E's Surf Report

Wish I could have seen you guys man! How would you discribe your music? Good luck in the studio! Where are you getting recorded?

lp and I paddled out in the Aves on Tuesday morn around 8. I had good luck and made it out in 10-15 minutes (much more than I had expected). lp got the 45 minute, 1 mile of longshore drift exercise.

I snapped a few pics both pre- and post-sesh
additional pics here

Let me know if anyone recognizes faces, a couple of them might be Doof's channel marker board mentioned above:
I got next!

What E wrote pretty much describes what I paddled in today. A lot of deliberation out of me after returning from the warmer climates. I was super stoked to get some good waves here this morning. Bouys were reading 5+ @ 15 sec, winds not bad, tide going out, etc. Everything pretty much lined up. After checking the beach, I hit up a spot that looked pretty good with the posse. We scattered about trying to get out. I think the most rideable waves I saw were the last 3 that I ducked dived on my way out. In retrospect, I should have turned on one and gone. All in all, a pretty frustrating morning. Current ripping HARD to the north. Waves crashing about to the left, to the right, 100 yards out, 50 yards in....but never where I was. I tried the "white-water-reform" thing a few times hoping to get one to wall up and reform but I never got a good section.

1 hour, 4 waves....nice to be back to OB!

classic shot of that greyhaired van gogh-looking dude. and nice shots gioni, thanks.

welcome back kaiser. got any pics? tales? did you tandem with cole?

Congrats E! Glad it was a good time. Nice shots Gioni.

I went out after work last night for some lumpy but pumping waves. Paddled way out but still got caught by a big set. Fortunately, the sets were like 2 waves some 3 max. Long waits between them too. My first ride was a long left. I almost got bounced off the board by big chop on the takeoff but held on. Big drop and then it softend a bit. I cut back into the whitewater and then it started to wall up. Had room for a few smacks off the lip and a good pump down the line. I rode the wave through the inside and paddled back out in a rip with no problem.

Second wave was further south. It mushed out toward the inside. Not much fun. Third wave was an insider. Kinda quick drop but short ride. Hopped off the board. Walked in to the beach and called it a session. I went home and sold a board I had listed on Surfpulse Sunday afternoon. All-in-all a good night.

that grey-haired dude is a jerk goes by the nickname Pops and surfs the west side. that shot is probably stockton ave.

All hail Van Gogh! That oldschooler is henceforth my role model.

Don't know about the shots you tried to hot link above, but looking directly at your site, shots 13 and 14 are doof looking downtrodden after the big swim.

Damn, no shots of me. I guess I need to catch more waves, and not look so dorky when I catch them.

As an Aside to SS -

Were you riding a Clownboard this morning?

e—good summary of a strange morning at the beach.
i walked into 12 galaxies after a faculty dinner thing
and saw the next band tuning up....fark! next time bubba...

i was one of the scattered posse this morning. i thought kaiser was paddling off to lindy (or back to hawaii).

lerm—that were me that was hollaring at you on the GH
this a.m. cheers to ya...

nice day and a few gems to be had if you could paddle quick
enough or luck placed you at the right peak at the right
time as the current raced to the north...

peace.

Yeah, what in fark was up w/the beach today! Idiosyncratic is the word of the day. I was in total denial that the current was zipping north -why north?- and futiley wore myself out paddling and paddling to reach that...only workable.....peak.....just....south...can't...reach...fark... Then it was lakes alternating w/closeouts. Even the reform was sucking out or dumping on my head in 2 feet of water. Woohoo!

Dennis you didn't break your leash?

oh, and a LARGE THANKS to all
with the CR feedback. muchly
appreciated.

Gioni--->#9, #13, #14 are me after I had swum in.

It is "had swum", right? The word 'swum' should be used after a participle, correct?

Or should I have said "had swam"? That doesn't sound right, so maybe I was right to begin with.

