danny on board

A Surfer's Wedding

2012-01-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

My Buddy Mike (Digger) married Yesti on the sand at Ocean beach on December 26th. It was a cloudy day but the sun came out for the ceremony. It was a classic surfer's wedding with the groom in flip flops and Digger's friend who married them had surfed Maverick's just before the weeding.
It was a unique, very casual ceremony with a great group of friend's and family present to share in the magical moment.
Digger and I met surfing in Nias, a small island off of Sumatra, in 1997 (I think). Since then Digger has continued to travel the world and share with us his unique cultural observations in consistently entertaining emails.
The plan was to suit up and surf right after the ceremony. The surf was looking crazy and not very good so everyone opted to surf elsewhere or to give a pass completely. These photos make the surf look way better then they looked in person - making me wish we had given it a go.

pure stoke - surf adventure in the modern day

2012-01-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

from http://kepaacero.com/

Rip Curl Search comes to San Fran the photos

2011-12-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

So I made it to the beach two days to watch the contest. While there I snapped a few shots. Of course there were more cameras than have ever been assembled on OB and I most folks had bigger lenses than me (yes, I had lense envy) so there are certainly better photos out there (Nor Cal Surf Photos has some great ones of day 1 at: http://norcalsurfphotos.smugmug.com/SurfPhotos2011/11111-Rip-Curl-Pro-SF/19864597_nk9B98#P-1-12) than the ones I took, but here are mine...

Rip Curl Store - Santa Cruz West Side

Dawn Day 2

free surfin down the beach

Classic view with Marin Headlands in background

Some of "The world's greatest surf" can happen at Ocean beach.

At OB, surfing is not usually a spectator sport. Debe Durbidge surfing.

If a wave goes unridden...did it break?

Those who chose to surf rather than watch, scored!

The pros did not stop their air travel when they arrived in San Fan.
Dane Reynolds here.

There were some killer floaters, and on some critical waves too.

Finding a backside barrel

It takes a contortionist to get barreled at OB sometimes

A classic turn - there were MANY of these witnessed this week!
Mick Fanning.

The dawn patrol spectators

The pros proved their skill in finding barrels in a variety of conditions this week. Here was a classic that Kieren Perrow made it out of:

I love this shot as the wave looks like the one on the poster..

No jet skis allowed in the park, unless you are advertising...

I like this photo as it shows the countless peaks breaking down the beach. On this day it was going off everywhere on the beach all day long. The contest was held in the smallest surf on the beach - it breaks almost twice as big in the middle, I suspect some of the pros made it down there for a free surf.

A committed turn by Travis Logie.

They pulled many of these airs off during the contest although Josh Kerr did not quite pull this one - but he was very close.

The grommets making a go of it, the pros of the future.

Pro surfers need both flexibility and strength.
Damien Hobgood warming up.

Brett Simpson

An impressive backside air by Josh Kerr

Damien Hobgood Killing it.

Digging it in.

Some locals came to the beach with their boards and could care less there was a contest going on.

a close look will reveal the nose of Bret Simpson's board, he came out of this barrel into the turn below.

great turns come in a variety of styles, Bret Simpson showing his versatility - he pulled this turn off to clinch the heat.

another classic turn by Bret.

powerful and committed

Damien getting pitted but it wasn't enough to win the heat.

Bret with the winning smile.

San Francisco receives both swell and cheap Chinese goods from across the Pacific.

One of the rising Brasilian stars, Miguel Pupo - Brasil is gonna be taking some world titles soon...

Dusty Payne super committed but couldn't get it back under him.

This was a sweet backside barrel by Raoni Monteiro, I had to include the whole sequence...

JJ Florence

On Sat I planned to take Anke and Noah to the contest. The contest was not held that day but the Rip Curl team was at Wise signing autographs we went there. Noah was FIRED up to meet the best surfers in the world. The excitement of meeting surfing celebrities really kicked in his interest in surfing - he now goes to bed reading surf mags and has surf posters in his room. His parents are proud.

With Dillon Perillo and Gabriel Medina (this 17 year old Brasilian won the event, making him 2 for 4 on the tour so far! - his surfing was outstanding - very diverse)

With Taylor Knox (holding it down for us old guys) and Dean brady

Owen Wright (number two in the world I believe) and Mick Fanning

My personal favorite, Matt Wilkinson, this guy was at home in San Fran for sure. And he was ripping it in his tie died wetsuit.

Noah was fired up by the contest but he had not even seen it yet. I thought it would be pretty lame for him to have his only memory of the contest a rainy day poster signing session at Wise Surfboards, so when they announced they would wrap up the contest on Monday there was only one thing to do, call in sick for Noah and I and take the family to the beach.

Hendrik looking like a little surfer dude!

The waves were bigger than the other day I watched, not the best of the contest but good enough for these guys to put on an impressive show. Joel Parkinson killing it here. This wave was heavier than it looks in this photo and this floater was insane.

another rad Parko turn, this one after the buzzer.

Even some of the crabby locals came out to watch the show.

It is not everyday we are graced by the likes of Parko at OB. Noah chased these guys as they came out of the water to add autographs to his hat. He got another 6 or 7 autographs this day, Parko was especially friendly but I gotta say most of these pros were exceptionally friendly people. You can see it the faces of the guys with Noah at Wise.

Kids and hotties love pro surfers...Noah getting his hat signed by South African Kieren Parrow.

Anke and Hendrik watching Slater

The competitive surfer the world has ever seen - Kelly Slater (he lost this heat but cinched his 11 world title the day before)

Alejo Muniz, another young (and flexible) member of the Brasilian contingent ripping.

Rip Curl Search comes to San Fran the story

2011-12-14T15:58:00.001-08:00

When it was announced that Rip Curl would hold a search event at Ocean Beach in San Francisco it created quite a buzz in the surfing community, both locally here in San Francisco and world wide. The San Francisco vibe can be considered the antithesis of the Pro Surfing vibe so many locals frowned on the whole idea while others were stoked. Internationally many frowned on the location – mainly because the idea of the Search, is framed as the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves. Just the fact OB is a beach break disqualified it as a worthy destination in the eyes of many. Also few people know the potential OB holds for quality surf. Rumor had it many pros were stoked, some said they were tired of competing in perfect reef breaks but also because they were looking forward to hanging out in San Francisco which is better known for its nightlife than its surf.

As time went on many blogs and chats were full of locals looking forward to seeing the pros get ruded by the infamous paddle out and currents of OB. When the park service decided not to allow jet skis to tow the pros back out during their heat many locals cheered –“make the pros work for it!” and others complained that it was going to lower the wave count and make for boring heats. The only chat comment I ever made was to counter the idea the pros were going to get worked. Hell, If I can surf big OB, they can! These guys surf the world’s heaviest waves – OB is not that heavy. Well in the end I think the pros dominated beyond the expectations of most locals. These guys killed it in some big challenging conditions at OB – they made it look easy, like they were playing in little surf. The floaters and barrels these guys were pulling off in powerful less than perfect OB conditions were unreal. But I get ahead of myself.

I do not follow pro surfing and before they came to my town I did not know most the names on the tour – I know the guys who have been around for 10 years or so. So my excitement prior to event was not huge. Like many locals, however, I love Ocean Beach and am very proud of our local surf spot. I love to share places with visitors and this is especially true of the scene in San Francisco as well as the surf. So knowing these legends would be visiting my turf, I definitely wanted OB to turn on for them and I also hoped they would get a good taste of the life of the city. As it turns out I think they were impressed by both. I talked with many of them who had tons of fun surfing and partying in San Fran and I also heard from many locals that they were seen all over the city as well as surfing the best waves all over the beach and they were even seen surfing all time epic spots in the area – some of them fairly secret.

The first day of the contest had sizeable conditions, I think the bouys were about 13 @14. Not ideal conditions for OB. The short interval makes for an especially brutal paddle. I watched the contest online a bit at school. Turns out my students were working on a research project so I could sneak a lot of peaks at the live feed on the Rip Curl website. The surfing was impressive and I was instantly hooked. Watching these guys compete at my home break was epic! These guys were killing it in pretty gnarly OB surf. After that first day I had the bug. The following day I knew the conditions were as good as they would get so I left work for a few hours and watched a bit of the contest live from the beach. The day was as good as it gets –hot, offshore, the swell was only coming in about 7@12 but it seemed bigger. I saw double overhead peaks in the middle of the beach. It really does not get any better than that day at OB. It was good the entire beach all day long. Light offshore, clean, hollow, right and lefts, peaks everywhere. It killed me to drive back to work without surfing. I am still regretting not taking the entire day off and getting in a surf that day. It was an epic day in surfing history – the one year anniversary of Andy Iron’s death and Kelly won his 11th world title (of course it turned out they made a mathematical miscalculation and he actually needed to win one more heat, so he did not really win that day).

