Local videos! My nightly surf web browsing stumbled across this website just now: www.surfvid.com, which appears to feature home-style video shot around the Bay Area: from SF to SC. Video of SC is nothing new, but the video cameras don't break out that often around San Mateo, so, fun to see that.
BUT most notably of all, and I'll have to ask for confirmation on this one, but I think it's my man Manabu of Stokemaster.com fame featured pretty heavily in the video! He used to wear a white helmet when surfing, not wearing it any more, but it was nice because it made him pretty distinctive and easy to find. Anyways there's a dude in the video wearing a white helmet, getting some waves, and if I had to guess I'd say it's definitely Manabu ripping it up. I'll find out and update accordingly. Pretty awesome find if it is, Manabu you're famous!
Update: Apparently the video just starts playing automatically on it's own every time you load the page, which is a little annoying, and for that I apologize my loyal Horace reader. So you can either just let it load (and enjoy the hawaiian music over...and over...and over), or pause it. It'll move off the main landing page and into obscurity soon enough anyways. Because if it truly is Manabu, which with another watch I'm even more certain it is, pretty distinctive style he's got, it's just too good to take down. Oh yeah the video also pauses itself whenever you click anywhere on it. Also annoying.
Update II: I haven't had a whole lot of luck actually viewing any of the videos on the site itself...I think I'll figure it out soon? Maybe? Regardless still a good find.
Update III: Actually I don't think it is Manabu. I need to get more sleep. Further research indicates Manabu surfs regular foot, and this dude is goofy. Plus his helmet was blue, not white. I think I do know who white helmet dude is, I've seen him out there. Surf looks fun in the video I wish I could go get on some of that right about now!!! (But it's flat)
Update IV: This video has been nothing but problems. It seems that it's failing to ever go past about the 30 second mark, just hits there and loops back to the beginning every time...and it's NOT Manabu...and so I'm TAKING IT DOWN. Better luck next time SurfVid.com -- I'd link to the link of the video but I can't even find that now, silly site! (Still a fan of the effort though, but UI & infrastructure could stand some improvements -- what do I know?)
Monday, March 31, 2008
wiiiiiiiiiiiipeout
One thing I really like watching is wipeouts. Most surfing vids don't have nearly enough of them...this one makes up for it. Nothing but wipeout after glorious wipeout!
The best was the kooky guy on the longboard near the middle of the video (1:03), who totally blew it in the middle of a tight pack of most likely rippers. Think he got any more waves the rest of that session? Um....no.
Video shot around Santa Barbara area and taken from this surf blog site: http://surf.jonshafer.com/
The best was the kooky guy on the longboard near the middle of the video (1:03), who totally blew it in the middle of a tight pack of most likely rippers. Think he got any more waves the rest of that session? Um....no.
Video shot around Santa Barbara area and taken from this surf blog site: http://surf.jonshafer.com/
NO Surf Weekend
NO SURF ALERT: I caught zero waves this weekend. I didn't even go in the water. That's pretty unacceptable really, I feel like a weekend was just wasted. But on the plus side, now I'm renewed and re-energized and back on the hunt. Unfortunately looks like we have a bit of a flat spell in the forecast, but there will always be waves if you know where to look. I'll be there.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Euros
How many passes?
I got the passes right, the second part? Not so much.
Clip found on the following blog, which contains some pretty gross stuff most notably the 'whats more disgusting than 2 girls 1 cup' post which I Really strongly advise you DO NOT WATCH. It is gross. Ew. EW! OMG EWWW. (But sickeningly amazing at the same time)
I got the passes right, the second part? Not so much.
Clip found on the following blog, which contains some pretty gross stuff most notably the 'whats more disgusting than 2 girls 1 cup' post which I Really strongly advise you DO NOT WATCH. It is gross. Ew. EW! OMG EWWW. (But sickeningly amazing at the same time)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wild wild west
Bill Simmons writes some pretty funny stuff from time to time. Got to hand it to the guy he is entertaining. His latest write up on the NBA Western conference playoff race and how he sees it playing out is definitely worth a read, I just spent the last 40 minutes trying to read it here at work, dang ESPN page 2 and their uber bright distinctive yellow page border, don't they know I'm trying to read this stuff at work and my manager keeps walking by, so I have to constantly minimize/maximize the screen??
