Topics

1

General Discussion / Reef Rash leads to Illness

« on: July 13, 2021, 09:50:36 AM »

Just got back from Maui last Thursday. Had 5 days of solid south swell, I pushed myself well past my comfort limits and had a blast.

On one of the smaller days early in the week we were at Launiopoko. Anyone who has been there knows there is a really shallow section in front of the rock pool. I had been surfing (prone) out at the main peak and was cruising back in to the beach. I caught a rail and did the starfish flop, but unfortunately landed directly on a coral head, it must have only been about 10" underwater. Anyone who has surfed there knows what these look like.

Anyway, had a standard reef rash in the area (about 2" by 3"). I never could really keep a bandage on it because I was surfing every day. Never bothered me the rest of the trip. On Saturday we went wake surfing on a lake (fairly clean lake as far as lakes go). About mid way through the day I started getting feverish, but persevered through the after party. Sunday I had to manage my fever with Ibuprofen, but thought it was just a standard cold. Yesterday (Monday) I was walking scorer in my daughters golf tournament and my back was itching all day. After I had my daughter look at it and basically I have a seething rash that is spreading from the wound in whorls.

Went to urgent care and they told me it looked like bacterial blood poisoning and now I am on antibiotics. Fingers crossed that they work.

Anyone else had this? What medicine did you use?

I don't think I could have done much different (except not surfing after it happened to let it heal up), I surfed a week after the injury and treated it at night before bed. The wound had hardened over before the wake surfing, so I'm not sure what caused the bacteria infection.

2

Random / Unintended Consequences -CV19

« on: April 16, 2020, 10:12:10 AM »

Beasho's data thread and PBills bright side thread, have got me thinking a lot. We all know that CV19 has caused a massive societal response. I would be interested to hear some of your thoughts on the unintended consequences of the reaction.

Here are mine:

22 million unemployed – The first wave was restaurants/retail, second wave construction/blue collar, third wave professional services/health services/technolgy and next will be 4th wave municipal/government/energy. We are fucked for a while.

70K less overall deaths than anticipated from Feb to mid April. Good news? It tracks with the unemployed health service people and folks who would normally seek care not going to get it.

My n=1 story:

I built a garden. I’ve given up completely on the media – Beasho is my north star now.

Everyone I know has become an epidemiologist (including me) and epidemiology requires less accuracy for competency than predicting the weather.

Pretty much every evening I sit in the hot tub with my wife to go over the day’s events. She is an elementary school counselor and we live in a fairly poor area. She works from home with a school issued phone and laptop. Her concern for her students when this started was very high and it has become far worse than she had expected. The point being that school for a lot of kids was the only safe place in their little lives. The place where they got good meals, and received adult attention and care. The teachers and staff become more protective of these souls than their parents.

She has told me about kids who she knew were being sent home to live with drug addicted parents, abusive siblings, to foster mills, and any myriad of combination of that and worse. Some families have lost complete contact with the school and she is having to get Law Enforcement to provide welfare checks. She found out via protective services that one of her students ended up in the ER, and parent in jail. The argument was over their at home school work (math). She decompresses in the hot tub but I get out in an angry rage after hearing the days’ stories.

My wife is very kind and loved by many, but she is extremely bitter about the CV response. Her own opinion is that we have sacrificed one vulnerable community (poor children) for another (co-morbid and old people). Through the lens of her experience the choice was wrong. She believes that the poorer kids are going to be left far, far behind or worse by this. School not only provides structure for kids but for many parents as well.  Her example to me was "Our kids are doing Kahn academy and going golfing in the afternoons, and those kids are getting chips for dinner and watching their parents shoot up and tweak until 2 am." I feel like her concern is valid.

3

Random / Maui Shark Fatality

« on: May 28, 2019, 06:21:53 AM »

A family friend (and his family) was staying at Honokowai last week, and texted me that his beach was closed due to a shark fatality.

So sad. The guy had just retired.

https://mauinow.com/2019/05/25/fatal-shark-encounter-in-kaanapali-maui

We are headed to Maui for a couple weeks of surfing at the end of June. It is hard to explain statistic probabilities to my kids, but they will no doubt find out about the above story and it will freak them out  a lot.  I just tell them that we surf at crowded spots, over shallow reefs and the risk is basically zero, but they will definitely have this in the back of their mind. Its human nature.