The contest and the pros made me feel like a grommet again. I was taking photos and totally wanted to get some autographs. I have always thought autographs were a little silly but I love surfing memorabeila and this event – the only time in my life most likely the pros will be here – was a key event from which I wanted to collect some memories.

I really wanted a poster but the surf shops ran out. The only way to get one seemed to be to go to Wise Surfboards on Saturday when the Rip Curl team would be signing posters. So I hatched a plan to take Noah and Anke to Wise on Sat and to hopefully watch a little contest before hand. They ended up not holding the contest Wed, Thur, Fri, or Saturday. The weather was sketchy – turns out they missed some of the best surf but from what I hear the boys were actually not missing it at all, being spotted up and down the coast at a variety of spots. So Sat we went to Wise and waited in line to meet the Rip Curl Team and get some autographs. Noah was very excited by the idea of meeting the world’s best surfers. It was actually pretty cool. The guys were very cool and were obviously loving San Fran. Noah got his photo with them all as well as a poster and hat autographed. The Rip Curl team includes Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, Taylor Knox, Matt Wilkinson, Gabriel Medina, Dillon Perillo and Dean Brady. All legends – some from my generation (Taylor), the world number two – Owen Wright, Matt – one of my favs with his classic style and tie dyed wetsuit, and of course wonder kid Gabriel Medina from Brasil who won the event at 17 years of age.

Noah went to bed that night reading surf magazines and looking for photos of his new heros. We made a plan to return with the family to the contest after work on Tuesday but then they ran the contest Sunday with hopes of finishing on Monday. I figured it would be lame if Noah’s only memory of the contest was getting autographs so I called in sick Monday morning for myself and Noah and the family went to watch some of the contest on the final day. It was another gorgeous day for weather and surf. Noah was the classic grommet and chased down the pros as they exited the water to get their autographs added to his hat. He also got a picture signed for his teacher who is also a surfer. (it was the least he could do since he was missing class)

The pro tour coming to San Fran in the end was a good thing. San Fran was a great host and the guests all had a great time. The locals were impressed beyond their expectations, I think, at the level of surfing that happened. I know I was inspired watching them and my first couple sessions after seeing them surf felt really good. I was channeling some of what I witnessed for sure. And I am guessing the world surfing community may have increased its respect for OB as a reasonable place to surf. I have not seen any discussions regarding this but there was one great video of some of the pros free surfing OB that was titled “OB doesn’t suck”.

The craziest thing I have EVER seen in surfing

2011-11-15T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, This is UNREAL! How they don't die, I don't know. And how they run the gauntlet of ledges is impressive. I kinda think this is stupid (especially for one who is a new father) but they survived so I guess they feel pretty good.

Shipstern Bluff in fulllllll effect

pavones and longest wave search

2011-11-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, This is ridiculous! We surfed Pavones back in '93 but we did not score it like this!
Red Bull has equiped this SUPper with a wrist watch thingy that measures distance and time so they can truly quantify the longest waves ridden. Here they are at Pavones in Costa Rica..

The Search for the Longest Wave from Naish International on Vimeo.

The freesurfing videos are coming out, I want MORE!

2011-11-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the pros came and killed it but I did not even expect the freesurfing videos of these guys at OB. Hell I think they surfed all over - where else will we see? All I know is I will take all the footage I get of these guys at OB, LOVE IT. Plus this video is aptly named after all the questioning of OB as a tour stop and it has groovy music.
Made by a guy from Vista? So far inland...

San Francisco Doesn't Suck. from Blake Kueny on Vimeo.

my birthday

2011-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

It is nice to think there is some magic to Octobe 13 because it is my birthday but the fact is if my birthday was august 1 the surf would not be as cooperative. As it turns out, my birthday is often a magical surf day as my buddy Darrick pointed out today in emailing this surf report for OB. Even when I don't have time to enjoy it (like today) at least as Darrick pointed out, the ocean is celebrating with me. So get out there and enjoy some of my birthday waves!

nice video of a sick spot

2011-10-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of a spot Darrick and I got to surf in West Oz when we lived there. You can't tell so well from the video but it breaks right in front of the dry reef. In fact while we were surfing I saw one local take off deep and pull into a barrel in which there was dry reef in the tube right below him - sick. Wasn't nearly this crowded when we were there, less known back then and also it wasn't this macking, although we scored it good.

The Sundowner Session from Tom Jennings on Vimeo.

The Wave

2011-10-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

This book is awesome, a must read for anyone interested in the ocean!

The Bono

2011-04-11T08:30:00.001-07:00

Well this video was a bit of a let down - I wanted to see these guys ripping endless river waves - but it is still sweet and I am sure now that the word is out there will be more to come...

Darrick's surf rap

2011-04-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wow times 20

2011-04-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

wow

2011-03-28T22:32:00.001-07:00

Taj Burrow and Friends - i surf because short film from Billabong on Vimeo.

Danny's Photos of OB Jan 4/5, 2010

2011-03-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures I took on Jan 4th and 5th at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. (The one photo of the ship wreck is my beach, Kelly Ave, in Half Moon Bay). My brother Matt flew up and we scored two days of epic surf. For photos of me surfing see the previous blog and for the full story the blog entry before that one.

sunset Jan 3, Kelly Ave

Ocean Beach, San Francisco Jan 4, 2010:

Matt Hunt in full rubber

Tom towing in - his first day back in 13 months after a fin went through his leg and cut his nerve. He was told he may never walk again. He earned his comeback with lots of hard work and faith in his body to heal itself.

This crab boat washed up on the beach at Kelly Ave over night. It took two or three weeks to get it off the beach. I guess the drivers fell asleep. This was the session that snapped my 6'3" Hess. I got some of those gems you see in the distance but some of the closeouts were the gnarliest drops I have ever had - I guess I was lucky my board was the only thing that got broke. Half Moon Bay don't play.

Jan 5th, OB:

"Where 'd that channel go?"

Jan 4th - photos by Nor Cal Surf Photos

2011-03-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

So after a super fun surf on Jan 4th with my brother who flew up from So Cal for some big OB action (see previous blog for full story and more pix) my buddy Dave called to say he saw photos of me online. They were taken by a guy who posts them as Nor Cal Surf Photos. They are sick shots and the first of me at OB. (as it turns out first of many as another guy - Greg Davis got some and he said he recently saw some on another website).
I am riding my wooden 7'6" rounded pin quad gun made Danny Hess. The perfect board!

a new year of surfing

2011-01-06T10:39:00.001-08:00

OB Jan 4

So New Years Day was my day "off" to spend the day hunting for surf this xmas break.

It turned out to be a bad surf day - 7'@ 7 seconds. (Jan 2 jumped up to double over head). I was a bit bummed and ended up spending much of the day grading papers. But Dave called me from OB to tell me it was OK. He and I surfed - we were the only ones out and it was actually very fun. I rode my old 70's Windandsea which I found in the trash years back. I actually got to do turns and even had a little in and out barrel. Dave and I were the only ones out on a Saturday New Years Day! Unbelievable! It was freezing cold and was supposed to be onshore so that might have had a little to do with it.

It reminded me that even a marginal surf is super fun and worth while, especially when enjoyed with a friend. The session ended when on a duck dive the 3 inch thick board was slammed into my face, breaking open my lip. Blood was dripping out fast so I went in, turned out not to be so bad and we ended up surfing again in the evening with a bunch of late comers - still fun but not as good as earlier.

Then my brother Matt calls to see if he should fly up for the next swell. He has been wanting to come surf big Ocean Beach for years, and he saw a swell on the way and good conditions predicted so called to see if I thought he should come. We decided it was looking good so he flew up and I called in sick. Tuesday, January 4th.

It was a classic big day for him to be introduced to OB. Off shore winds, good size swell but it was pretty easy for OB. He experienced the big drops, the humiliating paddle, the few mellow friendly guys in the water, the ass kicking current, and had one solid wipe out - a lip to the head that sent him to the sand and he had to climb his leash back up.

