E's Surf Report

im first

I wish SFGate wouldn't have it so proudly displayed. My wife is going to freak out.

I feel awful for the guy and his family. Have they even figured out who he is yet? Obviously I am very curious to know what exactly happened. And I am wondering if it's really true, as blakestah says, that driving to the beach is more dangerous than surfing it. Yes, more people die in cars, but there are way more hours spent in cars.

Like obro wrote this morning at the end of Friday's comment page, the inside is gnarly at lots of places on the beach right now. I had a similar experience to obro on Saturday: denied at first---taking a few spins around a huge eddy, actually, with another surfer and I looping around each other over and over. Then when I finally got to the whomping suck-out bar and got a full-body sand rinse on my first duckdive, I didn't want any part of it and just turned tail. That was mid-beach. Yesterday was less freaky, but I went to VFW's where it was a bit gentler (heck, a dry-hair paddle-out), but much more crowded. Sorry to name, but people should know (if they don't already) that the inside stuff is different at different spots and really bad at some---take a look around.

Isn't this guy local? Just a PSA if anyone knows him, Moonlight has your blank. I only post 'cause I would be stoked to know....

The inside at the south end is fucking insane right now. I throw some caution out there as well. Sand is all over the place, troughs, holes, channels, rivers, whatever you call it, there is water running every direction.

Be mindful and take it easy...

Great stretch of weather for surfing though. About damn time!

"Scallan said the beach is particularly dangerous now because winter storms have moved the sand around, creating troughs parallel to the beach that cause swift channels of water known as rip currents to move quickly away from shore."

Those "troughs" enabling rips would be perpendicular, not parallel to the beach, right?

personally i've been loving the inside mayhem lately. sorry for the death. but. the inside sandbars have created some exciting, dredging sickness.

The troughs are parallel to the beach - it's the breaks in them that have the rips.

troughs, rips, bars, inside mayhem
call it what you want , it all translated into about a 20 min. paddle out yesterday morn. Finally got outside then got sucked way out side. Had to paddle back into the line up. Finally jumped on a sweet right drop (worth the price of admission)that started to mush out so I started to pump and work it a little ....mistake...another long paddle, had to pay the price of admission twice. heard the sirens ...caught another right cut back left and called it a sesh.
little surfing but great exercise.

new mag:
http://a-framemag.com/mags/03/

One of our own was performing CPR until the SFFD arrived. I got out of the water just as the FD was arriving. The guy looked fit. I suspect he got nailed on the inside because there was a big zone between outside and inside that had no waves pushing through. Hard to imagine he washed in from the outer bar but anything is possible.

That was one of the saddest things I've witnessed. I kept thinking about his family all day. An empty chair at the dinner table...

Has he been identified? I've seen a written description, but no name.

Very sad.

Uh-oh, a couple of niceness heads discovered my secret paddle out spot. Dry hair on Saturaday and Sunday. Rip took me right where i wanted to be in just a few minutes.

OB is rarely dangerous because it is self policing. Most days that you can't get out are days you shouldn't be out. The rare sketchy day that you manage to find a temporary lull or channel is when it gets dangerous.

As for comparisons, MUNI recently released figures that bus accidents kill about one person a month in the city. There have been very few surfer drowning in SF. I was out at the time the last guy drowned and he was from out of town. Other than that I can't remember a surfer drowning in SF for 30 years. The people that drowned in '98 were all inexperienced swimmers without wetsuits. Some got dragged out, some swam and couldn't get back in. The the lifeguard program started and blowhards like Scallan took their macho poses on the beach in between surf breaks. for a year they had a jet ski patrolling back and forth getting in the way of surfers (well, at least one surfer) until the program was stopped after a particularly nasty confrontation with the park service.

I recall seeing statistics that surfing is actually on of the safest sports when judged by time spent versus injuries. The worst IIRC were moto-cross and...ballet!

Keep surfing no matter what.

Sean O'Flaherty Fahey of San Francisco.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/23/MNGO4GRN624.DTL

Not to be morbid, but it might be a good idea to write your name and address on the inside of your wetsuit.

DEAD SAN FRANCISCO SURFER IDENTIFIED

January 23, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - A surfer who died at Ocean Beach Sunday has been identified as Sean O'Flaherty-Fahey, a 33-year-old San Francisco man, a spokesman for the San Francisco Medical Examiner said today.

O'Flaherty-Fahey lost consciousness at Ocean Beach Sunday morning and died at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center at 11:04 a.m., according to the National Park Service.

A dispatcher with the San Francisco Fire Department said medical personnel and National Park Service rangers responded to Ocean Beach near Sloat Boulevard and Great Highway around 10 a.m. after a caller reported that a person was unconscious on the beach.

National Park Service officials said it appears the surfer was pulled out of the water by people visiting the beach, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

A spokesman said that the medical examiner has not yet established a cause of death.

what happened between the lifeguards and the park service. that I want to hear.

Brought back memories of watching the SD guards at Blacks pick-up chicks all day and then give you stinkeye when you waved and said thanks for keeping an eye on us, how about a ride up?

