SurfersDesk

As another landlocked surfer,  I can agree with much of what is written here on surfersdesk.  I’ve wished over the past months that it was more of a daily stoke that fills my veins with the joy of surfing.  Unfortunately it is not the case and the best waves I see are those from flushing my toilet after too many Red Bulls.  My quiver of boards consists more of those with wheels than not.  I get wet when I can and I’m basically that guy who spends 5 hours straight in the water, trying to pack as many hours/waves into a session as I can.  I know that once that session is over, I’m back on a plane or long car ride home.  You have to get it, while the gettin’ is good, and when it comes to surfing, it’s ALWAYS good.

… I’m not much of a writer, so rather than trying to be all philosophical I’ll be as to the point as possible.

My lady and I took a trip from Calgary down to LAX to check out the US Open over the first week of August.  We attended last year, but only gave ourselves a few days to check everything out.  This time we spent a full week and decided to enjoy our time.

Our first stop was the Sakura Car Rental shop just outside of LAX.  A small outfit, that seemed to be VERY oriented towards Japanese clientele.  I overheard a very Caucasian man answering there phones and speaking Japanese.  go figure.. it’s L.A.  Note: They had the best rates and the car was good.

One Toyota Matrix and we were on our way, let the getting lost in L.A. begin.  A few wrong turns off the free-way and we had made it to what looked like Puerto Vallarta, but wait, back on the 405, South.  Not sure where we were, but I don’t think it was HB.

We hit up the Best Western, located right off the Pacific Coast Highway, 3 blocks from the Huntington Beach pier on the North side.  Finding *cheap* accommodation in the close vicinity during the US Open is a joke, so you pretty much have to bring you lube and forget about it.

Oh, back to the point… HB is full of industry folks, tourists who don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into, oh and of course surfers of all abilities.  Needless to say, the caliber of surfing in HB is killer.

My week at the US Open consisted of the following:

Surf, Surf, Surf, Watch Surfing, Eat Mexican, Watch Skate/BMX, Surf, Whiplash due to eye candy, Hit up a concert, Surf.  Listed in no particular order, but you get the picture.

My gf saw a flyer for a movie premiere that we decided to hit up.  Apparently Julian Wilson, a young up and coming Quiksilver athlete was showing his new film called Scratching the Surface.”  We really did not know what we were getting ourselves into on that short drive to Costa Mesa. A 10 minute drive from the shitshow of Huntington Beach we made our way in late fashion to a theater area.  As we walked toward the event we soon realized, it was a pretty big deal, the “World Premiere” actually.  Red carpet, check.  Pro Surfers, check.  Pro Surfers better halfs, check. Red Bull sponsor, check.   At this point I wanted to find the nearest washroom, just to make sure my bladder was empty and I could join in on the party.  “Oh wait, you mean that’s not where we go in?”, I give a puzzled look to the girl working the tent.  So we waited in a pretty big line, 150 strong of fans and hopeful attendee’s.  We didn’t know how many people were getting in, let alone if we had to pay, or what the dilly was.

So an hour later, after most of the industry and athletes made there way in, we made it in.  The party was a solid set-up with all of Julian’s surfboards located around the venue.  So back to Red Bull.  That stuff gets people loose and ready to party.  Wow, talk about social lubricant.

Looking around us, we weren’t in Kansas anymore.  We were right in the thick of it, rubbing elbows with the top dogs of surfing, some of whom I’ve always put to a god-like status.  So on the party went, Julian made a speech about taking way too long to get the movie out, while Sal Masekela took the honor of being the guest MC.

The video absolutely rocked and everyone was stoked on the footage, location and big-name cast that Quiksilver brought.  If they were in the movie or a Red Bull athlete, there was a good chance they were there.  Some photos from the event can be checked out at lifewithoutandy.com.  I managed to make it into the background of a few.

… fast track to the Semi-finals and Final.  Jordy up against Brett for the final.  Would the home-town hero of last year prevail?  I’m a bit biased as I felt a few of my more favorite slashers (Slater lost to Simpson by a score of 0.04) deserved to go ahead to the final but it all panned out that Simpson was the home-town hero and winner of a cool 100 k.  We also checked out the Expression Session where it was a free-for-all with a bit of tow-in boosting, as well as self-caught waves.  The best trick had to of been Kolohe Andino’s “360 varial 360 to landing on his ass” combo.  The waves could have been much bigger/cleaner through out the week, alas you get what you are given.

