Messages

1

SUP General / Re: SUP in 1957.

« on: March 18, 2012, 11:59:00 PM »

Long time since i have been on the zone-  2 years... so here is the comeback post.   

I was out late on the St.Patty night circuit and well i passed out infront of the big screen and woke to a very random movie "the Nuns Story" staring Audrey Hepburn as the nun that is shipped to the Congo... As I woke and I got my clarity, i saw stand up paddle boats in the Congo.   

These are some really cool boats dug out of massive trees.   There are a few single stand up boats seen in the movie.   I hope the sup shapers start making some of these.
Its at 6:50


Congo Down River Run
1:15 - looks incredible - this looks like the original downriver stand up run on the Congo.

2

SUP General / Re: Cortez Banks Dream SUP Session

« on: December 31, 2009, 10:20:34 PM »

thanks for sharing - great post.  keep em coming

3

SUP General / Re: SUP attempt at Jaws doesnt get too far

« on: December 31, 2009, 01:43:41 PM »

I grew up in Point Loma and have had my ass smashed on the rocks several times getting out.  I could only imagine if there was a youtube then.  Funny, I look at my old long boards and all of the major dings happened in winter surf getting jammed on the rocks in big surf and some of these happened using really bad judgment (trying to come in after sunset....)

When did we become such a bunch of old farts, kind of like teaching others that the best way to learn to paddle surf is to never fall in the water.

I get it there is the whole "Jaws" paddle surfing debate and whether to go out or not.  I am not anyone who has any say on this. However as a spectator, I can say that i would like to see someone other than Robbie Nash riding Jaws.

I love the fact that he went for it and got pounded. I am sure he will have a better plan next time.

One of my favorite paddle surf spectating times was watching Tom English paddle out at Cardiff in the a.m. of Big Wednesday several years ago.  He got worked over and over and over.  It was actually quite comical watching him stand up paddle and get pounded in the close outs.  I loved it because he went for it and got out of the water with smile on the face.

I am sure there are plenty of moments that our "PRO SUP" name surfers would not want captured forever on youtube. 

4

SUP General / Re: Maui's Rising

« on: December 09, 2009, 08:27:47 PM »

billy kemper at 3:35 is pretty amazing

5

Sessions / Re: TV Coverage

« on: December 07, 2009, 12:45:51 AM »

Do you change outside after a paddle?  How do you get out of you wetsuit and back into your car without freezing to death?  

it would be Pretty funny to see you driving on the freeway dressed your wetsuit and your Burka faceguard.

6

Sessions / Re: cardiff 10-30

« on: November 05, 2009, 11:29:56 PM »

Thank for the Billy Harris long board video.

Billy lives next door to me and has been on a stand up a few times.  Really talented.  I would like to see what he could do on a stand up if he put some time in.

7

Technique / Re: Out of the water fitness

« on: November 02, 2009, 10:15:08 PM »

I was watching Monday Night Football and John Gruden was going on about these special mouth guards that all of the New Orleans Saints and other pro players are using.  It appears that they increase flexibility and balance by aligning the jaw....  Seemed kind of odd and looked it up. 

http://www.makkaradvantage.com/

Interesting to see that swimmers are also using it.  I wouldnt mind getting one of these for my golf game. 

Re: off water fitness.  I like the indo board but I would always use a carpet with the roller and remember that when you fall it hurts a bunch more as you get older.

For me, hot yoga is the answer and I am convinced most will get the most bang for their time out of this.  Flexibility is the key to balance.  I was a competitive athlete for many years and I would have been very well served to have been into yoga then.  I am more flexible today, 15 years after I stopped serious competition.   

I bought the Laird book.  There were a few things that I was not crazy about in the book but overall it was excellent.  There is a massive amount of the book that is devoted to yoga. 

I love all the toys and have most of them.  for me it comes down to yoga and swimming laps.  And well maybe a custom mouthpiece.

8

SUP General / Re: SUP Guinness World Records

« on: October 28, 2009, 11:45:41 PM »

The whole "most SUP's riders on a wave" is not really what interests me with this. I get it but it doesnt really turn me on.  I think there is some enjoyment but not really what I get fired up.  Most surfers on a surfboard was pretty cool.

More to my point, is that I like seeing people try to do new things with what is possible, break records by trying something different or pushing what has been done before.  Maybe it is just me but I would love to see some of these things recorded.  

One unusual record I would love to see is what is the largest pile of whitewater has been punched through or over by a stand up surfer in the ocean.  For me at least, that would be almost as exciting as watching big wave SUP riding.  

9

SUP General / SUP Guinness World Records

« on: October 27, 2009, 11:55:37 PM »

I was watching real sport on HBO and thought that there was a great story about Ashrita Furman http://www.ashrita.com/  He has set over 100 Guinness WOrld Records.   I love this stuff.  

It got me thinking about what Guinness World Record will set for SUP or in general Sup records.  There are some absolutely crazy world records in Guinness.  I wonder which ones be done in SUP and how creative they will be.

I can think of a few SUP Guinness records that could be set without needing waves - Number of spins in one minute - ... i am guessing that someone may be able to get 10 or more

I know there are several inter island records and long distances that have been paddled but is anyone keep records.  