I had some great waves - one back side barrel. There was a surf photog on the beach and later my buddy Dave called me to tell me he saw pictures of me. There were two sequences of me and a few of Matt as well. In addition through two different email chains I got pictures taken by a guy named Greg Davis. I have yet to meet him but I have now been in email contact with him after his photos of the day (including some of Matt and I) went sorta viral. Some of the shots he took are included in this blog entry.

These are the only photos I have of me surfing OB and there are some pretty great shots!

(here are some of the photos Greg Davis took:)

(Danny dropping into a bomb )

Danny down the beach

Danny backside

The day ended with me snapping my 6'3" Hess completely in half surfing my beach - Kelly Ave, it was heavy and I am lucky I did not get hurt as I pulled into some thick close out tubes.

Wednesday the swell dropped a couple feet. Matt surfed again while I worked and he said it was smaller and way more crowded with aggressive surfers. So after work we paddled in the middle of the beach where the waves are bigger and less people surf (partly because the paddle is more challenging). It was low tide and the offshores were blowing hard! The conditions did not look user friendly. We made it out relatively easy the first time, but drifted the opposite direction I had hoped. I caught a few incredible waves right off the bat.

I decide to fight the current two blocks south. As soon as I got to where I wanted, I got caught inside on a massive set and washed half way in. I then paddled in place for EVER. Each time I was about to give up I would get a glimmer of hope, think I was gonna make it, then another set would break outside of me, washing me back to the middle. From there the outside waves were so far away! I finally decided to paddle back North to try and find a rip - two blocks later I found Matt stuck inside also. I finally thought I made it only to have my hopes crushed by another set outside of me. Matt gave up and then I did too. It was a classic feather in Matt's OB hat - not able to get out.

Matt had found it odd that the two days he surfed OB, just about every person on shore asked him the same first question - a question he had never heard a surfer ask - "Did you make it out?" Lucky for him he was able to answer "YES!"

Matt riding one of his first big OB gems.(photo - GD)

Now it is February and I still have not gotten this post up. January turned out to be all time - every time I surfed it was double over head or close to it. My 7'6" was the only board I used (after breaking my 6'3"). I had awesome waves at OB, 3-mile, and Davenport landing. It was pretty much sunny and offshore the entire month as well!

My experience at Davenport is worth mentioning as it was possibly the friendliest vibe I have ever experienced at a surf spot. I had not surfed that spot in 10 years and I am newly stoked on it. There were only about 10 guys surfing and there were really 4 spots - inside lefts, outside lefts, inside rights, and outside rights. I moved around but ended up mostly sitting outside everyone catching bombs and going right - the rides were farther than I had at 3-mile the week before. Every person in the water and out was super friendly - chatting, introducing themselves and asking my name, it was really refreshing.

being a surfing father

2010-12-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

So anyone who is a surfer and a parent probably has a desire to teach their kids to surf. Or at least for their kids to be interested in and enjoy surfing. Many of the reasons for this are selfish. Imagine if your kids love to surf how much more you will get to surf. The question any surfing parent would love to hear "Dad (or Mom), will you take me surfing, please!"

Imagine if they decide not to surf and become a baseball player. You might end up spending your Saturdays sitting in the bleachers with a bunch of amped up parents when you could be sitting in the ocean enjoying what we surfers enjoy most in life.

I am lucky that Noah and Hendrik are water babies - they are as comfortable under water as they are above. Anke is a swim instructor and we are both surfers, so I have never worried too much over whether or not Noah and Hendrik would some day be surfing along side us.

But Noah has so far shied away from trying to surf. He has always believed he can do anything better than anyone. He is also very resistant to anyone trying to teach him anything. It is true that he is naturally very coordinated and can do many things extremely well, but of course we all know that coaches and teachers are important in learning new things. This is something Noah has yet to admit.

When we play in the ocean he has always chosen not to try to surf, probably out of fear he might not be able to do it. But he loves jumping into waves and getting slammed around by them (no fear whatsoever), he body boards a little, and likes to skim board - he is actually great at the timing of running and throwing he board and then jumping onto it (kneeling in his case), which is a bit tricky.

So it was to my great pleasure as a surfing Dad yesterday when Noah said to me "I am ready to learn to surf. I am ready for you to teach me how to surf." He went on, " I was ready when I was six. I stood up on my first wave when I was 6 years old!" (Anke took him one day during which he tried a couple times)

Not only did he say he is ready to surf but that he is ready to be taught! Two milestones in his growing up.

Time to teach the grom to surf, its on!

super funny!

2010-12-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

I heard a story on NPR once about a group that takes news stories and famous speeches and auto-tunes them into funny musical pieces. They use people like Katie Couric, MLK, Jimmy Carter, all sorts of people you would not think of as singers and some you might expect to be musical. I am not sure if this is the same group but Darrick just sent this one to me, it is a news clip of a surfer that makes for an especially good auto-tune number. The group is called Melody Sheep and I put in a couple others they did on science down below, as well as a Katie Couric vid done by the group I think I heard on NPR.

OK, I think these are the folks I heard on NPR: Autotune the News:

Indy Irons RIP

2010-11-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Andy Irons just died, apparently from Dengue fever. Here is a good little tribute video to him: "I surf because..."

Surf Trippin in Mexico

2010-07-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

sunsets in Mexico are always good,
the photos prove it isn't just the margaritas making one think that

Imagine minute long rides on waves like this.
I was riding my 5'11" quad made by Danny Hess - the perfect board for the wave

We shared the resort with countless lizards, geckos, and snakes.

Stepping out of the plane onto the tarmac of a Mexican airport is such a pleasant experience. That blast of warm humid air, the palm trees, basic blue and white cement buildings, all so familiar and of course the fact that all this means we are now in Mexico has much to do with the pleasantness.

our room and path to the beach

Drivers from the resort picked us up from the airport along with the other surfers we would be spending the week with and drove us to our new home. On the way we passed all the familiar sights of Mexico: taquerias, panderias, Pemex, the llantera, dilapidated buildings, brick walls topped in broken bottles and barbed wire, dogs and kids and men with cowboy hats. It seemed strange to me that we were driving by and could not stop and get some tacos or treats from the bakery. No Mexico on this trip to Mexico. This is a different style of surf travel than I am used to. More vacation and less travel experience.

The Crew:

Darrick (D-Fresh) and Tony (Tone-Loc, Loco)

Matt (MR)

Danny (DB) and Matt (Dr. Hunt)

James (Jimmy-Z, Jaime Town)

But now that we are 5 days into our week here I have no complaints. The trip has surpassed all expectations. My group of friends from college - the MR Ducks crew have been planning a surf trip for our 40th birthdays for a few years now. And this is the trip the group came up with. The group was expanded to include my step brother Matt so there are six of us who came down here. We chose a surf resort that is located right on two left point breaks. We decided for this over trips to other parts of Latin America where we would have to drive around and search for waves. This trip was chosen for maximum chillaxing time when not surfing.

Chillaxin

Another crazy good meal

The resort we came to limits the number of surfers they take each week to 14. They have a signed agreement with the local Ejido that no other places in the area can rent to surfers, giving our resort the exclusive right to bring surfers here. The fact that the waves are really good does attract a few "ferral" surfers as non guests are called. They are told with no uncertainty that they are trespassing and may not surf here and while they do they must give all the paying guests their choice of waves. I am not into this kind of surf politics (especially since I was one of those ferral surfers for 10 years or so) but since it means that I have been surfing 300+ meter long waves with between 0 and 10 surfers out for 4 to 6 hours a day with 6 to 12 foot waves I am not in a position to complain.

The resort does employ many people from the local Ejido and they are helping build a library and school so they do seem to do good by the community.

Jeff, the gringo in charge, was always amped to surf and looking for someone who had a few more paddle strokes in them. Here he demonstrates his homefield advantage.
Annette, Jeff's wife, was there the week we were too. She ripped as well. Both she and Jeff surfed Zippi Fishes. Jeff let me ride a couple. I rode his 5'5" on an 8 foot day and it was super fun - maybe the fasted board I have ever ridden. I am saving my pennies to order one.

The 5'5" Zippi Fish.

The camp host is a good guy (if you are his guest) and the resort is fantastic. While the six of us were on the beach playing boccie it felt just like we were camping on a beach in Mexico like we did together many times before. The only difference was when the game was over, instead of going to our coolers for another beer and firing up the Coleman stove to cook our dinner we had a full bar and lounging palapa at our disposal and we had truly gourmet quality meals prepared for us. The food was incredible - we were usually still full from our previous meal when the next meal was served but it was all so good there was no way we would skip a meal. (I took a four hour nap the first day and missed the Ahi appetizers that everyone raved about - I did not make that mistake again!)