No, the confrontation was between the surfers and the lifeguards. After, um, reviewing the situation the jet ski patrol was discontinued at OB. I think they might still do it at Stinson. Sorry, confidentiality agreement precludes me from giving any more facts.

i went out midbeach on saturday and got denied. my first ever denial at ob (although i don't surf the huge stuff). it was big and extremely powerful on the inside. after a 25 minute struggle, a bonk on the head from a bad duckdive, and a growing sense of helplessness and fear, i turned around and paddled in. as did my friend. we went down to sloat and marvelled at how much smaller it was. but the inside thumpers quickly humbled us. i caught some great waves, but also took some serious poundings. i went home completely exhausted and took some shit from the wife because i just wanted to nap...

what a shame....RIP....it could have been any one of us.......and there's a good chance that one of us knows who this person is...

Better not to ask why... I lost a friend who was an expert snowboarder. He was one of the top 10 on Vail mountain in 2001. In his case, it was a combination of a weak heart and a terrain trap that took his life. While I could speculate on all sorts of mistakes that he might have made that day, it is worthless to do so. I do care to think of him and live my life with the same joy that he had, serving God in every step. In times like these, it is good to reflect on who you serve...

very high paddle out time/effort to waves caught ratio this weekend. some nice stuff way out but tough to be in the right spot, especially on a shortboard. the inside dredgers weren't doing it for me. only few memorable rides but still good to get out there.

i was surprised by the conditions on sunday after the surfpulse report described it as small and fun. saw several denials mid-beach.

rest in peace drowned surfer. very sad.

the rangers and the paramedics all passed me on the great
highway as i headed toward sloat. pulled into the mayhem.

the thing that i heard that is odd is that no board showed up
and more importantly no leash was attached to the guy's
leg. are we SURE he was surfing and not just swimming like
the last few folks that have drowned at ob?

scallan is an "authority" on safety my ass.
saturday i watched him drop in and burn this poor
bastard on a really large set wave outside at said break.

the really creepy thing was seeing the medical examiner
guys in the nylon coats with purple rubber gloves on
go through the guy's car; which was 2 down from mine.

"His board washed up after his body was taken to the hospital"

Scallon sucks. needs to go to anger management class.

Sean Scallan has escorted more people to safety at OBSF than all of the park rangers combined, and probably more than all the other lifeguards combined too...despite the fact that he is smaller than any of the rest of them. He actually has to ask the ranger's permission before he takes his big foamy out to the rescue, because the lifeguards don't operate in winter, and in any case the rangers are feds and the lifeguards are city. Feb 10th 2003 he pulled about a dozen guys in who were swept past Seal Rock (the 47 footer backed through the breakers a half dozen times to get the rest, and dropped them off on the outside at VFWs with the promise that they would take the first wave in). Scallan's aggressiveness wrt surf etiquette, esp. at some localized breaks, is quite legendary., but he never did me wrong.

Unusual stuff can happen anywhere. It is sad when it happens at OBSF. RIP, Sean O'Flaherty-Fahey.

Those inside grinders can get pretty ugly in mid-winter at Sloat. Like big, enormous, sand-dredgers.

Now, kdalle, tell us what you said to the jetski patrol that pissed them off ;)

i just remembered! Mike Cruikshank was the guy that rescued the swimmer during the finals of the WQS contest about 10 years ago in some fairly heavy conditions. He won. My memory synapses are atrophied.

and the resuling mag articles (RE: cruickshank and that contest) was the beginning of the end for OB obscurity.

As for lifeguards, 3 miles of beach and about 2 to 5 minutes from the initial time of drowning to save a life. What are the odds of being exactly in the right spot at the right time? OB Lifeguards are more effective for prevention/policing than resuscitation, though they are capable under the right conditions.

thanks blake. i never questioned his work ethic
or whether or not he was a qualified life guard...
i have seen on numerous occaisions paddle around
people, stuff them, drop in and generally carry
himself as though it were his beach to do so.
the guy he stuffed saturday got worked something
fierce as he had to straighten out to avoid scallan
and took the business end of a set wave on the head.

that is a dick move and runs counter to being a
steward of the beach or of safety. i can forgive
a few drop ins in playful surf but not when it is big.

hypocrite is how i see it.

kdalle-
see the anon post
we want the story
its part of OB history that we all should enjoy
RIP Sean
With a name like that he could be a real local

Port angeles, Neah bay, Westport = PNW
Surfed them all. I'm owned.

korewin, your barred, back to cackalacky with your tranny ass.

Scallan dropped in on me off the dune at Lincoln 2 years ago on a sweet left. I will never forget the drop in as it was about as blantant as it can be. To make it worse, I had to watch him ride the face while the whitewater munched at my heels.

When I see him in the lineup now, I usually paddle away from him unless I think I am gonna drown, then I might stay nearby.

He is what he is. Respect or no respect. Just don't steal my waves on your log!

I should add, he is a good surfer. Respect.

