255/keifer_s/Thelegend.jpg)
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Surfing is the most fun I've ever had in comparison to how badly I failed at it.....
I think I've successfully stood up and rode out like once each time I went....
It's not easily accessible for me so I never do it....you can't beat skating that way....culturally I think it's pretty different too.
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So much fun. I'm not very good and just longboard at this point pretty much. Bring in the ocean is nice. I just got this
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn255/keifer_s/Thelegend.jpg)
Sick board! Unfortunately, surfboards cost a little bit more then a skateboard...
Anyway, this is one of my favorite dudes. He surfs Newport a lot I'm pretty sure. Not to mention he's in a couple good bands if you like that kind of music. Japanese Motors and Tomorrows Tulips.
Alex Knost- Single Fins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_0RuY9t8oI#)
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Yeah... it sucks how much they cost. I was using a used board for a couple of years and just bought my first new board a couple of weeks ago.
Glad this thread got a bit of boost... I'm gonna go out right now.
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Yeah... it sucks how much they cost. I was using a used board for a couple of years and just bought my first new board a couple of weeks ago.
Glad this thread got a bit of boost... I'm gonna go out right now.
Hell yeah, catch something dude!
I'll be in the Orange County/South LA region from Chicago during the October 25th weekend if anybody on here wants to surf. I could use some pointers!
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Bumping this because of hurricane Marie... it's been absolutely nuts in my neighborhood this week
(http://scontent-a-dfw.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/10597356_709253855796717_508538793_n.jpg)
(http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/10597336_762617677136775_419055049_n.jpg)
(http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xfa1/t51.2885-15/10654958_416548201816335_840534024_n.jpg)
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I've surfed my fair share of times. I went to college in Santa Cruz, and my freshman year I had a friend who was down to take me out surfing all the time. He failed out after that year because he was too down to surf, and moved home. I haven't gone out that much after that. The thing I remember most quickly when I go back out from time to time, is how exhausting it is getting the shit kicked out of you by cold ass waves (the pacific in nor cal gets really fucking cold, for those who don't know) over and over, until by the time you get out to where you need to be, you just want to fucking sit there for a while before riding a wave again (especially as a beginner who catches like 1 out of 50 waves and just eats shit the rest of the time)
I respect surfing, but surfer culture sure has a lot of lame aspects. Sea jocks...
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surfing is a constrictive element on you're life where as skateboarding just goes with life. Surfing is addictive and waves are the only good thing about it surfers are are easily the SHITTIEST part of surfing . imagine if you took skateboarding and completely ruined all social aspects of it you would end up with a typical surf line up I love surfing but am a little jaded rite now, an mega swell was projected the last 3 days but wasnt as much as predicted so it was uber crowded, big waits between sets and everyone was being an asshole lots of snaking, paddleing arounding, collisions and fights
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surfing is a constrictive element on you're life where as skateboarding just goes with life. Surfing is addictive and waves are the only good thing about it surfers are are easily the SHITTIEST part of surfing . imagine if you took skateboarding and completely ruined all social aspects of it you would end up with a typical surf line up I love surfing but am a little jaded rite now, an mega swell was projected the last 3 days but wasnt as much as predicted so it was uber crowded, big waits between sets and everyone was being an asshole lots of snaking, paddleing arounding, collisions and fights
and going to the skatepark is any different? oh wait skating is only in the streets i forgot.
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i go to parks too but if need be i'll skate a tiny feature no one else is riding (and be happy) and i rarely skate the bowl section. Also malibu hamish quit surfing (for a small time i believe) for the same reasons that I am kinda bummed on it rite now. Alot of surfers don't have anything else and i if i had to pick one of the 2, it wouldnt be surfing (as crazy as that sounds).
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surfing is a constrictive element on you're life where as skateboarding just goes with life. Surfing is addictive and waves are the only good thing about it surfers are are easily the SHITTIEST part of surfing . imagine if you took skateboarding and completely ruined all social aspects of it you would end up with a typical surf line up I love surfing but am a little jaded rite now, an mega swell was projected the last 3 days but wasnt as much as predicted so it was uber crowded, big waits between sets and everyone was being an asshole lots of snaking, paddleing arounding, collisions and fights
Thats crazy to hear seeing as surfing has a pretty "Duuuude whats goin on" stereotype to it. I guess since im not from a coast im not around the general surfing type a lot. I'll be sure to watch my back when im out there in october.
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I grew up and still live in a surf mecca but never got into surfing because growing up surfers were the dumbest, smuggest, shittiest people I've ever met. Nowadays I have plenty of good friends who surf, but the fact remains there are grown-ass men who stay around here and retain the same exact mentality as those shitty surfer kids I ran across growing up. If you're not from here and you want to come surf anywhere besides the beginner spots, get ready for some dude speaking some kind of fucked up pigeon creole dialect to talk shit, fuck with your car, and try to fight you.
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gnarly crowds ...You're out floating in water, feet not touching the ground and you're not near land, so you're just a floating ego out there. If there's negativity you can turn it around (by out thinking people,figuring out the current and being at least somewhat aggresive) or you can also get really affected in a bad way and get bummed and just think "fuck i should have just went skating today this sucks shit!"
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Bumping this rather than start a new one. I have surfed my whole life, but I stopped surfing regularly about 3 years ago coz I was bummed on the crowds and have too much other shit going on to give the waves the priority. Recently I’ve been getting back on the board, and as I’ve noticed there is a lot of other Aussies on here these days I figured there’d be some other surfers on here (surfing being our national past time and all). Where ya at?
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Last time I surfed the Northside of the HB pier I saw Ed lurking about shooting photos haha. I don't get to paddle out as much as I want to,but I'm working on it. It's fun,but yeah I used to really not like surfers,especially in high school with only the privileged kids surfing a lot.
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I have only been surfing for a few years. looking forward to getting out of the wetsuit for summer water temps. Waves here in the southeast are inconsistent but can be fun. a lot of longboarding for me
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Last time I surfed the Northside of the HB pier I saw Ed lurking about shooting photos haha. I don't get to paddle out as much as I want to,but I'm working on it. It's fun,but yeah I used to really not like surfers,especially in high school with only the privileged kids surfing a lot.
I still don’t like surfers, they are the worst! The problem where I live is that surfers are also usually also skaters, and they bring their aggro jock locals only vibe to the skatepark.
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Last time I surfed the Northside of the HB pier I saw Ed lurking about shooting photos haha. I don't get to paddle out as much as I want to,but I'm working on it. It's fun,but yeah I used to really not like surfers,especially in high school with only the privileged kids surfing a lot.
I still don’t like surfers, they are the worst! The problem where I live is that surfers are also usually also skaters, and they bring their aggro jock locals only vibe to the skatepark.
I can understand localism at a surf spot,it's the same at a skate spot. At a skatepark it is the worst though and really dumb.
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Last time I surfed the Northside of the HB pier I saw Ed lurking about shooting photos haha. I don't get to paddle out as much as I want to,but I'm working on it. It's fun,but yeah I used to really not like surfers,especially in high school with only the privileged kids surfing a lot.
I still don’t like surfers, they are the worst! The problem where I live is that surfers are also usually also skaters, and they bring their aggro jock locals only vibe to the skatepark.
I live in Sydney, so I see localism as a bit of a moot point when 5 million people live within driving distance to your beach! Even in rural areas I see localism as being self defeating, as tourism is often the backbone for the local economy: People coming to surf your break are essentially putting food on your table. And yeah, localism at the skatepark is ridiculous, I think these guys just can’t turn it off!
I got some good waves to myself in the national park today. I still love surfing haha
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drop in, smack the lip - HUABAAAH!
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Alright, so I know this board is the surfing equivalent of a beginner complete from Zumiez.. but I’m still a kook and it’s a huge upgrade from the 7’10 Bic tank I just sold. Torq Mod Fun V+, 7’4 x 22 x 3 - 56L.
(http://imgshare.io/images/2021/03/12/F1DC3B58-6B3D-4D4A-A476-6B08277C7F64.jpg)
Only took it out once so far, and losing that length/width is going to take some adjusting to. It’s got a thruster fin setup and V-shaped concave under the tail section, which is def less stable than the flat bottom single fin I just came from. Hoping I can get comfortable on it quick enough and start sticking some drops and sharpening my turns.
Post a stick.
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Brisbane, man I am still a couple months off getting my licence back, got in the car a couple times with mates and got a lift but it’s been a while honestly. Usually would go to sunrise, sunshine or tea trees, occasionally north shore and up rainbow ways
And for south I like it past tweed, Yamba, cabbas sort of way is nice but I would usually go north over south
All my shits been in storage since I lost licence and moved so no pics unfortunately
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All of my friends have gotten into surfing in the last year or two. It sucks because I can't swim and I feel myself being left behind. I can't relate to them on a new big segment of their lives. The most I can do is listen and learn about it, but I'll never be a part of it. :'(
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For what it’s worth, I started 2 years ago at 32 and didn’t go past chest deep for my first summer. Basically just rode broken waves in on my stomach, then knees, then eventually got to my feet. I can’t imagine what learning to swim as an adult would be like, but if you can put embarrassment aside, I fully believe you have the physical and mental ability to pick up swimming/surfing if you wanted to.
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Why don’t you just get swimming lessons at a pool man? I bet it’s not even expensive, I’m not having a go at you but I reckon it’s real important to at least be able to tread water. Or just YouTube it and go to the shallow end of a pool and have a go at it
Could come in real fucken handy one day, you just never know bro
People will naturally float, so from what I understand people must just panic and thrash around and shit and drown that way. I reckon if you went to a shallow pool and just tried to work it out you’d be ok
Literally all you have to do is pretend to ride a bicycle with your legs and you just stabilise yourself with your arms even the most unfit person can do that for a long ass time
I have no idea if you are on the heavier side or not but fat is less dense than water same deal how cooking fat sits above water so a sufficiently large person should be able to lie on their back and ride high, if you will
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I taught swimming lessons for almost a decade when I was younger and I definitely taught a decent amount of adult non-swimmers. It was weird being a 16 year old stoner and teaching middle aged people with lifelong fear of the water... but we got most of them swimming at least 25 yards (one competition sized pool length) by the end of their first ten week session. Now I realize that’s a far cry from surfing waves but it’s definitely a great life skill and helps open up a lot of fun activities from water parks to boogie boarding and kayaking etc.
On the subject of lessons, I’m 33, and I’ve been surfing casually since I was a teenager. Surfed more regularly for about 8 years now. I’m still pretty darn bad and I’m starting to think it’s time I shell out for a few surfing lessons.
I can ride tons of whitewater, usually pop up on at least a few unbroken waves each session, but only very occasionally manage to ride down the line. I feel like I should be able to trim or bottom turn to head down the line more regularly by now? If I had more friends that surfed maybe I would pick up tips from them.
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may have mentioned imn aa river surfing, lots of ice coming down all winter but especially now Had 3 fins knocked of so far this winter, had to epoxy the box back in once, feels kind of fun although annoying, like breaking your board sometimes.
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My $0.02, surfing all about skating on water. All about style like our other craft. Less is more. Always about style
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Does anyone know of a surfing forum that has a similar vibe to slap? I’ve poked around a little and a lot of them seem super lame, plus the surfer.com forum has gigantic ads that make mobile usage basically impossible.
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All of my friends have gotten into surfing in the last year or two. It sucks because I can't swim and I feel myself being left behind. I can't relate to them on a new big segment of their lives. The most I can do is listen and learn about it, but I'll never be a part of it. :'(
What gives? How come you can't learn to swim? My apologies if you have some sort of debilitating condition (although flipper arms in this context might actually help? bad joke). Seriously, most people are not strong swimmer's, but it isn't that hard to learn if you can overcome the mental hurdle. If you go to the local pool a couple times a week, take some lessons, it'll change your life. You can do it!
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Does anyone know of a surfing forum that has a similar vibe to slap? I’ve poked around a little and a lot of them seem super lame, plus the surfer.com forum has gigantic ads that make mobile usage basically impossible.
r/surfing has similar levels of shit talk and gear discussion, but I understand if it’s not your vibe. Haven’t looked at any others but that’s mostly because I’m not overly interested in surf pros or videos.
After a handful of shitty sessions and wondering if I made a big mistake sizing down, the conditions were finally on point today and I caught the best rides of my life so far. Can finally pull hard turns up and down the face as opposed to my previous drawn out carves. Feels amazing, like learning a new skate trick, which I haven’t done in a very long time.
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Surfing is so much fun. i got a 11' glider and it makes the small days here on the east coast so much better. the speed it gathers and the ease of paddling are great. I think I can pretty much reduce down to it and a 7' egg.
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
if you're a strong swimmer and an experienced skater you can probably figure out the basics in a week, especially if you watch some youtube videos beforehand. just don't underestimate the upper body strength required. i have seen more than one skate friend get super discouraged because they werent physically prepared for how much energy theyd need to put in paddling. one of them also got motion sickness from the water after 30min or so, which was kinda funny to me but i guess makes sense if you don't spend a ton of time in the water. i'm still not very good but i'm totally self taught so it's definitely possible. if you aren't already a big upper body strength person, you could start training by swimming laps or hitting some extra shoulder workouts.
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
the water should be high 60s by then. probably won't need a wetsuit.
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
the water should be high 60s by then. probably won't need a wetsuit.
My favorite part of surfing is that early morning, barely making it from the car to the water peeing in the wetsuit vibe
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
My first time surfing was 16 years old, having a surf instructor push me onto a wave on a huge longboard as it went past. Not much problem standing up, but couldn’t catch a wave on my own after that.
Had a couple more tries at it as an adult in marginal conditions, thinking it would be a breeze from all my skating and snowboarding. Fact is, unlike snowboarding and skating where you are almost always on the board, actual board riding is 5% of the surfing experience. Couldn’t get it and spent most of my time wearing my arms out and getting a bad sunburn.
Finally, went to my sister’s wedding in Hawaii about 8 years ago for 1 week, and my brother and I agreed to rent boards and go every day. So I was a lot less cocky this time and little buy little I learned the basics.
1- sit on the beach and see where the breaks are, and where to go to line up for them.
2- learning to get out past the breaks. I couldn’t duck dive with the 7-footer I had, but could turtle.
3- lining up and watching for your turn, learning the etiquette.
4- watching how to catch the wave. I would paddle like made for a wave and still somehow missed them. Finally by the end of the trip I was watching the other guys catch a wave in 4 smooth strokes, and I learned to do it in 6.
5- once caught and up, learning speed. A kind local in the line-up gave me the crucial info that forward on the board is go, in the rear is slow down.
After putting that all together on my last wave of the trip I caught a nice 20-second wave into shore
It’s been a while, and since I live in the mountains, I try to get out powder surfing on bindingless snowboards as much as I can.
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busted my hand/wrist and the levels are peaking right now, so I'm going go to tomorrow and stand on the shore drinking coffee talking shit to anyone who gets too close. I'll be the live version of Slap over there.
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Billy Kempers rapid fire all time year which finished with the session of a lifetime and then extreme pain
https://youtu.be/gGGMvPtjtZo
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missed good surf this weekend to go to a friend's wedding.
Checking Instagram was a mistake
Any Texas surfers on here?
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missed good surf this weekend to go to a friend's wedding.
Checking Instagram was a mistake
Any Texas surfers on here?
I’m in LA right now but I work remotely for a job in Austin. So I might be a TX surfer in a few months if I keep working for them IRL.
What’s the TX/Austin surfing experience like? Seems like I could drive 3 hours to a few decent spots on the gulf. The “surf ranch” wave pool place closer to Austin grosses me out since they had some sort of brain eating amoeba kill a guy just a few years back. Idk, is it worth it or should I just save surfing for my trips back to visit family on the coasts?
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Billy Kempers rapid fire all time year which finished with the session of a lifetime and then extreme pain
https://youtu.be/gGGMvPtjtZo
have to admit, him standing on the rockstar seadoo beating his chest and talking about how he just wants to win, I was kind of ready to see what kind of shit he was gonna eat.
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Oh he eats shit alright haha
Absolutely gruesome
Yeah you’d get a couple lessons for sure just cause you might do weird shit without knowing, easier to have it all explained properly sort of thing
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i luv u
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEG2VTHS9yg
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These are some good ones, anyone else got like favourite videos of outrageous shit
https://youtu.be/Fr5LSFUqR_U
https://youtu.be/OZreIggVUmE
https://youtu.be/0I0omT_d6xk
These two are classic, Botefdunn
https://youtu.be/WJuE8nQtv1w
https://youtu.be/qR71I1TfqWM
This one is very funny you could just skip to 3.30
https://youtu.be/Ort_gb0yyFk
Sorry I keep posting haha we are on lockdown and I am drinking and watching clips I like
https://youtu.be/x7q-84gdMso
https://youtu.be/emV8kyMTf9s
Post rad shit from your side of the world guys
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
5% 1% of the surfing experience. Couldn’t get it and spent most of my time wearing my arms out and getting a bad sunburn.
Surfing is way more unforgiving than skateboarding. Mess up a trick and you can pick up your board and try again. Mess up a wave and you have to battle the waves to get back out to the line up, wait your turn, wait for the next set; all while hoping you didn't get injured or nearly drowning.
It's definitely more mentally and physically draining than skateboarding; the option of taking a break after trying a trick isn't really there since you have to be constantly watching the waves and paddling out to avoid incoming waves.
That said, I love it. Wish I picked it up earlier or lived nearer to the waves.
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Billy Kempers rapid fire all time year which finished with the session of a lifetime and then extreme pain
https://youtu.be/gGGMvPtjtZo
have to admit, him standing on the rockstar seadoo beating his chest and talking about how he just wants to win, I was kind of ready to see what kind of shit he was gonna eat.
it was like something had to give eh?
that Hawaiian machismo has unraveled all the top pros from there....
been following Billy Kemper for nearly 10 years since I saw him surf in the Da Hui shootouts
he was just a kid but had the hunger and talent to go all the way
now his heavy build and power surfing remind me of Sunny Garcia
hopefully he endures for his family
and doesn't crash and burn like most top tier Hawaiians
its like you have the whole islands hopes and dreams on your shoulders
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These are some good ones, anyone else got like favourite videos of outrageous shit
Post rad shit from your side of the world guys
goes into his folder to pick a couple of favourites....
https://youtu.be/18BL7MKjtZM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHm3VjigNEE
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I live nowhere near the ocean but I'll be in the Outer Banks for a week in late May. Not to go full Johnny Utah but I've always wanted to surf. Is a week a long enough amount of time to actually figure it out (no lessons, just trial and error)?
I can get a wetsuit and a shitty board from Costco for like $200 all-in so I'm heavily tempted to try and live the dream.
5% 1% of the surfing experience. Couldn’t get it and spent most of my time wearing my arms out and getting a bad sunburn.
Surfing is way more unforgiving than skateboarding. Mess up a trick and you can pick up your board and try again. Mess up a wave and you have to battle the waves to get back out to the line up, wait your turn, wait for the next set; all while hoping you didn't get injured or nearly drowning.
It's definitely more mentally and physically draining than skateboarding; the option of taking a break after trying a trick isn't really there since you have to be constantly watching the waves and paddling out to avoid incoming waves.
That said, I love it. Wish I picked it up earlier or lived nearer to the waves.
What I always say:
Skateboarding is painful.
Snowboarding is expensive.
Surfing is hard.
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I surfed a ton when I was young. I quit though before I quit snowboarding and skating, but I came back to all three in the last two years. Snowboarding was first, then surfing.
Surfing, because of the time commitment and it being fundamentally harder than the other two has been the slowest to come back. One-way to my regular spot is 17 miles and I work full-time and have kids etc, so when I am on, it means I am surfing twice a week for about four hours total which really isnt enough, but I still love it.
Got out this morning. 1' slop, but I hadnt surfed yet in 2021. I am clearly not "on it" yet, but I am hoping this kicks off 2x per week going forward. Felt pretty good, the waves were shit. Only caught a couple. Mostly happy with my comfort in the water and my paddling etc. All felt good. Looking forward to getting back on it Friday.
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Fuck yeah, Wheelbyte, that Waimea river one’s sick
I went to Hawaii on holiday just as a little kid and we drove to north shore a few times and just watched, absolutely incredible, just watching was such a rush, I could never. Those waves are something else
I remember this shit so well cause I love food we had like the best surf and turf ever at this joint on the beach I think it was Waikiki
But yeah you live in a lovely part of the world bro, we went to some of the Jurassic park places probably sounds real dorky but I loved it
How goods this one I dunno how to relate it to skateboarding I guess the concept is a ba style of willpower but not even close really
Now, this is barging something
https://youtu.be/x_Jd2BezU2I
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Fuck yeah, Wheelbyte, that Waimea river one’s sick
I went to Hawaii on holiday just as a little kid and we drove to north shore a few times and just watched, absolutely incredible, just watching was such a rush, I could never. Those waves are something else
But yeah you live in a lovely part of the world bro
Not wrong mate that shits insane but my part of the world is actually that shit hole across the ditch from you in Dorkland NZ. I knew I should have said something so sorry for putting you wrong cobber. There aint much good surfing footage from NZ cause the waves are not as good as in OZ or elsewhere.
A whole bunch of us Kiwis lived on the beachfront at Maroubra in the 80s/90s my mate had a lease on 5 beds 4 baths 3 decks for 7 years this was before all the riots and bra boys infamy, we used to buy hash browns from a 12 yr old on a skateboard his sister was dating a Lebo guy, I also live in a old milking shed in Gracetown near Margaret River and Esperence too as my girl was from there [before all the shark fatalities] and spent a year or so in Yamba. Came real close to staying on in Northern Rivers, did a few trips to Nimbin and just a month ago was checking real estate, can still buy homes for 3-400k next to all the ferals. I just want to drop out now and be away from all the crazyness,, so I reckon Nimbin could be the go lol.
You on the Goldy?
https://youtu.be/A7r5rmGuTpI
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Bali is my closest surf spot, haven't been back in a while. But these guys post out daily videos at local spots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y01lTuLpR-E
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Nah I have always lived in brisbane, so I would go to Kirra with family all the time through the 90s, my dads mate had something to do with one of the surf clubs down there but yeah superbank was unreal back in the day I’m not even that good, deadset and I feel like a bit silly saying this but man it was such a nice wave back then
As a kid we actually lived closer to bribie and they made me do nippers there so we’d usually just go a bit further north on those days and towards late 90s and on we started staying up sunny coast and that’s all I really done since, yamba and surrounds are dope though I go down there sometimes
Ahh look I reckon there’s still places I have even been looking for myself old man grew up around Murwillumbah and most of northern nsw is gods country straight up
But yeah the dream of some proper acreage on a good quality piece of land by a river, yeah I just play lotto bro
What happened to nimbin?
These people happened man
Just wizard type cunts, they’re gross deadset we’d drive down there for Mardi grass still in highschool and even then they were all kinda cooked and merely a novelty
https://youtu.be/tMzF8VDuWwo
You can search off maps, right, have a suss round the Channon, numinbah, places like that
Even mullum bro and inland from there, there’s places. Rathdowneys sick there’s heaps of places
Sounds like a good time for you in Sydney that would have been sick bro I’d have to be ten years younger than you easy. I’m a bit suss on most of wa but I would fish 100%
I bet you had a sick time mate
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Just got a new 6'2" Winged tail twin fin from my friend who shapes some pretty killer boards. I've always had mixed results with twinnies but excited to have one in the quiver again to liven up summer surf.
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Nah I have always lived in brisbane, so I would go to Kirra with family all the time through the 90s, my dads mate had something to do with one of the surf clubs down there but yeah superbank was unreal back in the day I’m not even that good, deadset and I feel like a bit silly saying this but man it was such a nice wave back then
As a kid we actually lived closer to bribie and they made me do nippers there so we’d usually just go a bit further north on those days and towards late 90s and on we started staying up sunny coast and that’s all I really done since, yamba and surrounds are dope though I go down there sometimes
Ahh look I reckon there’s still places I have even been looking for myself old man grew up around Murwillumbah and most of northern nsw is gods country straight up
But yeah the dream of some proper acreage on a good quality piece of land by a river, yeah I just play lotto bro
What happened to nimbin?
These people happened man
Just wizard type cunts, they’re gross deadset we’d drive down there for Mardi grass still in highschool and even then they were all kinda cooked and merely a novelty
You can search off maps, right, have a suss round the Channon, numinbah, places like that
Even mullum bro and inland from there, there’s places. Rathdowneys sick there’s heaps of places
Sounds like a good time for you in Sydney that would have been sick bro I’d have to be ten years younger than you easy. I’m a bit suss on most of wa but I would fish 100%
I bet you had a sick time mate
Yea I have only smoked weed once or twice this year so being around drug fucked idiots like him aint my thing. Thanks for the input on names I reckon geographical isolation is what I'm really after, and a few alternative types but not the whole fucking town. Nimbin is full of swingers and Aucklands west coast surf beaches has lots of the same types who just what to stick their dicks into anyone new. I'm fairly conservative in most things and prefer a farming or fishing community as a base, with just a few arty city transplants. Meth has fucked up a lot of rural towns in NZ too, but all the junkies here are usually in the cities. Yamba was kinda perfect actually, being well off the main highway.
BTW that Currumbin Alley footage is one of my favourites I often watch, great soundtrack too.
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Haha yeah how good is it, I love that clip too
Yeah I wasn’t having a dig at you heaps of people smoke and drink and stuff but I reckon that whole crew and type brings all this negative attention
Can’t stand that drug, ice, hey
What I meant was by you can search off maps is like go to realestate or domain and set like a max price and search off the map there, you’d be surprised
But yeah all well inland nothing on the coast left really
Saw something a few months ago near the coast but had some shit over the land so unable to use as a permanent residence. Still, you could sort of think outside the box and come up with a mad little shack
How goods that Marty t on YouTube I’m not sure exactly where he is in New Zealand and I don’t know if he surfs but he could probably do anything haha
But yeah it’d be great just to have a mad bit of land and fiddle with shit like how he does
Edit for clarity
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just a few weeks ago i was saying that i had trouble making a bottom turn and going down the line; now i'm happy to say i have gotten over that hump. sessions lately have dependably involved at least a few waves where i get those turns in, really surprised myself when i finally started getting top turns in and could successfully pump into more than one section of the wave. i'm learning a lot faster since moving to LA where i can comfortably surf decent waves all winter instead of getting rusty for 6 months of the year and then riding summertime east coast much when it finally warms up. go figure ::)
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
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One of them was always going to win, honestly I’m psyched on italo the most so it’s chill
Sick to see some locals come up early though, that was great
Say what you want about the wsl but that ziff cunt just burns coin for his ego and our enjoyment he been doing it for years
I’m stoked to see it back
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All of my friends have gotten into surfing in the last year or two. It sucks because I can't swim and I feel myself being left behind. I can't relate to them on a new big segment of their lives. The most I can do is listen and learn about it, but I'll never be a part of it. :'(
Find your nearest community pool and get on to some adult swimming lessons. No need to feel embarrassed. We all learn different life skills at different stages. I still don't drive in my 30's as i've always lived in cities and lived with minimal belongings. I just never wanted the responsibility of owning a vehicle I can't sustain considering my financial struggles. I should have at least learnt sooner, but I also couldn't afford damages/repairs to someone else's vehicle if something happened to go wrong. But i'm getting on that in the next couple of weeks. For what it's worth I mainly want to learn so I can take up surfing. Let the excitement of a cool new hobby be your guide.
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That’s a real good example I don’t wanna lie about it I didn’t get a licence till I was 25 or some shit
Worrying about all that stuff is bullshit everyone running their own race here but also swimming could save your life there’s hella drowning videos on liveleak some of them like selfie type ones pretty grim and hella preventable get into swimming mate
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Went to a different break yesterday for the first time since I started surfing. Was pretty nervous tbh because I always figured it was only for “good” surfers. Then I paddled out and saw some familiar faces, some of which are def no better than I am. The only ones really ripping were a girl on a longboard and a 50 year old man on a short fish. Really hyped to have a new spot that’s even closer than my usual one.
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
Nice work. That's when shit starts getting really addictive. I still my remember first few open faced waves at the local reef break in mid-Wales (over 25 years ago- yikes...) Pumping and generating speed and really feeling the fins engage as you crank some turns... that's when all your skateboard muscle memory is going to come into play. The next few years will be really fun and then you'll start to get picky about wave quality and go insane over board design... Best quit after year three...
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
Nice work. That's when shit starts getting really addictive. I still my remember first few open faced waves at the local reef break in mid-Wales (over 25 years ago- yikes...) Pumping and generating speed and really feeling the fins engage as you crank some turns... that's when all your skateboard muscle memory is going to come into play. The next few years will be really fun and then you'll start to get picky about wave quality and go insane over board design... Best quit after year three...
Yeah all that shape theory shit on the internet is like crack...
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
Nice work. That's when shit starts getting really addictive. I still my remember first few open faced waves at the local reef break in mid-Wales (over 25 years ago- yikes...) Pumping and generating speed and really feeling the fins engage as you crank some turns... that's when all your skateboard muscle memory is going to come into play. The next few years will be really fun and then you'll start to get picky about wave quality and go insane over board design... Best quit after year three...
Yeah all that shape theory shit on the internet is like crack...
Seriously. Now that I’m getting a bit better I want to grab a board that’s easier to duck dive than my current 6’6”/~40L egg and 7’6”/~50L fun shape. I think I might be ready for like a 30-35L fish or some other kind of short-but-floaty thing. My gf thinks I’m insane ;D :-X
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Some surfers/ shapers say 'Foam is your friend' for a good reason. Its always tempting to shave off volume but unless you are ripping and surfing high quality waves on a regular basis volume doesn't often hurt. A good shaper can 'hide' volume so that boards still perform really well.
I have a 5'8" Stretch that is about 38L in volume and its like an aquatic skateboard.
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Here's my newest board.
(https://i.imgur.com/0mXtJgZ.jpg)
It's a 6'2" shaped by my friend Dan Murdey. If you live in the PNW check his boards out. He's got a deep skateboarding background and has shaped for decades. Highly recommend chatting to him about custom boards.
Haven't surfed it yet. Next week!
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
Nice work. That's when shit starts getting really addictive. I still my remember first few open faced waves at the local reef break in mid-Wales (over 25 years ago- yikes...) Pumping and generating speed and really feeling the fins engage as you crank some turns... that's when all your skateboard muscle memory is going to come into play. The next few years will be really fun and then you'll start to get picky about wave quality and go insane over board design... Best quit after year three...
Yeah all that shape theory shit on the internet is like crack...
Note to self: don't get better...
This was the hybrid I just picked up:
https://jamboards.com/threads/sold-7%E2%80%994-fowler-stoker-v-machine.10170/
Went out today and it was 0-1 ft so it was the worst day to test it out, but surprisingly easy to paddle and pop up on.
Also, Frank (or?) Fred, good looking board.
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^ that board looks like a ton of fun
I was out in some 1-2 foot weakling waves yesterday as well, managed to ride my last wave all the way into shore and got a compliment from some dad who was just chilling on the beach with his kids, I was hyped. Then I noticed I had dinged my board up at some point during the sesh and I was not hyped. Was planning to go to San Onofre for the coming weekend and now not sure what to do. My other board is already in the shop. I need to stop surfing recklessly when I know I’m over rocks... but I’m just too psyched on charging these points after years of battling crummy beach break waves :'(
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^ that board looks like a ton of fun
I was out in some 1-2 foot weakling waves yesterday as well, managed to ride my last wave all the way into shore and got a compliment from some dad who was just chilling on the beach with his kids, I was hyped. Then I noticed I had dinged my board up at some point during the sesh and I was not hyped. Was planning to go to San Onofre for the coming weekend and now not sure what to do. My other board is already in the shop. I need to stop surfing recklessly when I know I’m over rocks... but I’m just too psyched on charging these points after years of battling crummy beach break waves :'(
How bad is the ding?
Fixing boards can feel scary the first few times but its not that hard, especially if you do it in 60F+ temperature and take your time.
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
Nice work. That's when shit starts getting really addictive. I still my remember first few open faced waves at the local reef break in mid-Wales (over 25 years ago- yikes...) Pumping and generating speed and really feeling the fins engage as you crank some turns... that's when all your skateboard muscle memory is going to come into play. The next few years will be really fun and then you'll start to get picky about wave quality and go insane over board design... Best quit after year three...
Yeah all that shape theory shit on the internet is like crack...
join us on surfer mag forums we are in too deep send help
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Does anyone know of a surfing forum that has a similar vibe to slap? I’ve poked around a little and a lot of them seem super lame, plus the surfer.com forum has gigantic ads that make mobile usage basically impossible.
After a handful of shitty sessions and wondering if I made a big mistake sizing down, the conditions were finally on point today and I caught the best rides of my life so far. Can finally pull hard turns up and down the face as opposed to my previous drawn out carves. Feels amazing, like learning a new skate trick, which I haven’t done in a very long time.
on the surfer mag forum, click view desktop site
it will load up like normal w no ads
The waco pool has a new filtration system on it, I haven't been but all my friends have its sick.
Austin is going to be a haul for waves. Corpus is like 3 hours away so its not bad, I often cruise down to corpus from houston for the weekend. 3.5 hours ish 4 w pee and food stops
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Just recently got comfortable popping in different conditions and sizes. Still waiting to get to your level mj hah!
Been just riding a 9'6" log but it got dinged pretty bad so it's being repaired. In the meantime I got a cheap foamie of CList with a huge rocker through the nose and also got this hybrid 7'4" I'm going to try out tomorrow.
The thing about surfing (and snowboarding) that really gets to me is how many options there are for equipment (and how much it costs). Still trying to wrap my head around fin set ups and board shapes. So much to think about, but ultimately I know I just have to get better at it and it'll make more sense.
Nice work. That's when shit starts getting really addictive. I still my remember first few open faced waves at the local reef break in mid-Wales (over 25 years ago- yikes...) Pumping and generating speed and really feeling the fins engage as you crank some turns... that's when all your skateboard muscle memory is going to come into play. The next few years will be really fun and then you'll start to get picky about wave quality and go insane over board design... Best quit after year three...
Yeah all that shape theory shit on the internet is like crack...
join us on surfer mag forums we are in too deep send help
Gonna save some money and say no...for now...
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The Surfer Mag Design forum has a wealth of knowledge on board design but some of those bros have quivers that are dozens and even hundreds of boards deep.
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Never surfed but lived on/near the coast in nor cal my whole life. I don’t have a car or any gear but I wanna learn. Would a good step 1 be to just get lessons
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Honestly yes.
I see so many people waste a ton of time struggling because they don't wanna ask for help.
DO IT
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Just put a deposit down on one of these. 5-6 month wait right now.
https://www.elmore.shop/models/easypin
Troy shapes at a shop I pass every time I surf. Just a few minutes from my house.
He's a ripping skater too. Gets (or got?) boards from Transportation Unit per this slightly older video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB5sBMDDErY
Before that got second at the Red Curb Invitational SoCal did
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX7ZIQS83X8
Here's more on him shaping:
https://vimeo.com/207170507
Was exchanging a few emails with him and he hasnt skated in awhile but his bowl style is pretty sick.
Anyway, stoked to buy a board from a really good shaper who also skates, and gets skateboards from my favorite skateboard company!
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Nice looking sticks there @bigdave . There's an appeal to single fins for sure but I find they need some nice predictable lined up waves... we don't get much of that up here in Oregon (with a few exceptions).
I also need to get a longboard one day. What size are you getting?
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Nice looking sticks there @bigdave . There's an appeal to single fins for sure but I find they need some nice predictable lined up waves... we don't get much of that up here in Oregon (with a few exceptions).
I also need to get a longboard one day. What size are you getting?
Well the initial convo was a 9'8" but, have a long, long time to think about it.
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been getting out a once/twice a week which is awesome. Feels good just to paddle out even if the waves suck
random thought but when skating transition I have always felt less comfortable doing anything frontside but, with surfing I feel way more comfortable going frontside and almost hate to go backside(unless I am on a longboard)
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been getting out a once/twice a week which is awesome. Feels good just to paddle out even if the waves suck
random thought but when skating transition I have always felt less comfortable doing anything frontside but, with surfing I feel way more comfortable going frontside and almost hate to go backside(unless I am on a longboard)
i feel the same way and i think its pretty common. part of is that when skating ramps backside you can pretty much eyeball the obstacle and be confident that you know how its gonna work on the approach, but surfing backside you have to stay aware of a wave thats behind your shoulder while it constantly changes shape, size, texture, etc
on a similar sort of skate/surf crossover note, i'm finding that my stubby 6'6" thruster egg is way more like a skateboard than my 7'6" 2+1. The bigger board is super easier to catch waves but once i go to turn it becomes pretty weird feeling. some people have said quads can feel "skatey," so i got a quad set for the egg to see what happens. hoping that the "faster" quad setup will compensate for lower volume on small days.
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just came out of the water, sunset surf with epic levels. The main is pumping, get some!
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Pulled up at the spot today and it looked garbage. Small, no shape, sectioning dribble. There is a nearby skatepark and so I nearly pulled the plug on surfing but decided I may as well go for a paddle to keep the paddle muscles up. I took out my 7'2" midlength and set it up as a single fin. Tide started dropping and some really fun peaks started popping up, then walling up into some long cruisey rides. Single fin is something I rarely do but it forces you to slow down and really read the wave. This spot is usually super crowded but there was about 6 of us out all morning. Stoked.
Then I went for a post-surf skate at this super peculiar park. Crazy tight transitions, kins and pool coping that no one sauces and is super rugged due to the Oregon coast air. Anyway, I really think the surf sesh got me in the right mind set for some frontside slashes and carve grinds in some tough to got to sections of this park. Had the damn place to myself. Perfect Spring day.
As for a more skate sensation, I like sub 6' short wide tailed quads. A twin keel fish in the right waves can feel like pumping a bowl also.
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What are some good beaches/spots near Orange County where parking is free/not a hassle?
Thanks!
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Pulled up at the spot today and it looked garbage. Small, no shape, sectioning dribble. There is a nearby skatepark and so I nearly pulled the plug on surfing but decided I may as well go for a paddle to keep the paddle muscles up. I took out my 7'2" midlength and set it up as a single fin. Tide started dropping and some really fun peaks started popping up, then walling up into some long cruisey rides. Single fin is something I rarely do but it forces you to slow down and really read the wave. This spot is usually super crowded but there was about 6 of us out all morning. Stoked.
Then I went for a post-surf skate at this super peculiar park. Crazy tight transitions, kins and pool coping that no one sauces and is super rugged due to the Oregon coast air. Anyway, I really think the surf sesh got me in the right mind set for some frontside slashes and carve grinds in some tough to got to sections of this park. Had the damn place to myself. Perfect Spring day.
As for a more skate sensation, I like sub 6' short wide tailed quads. A twin keel fish in the right waves can feel like pumping a bowl also.
Which park?
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Seaside oregon
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What are some good beaches/spots near Orange County where parking is free/not a hassle?
Thanks!
for free parking/decent waves I'd recommend the numbered streets in downtown Huntington Beach, especially on week days.
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What are some good beaches/spots near Orange County where parking is free/not a hassle?
Thanks!
for free parking/decent waves I'd recommend the numbered streets in downtown Huntington Beach, especially on week days.
So what you're trying to say is...
Sorry, huge Huell fan here.
Yeah, I agree with this recommendation, but I also would suggest scraping the pennies for a State Park pass. You can park anywhere I think south of the pier + Bolsa Chica w/ the state park pass. I surf Magnolia street area at 7am a lot (mostly just to be crowds and stay out of other people's way) and I get my value out of the pass really fast. Also, how the fuck is this swell holy shit. Too rich for my blood right now.
