E's Surf Report

Yo E -- Great writeup again!

Sorry I missed ya last night. The Vietnamese restaurant is Mai's at Clement and 4th.

Where's your show tonight?

that took me back.

quote from one of the baja books:
"This road will shake your new suburban into a pile of nuts and bolts."

anybody surf this morning?

open realm? when and where?

e - Great stuff! You had me feeling that reef. It's amazing what the consequences of eating it over a hard, shallow bottom can do to one's willingness to charge. Finally, it's, "Oh SHIT, I just GOTTA DO this!" Then after dodging the inevitable bullet for a few waves, the wise man backs off as the tide drops. Good on ya!

saw a rescue yesterday at Judah. A tourist was sucked out off the inner sandbar and was headed out to sea. He called for "HELP," and a surfer named Cory suited up and risked his own life to retrieve this guy. SFFD arrived quickly but the Beach thwarted their rescue attempts -- firemen caught in the longshore current couldn't get to the victim. And the lifeguards weren't very effective either.

Shout out to the rescuer. Great work. Also, if you face a similar situation, be careful -- I have heard of stories in which the rescuer is almost drowned by the panicky victim.

A good reminder that it is that time of year again in which the tourists and non-ocean enthusiasts come down to enjoy the sun and the sand, and endanger their lives (and the lives of their would-be rescuers) as soon as they set foot in the water. Ocean Beach surfers, keep an eye on those tourists and young kids! We know the consequences whereas many tourists don't.

e-lucky you.

Surfed this a.m. North end. Love the moment the sun finally hits the surfzone outside of the camera obscura. Fun.

The lifeguards should be fired. False sense of security for those that don't belong out there. Ineffective for most rescues. Most rescues are by surfers. They behave like overlords in cahoots with the strongarm rangers/police.

sick! baja rules! now i'm jonesin', esp after my waist-high slop-fest in NC this past wknd. ah, the east coast summer blues...

open realm show cancelled. i guess the venue overbooked. slummin.

waves.

Agreed about the SF "lifeguards" -- a waste of our tax dollars. I guess they do their job in prevention (maybe), but when it comes to assisting people to shore, they are hopeless. Not sure if there is anything we can do about it except up our own vigilance when at the Beach in the spring and summer.

Got my new SLW in the mail yesterday - this time not just photos but a travel article by mexi also. nice! keep posting those pics!

Couldn't figure out the beach this a.m. Awoke early and things looked windblown and less enticing than yesterday a.m. Went back to bed. Re-awoke and pulled into my desk-jockey outfit. Off to the bus. At that point the waves looked good. Saw some peeps get some nice long rides. I'm missin' somethin'.

Off to San Diego this weekend for a wedding. Anyone have any surf shop recommendations for the Mission Beach area or areas north? Looking to rent a cheap board.

South Coast surf shop is a good place to check.

Baja Rules. Who is that girl with the red fish?

yes please

In defense of the lifegaurds - The drownings at OB have been almost zero since the lifegaurds have come on duty. I don't think there has been a drowning while they have been on duty actually. I have seen them warn several people and made swimmers come in to the beach followed by lectures cuz they were playing in dangerous waters. Most of them are surfers if not all of them. It's good to take the rescue courses though.

lindy yesterday

Gotta agree with Lerm on the Baja trip. Ahh to have some fish tacos and hide from the winds. Scorpions, reef, sand, flies and waves. Its nice to have your eyes wide open while in Baja.

Is this working?

damn you guys scored..sweeet..

i want to see the pictures of christian..and more pictures of baja

my 2 cents on the lifegaurds: 3 miles is alot of beach for 2 ford explorers

More picture of Perfect Lefts!