IMHO It seems like everything's more exaggerated than the winter setup last year: bigger holes, shallower sandbars, rougher hold downs including innocuous looking inside mush, etc.. I haven't even wanted to *try* to get outside, been paddling a bit just for exercise and to get a feel for the place again. For me the beach has an extra nasty "vibe " to it. fyi talked to a local bodysurfer who got pulled waaaaaaay out on a rip mid-beach. Kicked for 20 minutes South to get out of it, didn't pull out, had to turn around and kick the other way. Surfing is fun, but this kook is not monkeying around w/that shit. Maybe the bars will reconfigure to something friendlier....wishful thinking...

That said, poor guy on Sunday could have been the best surfer in town and still bonked his head on the board.

RIP Sean O'Flaherthy-Fahey.

any less hypocritical than watching it all go down and then attemtping to discredit the guy with your anonymous handle?

the guy has a reputation of keeping the beach safe. what do you got?

and so you know, the lifeguards main goal is to protect beachgoers. surfers with a flotation device and wetsuit are deemed prepared and safe all on their own. so surf at your own risk.

watch it from your computer screen this year:

http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=19813

and for all you stoners - we finally have CA bud floating around here in OH. lastest crop of Purple Nurple grown outdoor in N CA has arrived.

keep pimpin'

I wonder if Korewin has ever even picked up any trash when returning from his session?

Pick up some trash and keep the beach clean and your mouths shut. All of you.

dude with the helmet seems like a dick in the water though ive never had a run in or snake from him. but one time i was painting on the beach and he drives up in his truck and we exchange pleasentrys for a few minutes, super friendly. huge props to him though and he can snake me if he wants.

so i think i saw the guys board getting washed in, 2 hooded samaritans paddled a bit further out from our inside spot around second lot to retrieve the lonely board, the thing almost hit me as it took a set wave in sideways, someone grabbed it i guess and took it to the parking lot i saw someone grab the grey epoxy mini long board thing and take it somewhere..super sad, i was hoping the guy just swam in with his board, possibly a different board..rip that dude

swam in 'without' his board

How many waves did you blow in front of Scallan before he dropped in on you?

not to overshadow this tragedy with this scallon thing...but wasn't there much noise on this board recently about the bodyboarder dropping in on that dude at pipe and getting his ass kicked? if anyone should be setting an example in the water, it's gotta be the lifeguard.

small wave snake = dick
big wave snake = DICK

And they say there is no such thing as a stupid question. Anon posted two in a row!

Yesterday's death was another sad and tragic event. I was one of the people who assisted in the attempted rescue. My great thanks to all who helped, especially John. I can rest assured that during those eternal minutes waiting for the FD we did all that we could for Sean. I only did what I would hope someone might do for me in the same situation. In my opinion the ocean had taken his spirit before he reached the beach, although we tried with all our hearts to resuscitate him. Sean rest in peace, my thoughts and prayers go out to your family and friends.

oh, the fires are burning early...
just so the anon poster gets his answer..

i've seen korwin pick up more trash than 3/4 of the surfers that surf this fucked up beach.

Good on ya Artifact. We need more peeps like yourself on this planet.

Aw c'mon blakestah, you know I would never say anything to piss anyone off. Never forget but never let them know you remember.

Get a wave, give a wave, share a wave.

time for someone to shoot their board at that snake/lifeguard. just aim for the legs and take him out of the water for a couple weeks. dont aim to kill, just aim to slightly bruise and knock sense into such idiots. no group punch-up, no sand fighting, just a gentle reminder that being a dick, especially to locals isnt "cool".

just my thoughts. stick up for that shit all you want, but blatant snaking, when it is big, is wrong, lifeguard or not. You can save lives and NOT snake people. it is possible.

agreed on picking up the trash. OB is so phucking dirty. i'm up for huge littering fines. BRING IT!!

The inner bars were certainly wreaking havoc yesterday afternoon. Denied at first from where I first set out, I exited and went north from where I was. Easy paddle. Caught one of the best waves of my life--OB has a strange way of giving gifts. A drop I didn't think I'd make. Barely held on--down the line in the belly of the beast. Great feeling. However, it seemed like a day that the ocean could take someone's life. I watched a lot of surfers from the bluffs as they were pulled about by the rips and currents. There were some serious thumpers on the inside bars. Saw many places that could really be lethal. Saw a number of youths playing in waters where the current is strong. Too bad there aren't more lifeguard patrols on duty.

Thanks for trying to help Artifact. It is a reminder to be looking out for those around you. Even the ones you don't know. No doubt that we all want someone looking out for us when we need help...

Well Tobias, maybe korewin will pack you up and take you with him. Fellas, don't let the door... etc.

RIP Sean O'Flaherty-Fahey. "Go raibh t� leathuair ar Neamh sula mb�onn a fhios ag an diabhal go bhfuil t� marbh."

good on ya, korewin.

this deserves a second posting:

>>>
that is a dick move and runs counter to being a
steward of the beach or of safety. i can forgive
a few drop ins in playful surf but not when it is big.

hypocrite is how i see it.
>>>

I TOTALLY AGREE

bring on the women

nice job aritfact!

