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ramble

The arc of life.
Childhood freedoms compromised by authority figures.
Adolescent passions quelled by societal pressures.
Collegiate mayhem buffered by the grading curve.
Early 20's openness shunted by career-track realities.
Thirty-something familial tenderness sloshed by screaming babies.
Midlife royalty bleeds into the question of personal accomplishment.
Golden years afterglow.

Happiness is self defined.
Pain is relative.
Creativity come in fits and starts.
Love is what you make it.

BBR posted these fantastic shots yesterday (check out A-framemag.com)
(bbr let me know if i'm sucking too much bandwidth)

more shots from a-framemag

boogie heaven


SPOILER! 1st post!

Posted by: SFKneelo at September 27, 2005 09:36 AM

bleeding for mid life personal accomplishments
multiple cutbacks, floaters, lip smacks, airs, that ellusive tube ride and a few moments with one of kaiser's "friends"

Posted by: old man at September 27, 2005 09:54 AM

Insightful words Mr. E. I've experienced all those mentioned with the exception of:

"Thirty-something familial tenderness sloshed by screaming babies." Never had kids.

"Golden years afterglow." Not there yet... I don't think.

I hear ya old man.

Posted by: Dennis at September 27, 2005 09:59 AM

that last wave is insane. interesting words today e, i've been thinking about what you call the 'arc of life' a lot lately - can one ever get back to the point you were at as a child where everything was new and interesting? what is it that creates that spark? i just want to be a dog where whatever i'm doing at the time is the coolest fuckin thing i've ever done.

Posted by: j at September 27, 2005 10:09 AM

dylan on pbs last night
excellent

Posted by: at September 27, 2005 10:11 AM

Posted by: melvins fan at September 27, 2005 10:25 AM

Can't afford gas anymore. Need new $300 wetsuit this year. Board is yellow and full of water. One less surfer you have to worry about. See ya.

Posted by: acctnut at September 27, 2005 10:30 AM

Hey, got a question for you guys since we were on the board ditching topic. I am learning how to duck dive properly and I seem to have problems getting my board underneath the big-ass OB white wash. I ride a 6'6 that is 2 5/8 thick and I am 140 lbz. I guess I just need more practice, but if anyone has any advice it is appreciated..

Posted by: mofo at September 27, 2005 10:48 AM

mofo, angle it ...lead with on of the front rails into the dive rather than pushing the whole nose down flat ..comprende?

Posted by: otf at September 27, 2005 10:54 AM

arc of life, yeah e, well put.

Posted by: Secret Doom Dada at September 27, 2005 10:55 AM

Here ya go mofo.

http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/06_04_duckdive.cfm

Posted by: Dennis at September 27, 2005 11:03 AM

intriguing words e. i have big respect for those who find a way to dodge those societal pressures and keep that 15/yo kid alive inside. i got a bunch of friends here in sf that haven't aged at all in the past 10 years. most of them exist on thoughtless service industry jobs and base their lives around skating, surfing, and traveling. their freedom is enviable, but the occasional struggles to come up with the rent or needing to crash at a friend's place for a bit are not.

i agree with j - hands down, dogs have the best life on this planet.

Posted by: rza at September 27, 2005 11:05 AM

nice e, i was pondering that shit this morning too. must be something in the air.

dug that dillan docuentary also.

Posted by: bagel at September 27, 2005 11:08 AM

Don't mean to open a can o' worms, but everyone ditches a board at some point--though it's not cool and/or friendly. I've seen great surfers ditch their shit when things get gnarly and they're in a bad spot. I've seen Old timers (who know better) at Kelly's...almost got decapitated by a longboard there (dude with the red wetsuit). That was an alarming moment. There certainly is an art to getting through bigger waves. True, water safety demands that we not bite off more than we can chew, but I'll bet there's not a person here who hasn't pushed themselves for more and more of a challenge: bigger and faster waves. I'm not suggesting it's okay to kook out.