Oh, and I must not forget to mention the air conditioning - a luxury us campers usually do without but for sleeping it was such a key!!

Milagros - the point in front of the resort which was less perfect and shorter but more powerful. When the main point got crowded (with 10 people) we would paddle out here and have it to ourselves.

no caption needed

We lucked out with the surf - it was head high when we arrived, the surf built to about 12 foot, and then died back down to head high the day we left. It was one of the best swells of the season for sure. The wind came up around noon so we had a six hour window during which to surf in the AM, and I would surf most of that, usually coming in for some juevos rancheros about half time. The wind would also bring the Portuguese man of wars (painful jellyfish) which was an extra reason to get out of the water. Most of us got a sting or two - none as bad as they can be.

I played with a go-pro camera on my board and helmet, cool footage, maybe someday I will get it online.

Matt Hunt (above and below) was ripping and surfing like an animal. Matt outsurfed just about everyone (he would have outsurfed me if he had not slept in on one of the small days (it was only head high to a little overhead - below his jet setting standards) These photos were the day after the swell peaked.

The waves were ridiculously long - the longest waves any of us had ever ridden probably. It is impossible to say how long they were and there was no way to take a photo that captured the length of the waves either. A wave could be ridden for an entire minute, which is a rare thing in the surfing world. Sometimes you would get out and walk back up the point, sometimes paddle back. Safe to say that after hours of surfing such waves there was a sharp pain between my should blades when I paddled, but the waves were so good I would paddle back out anyway, over and over and over again.

It was a true wave pig out.

MR throwing huge spray. He said on one turn he was pissed - this must have been it, getting his aggression out.

This is the only photo I have of the big day. I never stopped surfing long enough to take photos - always my problem. This pic is of me taken by another guest on his little digi camera. You can get an idea of the size - super fun - imagine riding that wave for a minute! I rode my 6'8" Monk on this day but did not need to - the wave is super easy.

Jimmy-Z drop knee master. Everywhere we go surfers are impressed (blown away) when they see James rips and that he is not just kook on a boogy board

James gettin barreled - one of da benefits of da body board.

The kids who came had Barbie dolls and a Ken doll that looked a lot like Darrick. I think he even had blue eyes. The girls gave it to him at the end of the trip. At one point when Darrick was playing with it one of the girls (about 6 years old) asked Darrick if he was "having fun playing with himself". We did a whole photo shoot with the Darrick doll and the Barbies - doing yoga, drinking margaritas, gettin busy in the hot tub, maybe that will end up online at some point to.

no trip to Mexico should be without the local stray dog pet for hire

Just what the doc ordered - Dr. Hunt killing it backside - I love this one because I remember the turn from the shoulder.

The following three wave sequence is me burning my brother - gotta love it.
It wasn't quite like that. We were supposed to be taking turns out there - camp rules - and it was my turn for sure. Matt went I knew he was too deep and I was in the perfect spot. Later he claimed I may have crumbled the lip as if he would have made it. I dropped in watching him drop in, planning on pulling out if he made it. But crumbled lip or not, he did not make it so I went on one of the best waves of the day...Thanks Doc.

Look carefully below and you will see him (too deep) and me under the lip.

Kuddos to D-Fresh for taking all the surf photos!!!!! He hurt his back and was out for a day or two so he took all these great photos but never had a single shot of him taken. I'll get you back in Plasket D.

What would an MR Ducks crew gathering be without the friendly game of extreme bocci. Tony Dominated the season with three or four wins. Only two others of us managed a single victory.

Three of the other guest walking back up the point. You can see the new resort being built in the background. Run by the same people this one is gonna be even more luxurious with a pool, and rooms looking out over the point.

The whole crew - guests and hosts. It was a good group. This trip was our 4oth birthday trip as the Ducks all turn 40 this year. On the ride in from the airport I told one of the other guests - Rob - that it was our 40th bday trip and he said "that's funny - today is my 40th birthday". So we were with the right crew.

livin by the coast

2010-03-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

It is so sweet to be able to ride our bikes four blocks and go for a quick surf. The downside is that we rarely drive to spots where we might bet better surf. But the plus side is we spend much less time in the car and surfing becomes less of a time commitment as it is when you drive to find surf.
Here are some shots of a recent session Anke had. I just happend to ride up as she caught this wave. It closed out but was a nice drop.
As is typical at our beach, the waves end up being bigger and more powerful than they appear from the beach - another plus in our book for if nothing else at least they provide a workout.
Besides getting a workout there are other reasons to enjoy the paddle even when the waves aren't so good - the view of our gorgeous beach and mountains is a reminder of how lucky we are to live where we do, getting wet always feels good, and we often share the session with the local wildlife such as pelicans and seals. Recently Anke even spent a half an hour with a California Gray Whale hanging in the lineup - getting as close as 10 feet from her and the one other surfer in the water that day.

one of those sessions

2010-01-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday I had one of those sessions. One of those classic sessions which will not be soon forgotten. Classic because we surfed a spot not often surfed (I had lived in the county for 10 years without ever surfing it once) because it rarely has good waves and is out of the way so few see it when it is good.
Classic because this week was sooo stormy and the surf was soooo huge there were few options available meaning most surfers were skunked on this day especially - swell, tides, and wind had most spots not working.

Classic becaue I got to surf with two friends I don't get to surf with very often anymore.
Classic because it was classic Nor Cal winter style. Freezing offshore wind, rain, brown water from the flowing river mouth, rugged cliffs all around, tons of birds and animals, an energetic ocean, and the fact we had the place to ourselves (we did have two other surfers join us for a bit).
Classic because when we were done with our hour long session (it got dark) we had an Austrian style Inn right there where we could decompress over a pint.

It was also a classic fuck up. My buddie Lee from Australia is in town for one week only. It is the first time he has been here during the winter so our first time for us to score great surf together in a long time. He was my motivation to find surf on this day despite the fact that the odds were stacked against us and despite the fact I had other things important things to do.

I was supposed to pick Lee up at a friend's house, Lee was not there, I waited 45 minutes, and then had to bail or I would have missed the surf myself. Turns out Lee got on the bus going the worng way and ended up on the opposite side of the city. And Lee would have loved this session! He would have so appreciated the Nor Cal flavor of the day.

Big Kelly Surprise

2009-12-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was example of how living close to the beach got me in the water. The weather was beautiful - off shore and warm - so Sunday morning (Thanksgiving weekend) we took the kids to the beach to play. (we live four blocks from the beach now, here in Half Moon Bay) I had my camera and snapped some photos of the surprising waves.

The swell was bigger than ideal for our beach. The tide was high, which is not great when the waves are smaller. Most waves were closed out. But it was offshore, sunny, a few guys were out, and they were getting corners and some really good waves.

On my way home I ran into an old friend from San Fran who said it was supposed to get bigger in the afternoon - meaning it was now or never if I wanted to get some.

It was nap time for Hendrik and quiet time for Noah and Anke was sick so not wanting to go exercise. SOOO I had to go. By the time I got there the waves were a bit bigger and much dumpier as the tide had dropped so the waves were unloading on the sandbar. No one was out anymore.

I got out and got some really good waves. One other guy joined me. He caught a wave, got caught inside, and broke his 4 week old board - bummer!! Good thing I was riding a Hess. I actually dropped straight into a gaping tube on the wave that broke his board.

The waves were big enough to be quite thrilling for my rarely surfing self. I had some epic late drops, some good turns, a couple long racy rides, rights and lefts, and a couple closeout barrels - one that set up on the inside after a long ride and one that I dropped straight into. Four other guys tried to get out but failed.

A few waves under my belt I was ready for the next week (at least) of no surf. I have averaged one surf every two weeks since we moved to the beach - painful but a reality I am at peace with as I know that my job is the hardest this year that it will be, since I am creating a new curriculum from scratch. Plus in not too many years the family will be able to surf together!

my fall by the beach

2009-12-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Images below: fall was off to good start at Kelly Ave. Early September barrels of which I got none - I was sick but glad to know my new home break has potential!

see below for summary of my surfing fall.

Well it is a bitter sweet irony. As soon as we moved to the beach I became so busy that I hardly ever have time to surf! I have surfed less since moving to the beach than any time in my life (except for my year in Korea when I surfed only once). Creating a new curriculum and teaching it to 72 7th graders is taking the majority of my time and then what is left over is mostly spent with the family.