Wild lighting in that pic, Kaiser. Reminds me of a Renaissance painting.

when rescuing a swimmmer approach and stay 6 ft away and talk to them first to calm them down.

if they won't calm down punch or smack them in the face and head and tell them to get a hold of themselves.

if they do calm down, proceed with rescue.

if during rescue at any time they again panic and wrap their arms around you (this is what they do, they want their head above water and will use you as a buoy)just swim down to the bottom and they will release you. they dont want the bottom.

then repeat from step 1....6ft away, talk with them to calm them etc. etc.

it's actually kinda fun especially when you get a 48 year old outta shape cigarette smoking east bay lady from oakland crying and asking why did you hit me?

More pictures of Perfect Lefts!

e--Holy shit. That second to last photo is an insane wave. I can't believe the size (people to wave). Did you surf that? Good onya if ya did.

Deserted Empty Pointbreaks are yummmy

Ok, more lefts and this is the fourth time I have tried to post....

About freakin time.....

Those pics along with the ones below were taken by CK on Oahu during a really crappy trip we took to Oahu/Kauai during Thankgiving 2004. The waves sucked as you can see. The entire trip, blown out like that seen above and below.

........Jonesing for more Lefts

........Surfer Girls will be warmly welcomed also

.....

where did you get those pics of dorian at pipe?

a guy i worked with took those puppies on his family vacation and now he will have to sue you on copywright infringement.

all you had to do was credit him and now we will bankrupt you

never mind...

but i'm watching you.

Surf lawyer, kiss my ass!

now we will be watching you even closer.

why arent the pics uploading ?

Your internet ways confuse and scare me. Your photographic machines are surely the works of evil spirits that live in the sky.

Kaiser, why would you ever, ever, leave OB in November?

When VFW's is pumping everyone say's it's "like pipe"

When Taraval and Sloat are doing there thing everyone says it's "like Sunset"

Why not go there and surf the real thing?

Betcha one thing, after really seeing the power of those waves you'll never, ever, again say OB was breaking "just like....."

Welcome back GUMBY! (You too, E) I love it when he does those floaters.

Sea lice, Reef rash, Malaria, Sea snakes, Car Bombs.........the tropics are so much fun:)

Just Like Bali: Car bombs are not funny or cute. Show some respect KOOK!

e-Welcome back. You scored. Nice wordpaintings.

Never seen any OB break like Pipe when it's on. Although really big VFW is bonecrunching. My two worst beatings were there.

10' OB is far more powerful and intimidating than 10' Sunset. Love 'em both.

Kaiser, sorry to see you and ck hit such slop in Hawaii ;-). Nice pics.

Team Baja - sooooo jealous of youz guyz.

Nine more days for my trip. Friendly, don't forget to email me. I may still have your email address. I'll check and shoot you a note if so.

I just finished up with a Cultural Anthropology class and in it we covered Bali and how thier entire cultural is basically focused on preserving the quality of thier water.

Water Gods in a land of Perfect Waves.

I was just reading a new surfing Europe guide and just about every place they talk about says that Autumn is the best time to go. Giving up OB in the Fall would be difficult at best. Still, Ireland, France and Spain would be just a cool trip to make.

You guys are way too hard on the lifeguards. Sean Scallon has saved more people at OB in the last 20 years than everyone else combined. He even saves people in the winter when he is not on lifeguard payroll.

The rangers are useless for lifesaving.

kdalle - I was talking to a guy in the lot on Sunday that lived in Oahu for 6 years. He pretty much confimed what you said. He said eerything seems easier there including the beatings from the waves. No mention of the locals' beatings. I was surprised to hear that.

I have not had the pleasure of Sunset Beach yet. Next years trip. Hey Kaiser and CK, what's your take on that? Those pics look like ten footers to me.

There's a pretty good place to surf in Oct and Nov. Not telling where.

Traveling around europe with a surfboard seems like a PITA, no?

Blakestah,

What's the wave forecast for this Saturday's surf shindig? Should we move it back to the 25th?

If you're a surfer trying to rescue a swimmer, as funny as it may be?? punching a "48 year old outta shape cigarette smoking east bay lady from oakland crying" probably isn't the best option, unless she's dragging you down or maybe she was kicking your ass?

The better option is to offer your surfboard. With your board still attached via leash just hand them your board. They should calm down almost immediately with a floatation device, then you can take them to shore.