10

Sessions / Re: Mid-bay collision

« on: October 12, 2009, 09:30:45 PM »

Bob,

Yes, Mission bay is very dangerous place all around.  Sorry to hear this was because of rowing. I was the rowing coach at UCSD for seven years and there are several close calls with the "blind" rowing shells.  THere have even been more problems with kayakers that fish in the main channels for the rowing shells. 

I am not sure if it was dark or not but if you are on the water during dark / dusk you are considered a vessel and much have proper lights attached.

It is simply a dangerous body of water all around.  I once had a four person rowing shell that was sliced in half by four drunk guys that rented a 24 foot sailboat.  If they had hit 10 feet deeper in the boat they would have broken legs and worse.

The biggest danger IMO is the jet skiers that are completely out of control and over horse powered.   I would think that this would be the largest danger to flat water SUP at least you can hear them.

There are usually one or two fatalities every summer and I avoid this place whenever it turns into the zoo.  If you are going to go out there, I would ace the the headphones.
I know of a few others
http://www.artipot.com/articles/447662/teenager-killed-in-mission-bay-boating-accident.htm

11

SUP General / Whitey jumping off Sunset Beach- LA

« on: October 08, 2009, 10:48:01 AM »

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/sequence-of-the-week-white-shark-breaches-in-la_31125/1/

I have had my kids watch the great white videos from South Africa when they jump and eat the seals...  I always tell them, they don't jump like this near our beaches.....
----------
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/report-of-shark-sighting-off-sunset-beach-causes-buzz-among-surfers.html
Many surfers who ride the waves at beaches in Santa Monica Bay will tell you they don't think about sharks. But photos shot this week by a longtime local surfer and surf shop owner have created a buzz about "Jaws" in the lineup.
The photos, taken Saturday morning by Randy Wright, apparently show a large white shark jumping out of the waters off Sunset Beach near Pacific Palisades.

"It was like, 'Oh my God,'" Wright recalled in an interview today. "I was really stoked ... It was definitely a fascinating experience."

Wright, who owns Horizons West surf shop in Santa Monica, said he was in his 10-foot kayak about 300 yards off the beach life guard tower when he snapped a series of photos capturing the animal as it broke the surface of the water. The shark was about the same size as his kayak, he said.

Wright said he was in the water as a volunteer for the the nonprofit Shark Research Committee, which conducts research on sharks and documents attacks against humans. He said he had heard that someone spotted a shark at the beach the day before so he went out the next morning about 8:30 with his waterproof camera.

"I was just  sitting out there in my kayak, not throwing chum or anything," Wright said.

Ralph Collier, head of the committee, said that sharks in that area are nothing new. With more people surfing and enjoying water sports, he said, the potential for shark sightings has increased.

"Those little critters have been out there for thousands of years," said Collier, author of "Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century: From the Pacific Coast of North America."

The photos were posted on the committee's Web page, along with a report by Wright. Word spread after the sighting was mentioned in local TV reports and by surf blogs.

Officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which oversees lifeguard operations, said today that they were aware of the photos and assume they are legitimate.

"It's a healthy ecosystem out there, and we know there's sharks in the water," said Fire Department spokesman Matt Levesque.

The sharks, he said, are "not endangering anyone."

Still, some surfers said the shark shots have caused them to think twice when paddling into the water.

"It was a little chilling," said Guy Okazaki, a Venice surfer and surfboard shaper who saw the photos on the Internet. "That was a big critter. It could take your leg off."

As for Wright, he said he's been surfing for about 30 years. And he isn't going to stop now.

"I'm part of the food chain when I'm in the [surf] lineup. I could get bit," he said. "But it hasn't happened yet."

12

Events / Re: Battle of the Paddle

« on: October 07, 2009, 02:07:37 AM »

Great video....

Amazing where the sport has become. 

Reminds me of the IRONMAN Uncle Toby's series in AU.... well except for the speedo's

13

Events / Re: Cardiff Legend Tommy Lewis Paddle Out

« on: August 31, 2009, 10:23:16 PM »

Thanks for sharing.  He would be pleased.

We share the waves with those who came before us and those that will come after us.

The rocks below Cardiff have been there for millions of years and will be there long after we are gone.

14

SUP General / Re: Heavy Wedge Video

« on: July 25, 2009, 12:54:40 PM »

SWEET

Great Sessions during this swell

15

Random / Crazy For The Storm- Book -Norman Ollestad

« on: July 23, 2009, 12:25:56 AM »

Needed a good summer book and I have not been able to put this down.  It started of as a casual summer book and has ended up as a book of deep refection. 

Many themes run deep for me, Southern California Beach Culture, growing up in the 70's but for me it is the bond between father and son that resonate for me.

It is a story of a tragic plane crash, the death of the authors father and the desire for survival.  But it is so much more.

Despite the father's death in the crash, the father gave the tools to his son for survival and quest to live life to the fullest. "It's about how a free spirit father forced his son to push through fear to experience life."

I picked it up it up at starbuck when the photo on the back cover struck me.  Enjoy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061766720/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1MDDAEN3NYR0HJRQ6XBJ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846