Posted by: amigoism at September 27, 2005 11:09 AM

mofo, that's a thick board for your weight. but, assuming it's a shortboard shape, you should be able to duck it under most of the waves we've had recently. otf is right: angling helps me with my wider/bigger boards especially. one thought (from someone new enough to have recently been dealing with that same issue): if it's shallow enough to be walking instead of paddling, walk. another: if you're having trouble at one spot, try a half-block from there; there are spots where it's like a treadmill getting out even if you're duckdiving okay, and other spots where it's not so hard; and unfortunately it seems to change over time. another: be sure to get the tail down; i think of it as using the board to grab still water that's not going to be pulled over the wave--you need the tail to be down lower than the nose for that. a final thought: getting out at ob is hard.

Posted by: kloo at September 27, 2005 11:09 AM

Greetings and a shout out to the crew. I'm seeking advice for a trip to Sumatra that I'm planning. I want to go in the off-season in order to avoid crowds (May?).....any advice out there? Who to book with and when to go? Thanks!

Posted by: fallfun at September 27, 2005 11:20 AM

Dust off that retro fish.

Today is Egg Day, sunny side up.

Posted by: Donovan at September 27, 2005 11:22 AM

egg day yes waves are corned beef hash

Posted by: afol at September 27, 2005 11:24 AM

E, SOLID! Nice take today, one of my favorites.

Surf was surfy this morning. Great to get some more exercise but it could have used 2+ feet of swell, less onshore wind and more sun. Still fun. I found it unbelievable that the random location CK and I hit up was immediately populated by +1. No one around for 200+ yards but I guess we had the "sweet" peak. Unreal. If you didn't surf, you didn't miss much other then some exercise.

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 11:26 AM

Waves looked more like oatmeal to me. Did see a good left in front of the southern cliff though..

Posted by: bagel at September 27, 2005 11:31 AM

I've heard all about angling and practice and timing, and can get a 6'6" under water, but have trouble getting the board to scoop down deeply enough. Gotta love going backwards underwater. Lord knows I get enough practice. The best guys look really relaxed and effort-free when they duck under...when I'm ducking it's taking more aggressive effort. Still hoping more time and luck will produce that "a-ha!" moment.

Posted by: s.s. sharkbait at September 27, 2005 11:31 AM

duck-diving is kinda like olleying a skateboard. it's hard to describe how to do it exactly. It's a timing thing.

- generally helps to be moving forward
- as wave approaches put your back foot on the back of your board and your hands on the rails and begin to sink the board
- often helps (as described above) to pivot the board so it cuts into the water better.
- as wave starts to pass overhead sink yourself further and then push hard with the back foot while simultaneously stearing the board with your hands.
- you ideally want to describe a U-shaped motion.

also.. If there is noboby around and i'm about to get clobbered, i FOR SURE ditch my board and dive deep. sometimes i'll even just swim (without board) out past the breaking waves if it's hard-core and nobody around.. just swim while dragging my board. it ain't pretty.. but.. sometimes effective.

Posted by: e at September 27, 2005 11:37 AM

My niceness amigos. Word up from Scotland. I wish this computer I'm on would let me upload photos. I've got some pretty nice shots. Cold water: check. Black water where you can't see anything beneath: check. Shallow 2-3' water over sharp reef: check (I hit bottom 3 times yesterday). Disgusting, hollow, perfect, offshore licked empty waves: check. I finally kicked down an absurd amount of money for a Salomon wetsuit. I was too tired of waiting for TACA to find my boards and suit. Last I heard they were in Madrid, Spain, or Egypt, or somewhere.. Who knows. The waves have been basically all time, and one of the spots we're at has been doing a great impression of backdoor, peaking at about 12 ft. The downside.. Wind switches quick. COLD water. Razor sharp rain stinging your face. The worst, short swell appearances. The last macker we had was here for a day and a half. Scotland, Ireland, and well, all of the UK have a disgusting amount of coast line that have big swell windows. But, it can also be extremely disappointing from what I've heard. I guess my karma meter was maxing out. Time for me to pay it forward, beyitch. E, powerful words. No one is ever too old to (in my book) to change a dead end situation they're in. Just takes a series of events to motivate people, no matter what age. About having kids, listen to David Cross's track "Certain Leaders in Government Look or Act like Certain Pop Culture References!" off of "It's not Funny." Classic. I saw the Dylan special on BBC last night over here. Great program. The weirdos are always the influential ones. Get off Monkey Island. It's a lot nicer over here. Look for pictures from me soon. If you can't find reasons to ditch your life for a little while, the pics I've got should do the trick.