I think the SF lifeguards probably prevent more "tourist" drownings than actual rescues- I think the coast guard does more rescues?

OB is closer to sunset than pipe for sure. One thing to remember Sunset has a huge channel that you get spit out into. You can also use it for a somewhat mellow paddle out. When OB is big there is no escape and very little easy paddle zones.

The sunset wave and sloat are similiar both have somewhat rampy take offs then steepen as you move down the line. I would agree that OB is harder at 10 foot faces then sunset but if it was ten foot hawiian OB is barely surfable and sunset gets real serious.

Surfed Lindy at lunch. It was just like Resturants only a little slower down the line.
Oh yeah and it wasn't warm. Kelly Slater was out getting almond shaped pit after almond shaped pit. The rights where breaking like Lance's broke on that day in September sessions that Kelly missed (his exact quote) hitting the inside sandbar just like the surgeon's table, only it wasn't reef, cause it was Lindy sand. I threw a down few Tom Carroll snaps as some of the lefts got rounder with the incoming tide and they started to resmeble Pipe way more than Resturant's.

With the right conditions Baker Beach is just like Teahupoo. Look for at least 6' - 8'+ swell from the northwest and a medium-low tide with offshore winds. Shorter rides, and instead of reef you get pitched onto dry sand or nude sunbathers, but otherwise in these conditions its tough to tell the difference between Baker and Chopes.

go home, kaiser.

I just had tuna. It was just like chicken...

e-sweet! boy, you got a way with words/

The models now show a low moving to our NW, then sitting stationary. The Pacific High will regress west, and we will have null winds and overhead longer-period-than usual swell (think 6-7 ft 12 sec 315 deg). And no wind. Did I mention the low should sit reasonably stationary to our NW and quell the wind.

Also, very little wind to go with those overhead waves.

And, in addition, no wind.

Also, there might be some heavy fog and overcast on Friday when the low brings rain....again...rain...in June.

From 2 to 20 Sunset has the goods, and the blessing of a fat channel. I talked with Peter Cole one day a couple of years ago after he got cleaned up and had a reef shredded back. He said he got pushed into the bone yard, had a 10 foot wall of white water approaching and was surprised to find himself in only 12 inches of water - turned turtle and tried to get lifted "up" - got pretty worked, was all cut up, but, smiling and stoked. Hope I'm like that when I'm in my 60's!

Sean (lifeguard) is a wavehog. No respect.

Often thought about the comparison of solid groundswell OB to other waves around the place. been regularly going to Puerto Escondido for a while now. in my humble opinion, on its day OB will look like puerto - maybe a couple of times a year. But, there is something about the cold water, the fucker of a paddle, and the shifting impact zone that makes OB that bit harder to surf.

Warm water is less dense, maybe that makes the beatings a little nicer in the tropics, or at least more spa bath like (with a sand enema at puerto, or a clawing at wherever your favorite heavy reef might be).

Ok Anon, I am home now. So, what do I do now?

Oh, and Sunset or any other reef break doesn't compare to OB. Ever. Period.

Seriously, I am bored at home. Can I leave now or should I just hang out here for a while? Please guide me o' wise one.......

this guy might look mean but oohhh bejeebus can he rip!!
Nino De Ricardo

Well, I like Sean. I don't want to start a fight about it or anything. But I think he's cool, he's always been extremely cool to me at hypercrowded-hyper-pecking-ordered-unmentionable, prolly when I didn't deserve it. He takes his kid(s?) surfing down at Cowells, and at they're cool too. He does get more waves than me... but who doesn't? :)

Sharp Park makes OB look like a kiddie pool on the "like sunset" days.

thats the dude that does alot of coffins right? (lifeguard)

kaiser! make a steak-um sandwich!

hey kaiser, anything good on TV?

Blakestah-

good forecast, you don't really have to post that on your site, do you? :)

I expect the winds to die to down on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons now through the end of July, as that is when I actually have time to kitesurf. I don't have the fancy computer models of NOAA, but I am cursed.