I am firmly convinced that bad-mouthing Sean on the internet is not productive in the slightest, nor do I find it likely that any actions taken by people who post here will change his behavior. Really, its been going on for over 25 years already. You can learn to live with Sean and surf with him if you give him some space while you get used to him.

Just like nearly every other local at nearly every other break.

Yeah, strong work artifact! I'd buy you a beer if I thought I would see you in the next year!

As I drove over the hill, down towards the beach yesterday, I could see offshore winds holding up some decent waves breaking outside. Sadly, they backed-off pretty quickly as they rolled into a good size "lagoon" between the outer bars and what looked like (even at that distance) some semi-serious inside crazyness. I don't surf the inner bars anymore. I've gotten slammed off the bottom too many times and a couple of years ago I ended up at the ER, in a neck brace, with my head and chest taped to the gurney. They wanted to be sure I didn't move after I nearly snapped my neck, eating it on a chest-high inner bar pile-driver. Apparently, I was just a few millimeters from quadriplegia.
But I've gone out on days like yesterday thinking, "I'll just pull my board through the shorepound and it'll be easy paddling across the gap to the outside." Sometimes it works; other times I get totally worked and denied by the shorebreak. Still other times, I make it past the inside mayhem only to be caught in enormously strong and opposing currents in the deceptively calm looking "lagoon" - no forward / no reverse. Stuck like a fly on fly-paper, I wear myself out paddling nowhere. Eventually, I give up, drift in slowly and take some lumps as I get tossed back up onto the beach.
Yesterday I was seriously conflicted - I wanted to got out, but I had other stuff to do. Conditions were offshore, glassy and sunny, but the setup looked slightly off-kilter.
I went to SF surf Shop to picked up my new board; there I heard that an unidentified surfer had just drowned at Sloat. Jesus! Fuck! I immediately called my son to be sure he was o.k. - that it hadn't been him during a break from work. He said they'd heard the sirens, but weren't sure what had happened.
It's all pretty fuckin' wierd. Oftentimes there's just a hairbreadths difference between having fun out there and tragedy. A little more torque to the left, or right as the cranium is driven into the sand; tad less space between body and board during a particularly explosive wipeout and any of us could have our lives changed forever ... or, like Sean's, ended.
I'm sorry to get all dramatic, but I'm kinda shook.
A single fact can change an event like this from the sort of detatched sympathy we have for people we don't know, into unimaginably devastating grief. I didn't know this brother Sean, but one of us died yesterday, surfing at our home break. Shit. My deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends.

Top Ten Chuck Norris Facts
1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Ever.
2. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
3. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
4. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.
5. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris, you may be only seconds away from death.
6. Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice.
7. Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting implies the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.
8. Chuck Norris' blood type is AK+. Ass-Kicking Positive. It is compatible only with heavy construction equipment, tanks, and fighter jets.
9. Chuck Norris is 1/8th Cherokee. This has nothing to do with ancestry, the man ate a f**king Indian.
10. In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Chuck Norris, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.
11. There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.

Way to go artifact. You built up lots of good karma, although I know that isn't why you did it.

Actually, blakestah, I have found an action that does change Sean's behavior. I now ride boards bigger than his and generally get into waves before him. Now, when he sees me coming he usually paddles away.

After these last run of mega swells, i will have to say that the bars are totally f-ed up. that huge trough between the inside and outside is ridiculous. i had a tough time getting out past the inside pounders sunday at ortega but then once outside i had to keep paddling back to shore to stay in the break zone. 3 hours, 6 waves, not a great surfing to paddling ratio.

artifact - Thank you. I hope someone like you is around when me, or one of mine need 'em.

The girl who drowned last week at Campus Point left behind a beautiful little girl and a fiance that will need to raise her by himself.

I know it can be tough to give a little financial support but this guy is gonna need all the help he can get.

I have absolutely know idea how he is gonna deal w/ his 2 year old asking where mommy is over the next couple weeks.

Do what you can.

One of "us", definitely Jimmy.

RIP.

The worst of us locals remind me of "frat boys" and it's certainly the most socially repellent shit I've ever seen but whatever, that's your karma to wreck, not mine. Engage the Nice-ness generator and the foolishness fades. Easy.

Gracias, just to clarify I posted that not to take credit for anything- I was just one human trying to help another human. It was more of a reminder in wake of these 2 deaths that we all need to be looking out for one another. I believe we all have an innate responsibility to help others in need. Thanks for all those that have supported Ben, his daughter and family during their loss, it has been greatly appreciated.

On a lighter note, I saw Dennis catch a sweet set wave on Sat, Nice one!

For the non-Gaelic speaking folks

Old Irish saying;
"Go raibh t� leathuair ar Neamh sula mb�onn a fhios ag an diabhal go bhfuil t� marbh."

Translation;
"May you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead".

RIP

back door

http://www.dreamcatcherproductions.ie/film1.html

nice work artifact. it's really too bad that these two tragic events have impacted you...but it's great to see you remain positive and still spread the love.

a couple months ago i rescued a girl down in manhattan beach. she was a beginner in the shorebreak and got sucked out in heavy rips. her surf instructor and the lifeguards sitting in their trucks did not assist. fortunately she was ok and did not require CPR.......these types of events are extremely powerful, and if viewed correctly can alter the way we live our lives and spend time in the ocean. hopefully all of us can take something away from these tragedies and do our part to prevent them in the future.

love the chuck norris stuff. hilarious.

nice work artifact.

sean scallon takes off on bombs. not the most beautiful style. but.. the man takes off on bombs. and has a wicked mustache.

rip sloat dude and santa barbara mom. hopefully their last moments were green-rooms.

Guy dies. Blake remembered. Bagel lame. Leave Sean alone - pick on something else; like a wave you can't possibly catch...

Guy dies. Blake remembered. Bagel lame. Leave Sean alone - pick on something else; like a wave you can't possibly catch...

you lame.

Damn, artifact.

HUGE shoutout to you and the others in that situation.

Your the real deal Artifact.

....hopefully their last moment was a cosmic connection and timeless bonding with family...

surfing means nothing

Thanks Artifact. It was an accident. I was paddling to move inside when all of a sudden the wave caught me by surprise :)

Surfpulse and the HMB Park and Rec Dept. are giving a CPR/Ocean Safety course in February. Call the HMB Park and Rec Department for details. After yesterday's tragedy it reminds one of the importance of being prepared. Even if you think tou know this stuff, in an emergency your mind tends to go blank - we should all practice regularly. Peace.

SHRED on shredders. probably nice out there right now. Too bad i'm in cubeville. whaaa.

Listening to cheezy steve vai "alien love secrets".. oh so cheezy.. but.. some rippy stuff too.

angry people please go to aggroville.

um.. while i agree with your general sentiment, their last moments could not have been family-bonding, because they were both surfing (unless they were surfing with thier families?). Last moments could have been "cosmic connection" in the form of green-rooms. hopefully.

rip

Additional Chuck Norris Facts:

* Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.
* Crop circles are Chuck Norris' way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie the f**k down.
* Chuck Norris is ten feet tall, weighs two-tons, breathes fire, and could eat a hammer and take a shotgun blast standing.
* The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It failed miserably.
* Contrary to popular belief, Chuck Norris, not the box jellyfish of northern Australia, is the most venomous creature on earth. Within 3 minutes of being bitten, a human being experiences the following symptoms: fever, blurred vision, beard rash, tightness of the jeans, and the feeling of being repeatedly kicked through a car windshield.
* Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Chuck Norris has 72... and they're all poisonous.
* If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds 'til." After you ask, "Two seconds 'til what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.
* Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.
* When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes, ever.
* The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris' fist.
* Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear.
* Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.
* There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allows to live.
* Chuck Norris once ate three 72 oz. steaks in one hour. He spent the first 45 minutes having s*x with his waitress.
* In a fight between Batman and Darth Vader, the winner would be Chuck Norris.
* Chuck Norris is the only man to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.
* Police label anyone attacking Chuck Norris as a Code 45-11.... a suicide.
* Chuck Norris doesn't churn butter. He roundhouse kicks the cows and the butter comes straight out.

Chuck Norris doesn't duck dive at Mavs!

welcome to 3 months ago

Chuck Zito kicked Chuck Norris's ass.

Port angeles, Neah bay, Westport = you and every other Wannasurf kook. Only Authentic Surf Knowledge, earned the Authentic Surf Lifestyle way gets you the true PNW gems.

Playing hooky on a monday morning for todays waves was pretty epic. Even got lucky on an easy paddle out. Beautiful conditions. Willie tomorrow at the Fillmore.

Barry Zito pitches for the A's and allegedely surfs.

Ocean Beach, Surfline Cam of the Day. I can hear them packing up in Tennessee.

Top 1 Chuck Norris Fact:

- his martial art has been completely debunked by the UFC, Pride and other "anything goes" fight competitions. Long live Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. Leave the make-believe fantasy martial arts to the McDojos.

I think it is now clear that Chuck Norris is in fact,

Mavs Charging Charger

what ever happened to Chris Isaak?

and plays guitar in his sister's band "the Sarah Zito Project"

he still sucks. i bussed his and wynona ryders table at beach challet one time..

thanks for the heads up on the willie show the wrestler! not missing him this time..

More in sfgate:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/23/MNGO4GRN624.DTL

Maybe telling: "in recent months, had taken up surfing"

More details on Sean O'Flaherty Fahey.

(01-23) 02:31 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- At 33, Sean O'Flaherty Fahey had earned three degrees -- including a doctorate -- in engineering mechanics, but he never stopped taking classes and trying to learn new things.

He was enrolled in two business courses at San Francisco State University, was studying Gaelic in honor of his Irish heritage and, in recent months, had taken up surfing.

Fahey's quest for new experiences turned out to be deadly.

On Sunday, beachgoers found him unconscious, floating face-up, in shallow water just off San Francisco's Ocean Beach near Sloat Boulevard after an apparent surfing accident.

A nurse who happened to be surfing at Ocean Beach at the time and another man tried to resuscitate Fahey, but to no avail. Fahey was pronounced dead at UCSF Medical Center shortly after 11 a.m.

The medical examiner is investigating the cause of Fahey's death, which is being treated for now as a drowning.

News of his death shocked Fahey's colleagues at CSA Engineering in Mountain View, where he had worked since 2000, according to a biographical page he recently had posted at the online community site MySpace.com.

Eric Anderson, vice president of CSA Engineering, recalled Fahey as "analytical, a lot of candor, straight-shooter, no BS."

"He was very serious about the work, but at the same time he had a rich, full life outside of work with a circle of friends," Anderson said.

Those friends dated to Fahey's college days at the University of Vermont in his hometown of Burlington, where his mother still lives. Anderson said he also had a brother.

In Vermont, Fahey earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering. In 2000, Fahey received his doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg. His father, Kevin Paul Fahey, didn't live to see his son earn the advanced degree; Fahey dedicated his dissertation to him.

Since 2004, Fahey had been working toward a master's degree in business at San Francisco State University.

In October, he moved from Dolores Street to a loft he bought in a brand-new condominium building on Bluxome Street in the South of Market neighborhood.

E-mail Suzanne Herel at sherel@sfchronicle.com.

URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/23/MNGO4GRN624.DTL

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�2006 San Francisco Chronicle

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More re: Chuck Norris:

* Chuck Norris doesn't wash his clothes, he disembowels them.
* A Handicapped parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Chuck Norris and that you will be handicapped if you park there.
* Chuck Norris will attain statehood in 2009. His state flower will be the Magnolia.
* Nagasaki never had a bomb dropped on it. Chuck Norris jumped out of a plane and punched the ground.
* Chuck Norris originally appeared in the "Street Fighter II" video game, but was removed by Beta Testers because every button caused him to do a roundhouse kick. When asked bout this "glitch," Norris replied, "That's no glitch."
* Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Chuck Norris once and he will f**k you up.
* The opening scene of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" is loosely based on games of dodgeball Chuck Norris played in second grade.
* Chuck Norris once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling, "Bang!"
* Chuck Norris once bet NASA he could survive re-entry without a spacesuit. On July 19th, 1999, a naked Chuck Norris re-entered the earth's atmosphere, streaking over 14 states and reaching a temperature of 3000 degrees. An embarrassed NASA publically claimed it was a meteor, and still owes him a beer.
* Chuck Norris has two speeds: Walk and Kill.
* Someone once tried to tell Chuck Norris that roundhouse kicks aren't the best way to kick someone. This has been recorded by historians as the worst mistake anyone has ever made.
* Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on a true story: Chuck Norris once swallowed a turtle whole, and when he crapped it out, the turtle was six feet tall and had learned karate.
* Simply by pulling on both ends, Chuck Norris can stretch diamonds back into coal.
* 4 out of 5 doctors fail to recommend Chuck Norris as a solution to most problems. Also, 80% of doctors die unexplained, needlessly brutal deaths.
* Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse... horses are hung like Chuck Norris.
* Faster than a speeding bullet ... more powerful than a locomotive ... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... yes, these are some of Chuck Norris's warm-up exercises.
* Chuck Norris is the only human being to display the Heisenberg uncertainty principle -- you can never know both exactly where and how quickly he will roundhouse-kick you in the face.
* In the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine. But then Chuck Norris turned that wine into beer.
* Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.
* Chuck Norris discovered a new theory of relativity involving multiple universes in which Chuck Norris is even more badass than in this one. When it was discovered by Albert Einstein and made public, Chuck Norris roundhouse-kicked him in the face. We know Albert Einstein today as Stephen Hawking.
* Chuck Norris' favorite cereal is Kellogg's Marbles 'N' Gravel.
* The Chuck Norris military unit was not used in the game Civilization 4, because a single Chuck Norris could defeat the entire combined nations of the world in one turn.
* In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Chuck Norris could use to kill you, including the room itself.

Brokeback Mountain = Bareback Mounting?

Go Seminoles!!

Today's quiz: What is the surfing connection with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Forget Chris Isaak...whatever happened to James Calvin Wilsey? Loved his strat work.

Sad about the drowning. Surfing is fun and embodies great life lesson. You can't blame him for pushing his limits even if he was new to it. RIP. Kudos to artifact. We should all be ready to do the same.

tip of my tongue, old time long island surfer, haussenstamm?

Gary Propper on the Ninja Turtle thing. Good question about Wilsey. He was the Avengers guitarist (bass player?) too.

heh, I had the east coast thing down.

le bron

Ended up going out at lunchtime today where Sean ended up. I couldn't shake the vibe that had been cast for me...I didn't commit fully and tried to drop early but ended up sitting at the lip, then being taken over the falls and held down for about 20 seconds...long enough to start scratching...got a screamer after that and just headed in...

...came home and started trying to figure out why I was so bothered by this other than the obvious...made a few calls and as it turns out Sean's new loft is under mine. He was my neighbor.

I did not know him personally other than passing in the building.

I never saw him with a board, I've never seen anyone with a board in my building. But if I had...

I regret not knowing him.
I regret not knowing him and possibly helping him understand what little I have learned about the many personalities of that bitch OB.
OB can own you on a 2ft day low tide suck out or on a 10+ ft heaving sunny day.
Doesn't matter who you are, she will take when and how she wants to take.

I would like to challenge myself and each and every one of us to reach out to those who may be learning or relatively new to our surf community and look these people seriously in the eye - and inform them of how volatile, violent and irreverant OB can be. It's not a f-in sandbox, it's dangerous out there (both from conditions and from other people).

I think we owe that to Sean, ourselves and our community.

MM

Twould be nice to see some sort of coming together for this fellow, perhaps a paddle-out (on a mellow Sloat day) organized by one of Sean's friends?

Agree MM, but with the popularity and the onslaught of "fad" surfers this kind of thing is bound to happen.

I think this is the 1st time I've heard of a novice surfer paddling out and dying at OB (since 1996, my arrival). Anybody have add'l info to corrobrate/refute?

twin focks, wedge, the stump, cape b

http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games2/gameindex/tacticalassassinbig.htm

check this game.
there goes your productivity

MM- One of the most insightful, thoughtful posts in a long time. I think it's also important not to understate the seriousness of conditions. I've heard macho guys say "heck, it wasn't a big deal" and watch other guys get absolutely thrashed. Most of the Mav's regulars I've met have zero false bravado. I don't surf big waves, but I've still had some pretty scary hold downs at OB or even the North end of Mar or M-Scara. The next drowning will probably be in San Mateo, given the number of people flocking to Kaiser's Cove.

names do not matter. its all about the knowing when and where. without the Authentic knowledge, they are just places on the coast.

I remember 2 times last year I felt like I was scared enough to go straight in. I got sucked over the falls on a bomb on a silly little 6 10" board, and some bombs are not like others. Down, up and over, then it was like I was in a toilet bowl flsuhed down to the bottom. But anyway, after that I kept thinking, damn I am surprised no one gets killed here. If you panic and/or are a newbee its scary.

Fortunately deaths don't happen very often at OB.

But then there is getting knocked out by your board, that can happen so when I know I am going to bite it, I cover my head with my arms as completely as I can and suck up like a ball. I think at OB getting knocked out by your board is a definite possiblilty.

As for people cutting people off - its not cool no matter who you are, or who you think you are, and it can be, obviously, dangerous.

Either way I feel for Sean's family RIP...

"The next drowning will probably be in San Mateo, given the number of people flocking to Kaiser's Cove."

Nothing like dimininshing good vibes and stoke with a glad handed ass-wipe comment like that to stoke out your internet surfing bro.

The home address, occupation, race, color of wetsuit, hairdo or level of surfing ability of a person who burns another person is IMMATERIAL and IRRELEVANT. Anyone who consciously burns someone, without instantly doing whatever possible to get out of the way of the person burned, establishes themself as a dangerous FUCKWAD. On waves of consequence, as they like to preach on the north shore, this is a LIFE-THREATENING action.

Really sad about Sean. I think it was said after Foo died, but surf with a buddy whenever you can.

my thoughts are that it is incredibly irresponsible for a lifeguard to purposely drop in on others in big surf. uncalled for, hypocritical, and stupid.
i hate assholes that do that.
it wont be long until one of them causes a death due to the faded guy having his board hit him.

RIP Sean and Michelle. god that sucks!

Foo was surfing with buddies, lots of them, and photographers and a huge audience and he still disappeared. Like blakestah said, unusual stuff happens. I was out at Sloat not long after he drowned. I didn't know it had happened. It was a fairly crowded day out there with lots of people on the beach and in the lots watching the surf. Even several photographers with telephoto lenses. People paddling in and out and yet no one saw him floating. It's all strange and sad. It's good to be out with a friend but at OB you have to behave as if you're out alone at all times. Even on a crowded day there may be no one there in time to save you.

good thoughts and words Malibu Mike

Steve Vai is the fuckin' electric guitar God! Joe Satriani's Surfing with an Alien was the best electric guitar album, for me, ever.

Even when I surf with a friend, I rarely see them after paddling out. Maybe you'll connect once or twice during the session but unless it's waist-high, OB really dosen't let you "surf with someone" else. I make a point of avoiding crowds so I guess that ups my odds of washing up on the beach some morning, too.

mm > well played.

Hey Dem, just wondering, can you get Princess Leia to confer local status on me too?

oooo moted!

Maybe you missed my point. On a big day 10 years ago there was no one in the lot in Pacifica. Now it's filled with cars. I'm worried about new surfers who don't know the difference between the north end and the south.