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Has anyone used a Green Fuz bag yet? I really want to buy one of these for my incoming Elmore and make it my daily bag to protect my board as much as possible.
https://green-fuz.com/products/transmission-longboard-day-bag?variant=39309482721385
Little pricey but everyone, including CJ Nelson, swears by the quality.
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What are some good beaches/spots near Orange County where parking is free/not a hassle?
Thanks!
for free parking/decent waves I'd recommend the numbered streets in downtown Huntington Beach, especially on week days.
So what you're trying to say is...
Sorry, huge Huell fan here.
Yeah, I agree with this recommendation, but I also would suggest scraping the pennies for a State Park pass. You can park anywhere I think south of the pier + Bolsa Chica w/ the state park pass. I surf Magnolia street area at 7am a lot (mostly just to be crowds and stay out of other people's way) and I get my value out of the pass really fast. Also, how the fuck is this swell holy shit. Too rich for my blood right now.
haha glad to hear it!
Yeah, seconded about the state pass being worth it. I have been borrowing friends more recently and now I am on board. It was definitely bigger last weekend
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You CA bros must be scoring some pretty decent south swell the last few days?
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You CA bros must be scoring some pretty decent south swell the last few days?
Its pretty damn good. Sadly I havent been out at all. Two days were actually a little too big for me. I wont get out again until Friday.
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You CA bros must be scoring some pretty decent south swell the last few days?
Santa Cruz has been real nice. I don't go to the big surf spots, but 1-2 foot waves have been real fun. Also for some reason nobody has been going out when I do so it's like unlimited waves.
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Kinda bummed I leave CA for a few weeks right when this swell hits
>.<
Now I’m in NJ and remembering why I surfed so much less here. Always planning around way more fickle swell, wind, and temperature conditions. And waves often pick up after a storm so I have to decide if I really want to swim thru all the runoff. I’ve definitely gotten sick from it before...
But at least we aren’t landlocked!
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Took my 5'10 Lost/Mayhem quad fin fish out this morning for the first time in forever. I forgot how much I love this board
Easy to catch waves because its thick but still keeps its speed and responsiveness
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I’m seriously impressed by anyone who can ride a shortboard. I can’t imagine surfing a board with 20L less than mine. Did you step down progressively or just go for it one day and power through the learning curve?
Conditions have been pretty ass around here, but got out today and made some improvement on angling my takeoffs so I can trim down the line on small shitty waves, rather than try to bottom turn and bog out almost immediately.
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Took my 5'10 Lost/Mayhem quad fin fish out this morning for the first time in forever. I forgot how much I love this board
Easy to catch waves because its thick but still keeps its speed and responsiveness
Bought a 5'8 Lost Rocket redux recently to replace my 5'7 Rocket. Defs easier to hold speed out of turns, but from 27 to 29 litres makes it feel a bit boaty. At least it paddles well.
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I’m seriously impressed by anyone who can ride a shortboard. I can’t imagine surfing a board with 20L less than mine. Did you step down progressively or just go for it one day and power through the learning curve?
Conditions have been pretty ass around here, but got out today and made some improvement on angling my takeoffs so I can trim down the line on small shitty waves, rather than try to bottom turn and bog out almost immediately.
You'd be surprised at how much volume you can cram into a 'short' board. This is an amazing time for surfboard design. The early 90s, when I learned was terrible. Super thin, highly rockered 6'0 to 6'6"s... aka Slater's Glass Slippers. more volume just meant going longer. Those boards were dog shit in anything but perfect shoulder high and above waves.
I have a 5'8" right now that has more volume than my 6'2". The hardest part of surfing shorter boards is just the timing on take off. But with some skateboard ability and if you're reasonably fit, once you dial in wave-catching, take offs and pop ups on a shortboard, its not really harder than surfing a mid length or longboard... just a different approach.
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You'd be surprised at how much volume you can cram into a 'short' board. This is an amazing time for surfboard design. The early 90s, when I learned was terrible. Super thin, highly rockered 6'0 to 6'6"s... aka Slater's Glass Slippers. more volume just meant going longer. Those boards were dog shit in anything but perfect shoulder high and above waves.
It really is an amazing time for board design. I started in '91 so I remember well those stupidly thin, stupidly rockered boards. Real bad when your young, broke, and have a one board quiver that was. Having said that, the proliferation of mid-length boards has been a blight on our oceans.
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Haha, agree on the mid lengths.... Full disclaimer... I have to admit I did surrender and I have 7'2" kind of similar to the Channel Islands mid length. In winter in Northern Oregon there is really only one consistent spot. It has a heavily localized point break populated by short boarders and really fun big fat peak on the inside that is populated by experienced long boarders. Lots of water, lots of paddling in thick wetsuits. I decided to split the difference to enjoy this spot and the mid length has been a savior for my winter wave count. It kind of functions as a semigun for me also. but generally speaking, anywhere else I like high volume short boards in the 5'8" to 6'5" range.
I learned on a 6'10" "short' board but soon stepped down to 6'4"s. But again way too long, narrow and thin for the waves I learned in (UK).... Would love to send some boards back in a time machine to my teenage self.
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Careful now. Before you know it you could be riding a mal and snaking all and sundry. ;D
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Cmon man my shoulders are fucked
I get sore sometimes, depends on the spot but I couldn’t give a fuck if some old cunts got a single fin
It’s fucking Noosa man
Some of those glass jobs back in the day were hectic
Ultor stitch up
Your feet would just go through the fucking things
I was thinking about grabbing an alaia off Tom, just be good to have sort of thing
Anyone had a go on one?
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Took my 5'10 Lost/Mayhem quad fin fish out this morning for the first time in forever. I forgot how much I love this board
Easy to catch waves because its thick but still keeps its speed and responsiveness
Bought a 5'8 Lost Rocket redux recently to replace my 5'7 Rocket. Defs easier to hold speed out of turns, but from 27 to 29 litres makes it feel a bit boaty. At least it paddles well.
Grabbed a 5'4" Round Nose Fish Redux recently at 27 liters compared to my average 24
Lot's of fun
running it with the Twin plus Trailer MR set and it feels really fast but I haven't been able to totally adjust my timing and foot placement after growing up on thrusters my whole life
How are you liking the Rocket? I always wanted one and I like the pointier nose outline compared to RNF
I was thinking thr 5'5" im like 135 pounds
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Took my 5'10 Lost/Mayhem quad fin fish out this morning for the first time in forever. I forgot how much I love this board
Easy to catch waves because its thick but still keeps its speed and responsiveness
Bought a 5'8 Lost Rocket redux recently to replace my 5'7 Rocket. Defs easier to hold speed out of turns, but from 27 to 29 litres makes it feel a bit boaty. At least it paddles well.
Grabbed a 5'4" Round Nose Fish Redux recently at 27 liters compared to my average 24
Lot's of fun
running it with the Twin plus Trailer MR set and it feels really fast but I haven't been able to totally adjust my timing and foot placement after growing up on thrusters my whole life
How are you liking the Rocket? I always wanted one and I like the pointier nose outline compared to RNF
I was thinking thr 5'5" im like 135 pounds
I love it. I think I prefer the original Rocket to the redux though. Bit less boxy. 5'5 at your weight would work well in smaller stuff. I like to ride mine when it's a bit bigger also, hence the 5'8. They paddle great. Plenty of foam under the chest.
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Took my 5'10 Lost/Mayhem quad fin fish out this morning for the first time in forever. I forgot how much I love this board
Easy to catch waves because its thick but still keeps its speed and responsiveness
Bought a 5'8 Lost Rocket redux recently to replace my 5'7 Rocket. Defs easier to hold speed out of turns, but from 27 to 29 litres makes it feel a bit boaty. At least it paddles well.
Grabbed a 5'4" Round Nose Fish Redux recently at 27 liters compared to my average 24
Lot's of fun
running it with the Twin plus Trailer MR set and it feels really fast but I haven't been able to totally adjust my timing and foot placement after growing up on thrusters my whole life
How are you liking the Rocket? I always wanted one and I like the pointier nose outline compared to RNF
I was thinking thr 5'5" im like 135 pounds
I love it. I think I prefer the original Rocket to the redux though. Bit less boxy. 5'5 at your weight would work well in smaller stuff. I'm only slightly heavier, but I'm 5'11 and I like to ride mine when it's a bit bigger also, hence the 5'8. They paddle great. Plenty of foam under the chest.
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I apologize but it was another midlength single fin session today. The winter spot was pretty quiet because people seem to have moved on to the spring and summer spots. Lots of paddling but some overhead mush bombs provided enough room to cruise around on. some cheater fives possible while milking the inside section. Water is finally approaching mid-50s F also... Hoping to get the shortboard or twin fin out later in the weekend.
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Tried to surf some 6 footers today..
(http://64.media.tumblr.com/892b2516a9756e39b6c098f2be0922e9/tumblr_n1a72bzM3F1qaldqoo2_250.gif)
Every time I was either having to drop in vertically, or too deep to catch it despite paddling my ass off. Stood up on a few just couldn’t get the right position or turn quick enough to stay on the face. I like to think even “unsuccessful” sessions will make me better in the long run, but it might be time to watch a few more YouTube tutorials.
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It seems like people go down bigger waves vertically quite often, but are able to bottom turn super quickly into the line.
I longboard small waves so I can't relate lmao
I do have trouble cutting back on big boards though, anyone have tips? I'm likely just not leaning into it with my hips enough but I'll take any suggestions.
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Tried to surf some 6 footers today..
(http://64.media.tumblr.com/892b2516a9756e39b6c098f2be0922e9/tumblr_n1a72bzM3F1qaldqoo2_250.gif)
Every time I was either having to drop in vertically, or too deep to catch it despite paddling my ass off. Stood up on a few just couldn’t get the right position or turn quick enough to stay on the face. I like to think even “unsuccessful” sessions will make me better in the long run, but it might be time to watch a few more YouTube tutorials.
You want to drop in straight on bigger waves. Angled take offs can help you position well to stay on the shoulder but on a steeper bigger wave you can get pitched easier that way. hard to say what you were doing wrong without knowing how steep and fast the waves were. but you are right to paddle hard and fast, get in as early as you can, drop in straight and then really crank that bottom turn... might just have been poor closing out conditions that threw you off.
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I do have trouble cutting back on big boards though, anyone have tips? I'm likely just not leaning into it with my hips enough but I'll take any suggestions.
How big is the board? Longboard, drop that back knee. Mid length, get yr foot right back and stomp on it as you carve. Throw your shoulders into it. Best advice though, get a shorter board.
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I do have trouble cutting back on big boards though, anyone have tips? I'm likely just not leaning into it with my hips enough but I'll take any suggestions.
How big is the board? Longboard, drop that back knee. Mid length, get yr foot right back and stomp on it as you carve. Throw your shoulders into it. Best advice though, get a shorter board.
9'6"...I will try the drop knee but it looks hard.
I do have a mid length but haven't gotten a chance to get it out in the water except on 1-2 ft days.
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(https://i.imgur.com/34MjCfD.jpg)
Yesterday afternoon. Got bigger and glassier after I paddled out. I mostly paddled around for hours but found a few and dodged a few tubes because I was sucking...
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woah
it got really fun here last thursday but I was stuck at work. Friday it was blown out pretty quick. Sat inside all weekend
madness
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(https://i.imgur.com/34MjCfD.jpg)
Yesterday afternoon. Got bigger and glassier after I paddled out. I mostly paddled around for hours but found a few and dodged a few tubes because I was sucking...
Damn this looks beautiful. This is off the coast of Oregon?
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Yep. Oregon's Malibu.
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How are the crowds surfing around that way?
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Super busy at the handful of reliable spots these days but you can still surf alone if you know where and when to look. Early mornings and late evenings are still pretty chill. The problem is, even though we have a huge and accessible coastline there are very few reliable/ consistent spots. We get a lot of wind and storm swell, where you need headlands, jetties and coves to make sense of the surf. When the storm swell drops and cleans up and the wind goes offshore there are a lot of options but this doesn't happen often enough.
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Coasts like that are so frustrating.
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(https://i.imgur.com/34MjCfD.jpg)
Yesterday afternoon. Got bigger and glassier after I paddled out. I mostly paddled around for hours but found a few and dodged a few tubes because I was sucking...
Don't surf much, but love reading your posts in this thread. Maybe we'll have to skate one of the parks up here together soon. I like that Nehalem ramp best in the area. Isn't Pacific City getting a new Dreamland park soon?
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PC skatepark opens Memorial weekend. I'll probably avoid opening weekend but down to meet up out there after that some time.
You Portland based @jake18 ?
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Coasts like that are so frustrating.
anything beats the east coast. we've had seasons where the gulf coast got more action.
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PC skatepark opens Memorial weekend. I'll probably avoid opening weekend but down to meet up out there after that some time.
You Portland based @jake18 ?
Up near South Bend / Raymond. But I come down your way quite a lot. I'll hit you up sometime in June!
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Squeezed in a dawn patrol this morning as I am on oncall lockdown this weekend. Got to dial in my new twin fin in some great shape waist to shoulder high glassy lefts (backside for me). Super fun, only a handful of people out and I mostly had a good peak to myself. Water is warming up a bit, a grey whale was playing around offshore and I got to tap into the speed and liveliness of a twinny. One of those sessions where everything comes together. Nothing epic but a great morning in the Pacific. Rinsed the piss out of my wetsuit in the river, tuna sandwich on the bluff and beat traffic back to to Val. Skateboard stayed in the trunk for once...
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Nice @Frank and Fred. sounds like an epic day!
I got out 3 times this week so far. The water in SoCal is so warm right now its amazing. Today was low wind and glassy, started to pick up size wise right as I needed to head out unfortunately. Caught some nice rights and feeling more comfortable carving up and down the line. Even got a big frontside turn that sprayed a bit. felt so damn good haha
I just pretend I am skating transition out there
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Surfed when I was younger (uncles were big surfers and thought it was fun to throw kid me into the waves)…looking to start again..it’s been years. I’m 5’11”..I’m sure it possibly matters..but what’s the go to style/size board for re-beginner kooks my size?
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Honestly if I were 're-beginning' at this point I would say to grab a foam board around 8'0. They are made so much nicer nowadays than they used to be. seem pretty affordable brand new too
(https://www.secretspot.co.uk/images/24899-1.jpg)
or just grab anything around 7'6-8. Big enough to be stable/catch waves easily and not as hard to move around as a longboard
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Agreed. There are some good quality and fun foamies these days. Get one over 7' and catch as many waves as you can. Then see what style of surfing you really want to pursue.
I always assumed skateboarders would mostly want to shortboard but Chico and Max Schaff are all about the single fin eggs and hulls. Pretty cool.
Bottom line: Foam is your friend... better to have a board that has too much float than too little.
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Honestly if I were 're-beginning' at this point I would say to grab a foam board around 8'0. They are made so much nicer nowadays than they used to be. seem pretty affordable brand new too
https://www.secretspot.co.uk/images/24899-1.jpg (https://www.secretspot.co.uk/images/24899-1.jpg)
or just grab anything around 7'6-8. Big enough to be stable/catch waves easily and not as hard to move around as a longboard
cool. Thanks for the info.
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Agreed. There are some good quality and fun foamies these days. Get one over 7' and catch as many waves as you can. Then see what style of surfing you really want to pursue.
I always assumed skateboarders would mostly want to shortboard but Chico and Max Schaff are all about the single fin eggs and hulls. Pretty cool.
Bottom line: Foam is your friend... better to have a board that has too much float than too little.
this is exactly why I ask. I’ve heard that’s what skateboarders naturally assume, but as far as surfing goes..short boards are actually a little more difficult to learn on. I feel like I’ve heard that before. You work on learning how to ride before getting into short boards..??
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Exactly. Spend some time just catching waves, as many as you can. Get those paddle muscles and pop reflexes feeling good. Then learn to ride the open face and trim down the line. Once you are starting to think about getting some solid turns in, then you can decide longboard or shortboard.
I would avoid low-volume high performance shortboards unless you plan on ripping Indonesia or the North shore... Eggs, fishes, full volume stubbies... will all turn as hard as you can. There are so many ways to make shortboards fun with higher volume these days. Check out some of the shapes Danny Dicola makes for inspiration.
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Agreed. There are some good quality and fun foamies these days. Get one over 7' and catch as many waves as you can. Then see what style of surfing you really want to pursue.
I always assumed skateboarders would mostly want to shortboard but Chico and Max Schaff are all about the single fin eggs and hulls. Pretty cool.
Bottom line: Foam is your friend... better to have a board that has too much float than too little.
this is exactly why I ask. I’ve heard that’s what skateboarders naturally assume, but as far as surfing goes..short boards are actually a little more difficult to learn on. I feel like I’ve heard that before. You work on learning how to ride before getting into short boards..??
I’ve never really got the hang of a real short board but it only took a few years to ride a fish or a mini simmons. I know I am probably a kook but mini simmons feels like a skateboard
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What do people do with their car keys when they go surfing alone?
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What do people do with their car keys when they go surfing alone?
Put them in your shoes with your wallet. No one ever knows they are in there
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What do people do with their car keys when they go surfing alone?
Was much better without electronic keys. used to just hang it around my neck. now, I just stash it in a wheel well or in a roof rack pad. just pay attention to who's watching... you can also get little key boxes with passcodes to attach under your car.
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What do people do with their car keys when they go surfing alone?
Put the valet key in my wetsuit
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once everything is locked up
and then you sit on the sand and stretch
you can bury them
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Thank you for the various ideas. I'm kind of surprised that wet suits don't have stash pockets for keys.
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Thank you for the various ideas. I'm kind of surprised that wet suits don't have stash pockets for keys.
All of mine have. You just can’t put the fob in there for obvious reasons but mine has a detachable dumb key, I lock the fob in the car.
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Thank you for the various ideas. I'm kind of surprised that wet suits don't have stash pockets for keys.
yeah I would say every wetsuit that has been released over the last 15 years has a stash pocket for your key with a stretch tag to secure it.
My only car key is electric. Usually end up stashing deep in the wheel well. I need to get one of those hide-a-keys with the combo lock
this guy's style is unreal. highly recommended watching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JUb6dV8w4&list=FLhTgb4k6ycKhlIisdPFINpg&index=8&t=240s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JUb6dV8w4&list=FLhTgb4k6ycKhlIisdPFINpg&index=8&t=240s)
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My electronic car fob is auto unlock and it's a feature you can't turn off (stupid), but it does have the physical key which I take with me into the water. I take out the battery of the key fob every time and leave that in the car. And yes, pretty much all wetsuits nowadays has a pocket for your keys.
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Bought a new Quiksilver Syncro 4:3 and if there’s a key pocket I haven’t found it, guess that’s what you get when you cheap out. I hide my main key in the wheel well and the spare stays in my leash pocket, should probably check to see how rusted/bent it is...
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Thank you for the various ideas. I'm kind of surprised that wet suits don't have stash pockets for keys.
yeah I would say every wetsuit that has been released over the last 15 years has a stash pocket for your key with a stretch tag to secure it.
My only car key is electric. Usually end up stashing deep in the wheel well. I need to get one of those hide-a-keys with the combo lock
this guy's style is unreal. highly recommended watching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JUb6dV8w4&list=FLhTgb4k6ycKhlIisdPFINpg&index=8&t=240s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JUb6dV8w4&list=FLhTgb4k6ycKhlIisdPFINpg&index=8&t=240s)
Yeah, he’s sick.
I dig the wetsuit company he rides for too (need essentials), very minimalist aesthetic and super dope videos/team.
Everybody has super good style.
They’ll probably be my 1st suit when I finally pull the trigger; hopefully soon.
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When I drive my own car (which is older) I put the valet key in a zip lock bag and stuff it in my wetsuit somewhere. I like against the small of my back, but an arm or a leg works fine too.
When I have a newer rental or I borrow my moms car (which has an electronic proximity key), I use one of those lock boxes on the trailer hitch. It came with an RF blocking metal-lined zip-lock that cancels out the proximity function. Here’s a link: https://www.surffcs.com/products/fcs-keylock
I would never do the wheel well, burying in sand, or any of that stuff. Maybe it’s just paranoia from growing up near a fairly scummy NJ beach (seaside heights), or from surfing in LA where tons of homeless people and tweakers camp out on or near the beaches.
And on the topic of learning: I started on a 7’6” foamie and kinda hated how soggy and heavy it was. Progressed down to a 6’6” 2+1 egg almost immediately. Maybe it slowed me down, idk. Now I’ve got another egg as well, but it has 5 fin boxes and I definitely find the thruster setup to be more skate-like. Would a quad be even more so?
And finally.. what’s up with the mini Simmons?? They look like they could be fun in shitty waves. I’m in the market for a groveler or something that’ll be really buoyant and fun in crap surf
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My Prius has Auto Unlock but what you do is turn it on, roll down the window, get out of the car, reach in from the window, lock it, turn it off, then hit the button to roll up the window. There’s like a few second lag where you can roll them up after the car turns off. Dunno if other cars do that.
Related- one time my friend was making fun of one of those metal detector dudes, like “what a stupid hobby.” I was like, yeah it is weird. Anyway an hour later I’m like, fuck my key fell out of my bag. I see that dude off the distance, I run over and ask he for help, he totally found my key. Lesson learned, those dudes are rad.
Also Torren Martyn is so good
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Thank you for the various ideas. I'm kind of surprised that wet suits don't have stash pockets for keys.
yeah I would say every wetsuit that has been released over the last 15 years has a stash pocket for your key with a stretch tag to secure it.
My only car key is electric. Usually end up stashing deep in the wheel well. I need to get one of those hide-a-keys with the combo lock
this guy's style is unreal. highly recommended watching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JUb6dV8w4&list=FLhTgb4k6ycKhlIisdPFINpg&index=8&t=240s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JUb6dV8w4&list=FLhTgb4k6ycKhlIisdPFINpg&index=8&t=240s)
I dig the wetsuit company he rides for too (need essentials), very minimalist aesthetic and super dope videos/team.
Everybody has super good style.
They’ll probably be my 1st suit when I finally pull the trigger; hopefully soon.
I can say their suits are really good and a good price too. They don’t have as much stretch as rip curl or O’Neil but NEED suits are very durable and warm. The liquid seam 4/3 is super warm. Being a skater I hate the surf branding logos so no logos on the suit are cool too.
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Torren is sick and so are twinnies
@mj23 I feel you, they have their uses but yeah can’t beat fibreglass
If by skate like you mean loose trucks ish feeling and lots of turns top to bottom go the thruster all day
I’m aware the quad is more efficient I guess I haven’t really used one enough?
Edit
I am probably gonna cop shit for this cause they’re played out but have a look at hypto krypto by hayden shapes
Big fat thing but if you only had one board you could do a lot worse
You can get em in a 5 fin setup so you can have a fiddle between quad and thruster
I reckon you’d go the futures fin boxes
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What do people do with their car keys when they go surfing alone?
clip the caribeaner to my frame in my wheel well.
Not the safest option but t's all I got so far. Helps that I drive a clapped out truck
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Torren is sick and so are twinnies
@mj23 I feel you, they have their uses but yeah can’t beat fibreglass
If by skate like you mean loose trucks ish feeling and lots of turns top to bottom go the thruster all day
I’m aware the quad is more efficient I guess I haven’t really used one enough?
Edit
I am probably gonna cop shit for this cause they’re played out but have a look at hypto krypto by hayden shapes
Big fat thing but if you only had one board you could do a lot worse
You can get em in a 5 fin setup so you can have a fiddle between quad and thruster
I reckon you’d go the futures fin boxes
quads are weird. They are super fast in a straight line and really good for setting lines and covering ground. Also they feel great during a turn. They have some drawbacks though.
When you do a bottom turn, you will miss the third fin acting as a distinct pivot point. So if you are doing very top to bottom surfing it will feel weird or inconsistent. if you grew up or have a good amount of time on twins this will not bother you as much.
the other drawback is it is a lot harder to dial in a set of fronts and rears to fit you perfectly, where w a thruster there's a lot less thinking. Smaller back fin = looser.
W quads the have 50/50 foil rears, 80/20 foil rears, flat foil rears etc.
I like quads but I "messed up" my surfing for a year on them but I was also trying to surf in contests so I was very much going for the competitive standard at the time. I just was having inconsistency on my bottom turns which messed w my timing. This was on a standard shortboard
butttt if you are on either a super wide tailed groveler, or a long ass gun, quads will work best for you. I prefer a thruster in between.
sorry for the wall of text
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A quad set can be just as good , see nathan fletcher.
I usually only ride them in small waves on wide flat boars
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Agreed on quads. I like them on wide tailed grovelers and in reeling walled up conditions on a step up but they can be problematic in day to day stuff. The back fin placement is pretty crucial. You can make a quad feel more thruster like if the back fin boxes are closer to the stringer and more parallel or more fish/ twin like if they are closer to the rail with more toe (angled).
Super stoked on my twin right now. Its a little sketchy until you've made a bottom turn and set your line but after that its like letting your mind tell your board where to go with some unreal speed to beat sections and it lets you climb up on the white water sections real nice... Pretty loose truck feeling.
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Curren is still my favorite (I really on watch him, Dane and Mason). Well into his 50s now but if you want a clinic on how to link turns... this is it... Mostly on twins I believe... While its rad to seem him get barreled out of his mind, I really like watching how he flows it all together in the smaller mellower sessions... Check 6m 53s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EguHmYWXpZ4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EguHmYWXpZ4)
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What do people do with their car keys when they go surfing alone?
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71J3n5HFhRL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-5400D-Combination-Portable/dp/B0002YP1VC/ref=asc_df_B0002YP1VC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167141158985&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=420070254190980967&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031598&hvtargid=pla-136275446692&psc=1
I have a hitch that it attaches to. I use it for surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking. Absolutely awesome.
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Curren is still my favorite (I really on watch him, Dane and Mason). Well into his 50s now but if you want a clinic on how to link turns... this is it... Mostly on twins I believe... While its rad to seem him get barreled out of his mind, I really like watching how he flows it all together in the smaller mellower sessions... Check 6m 53s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EguHmYWXpZ4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EguHmYWXpZ4)
Instant classic when this came out. Fucking amazing.
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Obigatory post
https://ibb.co/ygkFxd6
Got a few this morning, it’s fucken baltic
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUJob-Nw1ak (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUJob-Nw1ak)
Mason at the same spot as Curren. Got me motivated to chase a few later at high tide...
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Fun reading through this thread, getting some comparative context of surfing compared to skating. Just started last year after having thought about it for so fucking long. Used to swim competitively, so I thought it'd fit me like a glove... Well, fuck me, is it hard to make that board do what you wanna.
There's so much technique involved with a thousand things before stepping on the board even becomes relevant. you all know this, I'm just venting. That shit is tricky. And the ocean is a scary place, haha. Being in Sweden, we aren't spoiled with great spots either, so the sessions are few and far between. And nippy, even with a 5/4. Learning is tough compared to skating, not being able to just repeatedly try the exact same thing a thousand times until you get it.
What would be the best approach for a kook like me, with basically only shitty spots nearby? Can anybody relate?
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I can totally relate @Skibb
Oregon isn't Sweden and we have some good spots but its mostly cold, fickle and really tough to surf. I surfed last night and the water must have been about 46-48 F... Serious cold water upwelling going on. The city was 81 F air temp for comparison.
Board choice is key. You need some volume for paddling that thick wetsuit in energy-draining cold water. And some boards that handle unpredictable and less than perfect conditions. What board are you on right now?
Your swimming background will really help. My main surf bud swam through school and university and he out-paddles everyone.
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I can totally relate @Skibb
Oregon isn't Sweden and we have some good spots but its mostly cold, fickle and really tough to surf. I surfed last night and the water must have been about 46-48 F... Serious cold water upwelling going on. The city was 81 F air temp for comparison.
Board choice is key. You need some volume for paddling that thick wetsuit in energy-draining cold water. And some boards that handle unpredictable and less than perfect conditions. What board are you on right now?
Your swimming background will really help. My main surf bud swam through school and university and he out-paddles everyone.
Oh, sounds like we're in quite similar climates then.
I don't even have my own board yet, but I got to borrow a Modern 7'6" with like 70-80L volume and that worked damn well for a rookie like me. Boards are so crazy expensive though, Probably what's kept me from pulling the trigger until now.
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Fun reading through this thread, getting some comparative context of surfing compared to skating. Just started last year after having thought about it for so fucking long. Used to swim competitively, so I thought it'd fit me like a glove... Well, fuck me, is it hard to make that board do what you wanna.
There's so much technique involved with a thousand things before stepping on the board even becomes relevant. you all know this, I'm just venting. That shit is tricky. And the ocean is a scary place, haha. Being in Sweden, we aren't spoiled with great spots either, so the sessions are few and far between. And nippy, even with a 5/4. Learning is tough compared to skating, not being able to just repeatedly try the exact same thing a thousand times until you get it.
What would be the best approach for a kook like me, with basically only shitty spots nearby? Can anybody relate?
Major respect for learning in less-than-ideal conditions. I think super high volume and a good attitude are probably pretty key. Important to enjoy just being out on the water even if everything else kinda sucks. When I was first learning that was my vibe. Now that my expectations have risen in terms of my own performance, that’s changed a little, lol
As others have said “foam is your friend.” I recently visited family in NJ and picked up one of my older boards, which has a similar outline to the Lost Lazy Boy I enjoy as a daily driver out west, but the rails are super thin and the bottom contour is much more wobbly. It’s a lot harder to surf! I didn’t realize at the time, I just bought it back in like 2013 based on being able to fit in my car, being cheap, and still being relatively floaty.
So I guess the takeaway from that anecdote is: take your time buying a board, try a few out, and save your cash until you get something that will really let you progress. I didn’t know any better at the time, and while I had plenty of fun I over the last 8 years or so, I progressed a lot more once I made a little more money and got boards more suited to my ability.
On a somewhat similar note regarding learning in tough locations, I’m about to move to Texas where gulf conditions seem to be very fickle... but least it stays pretty warm. I think the move will be to watch wind direction really closely and just try to get out whenever it’s offshore. But if anyone else knows better, please share!
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I can totally relate @Skibb
Oregon isn't Sweden and we have some good spots but its mostly cold, fickle and really tough to surf. I surfed last night and the water must have been about 46-48 F... Serious cold water upwelling going on. The city was 81 F air temp for comparison.
Board choice is key. You need some volume for paddling that thick wetsuit in energy-draining cold water. And some boards that handle unpredictable and less than perfect conditions. What board are you on right now?
Your swimming background will really help. My main surf bud swam through school and university and he out-paddles everyone.
I don't even have my own board yet, but I got to borrow a Modern 7'6" with like 70-80L volume and that worked damn well for a rookie like me. Boards are so crazy expensive though, Probably what's kept me from pulling the trigger until now.
Buy secondhand boards of the internet. You are a learner. Ya don't need anything flash.
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Depends on the region for sure but you can defz come up in the towns where there’s lots of surfers and or tourists, I am halfway talking out my arse here cause I don’t know about other countries but there’s a couple people that have businesses where they drive boards up and down the coast here what I mean is if you haven’t got much of a second hand market in your immediate area it might be a good idea to suss out second hand boards in areas you can drive to or close enough to something couriered to you
Covid probably fucked everything everywhere but used to be able to come up good on tourists leaving and trying to get rid of equipment
But you’d want to google things to look for, red flags sort of stuff cause easy to get burned on repairs with stuff
But yeah think outside the box and yeah, what Burt Ward said, it’s not really like skating in the sense that a cheap setup or whatever is a no go
It’s real easy to do dumb shit with a surfboard without knowing, deadset best to just go through a bunch of second hand ones first
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started to figure out how to release my fins tonight, feels just like a bs powerslide!
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started to figure out how to release my fins tonight, feels just like a bs powerslide!
duu it feels good dont it!
If you are having trouble getting them free, shift your weight to your front foot more to let the fins get a bit more free.
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Man surfing seems so sick. Wish it wasn't such a big production to get into it here in the Northeast. My gf is getting really serious about moving to san diego for some reason. If we do it I'm totally gonna get one of those spong tops and kook it up.
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Anybody into stand up paddling or foiling or anything? I guess shiddy unbroken waves (crowdless) are endless fun on a foil.
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STAND UP PADDLING? Get the fuck outta here. I'd rather ride a goatboat.
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Anybody into stand up paddling or foiling or anything? I guess shiddy unbroken waves (crowdless) are endless fun on a foil.
Keep the foils well away from other life forms and you're all good.
Just got back from a week on the road. Surfed a 9'4" single log, 6'2" twin and one session on my 6'5" shortboard. Nothing epic but got some fun waves at one of my favorite low key spots north of California. I'm not a long boarder but did have one pretty magical session where it started to click. Just my friend and I sharing long rights. Whales feeding on the outside and a couple of beaver waddling along on the beach. Recon'd a bunch of other spots for future missions.
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I do alot of flat water stand up paddling and its so nice doing it close along the shore. Down winders are super fun. Havent done it surfing yet tho. I imagine you could grab all the wide sets and never even sit out back where everybody would be hating on you. I can't surf for hours anymore so suping would round it out.
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I’m planning to try SUPing in some rivers and lakes when I move to Austin in the fall but I don’t think I could ever respect myself if I was paddling a SUP into waves at an actual surf spot. I’m also curious about other landlocked water board sports, like skimming or even wakesurfing... idk, I love swimming and I’m down to try some kooky honky shit if I need to. Even though it seems super lame and rednecky. Maybe that’s just my coastal elite bias crewing in, whatever
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Dear MJ,
Don't underestimate the power of rivers. Be careful. Learned the hard way messing around in the Colorado River. Those currents no joke. Have fun & be safe
Also SUP is cool outside of California. Just so frowned upon there.. In Hawaii so fun & other states
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I’m planning to try SUPing in some rivers and lakes when I move to Austin in the fall but I don’t think I could ever respect myself if I was paddling a SUP into waves at an actual surf spot. I’m also curious about other landlocked water board sports, like skimming or even wakesurfing... idk, I love swimming and I’m down to try some kooky honky shit if I need to. Even though it seems super lame and rednecky. Maybe that’s just my coastal elite bias crewing in, whatever
Maybe strange for me to defend suping on skating site since I don't even sup surf but in Hawaii so many respected surfers, pro surfers and whatnot have been heavy into sup surfing as well for some years now. I think it's about seeing a little farther into the water kind of thing and understanding that it's a bigger playground if you've got an open mind. My thing is that longboarders aren't much better then sup ers and I've been getting shitted on by them forever so fuck everybody if those dudes get tolerated.
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Man surfing seems so sick. Wish it wasn't such a big production to get into it here in the Northeast. My gf is getting really serious about moving to san diego for some reason. If we do it I'm totally gonna get one of those spong tops and kook it up.
San Diego is fun man. I don’t think I’ll ever leave.
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Dear MJ,
Don't underestimate the power of rivers. Be careful. Learned the hard way messing around in the Colorado River. Those currents no joke. Have fun & be safe
Also SUP is cool outside of California. Just so frowned upon there.. In Hawaii so fun & other states
I’ve watched SUP guys straight run over kids at surf spots in NY and NJ, just fully barging over some poor little groms’ heads and not even looking back, the kook factor is extremely high and I feel like it doesn’t matter where you are, it shines thru. Nobody likes sharing a break with those guys. Probably because a lot of them never learned surf etiquette before they started SUPing their way into waves. A lot of them just flagrantly drop in on everyone around them as well. So despite the fact that I am looking forward to some inland SUPing I feel like the sport is kinda rightly frowned upon anywhere there is even a slight whiff of surf culture or lineup manners.
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Dear MJ,
Don't underestimate the power of rivers. Be careful. Learned the hard way messing around in the Colorado River. Those currents no joke. Have fun & be safe
Also SUP is cool outside of California. Just so frowned upon there.. In Hawaii so fun & other states
It's the same here in NC. Nobody likes surfing with SUPs because they catch the wave far out before it forms and then run over anyone actually sitting the in the lineup. The entry level into surfing is a lot higher than SUP. Therefore, as a surfer, you spend a lot of time watching and learning how the lineup etiquette works.
Also, SUPing is dangerous to surfers. With a surfboard (longboard or shortboard), I can either maneuver around someone or duck-dive my shortboard (roll my longboard) to get out of the way if I'm paddling out and someone is dropping in. If I'm dropping in, I can quickly carve around someone paddling out. SUPs are so big and bulky, SUPers mostly just go straight and either bail from their board which crashes into someone or just run over someone.
I enjoy SUP in the Gulf and when the surf is flat. But please, don't join a lineup with a SUP.
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I have never seen surfing IRL in Ontario Canada
I really want to try it
i googled and apparently kincardine, ON is the "surf capital" of my province. i have been there, some small waves, apparently oyu can do surf lessons. i am gonna try it this summer , hope i can stand up lol
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@rawbertson great lakes have some really nice waves when the wind blows right. Ottawa river has a wave if you're near there.
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Looking at the MSW forecast for the next week, no swell periods longer than 7s, small wave heights, mostly cross/onshore moderate winds... I’m beginning to think the North Atlantic is a pretty shitty spot condition-wise. And when it is good there’s 98% chance I’m working.
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Dear MJ,
Don't underestimate the power of rivers. Be careful. Learned the hard way messing around in the Colorado River. Those currents no joke. Have fun & be safe
Also SUP is cool outside of California. Just so frowned upon there.. In Hawaii so fun & other states
Hey, speaking as a total noob here again: what are good lineup manners and etiquette? Any rules of thumb to stick to?
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Glad you asked...
(https://www.surfertoday.com/images/stories/surfingetiquette.jpg)
-if someone is standing up and riding before you, it is their wave. The person closest to the most critical section 'the peak' has priority over the person on 'the shoulder.'
-if you get a good one, chill out and let someone else take priority position before you start jostling for priority again. if you blow your wave, tough luck, you start at the back of the rotation again... if there is a rotation... don't be greedy.
-if you stumble on a remote low key spot and there are already people on it. let them have it or wait until they leave.
-never bail your board. there are very few times you need to let that thing go. imagine you don't have a leash and act that way.
-don't put yourself into a situation you cannot swim out of. leashes and boards break. you can only rely on yourself.
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Glad you asked...
(https://www.surfertoday.com/images/stories/surfingetiquette.jpg)
-if someone is standing up and riding before you, it is their wave. There person closest to the most critical section 'the peak' as priority over the person on 'the shoulder.'
-if you get a good one, chill out and let someone else take priority position before you start jostling for priority again. if you blow your wave, tough luck, you start at the back of a rotation again... if there is a rotation... don't be greedy.
-if you stumble on a remote low key spot and there are already people on it. let them have it or wait until they leave.
-never bail your board. there are very few times you need to let that thing go. imagine you don't have a leash and act that way.
-don't put yourself into a situation you cannot swim out of. leashes and boards break. you can only rely on yourself.
If you think for one second that you are gonna get in someone's way as you are paddling out, don't scratch for the shoulder, paddle into the whitewater and get the fuck out of the way. I can't stress this enough.