As for lifeguards, I think adults do tend to do fewer stupid things with lifegaurds around (you'll less drinking and swimming), but you'll see more parents letting their kids jump around in the shorebreak. I always get nervous when I see kids in waist deep water, and mom is reading Vanity Fair 150 yds up the beach.

so i get in a accident

its a classic me going straight through intersection and person makes a left right in front of me. other person totally admits fault. its totally thier fault.

i dont have insurance at the time but just got insurance re-enstated today..

so if i didnt have insurance at the time of the accident last saturday..can anything negative happen to me other than the persons insurance company telling the cops i dont have insurance?

what do i have to worry about?

feel free to ignore this question.

Now that I ride a board as big as Scallan's he can't snake me anymore. And what is the deal with the lifeguards surfing while "on duty"?

Tom Allegra is the master of the coffin to spinner to headstand all with no leash in 2-3X OB. Honest to god the cat is amazing. Shaped and glassed his own 10' boards. Haven't seen him for a few years though. Maybe the rocking finally did his back in.

J, I got Gilligan's Island on channel 40. I think I am just going to watch the Univision for a bit though. You know, I can't understand all the spanish but at least the hotesses look nice.

Steak 'em. Solid call.

Anon, never mind on the assist, J and Bagel got me covered. I just hunker down here at home like you requested cool guy.

henry if the cop's didn't show you are scott free with DMV.

don't know if you can get them to pay for your car though

Kaiser I'll bring by some tissues?

Cool, I always drop some Steak' em on the couch. Those will help with the clean up!

Thanks!

Kaiser - howabout some femalian photos to heighten the vibe? That shit lifts my spirits!!

I couldn't agree more...

or how about the female shots with those mushy not worht surfing hawaian waves in the background?

the cops showed but no report..didnt take any of either of our info..

so your saying thier(person who hit me) insurance wont pay for the damage if I dont have insurance?

or your saying MY new insurance wont pay me (i think thats what you mean)

thanks anon

I think Cali's best Sunset impression is somewhere N of Ventura about 5 days a year.

Ole Nino Ricardo!

white bitches are "just like" black bitches

the jetty is just like mavericks

hh-

you might go to jail for that one.

probably just a ticket if the cops figure it out.

bullshit is "just like" baloney

kaiser, i'm gonna drop by and watch the spanish channel with you. i'll grab some doritos (baked, of course, so we can watch our physiques) and some beers on the way over. any preference?

what i want on father's day

you kooks are just like the barneys

e, your words placed me right back in that baja emptiness. glad to hear you scored.

for anyone interested in a musical continuation of e's recent journey, i'd recommend tonight's Lhasa show at the Great American.

here's a little clip of Lhasa from the best record shop in the world (aquarius records):

http://www.aquariusrecords.org/audio/lhasacontoda.m3u

What I want on Father's Day--nice!

i've read better craigs list posts. that ones a little men are from mars women are from venus. imho. "dont give me shit for watching nascar on sunday" and, "i dont eat my vegitables", oh, thats so "man". mediocre at best.

and what idiot wouldn't force wifey to bring home the 24 year old hottie mixed race 1st grade teacher of his kid that he's already been banging for 6 months for a three way.

man some of you guys are whipped.

wonder if the comedy nazi will even be celebrating father's day. i found it hilarious.

i just call 'em like i see 'em pops

give us some funny stuff comedy nazi. let's see it.

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2672935_300.mov

not my material and not his best

hypo-i got in a wreck on the 17 a while ago. i was driving an friend's car who had let her insurance lapse.
the other driver was at fault and there were no reprecussions for me as an uninsured driver. nobody ever asked for my insurance info because i wasn't at fault.
hope this eases your fears, but no two sitches are the same.

and anyway e, im sure most here would agree, nazi's are'nt funny.

J, Cool Ranch or the new Pepperjack Cheese ones!