Anyway, Gioni, nice shots. Too bad you didn't get the shot of me on my good wave...or maybe it is better you didn't, and this way in my mind's eye it stays a fabulous ride. :)

doof, neither "had swum" or "had swam" is correct
the correct expression is "did surf"
get it right dude

friend #1 : that was me. With, but clearly not riding, the clownboard this morning

kaiser,
i agree with you that e's description is spot on. specailly that knee grinder e, he was ripping it on the north end.

the surf turned out to be pretty fun as the rest of us floated north.

i saw elias catch quite a few good ones and korewin you were on quite a few too.

i dont know if it seemed good because the alternative was work or if it was actually good....either way its a great way to start the day!

Shots 3 & 5 are me. Shot 7 is Danny, fish rider/shaper. He was charging out there!

Today was pretty fun riding bowls and the rip at the North End...

Nice shots, Gioni! I was hoping SOMEBODY captured that Ides of March freak show. Bruce's shots are nice as well... I'm guessing further South?

A buddy and I were chatting about the inevitablity of shitty surf. I figured better to be a chipmunk and store up a few. He said better to wane it off, so you don't crash like a denied junkie hot off the stuff. Whatever... surf!

Tacky post of the day. A friend of mine from SC has one of those killer O'Neill 6/4 hooded psychos he wore three times and is trying to unload. $220 Shoot me an email if you're in need. I've got one I wear on the coldest of cold days and it's great.

Guess I caught the right (low tide) window or was just really lucky: 9-10 south beach was really fun; my best session in a long time, especially on a fun-per-minute basis. Easy paddles and every few minutes a sweet set of 2-3 waves. No wind to speak of, and non-tiny, but kook-friendly waves out the back of all sorts: peaky, lined-up, you name it; not REAL steep or speedy. A little more off-shore wind and it'd have been perfect for me. Got several easy, fun rides, two nice, long ones, and, ahem, only a couple of belly-rides. There were only one or two others in the water. Yippee!!!!! Looking back out while dressing I didn't see any sets, and everything looked crumbly and mangled---is that what I had been riding, or did the fun just vanish??

Congrats on the great gig, E!

Shi t that link to the Namibia story is so freaking similar to my story, down to the Cape Cross lodge and Ian. I wrote almost the same story, and it will be in SLW next issue, trippy. Bring back good memories.

gioni, what did you change in your camera setup?

Danny always charges, but he is a goofy footer, the guy in shot 7 is regular, looks kinda like Elias, but can't be sure.

Finally saw Odd Todd today.. Haha, him and his buddy with the 'stache go nuts with those whistles. He was laying down on his board going over rocks, and his buddy says "yup... that's why we call him Odd Todd."

Blake, no changes to the camera setup, just much better shooting conditions. Waves were closer, morning light with clear skies. Less cropping, photo-shopping, etc.

Sorry, doof and friend#1, I had just come in from surfing out there myself and right when I set up the camera, you were coming in. My last wave, I took off way too deep on just got pounded on the left, fun drop but lots of punishment.

SFkneelo - I have a couple more of you. Let me know if you want them and I can send you the full sized versions or post them somewhere.

I have a 4 shot sequence of Danny's almost-cover-up too. He was down at Sloat.

g@scsurfers.com

Oh, nice pics Gioni...

thanks Tait. I'd say our music is gospel/rock/hip-hop/jam. One of the guys in the band is (luckily) a sound engineer. So he has his own studio over at Soundwave studios in Oakland. pretty cool setup with isolated rooms, headphone amp, mics out the wazoo, etc. Where does bag of toys record?

ya e it was awesome, like i was saying not what i was expecting, but rad to see you up there rocking out threw me for a loop after the first song, that girl was cool though, the rapper, remiiscent of a female flavor flav..you were totally on showcase the first song which was a little jazzier and cooler imho, good to meet pez and matt too! thanks again for the beers tom..wanted to hang out a bit longer but probably was good to cut myself off at that point..yea

thanks Bagel! right on. That first song is called "Radius". It's my favorite too. Fun to get freaky on! Thanks so much for coming out!

Great show last night, e! I agree, all songs were rad but the first song ripped. Can't wait to hear what you guys lay down next week. Helps to be in a band with a guy who has his own studio! Great to meet bagel, good to see the rest of the gang, and bummed that I didn't realize pez and tom were there until we left.