Read the full article here. A small sample that made me laugh below. from his breakdown of the Lakers:
Read the full article here. A small sample that made me laugh below. from his breakdown of the Lakers:
Unsung hero: Sasha Vujacic, quite possibly the league's best bench player of anyone who plays 20 minutes or less. He's a feisty defender, he shoots 40-plus from 3-point range, he can guard anyone and play three positions, he's a legitimate threat to get punched in the face during the playoffs and, if that's not enough, I'm almost positive that he's wearing some sort of hair net. We haven't had a so-much-fun-to-hate-him playoff villain like this guy in eons. He's like Bruce Bowen crossed with one of John Lithgow's henchman in "Cliffhanger."
Cliffhanger! Brilliant.
Cliffhanger! Brilliant.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Session 51 - Mar 26 - LM
Wed Mar 26, 6-7:45 PM, 6'8 Kirkshapes (white)
Lame surf session. And a good reminder of why Santa Cruz -- NOT Pacifica -- is Surf City USA (or the other surf city, whatever...). It'd been a while so I think I forgot, but yeah, good strong reminder that probably 90% of the time the surf is gonna be worse in Pacifica and the weather is gonna be more gray as well. Santa Cruz compared to Linda Mar is paradise. But hey I still got love for ol' LM as well, it definitely has its days. And on the plus side, there probably is some sort of surfable wave at LM a solid 300 days out of the year, so it does have that going for it. It's just that probably 250 or more of those days are pretty marginal, at best. Marginal, Linda Mar (ginal) get it?
I left work about 5 and headed west. Stopped and got board at Selin's. Manabu was going out too so he called me, but he wound up at a spot a bit further south. No chance I'm taking HW 92 during rush hour traffic, that drive is a nightmare, so I kept going and cut across on city streets, put me out a bit north of LM. Rockaway actually had a few people on it, sure it was probably 3x better than LM, but call me crazy unless it's WAY better I just feel more comfortable as the sun goes down in the water at LM than I do up there, or at other spots further south. Lots of (big) creatures swimming around in that sea out there, so for a marginal surf experience anywhere, I'm sticking to LM. Strength in numbers, right?
There really wasn't any surf worth writing about. My best wave was worse than my worst wave last night at the hook. I tried to make the most of what there was, caught a lot of waves but none really that good, best one I suppose was pretty decent left that I cut up on real quick and then back down, at least some people watched it and seemed impressed. (another fun reason to surf LM, I'm better than a lot of people. Ego boost). Tomorrow is a day off, no surf, going to Warriors-Blazers game courtesy of Selin and Big G getting us some free tickets, supersweet.
Bedtime. I'm exhausted. I paddled through a lot of closeouts tonight.
Lame surf session. And a good reminder of why Santa Cruz -- NOT Pacifica -- is Surf City USA (or the other surf city, whatever...). It'd been a while so I think I forgot, but yeah, good strong reminder that probably 90% of the time the surf is gonna be worse in Pacifica and the weather is gonna be more gray as well. Santa Cruz compared to Linda Mar is paradise. But hey I still got love for ol' LM as well, it definitely has its days. And on the plus side, there probably is some sort of surfable wave at LM a solid 300 days out of the year, so it does have that going for it. It's just that probably 250 or more of those days are pretty marginal, at best. Marginal, Linda Mar (ginal) get it?
I left work about 5 and headed west. Stopped and got board at Selin's. Manabu was going out too so he called me, but he wound up at a spot a bit further south. No chance I'm taking HW 92 during rush hour traffic, that drive is a nightmare, so I kept going and cut across on city streets, put me out a bit north of LM. Rockaway actually had a few people on it, sure it was probably 3x better than LM, but call me crazy unless it's WAY better I just feel more comfortable as the sun goes down in the water at LM than I do up there, or at other spots further south. Lots of (big) creatures swimming around in that sea out there, so for a marginal surf experience anywhere, I'm sticking to LM. Strength in numbers, right?
There really wasn't any surf worth writing about. My best wave was worse than my worst wave last night at the hook. I tried to make the most of what there was, caught a lot of waves but none really that good, best one I suppose was pretty decent left that I cut up on real quick and then back down, at least some people watched it and seemed impressed. (another fun reason to surf LM, I'm better than a lot of people. Ego boost). Tomorrow is a day off, no surf, going to Warriors-Blazers game courtesy of Selin and Big G getting us some free tickets, supersweet.
Bedtime. I'm exhausted. I paddled through a lot of closeouts tonight.
Session 50 - Mar 25 - Hook
Tuesday Mar 25, 5:45-7:45, 6'8 Taylor
Session # FIFTY! I don't know what is more impressive...50 sessions in 86 days...or the fact that I've blogged each and every one of them. I'm leaning towards the blogging.