4

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Mellow Wave Destinations

« on: May 01, 2019, 09:39:34 AM »

My family vacations are typically based on being able to surf. Now that my kids are older (3 daughters 16, 13 and 11) and getting into it more, they have a lot more opinions as to what kind of wave they want. Me, I love variety on surf vacation. I like to longboard, SUP and will try some medium length boards too.

For the most part the kids want slow rolling longboard type waves. We don't have these here in WA very much so they really like that. Every other year or so we go to Maui in the end of June, which is peak south swell season. We have always scored and Maui covers every base above. We stay at Puamana.  My kids love Olowalu, Launiopoko, and Cove Park down in Kihei. Mama, however, is not a surfer and she is starting to ask if we would rather try somewhere else next time.

Any suggestions for that kind of variety? At Puamana I can wake up and get a full out session before anyone else has their eyes open.

Is there anywhere comparable to Maui for that kind of variety? I'm not opposed to other Hawaiian Islands, CONUS or Mex. I am opposed to cold water, we have that here. Although we take a surf trip to OR every summer -  my kids absolutely love Otter Rock in OR, mellow break over a sand bottom is a kid favorite.

5

Sessions / South Padre Island

« on: April 07, 2017, 11:18:07 AM »

No pictures but a quick session/ recon report on South Padre Island - Isla Blanca State Park.

This beach is at the very southern tip of SPI, just north of the N. Jetty protecting the inlet. It is set up a lot like my home break at Westport WA. It is the beach that Surfline directs you to, definitely no secret here.

The day I surfed the buoy said 6f @ 8s. I would say that there was a shoulder high face in every set. Water was easily trunkable - guessing 75 degrees. Vibe - mellow.

I did not get to SUP but there were a couple out. Surfing was an after thought on this day for me, we were at the beach and I saw a couple of longboarders catch a 10 second right, so I got inspired. I talked to the people giving lessons, and asked if I could rent a board after the lessons just to get wet.

So I got a 9 or maybe 10 foot foam board, about 23" wide and paddled out. There is a very vague - but very real rip to utilize to get out at this beach. I highly recommend watching the locals before paddling out. I could not see the rip from the shore after 20 mins of looking, but trying to paddle out on my own took 25 minutes of battle with the barge I was on.  6f @ 8 seconds in the wrong spot is a bitch! I haven't rode a "foamie" before and it was surprisingly fun. Easy to slide the fins out and walk around on. Hard to paddle out.

Anyway, the waves were not powerful, but they were easy to catch and almost all of them gave you a decent shoulder. Since it is a windswell spot, I think you can pretty much expect a period of about what we had. The locals there told me it was "pretty clean, and a decent day" so I am guessing that is what you get there. It is no California, but since the conditions aren't great, it is not like anyone was especially serious and so I had a great time. I talked with a bunch of other folks out there and I would say southern hospitality was the norm.

The SUPs fit in pretty well with the group, because of the short period, even if you caught a shoulder getting back out dry was probably a less than 50:50 proposition. The peaks are probably more shifty than other beach breaks I have been to, just due to the nature of them. So I would say any SUPhoggery was pretty limited by the go-back-out time. Most of it was done prone. So it is a good enough SUP spot, but just as good a regular surf spot.

If I was in the area I would definitely surf again, just for the warm water and good vibe. I think a WindSUP would be a great toy at this beach. Some kite foilers came out and for some reason tried to launch upwind of the lineup. Turned into a bit of a debacle, when the first one couldn't get going and crashed his kite just inside the lineup.

Overall, I liked the South Texas coast - and the people there. We also visited Corpus Christi, but I didn't get any beach time there.

6

Random / USCG Takes a couple waves on the head

« on: March 03, 2017, 08:45:54 AM »

Our local CG just put this out a few days ago. They did this practice at one of our lesser used local  surf spots.

s

I think it is open for the public to view.

7

SoCal / Going to be in SoCal in a week

« on: March 23, 2016, 09:48:57 AM »

Yoooo, I am coming to your hood for a week to visit family, do some work stuff and will get some surfing in with my daughter. I think we are down there Mar 30 to April 8.