Bagel -- If you're on the metal trip lately, check these guys out: http://www.mastodonrocks.com/

e, great show last night! good to see some niceness there too.

i ended up going out several blocks south of where we were checking it and scored some fun rides.

korewin, i wondered who that was. scared the shit out of me. :)

that sux about punta roca!

I feel I no longer have to go Namibia now. I do, however, have a date with Destiny in Morocco. She is waiting.

-4LoveOfSurfing

another blow to the environment.
Senate votes to allow artic drilling

51-49 vote. So close!

You're right Blakestah... my bad.

Gioni, love to get copies. Can you post them on your site? Or, you can email me at sfkneelo@sbcglobal.net.

Thanks!

Crap, I didn't even know artic drilling was on the table still.

E, seems Will Henry is really involved in the Jardim Del MAr Sea Wall, evan made a documentary geared for local outcry in the EU, Is he from SF?

sweet, thanks mwsf those guys sound pretty rad

Hmm Libertad- That wave goes off- but a gnarly place. Went there in 98? Arrive off the bus and our first sight is a machete street fight. Extrememly heavy scene...

First day was epic- double overhead pits- the next 9 were totally flat not even surfable, made it even worse knowing the potential.

We went almost insane trapped in this shady yet fortified hotel..100 degrees out.. people getting assulted at the point by like 10 kids with softball size rocks.

I guess it's better now that more years have passed since the war. Not that we personally had issues, but it seemed like everyone else did.

Will Henry is the heart and soul of Save the Waves, he is a local, although he calls home Davenport for the last few years. Pretty good musician and photographer and surfer (although he has a tendency to yak) too.

Kayak or talk?

Stah, Were you that kid in the front row with his hand up all the time?

yo e! congrats on your gig last night! can't wait to hear some of the mp3s you guys record. way to rip it up at your first show!

sorry i couldn't charge the city... just rested up last night for the old trabajo which started today. everything is chill... unfortunately my internet access is pretty restricted, so i don't think i'll be able to blog during the workday. i'm home for lunch right now, gots to get back...

happy wednesday to all in niceness land... Mmmmmmm, Punta Pizza.

Gioni - my leash didn't break so I was out there longer than Doof. I was setting up a bit south on the left with my neighbor riding the light blue bottomed board. He was catching a bunch of rides. We had paddled against the current to beat the crowd and I am sure your going to set up on the more crowded peak for shots. Anyhoo - next time.

Nice to have some pics to show.

http://www.scsurfers.com/pics/20050315/pages/14.html this is a cool one of ob..nice ones gioni

Artifact, ever surf a place in El Salvador called Acajutla? I stumbled onto it last time I was down there. I have never heard it mentioned anywhere. It is a long left point. Really good wave. I never saw any gringos there. The local crew said that gringos never went there. Maybe it just gets overlooked. Never more than 5 guys out, and only a couple of them could surf.

No Web, we really never made it out of Libertad. The only thing we ever ended up doing was eating pupusas and drinking Pilsners. By the end of the 10 days we had been to almost every pupuseria 5 kms north or south of town.

We really didn't have access to any swell models etc. So we just prayed that by our 500th pupusa some swell would arrive, when that came and went, so did we!

The total lack of swell never justified the exploration. We did hear the locals talking of the magic "east" coast...but I guess that needs even more swell than the point.

i like that lineup shot of SC at sundown -- does anyone know what the photog did to get that nice color on the water? filter of some kind?

old man in preceeding photo called Pops is most likely Harbor Bill Mulcoy. a salty dawg, but worthy of respect. OG SC surfer.

blake is a yakker too

jersey

Ive also never heard of Acajutla. In case anyone is interested, I know a top quality / independant guide who will customize a trip for you in El Salvador based on swells (the other major players stick with an agenda which you can't normally get out of). Email me at trautster@hotmail.com if you want his details. Im sure he can take you to Acajutla if interested.

more jersey shots from www.wqsurfshop.com

That last Jersey shot is awesome!!!

Doof, as dejected as you look, at least you aren't the fatty pink and black spandexed girl behind you.

Got long point waves this morning in the inconsistency. FUN!

Artifact, Traut: Interesting. I have never been able to figure out why that place is not mentioned. It just cannot be a "secret spot" because it is in a major (at least I think it is a major) town on the coast. No one seems to mention left points in El Salvador. Oh well. I am never going back there. I will never go back to El Salvador that I can foresee. That place left a very bad taste in my mouth.

