Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - iwaterman

Pages: [1]
1
SUP General / SUP at ASR and more
« on: September 08, 2007, 08:03:19 PM »
Today Gregg Buckley and I visited the ASR show here in San Diego.  Two things caught my eye. The obvious first one - eye candy everywhere.  The second - also eye candy - but more intriging to me because I can actually touch and hold and have one if I like....massive amounts of SUP gear.  Seems like everyone and thier brother is jumping on the SUP bandwagon, although its easy to see who wants to capture the potential beginner market and make a few bucks, and whos in this for the long term.  Two booths stood out to me: C4 with Todd, Archie, Ted and Dave manning the booth, and Jeremy Fry and his 'wave rods'.  Oh yea, we saw the new Titus model SUB - 100% carbon fiber with a $2800 pricetag.

Other highlights: walking into the convention center, the first two people we saw were Greg Noll and Rabbit Keikai.  We stopped and talked to Rabbit for a few minutes - he was shopping for stuff to take home to the family so he didn't get in trouble.   Nice man.  Bill Hamilton had a shaping booth with windows and was shaping a board as we walked by. 

After a couple of hours we had seen enough and drove over to the San Diego Yacht Club where Gregg is a member.  We grabbed a seat outside next to the bay for lunch and Dennis Connro showed up at the table next to us.  Talk about a day filled with seeing and meeting some icons.....

To top everything off, I had two good sessions of SUP today, saw some good friends out in the water both times and now I'm about to devour a giant Mountain Mike's pizza.............hope you all had a good day.

~Aloha~

2
SUP General / C4 Waterman visits San Diego
« on: September 07, 2007, 07:23:05 AM »
Aloha friends,

Yesterday the C4 guys showed up at Cardiff Reef for a board demo and to spread thier great aloha spirit.  Todd Bradley, Dave Parmenter, Archie Kalepa and all of the SoCal rippers were there.  Ted Rutherford brought enough doughnuts and coffee for an army of paddlers (mahalos Ted!) and  Phil from Boardworks brought about 10 demo boards down, including the new shapes.

There was decent swell in the water with some head high sets, but the south wind came up early and made the conditions less than favorable with the wind chop.  The ooh's and ahh's were handed out generously as Dave was ripping- as usual.  I grew up on the Central Coast of California (Morro Bay/Cayuocs) and watched Dave rip shortboards - things haven't changed.

The new C4 shapes look awesome, although I think the only person that rode one was Todd.  Both on the short side (9'0" and 9"6"), one a swallow tail, and the one that really caught my eye - the bat wing with dual channels on the tail.  I can't wait to try one out.

Many mahalos from all of us to all the C4 guys - Hawaiian and local - for going out of thier way to set up this demo (the ASR show starts today and I can't imagine how much stuff they had going on).

Tim Mellors gets the award for furthest traveled, coming all the way from Corwall, UK.  He's a great guy with enough stories keep you intrigued for hours.  Tim brought a bar of soap out with him into the line-up...I think he said something about the water temp being close that of a warm bath back home.  That, coming from a man who surfs in ocean water that's on the verge of freezing over - now that's takes cajones.  I hope to meet up with Tim again to hear about more of his great adventures.

Mahalos to all all the C4 guys - great day at the beach!

3
Sessions / Longboard Luau or Stand Up Paddle Surfing?
« on: August 19, 2007, 02:29:17 PM »
My session this morning was my second coming off a minor back injury - just a pulled/strained muscle - but I was in the water and not holding back.   I went out at the Shores, mostly for convenience, but the water has been crystal clear so I added a visit to the Marine room into my session.  I was blessed in seeing what I would call a school of Yellowtail.  There was a huge school of baitfish near shore and as I paddled through them I spotted what I thought was a leopard shark, but as I got closer I saw the distinct split yellow tail.  Big ones - legal size for sure. 

atfer a few hours of surf and dive, I went in for about 30 minutes to get some food - my belly was rubbing a blister on my backside.  From my tailgate kitchen, I made myself some fresh Hawaiian coffee and cooked a sweet Italian sausage rapped in a tortilla.  MMMMMMMM good - hit my spot.  Ready for more waves.

It turns out that the Longboard Luau was taking place at the Scripps Institute of O'graphy.  This event is made up of teams composed of sponsors and cancer survivors to raise money for cancer research.  They've been doing it for 14 years with agreat deal of success, as this is now an internationally renound event.  So, I decided to paddle down and watch a bit.  I didn't see much, except for the fact that a bit of swell was begining to push in with some chest to head high sets.  I decided to make up for the drought I experienced ealier in the morning and catch a few down the beach from the contest about 100 yards. 

After surfing hard for about 45 minutes I caught one in and was ready to head home.  As I was leaving the water some people ran up to me, very excited and looking very interested in my board and paddle.  This about the 7th time this has happened to me (if you read this forum regularly, you'll know I've spoke of this phenomenon before).  This group of people who were watching the Lonbaord Luau said that they had gotten bored and decided to come watch me surf instead.  I personally don't think that I'm even slightly exciting to watch surf, but the combination of standing constantly, paddling with something that looks like a canoe paddle, and lacking covertness in every sense of the word, electrifies people. 