Just ring the bell, I'll be practicing my Spanish.

thanks steamwand

Hatin' on the lifeguards is pretty weak. Most do their job well. There are however the few that are just there to look cool, but maybe that is more of a LA beach thing.

Although, when i lost my keys in the sand, none of the lifeguards would drive me 10 blocks down the beach to my house and all the ones I asked were dicks about it. Hmmm, guess i wasn't drowning so they didn't care.

Whatever. Let's surf!!!!

Hope I can clear up some debate between O.B. and the North Shore.

I grew up on in Mililani, surfed big ass North Shore since I was 15, went out to outer reef VLand by "mistake" once -- actually, got pulled out by a strong rip -- and was stuck in HUGE 40 feet surf (faces). Used to surf solid TOH Pupukea sandbar, Ehukai sandbar, 10 feet faces at Sandy's, double OH Ala Mo's, Yokes, Sewers, etc... Never went out to seriously big Pipe or OTW, because those places scared the crap outta me. And now, the biggest I've went out to O.B. was on a double OH day at the North Lot, and a double OH at Sloat.

Sloat and VFW's are really different waves. I find VFW's to be more shallower, dumpier, and hollower. Going out to O.B. was pretty effing scary the first few times I went out on any size, because of all of what I heard : the currents, the brutal paddles, the cold, etc... So far, in my honest estimation, the paddle outs are way over-blown and over-hyped. I paddled out the first time in ten minutes, and I was pretty surprised when another guy came up to me and said it seemed like half an hour of trying to get out. Maybe I just got lucky, and he didn't, but still, just time the sets and paddle your ass off. Anyhow, almost all of my paddling out there, to me it really reminds me of getting stuck inside on a reef pass anywhere else. Paddling out in town on Oahu on a sizeable day becames a pain when you get stuck inside and there's no channel to get further out. I dunno, I'd rate the paddle out for O.B. being not that bad. Actually, channel or not, but paddling out to Makaha on a big day becomes brutal with that current pushing all the way in. I'll be paddling my noodle arms off for 20 minutes trying to reach the point in a huge channel.

The currents are bad, but most of the time, I find them running parallel to the beach, which is fine by me. I'd be scared if the rip was pulling me out to sea, which I hear happens when it gets REAL big -- but screw that, i'm not into dying and being scared for my life all the time. Ehukai to OTW has got a terrible undertow that scares me more than the parallel currents at O.B. O.B. has a pretty flat surface that extends up to the shoreline and beyond. That whole Ehukai area slopes up real fast, and the water ends up going up it, and sloshing down forming this bad undertow. The only way you're getting in is you gotta get pounded all the way to shore.

Wave power, quality, etc... Sloat, on a good OH - 1.5 OH day reminds me of good south shore Oahu -- really good south shore Oahu; in terms of power, quality, etc... To me, that's awesome. South Shore Oahu can get real good. North Lot reminds me of Ehukai. I don't know about O.B. being like Sunset in terms of power, etc..., but I do know Sunset dished me out a huge beatdown. I've only been out to inside Sunset on a double OH day and I got the worst hold down in my life on a smaller wave. Man, I got shaken up bad by that, and never went out there again. I hear that's why Kelly Slater doesn't go out to Sunset. He got a real bad beatdown there, and infact skipped the Sunset contest during the World Championship against Andy Irons. If he entered it, and did reasonably well, he could've been a 7 time world champ. Well, that's what I hear, anyway.

On a side note, O.B. during Fall is just one of my most favorite surfing experiences: it's not crowded, it's challenging enough, it's got real good power, great shape, awesome texture, just super fun. The rest of the year, well, that's another story.

Well, after saying all this, i'll probably end up going out there this Winter and getting spanked like no tomorrow.

Oh and E these Baja write-ups have me drooooling. Damn, what a trip. Love the photos and the dude playing guitar at the traffic halt got it right!

Foppert is looking good so far. Go Giants!

Great viscerals e, and thanks millaniguy for the write-up.