Posted by: Ian at September 27, 2005 11:50 AM

nice to hear from ya, ian!!

hey mofo: re: duck diving, one other thing that is quite relevant but hard to articulate or teach -- reading the wave (or whitewater) and deciding excatly when/where to duck. i doubt that it can be learned other than thru experience. much of it has to do with the upward flow of water on the surface of a cresting wave -- even if it's already broken. getting into the right part of the wave, at the right time, is probably as important as your duck diving technique. spending some time playing in the surf sans board might help "see" this a bit more.

i also recommend trying to duck dive with a smaller board. smaller boards are easier to manipulate, especially at the last second. once you "get it" with that, you will be able to apply what you've learned to bigger boards.

of course at ob sometimes it just doesn't matter -- the energy can simply be overwhelmingly pushing you back & down.

Posted by: loon at September 27, 2005 12:06 PM

Posted by: slappy garcia at September 27, 2005 12:41 PM

One more duck dive thing....do it earlier than you think- you want to be as deep as you can be before the water hits you- if you are below the boil of water, the wave will actually push you down deeper. Most people do it too late.

The other note about placement is HUGE. Often you see two people paddle out with the same DD skill...but one zigzags correctly, avoiding the real "power spots" of the wave and has to do many fewer DD's at heavier spots.

Also on that note....it seems many people check the rips before they start paddling but do not make adjustments when they are actually in the water.
I was in the water last night and a freind of mine was in a bit of a washing machine in the middle...it was easy to see from my vantage point that if he just paddled 20 yards north, the sandbar was a bit deeper and would've been a much easier paddle...but he just kept going straight into the same impact zone.
My point- sometimes the fastest way between two points is NOT a straight line.

Posted by: glow at September 27, 2005 12:53 PM

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 12:56 PM

e - Nice stuff this morning. My personal "arc of life" has had a slightly different trajectory.

Childhood freedoms shattered by tragedy, but boosted by timing and location, location, location.
Adolescent passions actually INFLAMED by societal pressures, but diluted by self-medication.
Collegiate mayhem postponed 'til a later date.
Early 20's openness shut-down by addiction and fear.
Early thirty-something familial tenderness trashed by continued self-centered indulgence.
Midlife crisis met with sobriety, education, redemption and a return to the lineup.
Golden years comin' up dead ahead, but still burning healthy and bright.

A few years ago I realized that I had slowly started to become the man I always wanted to be.
One of the older guys, but still healthy, lean and strong.
Clear-headed, clean and sober.
A daily meditator / yoga practioner.
A bit of a health nut.
A faithful husband and a worthy father.
Well travelled.
And last, but not least, still surfing on a regular basis into my 50s.

Do I ever ditch my board? Yeah I've done it, but every time I do - even when it's justfiable due to wave size and circumstance - I am ASHAMED. It's just the way I was brought up.

Posted by: Jimmie at September 27, 2005 01:06 PM

I was thinking about getting a PWC and charging for taxi service. Duck-diving? Forget about it. I'll scale the charges to wave height. How much would you be willing to pay for a ride out to the lineup on a 12 foot day?

Posted by: Dennis at September 27, 2005 01:06 PM

nice post jimmie!

Posted by: e at September 27, 2005 01:12 PM

"Life around work?", or "work around life?"