Family is in Irvine, and my schedule is booked while I am there. I will probably get in a session at Blackies as my ex business partner lives in Newport Beach by the elementary school with the basketball hoops on the beach, and has a HPLB of mine in the rafters. I have to meet with him to get him to sign a few things and might have the opportunity to get some surf in.

Then we are staying in San Diego, I think near China Town for 5 or 6 days and there will definitely be some beach time while there. My daughter is a beginner surfer, and does not SUP so we will probably be just renting and prone surfing. She is going to be most comfortable in a beach break where we can spread out from the pack and be around other tour-ons/beginners. I wil just prone surf with her. I want to get her confidence up - she is just starting to surf green waves.

1) Which beach should we go to?
   Need to be able to rent longboards close to the sand, and need a place for the other kids to play. (Mission?, LJShores? Coronado?)

2) We have all kinds of wet-suits but it is probably easiest to rent. I assume 3/2s are probably fine?

3) What shops do you recommend? We don't need high-end gear, just reasonable quality that we can walk to the surf.

4) Beyond that, I have only been in San Diego for business and never got a chance to do much other than work. Any suggestions for meals, things to do, etc?

Thanks in advance. I promise to return the favor if any of you find yourself needing info on the PACNW.

8

SUP General / Kids Surfing - On a SUP - Video

« on: October 12, 2015, 12:36:19 PM »

One incredibly useful thing about an SUP (or any big board for that matter) is that pretty much any kid can catch a wave. They don't even have to be pointed straight.

I put together a short video of my 12 year old daughter learning to surf (catching whitewater) last summer and in the clip is some footage of her friend who has no experience at all using my SUP in the whitewater to "surf" with basically no coaching on day 1. They love the video and have been begging me to take them again and again, which is awesome. It is great for me and my oldest to have a shared love of something, she doesn't like to fish anymore and I don't like to shop so surfing together has been sooo good for us.

9

Random / My AK Fishing Video - STC Grill mount inspired

« on: September 16, 2015, 10:25:58 AM »

My Dad and I went to Alaska the week before Labor Day to stay with my uncle at his cabin on Prince of Wales island.
We had a great time and I came home with about 70 lbs of halibut and ling cod. Plus 10# of crab and shrimps the size of a baby's arm.

We spent a couple of days fishing on the small island rivers for the silver salmon that were mixed in with the pink salmon. Inspired by Surfthecreek and his floaty back door version of the grill mount I shot some video. I have to say it is one of the best ways I have found to shoot video, very versatile. My only problem was that it made me gag sometimes.

It was a lot of fun because the holes were loaded with the pinks, and we would have to spot the silvers among the crowd and pluck them out. The action was ok, the video I put together was from about 35 minutes of shooting.

Check it out - If you are into fishing.



Anyway we are moving into the heart of my fishing season starting about Friday, so I won't be on my
SUP for about 5 months even though my daughter is still trying to convince me to go surfing.

10

SUP General / Surfing and SUS - Some observations

« on: May 15, 2015, 12:42:23 PM »

So I have a new (to me) longboard, and I have decided to intersperse more prone surfing with standup. I traded an 8'-6" mini-mal for it. No good reason, just challenge and entertainment. A good longboard ride gives some different sensations than I get on a SUP. One quick thing is that the LB is a pain in the arse to get outside at a short period beach break compared to the Min-Mal I just traded it for.

Here are some things/comparisons I have noticed, having just got back from a longboarding dawn patrol in mushy, relentless 5' at 7 seconds beach break.

1- It is much harder to get in surf shape than SUS shape. This morning I run down to the beach, jump in and start to paddle out through the breakers. 30 minutes (which seemed like 4 hours) later I am there, shoulders and back toasted, can barely lift my head of the board, breathing heavy, seeing stars, and choking back vomit. A supposedly fun thing. In those conditions I would have struggled to get my SUP outside, and would have ended up prone paddling a lot of the time. The biggest difference is that when I got a break in the swell on the longboard I couldn't make enough ground up to get past the last breaker, while on my sup I could have got moving a lot faster and been outside in less than half the time.

2- Popping up is a more athletic movement than moving your feet and paddling with a paddle. After all my work getting outside, I paddle for a couple and pop up off kilter and get no joy. First session after 5 months on the beach and SUS is pretty natural.

