The environmental effects caused by the SURF INDUSTRY

The effects of the surf industry on the environment are pretty astounding. WAKE UP, and support sustainability.

Created by Envirosurfer: Eco-friendly Wetsuits & Surf Clothing.

OK, now this has got to be hella fun.

Long-Lining from BASE-Book - Matt Gerdes on Vimeo.

Solo Slide at Oceanside

The Model T does not disappoint Today, as is most Sunday's the last few months, was a solo slide day again. Trace couldn't make the trip, Kevin works Sundays as a golf pro, the busiest day of the week for him, and Takayama, well, Michael is Michael, hard to get out of bed, waiting three hours for the tide to change, or whatever, I went solo again to OceanSlide, a 50 plus mile slog through the concrete jungle of the OC to surf the South Jetty. Because the forecast called for a fat tide coupled with a dying south swell, I rode the Model T. Was it worth the drive? Absolutely. Do I thouroughly love the Model T? ABSOLUTELY. For those who don't know, the Model T was created in the late 80s early 90s for a certain surfer named Joel Tudor. Single fin square tail, 60/40 rails with heavy glass. It seems to be a more modern version of the Nuuhiwa Noserider, a board Donald designed and created while Donald was shaping for Bing. While HPD claims the board is more ideal for "shoulder high to ankle small" I've ridden it in more punchy conditions, and it still holds well in the pocket. It is just a fun board to ride. Today I explored the capabilities of the board in what started out looking like a swampy session, at least from the initial look while putting on my wetsuit. Paddling out, the winds were offshore, causing the seemingly anemic waves to stand up a bit. It wasn't howling offshore, you know, those devil winds that cause the waves to barrel, but rather, it was just enough wind to pick the waves up a bit, give them a slightly more hollow feel than if no winds were blowing. The first several waves were a bit swamply, but then a few sets rolled in, and I dropped in on a few fade left then crank the board right waves for some pure funness. Once you get the hang, the 10 footer turns with authority, and I love the butter smooth, almost effortless bottom turns I was doing with the board. After the turn on several waves, I crossed stepped up to the nose and planted five in the pink, keeping my back foot behind for stability. The Model T just screamed down the line and I got a mini coverup, then got spit out. Not too bad for a day that called for ankle to waist high surf elsewhere. I knew the call going down was the Model T and the waves cooperated. While the rest of the guys in the water were struggling on their shortboards, I picked off wave after wave with the 10 footer, a few that took more to get into (and waiting for the wave to gain speed, which shortened the ride considerably), but the other few where the fade left crank right was employed I was loving it. With the early morning offshores, changing into the suit was a reminder of the upcoming winter, the water though is still not yet freezing. I did look for my hood though, to no avail. Overall, the two hour session was worth the trip, especially given my sessions have been cut from 3-4 days a week to a single Sunday surf surfari. Gotta make the most with what is thrown at you, and today, I did.

Takayama DT-1 ride report

Takayama DT-1 ride report I have ridden my new Hawaiian Pro Designs Takayama DT-1 exactly twice since I acquired it. It is still an unfamiliar board, but will take some time to get a feel for. The first ride session was at Blackies on 10-8-2011. The waves were smallish, sorta weak really, and more tuned for the Model T than the DT-1. Since the waves were uneventful, I couldn't really comment on how it rode, SO, today, I went for a slide down in Oceanside. In between the North and South jetties to be exact. There was an extreme high tide, offshore winds, and the NSSA juniors contest going on, hence the session between jetties. The contest had the south jetty all to the competitors. I was able to finally get the DT-1 into some semi decent waves. Actually I got a few that were semi-decent. I took off on a right, it was sorta a late drop, and the board just locked in on the drop in. I did a super smooth bottom turn and the board then straightened out, ready to go where I pointed it, but sadly, the wave was controlling the situation and it just died out. I loved how the board responded though on the drop in. It was like butter. It was one of those days where the wave looks good, but then dies out quickly. The high tide really screwed it up a bit. Another wave I got, a left, enabled me to scream down the line and get some turns in, but it also died out rather quickly. A few more waves, including a super late drop where I was standing but then got hammered by the whitewash was really all there was today, so I can't really formulate a solid opinion on it. One other thing, the center fin that I went with, a Guy Takayama Orca 8-inch fin, I am still not sure if that is the right fin for this board, but that is what is in there right now. I want to get the Takayama DT-1 into some hollower waves to see how it responds. Right now, the jury is still out.