Posted by: bz880 at September 27, 2005 01:15 PM

There's a nice symmetry to the posts today - the arc of life and duck diving.

Posted by: R3W at September 27, 2005 01:26 PM

Excellent Jimmie, E, and Ian, but you all contradict one another and compliment each other too, Different paths to the same reality?


Work to live...

Posted by: Mexi at September 27, 2005 01:30 PM

life is work
work is life

good work jimmie - its not easy -

neither is duck diving. learning to read the wave and the movement of the water is where its at

Posted by: mare at September 27, 2005 01:35 PM

Great Words E & Jimmie, unreal shots BBR, Ian scoring!

Unless you're trying to duckdive DOH- TOH OB AND there is no one around you should never have to ditch w/ a shortboard. It's all practice! And even then especially in bigger surf- I hate swimming and leashes/ board plugs etc. aren't as stong as you think! Of course it happens to everyone. I think the real problem is with longboards/ floaty hybrids etc. I've seen it a lot recently- especially in the newbs migrating from Lindy.

So instead of ditching your tank with a reach of 20+ feet behind you. Try these bigger board specific tips

-Holding onto the nose and angling it like 60 degrees
-Sitting waay on the back- let the nose go over the whitewater then shift weight to the front/ nose- works up to head high
-Turn Turtle - and bear hug your board- it works!
-Just plain bear hug the board after a "duck dive" weight to the nose
-Sit on the tail of the board- point the nose to shore and just take it
-Worst case- LOOK BEHIND YOU- grab the railsaver with your hand and dive feet first- leash is less likely to break + half the firing distance


If you can't do these- then time to take out a shortboard or go back to somewhere you can handle. Sometimes if you can't make it out without ditching- accept temporary defeat- regroup on the beach- some chill time - try again, you never know! Don't forget your own board can be your worst enemy- most of the fin cuts etc. I have seen have been inflicted by people's own board snapping back and hitting them. Holding on to your board, you are doing yourself and you neighboor a favor, lowering odd against injury, collisions and breakage!

Posted by: artifact at September 27, 2005 01:45 PM

props to all those on the righteous path and still rippin after 50!

and jimmie, way to keep duck-diving and making it back out to the lineup!! sounds like you've found your inner peace.

Posted by: rza at September 27, 2005 01:46 PM

I got a phone call from a gorgeous ex-girlfriend of mine the other day. We lost track of time, chatting about the wild nights we used to enjoy together. I couldn't believe it when she asked if I'd like to meet up and maybe rekindle a little of that magic. "Wow!" I said, "I don't know if I could keep pace with you now, I'm a bit older and a bit balder than when you last saw me!" She giggled and said she was sure I'd meet
the challenge! "Yeah", I said, "just so long as you don't mind a man with a waistband that's a few inches wider these days!" She laughed and told me to stop being so silly! She teased me, saying that she thought tubby bald men were cute!
"Anyway", "I've put on a couple of pounds myself!" she giggled. So I told her to f**k off

Posted by: Apologies to the ladies at September 27, 2005 01:56 PM

life for me is a triangle.
the top point is family, and the other two points are work and surf...you need to try to stay in the middle...

Posted by: james at September 27, 2005 02:01 PM

http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/09/27/news/20050927_ne01_fires.txt

What's the solution? Ban on fires? Better enforcement? Better education?

Posted by: adam at September 27, 2005 02:03 PM

Ditching your board is really only a problem if it hits someone else or comes close. I bail on occasion, but not in crowded conditions. Probably, because I hate to surf in crowded conditions. But, I also can duckdive (more or less) my 9'6" longboard. It's shallow, and I still get pushed toward the beach, but not as much as if I just bailed, and when I come up out of the whitewater I am in position to start paddling rather than collecting my board.

Momentum is key for the longboard dip-dive.

Also, sometimes when the shorebreak is a mutherfucker, swiming and dragging your board through is the only way to get out.

Posted by: friend #1 at September 27, 2005 02:11 PM

wow, jimmie's post just killed the internet picture of him i'd painted in my head.