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Also you know how you’re skating a small park, having a good time when suddenly a couple cars rock up disgorging a whole crew and you think fuck here we go, it was so peaceful before
Same diff surfing it’s pretty shitty to arrive and paddle out as one, looks like you’re there to try dominate the place
Don’t surf in packs, paddle out by yourself or with one other mate, there are probably different takes on this around the world but three’s pushing it I reckon
Heaps of people that surf are fairly friendly a fair bit of the aggro you hear about would be same type of shit all of us would have told someone off at a skatepark for
Depends on the area for sure but if the waves are good and you don’t know anyone and you blow your first takeoff people are 100% gonna snake you on the next good wave and that’s fair as
Honestly anyone wants to have a go and knows nothing about it and no mates that surf just get a couple lessons they should explain most of this and you’d get like instant feedback on what you’re doing right and wrong
Honestly if you get a board and for first time try go where others are surfing you probably won’t have a good time and you’ll feel a bit silly
It will 100% make you think of all the times you vibed someone at a skate park haha
If you go on kookslams or similar you’ll see heaps of people having a go and getting absolutely pumped
Doesn’t need to be like that
Also yeah it’s a real bad idea to paddle through the waves people are surfing
At some point even the most tolerant person will just think nah fuck it that’s the fifth time that’s happened this morning, I’m not hopping off
Then they run you over
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If you are learning, and this should be obvious, don't go out in a crowd. You don't need good waves. Surf somewhere quiet. It's better for everyone.
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I don't know what the etiquette is on this, but I just got back from a night surf, been going a lot lately after dark, and there were two dudes out there with headlamps, like high beams 400 lumens or something. Bugged the heck out of me.
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Regarding etiquette I think skaters with a bit of experience sharing parks or ramps will probably be able to intuitively figure out some of the basics, like for gods sake don’t just circle endlessly and prevent other people from using the spot (this is probably the biggest issue for people with SUPs).
If you aren’t a local, stop and observe for a while before you barge straight into the center of the action. Spend some time on the shoulder picking off lesser waves while you warm up so that you don’t piss everyone off by blowing a good set wave as soon as you show up.
Paddle for the whitewater instead of the shoulder when you’re caught inside and someone is already riding— really important and something I didn’t learn as soon as I should have, definitely had to live with some kook shame after getting the stink eye for this one when I was starting out.
And of course don’t drop in on someone else’s wave when they’re already going. Probably really obvious to most skaters because you already know not to just drop into a bowl while someone else is skating. I think there are *some* grey areas, like a chaotic skate jam or an insanely crowded kooky party wave destination like Malibu first point... but best to err on the side of caution, lest you get a fin to the face (probably by accident, but also maybe on purpose).
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Depends on the area for sure but if the waves are good and you don’t know anyone and you blow your first takeoff people are 100% gonna snake you on the next good wave and that’s fair as
That’s kinda bullshit though and the difference between skaters and surfers. Surfers think they own things cause they happen to be there often. I wouldn’t be like “sorry dude you don’t get any more turns on this ramp cause you blew your first 50-50”.
I dunno I love surfing but I try to avoid other surfers both on the beach and in life because I know I’m not very good and unlike skaters they’re dicks about it.
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I love surfing but I try to avoid other surfers both on the beach and in life
That right there is the best advice. Surf culture has as an amazing history with interesting characters. And no doubt there are still cool people involved but the culture as a whole is worth avoiding especially compared to skateboarding.
Its a shame surfing's popularity never took a dip like skateboarding... its just gets more and more popular with all manner of kooks.
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Depends on the area for sure but if the waves are good and you don’t know anyone and you blow your first takeoff people are 100% gonna snake you on the next good wave and that’s fair as
I dunno I love surfing but I try to avoid other surfers both on the beach and in life because I know I’m not very good and unlike skaters they’re dicks about it.
I’m not very good either let’s get that out of the way
But what I meant was waves are finite resource, ramps at a skatepark are always there and always the same ramp every time you skate it
Massive difference
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I don't know what the etiquette is on this, but I just got back from a night surf, been going a lot lately after dark, and there were two dudes out there with headlamps, like high beams 400 lumens or something. Bugged the heck out of me.
That’s crazy I have heard of people doing that on mushrooms in Bali like when it’s a full moon so it’s bright
I would be pretty worried about sharks at night around here, you see any sharks or are there none of the types that go people where you surf
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I don't know what the etiquette is on this, but I just got back from a night surf, been going a lot lately after dark, and there were two dudes out there with headlamps, like high beams 400 lumens or something. Bugged the heck out of me.
That’s crazy I have heard of people doing that on mushrooms in Bali like when it’s a full moon so it’s bright
I would be pretty worried about sharks at night around here, you see any sharks or are there none of the types that go people where you surf
I'm out on a river, the St. Lawrence. A whale came up here last year but no sharks so mercifully don't have that fear. There are big fish jumping right now as they migrate, no lie one jumped over/onto the nose of my board under the full moon last week. It shocked me, a bit scary then amazing, and it definitely occeurred to me that I was glad that there was nothing bigger. I never think about what's beneath the surface, except when it's me.
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That’s loose but yeah sick
I’m pretty scared of bull sharks and being in the water around packs of fish
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The light would probably attract fish too, nonono lol
I've tried night surfing and it is hard to see the waves coming in, you just get lifted up randomly
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Surfed after sunset many times but never intentionally had a night session. Had a sundowner on Friday. Pretty lackluster waves when we pulled up but it glassed off so nice while we were watching and waiting. A rarity in Oregon to see milk glass conditions. Was probably waist to shoulder high and not very powerful but my new twinnie was just the ticket. Got some really satisfying turns. Lots of people out but so many waves so the crowd wasn't an issue. Surfed for about three hours. Water is warning up a tad also. Beer on the beach and then back over the coastal mountains to the Val in the dark.
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***unrelated sentimental post***
Got to go body surfing this weekend and it was fucking great to be back in the water.
I had to pick up a new set of fins, hydro og’s. I’m not crazy about them, but they worked well and I’ll keep em as a back up. I left my Churchill pros back in Austin and I wasn’t going to drive 4 hours back to get them.
It was like waist high and mushy, about as good as it gets for summer time in Texas. I was with my best friend from the marine corps. Bodysurfing/regular surfing is sort of how we stayed (relatively) sane throughout our contract. He introduced me to bodysurfing with trays, which is still one of my favorite ways to fuck around in the water. This was the first time we paddled out together in 9 years, but he just moved to austin so there will be plenty more. He’s from Oahu and his dad is bit of a local celebrity because he hosts a cable access show called boating basics. About ten years ago his dad made us some hand planes, which I still use. Attached is a picture of the hand plane he made.
Tl/dr: I went bodysurfing with a friend
(https://i.loli.net/2021/06/08/8prmAFwJLKEboBs.jpg)
(https://i.loli.net/2021/06/08/X3gtOonFlQKPxeR.jpg)
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Bodysurfing is legit as, the plane looks dece too
It’s sick to run gear that you can’t just go buy at the shop
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Body surfing is Ace. Such a great way to enjoy surfing without all the bullshit. Just pure unadulterated fun. I have a pair of fins I use whenever I come across a thumpy shore break. Unfortunately, I am usually in cold water and its not always so enjoyable getting thrashed in 5mm wettie. I think if I lived in warmer climes I'd be body surfing almost as much as I board surf. Rad looking hand plane @Freelancevagrant I've yet to try one.
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Body surfing is Ace. Such a great way to enjoy surfing without all the bullshit. Just pure unadulterated fun. I have a pair of fins I use whenever I come across a thumpy shore break. Unfortunately, I am usually in cold water and its not always so enjoyable getting thrashed in 5mm wettie. I think if I lived in warmer climes I'd be body surfing almost as much as I board surf. Rad looking hand plane @Freelancevagrant I've yet to try one.
Trust me, I completely understand my dude. I’ve gone bodysurfing when it was snowing and only had a 3/2 and some fin socks (lasted about 30 min). That shit was absolutely brutal. But, it was too good to pass up. I still joke about how fucking cold it was with the same buddy I went with last weekend.
When I was younger, I would paddle out in every condition if it was pumping. Shit, back when me and Jake (my aforementioned best bud) were stationed on the east coast, we paddled out as both hurricanes sandy and Irene approached. In retrospect it was incredibly dumb, but if we were in the shape we used to be, we would do it again. That shit was unreal.
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I don't think my contacts would like body surfing lol
I came up on Offerup this week. Some guy was selling a brand new Egg for 700 that he didn't even put a single speck of wax on. Apparently he just started surfing and the longest thing they had in stock was 8'4". Instead of just trying it out, he just decided to sell it. Wild
https://mollusksurfshop.com/products/84-wegener-wegg-2-1
Came with the Greenough fin that he bought too.
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I don't think my contacts would like body surfing lol
I came up on Offerup this week. Some guy was selling a brand new Egg for 700 that he didn't even put a single speck of wax on. Apparently he just started surfing and the longest thing they had in stock was 8'4". Instead of just trying it out, he just decided to sell it. Wild
https://mollusksurfshop.com/products/84-wegener-wegg-2-1
Came with the Greenough fin that he bought too.
Yeah dude, contacts and bodysurfing don’t match up. I rotate between contacts and regular spectacles but when I know I’m going to be a torpedo person for the weekend I go no contacts (or glasses obvi) despite my atrocious vision.
Also mollusk is my favorite surf shop on earth.
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I haven't bodysurfed anything over 1 ft since I started wearing contacts in the water. Better be wary when I do. Do you guys lose many when yr surfing? Hardly ever happens to me, but I'll usually tuck a couple into my wetsuit sleeve just in case. I did lose 2 at once hitting cross chop when paddling one time. That sucked.
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I haven't bodysurfed anything over 1 ft since I started wearing contacts in the water. Better be wary when I do. Do you guys lose many when yr surfing? Hardly ever happens to me, but I'll usually tuck a couple into my wetsuit sleeve just in case. I did lose 2 at once hitting cross chop when paddling one time. That sucked.
Funny timing, my friend I surf with was just telling me one fell out when he paddled in a couple days ago. he looked down and saw it on the sleeve of his wetsuit and managed to pop it back in on the wave!
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storm swell for texas this weekend, trying to decide if I should drive down to Corpus or stay up in galveston/surfside
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storm swell for texas this weekend, trying to decide if I should drive down to Corpus or stay up in galveston/surfside
Surf side for sure
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looking bigger in surf side, although I enjoy how clean corpus gets, bob hall or packery
Crowds are worse down there though
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Are there any good surf cams for breaks in Texas? I’m about to move to Austin and it seems like you need to become amateur meteorologist if you want to score gulf waves, plus the 4+ hour drive... so anything would help, and the Surfline app only has a cam for Matagorda
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https://www.galveston.com/webcams/seawallvideocam/
there are several on here for Galveston
looks like fun this weekend although not as big as I was planning for tomorrow or Sunday
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https://youtu.be/KV5I99jEKUs
This is pretty funny
If you smoke weed some some weed then watch, just with the music it’s pretty hypnotic
Those Hawaiians are on to some shit
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The hand planes look cool and shit but maybe just go ahead with a boogie board at that point. Any shortboarders out there try boogie boarding? I'd love to try that too I bet it would be crazy fun.
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@matty_c that vid gives me the creeps, it's facinating but I can't even imagine being in that heavy a stew.
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Haha yeah it’s suss as, but fascinating is a good way to describe it...Not my cup of tea either
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That shit looks hella hectic but so fun
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Just got off a week on-call that ended with a last minute graveyard shift and 24 hours no sleep. Anyway, woke up wide awake at 5am yesterday and decided to jump in the North Pacific for a cleanse despite a lackluster forecast. A crossed-up combo swell was running. Short period NW with some sporadic long distance SW swell. hit Oregon's Malibu and it was relatively quiet. People must be returning to work. Paddled out away from the pack to hit this little right-hand wedge by myself only to hear, "Sorry to paddle up on you. I just moved here from California." Dude was nice but he followed me around peak to peak, chatty Larry. Anyway, eventually found a really nice A-frame and ran into a friend I have not seen in two years. We basically had the peak to ourselves for just shy of three hours. It was overhead on the peak, then opening up to Long shoulder high walls (lefts were better, backhand for me forehand for her) Still on my twin fin. God I love that board. Its like an enhanced connection between my mind and my feet. Lots of waves. Back in the City by 1ish. Went to work, a little sunburnt, crispy and smelling slightly of piss. Slept like a log last night but now have a stiff back....
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Sounds like a solid session! I deleted my kook post asking about yesterday’s forecast.. but I went out and it was sick. 2ft @ 16s and 3ft @ 7s made for conditions unlike anything I’ve seen yet. Instead of the usual few breaking spots, it looked like one massive C-shaped swell coming in. The short swell ruined a lot of waves, but when they lined up it was head high and had serious power behind them. Love when I can pull a late take off and free fall for a second before hitting the water. I don’t rip hard enough to do very sharp turns on my 7’4, but getting better at stalling near the top of the face and dropping back down.
Side note... anyone else get soreness in the centre of their chest? Can’t tell if it’s from how I pop up, paddle, back arch, work related, or all of the above.
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Sounds like a solid session! I deleted my kook post asking about yesterday’s forecast.. but I went out and it was sick. 2ft @ 16s and 3ft @ 7s made for conditions unlike anything I’ve seen yet. Instead of the usual few breaking spots, it looked like one massive C-shaped swell coming in. The short swell ruined a lot of waves, but when they lined up it was head high and had serious power behind them. Love when I can pull a late take off and free fall for a second before hitting the water. I don’t rip hard enough to do very sharp turns on my 7’4, but getting better at stalling near the top of the face and dropping back down.
Side note... anyone else get soreness in the centre of their chest? Can’t tell if it’s from how I pop up, paddle, back arch, work related, or all of the above.
There is damn near no better feeling than pulling off an nasty elevator drop.
To answer your question, I started getting what felt like a sore solar plexus after I broke a couple ribs. I asked a buddy of mine who fucking charges but had 0 medical expertise what is causing it or if they’re related. From what he told me he had no clue if the two were related because he’s not a fucking doctor. But he said he thinks it was related to how I pop up and how I duck dive. His advise was to not round my back when I take off and use a little bit more chest when I duck dive.
I doubt this helps but, it’s all I got.
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I've had some pectoral pain from paddling for hours on end that feels like sore chest.
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The chest pain is definitely a combo of duck diving "wrong" and paddling a shitload...at least for me. Every now and then I get it.
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saturday drove down to corpus, waves were fun, chest high with 50 of my best friends out at 8 am lmao
The crowd was pretty tame though and caught some fun ones
RNF w Twin trailer setup is okay, fast but not as spontaneous as thruster.
Did a whole bunch of long floaters, felt like mason ho lol
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If you were wondering what the best surfing clip you could watch today is.. I give you Jonah Hill dropping in on a dude and riding away like geriatric zombie.
http://www.instagram.com/p/CQhUmwAFKa4 (http://www.instagram.com/p/CQhUmwAFKa4)
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If you were wondering what the best surfing clip you could watch today is.. I give you Jonah Hill dropping in on a dude and riding away like geriatric zombie.
http://www.instagram.com/p/CQhUmwAFKa4 (http://www.instagram.com/p/CQhUmwAFKa4)
why would you post yourself burning some guy lol
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Over-amped an air the other evening (no I can't really do them) and landed on my fin on my 5'8" Stretch Superbuzz. That board always makes me try...
Anyway, I usually do my own ding repairs but I'm not fucking with blown out fin boxes.
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Yea take the fin box to a professional. Im pretty handy and wont touch them lol
Nice, pics of that beast? Stretch makes a mean board.
Looking at a new board for my bday
thinking Stamps, or a Chemistry, or a Kechkle
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(https://i.imgur.com/DXKQ7E6.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/yxrBl7M.jpg)
I've had this for a good few years and will likely ride it into the ground. A bit more yellow with a couple of repairs on it since this photo. Not sure I could justify the price of a Stretch these days. Amazing boards though.
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that looks so fun, whats the low end on that bad boy?
also is that a glosh polish!? drool
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No polish. Its more on the grovelly end. I think its actually pretty close to the Grovel Buzz. So as long as there is a little shape and push it goes. In saying that it handles some juice also. Highly recommend everyone get at least one Stretch in their surfing life.
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Just paid $100 for this handshaped epoxy egg, which in Canada where similar boards are $600+ new, seems way too good to be true. It’s 7 x 22 x 3, and pretty thick all throughout so it’s definitely a bit of a boat, which for my weight/level isn’t a bad thing. Glassed on wood fins make me a little nervous but I’ll try to be careful. Gonna take off the weird grip pads and wax it. Almost as excited to take it out as I am scared to tell my partner I bought a second board.
(http://i.ibb.co/BrFKPJV/14-EC5-E39-4836-49-F2-9368-1918-DA155307.jpg)
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Damn a hundred bucks, that's amazing.
Anybody have advice/technique for back 3s? just started learning them, I get a little past midnight but then sink. I heard you need to shift your weight forward of something? I'm on a pretty small wave, lots of foam, great for messing around.
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Damn a hundred bucks, that's amazing.
Anybody have advice/technique for back 3s? just started learning them, I get a little past midnight but then sink. I heard you need to shift your weight forward of something? I'm on a pretty small wave, lots of foam, great for messing around.
more weight on front foot as soon as you get past midnight
im not expert only done a few. Backside and into the lip like a fronside in skating right?
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It’s easier going slower, do it in the steepest section of the wave and try get your nose on top of the lip and put more weight on your front foot
The idea is to get the fins out a bit
I don’t mean like you need a hectic wave at all the one you described sounds great but yeah maybe try visualise one of those see saws at a playground and like see saw your nose up onto the lip then back on to tail as you come past 180
If you focus on doing 180s, or actually just a little bit past 180 and you’re not going too fast, as you get weight back on back foot the fins sort of catch and the wave just brings the board back around anyway
That board is sick for 100 mate good come up
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I appreciate the advices, yeah lemonchicken bs turn then frontside into the lip like you said.
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Update on the hundred dollar board... it’s trash. Took it out in some decent 3-5ft waves, and couldn’t understand why the waves kept rolling over the tail no matter how far up I moved when paddling. Finally was able to pop up on a couple and would just bog out. It felt like surfing a Kleenex box. Had no play and didn’t “fit in the wave”.
Went to the nearby surf shop, bought some wax, and asked buddy working if he’d be willing to give me his opinion on it. He took out a 2’ level and pointed out how the bottom was completely flat, also, how the rails were basically square except for the slight bevel on top and bottom. He said the shaper did next to nothing but shape the nose and tail. I felt like a dummy. Thought I understood board physics a little better than that. Hoping I can sell it for what I paid to a lightweight beginner who just wants to go straight in shorebreak.
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Finally tried a quad fin setup on my lost lazyboy. Harder to pivot turns than thruster but the extra speed is enough that I could get in and out of a surprising amount of waves and sections that would have given me a hard time in the past. I think I can see why someone earlier was saying too much quad time was detrimental to their surfing— it definitely worked like a crutch for some of my poor positioning/bad form/inexperience. I see how a center fin creates drag now and I’m more interested than ever in trying new configurations, shapes, etc.
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Update on the hundred dollar board... it’s trash. Took it out in some decent 3-5ft waves, and couldn’t understand why the waves kept rolling over the tail no matter how far up I moved when paddling. Finally was able to pop up on a couple and would just bog out. It felt like surfing a Kleenex box. Had no play and didn’t “fit in the wave”.
Went to the nearby surf shop, bought some wax, and asked buddy working if he’d be willing to give me his opinion on it. He took out a 2’ level and pointed out how the bottom was completely flat, also, how the rails were basically square except for the slight bevel on top and bottom. He said the shaper did next to nothing but shape the nose and tail. I felt like a dummy. Thought I understood board physics a little better than that. Hoping I can sell it for what I paid to a lightweight beginner who just wants to go straight in shorebreak.
This is exactly why I never pay any mind to the “local shapers” selling their entire stock on Craigslist. The quality really varies and I’m not going to drop money on an experiment.
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Ahh spewing haha, now that you mention it yeah it looks mad square...just sell it to someone bro, put it up online for 350
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Oh I could’ve made a huge profit easy. Was even offered an 8’ Southpoint worth like 500 for it. Wish I was ruthless like that, but just couldn’t bring myself to rip anyone off worse than I was. Put it back up for 100, and sold it to some girl and a carload of her friends, who reassured her it was a “great board”. I predict it’ll be back up for sale soon, or stored in a closet for years to come.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CRQmeZeH5Q5/?utm_medium=copy_link
This is pretty rad, it’s a new twin fin by dhd
Mick fanning is very good on it
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watched videos a bunch of you posted (psychic migrations etc.), felt inspired, and landed my first 360 tonight (just on the lip of a small foamy wave, not airborne). felt great. is there a name for that trick?
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nice dude! its a 360 or rotation, I can never spin all the way around I go backwards then revert back
unless you mean the ones where you turn inward like a backside revert those are a bit easier
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flat spell. I feel like I get more and more manic until I can surf again.
Skating helps some
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I'd love to learn how to surf. I spent a few days on the Oregon coast and chilled with some dudes from a surf shop up there, that got me a bit interested in trying it out. But a) I live in Austin so it's not really convenient and b) I can't fucking swim lol.
Maybe one day if I find myself on the coast again I'll rent some gear and grab floaties.
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I'd love to learn how to surf. I spent a few days on the Oregon coast and chilled with some dudes from a surf shop up there, that got me a bit interested in trying it out. But a) I live in Austin so it's not really convenient and b) I can't fucking swim lol.
Maybe one day if I find myself on the coast again I'll rent some gear and grab floaties.
funny enough i just moved to austin a month ago. it's not easy to surf when you live here but its still totally possible. i already drove down to the gulf to surf once. it was terrible but still fun, and i'll probably do it again pretty soon. where there's a will, there's a way.
but you definitely gotta learn to swim first
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Expand Quote
I'd love to learn how to surf. I spent a few days on the Oregon coast and chilled with some dudes from a surf shop up there, that got me a bit interested in trying it out. But a) I live in Austin so it's not really convenient and b) I can't fucking swim lol.
Maybe one day if I find myself on the coast again I'll rent some gear and grab floaties.
but you definitely gotta learn to swim first
Where did you go?
My wife and her friends want to take a trip to Galveston in a few weeks at some point, I know there's "waves" there.
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i went and scoped a few spots around corpus christi/port aransas. you might know more than me if you're an actual texan but i believe christi is both an easier drive (assuming you're coming from austin), and a cleaner beach than the galveston area.
this 2015 article about the scene at bob hall pier is a decent place to start. i had better luck and saw a lot more surfing at some other nearby spots, but i can't pretend to really know the scene:
https://www.surfer.com/features/around-the-bend/
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theres that wavepool in Waco, BSR Ranch. That place looks really fun
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theres that wavepool in Waco, BSR Ranch. That place looks really fun
The whole brain-eating-amoeba thing is kind of a turn off though
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yeah that does seem like a turnoff. I didn't know about it. Other than that it does look fun.
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(https://i.ibb.co/syz749Q/751-CEA69-7-AEA-45-A2-BB54-F5467390-F31-F.jpg) (https://ibb.co/SRGSgw0)
Speaking of the gulf, I just got this Vernor Mini Simmons to make crappy little waves a bit more fun. People seem to hold them in pretty high regard. Haven’t tried it out yet, hopefully soon
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Nice board! Gonna throw the Polar sticker on there? Saw a local dude take a Krooked sticker and arrange it to say “KOOK” on his board, thought that was pretty sick.
Flat spell here too, but might be able to catch some 2-3 footers tmrw. Calling for 8ft @ 7s Sunday, 100% chance of rain and 24mph onshore winds.. not sure if that’s doable but might check it out.
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Nah no sticker on the board atm, that sticker just chills in my surf kit in case I need to cover a little ding real quick
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theres that wavepool in Waco, BSR Ranch. That place looks really fun
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Surfed Ft. Pierce yesterday in Florida and there was a whole lot of sharks in the water. Bait fish everywhere too. Waves were choppy but I was able to surf my new board so it was good. Just too many sharks though, which made it a little frustrating. Last time I surfed north of my home (about a month ago), I went to walton rocks and a guy near got his foot bit off by a shark. It seems like theres more than ever recently.
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i went and scoped a few spots around corpus christi/port aransas. you might know more than me if you're an actual texan but i believe christi is both an easier drive (assuming you're coming from austin), and a cleaner beach than the galveston area.
this 2015 article about the scene at bob hall pier is a decent place to start. i had better luck and saw a lot more surfing at some other nearby spots, but i can't pretend to really know the scene:
https://www.surfer.com/features/around-the-bend/
ayo my hometown is corpus, Bob Hall pier gets reallys good, although it hasn't been as good and has been more fickle last few years. Packery Channel is more consistent and a slower wave. Usually a larger outside that has more longboards and then a dumpier inside that is fun. The crowds are usually bad here. A spot a lot of people sleep on is the seawall, the southside of packery channel over in front of the hotels gets fun. Port Aransas is fun although usually too slow to shortboard properly for me
Almost always better there than galveston. surfside and matagorda get pretty good too but i'd usually rather go to corpus.
living in houston now and the commute to galveston is a nightmare on the highway
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Expand Quote
i went and scoped a few spots around corpus christi/port aransas. you might know more than me if you're an actual texan but i believe christi is both an easier drive (assuming you're coming from austin), and a cleaner beach than the galveston area.
this 2015 article about the scene at bob hall pier is a decent place to start. i had better luck and saw a lot more surfing at some other nearby spots, but i can't pretend to really know the scene:
https://www.surfer.com/features/around-the-bend/
ayo my hometown is corpus, Bob Hall pier gets reallys good, although it hasn't been as good and has been more fickle last few years. Packery Channel is more consistent and a slower wave. Usually a larger outside that has more longboards and then a dumpier inside that is fun. The crowds are usually bad here. A spot a lot of people sleep on is the seawall, the southside of packery channel over in front of the hotels gets fun. Port Aransas is fun although usually too slow to shortboard properly for me
Almost always better there than galveston. surfside and matagorda get pretty good too but i'd usually rather go to corpus.
living in houston now and the commute to galveston is a nightmare on the highway
Thanks for the tips! I found the currents to be brutal. I’ve never had to paddle so hard to surf 3 foot waves in my life. The only upside is that I’ve also never found duck diving so easy. Most of those waves don’t have too much power and aren’t too thick, at least compared to a comparable sized wave in the Atlantic or pacific. This is helpful because they come at you *constantly*.
I wasn’t gonna name spots since I know some people don’t like that... but since you already mentioned a few: I went to bob hall first, and it seemed like the north side of the pier was working better, but the current was so strong eventually I just decided to drift south for a while and catch some lesser waves without as much of a fight. I’m sure that it’s all variable according to the insane winds y’all get down there, and changing all the time. North side packery channel was a little better and where I probably had the best luck. Also checked out Horace Caldwell but it didn’t really look worth paddling out. I’ll scope out the seawall next time.
I’ve been swimming laps in a gym pool up here in Austin to try and get my shoulders ready for my next trip down there. When you Texas folks show up at other breaks you must be amazed at how much easier it is to stay in position, like taking off the ankle weights or something.
But in more immediate news, I’m going back to NY/NJ to visit family next week and hoping to score some proper tropical system swells. My old home breaks in NJ looked insanely fun on the cams over the weekend and I can’t wait to get back out there.
So I’m gonna have to bring boards on an airplane, which I’ve never done before. Anyone have tips?
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I wasn't going to name the spots...but they are super well known and the crowds here aren't like california.
Plus the terrible reliability of surf here keeps people away.
The short period swells are annoying, less power but constant duck diving etc. First time I went to San Clemente I couldn't believe it. Actual sets coming in, and long lulls.
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This is North Packery in early June
Going for a front side floater here, this board is a little over volumed but it makes the floaters so fun. In typical fashion I had a killer one right before this and he didn't get a pic and i barely made this weird late one
(https://i.imgur.com/GO72rUS.jpg)
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Love a floater @lemonchicken91 . Seem to be way easier on twin fins for me for some reason.
Just got back from a five day run, camping and surfing mostly solo in a remote part of the PNW. Scored one of my favorite spots three days in a row. It wasn't epic but had some good moments. Got shit smacked out of me going for a decent shore breaky tube. Nice to do nothing but surf and sleep outside for a few days...
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Sorry to share my kook tales when most of you actually shred, but after 3 years of surfing I finally got my leash ripped off me and it def sucked. Got held down twice in row, for probably only 5-10 seconds each time but it felt longer, just made sure to keep cool and not panic. I’m an okay swimmer, but damn it’s not easy trying to get to your board in a 4/3 and boots after getting worked.
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You’ll be right mate
A couple years ago we drove up to nationals and the bro wanted to surf the bar, pumping and messy, so we drove around re parked
I had been up all night on the rack and was legit having a snooze between sets and at some point I went for one and bitched it and full went over the falls it was heinous
Lost the board off that and this old cunt on a longboard said you want to paddle in with me and I said nah all g just swam it but I tell you it was close like I didn’t realise at the time but when I stood up on the sand I was fucked and cunts were looking at me all smh
It didn’t feel like it but I was easy ten mins off drowning it wears you out bro and you don’t even realise
No ego but if I was a tourist I would have drowned offshore that day, 100%
TLDR, don’t fucken paddle out on a big day when you been up all night on the bag
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Leashes are great but:
-they sometimes break
-they aren't an excuse to ditch your board
-they aren't an excuse to put put yourself into a situation you can't swim out of.
This is more to remind myself than criticize anyone else...
it's sometimes fun to surf without a leash to see how you handle things. Not recommended around other people but give it a go on a mellow day first. Feel the zen.
I don't longboard often but when I do I can never bring myself to put a leash on a log.
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I rate surfing without a leash I mean I got em but yeah 100 on what you said mate
You way get better without a leash, just it pisses cunts off
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had to surf south beach without a leash yesterday because the surf was so full of sargasso. Wearing a leash with that means paddling with an extra 20 pounds strung to your leash. I hate the stuff. No board ditching or loss though, it was small and easily manageable.
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I was running a Twin/Trailer MR set on that lost RNF Redux. So fun to floater on, I don't love twins though, the speed is there but you have to adjust your timing and I don't enjoy that when I get on those dumpier inside sections.
Actually have a sketch story month or so ago.
Storm swell was filling in in Galveston and it was crazy current. Waves messy and chaotic still not huge.
I paddle out next to pier and get pulled under pier.
whatever no biggie. I duck dive a wave as I'm getting to the outside area and come up and cant move...
My leash is wrapped around a football sized chunk of barnacles.
Shit.. Okay Ill pull it off. No Dice.
I'm on the other side of the pier now leash stuck so I rip it off my ankle no big deal.
Then I realize my board will NOT come off the pier. I'm not leaving my board on the pier and I'd rather drown than get rescued.
So I'm holding my board getting smashed by waves into the pylon somehow avoiding barnacles by putting my arm stiff arm as high as I can reach on the pylon (my fins and board ate most of the damage)
Trying to undo that Velcro part where my leash is on my board felt like an eternity, every time I almost had it I had to secure myself for another wave. Got it and paddled in didn't even catch a wave. My board was all scraped up but I somehow avoided any major barnacle gashes. Shook me for a few weeks.
no matter how experienced you are the ocean will whoop that azz for free. Much shame.
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damn lemon, bad luck/ good instincts
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Leashes are great but:
-they sometimes break
-they aren't an excuse to ditch your board
-they aren't an excuse to put put yourself into a situation you can't swim out of.
This is more to remind myself than criticize anyone else...
it's sometimes fun to surf without a leash to see how you handle things. Not recommended around other people but give it a go on a mellow day first. Feel the zen.
I don't longboard often but when I do I can never bring myself to put a leash on a log.
I have an 11' glider and have been pretty thankful for the leash at some points. I thought it was going to really hurt someone once when i fell and it rocketed straight towards a girls face. leash stopped it in time though. my wife has been surfing a lot longer than me though and really only accepts a leash if she is on her shortboard
the surf here in the southeast has been really fun. been getting out on my 7' single fin egg. so much fun after a summer of gliding. I would like to get something the next step down towards shortboard. smaller bonzer or something
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Just an opinion but I did't like the Bonzers I tried as grovellers. They do better with some power. I like wide tailed quads for 'step-downs.'
I'm sure The Campbell Bros can make boards for small waves but something about a big center fin feels like an anchor in weak surf. Quads, Twins free things up a bit and keep your turns spicy.
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just wanted to post up in here and say that I despise rich assholes with hydrofoils and most SUP peeps(stand up paddle boarders)
Some SUP people are older and this is their way of staying active and I can respect that as long as they're respectful and not trying to snake every wave
Also I ordered a midlength 7'1 single fin egg. It should be finished in about two months, can't wait for it
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You are correct on all fronts. Single fins can be tough to master properly but on the right wave that allows you to plan out some turns they feel great. Getting a nice Greenough 4A flex fin for your board?
I've been stuck on my 7'6" Twin fin... its just cheating at this point. Hoping to skip work next week for a shortboard mission...
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^this is what I have been told by friends. I am going to have to be patient with this board and take the time to really understand it
I haven't decided on a fin - is the Greenough something that you'd recommend? TBH my knowledge on fins isn't that great. I need to do more research. I was lowkey banking on whatever the shaper recommended haha
7'6 twin fin sounds so fun. My buddy has a twin fin in a similar size and I have had a blast anytime I have caught a wave on it.
We had an oil spill out here in Southern California so I haven't been out in almost two weeks. I think imma go out this weekend though
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^this is what I have been told by friends. I am going to have to be patient with this board and take the time to really understand it
I haven't decided on a fin - is the Greenough something that you'd recommend? TBH my knowledge on fins isn't that great. I need to do more research. I was lowkey banking on whatever the shaper recommended haha
7'6 twin fin sounds so fun. My buddy has a twin fin in a similar size and I have had a blast anytime I have caught a wave on it.
We had an oil spill out here in Southern California so I haven't been out in almost two weeks. I think imma go out this weekend though
I really like the Greenough fins. I have a 8" Greenough on my 7' egg and it is really fun, I was a little unsure of the size at first but it is what the shaper ordered for it so i thought I would see. holds the board solidly. I tried a smaller Greenough in it but the board felt too loose and it seemed harder to generate power
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Just an opinion but I did't like the Bonzers I tried as grovellers. They do better with some power. I like wide tailed quads for 'step-downs.'
I'm sure The Campbell Bros can make boards for small waves but something about a big center fin feels like an anchor in weak surf. Quads, Twins free things up a bit and keep your turns spicy.
Ok, I will keep that in mind. my friend has a Campbell brothers I will ask him about. I thought about going mini simmons as an alternative. planing hull seems fun.
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^this is what I have been told by friends. I am going to have to be patient with this board and take the time to really understand it
I haven't decided on a fin - is the Greenough something that you'd recommend? TBH my knowledge on fins isn't that great. I need to do more research. I was lowkey banking on whatever the shaper recommended haha
7'6 twin fin sounds so fun. My buddy has a twin fin in a similar size and I have had a blast anytime I have caught a wave on it.
We had an oil spill out here in Southern California so I haven't been out in almost two weeks. I think imma go out this weekend though
I really like the Greenough fins. I have a 8" Greenough on my 7' egg and it is really fun, I was a little unsure of the size at first but it is what the shaper ordered for it so i thought I would see. holds the board solidly. I tried a smaller Greenough in it but the board felt too loose and it seemed harder to generate power
Nice, sounds like mine is going to be a super similar setup!
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I also use an 8" Greenough Flex 4A in my 7'2" egg (kind of like the Devon Howard model) and it seems like the right amount of fin for that length but really I prefer it as a 2+1. Way easier to surf.
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Just got back from 2 weeks in NY and NJ.
Caught hurricane Sam in Rockaway which was pretty darn bad. There was so much hype for such a choppy mess, plus it happened over a weekend so the crowds were horrific. I saw someone lay hands on a SUPer who was being a danger to himself and others.
Managed to catch some pretty good sessions once I left NYC and got to Jersey. There were times when I had a peak to myself on clean little 3ft days, perfect for just cruising down the line on my new mini Simmons, going over the shoulder, paddling back out, and instantly getting another. Conditions that would have been a crowd nightmare under other circumstances, but not down the shore once tourists have left.
Now back to watching the Gulf of Mexico forecasts to see if I can manage to score down there sometime.
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Can't ask for more than some solo clean shoulder high peelers. Sounds fun. @mj23
Its officially La Nina which typically means pretty crappy surf for Northern Oregon with only a limited spot or two offering any consistency.
Hopefully I can get some missions North and South, on the go but that's hard in shitty weather.
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I was running a Twin/Trailer MR set on that lost RNF Redux. So fun to floater on, I don't love twins though, the speed is there but you have to adjust your timing and I don't enjoy that when I get on those dumpier inside sections.
Actually have a sketch story month or so ago.
Storm swell was filling in in Galveston and it was crazy current. Waves messy and chaotic still not huge.
I paddle out next to pier and get pulled under pier.
whatever no biggie. I duck dive a wave as I'm getting to the outside area and come up and cant move...
My leash is wrapped around a football sized chunk of barnacles.
Shit.. Okay Ill pull it off. No Dice.
I'm on the other side of the pier now leash stuck so I rip it off my ankle no big deal.
Then I realize my board will NOT come off the pier. I'm not leaving my board on the pier and I'd rather drown than get rescued.
So I'm holding my board getting smashed by waves into the pylon somehow avoiding barnacles by putting my arm stiff arm as high as I can reach on the pylon (my fins and board ate most of the damage)
Trying to undo that Velcro part where my leash is on my board felt like an eternity, every time I almost had it I had to secure myself for another wave. Got it and paddled in didn't even catch a wave. My board was all scraped up but I somehow avoided any major barnacle gashes. Shook me for a few weeks.
no matter how experienced you are the ocean will whoop that azz for free. Much shame.
That’s wild bro
I guess we all in diff areas so diff spots for all of us - no bullshit I’ve never been anywhere near a pier, fully just do point breaks and beach breaks, no reefs no nothing and it’s always nice warm water
Full country club type shit now I think about it
When I was a kid we were leaving the beach just at pumicestone passage, it’s just a swimming spot
Anyway it was like last jumps into the water we’re going home and I fully scraped my knee on a barnacle or oyster or whatever, like it was fine but defz cut me open
Anyway, yeah so I’m scared of sharp pointy things no lie
I have seen videos of people shooting a pier I think they call it
That’s some fucking old school shit hey, I don’t think I’d be comfortable trying that hey bro
Respect
This came up on insta the other day
Mad little barrel ay!
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CVTax0HhdX7/?utm_medium=copy_link
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Has anybody tried an Isuru wetsuit? I just got a 2mil no zip from them that is supposed to be the same warmth as a 3/2. It looks really nice and the reviews are really good. Just have to wait for waves to try it.
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^I haven't but looking at them now. They look super nice. That is wild they are saying their 2mm is as warm as their 3/2! Never heard of that. Where are you located? water temp is dropping down here
I have been looking at getting a new suit recently too. I have had my rip curl 3/2 e bomb for a little over 2 years and it finally has a few holes in it. I have been trying to decide between getting another rip curl or trying out another brand. I have been super happy with my rip curl overall
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Great session today. Left town in the dark and paddled out just after dawn. Classic October Oregon Dawn Patrol. Offshore winds grooming a nice 4' to 5' swell wrapping into a little cove. Long workable lefts for days. First shortboard session in months. Took out my 6'2" twin fin and did more turns than I have in a long time. Stoked. Might try again tomorrow before La Nina shuts us down again.
You CA guys must be scoring out of your minds....
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I've been consistently hurting myself in the water recently, and continuing on surfing through the pain. Ah, the ravages of age.
Anyway, did a run to urbnsurf in Melbourne recently.
(https://i.imgur.com/EDk4HPb.jpg)
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What camera is that bro
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What camera is that bro
Dunno. It's the in-house photog at the pool
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Dunno. It's the in-house photog at the pool
Ohh yep makes sense, dece photo mate like it’s focused sick
How do those wave pools go? They are doing one up this way but it’s not open yet
I heard you get heaps of waves for the time you’re in there for
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Dunno. It's the in-house photog at the pool
Ohh yep makes sense, dece photo mate like it’s focused sick
How do those wave pools go? They are doing one up this way but it’s not open yet
I heard you get heaps of waves for the time you’re in there for
It's pretty sick. Pretty weird wave. No real power up top, so off the lips etc have to be nursed a little. It'll expose any weaknesses in your surfing no doubt. I think 18 sets come through an hour, and if it's not a full sesh, you'll get a wave every set. Even if it is, you'll only miss 3 or 4 waves. Heaps of Barneys out there over-estimating their skill level getting in the way though. Fucking annoying. Barrel setting is pretty sweet I must say.
(https://i.imgur.com/Q8P0DNF.jpg)
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Dunno. It's the in-house photog at the pool
Ohh yep makes sense, dece photo mate like it’s focused sick
How do those wave pools go? They are doing one up this way but it’s not open yet
I heard you get heaps of waves for the time you’re in there for
It's pretty sick. Pretty weird wave. No real power up top, so off the lips etc have to be nursed a little. It'll expose any weaknesses in your surfing no doubt. I think 18 sets come through an hour, and if it's not a full sesh, you'll get a wave every set. Even if it is, you'll only miss 3 or 4 waves. Heaps of Barneys out there over-estimating their skill level getting in the way though. Fucking annoying. Barrel setting is pretty sweet I must say.
(https://i.imgur.com/Q8P0DNF.jpg)
Yeah bro, that looks alright for a man made tube hey!
I wanna try it out one day, there’s just nothing like that near me
Tried at that Darwin one but it’s like a kids wave pool you get told off for standing up haha, it’s not like a proper surfing one
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What's Greta"s take on wave pools?
Not sure I could ever bring myself to try one.
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This week’s time change means it’ll be dark when I get off work, which means I’ll be restricted to the odd weekend session until it changes back next spring. Sucks but at least I got a few decent waves in yesterday. My closest spot has LH point break and an A-frame, thought I was being smart by ditching the left for the A when it started getting crowded, but eventually did the paddle of shame back over once I realized it wasn’t working.
Another weird thing happened, some random out of towner guy with an Australian accent (def not matty), paddled out and immediately asked me where this other local break was. I knew vaguely where it was, but told him I was just a beginner and had no idea, which was half true. I’ve been at it for 3 years and never outright asked another local where a spot was.. am I a dick for not telling him, or was he being a little too forward with his request?
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Another weird thing happened, some random out of towner guy with an Australian accent (def not matty), paddled out and immediately asked me where this other local break was. I knew vaguely where it was, but told him I was just a beginner and had no idea, which was half true. I’ve been at it for 3 years and never outright asked another local where a spot was.. am I a dick for not telling him, or was he being a little too forward with his request?
Absolutely NOT a dick. When somebody asks me shit like this, I will politely explain that i can't tell them that, or I'll get killed.
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I wouldn't give that info out either. My friend who lives and surfs on a remote stretch of the Oregon coast will only take me to his spots he won't give me names or directions. "I can't tell you but I'll show you." No way a stranger is getting any intel. The internet makes that shit all too easy anyway.
One of my regular spots is a 15 minute hike in and I love when people ask me how it was back in the car park. I try to be nice but my usual response is "You're about to find out" or "I had to walk down and check and so should you." Or "Got a longboard?" and walk away...
Surfers suck. I don't want to make their lives any easier.
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Yeah honestly cunts are on to it like anyone can google anything I probably would just say ‘I don’t know bro’
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Probably a noob question, I am after all a noob. Drove out to Lake Ontario with some friends because there were high winds these past couple days. It was fun but I after a couple hours I started to feel nauseous. Earlier this summer I surfed another wind swell spot and the same thing happened, I got seasick. Anybody know if this is common, or have any tricks to deal with it?
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Finally got some waves over 1' on halloween, and didn't see a single shark this time around, and was able to surf a board I recently finished making. I think I maybe would move the center fin back about 1/2" whenever I repeat this board build. It's pretty loose as is so I wound up going with a large fin set when I normally surf mediums in most conditions. Other than that it seems really fun with a mellow single concave all the way through and a flat deck.
(https://i.ibb.co/ZJt065R/watermellon-web.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZJt065R)
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Probably a noob question, I am after all a noob. Drove out to Lake Ontario with some friends because there were high winds these past couple days. It was fun but I after a couple hours I started to feel nauseous. Earlier this summer I surfed another wind swell spot and the same thing happened, I got seasick. Anybody know if this is common, or have any tricks to deal with it?
Do you also get seasick when surfing other spots/conditions? Are you thinking it has something to do with the combo of windswell and freshwater? Does it happen in the ocean as well?
I brought a skate friend surfing once, and he got seasick after 30 min or so, just from floating around in the Atlantic
I sometimes get seasick on like fishing boats and such, but thankfully I’ve never had a problem when surfing
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Probably a noob question, I am after all a noob. Drove out to Lake Ontario with some friends because there were high winds these past couple days. It was fun but I after a couple hours I started to feel nauseous. Earlier this summer I surfed another wind swell spot and the same thing happened, I got seasick. Anybody know if this is common, or have any tricks to deal with it?
I used to get that! I actually put it down to what I eat for breakfast before surfing. I used to eat a lot of bread. Now I don't. I also make sure to be pretty well hydrated and neck down a coconut water before paddling out (stops the cold water cramping).
Got a little nauseous the other day but I had had a shitty breakfast, paddled out at dawn, forgot my coconut water and surfed over three hours, non-stop paddling and surfing at a spot that is notorious for floating bird shit.
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Finally got some waves over 1' on halloween, and didn't see a single shark this time around, and was able to surf a board I recently finished making. I think I maybe would move the center fin back about 1/2" whenever I repeat this board build. It's pretty loose as is so I wound up going with a large fin set when I normally surf mediums in most conditions. Other than that it seems really fun with a mellow single concave all the way through and a flat deck.
(https://i.ibb.co/ZJt065R/watermellon-web.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZJt065R)
are you in aus? jesus christ if 'seeing a shark' was a regular thing for me I would most likely never surf haha. Of course I am aware of their existence and understand I am in their habitat but ignorance is bliss
This week’s time change means it’ll be dark when I get off work, which means I’ll be restricted to the odd weekend session until it changes back next spring. Sucks but at least I got a few decent waves in yesterday. My closest spot has LH point break and an A-frame, thought I was being smart by ditching the left for the A when it started getting crowded, but eventually did the paddle of shame back over once I realized it wasn’t working.
I'm with ya. getting darker earlier sucks. The sunrise also being later makes it harder for me to get out before work now. On that note I did get off work earlier yesterday and had a great afternoon session and got out of the water when it was practically dark out. kinda glassed off around that time and made for such a fun session
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Im in Florida.
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Im in Florida.
Florida is cursed, the most consistent spot there is literally the shark bite capital of the entire world. its also gotten more and more crowded, for some pretty meh waves
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Florida is cursed, the most consistent spot there is literally the shark bite capital of the entire world. its also gotten more and more crowded, for some pretty meh waves
Yeah NSB looks fun a lot but way too many sharks.
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So I stumbled upon the Surfline IG and noticed Mavericks was going off when we had our storm here in the Bay Area. Dumb question but are waves normally higher and better after a rain storm? We have another storm next week and I sort of want to take some surf photos if the waves get high again.
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Not neccsarily. In fact storms can really mess the surf up. Mavericks seems to like big NW swells. So if Alaska and the PNW are getting hammered by giant winter swells, Mavs could be on. If the storm is too close it can mess the surf up. Generally speaking you want the source of the storm to be hundreds of miles away (this is called fetch). This is why the PNW suffers with a lot of crummy winter storm surf. We are too close to the source. In CA you are often blessed with a longer fetch.
Rain can impact rivermouth sandbars. There are a few classic rivermouth surf breaks that get good after heavy rain but in CA they are notorious for pollution.
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i bought a 6'-4" mini simmons with glassed in fins today. Made by a local shaper and I have 2 of his boards, an egg and a glider, that I really like so I am looking forward to trying it. Also bought a Isurus 2.2 mil wetsuit that is supposed to be the equivalent of a 3/2 so if we ever get good waves it should be fun.
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i bought a 6'-4" mini simmons with glassed in fins today. Made by a local shaper and I have 2 of his boards, an egg and a glider, that I really like so I am looking forward to trying it. Also bought a Isurus 2.2 mil wetsuit that is supposed to be the equivalent of a 3/2 so if we ever get good waves it should be fun.
sounds sick! got any pics? also what size is your egg and how do you like that?
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Not neccsarily. In fact storms can really mess the surf up. Mavericks seems to like big NW swells. So if Alaska and the PNW are getting hammered by giant winter swells, Mavs could be on. If the storm is too close it can mess the surf up. Generally speaking you want the source of the storm to be hundreds of miles away (this is called fetch). This is why the PNW suffers with a lot of crummy winter storm surf. We are too close to the source. In CA you are often blessed with a longer fetch.
Rain can impact rivermouth sandbars. There are a few classic rivermouth surf breaks that get good after heavy rain but in CA they are notorious for pollution.
Thanks for the input. I guess I'll just check on websites the day before to see if it is worth going out.
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i bought a 6'-4" mini simmons with glassed in fins today. Made by a local shaper and I have 2 of his boards, an egg and a glider, that I really like so I am looking forward to trying it. Also bought a Isurus 2.2 mil wetsuit that is supposed to be the equivalent of a 3/2 so if we ever get good waves it should be fun.
sounds sick! got any pics? also what size is your egg and how do you like that?
Yeah man post pics if you can, I'd love to have a look. I got a 6'2" x 22.6" x 2.9" x 46L vernor mini sim a few months ago and it's pretty fun, although i know a lot of people believe mini simmons boards should be a good bit smaller in order to get the proper experience. do you generally ride high volume boards? i do, because i'm not all that skillful and only medium fit, hence the boatlike dimensions of my simmons
i've noticed that when i get a proper bottom turn in it will just take off and skate across the water like crazy, but if i don't pick the speed up properly right away it's easy to bog down the extremely fat nose. would love to try a smaller one, i could imagine the pumping might be paradoxically easier in some ways because you can just kind of manhandle the thing, but idk. either way a cool and wacky board, great for small waves and way easier to toss in my car than a longboard
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i bought a 6'-4" mini simmons with glassed in fins today. Made by a local shaper and I have 2 of his boards, an egg and a glider, that I really like so I am looking forward to trying it. Also bought a Isurus 2.2 mil wetsuit that is supposed to be the equivalent of a 3/2 so if we ever get good waves it should be fun.
sounds sick! got any pics? also what size is your egg and how do you like that?
i've noticed that when i get a proper bottom turn in it will just take off and skate across the water like crazy, but if i don't pick the speed up properly right away it's easy to bog down the extremely fat nose. would love to try a smaller one, i could imagine the pumping might be paradoxically easier in some ways because you can just kind of manhandle the thing, but idk. either way a cool and wacky board, great for small waves and way easier to toss in my car than a longboard
Yeah I ride high volume boards. I am 6'-4 200lbs and moderately skilled.
The minisimmons is definitely going to be a weird board but I am looking forward to it. I like the whole idea of planeing hulls At 6-4 this seems like it is outside of the normal realm of minisimmons and when I had talked to the shaper about a bigger simmons a few years ago he though they got sketchy over 6' but I guess he changed his mind. The resin is supposed to look distressed
This is mine:
(https://i.imgur.com/zAKqgdi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WCb88Hi.jpg)
His more normal minisimmons:
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krvCTirek4Y/TnvkQ0N5OrI/AAAAAAAAADw/cvVasVI-zdg/s1600/sept.2011+003.JPG)
My egg is 7' and really fun. single fin very thick. similar to this one but one color.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3JSIdBULc0s/TxeSokyzrmI/AAAAAAAAAHM/3oo6LBKccYU/s1600/mid+jan+2012+010_crop.jpg)
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Latest pickups;
(http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/5mm-quiksilver-highline-neogoo-wetusit-gloves-black.jpg)
(http://internetfusion.imgix.net/1025917.jpg)
Couldn’t financially justify balling out on O’Neil, Xcel, or Solite gear.. hoping these will do the trick for a few good winter sessions. Water gets as low as 2c up here but I managed last winter with cheap ass 5mm Decathlon gloves/boots, these should be a step up and I can always add layers under if need be.
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i feel for you cold water surfers...waves often look real nice but it would take a massive mental effort just to paddle out
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i feel for you cold water surfers...waves often look real nice but it would take a massive mental effort just to paddle out
'
I paddled out early this morning and it was super cold out down here for socal. my feet hurt just walking on the pavement back to my car. much respect for you cold water peeps. that's some real dedication that my fragile ass can't handle
also having a growing hole in my wetsuit isn't helping anything
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I don't mind the cold I just wish there were waves. Seems like it has been flat forever.
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Winter surfing in NJ can be pretty epic, really thins the crowd out. Even mediocre conditions are a joy when you have em nearly to yourself. Paddling out doesn’t bother me, as I generally get changed in the car. Getting changed afterwards, on the other hand, is miserable.
Gonna be heading out that way for Xmas soon, looks like there will be some swell to catch, I’m hyped. Then off to Hawaii in January, first time.
Will it be extremely sick? Will I slice my foot open on some coral? Only time can tell. Having grown up on beach breaks even the rocky points in CA have definitely been the cause of some dinged boards and stubbed toes. Thinking I might buy some reef shoes and just accept that I look kooky as shit.
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My parents live in Ocean City, NJ...and watching when it's firing in the winter makes it look worthwhile. Still though, cold water is tough to deal with. Maybe my blood got thin from having been in FL for near 20 years.
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Having a pretty epic run of waves here in NZ. I live in the north of the country and our west coast has been solid for weeks and have had a week long run at least on our east cast (way more fickle) and more to come.
Thanks to La Nina I guess. This time last year was trash in comparison.
Just got myself a Christenson fish in 5'8", could probably have gone to 5'6" if I wanted it for bigger days. At any rate, it's an incredible board. Has replaced my groveller and can surf it in bigger stuff as well - although struggles on steeper takeoffs.
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new quad I'm working on. It's glossy because it hasn't been sanded yet, so it will be dulled down a lot. I guess I tried to make it somewhat like an old school skateboard with a factory grip job.
(https://i.ibb.co/dM8tP5C/albumtemp-6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dM8tP5C)
single concave up front into a double through the fins with a little vee out the tail. Minor swallow. It's 5'5" x 19.9" x 2.4".
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new quad I'm working on. It's glossy because it hasn't been sanded yet, so it will be dulled down a lot. I guess I tried to make it somewhat like an old school skateboard with a factory grip job.
(https://i.ibb.co/dM8tP5C/albumtemp-6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dM8tP5C)
single concave up front into a double through the fins with a little vee out the tail. Minor swallow. It's 5'5" x 19.9" x 2.4".
That’s one of the sickest looking boards I’ve seen, the skate deck design is actually genius.
Haven’t been out in 2 weeks, really hoping to this upcoming weekend. Forecast yesterday was like 10ft @ 12s with crazy cross-off winds, which I wasn’t going near after the previous night’s family dinner where I drank 12 beers.
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That board looks amazing!
To go with the skate theme you could even do a concave deck on the next one!
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That board looks amazing!
To go with the skate theme you could even do a concave deck on the next one!
thanks! I've done concave decks on a few boards and I really like them.
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new quad I'm working on. It's glossy because it hasn't been sanded yet, so it will be dulled down a lot. I guess I tried to make it somewhat like an old school skateboard with a factory grip job.
(https://i.ibb.co/dM8tP5C/albumtemp-6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dM8tP5C)
single concave up front into a double through the fins with a little vee out the tail. Minor swallow. It's 5'5" x 19.9" x 2.4".
That’s one of the sickest looking boards I’ve seen, the skate deck design is actually genius.
Haven’t been out in 2 weeks, really hoping to this upcoming weekend. Forecast yesterday was like 10ft @ 12s with crazy cross-off winds, which I wasn’t going near after the previous night’s family dinner where I drank 12 beers.
thank you! 10ft at 12sec seems pretty wild.
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@finecojeffe that thing looks so sick! I love the skate influenced color.
I ride a 5'10 mayhem retro quad a lot that looks very similar. love it so much
(https://lostsurfboards.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/RNF.png)
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@finecojeffe that thing looks so sick! I love the skate influenced color.
I ride a 5'10 mayhem retro quad a lot that looks very similar. love it so much
I absolutely got some inspiration from the RNF though more than the retro, but wanted to go with the quad setup instead of the 2+1 the rnf has. I placed the boxes a little further apart than the retro has because I planned to use the fcs performer quad set and not a split keel. Also I kept the swallow a little shallower than the retro but deeper than the rnf. The tail width is definitely narrower than the retro too. I guess it's kind of hybrid of the two.
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That board looks amazing!
To go with the skate theme you could even do a concave deck on the next one!
Expand Quote
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new quad I'm working on. It's glossy because it hasn't been sanded yet, so it will be dulled down a lot. I guess I tried to make it somewhat like an old school skateboard with a factory grip job.
(https://i.ibb.co/dM8tP5C/albumtemp-6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dM8tP5C)
single concave up front into a double through the fins with a little vee out the tail. Minor swallow. It's 5'5" x 19.9" x 2.4".
That’s one of the sickest looking boards I’ve seen, the skate deck design is actually genius.
Haven’t been out in 2 weeks, really hoping to this upcoming weekend. Forecast yesterday was like 10ft @ 12s with crazy cross-off winds, which I wasn’t going near after the previous night’s family dinner where I drank 12 beers.
nice work @finecojeffe ! Love to try and shape a board one day but I know I lack the patience. You glass it yourself also?
La Nina is killing us in Oregon. A few windows here and there but a lot of storm surf... Looks to be settling down later this week.
Got a work bonus and placed an order for Channel Islands Rocket Wide Squash... Probably won't get it until later in Spring...
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That board looks amazing!
To go with the skate theme you could even do a concave deck on the next one!
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new quad I'm working on. It's glossy because it hasn't been sanded yet, so it will be dulled down a lot. I guess I tried to make it somewhat like an old school skateboard with a factory grip job.
(https://i.ibb.co/dM8tP5C/albumtemp-6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dM8tP5C)
single concave up front into a double through the fins with a little vee out the tail. Minor swallow. It's 5'5" x 19.9" x 2.4".
That’s one of the sickest looking boards I’ve seen, the skate deck design is actually genius.
Haven’t been out in 2 weeks, really hoping to this upcoming weekend. Forecast yesterday was like 10ft @ 12s with crazy cross-off winds, which I wasn’t going near after the previous night’s family dinner where I drank 12 beers.
nice work @finecojeffe ! Love to try and shape a board one day but I know I lack the patience. You glass it yourself also?
La Nina is killing us in Oregon. A few windows here and there but a lot of storm surf... Looks to be settling down later this week.
Got a work bonus and placed an order for Channel Islands Rocket Wide Squash... Probably won't get it until later in Spring...
yes, I did all of the steps on this...shaped it, painted it, made my own laminates, and glassed it. Rocket wide squash looks too fun. I've only had one CI board in the past (the Mini) and I put pressure dents in it all over it would up looking like a golf ball. It was a fun shape though.
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Yeah, I am aware of CI's glass jobs. I upgraded to the Standard glassing 6/4/4 and S Cloth. This one is also Epoxy over EPS. I'd never order an Ultralight or Team light. I like heavier boards typically but the heavier glass job will be offset by the construction on this one, I think. Spinetek, no stinger, carbon strips... we'll see. Like I said, I got a work bonus so decided to roll the dice on a fancy alternative tech...
Most my boards are from a local shaper friend and he always does 6/4/6 S Cloth for me.
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Picked up a used catch surf softtop for pretty cheap, in great shape. It's a 5'6, quad and performs surprisingly well. There'll be ice coming down any day now (im in the st lawrence river) and it just destroys fiberglass. I'm looking forward to not having to clean epoxy drips this year..
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just had my first sesh in the waco pool this week, truly weird vibe. not about to replace ocean surfing for me because the experience of chilling in some open water or at the beach is just missing. some people were clearly frothing on the addictive qualities of the wave but the organization of it all, being in a circuit and waiting your turn, etc, just feels like swim practice or something to me. The wave is pretty fast and hollow, which is cool for working on maneuvers. but it's short, and it's shaped like a horseshoe (bending away from you as you go down the line), so it loses power rather quickly. missed the first few waves entirely because you can't see em coming like you would in an ocean. you just listen for the machine to start up, spot a little ripple behind you, and start paddling while it jacks up over the course of just a few meters.
...but i'll definitely be back, lol
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interesting to read 1st person review of the place. I've been wanting to try that wavepool for a while.
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Friend of mine who is a good surfer, can read waves really well and has a good efficient take off said he could not dial in Waco... Nice to see him humbled...
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@Frank and Fred @mj23
damn, cool to hear about that waco pool. interesting that it is hard to read the set coming through, makes sense though. I just looked at the pricing - it is expensive but not as bad as i thought it'd be. i'd love to try it out
i am headed down to rosarito to surf for the weekend, super stoked. just got a new 4/3mm ripcurl omega for cheap(my 3/2 that i have had for almost 3 years finally has a hole in it) and picking up booties to deal with the rocks down there as well
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@Huell Howser
Sick. I will be there in February. My same friend has a surf shack at K38. Jammed full of all manner of boards. We will hole up there for a week and hopefully score some right handers...
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@Frank and Fred hell yea! I have the same situation(buddy with a trailer at k38) haha. Wonder if we are staying at the same spot
I'll report back but I'm sure you'll get some good waves. Last time I was out there in August a good swell came through, had a great time
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@Huell Howser Oh shit that is funny. Yeah summer south swells are best but its a nice winter respite from Oregon... Here are some photos I took on past visits to get you amped...
(https://i.imgur.com/CsEo9yV.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/OW1u64Z)
(https://i.imgur.com/GB26Sea.jpg)
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wow, those shots got me so hyped @Frank and Fred . hot damn, that had to be an awesome sesh
it does look like we might be staying at the same spot. Hard for me to remember if that cross in the first photo is within the same trailer park or not
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First time out in 3 weeks today, 10C air/7C water, finally started to get comfortable after about 45mins.. then board to face. Didn’t need stitches but split the inside of my lip bad enough to call it a day. Meanwhile, my old coworker is posting footy of herself on the dreamiest lefts at Chicama right now.
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Those pics are dreamy, thanks frank and fred
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How do those of you that surf on the PNW like it? I've spent my whole life surfing in NJ and have been thinking about a move to the portland or area (or preferably somewhere a little west of there). water seems chilly, but the coastline must offer something for every combo of wind/swell direction.
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The PNW can be a dreamy place to surf. It can also be hell. There is no shortage of swell. You can count on your hand the number times a year it gets completely flat. The water temp stays pretty cold all year. But you can also experience 45F water in June and 60F water in Feb. You have to pay attention to the currents and wind patterns to predict water temp. Then you have lots of winds. So you need headlands, jetties, coves etc to hide from giant storm swells and winds, and frankly there are not enough of these. Typically it is North wind Spring through Fall. Then a few months of offshore East winds and South all winter with a few offshore days.
We have some world class surf spots, but lots and lots of open featureless beach break. There is a lot to explore and still some pretty low key spots but the general rule of thumb is 'don't leave waves to look for waves.' You will mostly have to surf the same dozen or so spots everyone else surfs. Some are very welcoming, others are insanely crowded and others you are going to get into some level of altercation just by paddling out. You will often see perfect big empty surf and wonder why no one is on it and then find out the hard way, why. Lots of water, short period swell, harsh rips and small windows of good surf.
However, when the swell is small enough and the winds ease up you have hundreds of potential peaks up and down the coast. Some of my most memorable sessions have been finding perfect little sandbars with just a couple of friends. Its worth poking around. Sometimes, you score insane waves by accident. You find the right jetty on the right day with no one around but the seals (and whatever is chasing them).
Portland is not the best place to be a surfer but you can get to most of the best PNW spots for weekend strikes no problem. Seaside is about 1hr 45 mins away, Lincoln City a little more. There are more remote spots to scope around Coos Bay and the south coast. Finally, you can go up to WA and Van Isle where the giant winter swells wrap in to become perfect little boulder point breaks.... but good luck on timing those properly...
If you come here. A good hooded 4/3mm is mostly OK. Bring boards with more volume than you might think you need. You will paddle. A lot. A quiver is necessary. You'll need a high volume groveler or longboard for summer days, a beefy semigun for winter chaos and hopefully, a performance board for the days you really score. A lot of our waves are big and mushy so don't expect legit barrels except for a few notable spots where you will not be welcomed. Localism is real here. Some of these dudes live in the 1980s and will harass the shit out of you. Cars have been vandalized. Violence does occur. Learn ahead of time what you could be dealing with and time your paddle out accordingly. Generally speaking unless you are at a well established spot with a crowd don't paddle out on a group of three grumpy dudes who had it to themselves before you showed. Go to the next peak down...
I've surfed here 20 years and this coast still surprises the shit out of me. I live for the days where the bros and I stumble on our own remote peak and surf our brains out for hours. Still happens. If all else fails bring your skateboard, hiking boots or fishing rod. The PNW coast is a mind-melter on all fronts.
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anyone surf in a zip front wetsuit jacket? Through no fault of my own my size medium wetsuit top has shrunk (I've gained weight) and it rides up always like a crop top shirt. I need a new top. South FL winters often mean a wetsuit top but no need for a full suit. I was looking at the xcel sharkskin 2mm zip front top, but not sure if I want to pull the trigger on a jacket with a zipper in front for the reasons of it not being actually comfortable.
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The PNW can be a dreamy place to surf. It can also be hell. There is no shortage of swell. You can count on your hand the number times a year it gets completely flat. The water temp stays pretty cold all year. But you can also experience 45F water in June and 60F water in Feb. You have to pay attention to the currents and wind patterns to predict water temp. Then you have lots of winds. So you need headlands, jetties, coves etc to hide from giant storm swells and winds, and frankly there are not enough of these. Typically it is North wind Spring through Fall. Then a few months of offshore East winds and South all winter with a few offshore days.
We have some world class surf spots, but lots and lots of open featureless beach break. There is a lot to explore and still some pretty low key spots but the general rule of thumb is 'don't leave waves to look for waves.' You will mostly have to surf the same dozen or so spots everyone else surfs. Some are very welcoming, others are insanely crowded and others you are going to get into some level of altercation just by paddling out. You will often see perfect big empty surf and wonder why no one is on it and then find out the hard way, why. Lots of water, short period swell, harsh rips and small windows of good surf.
However, when the swell is small enough and the winds ease up you have hundreds of potential peaks up and down the coast. Some of my most memorable sessions have been finding perfect little sandbars with just a couple of friends. Its worth poking around. Sometimes, you score insane waves by accident. You find the right jetty on the right day with no one around but the seals (and whatever is chasing them).
Portland is not the best place to be a surfer but you can get to most of the best PNW spots for weekend strikes no problem. Seaside is about 1hr 45 mins away, Lincoln City a little more. There are more remote spots to scope around Coos Bay and the south coast. Finally, you can go up to WA and Van Isle where the giant winter swells wrap in to become perfect little boulder point breaks.... but good luck on timing those properly...
If you come here. A good hooded 4/3mm is mostly OK. Bring boards with more volume than you might think you need. You will paddle. A lot. A quiver is necessary. You'll need a high volume groveler or longboard for summer days, a beefy semigun for winter chaos and hopefully, a performance board for the days you really score. A lot of our waves are big and mushy so don't expect legit barrels except for a few notable spots where you will not be welcomed. Localism is real here. Some of these dudes live in the 1980s and will harass the shit out of you. Cars have been vandalized. Violence does occur. Learn ahead of time what you could be dealing with and time your paddle out accordingly. Generally speaking unless you are at a well established spot with a crowd don't paddle out on a group of three grumpy dudes who had it to themselves before you showed. Go to the next peak down...
I've surfed here 20 years and this coast still surprises the shit out of me. I live for the days where the bros and I stumble on our own remote peak and surf our brains out for hours. Still happens. If all else fails bring your skateboard, hiking boots or fishing rod. The PNW coast is a mind-melter on all fronts.
really enjoyed readin this PNW overview, thanks for that! I definitely gotta get up there at some point to surf
anyone surf in a zip front wetsuit jacket? Through no fault of my own my size medium wetsuit top has shrunk (I've gained weight) and it rides up always like a crop top shirt. I need a new top. South FL winters often mean a wetsuit top but no need for a full suit. I was looking at the xcel sharkskin 2mm zip front top, but not sure if I want to pull the trigger on a jacket with a zipper in front for the reasons of it not being actually comfortable.
never tried a wetsuit jacket just the pull over short sleeve wetsuit top
@Frank and Fred update on K38 - right as we were about to leave my buddy realized his passport had expired which was a huge bummer lmao. split decision we ended up still going down south and stayed/surfed in Cardiff which ended up being super sick. checking the cams it looked like the swell didn't look too great in rosarito so may have been a blessing in disguise(although was lookin forward to chillin in mexico). I gotta get back down to cardiff to surf, low wind all day and plenty of open beaches to choose from. met up with a buddy that surfs a lot down there and he was saying that the whole SD area has a bad summer season and really picks up in fall/winter
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@Huell Howser LMK when you come up. I can share a little more info that will help you find some waves. Typically late summer through December is the magic season... except during La Nina... But you can score any time of year if you know when and where to look.
Bummer about k38. Not so long ago your buddy probably could have rolled the dice without a passport but not a good idea these days.
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@Frank and Fred sounds good, appreciate it man! and yeah, we decided it wasn't worth him getting pulled into secondary for hours just for a quick trip. hoping to get down there soon again
the shaper I ordered my egg from said it just got back from getting glassed so I am picking it up today. so stoked. will post some pics of it later! been raining here almost every day for the last week so I won't be able to take it out for a few more days.
ordered this Skip Frye 8.5 for the egg. anyone tried one?
(https://cdn.blinksurf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/skip-Frye-colors.jpg)
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sorry for double post but here is my egg:
(https://i.ibb.co/1fT1cz3/IMG-4245.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/31hCNSp/IMG-4248.jpg)
so stoked on how it came out. Haven't got a chance to take it out(been sick) and I am waiting on my fin to get here. hoping to paddle out sometime this week or upcoming weekend
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Nice. That should be a really fun versatile wave catcher.
Surfed New Years Day on my 7'6" Twin Fin. Lots of fun. Super cold.
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the egg looks great, love the color
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Thing looks super fun! What’s the underside like? I have a fineline MP with a similar outline And a displacement hull... it was my first board and a terrible thing to learn on (especially in east coast beach breaks) but I don’t want to get rid of it until I try it out in some proper point break waves
I just got back from visiting family in NJ and LA for Xmas. Caught a nice shoulder high surprise swell Christmas Day in NJ, got totally skunked in LA by all the rain. Couldn’t pay me to get in with all that disgusting runoff, plus the sewage spill... yuck.
When I was in NJ I also got a nice deal on a 5’10” x 22” x 3” mini Simmons with glassed on twins. First time riding something so short, and first time on a twin. Paddling is a lot of work, but I figure it’s a nice board to leave at my moms house and pull out when waves are small.
But yo... riding a twin is hard. Shit slips and slides all around. I thought it would be at least as grippy as my retro single fin egg/hull... but it ain’t! Tips?
Also... has anyone ever rented boards in Hawaii? My gf’s parents are taking us there soon and I don’t want to piss them off by checking boards (they’re paying, and I want to be as low-impact as possible so they don’t regret it, lol). I just hope I don’t get stuck riding a pop out NSP or something.
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@mj23 Twins rule but can be bit tricky to dial in. Min Simmons aint called 'bars of soap' for nothing. I've never surfed one but I have surfed a few twin keel fish, performance shortboard twins and mid length twins. And the key is a good take off. Get in early and be solid on your bottom turn. Surf them off the tail, at least until you set your line. Do not try to crank them like a shortboard thruster. nurse the turns a bit until you can figure out what you can get away with. Stay low. Bend at the knees not at the waist. If you look at footage of people ripping a mini sims or twin keel fish its all about extension and compression of the knees. You are going to get some insane projection out of that thing when you dial it in.Personally, I think you'll want to find a nice forehand point break or at least some waves you can surf front side with a lot of open face and wall to them, not sectiony beach break closeouts. Anyway, you'll know what I'm talking about when you feel that spurt of speed after you come off the bottom.
How heavy are you? 5'10 x 22" x 3" is a lot of foam in that shape. You'll need some weight and leg strength to really lay a rail down. I have a similar dim board but at 200lbs I can wrestle it into submission.
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Thanks for the detailed response, that all makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately my home break in NJ is a fast and hollow beach break, one of the more consistent and punchy waves in the region but not ideal for a big open face. There’s one decent point an hour or so away, but it needs a bigger swell to work. And in my current location (Texas), forget about it. Currently trying to decide which day of 3 foot wind swell is worth driving out for :'(
It’ll be a while before I get a chance to really dive into the twin zone I guess. Hopefully this summer I’ll be back on a proper coast.
And regarding the dims— I’m 155lb, so it’ll probably be tough to set a rail in properly. But I’m so infatuated with the speed I get when it actually works. So weird, a bad takeoff and bottom turn is bog city, but on the rare occasion when I get it right the thing absolutely zooms
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Haven't surfed in a couple months. Been waiting for a mellow day to get back in the water however nonstop 4'-6'. Going out today, can't wait to get wrecked. Always takes me a little time to get my groove back. Just takes one wave for everything to click again
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4’-6’ is dream conditions when I’m on a good run, but a little large when out of practice for sure. Hope you scored some good ones and didn’t get rocked too hard! I haven’t been out in a month for a myriad of different reasons, hoping for a mellow return soon as well.
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Dream run in New Zealand continues. I've been surfing probably four days a week for the past three months. Could be surfing more but work and needing a rest every now and then - plus some skate time - have to be considered too!
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I'm jealous. Any time theres waves I'm working, or have other obligations. I've had 3 sessions in all of January, each was barely rideable on a bigger board too. There was a good swell on Saturday that I had to miss too.
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This La Nina hasn't been as bad as I feared. I managed five sessions in January... not bad for a Val kook. Even scored a classic Oregon spot weekend before last with just four of us out. I was not on my game and was shortboarding for the first time in a long time but managed to snag a few gems. The mid-lengths have really been a savior for head to toe neoprene and heavy water, strong current days while I am not in optimum paddle-shape.
I'm off to Baja in a week. Early forecast doesn't look epic but at a minimum it will be a week of longboarding and fish cruising on a right hand point in warm (for me) water.
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Anybody have any advice for la saladita? there hasn't really been any waves here in awhile and am not looking forward to the paddle. Trying to decide whether to take boards or rent them. I have been told there are nice rentals there and I really don't want to haul longboards so am leaning that way.
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Last time I was at La Saladita was before there was anything there beyond a local village. Very fun wave. The paddle is long but pretty easy. Longboard', mid length or some kind of fish will do you right.
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This La Nina hasn't been as bad as I feared. I managed five sessions in January... not bad for a Val kook. Even scored a classic Oregon spot weekend before last with just four of us out. I was not on my game and was shortboarding for the first time in a long time but managed to snag a few gems. The mid-lengths have really been a savior for head to toe neoprene and heavy water, strong current days while I am not in optimum paddle-shape.
I'm off to Baja in a week. Early forecast doesn't look epic but at a minimum it will be a week of longboarding and fish cruising on a right hand point in warm (for me) water.
So jealous, hope a swell comes through for ya. Sounds like you'll have an excellent time regardless
I got two sessions in last week. Wish I had time to get more early morning weekday sessions in but work has been starting earlier lately
also just thought of this. I used to live in Japan and there was one mexican spot that had amazing fish tacos I used to go often in the small city I lived in at the time. The owner was a japanese dude who lived in mexico for a few years studying cooking. A few years back he opened up a ramen shop in Ensenada haha. I haven't been yet but it looks amazing, might be worth checking out if you have the time
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mexipon+Ramen+%26+Curry+Bar/@31.860351,-116.6451384,12.92z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x80d89266fb2ffff9:0xa434f1a6eaa2189!2sMexipon+Ramen+%26+Curry+Bar!8m2!3d31.862788!4d-116.6283199!3m4!1s0x80d89266fb2ffff9:0xa434f1a6eaa2189!8m2!3d31.862788!4d-116.6283199
mexican spot in japan and ramen spot in mexico. sounds ass backwards but its awesome
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Just got back from 9 days in Hawaii. Rented a medium-crappy epoxy midlength for my week on the big island and some absolute dogshit 11ft nsp longboard for 2 days at Waikiki.
Much easier to get a wave at Canoes Waikiki than I expected. Crowded as fuck but 90% or more of them are basically stationary, and they’re so impressed when you whiz by them. Did a little cross stepping (first time, never really longboarded before) and got hoots from the kooks, made me feel pretty cool even though I actually kinda suck.
Big Island was a different beast. Spent a lot of time spot hunting. Managed to score one sesh with only 3 other guys at a secluded lava reef with a sharp shallow lava bottom and fast chest high rights. I was scared of pissing off the locals just by paddling out, but they ended up being real chill and calling me into some waves. Didn’t stick around long because it was a bit above my pay grade, but I managed to catch a few and make it out in one piece, so I was psyched.
Now that I’ve had a taste of surf travel with uncrowded waves I’m absolutely friending for another fix. Starting to think about a trip to Baja Sur. Seems like the quickest, cheapest direct flight option from TX.
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Just got back from 9 days in Hawaii. Rented a medium-crappy epoxy midlength for my week on the big island and some absolute dogshit 11ft nsp longboard for 2 days at Waikiki.
Much easier to get a wave at Canoes Waikiki than I expected. Crowded as fuck but 90% or more of them are basically stationary, and they’re so impressed when you whiz by them
Classic Hawaii experience lol. Big boards are so fun in town
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one word SHARKS fuck the water lol staying away from that shit had a homie that got attacked once
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@mj23 sounds like a great time. I gotta get out to hawaii, still never been. even if it is just to mess around on a shitty foamer trying to dodge human speed bumps I bet i'd have a great time just taking it all in haha
a nice swell came through socal. had a great session this morning before work at the crack of dawn. powerful offshore wind helping waves peel and causing crazy backspray. took out my fish instead of the newer egg which luckily, was the better choice. during one wave I caught I could barely tell what was going on as I was riding down the line because I was getting smacked in the face by excess water haha
anyone else been getting out lately?
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Surfing before work sounds awesome, but also feel like I’d struggle to stay awake afterwards haha.
Sun’s setting around 5:30pm now in the NE so been able to go out after work again. Yesterday started off a little dicey with the waves and crowd both a little out of my comfort zone, but as it got darker things mellowed out just enough and I caught a great one (for me) in, decent speed and a couple solid bottom/top turns. Made freezing my ass off for 2hrs worth it.
I love to research and daydream about buying a new board, but given my level I think I’m best off sticking with the Torq 7’4 for awhile. It really does strike a good balance of float/maneuverability/durability, and I still stand to learn a lot on it. Maybe I’ll try renting a fish this summer.
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I moved to NYC a couple months ago and recently got bit by the surfing bug. does anyone have any reccomendations for a good shop to buy a board and gear? also any good spots to surf besides the generic "the rockaways" or "long island" answer?
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Surfing before work sounds awesome, but also feel like I’d struggle to stay awake afterwards haha.
Sun’s setting around 5:30pm now in the NE so been able to go out after work again. Yesterday started off a little dicey with the waves and crowd both a little out of my comfort zone, but as it got darker things mellowed out just enough and I caught a great one (for me) in, decent speed and a couple solid bottom/top turns. Made freezing my ass off for 2hrs worth it.
I love to research and daydream about buying a new board, but given my level I think I’m best off sticking with the Torq 7’4 for awhile. It really does strike a good balance of float/maneuverability/durability, and I still stand to learn a lot on it. Maybe I’ll try renting a fish this summer.
its a great way to start the day for sure. and yep most def get a little tired. I usually catch a big nap(30-40 min) during lunch time and then have a cup of coffee after lunch and I am good to go
and i'd say that's cool you recognize you still got some stuff to learn on that 7'4 before buying your next board. I think that's a good call to try a few different boards if you can, that way you can get a better idea of what you'd like to buy when the time comes. i love my fish, it has a good amount of foam under my chest so its an easy paddle(for a shorter board) to get into waves. I can definitely see how much more responsive my fish now vs my single fin egg. love both but two different kinds of surfing for sure
@dudeonthecouch i think @mj23 was an east coaster so he might be able to provide ya with some info
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Surfing before work sounds awesome, but also feel like I’d struggle to stay awake afterwards haha.
Sun’s setting around 5:30pm now in the NE so been able to go out after work again. Yesterday started off a little dicey with the waves and crowd both a little out of my comfort zone, but as it got darker things mellowed out just enough and I caught a great one (for me) in, decent speed and a couple solid bottom/top turns. Made freezing my ass off for 2hrs worth it.
I love to research and daydream about buying a new board, but given my level I think I’m best off sticking with the Torq 7’4 for awhile. It really does strike a good balance of float/maneuverability/durability, and I still stand to learn a lot on it. Maybe I’ll try renting a fish this summer.
its a great way to start the day for sure. and yep most def get a little tired. I usually catch a big nap(30-40 min) during lunch time and then have a cup of coffee after lunch and I am good to go
and i'd say that's cool you recognize you still got some stuff to learn on that 7'4 before buying your next board. I think that's a good call to try a few different boards if you can, that way you can get a better idea of what you'd like to buy when the time comes. i love my fish, it has a good amount of foam under my chest so its an easy paddle(for a shorter board) to get into waves. I can definitely see how much more responsive my fish now vs my single fin egg. love both but two different kinds of surfing for sure
@dudeonthecouch i think @mj23 was an east coaster so he might be able to provide ya with some info
@mj23 could ya help pointing me in the right direction?
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Does anyone know of a surfing forum that has a similar vibe to slap? I’ve poked around a little and a lot of them seem super lame, plus the surfer.com forum has gigantic ads that make mobile usage basically impossible.
forum.realsurf.com but I dont think they use it as much as you guys use slap.. also I'm new here I don't know how to post links
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Surfing before work sounds awesome, but also feel like I’d struggle to stay awake afterwards haha.
Sun’s setting around 5:30pm now in the NE so been able to go out after work again. Yesterday started off a little dicey with the waves and crowd both a little out of my comfort zone, but as it got darker things mellowed out just enough and I caught a great one (for me) in, decent speed and a couple solid bottom/top turns. Made freezing my ass off for 2hrs worth it.
I love to research and daydream about buying a new board, but given my level I think I’m best off sticking with the Torq 7’4 for awhile. It really does strike a good balance of float/maneuverability/durability, and I still stand to learn a lot on it. Maybe I’ll try renting a fish this summer.
its a great way to start the day for sure. and yep most def get a little tired. I usually catch a big nap(30-40 min) during lunch time and then have a cup of coffee after lunch and I am good to go
and i'd say that's cool you recognize you still got some stuff to learn on that 7'4 before buying your next board. I think that's a good call to try a few different boards if you can, that way you can get a better idea of what you'd like to buy when the time comes. i love my fish, it has a good amount of foam under my chest so its an easy paddle(for a shorter board) to get into waves. I can definitely see how much more responsive my fish now vs my single fin egg. love both but two different kinds of surfing for sure
@dudeonthecouch i think @mj23 was an east coaster so he might be able to provide ya with some info
Sure— for NYC I would say just get out there as much as you now before the summer crowds show up. It gets fucking harsh.
For LI I honestly don’t know, never went
For NJ I grew up very close to one of the two most well known spots, both which are easy to scope on Surfline. Jersey summers are tough as well, with paid beach badges and crowds and rules against surfing from 9 to 5. So you gotta plan around that. And the shore cops are real dicks if you have NY plates because they need to suck up a whole years worth of income during a 3 month tourist season. The consistent spots are crowded and the uncrowded spots are fickle. But it’s absolutely wonderful in the fall.
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Just got back from a solid trip, south of the boarder. Lucked into a legit out-of-season south swell. Surfed a 7'10" fun gun on the big days and a fishy 6'2" on the smaller days. Two sessions a day in warm (for me) water, balmy air temps and glassy green conditions unloading on Baja Norte reefs. Pretty stoked.
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@Frank and Fred man, if you were down there last weekend I am sure you had such a good time. I caught a couple of great sessions last week. Any pics from the swell down there at k38?
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Some crappy cell phone pics. Did not take my proper camera and lens this time as I wanted to travel light. Kind of regret that...
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Back from a week in La Saladita. It was a lot of fun. Rented longboards from Lourdes. It was $100 for the week and the boards were really nice, I got a 10' CJ Nelson that was basically in perfect condition.
The wave can be crowded but it was fine. We got up early and would paddle out when there were just a few people. Around 11 the wind would get on it and we would usually go back out sometime later in the day. The flights from the southeast US were brutal though.
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sounds so fun^ a long baja trip is definitely on my list for this upcoming spring/summer. really hoping to inherit the trailer we go to down at k38(friend's family that doesn't go anymore) alongside my friend
since i've been reading the book barbarian days i've been looking at old footage of spots the author frequented back in the 60s/70s. came across the encyclopedia of surfing vimeo page and there is so many gems
*video can't be shared as an iframe for some reason but can click and watch it on vimeo
https://vimeo.com/250670892
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(https://i.imgur.com/VohuWsl.jpg)
got my new custom Rocket Wide Squash in the mail yesterday.
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@Frank and Fred damn that thing looks fun to ride! dig the color. what are the specs?
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6'0 x 20.75 x 2 3/4". I'm old and 200lbs. This will be my 'performance' board from about thigh high to a little overhead. I hope... Been having a lot of fun on midsized boards and twins but I have my most fun on beefed up stubby shortboards.
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That sounds great. Haha I feel ya, that is probably as 'performance' as I would go. Still get into waves a little more easily with that foam and have way more responsiveness than a midlength. you're gonna have a good time on that thing for sure
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had a cool thing happen - I bought a 3/2 ripcurl ebomb wetsuit in 2019 sometime and it lasted me about 2 & 1/2 years then finally got a little hole in the leg and thinned out in the crotch. I sent it to ripcurl to get it fixed January this year and was told it would be returned in about 4-6 weeks. I finally emailed them after 3 months with no response and they said 'due to covid they don't have the materials to fix my wetsuit right now' so they 'put me under warranty' and gave me a the amount of store credit to buy another ebomb. So stoked, was not expecting this to happen at all. I have read some negative stuff online about ripcurl's suits but I have always liked mine and now I feel like imma buy them for life
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had a cool thing happen - I bought a 3/2 ripcurl ebomb wetsuit in 2019 sometime and it lasted me about 2 & 1/2 years then finally got a little hole in the leg and thinned out in the crotch. I sent it to ripcurl to get it fixed January this year and was told it would be returned in about 4-6 weeks. I finally emailed them after 3 months with no response and they said 'due to covid they don't have the materials to fix my wetsuit right now' so they 'put me under warranty' and gave me a the amount of store credit to buy another ebomb. So stoked, was not expecting this to happen at all. I have read some negative stuff online about ripcurl's suits but I have always liked mine and now I feel like imma buy them for life
that fucking rules. i've had like 3 ripcurl suits and they've all held up for multiple seasons, but i never bothered to try and get them fixed or replaced when they started leaking. i think i still have a leaky 3/2 around somewhere, i may try to send it out and see what happens. did you still have a receipt or any paperwork or anything like that?
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Expand Quote
had a cool thing happen - I bought a 3/2 ripcurl ebomb wetsuit in 2019 sometime and it lasted me about 2 & 1/2 years then finally got a little hole in the leg and thinned out in the crotch. I sent it to ripcurl to get it fixed January this year and was told it would be returned in about 4-6 weeks. I finally emailed them after 3 months with no response and they said 'due to covid they don't have the materials to fix my wetsuit right now' so they 'put me under warranty' and gave me a the amount of store credit to buy another ebomb. So stoked, was not expecting this to happen at all. I have read some negative stuff online about ripcurl's suits but I have always liked mine and now I feel like imma buy them for life
that fucking rules. i've had like 3 ripcurl suits and they've all held up for multiple seasons, but i never bothered to try and get them fixed or replaced when they started leaking. i think i still have a leaky 3/2 around somewhere, i may try to send it out and see what happens. did you still have a receipt or any paperwork or anything like that?
i'd say its worth a try. worst comes to worst they will just repair it where it's needed and you'll pay a small amount. I brought mine into an actual Rip Curl shop with no receipt and they sent it in after inspecting where the repairs needed to be done. I didn't buy the suit at a rip curl shop either
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Spring has been pretty shitty up here in the PNW but still managing a weekly go out. Fun session yesterday on my 6'2" twin. I think I may have done one of my best backhand cut backs to date on it. Full rebound off the white water. The twin didn't lose any speed whatsoever through the whole turn, felt great. Still haven't got my new CI wet (or even waxed) yet...
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@Frank and Fred hey, at least you've been getting out. I don't think I have ever regretted going out even if it is shitty, usually always leaves me feeling better than I did before. That cutback sounds rad, nice. Why haven't you brought out the CI? Saving it for certain conditions? My friend who I kinda look to for guidance in surfing when talking about my single fin said to me 'you gotta take that thing out in all conditions - small, big, shitty, steep, everything... to really understand how to ride it' and that has stuck with me since haha
i am trying not to dwell on it too much but i did infact see a shark recently(luckily on vacation and not at my home break) and it has sent my head for a spin since. it was way inside
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i just got a new job and i'm moving back to nyc where i can surf my old home breaks :)
i'll miss a lot about austin but i will NOT miss driving 4 hours to surf
and i'm gonna make a little more money so maybe i can go on some surf trips. anyone here ever go down to puerto rico?
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@Frank and Fred hey, at least you've been getting out. I don't think I have ever regretted going out even if it is shitty, usually always leaves me feeling better than I did before. That cutback sounds rad, nice. Why haven't you brought out the CI? Saving it for certain conditions? My friend who I kinda look to for guidance in surfing when talking about my single fin said to me 'you gotta take that thing out in all conditions - small, big, shitty, steep, everything... to really understand how to ride it' and that has stuck with me since haha
i am trying not to dwell on it too much but i did infact see a shark recently(luckily on vacation and not at my home break) and it has sent my head for a spin since. it was way inside
Where'd you see the shark?
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@bigdave Catalina - I know its super common over there but this thing was about 3 ft from the shore and luckily someone yelled so we we got out of the water. I couldn't make out what type it was but I could see it's silohoutte right in the small break crashing on the rocky shore. it was probably between 6/7ft
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@Huell Howser I always have a weird block with new boards. As soon as I surf it once, that will be it. It now has a traction pad and fins. I'll wax up a base coat this weekend... haha..
But also, mostly harsh winter conditions have meant I've needed the old reliable heavy water paddlers. (ie mid length crutches)
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Just wrapped up making this 5'4" twin fin. It's got a single concave into a mid-to-deep double concave through the tail.
dims: 5'4" x 20.75" x 2.25". I have no clue on the volume exactly, but math puts it around 27-28 liters. I'm 5'9" and 175+ pounds and plan to surf this in small to shoulder high surf if we ever get shoulder high surf. It should be fine in 1'-2' waves though.
(https://i.ibb.co/bB70MvC/IMG-8584-72.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pzn7BKM)
(https://i.ibb.co/r0pMxqy/IMG-8571.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kBD04zc)
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Hell yeah @finecojeffe I'll take a 5'8" version!
Let us know how it goes.
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Hell yeah @finecojeffe I'll take a 5'8" version!
Let us know how it goes.
will do...hoping to get it out tomorrow afternoon
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wound up getting a few after work yesterday. Waves were real small barely cracking 1'-2'. Still trying to find the sweet spot on the board. Take-offs are real nice and it paddles really well. But I kept swamping the nose after a few pumps so I need to adjust to a slightly narrower stance, or maybe squat a little more so i don't keep so much pressure forward. That's always been a problem of mine though since I favor my front foot.
Either way I was able to snag a few really fun waves and based on them and how the board likes to surf I'm thinking it will be good up to head high, possibly overhead. It didn't feel too loose, for which I think the deep double concave helped, but it could release and spin when I wanted. I used the fcs2 MR twin fins. I think they're the right choice as the boxes are set only 6" up from the tail. I have a set of the modern keels, but they might stiffen it up too much for me.
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Rad. yeah, I always have to remind myself to surf twins more off the tail.
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Just wrapped up making this 5'4" twin fin. It's got a single concave into a mid-to-deep double concave through the tail.
dims: 5'4" x 20.75" x 2.25". I have no clue on the volume exactly, but math puts it around 27-28 liters. I'm 5'9" and 175+ pounds and plan to surf this in small to shoulder high surf if we ever get shoulder high surf. It should be fine in 1'-2' waves though.
(https://i.ibb.co/bB70MvC/IMG-8584-72.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pzn7BKM)
(https://i.ibb.co/r0pMxqy/IMG-8571.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kBD04zc)
thas a beaut, nice work. try it out yet? how's it feel?
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thas a beaut, nice work. try it out yet? how's it feel?
thanks. two posts up is my little review after a sesh.
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wound up getting a few after work yesterday. Waves were real small barely cracking 1'-2'. Still trying to find the sweet spot on the board. Take-offs are real nice and it paddles really well. But I kept swamping the nose after a few pumps so I need to adjust to a slightly narrower stance, or maybe squat a little more so i don't keep so much pressure forward. That's always been a problem of mine though since I favor my front foot.
Either way I was able to snag a few really fun waves and based on them and how the board likes to surf I'm thinking it will be good up to head high, possibly overhead. It didn't feel too loose, for which I think the deep double concave helped, but it could release and spin when I wanted. I used the fcs2 MR twin fins. I think they're the right choice as the boxes are set only 6" up from the tail. I have a set of the modern keels, but they might stiffen it up too much for me.
nice, that thing looks rad. i'm 6'2 around 175-180 and smaller waves on my 5'10 are probably the toughest for me to surf. i feel like i need some power behind me or else I just sink haha... need to get better in that regard. I am not too familiar with twins, during a recent session I swapped boards with my buddy for a few waves - he has a 7'2 pin tail twin(kinda like something you'd see torren martyn on) and it took me a few waves to just barely start understanding it...
Have you been shaping boards for others as well?
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nice, that thing looks rad. i'm 6'2 around 175-180 and smaller waves on my 5'10 are probably the toughest for me to surf. i feel like i need some power behind me or else I just sink haha... need to get better in that regard. I am not too familiar with twins, during a recent session I swapped boards with my buddy for a few waves - he has a 7'2 pin tail twin(kinda like something you'd see torren martyn on) and it took me a few waves to just barely start understanding it...
Have you been shaping boards for others as well?
we're just about in the same weight range. I think it comes down to making the board work in small waves vs letting the wave push. For instance generating speed the moment you pop up isn't dissimilar from tic-tacking like a maniac and looking like one while doing so! Short rides with quick bursts. I'm always hunting for the smallest board in the smallest waves until summer hits then I'm back on my 8'3" twin.
As for making boards for other people, I definitely have in the past. It's mostly a hobby and I'm horrible at marketing myself so it's been just a few boards for friends. I haven't sold a single one outside of that, but I've only tried with one board so far.
heres the super low res, surfline cam perspective of me flailing in those small waves I mentioned:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CcTE0yAl85D/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY= (https://www.instagram.com/tv/CcTE0yAl85D/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=)
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@finecojeffe Yeah good point, pumping like a maniac might be something for me to try out haha. I usually just rely on the initual pop up for speed like you mentioned
nice vid, fun to see yourself on surfline haha. I can see those bumpy conditions you're talking about. I can see how surfing quick waves like that probably makes you a much better surfer in the long run. also looks so nice being in blue tropical water
I usually don't have luck seeing myself on there because when I am out in the water I'm usually not conscious of where the cams are placed/staying near them. always stoked when I do find a clip though
here is a wave that I actually was in front of the cam for from a few weeks back, ended up being one of the longer ones i got during the session so I was stoked to play it back. had a good time with some friends at a spot that is usually not breaking. cruisin on that single fin egg
https://imgur.com/a/IMV9rT8 (https://imgur.com/a/IMV9rT8)
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Ha! Good old Kook Cams. We had one at the winter spot until the locals had enough... Not before I caught myself on a small winter day though... Shame I was riding a borrowed oversized pumpkin seed that day...
(https://i.imgur.com/cTeWApS.mp4)
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kook cams is right haha. i do rely on them to get my ass outta bed sometimes...
@Frank and Fred did the locals contact surfline to get it taken down?
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They put signs in front of it. Literally a giant placard that said, "KOOK CAM" on it. It may even have been vandalized. Living in Portland I use cams also but that one needed to go, it was too good.
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@finecojeffe Yeah good point, pumping like a maniac might be something for me to try out haha. I usually just rely on the initual pop up for speed like you mentioned
nice vid, fun to see yourself on surfline haha. I can see those bumpy conditions you're talking about. I can see how surfing quick waves like that probably makes you a much better surfer in the long run. also looks so nice being in blue tropical water
I usually don't have luck seeing myself on there because when I am out in the water I'm usually not conscious of where the cams are placed/staying near them. always stoked when I do find a clip though
here is a wave that I actually was in front of the cam for from a few weeks back, ended up being one of the longer ones i got during the session so I was stoked to play it back. had a good time with some friends at a spot that is usually not breaking. cruisin on that single fin egg
https://imgur.com/a/IMV9rT8 (https://imgur.com/a/IMV9rT8)
Conditions were bad enough that people didn't show, that's the only way I catch myself on cam. I also know what time I catch waves because I have to wear a watch so I know when my parking meter is up, I just try look at it after a wave is caught that I feel like reviewing. I'd say about 99% of the time, the review makes me realize either how bad the camera angle is or how much I need to learn...and the camera doesn't lie.
Cams don't ruin south beach because there's only 2 breaks in miami so no matter what if the waves get any good it will be packed. What's crazy about this spot is about 1-2 times a year it lights up and there is no preparing you for it if you've never surfed overhead barreling beach break. Waves come in super fast and jack up. Before I moved here (almost 20 years ago) I never thought there was even a chance for anything above knee high just based on geographic location with the bahamas blocking the open ocean swells.
here's a nice vid of the 2020 swell I found on youtube showing the conditions. FFW to 1:03 to start seeing them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5A6TkuShgw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5A6TkuShgw)
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Getting back to the yellow board i posted recently, I was able to get out yesterday in some fairly sizeable surf. Went to Jensen Beach and paddled out as far as I've ever paddled since I saw one guy out there. Forecast said 2'-3' so I was on the yellow twin. Once I got so far outside I saw the guy was on a rescue board, which I guess is 12' or more. Waves were like open ocean swells and much bigger than I thought looking from the beach. So anyway my estimation of head high to overhead for this board was off. It took off too fast and was difficult to control under those conditions. I found myself having a hard time just setting rail and would slide out. Not fun getting shoved deep so far off the beach and nearly alone. I caught a few waves that went well but I had to basically pick the s/medium ones. Wound up swapping boards after about an hour. I'd say the twin could handle shoulder high at most after this session.
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@finecojeffe nice to really test the limits of the board, sounds a bit scary but epic usually is. The levels here have been bad for a few weeks, I've driven a couple times to chase waves, but that isn't really my thing, especially with the price of gas. Can't wait for the waves to come back, i feel like the og surfers these days, landsurfing to pass the flat days.
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@finecojeffe that sounds like an a perspective changing session, especially almost by your lonesome haha. Luckily during similar sessions, I have at least been out with one friend so we can keep an eye on one another. Even though big and stormy isn't my deal, paddling out and 'survival surfing' during those sessions has definitely made me more calm on regular days when bigger sets roll through. At least ya know not to bring out the twin under those conditions haha
reminds me of this john john florence vid I watched recently where he talks/analyzes getting caught in a rip current and taking a ton of waves on the head:
https://youtu.be/Z8HQBA4dh_8
so freaky. of course that's at pipe and I have never even surfed in Hawaii but rip currents exist everywhere lol
@botefdunn where are you usually surfing at?
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@Huell Howser I'm a lowly river surfer on the east coast, but inland, hours from any ocean waves. :'( Winter snow runoff has pushed all the river levels high lately, which buries the waves.
This my local, sometimes it gets pretty good, generally stays small but fun like in the pic.
*fyi not me in the pic!
(https://ksf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Lola-Habitat67-web.jpg)
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@botefdunn hey, nothin wrong with that. River surfing sounds fun as hell! would love to try it out at some point
I like to hear about people’s local spots. Thanks for sharing
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@finecojeffe nice to really test the limits of the board, sounds a bit scary but epic usually is. The levels here have been bad for a few weeks, I've driven a couple times to chase waves, but that isn't really my thing, especially with the price of gas. Can't wait for the waves to come back, i feel like the og surfers these days, landsurfing to pass the flat days.
Definitely a little scary. Not scary while paddling, just while sitting and waiting. I'm back on the landsurfing soon too since it's about to be so as flat as can be here in SoFlo until either a hurricane or next fall.
@finecojeffe that sounds like an a perspective changing session, especially almost by your lonesome haha. Luckily during similar sessions, I have at least been out with one friend so we can keep an eye on one another. Even though big and stormy isn't my deal, paddling out and 'survival surfing' during those sessions has definitely made me more calm on regular days when bigger sets roll through. At least ya know not to bring out the twin under those conditions haha
reminds me of this john john florence vid I watched recently where he talks/analyzes getting caught in a rip current and taking a ton of waves on the head:
https://youtu.be/Z8HQBA4dh_8
so freaky. of course that's at pipe and I have never even surfed in Hawaii but rip currents exist everywhere lol
@botefdunn where are you usually surfing at?
The rips here are usually helpful at least to just paddle out, but if you lose a board I imagine it would suck pretty bad. That vid is nerve-racking. I can't imagine being that stuck for that long and nobody even really notices.
The one fairly uncomfortable/scary wipeout i had last saturday was when I couldn't set rail and pitched right where the lip broke sending me straight down. I got to the point my leash was taught, my board was tombstoned, I was stretched out upside-down and I couldn't right my body to swim to the surface. As soon as the wave passed I swam up and took another on the head. Wound up with a little whiplash and a lot of water in my sinus.
River surfing looks fun. I haven't looked in to it much, but do people ride thinker but shorter boards compared to ocean surfing? It would be cool to do a hike-camp-surf trip along a river.
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That Nathan Florence vid was super interesting. I don't typically enjoy Been Gravy but his counter-analysis was cool also. We deal with a lot of weird rips and heavy water here in the NW and you can get into some really challenging situations where you can't get out or in. Exhausting in a 5mm wetsuit but nothing like that.
I'm blowing the afternoon of work... its pretty junky storm swell today, forecasted to clean up but it could still be two hours of being sucked around only to drop into a steep chunky close out or two... looking forward for La Nina to break free but its not happening yet...
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@Frank and Fred oops, just realized I said John John, meant Nathan. always mixing them up haha. Yeah, agreed on the Ben Gravy, seems like the equivalent of a youtube skater with weird off-brand sponsors but I did enjoy his video as well
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on the topic of river surfing, i just learned that there's a standing wave near austin. gonna try to check it out before i leave. the guy in this first video is using a wakesurf board, but i also found a rental company nearby that actually uses inflatable boards. if you watch the second video you can see it. seems to turn like shit lol, i'll try to find like a wavestorm or something at least
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHwqdQSqlu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl4AH7Au2Bs
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@mj23 that looks so fun, especially if its hot out. yeah, that inflatable board in the second vid looks rough to turn. you should try to find a beater foam board on craiglist for cheap. maybe even pop the fins off for extra fun haha
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bump
been riding this 6'1 mayhem evil twin my buddy let me borrow(random pic but same model).
(https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-pllu8dargz/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/13411/31728/IMG_2541__94248.1650399297.jpg?c=1)
(https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-pllu8dargz/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/13411/31727/IMG_2542__51598.1650399294.jpg?c=1)
it's been fun feelin like i'm riding something a bit more 'skatey' then my fish. I think I would really love something with similar dimensions but probably at about 5'11.
He also let me borrow a 5'7 album twin but goddamn did I get exercise paddling on that thing. I don't know the exact dimensions but it doesn't have much foam to it, feels tiny and thin compared to what I am usually riding. I was winded about 5 seconds after trying to paddle back out after catching a wave haha
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what fin setup are you using on that evil? I've always been interested in that board.
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@finecojeffe running it with the twin and small trailer fin:
(https://i.ibb.co/PQxtrbV/51-B6-D916-F8-B2-4-A69-B655-EC2-B2-CC9-B2-C8.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/R4kGrg2/860-F8-FA2-33-BD-4-BE6-8324-188-DF93219-E7.jpg)
maybe you could shape something similar for fun haha
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That trailer almost directly between the twins is interesting. I definitely think of shaping a similar board. I'd like a small single fin, but not entirely sure I would put a wing on it (could be more due to my lack of confidence in shaping a proper wing though).
I did just finish up this twin plus trailer last week:
(https://i.ibb.co/ZXMxMZQ/IMG-8863.jpg) (https://ibb.co/r0wHwWB)
(https://i.ibb.co/8db8mLW/IMG-8866.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CM60w3k)
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That trailer almost directly between the twins is interesting. I definitely think of shaping a similar board. I'd like a small single fin, but not entirely sure I would put a wing on it (could be more due to my lack of confidence in shaping a proper wing though).
I did just finish up this twin plus trailer last week:
(https://i.ibb.co/ZXMxMZQ/IMG-8863.jpg) (https://ibb.co/r0wHwWB)
(https://i.ibb.co/8db8mLW/IMG-8866.jpg) (https://ibb.co/CM60w3k)
Yeah I don't get the purpose of the wing tbh, I need to look into it
damn, that thing is sick. nice work! getting better with each board
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Anyone here in NYC? I live in brooklyn and i am wondering how you guys get to and from the beach with the lease amount of hassle? I know you can rent a zipcar and drive there. Anyone here take their surfboards on the subway? Any tips n tricks?
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Anyone here in NYC? I live in brooklyn and i am wondering how you guys get to and from the beach with the lease amount of hassle? I know you can rent a zipcar and drive there. Anyone here take their surfboards on the subway? Any tips n tricks?
I drive in my car
They actually don’t allow boards on the subway
No boards allowed in zip cars either
Locals are really nasty they will cut your leash and wax your windshield if you bring a zip car out there
Sorry
😇
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Anyone here in NYC? I live in brooklyn and i am wondering how you guys get to and from the beach with the lease amount of hassle? I know you can rent a zipcar and drive there. Anyone here take their surfboards on the subway? Any tips n tricks?
it might be easiest for you to rent a locker out in either Rockaway or Long Beach and keep your board and suit there.
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(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/924/lFbdWq.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/924/dZ0CMl.jpg)
I can't believe it took me this long to realize slap has a surf thread, anyways I picked up this 5'11 my friend shaped for me this morning, I'm really hyped with how it came out. I haven't surfed a glass-on thruster in years so this is going to be a fun little summer experiment.
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@finecojeffe running it with the twin and small trailer fin:
(https://i.ibb.co/PQxtrbV/51-B6-D916-F8-B2-4-A69-B655-EC2-B2-CC9-B2-C8.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/R4kGrg2/860-F8-FA2-33-BD-4-BE6-8324-188-DF93219-E7.jpg)
maybe you could shape something similar for fun haha
I have those NPJ fins in the quad set on my groveler. They are huge.I should try them as a twin + trailer on this board.
(https://i.imgur.com/t2DP00l.jpg)
I've had this board for a few years now. I had Dan Murdey make a version of the Lost Bean Bag (I call it the baked bean) but he pulled in the tail a tad.
Super fun in small shitty waves...
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that board looks great. The bean bag is a board that inspired me to start shaping really small boards. I think you'd love that npj twin plus trailer on that board. I've switch to twin + trailer on almost everything, although I've been going between the MR twin and the power twin sets. Surfing my thrusters with that setup has just been perfect.
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@Frank and Fred that thing looks fun. dig the color too hah
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yeah, that thing looks like a blast
i learned how to surf on some fat stubs like that and i still think theyre ultra fun
how does the twin+trailer affect the boards you guys have been talking about? i imagine it splits the difference between a thruster and twin? similar to how a single+sidebites gives you something in between a single and thruster?
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yeah, that thing looks like a blast
i learned how to surf on some fat stubs like that and i still think theyre ultra fun
how does the twin+trailer affect the boards you guys have been talking about? i imagine it splits the difference between a thruster and twin? similar to how a single+sidebites gives you something in between a single and thruster?
lots of drive from the larger fins up front and a little hold from the trailer. It's like you said, split difference between twin and thruster.
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Well finally go try Channel Islands Spinetek wet. Pretty amazing. I knew it was a keeper after the fist backhand slash. About to hit the coast for a three day run. Going to take a few sets of fins and hope to try it as a quad and twin+trailer. Water finally warm enough for a 4/3mm also but the North winds might cause some upwelling so who knows.
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@Frank and Fred how's that three day run goin so far? jealous of the channel islands, looks super fun. been dreamin of getting one of these CI mikey february twin pins but there's no way I could afford rn lol:
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1442/7982/files/Twin-Pins-all-colors_2048x2048.jpg?v=1624469325)
a few weeks back - we had a friend in town from japan who is 64 and all he wanted to do was surf everyday, so I felt obligated to fulfill that dream with him. I was out 13 days in a row, the longest streak i've ever had haha. I was dead by the end but also my body was kind of used to it. He ended up riding my friends mayhem evil twin I posted about a bit ago. I hope to still be surfing at his level at that age
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64...thats the goal!....and way beyond if possible.
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@Huell Howser 13 days in a row. Solid! Been a long time since I have done that. Not since the days of being unemployed and living on the beach...
My 2 day campout was pretty lackluster. Our Spring curse continues. Some good moments here and there but funky conditions prevail. I can tell the board is going to be pretty amazing though. I didn't mess with fins but on some the more solid waves, I wish I'd tried it as a quad as I think that will tame the wider tail in solid surf... Looks like grovelers and my waterlogged delaminated longboard for the foreseeable future.
Trying to plan a late summer, K38 strike.
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Don't know too much about surfing, but just saw a surf clip and started wondering whether surfing switch is a thing among pros?
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Don't know too much about surfing, but just saw a surf clip and started wondering whether surfing switch is a thing among pros?
Some pros definitely surf switch. JOB comes to mind, he’s always doing crazy stuff. However, during surf competitions they don’t. That would be crazy progression for pros landing switch air maneuvers during contests. Haven’t watched a contest in awhile, I don’t think it’s at that point yet… could be wrong
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Moved inland and to a different state. Desperately missing the sea. A couple days ago, spontaneously decided to drive to the Outer Banks. Never been there & it’s a 12 hour drive. Planning on staying there for at least 3 days. So pumped in the morning, made it about two hours then decided to turn back around lol. Just didn’t have it in me to make that drive probably because just drove across country when I moved a few months ago. Just got to thinking , maybe driving there to surf not feasible. Started brainstorming by imagining flying to Virginia then getting a rental car for OBX mission. All seems pricey. Thinking might as well just save my money & go to Hawaii once a year. Long story short, I miss surfing
Edit: After typing that all out, got me thinking more. The Great Lakes closer to me. Have any of you surfed the Great Lakes before?
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Don't know too much about surfing, but just saw a surf clip and started wondering whether surfing switch is a thing among pros?
Check this clip of buttons around 3 minutes, he talks about going switch https://youtu.be/F06FlVg6vtI
There’s one clip I’ve seen of him^ switching back and forth in the midst of cutting back between switch and regular multiple times on one wave. It’s nuts haha
Also, joel Tudor comes to mind but usually on a longboard. As far as more “performance”‘surfing I am not the most familiar but I’m sure it happens...
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Thanks guys for the replies. Thought it might look tight going bs up a wave and then body varialing into fs slashing the lip.
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Don't know too much about surfing, but just saw a surf clip and started wondering whether surfing switch is a thing among pros?
Noa Deane recently did a switch alley oop in Volcom's, Lobotomy. @20:42
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuCgmKQnBfM&t=1269s&ab_channel=Volcom
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Last night I spun bs 270 and went down. This happens lots, but I went down really hard and the side of my head smacked the water so hard I realized this type of impact could potentially knock me out. Came away with just a mild headache, but it's a wake up call.
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(https://i.ibb.co/qpcDszb/517-F8774-D655-4116-916-D-EDB9-EF77117-B.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
I would like to share my favorite surf photo ever
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Last night I spun bs 270 and went down. This happens lots, but I went down really hard and the side of my head smacked the water so hard I realized this type of impact could potentially knock me out. Came away with just a mild headache, but it's a wake up call.
What were you trying to do?
I've definitely smacked my head and got whiplash on a few occasions catching a rail on a bad turn or getting pitched by the lip. Water can hurt.
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@Frank and Fred I was trying to spin a 360. I've done a few, but often stall, then put too much weight on the backfoot trying to bring it around, as in this case. Felt pretty much like blocking on a fs powerslide, I was pretty high on the face of the wave and came down hard.
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that sucks man, hopefully the headache is gone by now and you stick the next 360.
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Last night I spun bs 270 and went down. This happens lots, but I went down really hard and the side of my head smacked the water so hard I realized this type of impact could potentially knock me out. Came away with just a mild headache, but it's a wake up call.
I fell going really fast on a waist-chest high day last summer and I skipped across the water really weird and I definitely felt that minor concussion dizzy/confused feeling.
I was shocked because I fall worse than that all the time but I just landed weird
surface tension is no joke
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earlier this week after reading @botefdunn ^ smacking his head, i caught my nose on a steeper late drop and did a cartwheel and definitely smacked the side of my face/head pretty hard. was actually a bit shook for a second after hah
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earlier this week after reading @botefdunn ^ smacking his head, i caught my nose on a steeper late drop and did a cartwheel and definitely smacked the side of my face/head pretty hard. was actually a bit shook for a second after hah
glad you're alright, yeah i felt a little shook too just thinking what if it had knocked me out...
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I made the mistake of reading this guys account of a few different shark encounters:
https://www.surfersjournal.com/editorial/the-archivist-george-greenoughs-shark-files/
freaky stuff haha
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The wife scored a free place to stay near Lincoln City but this is pretty significant flat spell for us. Ended up getting a couple of solid skate sessions at the park instead but found some loggable waves on the way home to rinse of the skate sweat. can't complain when you get to grind pool coping and slide a few waves in the same day.
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The wife scored a free place to stay near Lincoln City but this is pretty significant flat spell for us. Ended up getting a couple of solid skate sessions at the park instead but found some loggable waves on the way home to rinse of the skate sweat. can't complain when you get to grind pool coping and slide a few waves in the same day.
you're taking about the waves right (i hope)? ;D
sounds pretty awesome, thanks for the vicarious stoke
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anybody around the central coast of california (morro bay, cayucos, cambria) have tips for beginner-friendly spots? have been heavily obsessing over surfing for the past few months and just picked up my first board from wavelengths in morro bay. eyeing moonstone beach as my local wave since it's ~20 mins from me, but open to any other suggestions!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvpMIUscMMc
(not gonna be out when it's this big...yet)
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Expand Quote
The wife scored a free place to stay near Lincoln City but this is pretty significant flat spell for us. Ended up getting a couple of solid skate sessions at the park instead but found some loggable waves on the way home to rinse of the skate sweat. can't complain when you get to grind pool coping and slide a few waves in the same day.
you're taking about the waves right (i hope)? ;D
sounds pretty awesome, thanks for the vicarious stoke
Haha. Mostly... although... at my age... :-X
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Been flat and super windy here forever, this is the second weekend I drive around an hour, willing to go in for next to nothing and not even finding that. I’m dyin.
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Been flat and super windy here forever, this is the second weekend I drive around an hour, willing to go in for next to nothing and not even finding that. I’m dyin.
Hang in there!
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Been flat and super windy here forever, this is the second weekend I drive around an hour, willing to go in for next to nothing and not even finding that. I’m dyin.
Do you keep any alternative water gear in the car for occasions like this? I used to bring a shitty skimboard out when I wanted to get wet but the waves were total shit. I wanna get some flippers soon, that’s another way to scratch the itch. Some people like fishing?
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Expand Quote
Been flat and super windy here forever, this is the second weekend I drive around an hour, willing to go in for next to nothing and not even finding that. I’m dyin.
Swim Fins are a good call but hard to get motivated when the water is under 60F. I usually pack some hiking boots, a camera and do a little exploration. Fishing sounds rad though.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb4Nm5ivGk8/
Got a little clip of me surfing on a Channel islands 5’3 fishbeard
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfrnZjUuCM2/
And a lil off the top
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Stylin @shpongle !
Looking like Craig Ando out there.
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damn @shpongle lookin good out there! That fish beard looks fun.
I am currently trying to sell off a korg synth to get a used hypto krypto. trying not to feel guilty about spending money.... haha
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I know it’s a shitty pic, and I’m not the guy in it.. but after 4 years of surfing, I finally got to surf in my hometown for the first time. Beautiful beach in a small fishing town that doesn’t often get good waves, but I was passing through on a work trip, brought my board and got lucky today. This was the juice I needed after several underwhelming sessions at my local.
(http://i.ibb.co/kJjGgCP/D314-A6-A0-3600-4-D81-B77-E-1-D7-B0850-C6-B8.jpg)
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Where's your home town @Coastal Fever ?
Another mediocre 'session' today that makes me question why I bother. I suppose its all training for when the waves get good and its good to keep up the paddling muscles but seriously I probably had two passable waves today...
oh how much more I could achieve on my skateboard in 2.5 hours... and stupidly I didn't pack my skateboard today so no post-surf grinds...
on the plus side, the turns I did manage felt really good on the twin-fin and lots of pelicans flying overhead... favorite bird for sure.
Anyway, I reckon about one more month before we start seeing some better conditions up here in the PNW.
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That’s in Mavillette, Nova Scotia. Definitely not to be confused with the other Mavs haha. Water was around 17c, which was warm enough to finally ditch the gloves and boots. Just wearing a 4/3 is about as good as it gets.
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Where's your home town @Coastal Fever ?
Another mediocre 'session' today that makes me question why I bother. I suppose its all training for when the waves get good and its good to keep up the paddling muscles but seriously I probably had two passable waves today...
oh how much more I could achieve on my skateboard in 2.5 hours... and stupidly I didn't pack my skateboard today so no post-surf grinds...
on the plus side, the turns I did manage felt really good on the twin-fin and lots of pelicans flying overhead... favorite bird for sure.
Anyway, I reckon about one more month before we start seeing some better conditions up here in the PNW.
I feel the same. We have near zero for waves here in Miami for the summer months. I actually went out this morning before work for 45 minutes and had maybe 1 wave that I could stretch a turn out on, and everything else was a sub 1' closeout. I view these days as workouts though too...so not all is lost and I don't get too down on it. It was crowded too which always sucks, but I and all the other surfers here have barely more than 1 break.
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I try not to have a sour attitude but skateboarding is such an accessible positive thing and a good time 99% of the time, I wonder why I continue to torture myself with surfing. Then I score the odd head high glassy and sunny day with just a few friends, when my board and mind are working well together and I get to link some turns, crank though some sections and it all makes sense... Those days have been very infrequent in 2022 though... I keep blaming La Nina.
not to mention how grumpy everyone can be in the water... show up at the curb spot and everyone greets you like an old friend...