The volume of new surfers increases the probability that someone will paddle out where they shouldn't. It's very sad to me because it might be prevented.

I apologize if my comments seemed insensitive. But the primary risk to beginners is not at OB, it's south of town.

I'm a heartless bastard. Anything that will reduce crowds and keep the dough heads out of the water is great in my book. Bring on more deaths by drowning, shark attack and shallow sand bars.

so pacifica is now a dangerous spot?? and it has big days?! screw ob, let's charge pacifica!!

I had a fucking awesome day. FUCK YEAH im so STOKED. Get in the water, get a fuckin nose-ride right, takes forever and it was BEA-FUCKING-UTIFUL!!!! and then i got a shotgun left and another fuckin right. a couple big ol drops but the waves closed out and i got stuck in whitewash, oh well. fucking so after that i come home, plop my ass in the hot tub and smoke a fat cigar. and after THAT my parents have cooked me up a fatty london broil and i fuckin pig out on prime ass juicy steak and salad and potatoes, and finish it all of with some grub ass chocolate cookies and FROSTING AND MILK!!!!! OH YEAH im feeling fucking good. best day ive had surfin for a long time. MEGA STOKE

my day was mediocore. not good, not bad. just medicore.

"my parents have cooked me up a fatty london broil"

wtf? your parents?

The story started so good. Surf, hot tub, cigar -and then it comes to a screeching halt with "my parents". Not that I don't love my parents but hey, rewrite that bit and substitute "my parents" with "my bisexual, stripper wife and her girlfriend." Then we're talking awsome day.

Duh! Never take the bait.

long speedy rights at a shallow reef/sandbar spot on Sunday...went way to far inside having way to much fun. inside closed out wave drops out from under my 7 foot spear...me??? slapped back to reality...bruises running up my back and down my arm showed up this morning.none on my head though. luck or instinct ? still a kook after 37 years but lovin it.
surfing is the ultimate rush.
be good to your fellow wave riders .
RIP waveriders

steve vai's flexable: viv woman!
really cheesy and a big part of being stonedincollege.

Going Simple...

Sad that the guy died and all, but to put it in perspective, there has been an auto fatality every day in CA for over the last 30 years, yet we don't freak out when we turn the key to the ignition.

London Broil's are actually the grillable cut of the roast it only area of the cow.

So they are flavorful, (inexpensive as relative to "steaks") but never juicy.I find them to be quite tough so I prefer to marinate them, grill 'em and then cut them in to very very small pieces but I digress.

The point of my post is your story is bullshit.

Hello?

im 16 so my parents cook dinner for me still

but whatever. it was this mega fine toight ass surfer babe who i hooked up with after the great session

Amen...

wow hella analyze my overdose of adjectives surrounding a second noun in a clause. None of it is bullshit, London Broil (cooked correctly, hopefully not by yours truly) is one of the juiciest most flavorful cuts I have had, in which I also Did cut it up into small strips, i would perhaps have called the meat tough. But who said it couldn't be juicy as well? I enjoy chewing and even picking my teeth with my tounge, because It never loses its beautiful flavor. With that being said, I stress the repel this amature on the subject of the juciyness of a properly cooked London Broil. Thank you.

..okay Brian, get off the computer now-- lights out and into beddie or someone's not getting poptarts for breakfast!

Sean O'Flaherty-Fahey . Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

e. your efforts at diplomacy over the last week have not gone unnoticed.

Some of you should heed this Irish proverb, "Is minic a bhris b�al duine a shr�n."

"It's often a man's mouth broke his nose"

I was surfing with 2 buds when my knee went out.

They weren't anywhere close... and you know how that goes.

Stuff happens, and when it comes down to it, remaining calm and focused is most important.

Unfortunately, a newbie doesn't have the tools or confidence to roll with it... and, like Foo, even then it may not help.

I just found out that my surf bud's wife and new daughter where right there in the mix of Sean being pulled from the Sea.

I talked about it with her... about the rips, the risks, and so forth. I have no hesitation in reassuring her that I will look after hers. She knows... she, like my wife, know. You have to go, and, in return, I watch myself.

I'm also committed to having fun and reveling in what we're privileged to enjoy.

I'm looking forward to snapping some pix tomorrow.

That said, deepest sympathies to Sean's loved ones.

dirty

yes i have teached a friend how to surf here in sf ocean beach he has been surfing for a year and has yet to see deadmans or even fort point. i was surfing with him on sunday not too far from sloat street. he had no problem and had been out in bigger waves. mostly i tell him to keep calm underwater now he wants to go out when i want to puss out. ocean beach dangerous so is driving so are sharks and lightning.

So is poor grammar.

London Broil on a cost per pound basis, retails for just slightly higher than ground beef. If juice is what you are after throw some ground chuck over some fire and save the .75 per pound.

However if a cut of beef is what you need and ain't got the loot to get yourself a real steak and want some juiciness? You'd be better off grabbing a roast, searing it, and then throwing it in the oven for 90 minutes at 375. This way you will get some juice but also a..... more tender beef.