Posted by: j at September 27, 2005 02:11 PM

OB ditchings sucks. Last year at sloat around 6-10' faces some guy tosses his board right onto the shoulder of the wave that i was on, i ran square into the side of his board and flew forward. the guy didnt seem to get why he fvcked up. he said the wave was ending soon so i should have pulled out when i saw him in trouble with the whitewater. this was a solid 2nd bar day too. idiots are out there and skill has nothing to do with it. try and not ditch your board please.

Posted by: dsx at September 27, 2005 02:12 PM

Ditching your board is really only a problem if it hits someone else or comes close. I bail on occasion, but not in crowded conditions. Probably, because I hate to surf in crowded conditions. But, I also can duckdive (more or less) my 9'6" longboard. It's shallow, and I still get pushed toward the beach, but not as much as if I just bailed, and when I come up out of the whitewater I am in position to start paddling rather than collecting my board.

Momentum is key for the longboard dip-dive.

Also, sometimes when the shorebreak is a mutherfucker, swiming and dragging your board through is the only way to get out.

Posted by: friend #1 at September 27, 2005 02:15 PM

Years ago was hit by a ditched board in the head- 58 stiches and a reverse mohawk later- that's why I guess I'm more sensitive to this issue.

Posted by: artifact at September 27, 2005 02:23 PM

"Ditching your board is really only a problem if it hits someone else or comes close."

Or if you didn't see someone that was inside and it twacked him/her in the grill.

Not to harp on ya Friend #1, but unless you are about to get your rib broken or head ripped off by a 12 ft wave, it isn't a good solution to chuck your board to the side.

Now, that being said, I don't surf longboards or the like. But I have been hit by plenty that have been tossed to this or that side.

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 02:26 PM

RE: bonfires and trash

They'd do us all a great service to just fine people large fines...say $500 for littering...$250 would work, but won't send a strong enough message I'm afraid. It bothers me that the Man will shut down a fire cuz of booze. They should just come down on the chumps littering our beautiful beach. I think 500 bones will get the message across...and add on some community service. Stalk the litterers. Make 'em pay.

Of course there'll always be some bad apples at the beach at night, but it seems the situation was made worse by concentrating all the activity in one area. You know that's just giving them the drive to shut down the whole beach to all bonfires.

Every night there's at least one bonfire. It's a beautiful freedom. Many states don't allow 'em any longer.

Posted by: amigoism at September 27, 2005 02:28 PM

YES!! BIG FINES.

I say fine them $500 minimum.
Post signs, start enforcing, and it wont be long until most of that shit is cleaned up.

I fully support FINES, they need to enforce that crap, This city needs to start caring for the beaches.

ps- Love you all.

Posted by: FINE THEM at September 27, 2005 02:33 PM

Bonfire idiots: cut their legs off or staple in the head?

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 02:47 PM

artifact - I hear you, but there shouldn't EVER be an excuse for ditching a longboard (unless it's a full-sized GUN in truly HUGE surf). Conditions best suited for typical "longboarding" can't EVER warrant ditching one's board - even on those BIG, MUSHY days a Sloat Street. As a gremmie I was taught to turn-turtle and bear-hug it no matter what! Otherwise you could count on some SERIOUS SHIT from the older guys.

j - what do you mean? You don't picture me as a skinny old fart?

Posted by: Jimmie at September 27, 2005 02:51 PM

Doesnt even seem like they enforce that law past lincoln, where the shit is actually in effect. i got kicked out of kelly's area for starting one with my woman one night. but big ass rave partys at the beach i think should be not allowed unless the mofos get a permit and promise to clean up. and fines too. also cant gavin get one of those tractors with the rakes behind them like they have at other places?

Posted by: bagel at September 27, 2005 02:55 PM

I think what friend #1 is saying is basically what I feel. The BIG issue is safety, if you are safe when you bail, not really a big deal. That aside, there are times you'd be better off not bailing. I got caught duckdiving a 2nd bar set last year and was tangled with another guy...both of us held our boards...we laughed it off. I think both of us were ready to scream at the kook who ditched, instead we got rolled together.