Where is the Stoke?

Who are these people? and why are they here? I overheard this statement from a long time Newport local at Blackies on a crisp Sunday morning in November. Blackies was firing, it was crowded, and there were a heck of a lot of "new" surfers in the water, riding softtop, pop outs, old logs, and everything in between. I don't personally talk to the guy, but I've seen him in the water over the last eight years I've surfed Blackies as an adult, and he has dropped in on me just a handful of times. Sure the spot was crowded, as most any spot in Orange County, California is, but his statement in my mind is what is wrong with surfing today. Where is the stoke? or better yet, why is it so hard for California surfers to share the stoke? As surfers, we are often still misunderstood, even though more and more Coastal Americans are picking up and joining the throngs that have existed in lineups since I started surfing in 1978. We have experienced quite a bit, from the neon days of the 1980s and the movie North Shore, which at the time most surfers I knew and even surf magazines thought was the kookiest, lamest surf film of all time, but has actually stood the test of time, teaching new generations exactly why people should surf in the first place; to Kelly's domination of that aspect of surfing that drives the "surf industry," to Joel Tudor and the throwback days of riding old school boards.

So, who are these people? Everybody was a kook once in their life. Some still are. "These" people are those who are newly minted surfers, barneys if you will, who enjoy surfing for the stoke of it. They are a fact of life in virtually every local lineup, all over the world. They are pursuing that part of surfing of which that longtime Newport local, and by extension many other competent surfers who are in it, but don't want to share, have lost; The stoke.

So where did the stoke go? Surfers are getting stoked in all corners of the globe where the sport and lifestyle was previously enjoyed by just a select few, mostly expats. For example, in the Philippine Islands, the surfing subculture, a mere 20 or so years old, is thriving. For these Filipino surfers it is all about the stoke. While they certainly enjoy surfing as much as us here in the United States, they have not yet succumbed, (at least I don't think that they have) to adhering to that early 80s punk song My Wave by the Surf Punks. Most surfers in the Philippines don't maintain a huge quiver of surfboards, they are just stoked to be out in the water surfing on the board that they have under their feet. They don't have 10 different sizes of the same thruster by Channel Islands, they don't have 10 different sizes of the same hull by Greg Liddle, and they don't have 10 different sizes of the same longboard by Donald Takayama.

Most have a single surfboard and most surf not for the fashion of the trendiest name brand board, but rather for the enjoyment of the sport. Popouts are hugely popular in the Philippines. Ride a popout at Blackies and you'll get stinkeye from many of the locals of that surfspot. "Popouts have no soul" or "They chatter when it’s choppy" are the common arguments as to why these boards are so maligned, but they do work, and isn't it the surfer who has the soul and not the equipment that they ride? Of course it is. As with the construction of a surfboard, be it completely by hand, machined and then the ripples smoothed out, or a popout, a surfboard is but a tool for which a surfer expresses him or herself. Many surfers will never know that many so called shapers out there can't craft a board from a block of foam, rather, they rely on the curves of a "pre-shaped" blank, and build the board off of that outline. There is really nothing wrong with that, as the process is made easier, but don't call yourself a shaper if all you are doing is turning rails and sanding a few ruffles off a CNC'd blank. But alas, there are shapers out who are fooling the buying public with their shaping "skills" when in fact they lack in them.

How do I know this as fact? It goes back to 1981, when I was riding my cruiser home from Kmart one day when I was a freshman in high school. I happened upon an open garage door and heard the sweet sounds of a planer. I ventured in to that shaping shack, and met Jaime, the man who would shape my boards until I graduated high school. Jaime grew up with Greg Liddle and now runs the CNC machine at a local factory here in Orange County. And he has seen all manner of shaper come through the factory, and I have heard stories about this shaper and that, how some can actually shape a board from a block of foam, such as Tanner Prairie, and how others (no names will be mentioned but you know who you are) can't even smooth the ruffles off a board that came off the CNC machine.

Sorry for getting off on a tangent. Where is the stoke? Oh yeah, the stoke. Well, the stoke is wherever you want it to be, be it at your local lineup with a few friends (like when myself and my new friend Bryan caught the Point all by our lonesome, riding LOGS no less, or with the brothers Takayama, Trace, and myself catching epic OceanSlide with nary a soul in the water, or at Creek, watching my friend Kevin get shacked), it is where you want it. It is not with that surfwear company that has a slogan "Created to Destroy," or another that milks the heck out of a world champ, refuses to acknowledge the guy had a drug problem, and then when he dies, says he died of Dengue without even knowing the facts, or that other surf "lifestyle" manufacturer that hijacks a Hawaiian name, slaps a fishhook logo on sandals made in China, and then sells them to a gullible public to the tune of $120 at your local Sport Chalet, where is the stoke in that? That's right, there is none. If you are going to claim Hawaii, employ people in Hawaii and make some sandals in Hawaii. Why outsource to China. While people are free to spend their hard earned money on whatever they want, be wary of this company or that company, or the flavored shaper of the month. They are not all as they seem. They may claim to have the stoke, but in reality, you can't sell stoke.

Larry Bertlemann, Hawaii circa 1970

Larry Bertlemann 16mm Shredding - Sea Movies from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

Paddle out for Timmy O'neill

Yesterday the Blackies crew had a paddle out for Tim O'neill, one of the most progressive surfers at Blackies. Tim was an older guy, having grown up surfing during the late 1960s-early 70s. He roomed with the father of Al Knost in Hawaii for several seasons, until Mr. Knost up and joined the army and went to Vietnam. Tim was one of those hardcore longboarders who absolutely ripped on a longboard. Although his board was a single fin, he rode it as if it were a 2+1, not really a noserider but a power surfer. In the short time that I knew him, we traded waves almost everytime we were in the water together, and we complimented each other on our surfing ability. There was no bullshit that I could feel in any of our conversations, which is surprising given that Blackies is sort of a bullshit place where some people tend to be more full of bullshit than anything else. Thank god the bullshit people didn't show up at Timmy's paddle out. I was just talking to Trace on our way to Doheny this morning about who showed to pay respects to Timmy, and we both said, nearly in unison, that the mean people of Blackies didn't show up. That was fine and all. The tribute was fine without the nonsense.

At any rate, bye timmy, and catch some lefts for me in heaven.

Al Knost at malibu

I am pretty sure this is the day my fb friend buji brownlegs was at Malibu. Al's shredding as usual and Tanner, well, Tanner's Tanner, a great surfer and shaper.

Alex Knost : Summer Shreddin' at the Bu from buji brownlegs on Vimeo.

Five OHver

Surfed with Trace this am at Church. Passed Old Faithful blowing in the winds. . . offshore winds at the Rip Curl store and took a gander at lowers as we exited Basilone Road. Sweetness. Was micro from the road, and even smaller when we went over the bridge over looking Church. Parked and looked at Church, then the Point, then Church, then the point. We decided to go to Church. We lugged our Model T's down the beach. Dang that 10fter is HEAVY. DId the rock dance and paddled out to less than a handful of people surfing the micro waves. But it was worth the walk. No winds, the water was warm, Glassy and an occasionally peeler came through. Caught my first wave with 5 Oh over ever on the Model T. Was super stoked to plant five toes. Was the wave of the day, must've been a 20 yard nose ride. I love when it works out like that. Walked back to Sano and it was a zoo, plus the wind shifted direction and we decided to call it a session. SUPER FUN.

Surfing Sorsogon

Cloud 9 Philippines teaser

Kai Sallas ripping at OceanSlide

Gavin Beschen surfing Cloud 9 in the Philippines

Blunt Magazine

A new online magazine covering the surf scene in the Philippine Islands

Check it

http://issuu.com/blunt_magazine/docs/blunt-02

Donald Takayama's Model T is designed primarily for noseriding. However, it does surprisingly well with this type of ankle slapper.

5'6" Takayama Scorpion Quad