I'm actually sorry that I took some attention away from the event because of its cause (and I personally have suffered family losses due to this desease), but I guess there's just something about SUP that draws people to watch, and excites them in a different way than standard surfing does. 

I think WE should organize a fundraising event for some good cause.  With the interest that SUP has captured, we could help some well deserving organization in a big way.  Any all we would have to do is STAND UP PADDLE AND SURF!!! 

Any takers on joining me in this?

4
SUP General / Nothing bad can ever come from being in the water
« on: August 11, 2007, 10:01:29 PM »
Nothing bad can ever come from being in the water.

Sometimes when the waves are crud you just have to push yourself to go out, and that's what I did this afternoon.  It was 6pm, and the wind was still blowing with no chance of an evening glass off.  I went for it anyway, even knowing that the parking lots would probably still be full. When I pulled into the Shores, I immediately got a rock-star space and proceeded to unstrap my board and get in the water, even without a wave check.   There were a few people out in the 2' slop, and it looked like the main peak still had some workable rights and lefts.  I paddled out into the usual stares, not so much the stink-eye that I usually get at the Shores when it's good, but more looks of amazment as I paddled out - standing up.   I surfed for about an hour, weaving my way through the crowd, which was obviously mostly weekend surfers and beginners trying to catch the whitewater.  I caught a few rights and lefts, did a few cross steps and evenbroke the fin loose once for some tail first surfing.  Just another ordinary session in the waves.

The point of this story isn't about how I forced myself to go out in crap, or how I caught some decent waves even though it was crap, but about what happened when I got out of the water.  I shouldered my board and was walking back up towards the parking lot when a lady ran up to me from down the beach, just about where I was poaching.  The first words out of her mouth were spoken in amazement..."HOW DID YOU DO THAT!!!!......THAT WAS THE MOST REMARKABLE THING I'VE EVER SEEN!!"  I answered her with a smile and a chuckle, "lot's of practice".  Sue was so excited and said that she and her family had been watching me for the entire time I had been in the water, and that this was the BEST entertainment that they had seen all day in the water.  We chatted about SUP surfing and its roots, and about our real jobs and she turned out to be a really nice person, one of those people that you know if you made friends with that they'd be someone you would know for a lifetime.

Now, can you imagine if a group of us was out SUP surfing in good waves what the entertainment value would have been for this family (and probably the majority of the people on the beach)?  Meeting this nice lady and knowing that she had more fun watching than I actually did doing it.......priceless.  I've been approached at least a dozen times upon leaving the water, where people are in utter amazement at what we're doing out there.  SUP surfing has the unique aspect of intrigue that I've never experienced before in all the years that I've been in the water.    Its a good feeling to know that the aloha that's inherent to SUP surfing is enjoyed by everyone around us, even people on the beach who don't have a clue about surfing.

Nothing bad can ever come from being in the water.

Aloha!

5
Events / 1st Annual Stand Up Paddle and Surf Event in San Diego 9/22
« on: August 06, 2007, 10:25:01 PM »
Aloha Friends,
 
get ready for the 1st Annual International Waterman Summertime Stand Up Paddle and Surf Event on Saturday September 22nd.  With a goal of uniting Southern California Paddlers to facilitate healthy growth of our sport,  we'll be keeping this a low-key, fun-for-all event.
 
Detailed event info can be found at:
http://www.sdwaterman.com/events/SummertimeContest.htm
 
The event will consist of a paddle to Blacks Beach from La Jolla Shores and back (about 4 miles), with the additional requirement that each participant catch 10 waves and give 10 'Alohas' to someone not in the event before exiting the water.  Participants will be timed - the winner being the first one in.
 
There will be an awards ceremony and BBQ in the La Jolla Shores Park (north end) immediately following, with prizes from sponsors including C4 Waterman, Bob's Mission Surf Shop, Legends Surf, Las Olas Restaurant and a more.
 
The BBQ is BYO food, drinks, fire and accessories.
 
Please come and join us for some great fun in the sun and to spread the aloha spirit so common to all of you that I know.
 
Aloha!
 
Mike

6
SUP General / David Hebble Photography - SUP
« on: August 01, 2007, 08:10:19 AM »
Aloha,

Check out the pics that David Hebble took out at La Jolla Shores here in San Diego.  David is a photographer by profession, and just started doing water shots.  He's got a new, upgraded housing since these were taken and I can imaging that his work will only get better with time.

http://www.sdwaterman.com/imagegallery/page6.htm

He's going to be covering a race that I'm sponsoring here in SD in mid September (more info on that in a few days).  Can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Aloha!

7
SUP General / The essence of SUP surfing
« on: July 31, 2007, 09:39:22 PM »
Today was a small day of surf here in San Diego, but still some rideable waves came through.  I took out my 10' C4 only because I just got it a few days ago and it still has that special novelty that new boards have.  My regular board is a 10'6" Infinity that will never see shelf time because I've had too many great experiences on it.