Jimmie is a cool cat, he'll go up to 5 stars in my book as soon as he takes me to Indo.

One last thing...bonfires. A few years ago the bonfires created a large trash problem in my neck of the beach. They are THE SINGLE LARGEST TRASH PROBLEM AT OB. Now they are concentrated someplace else, there is a trash problem there, but I don't care as much, b/c my stretch of beach is MUCH cleaner. You can hold all the beach cleanups you want, but if you want a REAL impact just make anyone at a bonfire spend a night in jail. Overnight the beach would be cleaner than any number of fines or cleanup sessions...plain and simple, people at bonfires are huge litterbugs, and they haven't changed at all, just been moved. It is not the hot days that bring all of the city to the beach, it is the bonfires that bring trash.

Posted by: blakestah at September 27, 2005 02:56 PM

All right, now this board is getting back to its normal snippy self.

Jimmie, you were taught to turn turtle because legropes hadn't come into widespread use when you were a grem.

I ditch. Don't surf near me.

Posted by: friend #1 at September 27, 2005 03:01 PM

I saw Kelly Slater ditch his board when he got caught on the inside at Ehukai sandbar. This was during the final heat in the world championship against Andy Irons a few years ago. It wasn't that big either, double overhead at the most on the outside, but, inner dredging sandbars are a bitch. Happens to the best of em.

Posted by: MSG at September 27, 2005 03:06 PM

Snappy it is!

Friend #1, I wasn't trying to call you out, just making an obvious point. Kinda like when you walk into the local store and that little old lady is right behind you. Common courtesy would be to hold the door open for her as opposed to letting it slap back in her face....No harm no foul right?

I don't ditch unless I have to.

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 03:08 PM

ive been ditching since high school. oy. i think people up here call it cutting though. wierd!

Posted by: bagel at September 27, 2005 03:12 PM

Getting out?

My criteria are:
1. Safety
2. Conservation of Energy

And if I can't make it out, I shouldn't be out.

Like previous posts, reading currents and making adjustments to ultimately conserve energy is key.

When it comes to the bail vs. duck-dive, I factor in who's around, where I'll end up in either case, and what my energy level will be in either case.

Sometimes, I'll bail cuz I don't want to lose energy, even though I'll lose some time and/or yards retrieving my board. Sometimes it's the opposite.

However, like B-Stah is saying, even the best laid DD can end up in an entanglement or the old spitting-a-watermelon-seed-out effect when you get completely blasted.

That's why the bottom line for me is being aware of who's around and avoiding situations first, then do what I can to get out with energy to surf.

Posted by: SFKneelo at September 27, 2005 03:18 PM

Did somebody call for a taxi?

Posted by: Dennis at September 27, 2005 03:29 PM

jimmie, for some reason i always pictured you young and less wise, your post today shows otherwise on both counts. not a bad thing, just the feeling i got.

re: the beach being dirty. welcome to SF. look around, it's a dirty city, was only a matter of time til it hit the beach.

Posted by: j at September 27, 2005 03:43 PM

Blakestah,
yah right, throw them in jail. If they did, this blog would be up in arms the next day "Dont Take Away our Civil Liberties, you Fascist Americans!!!"

They need to have a 10pm fire cutoff.
and then, a motorcycle/horse patrol down on the sand right at 10pm, issuing fines and citing underage drinking, drunk in publics, etc. that way, they will stop it from two angles. and the trashing will stop quickly (they will also get some more revenue for the city). quotas, phuck yah!!

ps- i dont advocate fines for humping on the beach after dark, that should be allowed. if not, how else will our kids be able to explore eachother?

Posted by: FINE THEM at September 27, 2005 03:55 PM

click on the dots over the people's heads..
http://www.freedomoftheseas.com/

Posted by: e at September 27, 2005 04:02 PM


Regulating bon fires.