The last and final session of the spring break surf-fest was a good one. Dad went out on his own at 38th, Joel and I felt like ripping apart some performance oriented race-track walls, enough of that 38th slow roll, so we let him go solo and went to the hook. I rode my bike again, that thing is awesome. I need to do something about the pedals though they're very sharp on my bare feet (they have these little metal traction spikes on them...good for shoes, bad for feet), but it's great and super speedy to cruise to and from wherever I want to go, board safely secured in the rack next to me. At the Hook which is a great wave we had the normal slightly large crowd, but not as bad as it can be, and so I was able to sit inside a bit and catch a Bunch of waves...picked up a lot of the supershort but superfun lefts that most people don't want (why would you when the right is 4x longer), but I caught those, can get one quick hit off the lip and thats about it, but it's a left so I like it, and got some rights too that I was actually able to keep up with and get past the inside closeout section. Really is a perfect hot-dogging wave, fast, great shape, couple quick paddles and you're in, imagining that wave in some remote tropical locale with only a couple of my best bros on it...that would be something else, wouldn't it?
After a shower and dinner at the Crow's Nest (dinner plus salad bar $6.95 impossible to beat that) the family loaded up the Volvo and hit the road for an overnight voyage back to Oregon. Good to have them, come back any time.
Session # FIFTY! I don't know what is more impressive...50 sessions in 86 days...or the fact that I've blogged each and every one of them. I'm leaning towards the blogging.
The last and final session of the spring break surf-fest was a good one. Dad went out on his own at 38th, Joel and I felt like ripping apart some performance oriented race-track walls, enough of that 38th slow roll, so we let him go solo and went to the hook. I rode my bike again, that thing is awesome. I need to do something about the pedals though they're very sharp on my bare feet (they have these little metal traction spikes on them...good for shoes, bad for feet), but it's great and super speedy to cruise to and from wherever I want to go, board safely secured in the rack next to me. At the Hook which is a great wave we had the normal slightly large crowd, but not as bad as it can be, and so I was able to sit inside a bit and catch a Bunch of waves...picked up a lot of the supershort but superfun lefts that most people don't want (why would you when the right is 4x longer), but I caught those, can get one quick hit off the lip and thats about it, but it's a left so I like it, and got some rights too that I was actually able to keep up with and get past the inside closeout section. Really is a perfect hot-dogging wave, fast, great shape, couple quick paddles and you're in, imagining that wave in some remote tropical locale with only a couple of my best bros on it...that would be something else, wouldn't it?
After a shower and dinner at the Crow's Nest (dinner plus salad bar $6.95 impossible to beat that) the family loaded up the Volvo and hit the road for an overnight voyage back to Oregon. Good to have them, come back any time.
Session 49 - Mar 25 - East side surf tour
Tuesday Mar 25, 11-1:30, 6'8 Taylor
For the adventurous paddlers out there, a pretty good way to tour the east side surf spots is to simply get in the water and start paddling...like Joel and I did yesterday. I rode my new (to me) surf-rack equipped bike down the street a bit to the local beachbreak, where we started our session with some shorebreak pound...got a couple, it's a bit of a thrill to catch those things and see the sand sucking up the wave as the water is pulling out from underneath you...then punching through the closeout as hard as you can to avoid a pummeling (and possibly a broken board) from the sand below...caught a few of those and that was enough. So, we paddled down a bit further to this pretty heavy and shifty left that a pro was on before (complete with photographer and all) after he got out. I see now why he got out, that wave was a disaster, pretty heavy and really bowling up BIG TIME, definitely a wave a bit over my skill level at this point, but nobody was there so I tried throwing myself into the pit a couple times, with pretty much the same result, a decent thrashing...surf was nothing big or anything, but just the way that wave works, it's a tough one. No paddling for the shoulder, you got to really commit to the drop...and as far as drops go, it's a pretty vertical shot down. Tried that for a while, then decided to keep paddling, paddled out around the rocks to get to my more normal surf spots, caught a couple rights at this finicky little local spot that one other guy was on, tide a bit too high, pretty bumpy but still fun, then paddled some more out to 1st peak/sewers, more of a crowd, caught one quick wave there and surfed it pretty much all the way to inside 2nd peak, quickly caught one more there and surfed it nearly all the way to 38th, and didn't mess with 38th as I'm not catching anything there on the 6'8 and plus -- what timing -- I saw dad the surfing wizard getting out of the water as well having just ended his morning session as well. So we got out and walked back home and cracked opened a couple beers.