Here are some shots I took during the course of my trip.  Hope you enjoy.

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I hear that Santa Cruz has a tarp coming out….

If you saw it set up… you’d try it. Don’t Lie. Saw it here.

No big deal....right?

So, about a month ago, I was asked to go on this surf trip to Costa Rica…..I didn’t go….saving cash. Saw this Facebook update from Sayer. Probably pretty incredible…I would be awestruck to see him shred the shit out of all the waves.

Another beautiful beach in Nicaragua

I hit up Donn Wilson for some more answers on the Survivor Nicaragua set being built, how it’s effecting the town, and more importantly ho it’s effecting the locals in the area. As you can see by the answers below, a lot is happening, in and around town. Donn is not in San Juan Del Sur at the moment, but he always has his ear to the ground for this stuff.

So it seems that Survivor 21 & 22 will be filmed in and around San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua. THey have been setting up on Yankee and Remanzo Beach and are paying some of the locals to “clean up” the area. Apparently the locals are impressed with the wages, and all the other businesses in SJDS are impressed too.

Yankee beach is about 5km from our property down there….so it is a little weird to think of people “surviving” on our beach…. I hope the locals are able to surf down there still.

Survivors ready? Watch out for machetes.

So yes, Tofino has become the new Canadian “hotspot” for surfing. WHen Pete Devries won the 6-star WQS event last season, the whole town shut down to watch the event. This video is clearly a governments bid for tourism this summer. Yes, the place is great, yes, you have a slight chance of getting good waves (3+ feet) in the summer, and yes, you will spend a lot of money, but….. Tofino is pretty awesome. Long Beach is a amazing beach to go down, drink some beers, and let the dog off leash. It’s big enough to have your own spot. Parking is expensive though, so be prepared, or try to stop someone on their way out, and offer them $10 instead of paying $25. Make sure you take your Skateboard, or BMX cause both Uculet,and Tofino have fun parks to shred.

Long Beach

Take a  hike around the area, and make sure you give yourself 2 or 3 days at the very minimum, as there is a lot to take in when you’re there.

This is pretty awesome. Some New Zealand scientists (who are also surfers) created this shredable wave in India. How pumped would you be if this showed up in your neighbourhood??? Better for the ocean, surfers, and town.

Tucks in just as the lip is about to smash his head…and wins the comp.

Sunbathers, Surfers, and Starbucks...welcome to Kuta Beach

You’ve just landed in Bali, at the Denpasar airport, and all you can think of is soaking you feet in the Indian Ocean. Chances are if you’ve never been to Bali, you’ll end up in Kuta at some point or another, and you’ll find yourself sitting on the beach watching the sunset, or getting hassled by one of the 2000 hawkers making their living selling you chess boards, bow and arrows, massages, and surf board rentals. When I was learning to surf I spent many days in Kuta, stationed about 1 blick from the beach on Poppies one. It was the same routine day in, and day out. Wake up, surf, eat, surf, drink, surf, drink more, party, sleep. It was awesome.

Topless happens at Kuta Beach

Kuta beach is a long beach that stretches as far the eye can see towards Legian, and pretty much to the airport in the opposite direction. You’ll find waves on this mild beach break crowded with people learning, and people ripping. If you are learning, you will be able to rent a board from someone on the beach at a pretty good price, and if you’re not…tip these guys a couple of bucks and they’ll watch you’re stuff for you while you’re in the water. I left my sandles on the beach for 2 months, and they never went missing…I was surprised.

Board rentals for as far as the eye can see.

The surf is ok at best. Mild beach break, lots of peaks, lots of people. If you’re keen enough, get up in the AM and get down there just after sunrise (or go to Ulus) and you’ll have the place to yourself. The water is warm, and there are refreshments close. It’s an easy paddle out and a easy paddle in…it is the perfect place to learn.

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One thing to watch out for is garbage. When I was there last, it was the rainy season, and there was A LOT of garbage in the water. I couldn’t take more then 2 paddles without getting a plastic bag around my arm, or dodging a piece of wood. it was like swimming in a dumpster at times.

Maybe go to the next beach if you see this.