They need to hire more rangers and increase the National park budget, there are only a handfull of rangers for the GGNRA. sad. When is Bush done? Is it too late?

Posted by: Mexi at September 27, 2005 04:05 PM

A friend of mine ditched his longboard at Pleasure Point about 5 years ago and SC local pro longboarder CJ Nelson yelled at him to never do that again. CJ paddled up to him and explained how to duck dive and how to turtle roll and made my friend practice both repeatedly to the delight of the crowd and to the embarasment of my friend. Needless to say, he does't ditch his board anymore... at least not in crowded lineups.

Posted by: at September 27, 2005 04:08 PM

last post was me.

taking the time to educate someone is better than yelling / being aggressive in the water IMHO.

Posted by: Walker at September 27, 2005 04:14 PM

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 04:15 PM

I don't ditch at PP. or any other crowded line-up.

I still don't want anyone surfing near me though.

The worst effect of the Bonfires is the smoldering the next day. Stinks up the whole neighborhood.

Worst offenders on my local stretch of the beach are homeless and/or mentally ill.

Try fining and/or jailing them, and you create more work for yourself than it is worth.

Surgical Tubing, a plastic Funnel, and several water balloons filled with urine. That would do the trick to end the bonfire party for those with homes and/or coherent thought.

Posted by: friend #1 at September 27, 2005 04:25 PM

Not sure how you fill a balloon with urine though.

Posted by: friend #1 at September 27, 2005 04:27 PM

j - uhh ... thanks, I guess ... ;)

friend #1 - er, um ... o.k.
But you're absolutely correct, no leashes meant we had little choice but to hang on to our boards at all costs. Don't get me wrong, if an eight or ten foot+ heaving face is about to unload on my head, or even if a somewhat smaller wave is gonna slam me while I'm caught inside at a shallow reef-break, I'm gonna check around me, bail my board, and head for the bottom, or star-fish out on the reef. I just always feel a little funny about it. I'm sure you have your own criteria for deciding when to bail, I don't imagine you as a guy who ditches his board for no good reason. Having said all that, I think SOME folks rely too much on their leashes - but then I'm also the kind of guy who thinks that people should learn how to kick out of a wave and not just roll off the back and let their boards go at the end of a ride.
But I'm definitely a bit of a hypocrite. I pull my board through the shore pound a lot of the time. But I don't think holding on to the rail guard is a good idea. I've seriously sprained and dislocated a lot of fingers that way.

Posted by: Jimmie at September 27, 2005 04:30 PM

e, that reminds me of my home im having built in antartica

heres the outside:

and heres the inside:

ill have a bigger wave pool in the back but this ones awesome for body surfing little round barrels.

ha ha those are craig mullins photoshop paintings.

Posted by: bagel at September 27, 2005 04:38 PM

Perhaps this could be fire policy...

1) Defined fire pits in the Lincoln to Fulton stretch. Reservable by permit, with a credit card swipe. The park contracts out cleanup every morning after the fires, and the permit holder pays for it.

2) All other fires are illegal and the perpetrators arrested, released with a $250 citation fee, or after 36 hours behind bars.

Works for everyone. Anyone who wants to have a legit fire can, but it will be cleaned up, and they will pay for the contractor to clean it up if they don't keep it clean. Anyone else who has a fire is busted. No fajitas for you!

Posted by: blakestah at September 27, 2005 04:54 PM

wow those are amazing

Posted by: bbr at September 27, 2005 04:55 PM

Speaking of amazing....

Posted by: Kaiser at September 27, 2005 05:01 PM

Had some great rides this morning with a friend. As usual, looked like crap from the cliffs but better in the water. The warm, jade green water reminded me of a beer bottle. One spot 100 ft wide was a lot of fun with rips all around it but calm water right at that one spot. Only 2 others out near us but we had our own peak.