Anyway.... onward we go...
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Been feeling the same way. I love surfing more than skating when the stars align but it is so much frustration between tose moments.
Skating I can just pick up and go for 5 minutes if I please
Problem is I get hurt more skating
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yeah summers are tough, but even going for a swim on a warm day is always worth it imo
im still having fun on the mini simmons even when waves are trash
its such a funny little burst of speed you can get from even the shittiest little ripple
honestly i almost prefer it because if i go catch some summertime 1 footers there's basically nobody out, and those who do go thru the motions are not usually acting aggro at all. similar to skating a curb in a lot of ways, tbh
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Finally had a couple of passable sessions with a swift sundowner/campout/ dawn patrol. Some NW wind swell actually cleaned up and wrapped into a couple of coves to produce some small but serviceable waves. Nearly took the bashed up old Longboard but glad I took the orange groveler I posted above. It turns weak 2' waves into a fun time.
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@Frank and Fred nice, glad to hear you got some waves. that groveler seems like a great board to mess around on in some sloppy waves
I tore my meniscus around a year ago and its unfortunately bothering me again. taking a few weeks off surfing/skating and just riding my bike to fill that void.
was on the hunt for a hypto krypto and ending up finding a super clean used one for cheap so I picked it up...
5'10 x 20 1/4 x 2 5/8 at 33.79L - smallest board I have owned so I will need to get used to the paddle but these things are known for having a lot of foam up front
(https://i.ibb.co/rZDytxs/DCDA4-F2-F-6-E40-42-F3-8-FF3-C3-D9-FA55-DF80.jpg)
can't wait to take it out. doing daily strengthing exercises in hopes of getting out there faster haha
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Those HKs look like quiver killers. Heal up soon. @Huell Howser
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@Frank and Fred n
I tore my meniscus around a year ago and its unfortunately bothering me again. taking a few weeks off surfing/skating and just riding my bike to fill that void.
bummer. i tore mine a couple years ago, had surgery, and it started acting up again a few weeks ago just from overuse i think. It felt weird and swollen but painless, and a friend suggested it was liquid built up in the joint, and to try deep massage. I've gone at it a few times with foam roller, rolling pin, and digging a wooden spoon into the ligaments at the back of the knee and it is startin to feel a whole lot better. Don't know if this will work for you but might be worth a shot.
Sorry, I'm blah blahing. Your new board looks nice, good all around. I have a similar one, 5'9 santa cruz with a "chest bump" for extra volume up front.
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Somebody died yesterday at my local. I guess this is more or less common in the ocean, but it's the first fatality I've heard of at my river spot. I've had some scary experiences and knew it could happen, but it's still a wake up call.Be safe out there.
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Jesus, so sorry to hear that man. I don’t get river surfing at all. Watched some clips of people doing it on the St Lawrence and I don’t get how you get in/out safely without being swept kms away?? They always leave that footage out for some reason. All I saw was dudes shredding then wiping out and disappearing.
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@Coastal Fever I'm on the st lawrence (habitat) , and getting out after the waves is a very rough swim like you said. Once you get used to the spot though, you know what to expect, where the whirlpools are gonna be, currents etc. and you ride it out without popping your adrenaline/panicking.
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A teenager died getting caught in an underwater grate at the standing wave in Bend Or.
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/06/08/bend-makes-changes-to-surf-wave-after-teens-death/ (https://www.opb.org/article/2022/06/08/bend-makes-changes-to-surf-wave-after-teens-death/)
In brighter news, looks like pretty decent conditions early this week for northern Oregon, which also coincides with me being able to get loose from work.
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@botefdunn damn, that's sad to hear. just checked some clips as well and that looks like it could definitely get intense at times. that current looks so strong. wow
@Frank and Fred hope you score some waves this week!
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Well, turned out pretty fun. Got my new Rocket Wide out in some very glassy conditions. Not much power but it was about waist to shoulder high. backing off a little on the peak but once up and running there was shape and room enough for some turns. I had the Captain Fin Co Dane set finned up. Two big sides fins a nd small rear. Pretty stoked on one particular mid face forehand slash I did. Fun day and even got a little Oregon sunburn. Can't wait to play around with this board some more.
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Back on the board in NZ after busting my shoulder and then getting hammered by Covid. We've just had a run of small 2ft days for the past week and it's been great for easing back into it. Been on my Christenson fish mainly, great boards and so fast it's unreal. Hope everyone's getting waves.
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drove from Miami to Ocean City, NJ last week to visit my parents and was finally able to catch a few small waves. What wasn't expected was the 55º water! That upwelling really wasn't too fun. I wear a wetsuit barely a handful of times each year but never in August.
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I think things are turning for the better up here. Wind is easing up, swell bumping up a tad...
Two board session today... Took the twin fin out at low tide and then the groveler quad as it pushed in. Glassy and weak but fun on the right board. crowded but lots to go around... managed a fun backhand floater or two on my super wide groveler.... always feels good... like coming out of long slappy...
didn't skate after surfing so it must have been a passable session.
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Anyone scoring lately? After checking my usual spots and having no luck, I finally worked up the courage to try out another break near me that I’ve been too intimidated to surf until today.
For some reason I always built it up my head as the “in crowd/rippers only” spot. Heard stories about people getting chewed out/threatened. Just figured I’d immediately get told to get lost because of my pop-out board or whatever. But I went out regardless, just a few other guys out there, I got a couple solid rides in and didn’t piss anyone off. So I’m feeling pretty hyped.
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Thinking of heading to Maine this week to check out some spots. Any info would be appreciated on current conditions or just generally, since I've never been. Also gonna check some skate spots, anyone who wants to roll hmu!
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Anyone scoring lately? After checking my usual spots and having no luck, I finally worked up the courage to try out another break near me that I’ve been too intimidated to surf until today.
For some reason I always built it up my head as the “in crowd/rippers only” spot. Heard stories about people getting chewed out/threatened. Just figured I’d immediately get told to get lost because of my pop-out board or whatever. But I went out regardless, just a few other guys out there, I got a couple solid rides in and didn’t piss anyone off. So I’m feeling pretty hyped.
Love when that happens. Sometimes you just manage to show up when none of the self appointed regulators are around. Also lots of spots just aren’t as rough as they used to be.
Haven’t had any swell worth noting in weeks and weeks here in the northeast but our first proper fall season swell should be coming in a day or two. The surf camps are closing down, the ticket-checkers are done, and the waters still warm. Im hyped
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Tried surfing for the first time last week at 46.
Had spent a week at the beach in NJ and did a lot of boogie boarding with my kids. On the last day the waves picked up to around 3-4’ so I wanted to try taking a lesson but they were all booked up. Ended up just renting a board to try and figure it out. They told me to try a 10’ board.
The waves were breaking in two places and initially I tried to get the bigger ones that broke farther out. It was very choppy though and the waves were often coming in doubles. I was trying to paddle under them but was getting pushed back a lot. Once I got out where they were breaking I found it difficult to sight the wave then turn around and paddle in. The first two waves I tried to catch I dug the nose of my board into and flipped over. After that I figured I had to be farther back on my board but at that point I was fucking GASSED so I went back to the waist deep water where the little ones were breaking.
Stood up on my 2nd one of the little waves and most of the ones I caught after that but it wasn’t pretty. Honestly, with my shitty back and lack of flexibility it takes me 3 seconds to get up from prone on solid ground so I don’t think a quick pop-up is going to happen anytime soon.
At some point a dipshit mom decided to take her toddler wading at the unguarded surf school beach and as I’m trying to stand up realize I’m literally going to kill a child so I get down and try to turn the board but I fall behind the board and the wave drives my ribs into it. Shit still hurts.
It was fun. Would do again but I wasn’t an instant convert or anything and am probably just as happy boogie boarding (I actually got tubed on a long reverse breaking wave the day before and that was great).
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That’s sick dude! I def wasn’t standing up first day so it sounds like the boogie boarding gave you some transferable skills.
Speaking of upcoming swells, look at this weekend’s fucking forecast;
(https://i.ibb.co/0Jg9cY1/8122-B355-9-D21-4-BFF-8-C77-0-D26-C7-A7-B26-D.jpg)
I feel like I could handle the lower end of these waves and have a blast.. but there’s no way the crowds aren’t going to be insane, both in size and intensity levels. Hopefully I can show up at the right time and place to get some in.
It trips me out how we always have a flat and inconsistent spring/summer, and I’ll hardly see any locals out.. but when the swell hits there’s a million gnarly ones that come out of the woodwork. Like how did you all become and stay so good when the conditions suck 95% of the year?
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I always wonder about that too. I’m out trying to keep what modest ability I have every chance I get and when it’s small there’s almost no one around. Then conditions get decent and all these rippers appear, some of whom are like a decade older than me and look kind of overweight but they still have the muscle memory to surf better than I probably ever will.
I guess I figure they put a lot more time in when they were young than I did. I only surfed when it was warm enough to go out in trunks most of my childhood, which is just a few months here in the northeast. I didn’t even own a wetsuit until I was like 20. If I had any money to blow in the winter I would go snowboarding, which has a much more forgiving learning curve. Kinda wish I had put more time in surfing as a kid but whatever, you can’t do everything.
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@Coastal Fever @mj23
although he seems like a dick, joel tudor posts some choice memes and one recently was a starter pack of 'surfers that only paddle out during hurricanes' and it was a hodgepodge of sublime shirts, yellow sun bathed skinny/pointy shorboards covered in dirty old wax, long boardshorts that go past the knees etc. hahah
wish i could find it to share
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Funny, I’ve heard multiple younger pro surfers in interviews recently taking about how much they’ve been loving late 90s/early 00s footage with long-ass trunks. So get ready for the return of the 21” board short I guess. Much like gigantic pants I look back at the oversized trunks I wore as a kid and all I can think about is the inconvenience of all that extra fabric. Kinda weird that the long boardshort trend hasn’t matched up with the baggy pants trend now that I think about it.
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Looking forward to all the 18" boardshorts going on sale when that inevitably happens. I've been already seeing more 20" shorts compared to years past.
Looks like upcoast from me has already had a few days of waves and should continue till midweek next week, so Im finally going to paddle out after a month almost.
It's a shame Im not finished with the new board build though because I think it would be a perfect board for some 3'-4'+ waves. It's another 5'7" round tail twin plus trailer but with the fin set in between thruster and twin. I've been liking riding the MR fin template on my thrusters, and after the rnf replica I made I figured moving it in between will be a good feeling. The rails are slimmed down. The rocker punched up in the tail and flattened a little up front. It's got a 3.75" nose rocker and a 2.75" tail in a barely staged almost continuous curve. The tail is foiled down a lot but the nose has a barely-there beak. Contours of the bottom are a rolled nose with a subtle single concave ending in a spiral vee out the tail. I'm hoping that even though it's an eps board, the contours will allow for it to do well in the bigger tropi-chop we get sporadically.
Just glassed the bottom last night and will be mixing pigment tonight for (hopefully) an olive green with chartreuse swirl for the top of the board.
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Funny, I’ve heard multiple younger pro surfers in interviews recently taking about how much they’ve been loving late 90s/early 00s footage with long-ass trunks. So get ready for the return of the 21” board short I guess. Much like gigantic pants I look back at the oversized trunks I wore as a kid and all I can think about is the inconvenience of all that extra fabric. Kinda weird that the long boardshort trend hasn’t matched up with the baggy pants trend now that I think about it.
This IG page has tons of sick 90s/2000s footage on longer boards
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfsAEE6DZXI/
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anyone on the east coast get some yesterday? Waves were so good. Mullet run isn't fun though, it keeps me distracted.
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Just got back from Bali on a family trip and did a couple of surf sessions at a beach break (Kuta) since it's been 3 years since I last surfed. It was a blast, the missus, brother and sister all did a few sessions and loved it, even brought their kids into the water to catch some white waves. Caught the bug now, planning my next surf trip to a camp to spend a week there to get some proper coaching.
Any recommendations for blogs or websites that provide good instructions and strength / conditioning tips? I visited r/surfing a few times but I'm too new to know if its as bad as r/skateboarding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci3POnDNyS8
Decided to watch some surf videos for a change during lunch, no idea what I'm watching yet but it's still amazing to watch pro read the waves and be able to feel and stay in the power of the waves.
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@rocklobster wow, a Bali trip sounds amazing. That's sick
yes r/surfing is just as bad as r/skateboarding imo... haha
this guy is a bit cringy but he does actually seem to have some good instructional vids and some strength/conditioning stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/c/KalesBroccoli
as far as vids - coming from a way heavier skating background anything by thomas campbell is perfect to me. you might feel the same way
https://youtu.be/1qIheFdrdp8
https://youtu.be/1zMZy3COVZs
and then for something a lil more contemporary this is rad:
https://youtu.be/15VU_mbcrB0
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Went down to Maine for a few days, hit up York and Ogunquit beach. Waves were small but it was fun being in the Atlantic!
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@rocklobster wow, a Bali trip sounds amazing. That's sick
yes r/surfing is just as bad as r/skateboarding imo... haha
this guy is a bit cringy but he does actually seem to have some good instructional vids and some strength/conditioning stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/c/KalesBroccoli
As long as you aren't putting me on some Braille level shit I'm fine.
I've got loads of time between surf trips and wanted to do more strength and conditioning to stay in shape for surfing, even though the best exercise for surfing is more surfing. I have the endurance to keep paddling but I lack the explosive power needed for steeper waves. If anyone has recommendations for that I'd much appreciate that.
I got a lap pool nearby, thought some laps on the regular would be helpful.
Also, how does the surf world view surf camps? Does the surf community feel like its commercial selling out and the best way is to keep getting served on the waves - kind of like skateboarding?
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anyone on the east coast get some yesterday? Waves were so good. Mullet run isn't fun though, it keeps me distracted.
Man it looked really good but I blew it, when skating all day instead because I thought the swell would stick around. Wrong! There are still some traces but the winds are on it and it’s been raining. Whoops.
I’m going to the Silicon Valley area for work next week tho and it seems like everywhere from Santa Cruz to SF is getting waves for days atm. Definitely plan to bring a wetsuit, debating whether I want to lug a board. Board on the plane is a pain but so is renting. And then if I’m on a rental the nasty SC tweaker locs will probably all want to burn me. Decisions decisions…
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https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiXvP5nDnGv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Hate self promotion. Anyways heres a little clip i got in oceanside at the pier. Fun south swells lately.
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im a little late in the season but if there are any SLAP PALS in NYC that go out surfing and wouldnt mind letting me tag along (still fairly new to surfing) would be much appreciated
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https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiXvP5nDnGv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Hate self promotion. Anyways heres a little clip i got in oceanside at the pier. Fun south swells lately.
looking good! Smooth off the bottom and on the top.
You could push that tail a little more on the first hit but it looked like one of those where you kinda get hung up and re enter!
Smooth operator
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im a little late in the season but if there are any SLAP PALS in NYC that go out surfing and wouldnt mind letting me tag along (still fairly new to surfing) would be much appreciated
If you see me out there say hi, I look like everyone else in a black wetsuit ;D
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im a little late in the season but if there are any SLAP PALS in NYC that go out surfing and wouldnt mind letting me tag along (still fairly new to surfing) would be much appreciated
got a good chuckle at this
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im a little late in the season but if there are any SLAP PALS in NYC that go out surfing and wouldnt mind letting me tag along (still fairly new to surfing) would be much appreciated
I’m glad! After I posted I was slightly worried I might have seemed like a dick. Shoot me a PM when you’re heading out sometime, maybe we can link up
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Drove 2,400 miles from Portland to Baja and back chasing south swells and hurricane Kay. major score. Probably a bit too much driving for 10 days though...
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@rocklobster wow, a Bali trip sounds amazing. That's sick
yes r/surfing is just as bad as r/skateboarding imo... haha
this guy is a bit cringy but he does actually seem to have some good instructional vids and some strength/conditioning stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/c/KalesBroccoli
As long as you aren't putting me on some Braille level shit I'm fine.
I've got loads of time between surf trips and wanted to do more strength and conditioning to stay in shape for surfing, even though the best exercise for surfing is more surfing. I have the endurance to keep paddling but I lack the explosive power needed for steeper waves. If anyone has recommendations for that I'd much appreciate that.
I got a lap pool nearby, thought some laps on the regular would be helpful.
Also, how does the surf world view surf camps? Does the surf community feel like its commercial selling out and the best way is to keep getting served on the waves - kind of like skateboarding?
Honestly when there's no surf around I just swim, intersperse regular laps with some sprint laps for the explosive stuff, and do shoulder raises with some weights. Other than that and core exercise if you're into it, lying on your stomach and doing leg/arm raises/supermans is amazing for avoiding a sore back after hours of paddling.
In other surf-related things I've just bought a step up. 6 3, 19 1/2 and something else by 33 litres. Double glassed to last. Now for some solid waves that I don't feel like I'm going to die on to try it out.
Hope everyone is scoring.
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Finished up a 5'6" EPS/Epoxy round tail twin plus trailer. Final sanding was yesterday morning. It's 5'6" x 19 3/4" x 2 5/16". Nose rocker is somewhat low at only 4" but the tail rocker is somewhat high at 2 3/4". Fin spread for a twin is a little big, and sort of close to a thruster. I did thins because I've been having fun riding thrusters as twin + trailer setups and I thought that with this spread and the rocker it would broaden the boards range. It's not a groveler at all despite the fuller outline. The bottom contours are real subtle with a rolled nose into a real shallow concave from the front foot until the small double concave begins just in front of the fins and ends in a spiral vee out the tail. The contours could be considered almost flat, and this is for the purpose of riding faster waves, and potentially hollow ones is why I made the tail rocker high. Rocker is loosely based on what Stretch has to say about rocker.
(https://i.ibb.co/ccP67Fg/IMG-9739.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C5qbT71)
(https://i.ibb.co/QjXY82x/IMG-9740.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YTbfDzV)
(https://i.ibb.co/LpSvFnt/IMG-9753.jpg) (https://ibb.co/rykvj46)
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Drove 2,400 miles from Portland to Baja and back chasing south swells and hurricane Kay. major score. Probably a bit too much driving for 10 days though...
epic!
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Finished up a 5'6" EPS/Epoxy round tail twin plus trailer. Final sanding was yesterday morning. It's 5'6" x 19 3/4" x 2 5/16". Nose rocker is somewhat low at only 4" but the tail rocker is somewhat high at 2 3/4". Fin spread for a twin is a little big, and sort of close to a thruster. I did thins because I've been having fun riding thrusters as twin + trailer setups and I thought that with this spread and the rocker it would broaden the boards range. It's not a groveler at all despite the fuller outline. The bottom contours are real subtle with a rolled nose into a real shallow concave from the front foot until the small double concave begins just in front of the fins and ends in a spiral vee out the tail. The contours could be considered almost flat, and this is for the purpose of riding faster waves, and potentially hollow ones is why I made the tail rocker high. Rocker is loosely based on what Stretch has to say about rocker.
(https://i.ibb.co/ccP67Fg/IMG-9739.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C5qbT71)
(https://i.ibb.co/QjXY82x/IMG-9740.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YTbfDzV)
(https://i.ibb.co/LpSvFnt/IMG-9753.jpg) (https://ibb.co/rykvj46)
Damn that sounds and looks great. Big fan of a bit of a flick of rocker out the tail, I have a theory that might make my twin a better ride if it had some. Looking forward to hearing how it goes...
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Thanks @homicidalpsychojunglecat ...hopefully this weekend will be a good time to get it in the water. There's a hurricane swell on its way here, should max on Friday, but remains at least on Saturday. Next week might be some wind chop too, so it would be extra nice to see it in a range of conditions. Will post once I get some one it.
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got a few sessions on the new board and have some initial thoughts. The rocker is a little high so when the waves go to mush I can feel it pushing water. But having a little single concave I can move my back foot up and surf with a narrow stance so it will do ok in mush. Paddling suffers there. But when the waves are actually pushing or very steep it goes really well and the rails feel absolutely perfect. The board ducks easily, which is great considering the wind chop we usually get. Hopefully I can get some more waves today. South Beach is absolutely massive today. Heres a screenshot from earlier:
(https://i.ibb.co/nrxVt4Z/IMG-9869.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Q9yqthz)
Edit: by the time I got to south beach is was unruly and oversized. I paddled out but didn’t get anything worthwhile. Lots of closeouts. It was the biggest I’ve seen it for as long as I can remember. And as of this morning it’s completely flat.
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Sorry everyone if it’s already been asked.
Does anyone have links to videos where people both surf and skate? Better if both on the same day.
Nothing specific, it could be a day-in-the-life or a company video.
I think I’m about that life.
So far I only know Chico Brenes videos and CallMe917 video.
Also What Youth youtube channel.
The older the better.
Cheers :)
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@finecojeffe missed this but holy hell those are some thick azzzz slabs. getting caught on the inside when sets are rollin thru looks like it'd be terrible haha
Sorry everyone if it’s already been asked.
Does anyone have links to videos where people both surf and skate? Better if both on the same day.
Nothing specific, it could be a day-in-the-life or a company video.
I think I’m about that life.
So far I only know Chico Brenes videos and CallMe917 video.
Also What Youth youtube channel.
The older the better.
Cheers :)
needs to be same day? you got a fetish for this or something? lmao
I would browse thru this thread. I am sure there is some stuff that's been posted. I posted thomas cambell's 'sprout' a few pages back which I think has some skating in it but I forget
first thing that comes to mind that's more of a 'day in the life' is that out there with Austin Kanfoush:
https://youtu.be/opBPc2ea9rs
here's some classic clips of buttons skating some banks in hawaii in the 70s
https://youtu.be/F06FlVg6vtI
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Surfing and skating this Greyson Fletcher day in the life, not much surfing though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdsZTg4msHI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdsZTg4msHI)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIPaS0Nr_dc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIPaS0Nr_dc)
Curren Caples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cxB0HsnlsI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cxB0HsnlsI)
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Surfing and skating this Greyson Fletcher day in the life, not much surfing though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdsZTg4msHI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdsZTg4msHI)
that first wave/slam right onto the shore at the wedge is so insane lol
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needs to be same day? you got a fetish for this or something? lmao
I just wanted to get inspired by that morning surf afternoon skate routine. Maybe replicate that you know.
Fetishize deez nuts.
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@finecojeffe missed this but holy hell those are some thick azzzz slabs. getting caught on the inside when sets are rollin thru looks like it'd be terrible haha
Some of the photos people got from this day look unreal. Surflie had it as 6-8...from whatever buoy they use but by the time some of the waves got to the beach some were double over and just as fat as they come. Getting caught inside was not fun at all.
King tide was in play too, so some people who weren't on the beach got hit by some waves at high tide and knocked off the walkway to the pier and into Government Cut where the cruise ships pass.
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needs to be same day? you got a fetish for this or something? lmao
I just wanted to get inspired by that morning surf afternoon skate routine. Maybe replicate that you know.
Fetishize deez nuts.
no need to fantasize just actualize it mane
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Got some waves last weekend, even got some pictures:
(https://i.ibb.co/486fnh7/photo-2022-10-20-10-06-12-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wS9LF5R)
(https://i.ibb.co/T8qR2Qr/photo-2022-10-20-10-06-12.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hW1H9GC)
(https://i.ibb.co/DwYfXCw/photo-2022-10-20-10-06-10.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nQBM2cQ)
This is south-western Sweden, around 5°C air temp, so it's full frog-man mode for everyone in the water.
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Got some waves last weekend, even got some pictures:
(https://i.ibb.co/486fnh7/photo-2022-10-20-10-06-12-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wS9LF5R)
(https://i.ibb.co/T8qR2Qr/photo-2022-10-20-10-06-12.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hW1H9GC)
(https://i.ibb.co/DwYfXCw/photo-2022-10-20-10-06-10.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nQBM2cQ)
This is south-western Sweden, around 5°C air temp, so it's full frog-man mode for everyone in the water.
Yoo, im on the westcoast. Where are you guys surfing?
I wanna start surfing but I'm not sure what type of board I want. A guy in town is selling a 6" board at 50L really cheap but I'm 2 meters/ 6'5 and I'm afraid it will be too short.
You guys got any tips?
Also which EU/Swedish sites do I go for swimsuits?
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even though it looks cold, it still looks like some fun waves Skibb! It's been flat again here and I haven't been able to surf since Sep 30. This might be the first October in a very long time that i haven't had a single session. I need to move...when I retire.
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went on a road trip through california a few weeks ago, 4 days in the bay area, 3 days aronud santa barbara, and 3 in LA. i definitely underestimated how cold the water would be around SF, i was in a 4/3 with no boots and my feet went numb. ended up buying some boots while i was there; i needed to replace my autumn split toes anyway. also, the spots around there all seem super affected by tides, with pretty notable rips and currents to navigate. my friends said it was because of how deep the SF bay is, so tons of water comes in and out of it with every tide shift. pretty interesting and trippy after a lifetime of surfing mostly east coast beach breaks.
caught the best waves of the trip in LA. those slopey waves are so much easier to surf than the majority of other places i've been, it's no wonder so many people surf down there.
now i'm back home and the northeast US is finally getting waves with relative consistency, i'm hyped and trying to enjoy as much as i can before it gets super cold. still haven't broken out my winter suit, but on days with a strong wind i am definitely shivering a little. but the crowds are basically gone, i love that about this place.
funny, i ran into a few people out there who had funny reactions when i told them where i was from. i guess they were under the impression that the east coast is barely surfable or that we only get shitty little waves or something. truth is despite the feast-or-famine seasonal changes, i think you have way more chances to get barreled in a given season, and way fewer crowds, in NY or NJ than you could ever find in SoCal... but I didn't bother telling them that :-X
anyway, @Skibb what's it like surfing in sweden? fickle? consistent? crowded? empty?
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Damn, yeah @Skibb that looks awesome. pls elaborate more on surfing in Sweden. Is that spot consistent?
@finecojeffe that's tough. hope something comes through for you soon. I feel like seasons are pushed back later and later every passing year so maybe november will be your october haha
@mj23 that roadtrip sounds awesome. Yeah, SF is notoriously cold. where did you go out in SF and LA? SB is notoriously small wave longboard territory
funny, i ran into a few people out there who had funny reactions when i told them where i was from. i guess they were under the impression that the east coast is barely surfable or that we only get shitty little waves or something. truth is despite the feast-or-famine seasonal changes, i think you have way more chances to get barreled in a given season, and way fewer crowds, in NY or NJ than you could ever find in SoCal... but I didn't bother telling them that :-X
I will let you keep thinkin' that about socal hahah. I think the main issue is you went surfing in LA, LA is a nightmare of its own, throw surfing on top of it and its a gonna be rough imo. sure there are overly crowded point breaks that have rolly mush but there are tons of uncrowded beach breaks that are steep as hell and given the right conditions can humble even the best surfers
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Got off work early and paddled out. Surf forecast was giving 4 stars, 6ft @ 9s or so.. ended up being choppy and crumbly as all hell. This year’s been kinda lackluster overall, or maybe I’m just getting a lot pickier than I used to be.
Just bummed that once the time changes in a couple weeks I’ll only be able to get out on weekends. Don’t really like surfing alone, so the occasions where the weekend is good, and there’s people out, but not too many, are pretty rare. Hopefully will manage to score a bit and not lose all my ability over the next 6-7 freezing months.
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@Coastal Fever lackluster is a good word for the situation here as well. Because I'm on a river, my waves are at the mercy of upstream dams. The water table is low so they're reducing the flow with no end in sight. A different set of variables, but still just watching and hoping for waves!
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@mj23 that roadtrip sounds awesome. Yeah, SF is notoriously cold. where did you go out in SF and LA? SB is notoriously small wave longboard territory
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funny, i ran into a few people out there who had funny reactions when i told them where i was from. i guess they were under the impression that the east coast is barely surfable or that we only get shitty little waves or something. truth is despite the feast-or-famine seasonal changes, i think you have way more chances to get barreled in a given season, and way fewer crowds, in NY or NJ than you could ever find in SoCal... but I didn't bother telling them that :-X
I will let you keep thinkin' that about socal hahah. I think the main issue is you went surfing in LA, LA is a nightmare of its own, throw surfing on top of it and its a gonna be rough imo. sure there are overly crowded point breaks that have rolly mush but there are tons of uncrowded beach breaks that are steep as hell and given the right conditions can humble even the best surfers
i don't doubt it, and i knew it might seem like i was trying to start some kind of pissing match, but i'm really not, i swear.
i just find it funny that in 2022 i still meet people who are surprised to learn that east coast surfing exists or that it ever gets "good." like haven't we all seen video clips of guys getting pitted with snow on the beach every winter? :-X :-X
i'm not completely crazy though, am i? i've seen tons of surf industry types describe socal surf as 'gutless' over the years. and in my limited experience when the beach breaks around LA have gotten powerful they're still not as barreling as shit out here... but they are definitely thicker and have more juice.
anyway i guess i'm guilty of the same shit from the other side, i surf various LA county spots, see clips from trestles, etc, and i fall into the trap of thinking socal = slopey and rippable, even though i've also seen clips of a solid swell turning various south bay spots that i recognize pretty gnarly and hollow.
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I saw how you said the concave was mostly flat on that twin round tail.
There was a legendary shaper/troll on the Surfer mag forums that just passed away who made some killer boards. He believed in a no concave theory with hard edges on the rails all the way up the nose. Really interesting stuff
RIP Greg Griffin.
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@mj23 that roadtrip sounds awesome. Yeah, SF is notoriously cold. where did you go out in SF and LA? SB is notoriously small wave longboard territory
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funny, i ran into a few people out there who had funny reactions when i told them where i was from. i guess they were under the impression that the east coast is barely surfable or that we only get shitty little waves or something. truth is despite the feast-or-famine seasonal changes, i think you have way more chances to get barreled in a given season, and way fewer crowds, in NY or NJ than you could ever find in SoCal... but I didn't bother telling them that :-X
I will let you keep thinkin' that about socal hahah. I think the main issue is you went surfing in LA, LA is a nightmare of its own, throw surfing on top of it and its a gonna be rough imo. sure there are overly crowded point breaks that have rolly mush but there are tons of uncrowded beach breaks that are steep as hell and given the right conditions can humble even the best surfers
i don't doubt it, and i knew it might seem like i was trying to start some kind of pissing match, but i'm really not, i swear.
i just find it funny that in 2022 i still meet people who are surprised to learn that east coast surfing exists or that it ever gets "good." like haven't we all seen video clips of guys getting pitted with snow on the beach every winter? :-X :-X
i'm not completely crazy though, am i? i've seen tons of surf industry types describe socal surf as 'gutless' over the years. and in my limited experience when the beach breaks around LA have gotten powerful they're still not as barreling as shit out here... but they are definitely thicker and have more juice.
anyway i guess i'm guilty of the same shit from the other side, i surf various LA county spots, see clips from trestles, etc, and i fall into the trap of thinking socal = slopey and rippable, even though i've also seen clips of a solid swell turning various south bay spots that i recognize pretty gnarly and hollow.
Just for some perspective, grew up surfing Texas. All these guys talk about grovellers for san diego etc.
When I visited every summer I always had plenty of fun on a standard shortboard at san onofre and places like that. Compared to texas those waves have so much more punch, I kinda roll my eyes at guys going for alt shapes sometimes because down here we really need them for short period wind swell.
Also east coast is criminally underrated yall get god surf 2x as much as texas.
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Somehow didn't know this thread existed, or I did and I forgot. I live in the PNW and browsing through pages see that I'm not the only one. I'm in Washington so you probably already know my primary surf spot. I grew up surfing occasionally because my mom was from SoCal and we'd surf down there on occassion but I really picked it up more seriously the past 4 years or so (I'm 36). I think there was a vid where Max Schaff was talking about learning to surf in mid-life and how it's sick because you can get that same excitement you had when you first started skating - where you're learning new shit every time you do it and are just staying stoked between sessions. It's been really fun to get into.
Buuuut totally have to agree with the common sentiment that surfers are the absolute worst. I hear the common excuse for localism in surfing as waves being a finite resource - but I'm a serious snowboarder too and have been all my life and powder is way fucking more scarce than waves (that come in sets!) and you don't get that localism shit in snowboarding. It really bugged me when I started and ruined sessions for me, but I've gotten over it now and if anything it just makes me that much more stoked that I'm a skateboarder.
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Whoa, double post - sorry.
But could someone explain to me the hate on mid-lengths? I see it all over and it makes me self-conscious riding my 7'4". As a skater I'm anxious to ride a shorter board so I can surf more the way I skate but I just haven't had the time (and the waves here don't have the consistency) yet to get to that point. But I don't know where the hate originated or exactly why? I don't care when someone at the skatepark is riding a shaped board, but I gather that's not an apt comparison, wondering if someone more legit than me can tell me why I'm a kook...?
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@mj23 that roadtrip sounds awesome. Yeah, SF is notoriously cold. where did you go out in SF and LA? SB is notoriously small wave longboard territory
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funny, i ran into a few people out there who had funny reactions when i told them where i was from. i guess they were under the impression that the east coast is barely surfable or that we only get shitty little waves or something. truth is despite the feast-or-famine seasonal changes, i think you have way more chances to get barreled in a given season, and way fewer crowds, in NY or NJ than you could ever find in SoCal... but I didn't bother telling them that :-X
I will let you keep thinkin' that about socal hahah. I think the main issue is you went surfing in LA, LA is a nightmare of its own, throw surfing on top of it and its a gonna be rough imo. sure there are overly crowded point breaks that have rolly mush but there are tons of uncrowded beach breaks that are steep as hell and given the right conditions can humble even the best surfers
i don't doubt it, and i knew it might seem like i was trying to start some kind of pissing match, but i'm really not, i swear.
i just find it funny that in 2022 i still meet people who are surprised to learn that east coast surfing exists or that it ever gets "good." like haven't we all seen video clips of guys getting pitted with snow on the beach every winter? :-X :-X
i'm not completely crazy though, am i? i've seen tons of surf industry types describe socal surf as 'gutless' over the years. and in my limited experience when the beach breaks around LA have gotten powerful they're still not as barreling as shit out here... but they are definitely thicker and have more juice.
anyway i guess i'm guilty of the same shit from the other side, i surf various LA county spots, see clips from trestles, etc, and i fall into the trap of thinking socal = slopey and rippable, even though i've also seen clips of a solid swell turning various south bay spots that i recognize pretty gnarly and hollow.
https://youtu.be/96IhRXqiRcM
*please ignore soul-sucking stock YouTube backtrack*
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But could someone explain to me the hate on mid-lengths?
I don't see hate very much in person. It likely stems from the surge in popularity of boards of specific length being called "mid-length" after many years of that not being a thing. Marketing caused that I think. Also coinciding with the surge of new surfers during the free time that the pandemic brought them. This brought a lot of crowds to the lineup, now riding boards that are easy to paddle into everything and leaving the newer surfers on them a newfound inability to look either left or right before taking off, only to find they weren't the first one on the wave which causes them to yell "party wave" thinking thats the proper bandaid for dropping in on someone. There's a chance some "mid-length" people are modernized incarnations of hipsters too.
Don't let it deter you at all though. Boards of the mid-length size can be super fun in all sorts of surf. I ride a 7'5" and a 8'3" whenever the waves are small and always have a good time on them. I always mean to bring them when the waves are good, but since waves being good is rare I tend to choose the smallest board I can for the day.
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Whoa, double post - sorry.
But could someone explain to me the hate on mid-lengths? I see it all over and it makes me self-conscious riding my 7'4". As a skater I'm anxious to ride a shorter board so I can surf more the way I skate but I just haven't had the time (and the waves here don't have the consistency) yet to get to that point. But I don't know where the hate originated or exactly why? I don't care when someone at the skatepark is riding a shaped board, but I gather that's not an apt comparison, wondering if someone more legit than me can tell me why I'm a kook...?
Midlengths used to be a 'kooky' no mans land between longboards and shortboards, generally associated with adult beginners. But let's be clear in the lates 60s and 70s, the transition era into modern surfing, most progressive surfers were using them.
I learned on shortboards and have a love/ hate relationship with long boarding. when I started you either rode a longbaord or a highly rockered out, skinny shortboard (ala Kelly Slaters 'glass slipper). With the advent of the Litmus and Thomas Campbell movies in the early 2000s, surfers gradually started to open up to 'alternative' surfboards again. People began riding Fish, quads, bonzers, eggs etc... usually with a lot more volume than contemporary shortboards. A lot of people realized 'foam is typically your friend.' And for most of us most of the time volume only helped.
Anyway, it was inevitable that shapers and surfers began to explore 'mid lengths' in this anything goes era. Also, there are a shit load more 'adult learners than there used to be and they make a lot of sense for that crowd. There are also a lot of fancy 'designer' surf labels that look appealing to adult learners with expendable income making middies. So, there are a lot of kooks on middies, for sure.
Personally, I caved. out of my seven surfboards, two are middies. They've helped my up wave count a lot in winter when I'm wearing a lot of neoprene, surfing bigger waves and not as surf fit. In saying that, I only like them in bigger opened faced waves (not necessarily hollow critical waves). I really don't like them in anything under shoulder high. To make the most of a middie you really want some room to move them around and hack some turns... otherwise I find them pretty boring and lackluster.
There are so many ways to pack volume into a surfboard, the mid length is just one. The closest I have come to skateboard feeling is on small sub 6' wide tailed quads. If you are surfing smaller waves, you're pretty fit and want to get a skateboard sensation consider a quad fish or stubby shortboard. Catching waves and the take off will be harder than on your 7'4" but once you up and running you'll have a very different surf experience. Keep the middie for should high plus and long open walls.
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On the topic of mid lengths, when I was a kid in NJ most stuff we saw in the 7 foot range would be called a “fun board” or a “mini malibu” and was seen as being for beginners. Or, to be honest, “for girls.” That was stupid tho and I learned to surf on a dumb ass 6’2” high performance short board that held me back for years because I could barely ride it.
When I started surfing the rockaways in NYC more as an adult there was a big hipster “alternative shape” scene as well as a lot of adult beginners, so I got some bigger boards and instantly started having more fun. I guess Im an adult beginner alt shape hipster myself in a sense.
When I go back to my old home breaks in NJ or more “core” spots in Long Island I can see a real difference in what people ride, how skilled they are, and how they size me up in the lineup.
There’s still a perception that big boards are for people who can’t surf, and honestly there’s some truth to it. Certainly a beginner who ditches their mini log constantly is a menace and a danger to be around.
But it’s not about to stop me. I get more waves and surf better now than I ever did on a shortboard. Crucially I also grew up in a place where bad etiquette could get you smacked around, so I like to think I avoid being one of the worst offenders in the current post Covid big big board surf boom.
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Flew north to visit my parents over the weekend and got a few waves. Cold air, but the water was 63º, so a 3/2 with some booties was perfect. Water was warmer than it was for a small window back in August when I visited, there was some upwelling then that dropped the water to 52º.
Anyway, got to surf a roundtail twin I posted here at some point last spring, and it went real well with the twin plus trailer setup. It's possible the front fins are actually the Stu Kenson twins though since I bought them off ebay from naked viking about 2 years back or more and they were unbranded and not marked with any template info, and got them for real cheap so I guess they might have been some early protos.
(https://i.ibb.co/sFtsKLR/IMG-0102.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BgwTy83)
edit to add a pic of the board with the fins:
(https://i.ibb.co/q149zfr/68874952519-A6-F6824-C-CF92-4-E5-E-8-BE0-99173685-B3-F1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/x5cGy07)
(https://i.ibb.co/3vvB1cQ/IMG-0085.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dttGBDx)
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Ever since moving to new york this summer i only get to surf 1-3x a month. Heres clips from yesterday
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY= (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=)
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Anyone try the RVCA wetsuits yet?