What percentage of a chance do i have to score fun waves after 4:30pm? Or, is it blown out at the beach allready?

Uh oh, its almost 4:00......And I just got an email from my sponsor....

Bubble Butts!

that last girl is the new intern at my work...

Web- as per el Salvador leaving a bad taste in your mouth - that is exactly why I suggest getting a knowledgeable, trustworthy guide if one plans on exploring the country (West and East coasts). Without my guide, Walter, I am sure I would have at least been robbed while there. The guide was particularly comforting as I brought my fiancé along who had no previous 3rd world travel experience.

Staying in one particular place or area on the West (but not La Roca), would not, imho, warrant a guide.

I don't yak waves. Only yak touring, and not for years. But I know Beau!

those are Oak-town booties, that is for sure! Thanks for the fine images.

How did El Sal leave a bad taste in your mouth? La Lib is on my hit list of places to surf before the proverbial end....

traut and web.. i actually dug el salvador pretty hard. The folks in the little fishing village where i stayed were super friendly. I only ventured into Las Libertad to surf Punta Roca one time and another time to do email and phone calls. That town is a little gnarly but also really ebullient. The market streets where strait from Indiana Jones.. all dirty and narrow and teeming with life. Crazy old-school style. I wouldn't want to be there at night. You could tell that the country is very poor.. and coming out years of even worse strife. The crack epidemic out on the point is really weird and scary. It sucks that the worst little area for crackheads happens to be RIGHT AT THE WAVE. It's a bad coincidence for surfers.

Not sure what happened to you Web?

A friend of mine from Australia spent a week in Las Libertad. One night his friend was out partying and left the door to their bungalow slightly open. My friend was sleeping. He woke up with a gun to his head and two masked men stealing all his shit. Next thing he knew the gunman bashed his back with the butt of a gun. Broke my friend's back. He blacked out for a while and then came to and eventually got flown back to the states for surgery. 8 years later his back is still fucked up.

Gnarly.

Traut- got it. The problem is I was on my boat. There was nowhere to leave it and get a guide, (although I guess there is a safe place now). The officials (Port Captain) were complete ASSHOLES. And I am really trying not to be ethnocentric. They just bent me ALL the way over. Plus, just getting from the anchorage to the Port Captains office was a nightmare. My wife is latin ("spanish" mexican rather than Indian) and the locals pushed me as hard as they could by harassing her to ungodly levels hoping I would react. Which I did not. It was in no way shape or form fun. I ended up bailing the country without checking out, and just pleaded my case in Nicaragua. When I got back from surfing,(I ended up paddleing around the point, I could not see my boat for a couple hours) there were guys on a panga next to my boat talking shit to my wife. She was raging pissed at me for bailing her and surfing. And she had every right to be. It was really stupid. I never did that again. The local surfers were the best, the rest of the locals I encountered were very, very angry at me. I sent Reagan a thank you note for the excellent relationships he established with our Central American brothers.

Nice letter!! Reagan is definatly to blame for that one.

as a follow up... they wanted about $1,000 to check in. Normally it is about $50, depending on country. When I told them I did not have that kind of $, and needed to go get it, they threatened to hold me,(knowing my boat was going to be fair game that night, or right then) and have a friend SEND the money.(what friend would THAT be sir?) They kept me there for hours. The place was slimy and corrupt.

A friend of mine used to go down there a lot in the early 90s for several months in the summer. In 1 week, he saw 2 gringos shot and killed, point blank range. One was an expat, and the other was a traveler. He has vowed to never set foot on El Sal soil again.

Another friend was camping in the east Pacific coast with a few others, and was held up at gunpoint in the middle of the night. His girlfriend was raped while the other hoods had him in the van, handing over $ and cameras, etc. A very heavy place indeed. When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose, and a lot of the locals are super poor.

gnarlsburg

no joke.

Photo: Debbie Sidenfaden

I would highly 2nd Traut's recommendation. As my budget at the time was $15/ day we stuck to one spot. El Sal is no Costa Rica for those whom have been to CR and are looking for something different. I wouldn't travel in the public bus either, like we did- extra sketchy.