The good thing about not surfing much is I can pretty much remember every wave I caught this fall. There was a movie when Nat Young was watching his son surf and he said that it takes less waves to make him happy. At the time I doubted that could be true for me but of course it is. When you surf everyday,, once a day doesn't seem like enough. When you surf every day a week of no surf seems like a long time and a month of no surf is unthinkable. But once you are not surfing everyday for long enough, you think less about it and don't miss it in the moment as much.

Of course I miss it but it is different. I do get hit every once in a while by the longing to surf. But when I do get to surf it does satisfy me for longer, like Nat Young said. I can ride the high from a good session for a number of days. Then I get sucked into my busy life and don't think too much about it.

So we moved to Kelly Avenue in Half Moon Bay last August. We live four blocks from the beach which has good surf at times. The spot is about as fickle as my ole home break - Chronchite - in the Marin Headlands. It is very tide dependant, lacks consistent sand bars, and is often closed out. But it does get very good and is usually uncrowded so I am happy with it as my home break.

I said I have not surfed much. For instance I only surfed twice the entire month of October !!! Once in September, three times in November. And people are saying November has been all time - mostly at the point breaks but OB as well.

That being said I would not have surfed most of those sessions if I did not live at the beach for I truly have not had time to travel for surf. I have only made it to OB (30 minute drive - same as when I lived in Marin) twice. My other sessions were quickies at Kelly Ave. When my brother Matt visited we went down for a junky powerful winter session one morning. No one else surfed but we got waves - I had three really good ones which was a pleasant surprise considering the conditions.

One time living close to the beach payed off was one evening the week before my brother visited. I had a few minutes before the family got home so I rode the bike down at 4:30 to look at the ocean which I had not seen in a week. It was overcast and super glassy and to my surprise - going off. Just overhead, peeling, picture perfect waves with four or five guys out. I rushed home, through on my wetsuit as fast as possible, was in the water by 4:45 and had 30 minutes of super fun surf before it was too dark to see.

Last weekend was another example of how living close to the beach got me in the water. The weather was beautiful - off shore and warm - so Sunday morning (Thanksgiving weekend) we took the kids to the beach to play. I had my camera and snapped some photos of the surprising waves. The swell was bigger than ideal for our beach. The tide was high, which is not great when the waves are smaller. Most waves were closed out. But it was offshore, sunny, a few guys were out, and they were getting corners and some really good waves.

On my way home I ran into an old friend from San Fran who said it was supposed to get bigger in the afternoon - meaning getting some was now or never.

It was nap time for Hendrik and quiet time for Noah and Anke was sick so not wanting to go exercise. SOOO I had to go. By the time I got there the waves were a bit bigger and much dumpier as the tide had dropped so the waves were unloading on the sandbar. No one was out anymore.

I got out and got some really good waves. One other guy joined me. He caught a wave, got caught inside, and broke his 4 week old board - bummer!! Good thing I was riding a Hess. I actually dropped straight into a gaping tube on the wave that broke his board.

The waves were big enough to be quite thrilling for my non-surfing self. I had some epic late drops, some good turns, a couple long racy rides, and a couple closeout barrels. Four other guys tried to get out but failed.

I did get one classic fall day at OB. It was big - double overhead - offshore. One of those perfect looking days. Breaking way out on the outer bars, the sunset was gorgeous providing orange and pink colors which were reflected off the glassy water. Everyone was out so it was quite a reunion. There were dolphins and sea lions surfing and frolicking with the rest of us, just to add to the perfection of the situation. But it was also a classic OB day in that the waves were hard to get. They didn't let you in or they broke too early, or there was already someone on it. It was hard to be in the right spot. I only had two waves before getting caught inside (I actually paddled all the way back out and got caught inside again). But one of my waves was an epic big long left - oh so good!

And of course let's not forget that I did get to go on a Duck reunion camping trip with my college buddies to Big Sur where we had a couple days of VERY fun surf without any resposibilities - all we had to do was eat and surf and we found a bit of time for beers and bocci as well!

Chronic sunset sesh

2009-02-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Just found this picture I took at Chronchite in January '05

Ocean Beach Jan 17, 2009

2009-01-17T22:10:00.001-08:00

Well today was one of those good big days at Ocean Beach. The wind has been blowing offshore for the past week or two, it was sunny and warm, and the swell was a solid 7 feet at 17 seconds. The sets were easily triple overhead. Look in the photos below ans see how small the people look.

I did not spend much time snapping pictures, the lighting was awful, folks must have gotten sick shots in the morning!

I paddled out near Ortega and spent a solid 25 minutes paddling without ANY progress. I was BUMMED. What a mind trip to get denied like that. Then I got out and walked up to a different spot. I found the rip and was got out in about 15 minutes. By the time I got to the outside I was exhausted!

What a treat to be out on a beautiful day when the swell is pumping. Big swells pushing in, pitching, and peeling, the offshores feathering back the lips, rainbows in the spray.

There was only one other guy out in my vicinity, there were about ten guys on peaks further south.

The coast gaurd came to play in their47 foot long motor lifeboats. They had a crew standing on top and they backed into the impact zone and took the waves head on. They actually came very close to us, close enough to smoke us out with their exhaust. They had waves crash completely over them and came up through some, going vertical as they jumped out the back of the waves. They took big waves, obviously what they were built for. It was cool to watch and reminded me of the day before when the dolphins came to play and one launched about 15 feet high out the back of a wave - the highest I have ever seen one jump! Epic. I must say I prefer being surrounded by dolphins over coast gaurd boats.

I caught five set waves, one right and 4 lefts. They were EPIC. I took off on the peak and as it pitched out above/next to me I dropped into the monsters - they were so smooth and perfect. What a feeling to turn off the bottom and look over your shoulder to see a fifteen foot face pitching out above you.

I went most the time without any thrashings but finally took an extra large set wave on the head. I came up just in time to snag a breath before the second wave got me. After that I got caught inside two more times, the third time I went in having no more energy with which to fight my way back out.

A very satisfying surf with only 5 waves.

B

O

Thanksgiving swell 08

2008-12-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

Well we often have a clean big swell for Thanksgiving and I often miss it since it is a family holiday. I scored fun surf right at the beginning of this one but missed the sizable days. The day these photos were taken they claim it was the best Mavericks ever. It was pretty awsome to check it out from the Headlands. Here are just a couple shots to give you a taste, the point bonita light house shot is a classic.

swamis (Swiamea) vs Ocean Beach (the abusive lover) - 2006

2008-02-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I spent two and half weeks in Southern California for Christmas vacation. Pretty much the whole time we were down there it was raining and flooding back home in the Bay Area while we were enjoying the warmth of the So Cal sun. The storms that brought floods to the north sent waves to the south. The biggest waves anyone had ever seen hit So Cal in fact. Clean conditions, sunshine, offshore winds, and 12 to 18 foot waves made for quite a circus at the spots like Swami's that hold big waves. Imagine 100 people in the water, as many as 7 people on a single wave, lifeguards on jet skis, news helicopters, 300 people on the cliffs watching, backed up traffic on the coast HWY. All of this resulted in 85 rescues in one day at Swami's, countless broken boards and leashes (one wave was said to break 7 boards), and a buzz around town that lasted for days.
I did not surf the biggest day. Not because of the waves. I have learned to love waves in that size range and I get to surf them throughout the winter back home at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I didn't surf because I can't stand crowds in the surf and on this day it looked incredibly dangerous. If Ocean Beach is that big you will be lucky to have 7 people in the water with you, as far as you can see. The reason for this is that OB is not an easy place to surf when it is big, as I was reminded upon my return to Nor Cal.
I love Ocean Beach, it is my favorite place to surf, and I consider myself lucky to have it as my home break. Anytime I am away from the Bay Area I miss the waves at the beach. If the conditions are good OB can have fun waves at 2 feet or 20 feet. It has an infinite variety of moods from weak longboard days to small rippable short board days to heavy big wave days. It usually has lots of power as it gets the swell straight from the open ocean and is often hollow enough to nab a few barrels while you're out. So of course while surfing with the crowds in Southern California I was dreaming of my return to OB. Yesterday I had my return and I was reminded that you have to earn your waves up here. There is a reason it is uncrowded.
I had one hour before work to surf. It was sunny, offshore, and only about 10 to 12 feet. Noone was out as I drove the 4 miles of beach. I picked a spot where good waves were breaking on the outside and the paddle looked pretty easy. It was a short interval swell which usually makes for a tough paddle and yesterday turned out to be no exception. The paddle out took me a solid 30 minutes of nonstop paddling. I ended up getting out at the same time as one other guy. What a satisfying feeling once you are finally outside, sitting in the ocean, thick swells passing underneath, offshore spray raining down the backs of the waves, 'A' frame peaks breaking off in the distance up and down the beach. As I waited for one to come to me I took in my surroundings and enjoyed the sunrise.
To catch the thick fast moving waves you need to be in a spot where it seems as if the thing is gonna land on top of you and you have to commit yourself and paddle as hard as you can. When a big wave at OB is coming towards me my first reaction is always fear and the thought that I don't want anything to do with it. Then I remind myself that the reason I am out is to ride such waves so I forget the fear, turn and commit myself. More often than not if you are in the right spot the take offs are actually quite easy when it is big and the ride so thrilling and fun that I turn around and paddle out for more. On this particular day the first waves that came to me seemed like it was gonna close out so I pulled back at the last minute. After it passed I realized it would have been a good one so I vowed not to back out again. The next wave to come to me I caught, had a fun drop, and then it did close out. I kicked out, began paddling back out and took the next wave of the set on the head. I tried to duckdive but got totally annihilated. After my thrashing I came up to the surface to find my surfboard in two pieces, snapped completely in half. Damn it!
Having to fight multiple rip currents the swim in to the beach took quite a while. I returned to my car, got changed and snapped a few quick photos of the perfect waves, none of which I was to ride that day. In the parking lot one other guy walked past me cursing because he had just had the same exact experience as me. While I changed I saw two other guys give up without ever making it out and return to the beach defeated. Ocean Beach makes you earn your waves. Days like this one make me feel a little like a person who continues to love someone who abuses them. I guess the fact that I am still in love with OB after days like that (which are not so rare) says something for how good it is when OB shows some love and lets me get little.

The week after I wrote this I had another chance to get some big ones. With a similar paddle out as before I made it out and was the only person I saw surfing anywhere, even though it was a sunny afternoon. On my first wave I dropped in behind a big section, pulled up high on the wave as the thick lip pitched out over me. Under the lip I dropped down into a barrel big enough to drive the Burning Van through. Inside my biggest barrel of the winter time slowed down as it does in the tube. Eventually the end of the tube closed off and I was in a giant pressure chamber. By this time the water around me was brown from the sand being dredged off the bottom. It was amazing how long I was able to stay in the barrel even after it closed out. Finally the whole thing collapsed and I was washed all the way to the inside. To catch another wave I had to do the tough paddle again. I got washed in again after my second wave and after 15 minutes of paddling with absolutely no progress I gave up hope for a third wave. When I got to the beach I noticed the leash had pulled through the tail of my (friend's) board.
[That was Billy's 7'6" SF - to be broken eventually at the Ranch on a legendary swell]

Ocean Beach Magic with Darrick (06)

2008-02-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

Anke, Noah, and I have just ended two and half weeks of family sickness. Of course there are many hard things about such a situation, feeling bad, having those you love feel bad, not being able to sleep, being kept up all night by a sick child, missing work, missing parties, and worst of all... missing the surf!
The first week we were all so sick I didn't even miss the surf. You know when you are really sick when you don't even think about doing fun stuff. Then as you start feeling better you get anxious to return to the activities you enjoy. When I was finally close to being able to surf I began paying attention to the conditions which were good. Days of good waves. I had decided to wait longer to let my lingering cough get better. Finally it was my day to return to the ocean, but no. Anke was sick so I had Noah. Luckily my frustration was relieved by my friend Dave who offered to hang with Noah on the beach while I jumped in.
The frustration quickly came back Ocean Beach style. The waves looked great but they were very hard to catch. After being too far out to catch any I moved in to find myself too far inside and a set washed me all the way in. That happened three times in a row, once I got pounded super hard and my board hit me in the back so that a week later it still hurts. Then I caught a close out and got washed in a fourth time. I decided to go in and then my leash broke causing me to end my session by swimming in. A frustrating session but at least I got in the Ocean!!
Then I worked a few days and returned to the beach to surf again to discover that the week or two of good conditions had ended and the ocean was cold and stormy. Days like this went by. My next possible surf day was today and the forcast looked bleak. The morning report was dismal but today my luck was to change.
Monitoring the bouys I could see the potential for a wind switch and good conditions in the early afternoon. I did some chores, ran some errands, and drove to the beach to find 6 to 10 foot waves groomed by offshores winds an no one surfing. Not only were the conditions great but there were whale spouts just outside the line up. I got a hold of my friend Darrick and he rushed down to join me. While I was talking to Darrick a hump back whale repeatedly breached, jumping out of the water and making giant splashes with its massive body.
The surf was great for an hour and half and then just after Darrick got out to go to work the Ocean Beach currents kicked in, washed me into the no wave zone, the ocean got junky, and I called it a day.
I had a number of fun waves but there was one that sticks in my mind as one of those special moments when everything comes together and from my perspective everything in the world was perfect.
The swells were coming from a couple directions, causing a wedge effect. The trick was to be in the exact spot where two swells crossed up over the sandbar forming a big jacking peak. The right spot was just inside of where the wave peaked so that you could catch the wave under the lip. This kind of positioning is a psychological game because it seems like the wave is gonna land on top of you and if you decide to go you end up nearly air dropping into the pit. So on this wave I was just in the right spot to go left (backside). After a steep drop I cranked a bottom turn and looked over my shoulder at a perfect pitching wave. The lip was feathered back and held suspended by the offshores, the wave was backlit and turned from blue to green about half way up. I came up on the face and as I tuned below the lip I could see how much room there was below the lip. I usually have a kinda lame style of bending forward when I surf but this wave called for me to stand up tall. I stood up strait, arching my back as if I were channeling Gerry Lopez, and for a moment felt one with the wave as I leaned back and looked up at the bowl all around me. Even thought I was turning half way up the wave I had tons of room under the lip. Just as I did my under the lip soul carve my buddy Darrick gave out a huge hoot as he was on the inside of me paddling out. Having a buddy witness a moment like that makes it all that much more special and tangible, less like a dream.
Besides us there was only one other surfer out as far as you could see. In fact there were more whales in the water than surfers at that time. The picture of me standing tall under a green lip groomed by offshore winds while my buddy was paddling out and no one else was anywhere to be seen is one of those rare surfing moments. If someone saw that picture in a surf mag they would think, oh my god, where is that spot! Luckily it is our local spot and if are willing to put up with the frustrating sessions the beach can offer up, you will occasionally be blessed with perfection.
And after being out of the game this was the best possible reentry to replace my frustration with stoke.

winter surf '06 down south and OB

2008-02-24T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Ya'll,

Well we had our first big swell the weekend after my birthday. It was predicted to be as big as 17feet at 20 seconds which is too big to get out at Ocean Beach (even if you wanted to).

So Dave and I planned to go south. Simon and I surfed four mile one year at 14 feet @ 17 seconds and it was epic (we were the only ones out ). So Dave and I left in the dark, arriving at four mile for sunrise.

We surfed for 2 and half hours and it sucked. Way smaller than we expected and mostly mushy. I caught the wave of the day from the outside which Dave said was double over head. It was cool riding along and looking way up at the lip pitching out way above me. The swell was supposed to peak at noon so we hung in hoping it would suddenly get better, it didn't. I talked to a local oldie and from what he said the swell Simon and I surfed must have been a west swell which would hit much more directly.

On our way home we stopped at a spot I won't name but locals should know. It was noon, the swell was peaking (it peaked at 11 feet @ 17 seconds) and the reef was going off. I took some photos from my car with my new camera and after watching a few sets I could not keep myself from going out to try and get one (even though I would then be running late). A super quick suit up and I was out for a one hour surf. I set Dave up with the camera to watch the surf and take photos but he fell asleep... So no pics of the the three waves I caught. It was hard to get a waves since the local crowd ripped. I got one set on the outside, dropped in, saw I was too deep, bottom turned, came up as high on the face as I could, and then raced down as the lip chased me. The lip landed right behind me but instead of knocking me off it bounced up all around me and I was engulfed by 15 feet (at least) of whitewash. Jumping off I got washed all the way in and to had repeat the horrible paddle out.

Second wave, same as the first except I made it around the first section and got closed out on the second section. Third wave was a slightly smaller one and I rode it all the way in to shore (lots of carves and cutbacks).

The coolest part of the session was watching the local rippers totally killing these large waves, and seeing my old friend Digger (who I met in Nias) in the lineup.

The next day the swell dropped to 8 to 11 feet at 15 seconds. It was on shore at ocean beach and no one was out but I figured I would go for it anyway. I paddled at riviera and surfed between there and Pacheco. It was double overhead and very solid still but the onshores made it super bumpy. They were the kind of waves you could only catch if it seemed like the wave was going to land on you. Unfortunately the onshores made them crumble early so they often did land on me. But I caught a ton of waves (at least ten in an hour and a half). Most were so bumpy I felt like the tow in surfers when they are catching air on the chops. Each turn was a challenge just to hang on, either by looking for a smooth spot between chops or by burying the rail so deep that you could cut throught the chops.

On my first wave I did a big bottom turn, came up high on the section in front of me, and carved a big turn off the top. The second I was headed back down the wave, I hit a ledge created by the windswell off of which I caught air, landing half way down the wave. Allthough most of the waves were choppy some sucked up and had smooth steep faces with long walls and bowling shoulders. My last wave was such a wave and It held up all the way in, allowing me to get at least ten turns in.. big cutbacks, turns off the top, racey sections, it was just about as good of a wave as you could want.

IF it was off shore....

I have enclosed some photos of the reef down south and OB that day. Expect more surf photos to follow...

Danny

surfing makes life so sweet (2006)

2008-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I am taking a break from writing about politics. I think this is easy until I read the news and get all pissed off again but for now I have other things to focus on. One of these things is surfing. It has been a while since I have sent stories of my time on the ocean. This last winter was the best season of surf that I can remember, especially for those of us who like big (double to triple overhead) waves at Ocean Beach. For months we had solid ground swells coming out of the north Pacific one after another. These swells would hit Ocean Beach head on where they were greeted by off shore breezes that lasted for weeks. The sand bars were perfect as well making for perfectly shaped, super clean, big waves on a consistent basis.

Of course my schedule is such now that Instead of the 4 or 5 hour sessions of years past I was limited mostly to 1 1/2 hour sessions two or three times a week. Luckily it was consistently good so by the end of the winter I felt like I had had my fair share.

It is now spring time so the big ground swells and off shore conditions of this past winter exist only in the minds of the surfers who were there. When the junky windswells of spring first arrived with the freezing cold water and strong on shore winds I couldn't help being a bit depressed. Until I went surfing. Once I had ridden a few of the junky little waves I remembered that surfing is fun no matter what the waves are like and the new conditions give me a chance to ride some different boards which always makes things more interesting.

Big perfect waves are nice of course but so much of surfing actually has nothing to do with the waves themselves and it has taken the crummy spring time surf to remind me of this.

A good illustration of this was last weekend when I drove down the coast towards Santa Cruz where I had a first aid class.

After eating a nopales burrito at my favorite burrito joint on the coast (La Cabana in Davenport) I proceeded south to check the spot known as four mile. Just as I got out of the burning van to go down and check the surf a ranger pulled up, followed by a super agro highway patrol officer. To make a long story short they said my van was reported in a hit and run in Davenport and by the way they treated me they obviously assumed I was guilty until I proved my innocence. The fact that there wasn't a scratch on my car didn't mean anything to them . The whole thing was actually quite a joke since my van is so identifiable and I was finally let go because the accuser couldn't tell for sure if my van was the one who hit his car.

Needless to say after an hour of dealing with the super bitch in a uniform I was a bit stressed out. The waves didn't look good but I decided that I needed a surf and boy was I right. I suited up, grabbed my 1977 Windandsea fun shape single fin that I found in the trash at Manresa last summer, and headed down the path. The path to four mile drops down into a little valley above a little wetlands area which is full of cat tails and willows. The swallows were surfing the wind above the path and the blackbirds were playing their harmonics in amongst the cat tails. AS I dropped down towards the ocean I could feel the stress leaving my body and I knew that going surfing was what I needed to do. As I walked I had a view of the meager surf through the white cliffs at the bottom of the canyon. Just past the surf a California grey whale breached three times as if to say hi as it passed on its long journey north.

A few friendly people in the water, someone apologized for the cops, and OK little waves. I had lots of fun riding my board and I reflected upon how lucky I am to be alive and how being in nature and surfing no matter what the waves are like are truly food for the soul.

welcome home to OB

2008-02-24T21:52:00.001-08:00

Welcome Home to Ocean Beach

Well as I write I have that exhausted beat up feeling that one has after surfing really big waves at Ocean Beach here in San Francisco. It was my first surf after our two weeks of Baja surfing in trunks and spring suits. Boy was the water cold! And the paddle, oh my gosh. The swell was big so the paddle out was horrendous, about 20 minutes of non stop paddling to get out. The waves were thick and moving fast so they were super hard to catch, the only way to get them was to take off where they were steep. The problem was they went vertical instantly and you would find yourself trying to pop up while going strait down the vertical face of the wave. We had quite a few days that were about as big in December but they were easier to catch than these. I ate it on my first two waves, then a monster came right to me. I really wanted nothing to do with the wave but as it jacked up I thought to myself, "well, this is why I am out here, to catch big waves, so I might as well go for it." I made the wave and as I was dropping in realized it was definitely the biggest wave I have caught this season. It is amazing how long it took to get to the bottom! Wow, what a rush. I made my next two waves as well, on one of which I pulled into what was by far the biggest and longest tube of the season for me. Another bad wipe out and another successful ride and I ended the session with four wipe outs and four ridden waves. During one of the wipe outs the nose of the board broke off when it hit me in the calf. Good thing I had on a wetsuit!

Franny's (2005)

2008-02-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

Franny's

A high wind and surf advisory was in full effect as we stood on the cliffs overlooking the surf. The wind was so cold that it cut through my cloths as if I was nude, chilling me to the core. The last thing I wanted to do was put on my wet wetsuit on and get into the frigid ocean. I watched with dread as good waves were breaking among the rocks at our secret spot we call Franny's (named after a friend of mine named Franny who fell off the cliffs nearby. I rescued her and she's fine but that's another story).

Franny's is the kind of spot that almost never breaks, so on this freezing cold stormy day I was slightly disappointed to see good waves for I knew what that meant. We had to surf.

I waited for the hint from my comrad Billy that he thought we should go and then admitted that I would go also. Once in our suits the cold wasn't on my mind any more. We ran down the slippery muddy hill towards the surf with enthusiasm. For me, the enthusiasm faded a bit when we got down and saw how big the waves actually were. The wave known as Franny's is a left which breaks in and around a lot of rocks. The big sets that were coming in were breaking outside and in the wrong spot. This combined with the amount of water moving around made the session a little intimidating. Billy charged it out through a set and I followed trying my best to find a window between sets. I was surfing on an old G & S single fin that belongs to Billy and I knew it would be hard to duckdive.

I managed to duckdive pretty well and made it out. I wasn't in the mood to get caught inside so I paddled way out the back where I could watch for awhile without the fear of getting pounded by a set. Billy later told me that he was wondering what the hell I was doing so far out until he saw me duckdive a set way out there.

Billy caught a wave and as I watched him from the back I saw a rainbow over the cliffs where Franny had fallen. The rainbow reminded me to take note of how incredibly gorgeous a spot I was in. Rugged cliffs, cotton ball clouds glowing from the late afternoon sun, a super blue sky, a classic view of the Golden Gate Bridge, offshore winds raising huge amounts of rain like spray off the backs of the breaking waves, and a rainbow to boot. Pretty awesome spot!

Billy caught a few waves on the inside and a few waves caught him inside. Billy thought it would be difficult going in with the incoming tide so he suggested taking one in. As the sets were coming one after another on the outside I was fine with catching one and going in. I saw the right direction set coming, paddled in a bit and caught a truly epic wave. taking off right at the peak I bottom turned and came up into the pocket, not even noticing I was on the single fin, the board worked perfectly and felt so natural for my style of surfing. Dropping down again I bottom turned over some choppy water and found myself up in the pocket of another section. At this time I saw the wave was going to have yet another section so I looked for the rock that sticks up on the inside, calculated that if I surf this wave to the end I will miss the rock, so I committed to the wave until it closed out, jumped down to my belly and rode it in towards the rocks on the inside. It was definitely the best wave I have had at Franny's and the combination of all the factors (outrageous weather, energetic ocean, the single fin, the picturesque rarely surfed spot, the rainbow) provided with me with such a great mental video clip of the whole scene. Such a great image that I had to write about it.

epic morning at OB (2005)

2008-02-24T20:49:00.001-08:00

What a morning. A truly epic one at OB

The waves were in the 8 to 12 foot range, smaller than it had been all week so in the early dawn light we were talking about how small it was. Paddling out at Ocean Beach can be a mission to say the least and on this day it was no exception. With a drop in interval between waves the sets were peaky and all over the place, leaving no real channels. Billy and I struggled for what was probably about 20 minutes to finally find ourselves on the outside. Paddling out we were treated to such a show. Perfect big waves peeling in every direction. With a light offshore the water was super clean and the A-frame peaks could not have been painted any more perfect.

Only having a little over an hour to surf before we had to hurry off to work (damn!) I was happy to catch 5 or 6 waves pretty much right off the bat. Since the waves were smaller than they had been there was no hesitation when paddling for them. The confidence one has as a big swell drops is so different than when it first hits. In order to catch a wave you really want to be in exactly the right spot. Which is just in front of the peak as it first breaks so you can get in under the lip and deep on the wall of the wave. After that first moment the wave lips become thick and pitching making a take off on the shoulder much more difficult.

I was in the perfect place for most of the waves I caught but definitely not all of them. On one such wave I was caught in the lip as the wave became very vertical. When you are in the right place you pretty much know you will make the drop but this time I wasn't so sure. As I stood to my feet the spray coming off the lip was blowing strait into my face, making it impossible to see a thing. I stood up blindly and felt the bottom fall out from under me. I air-dropped through the lip into the tube and about the time my head passed through the lip and I was able to see again, my board landed, gripped the wave and I bottom turned feeling lucky to be standing and not swimming.

My neck is proof that I am not always so lucky however. The muscles in my neck right now are so sore that I can barely move my head. Classic whip-lash, the result of a gnarly wipe out on the biggest day of the swell.

In between waves I was observing what a picture perfect morning it was. Peaks pitching up and down the beach, the lips peeled back by the offshore wind. The sky was crystal clear and the water smooth and green like northern California water is so often.

Watching Billy drop into a perfect wave made me regret not bringing a camera out with me. Then I thought a bit about that. In the days of digital photography and a busy lifestyle I rely so heavily on my camera to record moments in my life in order to share them with people I know. There was a time when I spent a good deal of time writing about my life experiences rather than photographing them. It seems that my camera has replaced the pen as record keeper. But actually the pen was replaced by the keyboard when I became computerized in the age of email. Typed prose has so much less soul than handwritten words but it is so much easier to share that it is hard to avoid.

So as I burned the image of Billy dropping into that wave into my head I promised myself that I would describe it with words to make up for the lack of camera that day. Going backside as Billy dropped in with his back to the wave he was facing the rising sun, the light from which cast an orange glow over the scene which lit up his face. I watched him stand up and make the verticle drop with outstretched arms as if he might fly away. Behind him the wave pitched top to bottom, the spray from the lip blown back by the offshores was orange from the sun. I could see all the way through the tube out towards the left which was breaking off in the distance. It looked just like many pictures I have seen taken of Mavericks. The green water and almond shaped barrel with a seriously thick lip doing a good imitation of the big wave spot, of course a slightly smaller version.

These are the moments that are the magic of surfing that keep us going back for more.

winning a wetsuit

2008-02-24T20:41:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends and family,

There are numerous things which I wish to share with you but I think for now I will stick to one story.

As most of you know October is by Birth Month and has always been one of my favorite times of the year. My birthday, Halloween, the beginning of the great surf season, there are so many reasons for this. In addition to it being my favorite month it is also a time when I feel especially in tune with the rhythms of the world, in touch with the force, or just plain lucky. However you like to explain good fortune and good timing, my fairy god mother always seems to work overtime in October.

Yesterday was a good example.

The wetsuit I have been wearing for the past few years has needed replacing for almost a year now but in the last couple months this fact has become increasingly obvious as the seems and material are falling apart. Unfortunately a good new wetsuit costs over $300 and we have absolutely no extra money at the moment. With winter approaching I kept asking, where are we gonna get the money for my new suit?

My friend Billy called me recently after a trip to Mexico to alert me to a cool surf movie made by a surfer he met down there which was being shown in San Fran. Anke and I hoped to go together but none of our friends who occasionally baby sit for us were available so we couldn't. Not wanting to give up on the movie but knowing I couldn't ask to go without Anke after we had planned to go together I checked the times of the movie just for the hell of it. I noticed that in the description it said "win a new wetsuit in the costume contest". I called to check and sure enough they were having a costume contest at each showing. Here was my chance to get the wetsuit I needed and if nothing else an excuse to go see the movie. So I called Jessie for a partner in crime, costumed up, and hit the city in search of a wetsuit.
Representing as the Nun from my burning man costume collection I knew I had a good chance of winning. Jessie wore a clown costume of mine and together we hit Haight street (although we looked liked we belonged in the Castro). In a neighborhood that can be HORRIBLE for parking we found a spot immediately, right next to the theater. Exiting the burning van we were approached right away by a cute girl who wanted to take our picture. Oh the power of the costume!
Before the movie we went to a nearby bar for a drink. Of course being weeks away from Halloween we stood out and were the hit of the bar, receiving applause as soon as we walked in. The girl who clapped for the nun clapped again a few moments later when she saw the costume from behind. From the front I look just like a man in a nun costume, which people find funny enough. But to add a knock out punchline to the joke I had cut out the back of the costume and underneath wore nothing but a red g-string. Well the Burning Man favorite proved to be a hit on the streets of San Francisco as well. The main difference was that at Burning Man people were polite enough to ask for permission before spanking me...
We ran into the contest organizer (Alex) and owner of the surf shop (Aqua) who was sponsoring it at the bar. "oh, you are gonna win!" was his comment upon seeing my ass. He pointed out that it wasn't up to him, however, and that they were looking for people to play up the character. During the contest each contestant had to give his/her shpeal to the audience. I spoke as a nun and made up a story about being a missionary in Mexico which ended with me getting to know Brian Connely (the maker of the surf film we were about to watch who was in the audience). I had some stiff competition from Donavan Frankensteiner, a combo between the pro surfer and rock star Donavan Frankenreiter and the Halloween favorite Frankentein, He even had a guitar and sang a song about Ocean Beach. But in the end the nun took home the wetsuit and Frankensteiner got stuck with the lousy second place gift of a pair of Oakley Blades. Jessie actually ended up winning a sick airbrushed picture that caught his eye the moment he walked into the room.
The next morning I went for a sunrise surf at Ocean Beach to celebrate.

2008-02-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all,
I just got a new surfboard and emailed Birkin about it. It is made for big days at Ocean Beach - a 7'6" custom gun. Since I know others wanna see it I figured I would use that letter to launch my surf blog. Here is an exerpt from the letter:

"I just got a new board that you would LOVE!!!!! Made by Danny Hess in SF who made my 6'3". He makes wood boards, the nicest on Earth in my opinion. Not only are they master crafted but Danny has really mastered the blend between retro boards and modern day performance boards. Both the boards he made me have the wide point (20 inches wide) under the chest, further up than the modern shortboard. 70's style. Also less rocker for MAX speed. The boards come back into high performance tails both with quad set ups, the 6'3" with a swallow, and the 7'6" a rounded pin. The 7'6" is also 2.75" thick under the chest. So it is a ridiculous paddler. Paddles like an 8'0" but turns like a 7'2". And the quad even though it is more manouverable it also sticks to the face. Basicaly a perfect board.

Last weekend I had a chance to ride it for the first time. Two days at OB - 12 foot but hard to get a wave. But I got enough to fully test the board. " It worked, I made steep drops, mostly lefts. I had many fast closeout walls to race across, some perfect glassy shoulders to turn on, some long waves...

Saturday the swell was like 10' @ 17 seconds. I paddled at Pacheco. Having not surfed in 3 weeks and not much this year, I was in the worst surf shape of my life. So I was pleseantly surprised when I finally made the paddle out! I was the only one out that I could see but I hear there were lots surfing Sloat. I caught a mushy one and then an outside bomb, easily 15' face, and it just kept holding up a perfect shoulder. About half way through I decided to just ride it to the beach and call it a day. The board worked!!! It floated above the turbulance, paddled like a dream, was duck divable, caught waves with ease, and turned on a dime.

Sunday: 3 1/2 hours of non-stop paddling and still drifted from Noriega to Taraval. Swell dropped to like 8' @16 seconds. Hard to find the waves. I caught one giant closed out wall per hour for the first three hours. Then we had glass off during one of the best sunsets of all time and I caught three or four good ones to end on a positive note.