3- SUS with a wetsuit is much more enjoyable than prone surfing in a wetsuit. You can get by with a much lighter suit when you are out of the water 90% of the time. The heavier suit combined with paddling with your hands takes even more getting used to. This is one of the biggest reasons SUS is great for cold water spots. I'm surprised I don't see more out at Westport, but there are some.

4- The surfing (for me) is different. I feel like you can muscle a SUP with a paddle and your feet and hips, while you try to glide a longboard with smooth movements. I think that the longboard will help my SUS look better eventually.

5- Wave count even if I was in shape would be 4:1 at best SUS:LB. But that is not important to me, 5 good rides on my LB make me stoked for days. Today I got 2, and then had to settle for inside scraps because I got too far in, and the thought of going back out was off the table. Those don't count. Still stoked, but will have to go back Sunday.

So in summary, I am going to keep doing both trying to tailor my board choice for the conditions, and hopefully get in a lot better surf shape. They are both a lot of fun and a great way to exercise compared to any other activity (marital relations obviously excluded).

Be interested to hear some of your thoughts on going back and forth between the two, and your reasons for doing so, or stopping surfing altogether.

11

Gear Talk / Car/truck Roof Rack

« on: March 05, 2015, 01:52:21 PM »

I am having to add a rack on the roof of my Tundra pickup. I don't necessarily want to add a bed rack because I have a Diamond Back HD tonneau cover on the bed. It is not compatible with an over-bed rack.

So I am going to install one on the roof.

My #1 priority is it cannot whistle in the wind. #2 is that it holds surfboards. #3 is that it doesn't cost so much I can't buy another surfboard for this summer.

I am considering the Thule and Yakima (square and round) roof systems that just attach to the roof by the door.

Is there a better system? Should I look at the more streamlined bars instead of the round and square ones?

Seems like the round and square bars can be used for more options. I don't plan on buying any of the special attachments for holding a surfboard, I will just add pads and tie them down.

12

SUP General / That's Criminal - SUP Related

« on: March 03, 2015, 09:40:44 AM »

$35 for a t-shirt? Come on.



http://shop.brothersmarshall.com/collections/tees/products/public-enemy-tee-black

Saw this on the erBB, made me laugh to think someone would be "core" enough to pay $35 bucks for a shirt like this one.

13

Random / Caught inside at Todos Santos - Surfing related

« on: February 18, 2015, 09:31:33 AM »

NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

http://thescuttlefish.com/2015/02/the-lethal-slow-motion-of-all-deadly-things-caught-inside-on-camera-at-todos-santos/

This guy comes up smiling eventually. Probably because he lived, but jeez I know I'm not ready for prime time after watching that.

14

SUP General / I'm going to be in Newport Beach

« on: August 18, 2014, 04:38:57 PM »

Hey all,

I'm going to be in Newport Beach this weekend with a full day to surf/sup (Saturday).

I am helping one of my buddies finish off his mid-life crisis, he is giving up his business here in the PacNW and moving to Newport to coach soccer. Part of the purchase and sale agreement with me is that I help him move. His new apartment is on Balboa Blvd south of Newport pier.

Anyway, I would like to surf on Sat if at all possible. I can SUP or log-board, whatever fits the bill. We will have his rig and so I can travel a bit. I am a mildly competent surfer/SUSer.

Could I just get a log and cross the street and find a place to surf without much hassle? That might be optimal. I could also buy a board to leave at his apartment as we will have ongoing business together and I have family over in Irvine to visit every now and then.

15

SouthEast / Florida Keys - Questions

« on: May 28, 2014, 09:45:08 AM »

Hey all, going to be in the Keys the last week of June and early July.

I may or may not rent a SUP to tour around and fish from, have any of you done that? Were you successful? Where did you rent from? We are going to be in Marathon on a canal so paddling would be available right behind the house, but I am not sure if I could find fish.

I would like to get a guide out of Islamorada to take us back-country fishing in the Everglades. Any recommendations of names/companies to check out? Fly and/or gear fishing.

Any other stuff we should definitely do while we are there? I thought we would go to Bahia Honda and snorkel and I might rent a sailboard for a bit if the wind is blowing. Restaurant suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Ryan