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Ever since moving to new york this summer i only get to surf 1-3x a month. Heres clips from yesterday
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY= (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=)
good stuff. Is the 1-3x a month a wave quality issue or a commuting issue...or both? Aside from winter NY surf reminds me of miami...few breaks with large crowds and too much traffic.
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Ever since moving to new york this summer i only get to surf 1-3x a month. Heres clips from yesterday
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY= (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=)
good stuff. Is the 1-3x a month a wave quality issue or a commuting issue...or both? Aside from winter NY surf reminds me of miami...few breaks with large crowds and too much traffic.
Haha it is both. For sure. I am full time in acupuncture / chinese medicine school right now. And it is sort of a bitch to get to the beach from where i am living. And yeah wave quality in NY is lackluster. But sheesh when the stars align and i am able to surf fun waves i am the happiest man on earth :)
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Ever since moving to new york this summer i only get to surf 1-3x a month. Heres clips from yesterday
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY= (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkZjxxlD7kD/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=)
good stuff. Is the 1-3x a month a wave quality issue or a commuting issue...or both? Aside from winter NY surf reminds me of miami...few breaks with large crowds and too much traffic.
Haha it is both. For sure. I am full time in acupuncture / chinese medicine school right now. And it is sort of a bitch to get to the beach from where i am living. And yeah wave quality in NY is lackluster. But sheesh when the stars align and i am able to surf fun waves i am the happiest man on earth :)
Station RBNY posts daily wave reports.
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anyway, @Skibb what's it like surfing in sweden? fickle? consistent? crowded? empty?
We only really get windswells, being covered from the Atlantic by Denmark and Norway. But it's not too rare to get the required winds, so you could be catching waves a couple of times a month.
Kite and windsurfing is a bigger thing here, since the conditions are much more suitable for those, so there are some spots that are pretty crowded by those guys. But again: nothing insane. And the surfers here are pretty chill... It's easy to strike up a conversation and I couldn't ever imagine getting your ass whooped for showing up at someones local.
Definately a humbling experience to be standing in a snowy parking lot, with gale and sleet, trying to wrangle out of your 6/5/4 wetsuit. Damn does that termos with hot coco taste good afterwards.
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Any WI/Great Lakes surfers here? Any tips for getting out there this winter?
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Any WI/Great Lakes surfers here? Any tips for getting out there this winter?
I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of surfing Lake Erie.
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Stumbled across this last evening which was a treat, as I've always wanted to see an underwater montage. Usually these types of shots are just sprinkled sparingly in someone's part.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1waqQQqM6ew
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Got some new BMT Futures Twin Fins on Black Friday and have had a blast the last couple of sessions dialing them in on my 7'6 mid twin and 5'10" groveler. Scored a spooky Oregon beach break to myself this morning. Chest high glassy runners. Just me and few aggro seals. Fell apart as the tide dropped but scored a handful of long workable waves that will get me through the next storm cycle.
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painted a 5'7" thruster recently, an ode to a Chris Pastras Stereo board for the bottom. It hasn't been glassed yet though.
(https://i.ibb.co/vcNRyng/IMG-9990.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZfQ74Dt)
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painted a 5'7" thruster recently, an ode to a Chris Pastras Stereo board for the bottom. It hasn't been glassed yet though.
(https://i.ibb.co/vcNRyng/IMG-9990.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZfQ74Dt)
So dope.
I remember that board.
I was planning to draw a peacock feather a La Rasa Libre on my 7’.
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Amazing. Reminds me of Larry Bertleman's Pepsi boards.
(http://surfboardline.com/wp-content/gallery/larry-bertlemann/l62w2038t3_frontback.jpg)
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Amazing. Reminds me of Larry Bertleman's Pepsi boards.
(http://surfboardline.com/wp-content/gallery/larry-bertlemann/l62w2038t3_frontback.jpg)
most definitely. I'm sure those boards subconsciously informed my decision to go with this graphic.
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How'd you Californians do in that giant swell?
Oregon has been out of hand. Some windows with epic waves, I've been hearing about but nothing that's lined up with my schedule...
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How'd you Californians do in that giant swell?
Oregon has been out of hand. Some windows with epic waves, I've been hearing about but nothing that's lined up with my schedule...
Me paddling out would be the equivalent of dropping in switch to the mega ramp, but it was sick to see pretty much the entire state pumping. Had a few friends who went out in North County SD and got some good clips and photos.
All of Santa Cruz just got smashed though, too gnarly up there.
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Saw Slater was at Seal Beach.
I bet Sandspit in Santa Barbara was cranking...
I haven't surfed in weeks.... hard to motivate a big swell paddle out without being on my game...
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How'd you Californians do in that giant swell?
Oregon has been out of hand. Some windows with epic waves, I've been hearing about but nothing that's lined up with my schedule...
Fort Point in San Francisco was going off a couple days ago. Went and watched people charge that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZKIaprkAfk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98anTzdqXzk
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https://www.si.com/.amp/more-sports/2023/01/07/surfing-legend-dies-while-practicing-nazare-massive-waves (https://www.si.com/.amp/more-sports/2023/01/07/surfing-legend-dies-while-practicing-nazare-massive-waves)
RIP
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Saw Slater was at Seal Beach.
I bet Sandspit in Santa Barbara was cranking...
I haven't surfed in weeks.... hard to motivate a big swell paddle out without being on my game...
I was at Sandspit on both Thursday and Friday. Thursday was pretty much too big for the wave and just rolling through like one big shoulder. Friday was better but by the time the tide was low enough most of the swell had dropped off and it was only about head high. I think the swell didn't have enough south in it for it to work well.
Both days were pretty much impossible to get a wave due to every notable surfer in the area being at the spot and taking whatever wave they wanted, regardless of who was already riding it. Made me remember why I stopped prioritizing surf on a weekend morning and just started going to the skatepark instead.
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Damn. How were the other points in the SB zone? Rincon? El Cap?
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Damn. How were the other points in the SB zone? Rincon? El Cap?
Rincon was too big and washing through on thursday but super good on friday afternoon. I didn't surf it though, just watched for a little while on my way back from SB. All the point breaks around here are such shit shows and also i'm a bodyboarder so californian surfers will see me riding a wave and consider the wave empty. Sorry if i sound bitter but i've pretty much reached my wit's end with surfing in california, i'm over it
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Totally understand. While Oregon is way less crowded than CA the few good spots are wedged with all manner of person I really don't want to be around...
I have fantasies of moving somewhere warm and body surfing only.
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Totally understand. While Oregon is way less crowded than CA the few good spots are wedged with all manner of person I really don't want to be around...
I have fantasies of moving somewhere warm and body surfing only.
I know how you feel. The best thing about bodysurfing is how little it demands of you.
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Totally understand. While Oregon is way less crowded than CA the few good spots are wedged with all manner of person I really don't want to be around...
I have fantasies of moving somewhere warm and body surfing only.
I know how you feel. The best thing about bodysurfing is how little it demands of you.
I used to bodysurf the beach break at Point Dume...with all the rocks it could be pretty demanding on the body, but was worth it for me anyway.
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Friday 1/6 seemed to be the peak. In my area south side seal beach was just about the only spot. I watched for a bit, super entertaining. comparable to the wedge with huge slabs breaking onto about 2ft of water. The swell direction/power revealed some rare peaks way outside and there were a few folks sitting about 300 yards out catching these fat mushy rollers that hug the south jetty and getting towed back out on jet skis. Cool to see
I went out Saturday and while there was still some sizeable sets rolling through the swell energy had dropped by a lot. Had a great time on my 7’2 egg, a session that really reminded myself why I got that board. When the tide started to drop it felt like it was walling up a bit and that sweet spot where my board really thrived started to fade. Water is dirty as hell from rain and storms, was almost completely brown haha
Cool vids I’ve seen from the swell:
blacks in SD. The canyon sets seem earth shattering, seen crazy pov vids of long hold downs
https://youtu.be/l9MQ8ZpmrOE
Sand pits in SB
https://youtu.be/-TYbAdY4w8M
@modern life is war maybe you’re a bit more familiar with this spot^ cuz yr location
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Totally understand. While Oregon is way less crowded than CA the few good spots are wedged with all manner of person I really don't want to be around...
I have fantasies of moving somewhere warm and body surfing only.
I know how you feel. The best thing about bodysurfing is how little it demands of you.
I used to bodysurf the beach break at Point Dume...with all the rocks it could be pretty demanding on the body, but was worth it for me anyway.
I more meant that you don't need to be super skilled to enjoy it. You can just pull in, see the inside of a barrel and be satisfied
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Where'd Tommy Curren surf during that swell? That's really what I'd like to know.
Seems like Slater surfed with Huell Howser.
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Totally understand. While Oregon is way less crowded than CA the few good spots are wedged with all manner of person I really don't want to be around...
I have fantasies of moving somewhere warm and body surfing only.
I know how you feel. The best thing about bodysurfing is how little it demands of you.
I used to bodysurf the beach break at Point Dume...with all the rocks it could be pretty demanding on the body, but was worth it for me anyway.
I more meant that you don't need to be super skilled to enjoy it. You can just pull in, see the inside of a barrel and be satisfied
my bad, your point definitely makes sense.
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Any slap homies down to surf? This past weekend I surfed malibu, topanga and rincon and they were all amazing sessions. I haven't seen rincon turn on like that in a minute
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are you guys pretty good swimmers? lol i am pretty bad but i still really want try somehow.
i have heard people hit this place in ontario called Kincardine, the waves are pretty small but i would like to try anything at this point. there is a place it seems like you can rent boards or something.
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anyone got opinions on wavestorms? getting a good legitimate surfboard is so cost prohibitive and probably the main reason i haven't switched from bodyboarding to real surfing yet.
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anyone got opinions on wavestorms? getting a good legitimate surfboard is so cost prohibitive and probably the main reason i haven't switched from bodyboarding to real surfing yet.
At this point, they seem to be the go-to beginner board (at least on the east coast) - I bought two of the Gerry Lopez softtops for that they sell at Costco for like $150 two summers back from someone who seemed to be selling them under the table on craigslist - one for a friend, and one that I got for my sister/to catch odds jobs teaching few lessons in the summertime. I can't say for sure, but they seem to be the same material/design/quality as the wave storms I've seen on the beach and in the water for a few years now. The soft top adds buoyancy and can help make the bumps and little slams that come with learning to surf a lot easier (especially falling on on the board and getting knocked around by waves the first few times you try to paddle out. That said, they seem to be of a markedly lower quality than a lot of other soft tops on the market. Mine's only been in the water 10-15 times at this point and is delaminated on the rails and the deck is covered in dents (to be expected on a board that's getting a lot of use, but these seemed excessive).
I'd recommend getting one if you're looking for something cheap to mess around on for a limited amount of time, but would probably advise getting a used soft top from a more reputable brand if you'd like to have it long term. Or, if the wallet allows, a used mid-length could go a long way in facilitating your first few sessions and honing your surfing down the road as well. Their volume is great for beginners, and the longer rail line can help more experienced surfers smooth out kinks in their carving game.
Did any PNW heads get out there this weekend?? I just moved out here from Jersey over the summer and have only been to the coast a handful of times since, so didn't even know where to start looking. Hope someone scored some cold ones though!
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anyone got opinions on wavestorms? getting a good legitimate surfboard is so cost prohibitive and probably the main reason i haven't switched from bodyboarding to real surfing yet.
i think if surfing is something that you really want to do, not just try once in a blue moon, then a wavestorm is a waste and you can find a glass board on offerup, or used at a shop for what wavestorms cost. But if surfing is something you might just try to see if you like it, then also wavestorms are a waste of time and you can just rent a soft top board first to see if it's something you'd even like to get into.
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anyone got opinions on wavestorms? getting a good legitimate surfboard is so cost prohibitive and probably the main reason i haven't switched from bodyboarding to real surfing yet.
I agree with this^
Not trying to gatekeep or anything like that - I really don’t like the feeling of a soft board, whether it is a wave storm or a “nicer” version(besides a wave storm I’ve only tried almond or whatever they used to make in the early 2000s that felt like a fat pool noodle haha). I’d rather ride a beat up old glassed board because it feels much more stable and quick for paddling. Maybe it’s just a mental thing for me. My wife started learning to surf sometime in 2019 and she borrowed a friends old longboard for a while - She mostly used that and tried a wave storm once or twice but always preferred a “real” board for some reason as well. I think this was a huge factor for her in being able to turn because it feels so easy to dig the rails on a soft top
You can definitely find a old long board somewhere on Craigslist, offer up, or fb marketplace for not much more than a soft top. I would try for that or to borrow from someone if possible
But again this is just my opinion, if you wanna surf and feel comfortable on the wave storm then get out there and try it out. Don’t let it deter ya
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sup yall, had to check back in here after the pacific mega-swell. did people get sick after surfing in all that runoff? seems gnarly, although maybe with all the repeated rain you've had this season there were already a few good flushes beforehand. hopefully there were a few fickle tucked away points working where you could beat the psycho crowds
just wrapped up a few really fun swells here in the northeast, nothing too crazy but we have had warmer-than-average air temps (like 40-50F air, 45F water) with decent waist-to-shoulder size waves showing up once a week or so since before christmas, so i'm psyched.
on the topic of wavestorms, i fuckin hate em, i've tried some soft tops over the years and they just feel so heavy and soggy and annoying to move around. i honestly think they're harder to surf, and their only real selling points are that they are a little bit safer for a total beginner (or a crowded summertime beach). maybe some of the newer fancier brands are better, idk, but if you keep your eye on secondhand type websites you can get a real board for a reasonable price.
and on the topic of swimming, i think if you arent comfortable swimming out to a given surf spot, you probably shouldnt take a board out there either. Not trying to gatekeep, just thinking "safety first" after years working as a lifeguard when i was younger. too many people think a surfboard is a crutch (which it can be, under the right circumstances), but it's also potential liability (it could hit you in the head, or give you a false sense of security, for example)
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Things finally settled down up here in the PNW at a time my schedule allowed and I scored a regular spot that was looking not so regular. Sun down session, back lit thumpy beach break and some long right hand peelers in the distance. After not surfing for a weeks and weeks I was worried about my fitness level but all was well. Took out my 6'5" Lost Retroripper and surprised myself with a handful of steep drops into reeling left hand walls. I guess, I still surf. Might be more on tap this weekend.
Also in better news (for Oregon at least) La Nina might on its way out and El Nino on its way in, so next winter should be way more manageable for us... but you never really know how these 'events' are going to play out...
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been flat in SoFla as usual but I just got a few knee highs about 45 minutes ago that quenched my dry legs. Really not a good winter so far down here, been having to drive hours too often. Hopefully it picks up sooner than later. On another note I've been skating more than ever since the waves are always flat and my youngest son now always wants to skate with me so that's been a real positive.
In regards to surfing post rain...I moved to Fla years ago from Los Angeles and always kinda bugged about surfing in the rain since all the run off there is nasty, but at this point I'd probably be one to paddle out in just about anything if theres a chance to catch some waves.
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Nice run up here. Blew Monday off work and scored a Yurt to camp out Sunday night. Waited for the weekend crowds to dissipate and had two great sessions Sun evening and mon morning. Small but long period west swell running and offshores. Freezing though. Wetsuit actually froze as I was drip drying it outside the yurt.
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https://youtu.be/GeTMPJ2B5VE (https://youtu.be/GeTMPJ2B5VE)
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We are going to PR in a month and taking three bags. Any opinions on whether to get a travel bag or a coffin with wheels? I can see advantages to both. I think the biggest board we will take is 7'0".
Also any opinions on a 7'4" Bing Collector in Puerto Rico?
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Yesterday at south beach went from vas/whiteout rain conditions to clear glassy in a few short hours. The surf cam looks like an old cell phone from about 2007, but it's still fun to try to find myself. Definitely would prefer an actual cam because the angle flattens everything. I'm pretty sure this cam is about 100' up and 4-5 blocks away.
https://youtu.be/an66FyUfinE (https://youtu.be/an66FyUfinE)
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How is it traveling with a 7’?
Would something shorter be better for Costa Rica?
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Costa Rica is pretty heavy, you might need something bigger than 7 foot. Maybe 8’6” to get the real serious tubes. They might rob you in tamarindo, watch out, I heard they smoke tweak
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been flat in SoFla as usual but I just got a few knee highs about 45 minutes ago that quenched my dry legs. Really not a good winter so far down here, been having to drive hours too often. Hopefully it picks up sooner than later. On another note I've been skating more than ever since the waves are always flat and my youngest son now always wants to skate with me so that's been a real positive.
In regards to surfing post rain...I moved to Fla years ago from Los Angeles and always kinda bugged about surfing in the rain since all the run off there is nasty, but at this point I'd probably be one to paddle out in just about anything if theres a chance to catch some waves.
Welcome to Fl, mate, surfing after the rain and/or with onshore winds is normal here lol. The waves have been down here since that epic run we had for 2020.
I have been skating w my youngest son too , been awesome to take him out there and he’s stoked on it. U ever take ur boy to surf?
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Scored a fun little swell last weekend. Portland was buried in snow and no one wanted to drive over the passes to the coast so it was pretty mellow crowd of locals. Blue skies, turning orange with the sunset, back lit ice green waves. Waist high runners on the mid twin, as the sun hit the horizon. Camped in a yurt and went back to the same spot for round two the next morning. Wasn't to be but still fun.
Then I came home and sold two boards so I can justify ordering a new custom (that's how I thin down my quiver and justify a new board without the wife knowing).
Bit late in the season but I have a hybrid/semigun/middie on the way. Somewhat like Rawson Sniper/ FCD F Rocket to motivate me to paddle out in Overhead+ surf while feeling unfit and cold. 7'6" round pin tail quad. Glassed to last with a Volan patch on the deck. My shaper took a month or two off to work on his house and this will be his first board after a break... stoked...
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I just picked up a Volcom 5/4/3 for $159.95 and a 4/3 for $139.95.
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I've seen the Volcom suits on sale a few places... makes me wonder how good they are. Can't skimp on a good 5/4 up here...
Curious about Buell and Dakine.... My Xcel suits don't seem to be as durable as the ones I have had in the past.
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I've seen the Volcom suits on sale a few places... makes me wonder how good they are. Can't skimp on a good 5/4 up here...
Curious about Buell and Dakine.... My Xcel suits don't seem to be as durable as the ones I have had in the past.
I was really considering shelling out for a Patagonia suit, but my 2 Volcoms combined cost less than half of one of those.
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That sounds Fuckin sick @Frank and Fred — I was just thinking earlier today that west coast lineups were probably nicely thinned this week, with so many of the west coast’s surfers running up to the mountains to catch the insane amount of snow y’all got
What glassing schedule are you getting for the new board?
On the topic of wetsuits, anyone know anything about Patagonia warranty? I know they’re great for most other products, to tue point where you can buy a beat up second hand jacket just knowing they will repair or replace it. If that works with wetsuits I would definitely try one out, but based on what I’ve heard about the yulex I wouldn’t do it with anything heavier than a 4/3. Once I get up to 5/4 the weight becomes a much bigger deal and people say yulex is heavier than your average suit
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What glassing schedule are you getting for the new board?
6/4/6 S cloth with a Volan deck patch. Glassed to last and its nice to have a heavier board up here to cut through the chop. I'll post some pics when its done. I think it is being shaped this week.
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Fucking hell check this post out from Nora:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqXchlJAty/?igshid=OGRjNzg3M2Y=
Hope the two kooks die in jail in Bali
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Anyone ride a board with this teardrop concave under the nose area before?Interested in buying a used 7’2 Spider Two Step, but haven’t really seen any other boards with that bottom concave.
Watched the shaper’s video about it, and I guess it’s just to help with lift when noseriding, but I’m mostly hoping to use it as a fun cruisy midlength I can still work on turns and cutbacks with. Aside from looking kinda weird, will it negatively affect performance in any way?
Here’s the full link for it; https://safarisurf.com/products/two-step-funboard
Is the nose rocker too flat for head high or bigger? Don’t usually get that buck but would like the option without pearling every time.
(https://i.ibb.co/1Mq6PrV/2-BD0-E21-C-520-C-46-A9-8913-0-DCD25-C7-C2-DA.jpg)
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That’s an interesting shape Coastal Fever. You deleted your post, how come you haven’t surfed in a few months? Injured or just gnar winter surf where you’re at? I haven’t surfed in over a year. Can’t wait to surf this summer. The first few times gonna be super rough & will look like a fool. Certain after a few sessions, will get my groove back . I don’t even care about looking like a fool in the gladiator ring, just so happy to jump in the sea
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Haha was kinda embarrassed but long story short, I could never get out due to darkness and/or shitty conditions outside of work hours. So I holed up inside getting faded and playing guitar instead, but now I’m attempting sobriety and eager to get back out. Sold my Torq yesterday for 80% of what I paid for it 2-3 years ago, and looking to buy my first “real” surfboard.
I’ve heard amazing things about Spider/Safari boards and can get one in good shape for a decent price. Scheduled to pick it up tmrw. I’m a little concerned about the lack of nose rocker, but in all honesty I should probably worry more about wave count than getting vertical and smacking the lip.
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For what it’s worth, at least you were playing guitar during your goth phase. You definitely gotta get out sooner than later. Life flying by. Guarantee when we depart, we wish we seized the day more. Already feel that way especially after moving away from the beach. Can definitely relate to the sobriety issue. Lost count how many sessions I could have had due to being faded.
As far as boards, never tried the types you mentioned. That’s part of the fun, experimenting with all kinds to see what works for you. First half of my life, surfed epoxy. Definitely all about fiberglass now. And you’re right…nowadays all about wave count!
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https://youtu.be/GeTMPJ2B5VE (https://youtu.be/GeTMPJ2B5VE)
This documentary so inspiring. Definitely gonna watch right before my surf trip
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Fucking hell check this post out from Nora:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqXchlJAty/?igshid=OGRjNzg3M2Y=
Hope the two kooks die in jail in Bali
Damn just saw this. Any more details on the violent kooks? Where are they from?
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Fucking hell check this post out from Nora:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqXchlJAty/?igshid=OGRjNzg3M2Y=
Hope the two kooks die in jail in Bali
Damn just saw this. Any more details on the violent kooks? Where are they from?
They are JP Azevedo and Adriano Portela both Brazilin. JP Azevedo had an ex girlfriend call him out for beating her, she posted pic's of her face all fucked up. Of course he put his insta private (@jp_azevedosurf) . Here is an article on it with pics of his ex all fucked up.
https://www.strayrocket.com/surfer-attacks-woman/
Dude needs to stop breathing.
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supposedly the attacker's house was surrounded a vigilante mob for days just waiting to beat his ass, and authorities are interested in charging him with crimes that could entail a 1 year prison sentence before being deported. this is all just stuff floating through the surf media rumor mill tho, i dont think its been confirmed.
either way the guy is clearly a menace, and he's really reinforcing brazillian surfers' negative reputation
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Yesterday I was watching FUEL TV in my bed before sleeping and a surf full-lenght was on and I found it very cool and relatively equal to a skate full lenght... the music, the b-roll, the cheering... basically I was into the whole vibe
That made me come here and ask you guys for the "best" surfing full-lenghts and/or videoparts (if they exist)
I don't surf and never have but I'm always intrigued to try it and maybe this summer I'll finally do it
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Yesterday I was watching FUEL TV in my bed before sleeping and a surf full-lenght was on and I found it very cool and relatively equal to a skate full lenght... the music, the b-roll, the cheering... basically I was into the whole vibe
That made me come here and ask you guys for the "best" surfing full-lenghts and/or videoparts (if they exist)
I don't surf and never have but I'm always intrigued to try it and maybe this summer I'll finally do it
https://youtu.be/15VU_mbcrB0 (https://youtu.be/15VU_mbcrB0)
Sonic Souvenirs hands down.
Step Into Liquid and The Endless Summer are solid classics.
Volcom Psychic Migrations
Anything with Craig Anderson
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^Sprout or anything Thomas Campbell
Had to take about 2 months off because my elbow randomly started tightening up. This started occurring after being on a 14 day streak back in early January. I tried ignoring and kept surfing but the popping up and paddling just kept aggravating it and making it worse.
I stupidly went on a surf trip with my elbow bothering me up to Santa Cruz and kinda made it worse but it was worth it haha. It was stormy, size able, and crowded/hectic but so fun. Surfed steamer lane, a spot right in front of the boardwalk/roller coaster which I heard doesn’t break often, and sewers.
also went on a trip to Oahu recently and surfed everyday but ended up renting a log because there was close to no swell. First time to Hawaii for me, such a beautiful place. Sea turtles just popping up next to you in the line up is just an amazing thing to see that I am not used to haha. I would move there in an instant…
arm is finally feeling better after taking almost 2 months off. need to listen to my body when it’s telling me to take a break next time! next week gonna get back to a regular schedule of blown out week day afternoon sessions. cannot wait hah
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Interesting new marketing approach from 88 brand soft tops: 3 minutes of Jonah Hill not making a single wave
http://vimeo.com/575628153
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sinister vibe to the edit and set to an OM track :-X
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Yesterday I was watching FUEL TV in my bed before sleeping and a surf full-lenght was on and I found it very cool and relatively equal to a skate full lenght... the music, the b-roll, the cheering... basically I was into the whole vibe
That made me come here and ask you guys for the "best" surfing full-lenghts and/or videoparts (if they exist)
I don't surf and never have but I'm always intrigued to try it and maybe this summer I'll finally do it
All of Kai Neville’s videos are dope.
Taylor Steele has made some great ones
Notably ‘Campaign’ is sick or Loose Change. He usually has some random theme with the videos but they are actually kinda sick
September sessions from Jack Johnson is awesome. Lots of 16mm footage.
Vans pentacoastal is kinda like an AWS edit style of surfing. Blue intensity by vans is sick too.
Noa Deane head noise. He skates too
Most Dane Reynolds footage.
Doped Youth, ozzy wright
The old LOST videos are some of my favorites. Those videos are kinda comparable to old baker videos(they drink and surf fucked up and there’s a lot of hijinx).
The former surf videos are really sick too. Dane Reynolds and Craig Anderson are amazing surfers.
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Lost Across America I and II are the Baker Bootleg and Baker 2G of surfing.
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Interesting new marketing approach from 88 brand soft tops: 3 minutes of Jonah Hill not making a single wave
http://vimeo.com/575628153
I feel like he kiiiiiiinda made the wave at like 1.20 - But he dropped in on someone for it lol.
Speaking of soft tops and surf vids - The Drag full length videos rule. They also did a collab with pass~port: https://youtu.be/eVjEblB8I_c
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Missed some classic Welsh surf on a trip back home due to a dumb skate injury. Back in Portland now and picking up my new custom board today so I can look at it unwaxed for god knows how long....
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Got it... I wanted a mid that was more tuned as a semi gun/ winter Oregon paddling board. Pretty stoked with how it turned out and I think it will handle any surf I'm going to attempt. 7'6 x 21" x 3"
(https://i.imgur.com/FnRmPNt.jpg)
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Drag is sick. Also notable in the skate/drag connection is Tom Robinson who used to be a pro-bodyboarder but now is a pretty notable skate photographer in Australia.
https://www.instagram.com/lobster_cooked/
Here's a photo of me draggin from maybe 5 years ago when I actually used to get out in the water regularly. It's one of the only good surf photos I have of myself.
(https://i.ibb.co/q9DTN4z/Screenshot-20230427-082605.jpg)
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Slotted!
I never gave bodyboarding a serious go and envy the ability to get in the tube.
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Slotted!
I never gave bodyboarding a serious go and envy the ability to get in the tube.
It's fun for slabby waves but anything other than that and you're severely limited by what you can do and how you can stylistically express yourself. There are only like 9 tricks you can do on a bodyboard haha.
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The new Chapter 11 edit is pretty dope, some good music, good editing, and footy from the gnarly winter swells in CA this year (including some heinous muddy Doo Doo brown water)
http://youtu.be/ImpnLSES70g
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Got it... I wanted a mid that was more tuned as a semi gun/ winter Oregon paddling board. Pretty stoked with how it turned out and I think it will handle any surf I'm going to attempt. 7'6 x 21" x 3"
(https://i.imgur.com/FnRmPNt.jpg)
nice, that thing is rad. Looks like it’s going to cover everything you mentioned. With my single fin mid - as much as I love it, there was a few sessions last winter I took it out in that I had definitely wished i had a different fin setup. Hopefully you get to try it out in the next few months
Drag is sick. Also notable in the skate/drag connection is Tom Robinson who used to be a pro-bodyboarder but now is a pretty notable skate photographer in Australia.
https://www.instagram.com/lobster_cooked/
Here's a photo of me draggin from maybe 5 years ago when I actually used to get out in the water regularly. It's one of the only good surf photos I have of myself.
(https://i.ibb.co/q9DTN4z/Screenshot-20230427-082605.jpg)
damn this is a sick shot. Where is this? Pismo beach or Ventura?
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Pretty bummed right now. I’ve mostly relied on surf-forecast.com as it’s been a little more reliable and detailed than MSW/Surfline. But still, sometimes it’s way off. I thought I cracked the code by finding a local buoy tracker that’s just half an hour or so down the coastline. Anyway, surf-forecast was calling for a decent swell to come in over the past couple days, so I’ve been constantly refreshing the buoy website and it’s been saying 2ft max 1ft avg all week, so I stayed home. Found out via Instagram that there was indeed a clean head high swell that rolled in yesterday. No cams where I’m at so it’s super disappointing that there’s literally no reliable resource out there.
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https://www.windfinder.com (https://www.windfinder.com)
https://www.buoyweather.com/#6/44.4/-125/SWELL (https://www.buoyweather.com/#6/44.4/-125/SWELL)
https://www.noaa.gov (https://www.noaa.gov)
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Pretty bummed right now. I’ve mostly relied on surf-forecast.com as it’s been a little more reliable and detailed than MSW/Surfline. But still, sometimes it’s way off. I thought I cracked the code by finding a local buoy tracker that’s just half an hour or so down the coastline. Anyway, surf-forecast was calling for a decent swell to come in over the past couple days, so I’ve been constantly refreshing the buoy website and it’s been saying 2ft max 1ft avg all week, so I stayed home. Found out via Instagram that there was indeed a clean head high swell that rolled in yesterday. No cams where I’m at so it’s super disappointing that there’s literally no reliable resource out there.
well... now you know! if you don't already, it's worth keeping a log somewhere with info about the buoy readings, the forecast, and what actually happened. then you can kinda triangulate. like for example there are some spots around me where small changes in the swell direction can make a pretty big difference even though it isn't really reflected in the forecasts. i keep a running log in my phone notes app so i can remember which specific spots seem to buck the forecasts in which specific ways
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I wound up shattering my fibula and tearing ligaments in my ankle shortly after my last post in this thread back in 2014. My time surfing was short lived. Skip ahead to a month and a half ago and I was out in Hawaii on a skate trip with no intention of ever going to the beach. All of my friends there surf though and they got me in the water. It was a pretty sad sight, but I went out a few different times. The last "session" there was a few hours before my flight home and I was juiced enough to decide to get a board and wetsuit when I got home. I felt like an intimidated little kid going into a skate shop for the first time, but the dudes at Val Surf were super cool. I told my buddy who was a surf instructor and water rescue firefighter about everything, and we've been going out 3 times a week for a couple hours at a time. I might not know what the fuck I'm doing yet but its a lot of fun. I'm hoping to graduate off of the foamie within a few months and maybe get a mid length board
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I wound up shattering my fibula and tearing ligaments in my ankle shortly after my last post in this thread back in 2014. My time surfing was short lived. Skip ahead to a month and a half ago and I was out in Hawaii on a skate trip with no intention of ever going to the beach. All of my friends there surf though and they got me in the water. It was a pretty sad sight, but I went out a few different times. The last "session" there was a few hours before my flight home and I was juiced enough to decide to get a board and wetsuit when I got home. I felt like an intimidated little kid going into a skate shop for the first time, but the dudes at Val Surf were super cool. I told my buddy who was a surf instructor and water rescue firefighter about everything, and we've been going out 3 times a week for a couple hours at a time. I might not know what the fuck I'm doing yet but its a lot of fun. I'm hoping to graduate off of the foamie within a few months and maybe get a mid length board
glad to hear you’re giving it another shot! Perfect time right before it starts warming up too.
I think you’re in socal right? Feel free to hmu if you wanna head down to the oc area and get a session in
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@Huell Howser I can see downtown LA from my window. Once I get some more experience and get more comfortable I’ll take you up on that. My ankle injury wasn’t from surfing or anything; not sure if it came across that way
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Just had a three day run after a couple of months off due to injury. Surfed my 7'6" quad as I wanted to catch as many waves as possible. Short period wind swell did surprisingly well and scored a bunch of fun ones. My injured arm aches but in a good way, (I think). Hopefully, back on the shortboards very soon.
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Nice, that's definitely a good ache.
On my coast we finally got a little swell last weekend and I surfed my 8'3" twin, and also my 5'5.5" twin+. The 8'3" was perfect since it was high tide most of the time I was out and the waves weren't pitching. Lots of fairly long lefts. It's been almost two months since I've had a day of waves.
My issue in the last three sessions I've had is I wind up with a stinger in my neck. I'm guessing I have a herniated disc in my neck. I can surf fine the whole time, but once I'm done and my back muscles try to settle down, a nerve gets pinched on the right side of my neck. It's possible I don't notice too much since I'm goofy and I'm usually looking for lefts, but it sucks anyway.
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I was this morning and had one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I saw a fin pop out of the water about 15 feet away from me, then another, and then some more. A dolphin pod swam up into the lineup and there were clusters of them for as far as I could see. Some were just swimming by while others were jumping out of the water. Not many were in the waves, so I stayed out. Some guy came up to me when I paddled in and showed me a video of myself sitting out in the water while some dolphins played in front of me. The quality got dropped when he sent it from his android to my iPhone, but it's still cool to have
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Nice. Where do you live Tom?
I've surfed pretty close to grey whales before and that was pretty humbling.
Been getting back into it recently Mostly on my 6'2" twin fin. My injured elbow gives me about 2 hours of surfing before it fatigues but its been nice to go as hard as I can for 2 hours. Mostly early mornings or late evenings at the go-to N Oregon spot. The howling north winds and short period wind swell are wrapping into the cove and shaping up into some super fun and shredable lefts.... would love to tap into some rights soon though.
Looking forward to a PNW El Nino this Autumn. Banking some PTO in anticipation.
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I can't imagine what it's going to be like seeing a whale for the first time
This was at Zuma in Malibu. I didn't know that some of the worlds largest dolphin pods exist in the area. I've been trying to get out every other day. Sometimes every three days if I'm sore. Work is completely shut down because of a strike, so there's a chance I have at least another two months until I have to go back. My plan is to keep going out as much as I can while staying out longer each session
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On the topic of whales and dolphins, there have been a record breaking number of whale deaths in NY and NJ this year. There are debates about why this is happening that I won’t get into right now, but overall it’s definitely related to why more whales and dolphins are swimming closer to shore than they used to. I’ve seen dolphins near the lineup before but in the last few weeks I’ve seen some 20-foot size range whales coming up for air just 20 meters or so away from me. Pretty spooky tbh because I feel like they’re so big they could just swallow me up by accident
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On the topic of whales and dolphins, there have been a record breaking number of whale deaths in NY and NJ this year. There are debates about why this is happening that I won’t get into right now, but overall it’s definitely related to why more whales and dolphins are swimming closer to shore than they used to. I’ve seen dolphins near the lineup before but in the last few weeks I’ve seen some 20-foot size range whales coming up for air just 20 meters or so away from me. Pretty spooky tbh because I feel like they’re so big they could just swallow me up by accident
I was surfing in Ocean City NJ last week and was talking with some people about this. It's pretty crazy like 30 whales dead. Extremely sad. I always remember seeing dolphin along shore though, growing up visiting family there so I can't say there seems like more than usual.
On topic of surfing, at least on Tuesday it was about 2'-3' or so and I was able to surf a rounded twin I made a little while back. I left it in NJ since I didn't care much for it when I made it, but somehow with the fin change I made it's turned into probably my favorite board now. I have these flexible glass fins that are basically the MR template but much more flexible and I tossed in a small trailer fin that's a little smaller than the MR trailer as well. With the almost bonzer contours I put into the board its a fast board and works in a range of surf from barely 2' to nearly overhead in a package that's about 5'6" x 19.25".
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Been getting skunked left, right and centre up in NS this spring/summer, been out a handful of times and it’s been nothing but weak wind chop. Yet to catch a good wave on my new board, and really hoping it’s the conditions and not the board.
With that said, I have low expectations, but I will be in Portland, ME later this month and might try to rent a board if it’s working at all. Based on my research I’d be looking at Corner’s surf shop near Scarborough Beach, or Higgins. Any Maine heads have recommendations?
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I broke my collarbone skating 2 weeks ago. Got some plates and pins installed and now I’m just waiting to recover
Anyone gotten back to surfing after something similar? I assume my surfing will be more negatively impacted than my skating, and I’ll probably be able to skate again before I can surf.
I have a trip to Kauai scheduled for December, that’s just under 6 months from the day I broke myself off. Really hoping I can be surfing by then, but I suspect even if I am able to to surf I still won’t be firing on all cylinders
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I broke my collarbone skating 2 weeks ago. Got some plates and pins installed and now I’m just waiting to recover
Anyone gotten back to surfing after something similar? I assume my surfing will be more negatively impacted than my skating, and I’ll probably be able to skate again before I can surf.
I have a trip to Kauai scheduled for December, that’s just under 6 months from the day I broke myself off. Really hoping I can be surfing by then, but I suspect even if I am able to to surf I still won’t be firing on all cylinders
I know we’ve had our differences but…
I have. Pretty bad life threatening stuff actually.
Don’t neglect p/t and don’t take what your doctor or surgeon says lightly. Be conservative with your activities and liberal in rehab.
I heard collarbones are tougher than other injuries. Take it slow if you need to.
Best of luck.
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Afraid to ask, b/c it's probably a stupid question, but do you get used to the sting of salt water in your eyes?
And mj23 I wish you a quick recovery!
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I broke my collarbone skating 2 weeks ago. Got some plates and pins installed and now I’m just waiting to recover
Anyone gotten back to surfing after something similar? I assume my surfing will be more negatively impacted than my skating, and I’ll probably be able to skate again before I can surf.
I have a trip to Kauai scheduled for December, that’s just under 6 months from the day I broke myself off. Really hoping I can be surfing by then, but I suspect even if I am able to to surf I still won’t be firing on all cylinders
I dislocated my elbow in early April but was able to surf by late May. Very different injury I know. I feel surfing might be helping it. At first a two hour session left me with a limp useless arm. The other day I got a solid three hour session in. I try to rest it after surfing. I still don't have full range of motion... and recovery seems to be slowing down. Need to figure out how to break up all the scar tissue and re-train my brain to understand my elbow can go further...
All the best with your rehab. December is a long way off. And its summer. Take it easy and follow Doc's orders for a couple of months.
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Afraid to ask, b/c it's probably a stupid question, but do you get used to the sting of salt water in your eyes?
And mj23 I wish you a quick recovery!
i find that if my eyes sting when i'm surfing, it's usually from crappy sunscreen running down my face, not from the actual water. i close my eyes when i'm underwater.
thanks for the kind words and the advice everyone
just got my bandages removed today, finally. things are moving along
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@tuesday not a stupid question at all! It does sometimes dry out my eyes if I spend a lot of time getting washed around but I usually don’t notice it too much. I do notice that when I get a lot of sun the salt water does start to sting my face a bit more specifically on my cheeks for some reason
My friend essentially gave me this traditional style twin fish
(https://i.ibb.co/tmBJSVd/18-CC62-C2-8-FEC-4-C77-9371-02-FF55-FE9787.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/RQs6XJt/1-F0-FCADA-6321-4029-8932-2-BCF7-E64-C598.jpg)
It’s 5’4 which is way tiny for me - so my very average skilled ass was worried about getting up on it, but I was surprised by the width and volume of it. It’s an easy paddle and has a lot of foam at the chest so it doesn’t feel tiny. I’ve only had 2 sessions on it so looking forward to taking it out more and trying to figure it out. my first time on a twin. Also I am not sure who shaped it
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@tuesday not a stupid question at all! It does sometimes dry out my eyes if I spend a lot of time getting washed around but I usually don’t notice it too much. I do notice that when I get a lot of sun the salt water does start to sting my face a bit more specifically on my cheeks for some reason
My friend essentially gave me this traditional style twin fish
(https://i.ibb.co/tmBJSVd/18-CC62-C2-8-FEC-4-C77-9371-02-FF55-FE9787.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/RQs6XJt/1-F0-FCADA-6321-4029-8932-2-BCF7-E64-C598.jpg)
It’s 5’4 which is way tiny for me - so my very average skilled ass was worried about getting up on it, but I was surprised by the width and volume of it. It’s an easy paddle and has a lot of foam at the chest so it doesn’t feel tiny. I’ve only had 2 sessions on it so looking forward to taking it out more and trying to figure it out. my first time on a twin. Also I am not sure who shaped it
looks fun. i have wanted to try a traditional twin fish for a while now. people ride them pretty short which also gives me doubts, but i'm glad to hear that the width and other factors seem to make it work.
i only have one twin, a weird sort of mini simmons outline with concave bottom (as opposed to more traditional flat planing hull style), around 5'10", and it definitely works better for me than the various 5'10" pointy shortboard i've ridden over the years.
once my arm is at least good enough to move boards around on my storage rack (all too high to reach currently) I think I may use the downtime to sell off some stuff i wasn't riding (i am totally done with my pointy thruster lol) and make room for a fish
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@mj23 and @Huell Howser thank you guys for your answers! Much appreciated.
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Found a few fun ones at the same beach Bodhi paddles out to tackle the 50 year storm, yesterday. Rode my groveler as a twin plus trailer... made 2' weak waves feel like 4' shapely waves.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuxp1pyPYzK/?img_index=1 (https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuxp1pyPYzK/?img_index=1)
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Nice! Twin plus trailer is my favorite fin setup for almost all waves/boards. Turns thrusters into skateboards, and turns overly loose twins into skateboards also. The only boards I don't care for that setup is ones with a bunch of exit rocker.
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I've moved and to my surprise there's waves and quite a few surfers here (Italy). Nothing that would impress a Californian but still, I'm stoked. Always wanted to get into surfing. Took a lesson, standing up was quite easy, peddling not so much. Now I want to get some gear and get out there regularly. Would be great to get some advice!
Wetsuit I'll probably get new, is Decathlon decent enough? I read water temperatures go down to about 12 degrees (55F) here in winter, is 4/3 what I need? Gloves and shoes?
Board I'll get second hand I think? I'm thinking I need whatever gets me the most waves in various conditions. Soft top or other? Do I go as long as possible? Limiting factor is I drive a Panda. I doubt it fits anything longer than 7ft. It does have roof racks. Anyone use those to carry surfboards?
I realize I'm in for a long winter kooking it in the whitewash but I'm giddy with excitement. Any pointers more than welcome.
Edit: I did browse this thread before posting. I plan first to rent, maybe try different boards, but pretty soon I'd like to buy as there are few shops around, tying me to a spot and opening hours. Prefer spending a bit more over buying a dud, within reason.
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4/3 might be a little chilly in 55 water, but with gloves, boots, and possibly a hood it should be tolerable. I tried on a Decathlon suit once and it was so stiff and oddly shaped I couldn’t move in it. I’d buy a used one by a proper brand before Decathlon. If you want new and have a few extra bucks to spend, Quiksilver’s Syncro line is decent entry level gear, I’ve got the 4/3 back zip, 7mm boots, and 5mm lobster claws which have served me well enough.
As for the board, soft top would be the safest, floatiest option.. but an epoxy hardtop will feel better, last you longer, and allow for more progression. I’m a heavier guy and started on an 8’ Torq that was around 65-68L or so. If you can find a used Torq, NSP, Bic, etc in that length/volume range that would be a great first board.
If you’re standing up first time out you’re way better than I was. Sounds like you’re ready to start working on your pop-up and turning down the face of the wave. One of the toughest parts of surfing is just learning where and how your local breaks in certain conditions, and how to position yourself accordingly. I still get caught off guard and smoked by set waves because I’m chilling too close to shore. Better to be a little further out and off to the side and miss 1 or 2 waves, than get stuck in the impact zone and miss a bunch then have to fight to paddle back out.
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4/3 might be a little chilly in 55 water, but with gloves, boots, and possibly a hood it should be tolerable. I tried on a Decathlon suit once and it was so stiff and oddly shaped I couldn’t move in it. I’d buy a used one by a proper brand before Decathlon. If you want new and have a few extra bucks to spend, Quiksilver’s Syncro line is decent entry level gear, I’ve got the 4/3 back zip, 7mm boots, and 5mm lobster claws which have served me well enough.
As for the board, soft top would be the safest, floatiest option.. but an epoxy hardtop will feel better, last you longer, and allow for more progression. I’m a heavier guy and started on an 8’ Torq that was around 65-68L or so. If you can find a used Torq, NSP, Bic, etc in that length/volume range that would be a great first board.
If you’re standing up first time out you’re way better than I was. Sounds like you’re ready to start working on your pop-up and turning down the face of the wave. One of the toughest parts of surfing is just learning where and how your local breaks in certain conditions, and how to position yourself accordingly. I still get caught off guard and smoked by set waves because I’m chilling too close to shore. Better to be a little further out and off to the side and miss 1 or 2 waves, than get stuck in the impact zone and miss a bunch then have to fight to paddle back out.
Thanks! Will look into my options around here. When you say soft top is safer, do you mean for its buoyancy or because it might hit me? As for standing up, this was on already broken waves, nearly skimboarding. Suspect I have a long way to go before I ride down the face. I did observe what you're saying I think, where beginners closer to shore seem to expend far more energy positioning themselves. Bit apprehensive to go further out though.
Do any of you surfing pals work out? I feel as if i'll need to attain a whole new level of fitness.
Ok /kook queries for now.
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I recommend trying a few boards before buying if you can. A soft top is safer in the sense that it won’t knock you out if you get hit in the head. You should be prepared that eventually your board will smack your head. That said, I have never really enjoyed a soft top. They just feel sluggish and overly flexible to me. Your mileage might vary. They’re definitely easier to take care of, especially if you want a bigger board and transportation is an issue. Like if I ever got a longboard in my small apartment, I would be concerned about dinging it up on the way in/out, so maybe I’d consider a soft one instead.
…and in fact, I am considering a soft longboard. I want to try like an 88 or a Crime, see if they’re any better than the crap I’ve used before. Because I’m coming back from my broken collarbone and worried I may have trouble paddling for a while.
But it’s good news overall, I’m heading nicely and the doctor actually moved up my expected time to surf again. Originally he predicted November/December, now he’s saying more like early/mid October. So I’ll have a few months to get my chops back before I go to Kauai. I’m hyped
PS— don’t skimp on a wetsuit. It’s the biggest factor in being comfortable during winter.
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@excitableboy ask away. this is a safe space and is not even a sliver as annoying as r/surfing hah
as far as fitness goes, I’d say first and foremost being a strong swimmer is most important. sure you will be attached to a piece of foam but something can always go wrong and having confidence in your swimming ability can give you peace of mind. I’ve heard of people drowning while surfing because they didn’t know how to swim. confusing to me… haha
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Expand Quote
4/3 might be a little chilly in 55 water, but with gloves, boots, and possibly a hood it should be tolerable. I tried on a Decathlon suit once and it was so stiff and oddly shaped I couldn’t move in it. I’d buy a used one by a proper brand before Decathlon. If you want new and have a few extra bucks to spend, Quiksilver’s Syncro line is decent entry level gear, I’ve got the 4/3 back zip, 7mm boots, and 5mm lobster claws which have served me well enough.
As for the board, soft top would be the safest, floatiest option.. but an epoxy hardtop will feel better, last you longer, and allow for more progression. I’m a heavier guy and started on an 8’ Torq that was around 65-68L or so. If you can find a used Torq, NSP, Bic, etc in that length/volume range that would be a great first board.
If you’re standing up first time out you’re way better than I was. Sounds like you’re ready to start working on your pop-up and turning down the face of the wave. One of the toughest parts of surfing is just learning where and how your local breaks in certain conditions, and how to position yourself accordingly. I still get caught off guard and smoked by set waves because I’m chilling too close to shore. Better to be a little further out and off to the side and miss 1 or 2 waves, than get stuck in the impact zone and miss a bunch then have to fight to paddle back out.
Thanks! Will look into my options around here. When you say soft top is safer, do you mean for its buoyancy or because it might hit me? As for standing up, this was on already broken waves, nearly skimboarding. Suspect I have a long way to go before I ride down the face. I did observe what you're saying I think, where beginners closer to shore seem to expend far more energy positioning themselves. Bit apprehensive to go further out though.
Do any of you surfing pals work out? I feel as if i'll need to attain a whole new level of fitness.
Ok /kook queries for now.
I lift weights 4 days a week, train in 2 martial arts, and play in a tennis league.
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@excitableboy ask away. this is a safe space and is not even a sliver as annoying as r/surfing hah
as far as fitness goes, I’d say first and foremost being a strong swimmer is most important. sure you will be attached to a piece of foam but something can always go wrong and having confidence in your swimming ability can give you peace of mind. I’ve heard of people drowning while surfing because they didn’t know how to swim. confusing to me… haha
Reddit is hell, obviously. In my very brief time there I once said “you should never paddle out in a spot where you wouldn’t be comfortable swimming.” Got downvoted into oblivion. I can’t believe it would be a controversial opinion. If you can’t swim it, don’t surf it. Period.
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Expand Quote
@excitableboy ask away. this is a safe space and is not even a sliver as annoying as r/surfing hah
as far as fitness goes, I’d say first and foremost being a strong swimmer is most important. sure you will be attached to a piece of foam but something can always go wrong and having confidence in your swimming ability can give you peace of mind. I’ve heard of people drowning while surfing because they didn’t know how to swim. confusing to me… haha
Reddit is hell, obviously. In my very brief time there I once said “you should never paddle out in a spot where you wouldn’t be comfortable swimming.” Got downvoted into oblivion. I can’t believe it would be a controversial opinion. If you can’t swim it, don’t surf it. Period.
it's really garbage. I was on it for about three weeks before I got booted for some mundane shit, but apparently I asked the wrong question about Kelly Slater in regards to the vaccine and I guess just asking an honest question was enough for me to get banned. Pretty strange.
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As far as getting in shape for surfing, any exercise can help but nothing will help like swimming and paddling, paddling paddling... practice pop ups... maybe some push ups and core strength but paddle paddle paddle....
Been a crap summer up here in Oregon.. and I've been off my game for awhile for various reason... probably going to resort to my mid lengths just to up the wave count. i have high hopes for this autumn/ winter and el nino... heading back home to wales for a few weeks first though, so maybe catch some Atlantic dribblers over there...
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My brief kook background for your entertainment:
Many years ago a work mate took me surfing after I had nagged him to do so. He asked me can you swim, well yes I said, of course I can. So we went to Stradbroke Island. We just needed to paddle across the channel he said. Looked doable, or at least he seemed unfazed, so it's probably fine. Halfway there I realized I'd never make it. Ended up swimming the rest, him dragging along the fish he lent me. He kept looking back at me, urging me to keep pace as 'it's a bit sharky here mate'. Passed out from exhaustion on the beach there while he surfed overhead waves. This was my second time surfing and clearly I had no business being there.
The first time was worse still. Work mate again, a mad kiwi cunt, he won't mind me saying. He lived right on the beach with his pyramid scheme buddies, a whole other story. Place was called Palm Beach and it was storming. He's a lifelong surfer and had only his shortboard there, but reckoned it's fine, we'd take turns on it. I had the dumb courage to go along with it. The palm trees swayed violently in the rain as I watched him run across the deserted beach, stoked on the savage looking surf. He got a couple waves and beckoned me in. I struggled through the white water but never managed to get out back. Soon I lost all sight of him and when I looked back at the beach I realized the current had dragged me a long way from where I entered. I swam along the shore as I was once told and it took a frightening while to reach the beach, pummeled.
Well that was all a long time ago and I'm keen to take a more sensible approach now. I will take all your kind suggestions on board. Thanks again.
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Well that was all a long time ago and I'm keen to take a more sensible approach now. I will take all your kind suggestions on board. Thanks again.
Make some mellower friends is my best suggestion ;D.
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@excitableboy the foamie is for your safety and people around you. Mine has hit me in the head countless times, my leash has slingshot the board back into me, and I've taken a fin to the eyebrow. I probably would've knocked myself out a few times by now and lost some teeth if I were learning on a fiberglass board. I haven't been hit by anyones board, but I see boards flying through the air and people ditching their board while someones paddling out behind them. I always try my hardest to not lose control of my board, especially on the paddle out
My friends also started by taking me out on days that I probably shouldn't have been out on at breaks that aren't beginner friendly. My first lesson was how to get out back. I didn't play in the whitewater until a few weeks into surfing. It's been 5 months now and I've since figured out where the more beginner friendly spots are. I also swapped to a different board in the past couple of weeks; a 7'6 Mick Fanning beastie. It's a harder performance softboard that I swapped in different fins, it has thinner rails, and has about 30 liters less volume than my 8 foot foamie. Still somewhat safe to learn on while riding like a more traditional board
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Well that was all a long time ago and I'm keen to take a more sensible approach now. I will take all your kind suggestions on board. Thanks again.
Make some mellower friends is my best suggestion ;D.
I'm hoping to!
@tom Geez, countless hits to the head in five months time, a few of them potential knock-outs? That's a little disturbing. I plan to surf only tiny beginner breaks for now but still. Point taken on the soft top.
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I'm going out upwards of 5 days a week for a couple hours at a time. It's happened a handful of times now. I'm glad it was a big piece of soft foam that hit me instead of a fiberglass covered piece of foam
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Never ditch your board. There’s rarely an excuse for it.
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Never ditch your board. There’s rarely an excuse for it.
im not sure if that was aimed at me, or in general, but I don’t ditch my board. I don’t want it hurting me or someone else, getting in someone’s way, or fucking up someone else’s board. The only time I lose it is when I fall off the board trying to ride the wave. The first time I saw someone get sent in was when they paddled for the shoulder instead of the white water, didn’t make it in time before someone on the wave got too close, and ditched their board right into that person in a panic. The dude riding the wave had their new board dinged and it turned into a big argument in the water
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Never ditch your board. There’s rarely an excuse for it.
Unfortunately living proof of that today. Surfing this peaky spot and I pulled into a barrel(does not happen often for me hah) and made it out. As the wave closed out some kid was paddling out down the line in front of me. He ditched his board and it flipped back with the nose nailing me in the face. Lots of blood
10 stitches later, a nose fracture, a black eye and I’m all good hah
(https://i.ibb.co/1bZknyX/ACBDECC7-8-B73-4784-B821-443-F985-A045-C.jpg)
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ohhh that is rough.
We got some hurricane swell here in NC yesterday. it was pretty big and soft/sloped so was fun and easy to catch.
took out a 7'4" Bing Collector set up Quad and it was great. I love Bing rails.
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@Huell Howser that sucks, soooo annoying to get hurt by someone else's negligence, like there aren't enough ways to hurt ourselves already.
Just got back from a month-long roadtrip, I hit up some river surf spots. Dayton Ohio has a cool little manmade wave right downtown on the Miami. Anither one outside Billings Montana. No heavy shredding, but it was fun to get wet inland.
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Sold the 7’2 Safari Two Step at a small loss, before I dinged it up too bad to get a good price for it. My stupid mistake for thinking I’d be able to surf a mini longboard similarly to an egg.
Haven’t been boardless in years and it sucks, but the used market here is non-existent and I don’t want to drop a paycheck on something new unless I’m confident it’ll be a keeper.
As kooky as it sounds, I want something like the Torq funboard I had before. 7’6, in the mid-50s volume range, with foam under the chest but still enough nose rocker and pointyness to turn aggressively when it allows. Have heard great things about the LibTech Pickup Stick but the nose on it still looks pretty full so I dunno.
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Never ditch your board. There’s rarely an excuse for it.
Unfortunately living proof of that today. Surfing this peaky spot and I pulled into a barrel(does not happen often for me hah) and made it out. As the wave closed out some kid was paddling out down the line in front of me. He ditched his board and it flipped back with the nose nailing me in the face. Lots of blood
10 stitches later, a nose fracture, a black eye and I’m all good hah
(https://i.ibb.co/1bZknyX/ACBDECC7-8-B73-4784-B821-443-F985-A045-C.jpg)
Oh shit... just saw this... did the kid know what damage he caused?
Surf has turned on up here. Scored a classic (a personal fav) PNW spot last Sunday. Long walled up rights with five people on it. Surfed my mid length as I am being lazy after bouncing back from covid. Might short board today. heading out for the pushing tide later this afternoon.
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shit is hard as fuck, respect to all yall doin it
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Fun little session last night. Tide was too high and swell was on its way out so I set up the mid length as a twin with a tiny trailer fin and made the most of the weak waves. Glassy walls and a perfect late summer evening. Might try again tomorrow.
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i've been having such a blast surfing a lot lately. so weird i spent a pretty long time teaching myself and felt like i was making very little progress, proceeded to move somewhere where i couldn't surf for 4-ish years, and now i've come back and can surf pretty well no problem. fingers crossed the waves get better soon and, as fun as it is, i can get off the mini glider!
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Fun little session last night. Tide was too high and swell was on its way out so I set up the mid length as a twin with a tiny trailer fin and made the most of the weak waves. Glassy walls and a perfect late summer evening. Might try again tomorrow.
How good are midlength twins? I bought one mid winter (Australia) and literally haven’t ridden my short board since! Works in everything from big, hollow reefbreaks to small, gutless beachies 👌
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8Fucz)
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8FLHx)
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Fun little session last night. Tide was too high and swell was on its way out so I set up the mid length as a twin with a tiny trailer fin and made the most of the weak waves. Glassy walls and a perfect late summer evening. Might try again tomorrow.
How good are midlength twins? I bought one mid winter (Australia) and literally haven’t ridden my short board since! Works in everything from big, hollow reefbreaks to small, gutless beachies 👌
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8Fucz)
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8FLHx)
Love me some mid twins and up. I have a 7’5” and a 8’3” that I made, both twins. 7’5” is round tail and the 8’3” is a squash. Both are single into double out to vee. They seem to love almost any wave short of a dredging hollow barreling beach break. Probably the most smiles of any board I have.
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Fun little session last night. Tide was too high and swell was on its way out so I set up the mid length as a twin with a tiny trailer fin and made the most of the weak waves. Glassy walls and a perfect late summer evening. Might try again tomorrow.
How good are midlength twins? I bought one mid winter (Australia) and literally haven’t ridden my short board since! Works in everything from big, hollow reefbreaks to small, gutless beachies 👌
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8Fucz)
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8FLHx)
Love me some mid twins and up. I have a 7’5” and a 8’3” that I made, both twins. 7’5” is round tail and the 8’3” is a squash. Both are single into double out to vee. They seem to love almost any wave short of a dredging hollow barreling beach break. Probably the most smiles of any board I have.
You shaped them yourself? That’s awesome! Definitely something I’d love to do at some stage. Mine is 6’9, 40L, you can still chuck it around, but it will trim the high line, a much classier way to get through fast sections than wiggling my ass on a thruster 😂
I actually plan on getting a similar board in a 6’4 with more nose rocker but same tail, for slabs…
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Fun little session last night. Tide was too high and swell was on its way out so I set up the mid length as a twin with a tiny trailer fin and made the most of the weak waves. Glassy walls and a perfect late summer evening. Might try again tomorrow.
How good are midlength twins? I bought one mid winter (Australia) and literally haven’t ridden my short board since! Works in everything from big, hollow reefbreaks to small, gutless beachies 👌
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8Fucz)
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8FLHx)
Love me some mid twins and up. I have a 7’5” and a 8’3” that I made, both twins. 7’5” is round tail and the 8’3” is a squash. Both are single into double out to vee. They seem to love almost any wave short of a dredging hollow barreling beach break. Probably the most smiles of any board I have.
You shaped them yourself? That’s awesome! Definitely something I’d love to do at some stage. Mine is 6’9, 40L, you can still chuck it around, but it will trim the high line, a much classier way to get through fast sections than wiggling my ass on a thruster 😂
I actually plan on getting a similar board in a 6’4 with more nose rocker but same tail, for slabs…
Yes, shaped them in my house. Certainly an enjoyable hobby for me. Here's the 8'3" and 7'7", and 7'5" I've made. The 7'7" was for a friend, we call it Manute Bol. The 7'5" sort of became my sons board as he found he preferred it over all others and the 8'3" has been my magic carpet for the past few years. It just goes.
(https://i.ibb.co/FqncbW7/Untitled-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vvDfxBz)
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(https://i.ibb.co/NyxvmqT/IMG-6097.gif) (https://ibb.co/VqV1QGw)
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Went out last weekend thinking it was going to be pretty small only to be greeted by reeling overheard waves with some crack to them. Stupidly I only bought my groveller, a very wide round nose, 5'10" with a tonne of volume (A bit like a Lost Bean Bag). Paddling out I wished I had my step up thruster but managed to snag a few. Once I made the drop and engaged the fins, I was able to keep the board somewhat under control but the damn thing wanted to take off. I've never felt a surfboard and fins vibrate like that... Really had to surf hard off the tail... Anyway, lesson learned again... always pack two boards in Oregon...
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Fun little session last night. Tide was too high and swell was on its way out so I set up the mid length as a twin with a tiny trailer fin and made the most of the weak waves. Glassy walls and a perfect late summer evening. Might try again tomorrow.
How good are midlength twins? I bought one mid winter (Australia) and literally haven’t ridden my short board since! Works in everything from big, hollow reefbreaks to small, gutless beachies 👌
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8Fucz)
(https://www.imagehost.at/image/8FLHx)
Love me some mid twins and up. I have a 7’5” and a 8’3” that I made, both twins. 7’5” is round tail and the 8’3” is a squash. Both are single into double out to vee. They seem to love almost any wave short of a dredging hollow barreling beach break. Probably the most smiles of any board I have.
You shaped them yourself? That’s awesome! Definitely something I’d love to do at some stage. Mine is 6’9, 40L, you can still chuck it around, but it will trim the high line, a much classier way to get through fast sections than wiggling my ass on a thruster 😂
I actually plan on getting a similar board in a 6’4 with more nose rocker but same tail, for slabs…
(https://i.ibb.co/FqncbW7/Untitled-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vvDfxBz)
Beautiful! Where did you learn to shape?
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Self taught, but also asked a lot of shapers questions through instagram. A surprising amount of pro shapers are pretty generous with info I've found. Kazuma on IG is super friendly and willing to answer questions, also provides great info nearly every day via instagram. I also always do the rail test any time I go into a shop and just basically compare what I shape to what I like in order to improve each board. I've also met a few shapers in person and asked for critique. One of the guys from Impact surfboards here in FL has been nice to provide some feedback as wellas a local guy Carlos of C-Shapes.
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I decided to take it easy on myself, and my wallet, while shopping for my next one board quiver. Managed to score this used 8’ Spider MiniMal in near perfect shape for way under retail. The size makes it an easy paddle but the rails are refined enough that it’s pretty versatile. Heavy glass job is a plus too considering how and where I surf. Really happy with this one and hoping to keep it for a long time.
(https://i.ibb.co/X43XwLN/D6520-D61-E074-4139-A256-5-EB742-B40-B5-E.jpg)
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Self taught, but also asked a lot of shapers questions through instagram. A surprising amount of pro shapers are pretty generous with info I've found. Kazuma on IG is super friendly and willing to answer questions, also provides great info nearly every day via instagram. I also always do the rail test any time I go into a shop and just basically compare what I shape to what I like in order to improve each board. I've also met a few shapers in person and asked for critique. One of the guys from Impact surfboards here in FL has been nice to provide some feedback as wellas a local guy Carlos of C-Shapes.
Damn you’ve got me inspired haha
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Go make yourself a board! It's therapeutic skilled labor I feel. Plenty of resources out there. There's definitely a thing or two that you absolutely need to figure out for yourself, such as how thick or thin to foil the nose and tail. Let me tell you that most backyard shapers leave their boards way too thick and it's obvious from 10 feet away. If you ever get around to trying it, just shoot some questions my way and I'll see if I can answer them.
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Do you glass your own boards also @finecojeffe ?
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Do you glass your own boards also @finecojeffe ?
yes, everything is done in-house, literally in my house. From cutting and shaping, to the airbrushing, even the laminate making is done fairly old school via taping rice paper to standard sheets of paper and running them through a copier or a toner printer when I have that available. And finally glassing is done in a back room in my house with a vent open and fan blowing outside.
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Hi @Coastal Fever, I hit up your dms but not sure if you see those too much. I see that sweet 8' ride you got and wondering if this time of year you think ill be alright on my 5'9 out in your waters? Heading to scotia for November.
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@botefdunn My bad! Just saw this/your msg. Dm’ed you back.
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I found a board in a dumpster a couple months ago that only needed a little quarter size hole patched up. Turns out it has been the perfect mini gun type shape and made me not dread duck diving.
Yesterday there was a shark incident at a spot I was surfing a few hours prior. Someone's leg got bit.
Big swell is on the way to the Northern California coast. 15-20ft predicted at SFOB, so it's either find somewhere sheltered that can turn that insane energy into something manageable / way less life threatening, or grab the binoculars and go watch people charge Mavericks.
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after getting my life derailed by a busted collarbone and surgery i FINALLY got back in the water recently. two sessions back, i'm not doing as badly as i expected. it's hard to fit surfing in with physical therapy 2x a week, especially when good conditions happen on a day that i have an appointment... i can only skip so much work! but it feels good to be back
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Been focussing on getting back on my shortboards recently and loving it. Hard to beat when the waves co operate. Slightly overheard beach break thumpers today. Felt really at ease on my 6'5" retro ripper....
Pic makes it look way pointier than it is but its solid Daily Driver for Oregon Autumn/ Winter...
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzM2ekAP2Iy/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/p/CzM2ekAP2Iy/?hl=en)
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after getting my life derailed by a busted collarbone and surgery i FINALLY got back in the water recently. two sessions back, i'm not doing as badly as i expected. it's hard to fit surfing in with physical therapy 2x a week, especially when good conditions happen on a day that i have an appointment... i can only skip so much work! but it feels good to be back
glad to hear you are back at it.
some recent video from a few days ago. the amount of people charging bigger waves has definitely increased over the years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHQ9UsNlBzU
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Ever since I saw that clip of the guy getting buzzed by the white at OB, I always think they're just lurking waiting for one sucker out there. Aside from that, the waves of consequence look worth going for though.
Finally a few days of waves here in Sobe. Had a tropical system make its way through the other day so we had the typical tropichop, but at least yesterday cleaned up a little and we had some head high to overhead waves. Jellies also cleared out, but Tuesday they were everywhere and I just got stung all over.
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Happy new year ya'll.
I'm hitting the outer banks tomorrow and would love to hear any advice or past experiences. I'm just some guy on a roadtrip sleeping at skate parks and trying to catch a few waves. Laundromats is where im planning to go tomorrrow.
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i went to kauai a few weeks ago, been having some health issues so i tried to take it easy but i still caught a bunch of really fun little peelers.
on my last day i stepped to a slightly bigger wave at an unfamiliar spot, in the rain, and got smacked down onto the reef. the wave seemed so soft and playful on the shoulder, but i think it just had a gnarly lip at the peak from jacking up over a shallower section of reef. that's shit i'm really not used to here in beachbreak land. i'm totally fine, but it was a reality check, those tropical reef spots are not a joke, even when they look small.
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been occasionally lurking slap since probably 07/08 but just today decided to look up surfing on here. Was excited to a long term thread going. I surf the panhandle of Florida and at this point surf more often than skate. Those handshakes up there look dope.
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Who else here throws skate stickers on surfboards and which?
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Years ago I'd throw stickers on my boards. I like to cut a big AH eagle in half and slap that on the base right off the rail. I also have a five fin box board that I don't use the rear box on, so slapped an eagle over it for better hydrodynamics haha but then wanted to try it as twin plus trailer so oiled it off eventually.
Anyway, after a bit of sun exposure, as you know, white boards darken and yellow a bit... When you peel the stickers off the section the sticker covered remains white and makes the rest of the board look even shittier... not good for resale appeal and I always sell my old boards....
so no stickers anymore...
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Sidenote. I haven't surfed in 2024. Could be some fun waves on Friday when I am off but now I have a total mental block about it...
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Years ago I'd throw stickers on my boards. I like to cut a big AH eagle in half and slap that on the base right off the rail. I also have a five fin box board that I don't use the rear box on, so slapped an eagle over it for better hydrodynamics haha but then wanted to try it as twin plus trailer so oiled it off eventually.
Anyway, after a bit of sun exposure, as you know, white boards darken and yellow a bit... When you peel the stickers off the section the sticker covered remains white and makes the rest of the board look even shittier... not good for resale appeal and I always sell my old boards....
so no stickers anymore...
I’m keeping both my Merricks and my Superfish. Don’t plan on getting anything new except maybe a Hypto Krypto or a Party Crasher.
I threw an Eagle on all my boards. It looks sick. One’s got a Quasi sticker too.
I may mess around with some spray paint too.
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Sidenote. I haven't surfed in 2024. Could be some fun waves on Friday when I am off but now I have a total mental block about it...
I’ve surfed once this year. I hate putting on and taking off the winter suit, gloves, and booties.
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Saw a guy who modified a Krooked sticker to say Kook on his board, thought that was clever.
Before I started skating lots again last year I was getting frustrated and burnt out on trying to progress my surfing. Then recently I started getting tired of trying to self film skate clips. Therefore, I’ve decided that 2024 will be the year of just doing things for fun again. Making a stronger effort to enter situations with zero expectations.
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Who else here throws skate stickers on surfboards and which?
i usually keep a few stickers in my car/toolbox/suitcase/wherever in case i need to cover up a small ding.
which reminds me, i've had a skateshop sticker on one board for a while now, but it may be time to get that thing fixed properly...
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I've had stickers in the past, to cover up blems, but I haven't had luck with them staying on permanently so I stopped.
Anyway got some really good waves last night till dark and some this morning. But this morning I had a fairly nasty wipeout. Just took off on a barely overhead wave and snagged my leg rope and went down full force smacking the side of my head and ear on the water and completely knocking the wind out of me. Tough time making it to the surface because i couldn't tell which way was up due to the ear smack messing with my equilibrium. Now a few hours later it feels like someone punched me in the jaw, so breakfast wasn't eaten because I couldn't chew. Oddly enough one guy was wearing a helmet and I just wondered to myself, before my wipeout, why anyone would wear a helmet for beach break. Kinda wish I had one on for that specific wipeout.
Also there's way too many people in the water here. It sucks dropping in and knowing someone will definitely be on the shoulder (or two people).
(https://i.ibb.co/RbXXT8R/crowd.png) (https://ibb.co/YQ55BgH)
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Surfing in crowds is tough. I can't really do it anymore. I can barely skate with people unless it's the right setting. I might have some heightening social anxiety that comes to the surface when surfing and skateboarding. Two activities I use to escape the bullshit... I'm being a bit of a baby but certainly wrestling with it after a lifetime of equating my mental health with wave-riding and grinding.
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Definitely less fun with crowds. I really prefer crappy weather days and big wind chop specifically because nobody wants to surf when it's like that, except for just a few of us. I get to see the same people when it's like that too, rather than a crowd full of strangers faces.
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I have a kind of kooky question for anyone that can answer it, but how can you tell if you have a dud of a board?
After moving on from a foamie I got an 8’ funboard/minimal and I just can’t seem to get on with it. I think it’s relatively flat with maybe a tiny bit of entry rocker and a big wide nose. I can barely catch waves with it. Meanwhile I also grabbed a 9’6 single fin that will catch any wave I turn for, someone gave me a 7’6 Mick Fanning hybrid epoxy board, and I’ve borrowed a groveller from someone else. All of them seem to paddle and surf perfectly fine except for the 8’ funboard. Or maybe more realistically it is me and the board is perfectly fine. For now I’m gonna stick with the 7’6 for the LA beach breaks and then use the 9’6 when it’s really small or for the points
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I would say that if you have other boards that seem to work, you don’t need to be too too worried about this one stinker. Just get rid of it. Make note of the dimensions and take some photos beforehand, and use that to eventually figure out what exactly didn’t work for you. I keep a document in my notes app with my impressions of all the different boards i have owned/ride/borrow/rent etc.
On a different note today I went to one of my local spots and found a super rare occurrence: recent sand replenishment actually made it work *better*, not worse. Who knows how long it will last, but at least it’s fun right now
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I have a kind of kooky question for anyone that can answer it, but how can you tell if you have a dud of a board?
After moving on from a foamie I got an 8’ funboard/minimal and I just can’t seem to get on with it. I think it’s relatively flat with maybe a tiny bit of entry rocker and a big wide nose. I can barely catch waves with it. Meanwhile I also grabbed a 9’6 single fin that will catch any wave I turn for, someone gave me a 7’6 Mick Fanning hybrid epoxy board, and I’ve borrowed a groveller from someone else. All of them seem to paddle and surf perfectly fine except for the 8’ funboard. Or maybe more realistically it is me and the board is perfectly fine. For now I’m gonna stick with the 7’6 for the LA beach breaks and then use the 9’6 when it’s really small or for the points
post a pic of the dud board.
It's possible to be a million reasons out there. I used to favor forward food surfing and would struggle getting used to some boards. I've also had boards with too much rocker, some with too little, also depends on the conditions too. High tide and low tide aren't too significant here, but still at low tide a flat board here can be a chore, but then too much rocker and you're having equally tough time because waves are often quick. Who knows.
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I’ve owned two midlengths with wide flat noses, and sold both immediately after realizing it’s like trying to surf a shoebox. Obviously they work for some people, but I need less foam/more rocker in the nose, otherwise I’m always putting too much or not enough weight forward to drop in and get to my feet. The 7’6 + 9’6 sounds like a solid combo to me. Sell the 8’ to a beginner who won’t know the difference and either pocket the cash or sell the epoxy board too and combine the funds for something similarly shaped.
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I have a kind of kooky question for anyone that can answer it, but how can you tell if you have a dud of a board?
After moving on from a foamie I got an 8’ funboard/minimal and I just can’t seem to get on with it. I think it’s relatively flat with maybe a tiny bit of entry rocker and a big wide nose. I can barely catch waves with it. Meanwhile I also grabbed a 9’6 single fin that will catch any wave I turn for, someone gave me a 7’6 Mick Fanning hybrid epoxy board, and I’ve borrowed a groveller from someone else. All of them seem to paddle and surf perfectly fine except for the 8’ funboard. Or maybe more realistically it is me and the board is perfectly fine. For now I’m gonna stick with the 7’6 for the LA beach breaks and then use the 9’6 when it’s really small or for the points
post a pic of the dud board.
It's possible to be a million reasons out there. I used to favor forward food surfing and would struggle getting used to some boards. I've also had boards with too much rocker, some with too little, also depends on the conditions too. High tide and low tide aren't too significant here, but still at low tide a flat board here can be a chore, but then too much rocker and you're having equally tough time because waves are often quick. Who knows.
(https://i.ibb.co/qFW1R4J/IMG-1462.jpg) (https://i.ibb.co/fdBYBsd/IMG-1461.jpg) (https://i.ibb.co/SVKw26s/IMG-1464.jpg)
It feels like it usually gets hung up in the lip when I do catch a wave with it more often than not. I've tried positioning further up on the board and arching my back more but I still have to push it down the wave face. I'm gonna hold onto it for a bit longer while riding the other boards and try to sell it once summer comes around
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yeah it's tough to tell just looking at that one. Are you taking off down the line? You can always lay prone for a few waves to see if that takeoff needs an extra paddle out of you, just a suggestion to find the sweet spot. Definitely worth holding onto until you're certain it just doesn't work with you. I've been there with boards a few times, but have also been convinced of a board being a dud then surfing it months later to find it's really fun.
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I can usually take off down the line fairly easily. The waves seem to roll right under me or I get caught up in the lip and try to force a couple more paddles in. I’ve tried to sit a little more inside and tried to take off right at the peak. There have been a handful of sessions that it seemed to work and a whole lot more where it frustrates the hell out of me. It’s gonna stay at home while I ride one of my two other boards for a few months at least and I’ll re-asses whether to keep it or sell it
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First surf of 2024 and first surf in months. Took out the 7'6 quad that is more tuned to big waves but wanted the volume and ease of wave catching since I am out of surf shape. Anyway, found some shoulder high left hand nugs and got a tonne of waves. Bogged some turns thinking I was on a shortboard but once I adjusted.... it was a nice reminder that I can actually surf... massive mental unblock for me. Maybe a dawn patrol on Friday...
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First surf of 2024 and first surf in months. Took out the 7'6 quad that is more tuned to big waves but wanted the volume and ease of wave catching since I am out of surf shape. Anyway, found some shoulder high left hand nugs and got a tonne of waves. Bogged some turns thinking I was on a shortboard but once I adjusted.... it was a nice reminder that I can actually surf... massive mental unblock for me. Maybe a dawn patrol on Friday...
Sometimes time away is good.
If you want to break through a wall, it’s better to take a step back and wind up first rather than standing right next to it and pushing.
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For sure. I had a similar block with skateboarding in my early 30s... Hoping I can find my surf flow again...
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Picked up this used Stewart Tuflite Hydro Hull Fun the other day. 7’8 x 22-1/2 x 3 - 56L. Don’t know why I like epoxy boards so much, they definitely are corkier, but when the shape is good they’re a blast to me. Maybe because I worry less about damaging it. Really need to sell my Mini Mal asap though, I’ve got a one board quiver bank account rn.
(https://i.ibb.co/JHVpV45/F92-B733-E-93-BD-4738-9-CC8-4388-BC01849-F.jpg)
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I just added a brand new 6’8, 54L Haydenshapes to the quiver.
Perfect for those 2-3 ft Jersey waves.
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Caty Simmers is the most exciting thing to happen to competition surfing since JJF. She's made it that, just like SLS, I actually enjoy the women's competition more than the men's now, although the current format with that Lower Trestles finals bullshit is doing everything it can to make the WSL unattractive.
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Caty Simmers is the most exciting thing to happen to competition surfing since JJF. She's made it that, just like SLS, I actually enjoy the women's competition more than the men's now, although the current format with that Lower Trestles finals bullshit is doing everything it can to make the WSL unattractive.
I've been watching heaps of WSL over the last couple of years, the women's side is going off! The final at Bells was genuinely edge of your seat stuff and Picklum's 10 at Pipe was sick. Not a fan of the final 5 either but love the way the comp is run with head to head heats, better format than SLS for me