Board ditching is a good sign that you need to go in. "One more wave" got me in trouble today. I didn't realize my arms were noodley and paddled for a steep wave. Seemed ok until I popped up weakly, slipped, and fell headfirst as the wave went over, getting bonked with my board on the way. Super kook. I went in after that.

Posted by: Nate at September 27, 2005 05:15 PM

I'mnot sure what the hard rules are at OB these days, but fires in SC beaches are allowed but regulated strictly. I think it was 9 or 10 sharp and the po-po came right up with the quickness, no BS, game over. We do the "leave not a trace" thing there in SC just like we do at OB (although I miss the fires along the dunes in the more deserted stretches of OB). Unfortunately, surfers are surrounded by litterbugs with a warped sense of entitlement -- it seems we are constantly made to bear witness to some act of littering or human negligence at the beach. As some of you said, fire rings and the surroundings are the worst.

When I was a kid, I was full-on beach kid in a beach-loving family. My mom is a righteous conservationist and enviro, and she would stalk litterbugs and shame them into picking up their trash on the beach. It worked every time. That's a mom thing, though -- not too many surfers going out of their way to confront litterbugs these days, but if you can handle it I say shame them if you witness the act. If they are drunk and enraged (or gang members, etc) of course I say skip it and let the authorities deal with it. But a little smile and a sarcastic phrase like "Hey neat-O, the world's your garbage can!" can go a long way. It really works on people my own age, because Gen X/ Gen Y people should really be more socially/environmentally aware than our elders and they KNOW it. Too bad I rarely get to catch people in the act, I'm usually left deciding which pieces of their garbage I'm going to take with me as I exit the beach. I always take the plastic bags and other highly-undegradables up to the garbage cans on my way out. I love OB>>>>>>>>>

Posted by: Secret Doom Dada at September 27, 2005 05:36 PM

one of my favorite shots by josh shelly (the guy who took most of those shots posted by bbr). the guy paddling over provides some perspective of size.

i feel guilty reading this cause i ditch my board alot... i just cant get it down. i dont weigh much and my board is too big for me as it is. is ditching a boogie not as bad?

Posted by: hoseph at September 27, 2005 05:38 PM

oops, here it is:

Posted by: hoseph at September 27, 2005 05:39 PM

educate people on board ditching, don't yell... CJ Nelson seems like a cool cat

Posted by: agreed at September 27, 2005 06:08 PM

Posted by: Poison Ivy at September 27, 2005 06:09 PM

Posted by: Brian at September 27, 2005 06:29 PM

Yeah but have you tried fuckdiving?

Posted by: INOKEA at September 27, 2005 06:33 PM

Ready to take shots of OB if the wind ever drops off. Looked back at last year's photos and it seems that September was pretty lame so maybe there's hope. Perhaps a photo from down south would help ease the pain. Not a bad weekend.

Posted by: Bruce at September 27, 2005 06:41 PM

"surfers are surrounded by litterbugs with a warped sense of entitlement"

Let's not forget - surfers themselves have a warped sense of entitlement!

Too bad Poison Ivy didn't look like one of Kaiser's girls.

Posted by: luke thighwalker at September 27, 2005 06:44 PM

Bagel,

thanks for continually turning us on to new artists. I checked out Craig's art on the Goodbrush website and it blew me away.

Posted by: steve at September 27, 2005 08:36 PM

Me likey:

Posted by: Nice boobies at September 27, 2005 11:41 PM

C.J. (Mark) Nelson.. Ha, ha..:)

Good job if you're reading this bra! The trannies are talking about you!

BTW, I ditch my longboard in overhead conditions. I'm lazy and don't surf near others.

Get a thin gun if you suck duckdiving.

Posted by: acctnut at September 28, 2005 07:31 AM

Fellas thanks for the suggestions on duckdiving. I can assure you that I will be following the rule if i board ditch I am in surf that is too heavy for me and I will paddle back to shore. I will get there though. I am sooo f'n determined to learn to surf this beach.

Posted by: mofo at September 28, 2005 09:00 AM
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