I traveled with 3 white T-Shirts, 2 boardshorts a pair of reefs, 1 board, a toothbrush, sunscreen, a machete and nothing else- Everything else was stashed in Guatemala

The point gets pretty crowded being only 30 minutes or so from one one the most densely populated areas in Central America. Plus if the surf goes flat there really isn't much to do.

I would never bring a chick there for sure- Ultimate harassment is the least of your concerns. We meet a couple of Euro chicks who couldn't leave the hotel for fear of being raped.

They would shackle the razor wired gates locked at 9pm and you were either in or out. Needless to say everyone was in.

The local surfers are cool, actually almost everyone we met was cool- a little Spanish goes a really long way. Well except for the crackheads.

But the reality is the poverty is extreme, and after the war everyone who fought had no jobs but still had guns. Violence is just all around you.. a way of life for too long.

I'm with Web I won't be back, too many other cool places, and seeing someone matcheted in the throat is a memory that doesn't go away.

artifact, you're right. Harassment is a minor price to pay. I have never lost the feeling that I just dodged a disaster and got so lucky that nothing worse happened in my stupidity. Never felt like that about anywhere else...

These El Sal stories are really bumming me out. Since I have very little internet skills beyond being able to participate in blogs, I'll have to leave it up to the pros to do something with this:

http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/bestgirls/?t=Hottest+Girls+In+Kiteboarding

I'll have to get me a kite one of these days.

I uploaded the rest of my pics from yesterday. Friend #1 take a look:

http://www.scsurfers.com/pics/20050315-2

I wish I didn't read any of this on El Salvador. It's stop 2 on my trip. Hmmm.....

Oh yeah fun. El Sal is just waiting for you to show up. All this talk and E going on about the this and the that of surfing really turns my stomach. Here these guys dischevel their fantasy surf shit onto the the others via this here webnet and the rest of us reading about our "IT" are wretching. This website and E and " Stah" and all the rest of you interlopers. This is so lame and I am a sad fuck for writing in - fully exposed and alone. Fucking cuntsucking bastards as if I fucking need this.
So the soul goes anon and the waves and the spots fully exposed written about by a bunch of freaking transplants hellbent on the cock they carry.
Here they are attempting to mold the beach into what THEY espouse Whorring out our wavelands in his ' I am the new white jesus' from Philly; JESUS surfing wannabe words: every single detial of all the things we natives have been about and are forever and ever.
You steal California in your thoughts - in your number ever advancing towards us.
The earth breathes and we are one with it -.
WE ARE the inheritors, not you 21st Century heretics with your serepenteen tongues. It is NOT YOU.

Weekday tally on out of state liscense plates:

Illinois: 18
Mass: 25
New York: 5
Texas: 18
Pennsylvania: 19
South Dakota: 2
New Jersey: 2
od infinitum

You're gonna wake up one morning as the sun greets the dawn
You're gonna wake up one morning when the sun meets the dawn
You're gonna look around in your mind and find I'm gone

You didn't realize you didn't realize …
You're gonna miss me baby …

I gave you the warning but you never heeded it
How can you say you miss my love when you never needed it

You're gonna wake up wondering find yourself all alone
But what's gonna stop me baby I'm not coming home ….

so what is your point, Masterclown?

You're a tranny too.

"How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? We do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water. How can you buy them from us?" Chief Seattle says check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Where you from?
A place called Earth. Same as you.

Walkin' on a dusty road in the countryside of ease
I heard a song driftin' on the gently blowin' breeze

Just give me sunshine through the Autumn
sweet snow to the Spring
Corn by the water of an old mill stream
and you give me all
you give me all

He said his name was Simple Ben but not what I'd believe
Christened by the way he thought and not the way he lived
I've seen the best and worst that we have here on our earth
And finally decided on the things that I get worth

Just give me sunshine through the Autumn
sweet snow to the Spring
Corn by the water of an old mill stream
and you give me all
you give me all

the land does not belong to us. we belong to it.

have a niceness day

e - we you looking for a Fender Twin Reverb a while back?

egp

beware the ides of...MARCH MADNESS!!