For the adventurous paddlers out there, a pretty good way to tour the east side surf spots is to simply get in the water and start paddling...like Joel and I did yesterday. I rode my new (to me) surf-rack equipped bike down the street a bit to the local beachbreak, where we started our session with some shorebreak pound...got a couple, it's a bit of a thrill to catch those things and see the sand sucking up the wave as the water is pulling out from underneath you...then punching through the closeout as hard as you can to avoid a pummeling (and possibly a broken board) from the sand below...caught a few of those and that was enough. So, we paddled down a bit further to this pretty heavy and shifty left that a pro was on before (complete with photographer and all) after he got out. I see now why he got out, that wave was a disaster, pretty heavy and really bowling up BIG TIME, definitely a wave a bit over my skill level at this point, but nobody was there so I tried throwing myself into the pit a couple times, with pretty much the same result, a decent thrashing...surf was nothing big or anything, but just the way that wave works, it's a tough one. No paddling for the shoulder, you got to really commit to the drop...and as far as drops go, it's a pretty vertical shot down. Tried that for a while, then decided to keep paddling, paddled out around the rocks to get to my more normal surf spots, caught a couple rights at this finicky little local spot that one other guy was on, tide a bit too high, pretty bumpy but still fun, then paddled some more out to 1st peak/sewers, more of a crowd, caught one quick wave there and surfed it pretty much all the way to inside 2nd peak, quickly caught one more there and surfed it nearly all the way to 38th, and didn't mess with 38th as I'm not catching anything there on the 6'8 and plus -- what timing -- I saw dad the surfing wizard getting out of the water as well having just ended his morning session as well. So we got out and walked back home and cracked opened a couple beers.
Session 48 - Mar 24 - 38th
Monday Mar 24, 6-7:30, 6'2 KG FishThe spring break surf-fest continues! After our day at the beach we got back home, and old man the surfing wizard wanted to go out again for his daily session...so, what are you gonna do? When the old man wants to surf, it's time to surf! So we helped him put on his super suit, grabbed the boards and headed on down to dad's playpen, aka inside 38th. And for this session it wasn't just Dad dropping in, getting in the way, pearling, and wreaking general havoc, but we had the privilege of being joined by none other than the floating sensation herself, sister Madeleine! She has about the best ability of anyone of just paddling way outside and laying out there, hair dry, not getting wet, looking pretty...teenagers, I guess. So image conscious! Quite a contrast from dad who could care less what he looks like (which is a good thing too because for all his effort he looks pretty goofy out there in the water) :)...Anyways in the end, both Maddy and Dad got some waves, Dad even stood up and wobbled on in, Maddy caught two waves boogey board style, she didn't even try to stand up (image), and was riding the wave all the way into the rocks (Maddy, to get out of a wave, just fall off the board. Now you know)...and the surf outside was actually pretty good, I had a great time on the fish catching some of those. 1st time on the fish out at 38th, it's such a slow wave normally I want as much board as I can possibly have, but it was peaking up pretty nice actually and had no problem getting into most of the waves I wanted, caught some fun ones. That board is a lot of fun, really flies down the line if you put it in the right spot. I'll look forward to using it more as spring/summer continues to roll on in.
For this session as well we also had a dedicated photographer, Selin, who was snapping away as our cavalcade of surfing kooks made our way down to the water. It was a bit of a spectacle I'm sure, all four of us going in a line down to the water...but you know what they say, a family that surfs together, stays together!
Joel the surf instructor, in the yard pre sesh
Spotless the surf dog
Bennett family surf gang
Follow the leader
Dad paddles out
Maddy, posingTuesday, March 25, 2008
Session 47 - Mar 24 - 4M
Monday Mar 24, ALL DAY, 6'8 Taylor
I'm lovin' this "at-home vacation" thing! Santa Cruz is a great town. Today we made the trek up north of town a bit to a lovely protected little beach. Took all the supplies for a day at the beach and set up camp...Joel and I took two boards, mom, dad, maddy brought books, sunglasses, sunscreen, towels, beach blankets, Spotless brought a tennis ball...what more could you ask for. Joel and I surfed and surf was again OK, not stellar but plenty fun, we each got a lot of waves. More crowded than you'd expect for a Monday but I guess with Easter some folks had 3 day weekends or whatnot, plus it is spring break too, still, nothing too bad. Took the water camera and got some water shots, unfortunately completely missed my subject (Joel) on the best setup of the day...too busy watching instead of shooting!
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