[ secret: May-August, on every third Tuesday, Kaiser's B--hT-- breaks just like outer reef Pipeline]

Is Sean the lifeguards last name Scallion? I used to work for an after-school program with his nephew. His brother Chris is a riot, super cool guy. If that's who I'm thinking about. Mililaniguy, good comparisons, but still Apples & Oranges. I won't surf any of the places you mentioned on big days anyway, so I'll guess I'll never know ;)

shocking

Them lifeguys got

a

4 kids, had to move inland. Sorry freakin' story indeed. Topanga born and bred without the attitude of 'The Brigade' , moved north at a young age to play with sharks and learn about solo-session fear. I've got my places, hardly anyone ever intrudes, but the weak link is when to: "...gotta go to work early...", "...gotta stay late...". My NOAA weather radio has certainly been eclipsed by the net. The surf reports by 'Jake' at Surfline are done from a concrete bunker shared with Dick Cheney somewhere in San Clemente.
But you da man!
Keep it vague. But keep it real. Guys like me need that shit.

A major earthquake struck Tuesday night about 80 miles off the coast of northern California, prompting a tsunami warning along the Pacific coast. The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at about 7:50 p.m. southwest of the coastal community of Crescent City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site. A tsunami warning was in effect from the California-Mexico border north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Residents were being evacuated from low-lying areas of Crescent City, KCBS radio reported.

Should get to OB at 9:23. Should we suit up?

hmm....our CC party starting early this year perhaps?? kaiser, u gonna make it?

no tsunamis hit humboldt, wrong kinda earthquake

What does "selling out" mean to you? Anything?

Some here might throw the term around if e were to put google ad words on the site, or throw up a banner for Wise Surfshop. If e did that, he'd be pimping the spiritual path, the local jewels, everything you hold dear, for filthy dollars. Commerce is so ugly!

Why? Because surfing is more than something you do for exercise, or even fun, its a way of looking at the world and its a way of looking at your self.

But at the same time, some of you, maybe the same ones (kookdom?) who might call e a "sell out" for paying his costs or even god forbid making some money off his take on local surf conditions and affairs, would defend the guys behind Aqua, when they plant a shop 40+ blocks from the beach, for the clear purpose of making money off the current popularity of surfing in the broader population, from people who, in the majority, probably do not surf or understand any of the nuances of the culture that has captured their passing fancy based on ads in magazines and on tv, movies like Blue Crush, bands like Blink 182.

So which is it? I know the guys who own Aqua surf well at the beach, throw out good vibes (I've never experienced the hard sell or the I'm too cool for a kook like you routine at the shop on Sloat, which is not something you can say about every shop near the Great Highway), and all that. But they're making (a probably not huge amount of) money off the pursuit that is pure in your mind, the path to enlightenment, peace and harmony with the natural world. Not to single out Aqua, Bob Wise too, and even John Schultz, they're all making money off it.

Right, the surf shop provides essential goods and services, and the best provide space for the precious culture to grow, breath and be passed on. Also, pros, photograhpers, and small and large companies selling hard and soft goods. Making a little or a lot of dollars off surfing, with a vested interest in its popularity and consumability among the population at large. Is Slater a sellout? AI? (yes!) Rastovich? (no!) Craig Stecyk? (hell no!). What is the essential difference? Is there one?

Art is an interesting analogy, some artists make handsome fortunes from their efforts. Art is not generally analyzed as a commodity, but it is by some, including some major artists and right now, hedge fund managers and other entirely commercial types bringing their trading skills uptown to adorn the walls of their Carnegie Hill co-ops with profit potential. But as soon as the work of a given artist is perceived as a commodity, its value plummets.

Most people are sellouts, right. We buy our food in stores, we don't grow it or kill it. We work for companies and firms, selling scarce hours of our weeks, months and lives for cash, selling our bodies, our creativity, our personality for a wage, or a salary or a royalty.

So what does it mean? Sell out.

"I dunno, I'd rate the paddle out for O.B. being not that bad."

I stand by my words: not that bad -- meaning, it doesn't stand out in my mind as being particularly unusual.