I saw a couple of guys down the beach doing stand up near the marine room when I paddled out. Bryce, Mitch (of Mitch's surf shop fame), and two others were there catching a few knee-bangers.  Bryce saw my new board and asked if he could try it out.  He's a big guy, probably about 200 lbs, and his everyday board is a 12' Hobie.  I traded without hesitation - I've ridden his 12' before and had a blast on it.  Its a bit more work to turn, but a fun challenge.  Bryce jumped on the 10' and caught a few waves, no problem.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that the experience we have in the water is independent of the board when doing standup paddle surfing.  Regardless of all the numbers - volume, length, wetted surface area, etc. - and how they can be used to optimize your choice of boards, none of them will make you surf better or have a better experience.  A true waterman can get on pretty much anything that's made to float in the ocean and make it perfrom, from a finless slab of Koa, to a modern shortboard.

I'm the most guilty person alive of being a 'gear head', but the true essence of SUP isn't how well your gear works, but how well you make your gear work, which is all about time in the water.  The experience you have is independent of the gear; your time in the water is what you make of it.

Aloha!



8
SUP General / Things to do in da ocean!
« on: July 29, 2007, 07:54:10 PM »
Saturday, Gregg Buckley and I took a criuse up to San Onofre to hang with da bruddas up there.  We brought along the stand up paddle boards and the Opelu for some shared fun.

Pain.  Getting up at 4am is no way to start the day unless there are watersports involved (and cool people to hang with).

Surf.  Small, but always fun on a stand up board.

Dessert.   Taking the Opelu out fo a spin.

Check out our fun at
www.sdwaterman.com/imagegallery/page5.htm

All the SanO guys were there: Dennis, Kyle, Alan, EJ, CJ, thier wahines....great crew to spend the day with.

Aloha!

9
SUP General / San Diego SUP with Mike Pollard and John Ashley
« on: July 21, 2007, 04:51:19 PM »
Today was one of the best sessions I've had in the last six months of doing SUP surfing.  Not because the waves were phenominal, but because I made one of my standard trips from La Jolla Shores up to Blacks with a great guy and fellow SUP'er, John Ashley, who has a blog site dedicated to SUP at www.paddlesurf.net

I had just launched and paddled down to the Marine room for a warm up and to see all of the Leopard sharks that congregate there every year.  The sea life there was tremendous and something only an SUP'er could see and appreciate.  There were Garabaldi, hundreds of Guitar fish, calico bass, and the beautiful leopard sharks, all just a few feet below my board and almost oblivious to my presence.  After my short stay at the marine room, I paddled back up the coast towards the Shores and saw John getting ready to paddle out.  I stopped and waited for him to introduce myself and by complete coincidence we had already communicated via email after he saw my web site - International Waterman.

John and I spoke for a few minutes and then I asked him if he was interested in making the paddle up to Blacks with me, which he said " heck yea" to.  We started the 20 minute paddle and talked the entire way about our recent SUP experiences, which were all  - oddly enough - very similar.  We caught some nice waves - both rights and lefts -  for about and hour and a half, met a guy and his son that came down from San Clemente, all the while with ear-to-ear grins and having a blast.

John is a great guy to paddle with and an avid waterman.  It seems that the attitude and demeanor of SUP'ers is different than your average surfer.  I haven't figured it out yet, but maybe its the  freedom that SUP allows us.  Freedom from the constraints of surfing in one spot as opposed to and 'area'.  Freedom from the crowds and freedom to stop and enjoy the ocean and not just the waves.

John is absolutley stoked on SUP and has some great ideas to promote the sport.  When you get a chance, go to his web site and check out his pictures and stories from Baja, Mx.

Mahalos and aloha,

Mike Pollard
Founder - International Waterman

10
SUP General / International Waterman website/journal
« on: July 16, 2007, 07:01:56 PM »
Aloha all,

Randy and Chantelle introduced me to this forum, which I hope does better than the one on the C4 website for the sake of the sport and its controlled growth.  They've also encouraged me to use this forum to advertise my own website and soon to be published journal - International Waterman - whose mission it is to publish an alternative journal to the existing monochromatic journals.  The writing will be captivating, the pictures not typical, and coverage will include interviews and biographies with watermen - people who do many things in the ocean and aren't married to the standard surfer paradigm.  Article subjects will include marine science, environmental awareness, political awareness, surfing, SUP, windsurfing, kiteboarding, outrigger canoeing, ocean kayaking, fishing, free diving.....basically anything you can do in the ocean.  One of the first interviews will be with Whitney Guild, who is a great waterman, SUP'er and due to be inducted into surfing's hall of fame at the end of this month.

Here's a link to the website:
 
www.international-waterman.com

also,
www.sdwaterman.com

Hope you'll visit and even participate in helping me grow International Waterman into a reality.  Please feel free to make requests for things you like to see or read about, and if you have some writing or photography talents that you'd like to share, please do so.

Mahalos and aloha to everyone.

Mike Pollard
Founder - International Waterman
858-354-6756

Pages: [1]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal