Surf Prone

Slipped disk will keep me from surfing till summer

2011-02-10T01:15:00.002-05:00

It's been a few months now but I've been too bummed out about this to share it. I'll be out of commission until summer due to L4/L5 disc problems. The injury was not body boarding related... just moving some furniture around the house. The good news is I'm no longer in excruciating pain and the prognosis is good; no surgery needed and I'm mostly recovered.

I have a awesome new chiro (dinker not a cracker... I'll explain later) who got me 60% better in about a week. Considering it took me 3 hours of heat therapy and massage to get me out of bed prior to seeing him (and then I limped horribly and used a walking stick) this was phenomenal.

I'll post again later and share my MRI and some other treatment details.

Stay stoked,
DH

Ever play Cannon Ball?

2010-11-29T22:41:00.015-05:00

A few weeks ago I was enjoying a great session at eighteenth street when I drifted close to a group of surfers (highschool age or so) who were talking about drinking, fighting, stupid movies and chicks (pretty much in that order). After a few minutes I heard one of them say "There's tons of jelly fish! Anybody want to play Cannon Ball?"

Cannonball Jellyfish - From BeachHunter.net

I'd never heard of the game but the next thing I know jellyfish are flying in all directions. Everyone in the group is grabbing them and throwing them back and forth as fast as they can (see beachhunter.net/thingstoknow/jellyfish/ for info on cannonball jellyfish and other jelly fish occasionally found here).

Surfer 1: "That one turned inside out, gross!"
Surfer 2: "Oh no! Some of the juice got in my eyes when I threw it! It burns!"
Surfer 3: "I almost got you!"
Surfer 1: "Yeah! Faceshot!"
Surfer 3: "Ahhh! You got it in my eye's!"
Surfer 1: (Laughs hysterically)
Surfer 3: "Come here! I'm gonna kill you!"
(Mock battle between friends ensues)

Though I didn't participate, it was fun to watch while waiting for waves. How about you? Ever play Cannon Ball?

Stay stoked,
DH

Halloween Swell 2010

2010-11-27T16:51:00.010-05:00

Well I finally have a decent picture of me body boarding. During the Halloween Swell of 2010 I met a group of guys with a disposable water camera who wanted me to take pictures of them surfing. So I gave up about an hour of one of the best swells of the year to give surf photography a shot. Sadly none of my shots came out really well (sorry guys) but it wasn't a waste, I had a ton of fun and learned a lot from the experience; also they returned the favor and one of them, a guy named Philip Purvis, snapped the following picture of me (awesome shot... thanks).

Notice how well the wave is pitching over... sadly no great tubes to report from this session. The wave before this was was head high and pitching beautifully and if I'd thought to pull back on my board and stall a little I might have gotten a good tube out of it, but sadly I've been in so few waves of this quality that the idea of stalling to get into a tube didn't occur to me.

The good news is that the following weekend the swell was even better with these big bowl shaped waves that broke from either side. That session I caught my first big tube as the middle of the wave I was riding closed out over me in slow motion, thundering with a cavernous rumble. I'd caught some small tubes from time to time, but now I finally get what the big deal is all about... totally awesome experience.

Anyway, stay stoked,
DH

Review: 44" NMD Stox Evolution Bodyboard

2010-10-27T20:10:00.003-04:00

The Stox Evolution is a great board. I picked it up at Jax Beach Board Shop at the beginning of the summer. I'd narrowed down to two choices, the Stox and another board that was 45". I was worried I might miss the float that extra inch provided, but the Evolution just felt so solid and well put together that I chose it anyway. Turns out I didn't miss the inch... I currently weigh in at 275 and it floats me just fine.

I've ridden this board in every condition from 3 foot swell to triple overhead and I really love it. It was a little stiff at first but it loosened up a bit over the first month or so and even picked up just a bit of rocker, then locked in at what I consider a perfect feel. My last board felt perfect when I got it then loosened up way too much, so I'm guessing that choosing a little on the stiff side is a good call.

I just found out that Jax Beach Board Shop has a selection of mid to high end bodyboard rentals so sometime I'll have to rent a few to do compare and contrast to but for the moment this is the perfect board at a reasonable price.

Bodysurfing Stories to Inform and Inspire

2010-10-14T23:13:00.003-04:00

Over the past six months or so I've learned to body surf fairly well. When the waves are just right (pitching over but not closing out with plenty of force) I get some good rides and have a lot of fun. I'm still quite the novice and I don't talk about it much on the blog so I thought I'd point you to a few stories that have informed and inspired me.

Dolphin Surfing - "I can clearly remember the first time I ever saw someone body surfing under and behind the wave"
Moonriding at Pipe - "I bet the moment before death I will regret not being able to say aloha to my loved ones"
Bodysurfing with a Handplane - "My first half dozen sessions were naked"

Stay Stoked,
DH

Flash Back: Hurricane Igor

2010-10-11T23:23:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Igor was a category 5 and at 500 miles across it was a true monster of a storm and promised to send some major swell our way. Friday and Saturday were choppy, small and nothing to speak of, but by Sunday afternoon it finally started cleaning up and there were a few weak, crumbly double overheads coming in on the far outer sandbar at 18th street... I'd whiz by the young surfers sitting further inside and paddle back out past them again... very satisfying. I got about an hour of surf before my daughter got stung by a man of war and we had to drive her to the lifeguard building over on beach blvd to have it taken care of. She had a big red welt that went all the way around her leg but fortunately she didn't have a bad reaction (I hear some do). In any case it's always better to play it safe.

Monday morning I woke early to catch a few waves before work. I normally don't pull dawn patrol but the forecast said offshore and big and I had to give it a check.

It was beautiful. A dim orange disc of a sun peaked over the horizon passing in and out of view as double overhead sets cast their shadow on me then lifted me up into the sunlight just before they broke... cool spray blowing back on me from glassy giants pitching over just feet away. A perfect morning, perfect waves and only an hour to surf. Just time enough for 5 rides, two of which were as perfect as I could ever have hoped for. Reluctantly I rode my last wave in to shore and headed home to get cleaned up for work. Short as it was this was without a doubt my favorite session ever... I'd even go so far to say that for that for a few hours that morning, 18th street, Jacksonville Florida held the best swell on planet earth.

Stay Stoked, I know I am,
DH

Recent sessions

2010-10-10T23:44:00.000-04:00

I prefer to avoid the more popular spots until after the water turns cold (meaning requires a wetsuit) as they get packed in the warmer months with noobs, kooks, and surfers with attitude. You still get all of the above in the winter but in much smaller numbers (this might not be true everywhere but Floridians have a strong aversion to the cold). By the time the water temp hits the 50s it takes some really decent surf to pull people out in any numbers.

Unfortunately 18th street, my normal spot, just hasn't been the same since the hurricanes came through and shifted the sand bars around, so I hit the pier last week to test out some new fins (Orange and black Ally Stealth fins w/ fin socks) -- I lost one of my Churchill Makapuu fins in a big wave during one of the storms and replace them with Laguna Surf II fins which literally fell apart at the seems after a month. Anyway I loved the Ally fins and the waves were great which means it was packed, though only one idiot dropped in on me and gave me attitude. Surprisingly there were two other bodyboarders in the water which never happens. I caught some fun waves on the south side then it turned a little weak so I paddled under the pier and stayed till dark catching great waves on the north side.

Saturday I took a tip from the owner of the local board shop and headed to the poles. There were a lot of great waves at first but as the waves died down the line up filled up with LOTS of A##H####. I got dropped in 8 times by 8 different people. Short boarders dropping in and tearing up the shoulder ahead of me causing it to break and killing my ride. I guess its to be expected... I don't normally surf there, so I'm the new guy and a bodyboarder to boot and it's an elitist group... still it pissed me off... I charged right ahead and they seamed surprised to find me not backing down still right at their feet. The waves were really fun though... never been there under the right conditions till now and I caught a handful of really great waves. I have to keep going back and earn my place. And like I said the line up thins with colder weather so I'll try back in winter.

Flashback: Bodyboarding Hurricane Danielle

2010-09-07T09:17:00.001-04:00

Earl was supposed to be the big one, the main course... Danielle was just an appetizer; all the reports said so. The reports lied. They also had it hitting Sunday but big waves started coming in slowly but surely as early as Saturday morning. I took my son out Saturday morning thinking to get him some smaller rides in before it got too big and he ended up catching some 10 foot waves, the biggest waves of his life.

Now before you freak out, as my wife did, about me taking my 8 year old out to body board 10 foot waves let me explain to you, as I did to her that not all 10 foot waves are created equal. It was high tide at a low-tide break and these were thick, crumbling waves who's tips could barely pitch over. These waves gave you a quick drop off the lip and then sent you coasting a long at a 30-40 degree angle pushed along by foaming mass of whitewash at about 10mph. Of course to my son these were epic conditions and we had a lot of fun.

By Saturday evening things had started to change. Paddling out I barely ducked under the lip of a pitching 12 foot wave and had it suck my fin off. Never did find the fin. I ended up paddling in, buying a new pair, and making it back out about 45 minutes before dark. I caught one fairly long ride on a ten footer and a steep drop on a 14 footer and then I headed in. The sets were coming in about every 15 minutes... the first wave would be 10 foot and if you were in place to catch that one and passed it by then prepare to be pounded because the next two waves were guaranteed to be 14 foot, to start breaking 20 to 30 feet further out, and to land right on top of you as you tried to claw your way outside. Saturday evening wasn't the biggest day but it was the cleanest and most consistent and had the easiest paddle out.

Sunday late morning was high tide and way too blown out to make it out, but by the afternoon the tide had dropped and made for a much shorter paddle out and gentler one too since the sandbars were pitching the waves over good and taking much of the force out. Even with that help it was still really rough and I barely made it out. Things had changed since hurricane bill last year. No longer was there a deep trough on the inside but instead a long shallow one that rose into a sandbar that was 4 feet deep and caught all the 10 foot waves. Past this you got a deep trough and another sandbar that caught everything over 10 foot.

The ten foot waves were everywhere but I knew that they'd leave me deep inside with an exhausting paddle back in so I headed outside to wait on the big ones. I drifted about a mile and a half in three hours and would see a set about every 20 to 30 minutes. I've told everyone I caught 10 to 14 foot waves and though some seemed to think I was exaggerating, everyone seemed to give me the benefit of the doubt.

The truth is though that I rode 2 waves that I know to be 20 foot (don't tell my wife... she'd freak... luckily she doesn't read my blog) but I figured no one would believe me. I know I'd be a little incredulous if someone told me the same. To my knowledge none of the popular breaks handle a wave that size... they must all get cleaned up by sand bars and such further out, but from 18th street to Hanna Park there are spots that can handle it. Spots that no one thinks much of any other time.

Not again not all 20 foot wave are created equal. These were 20 foot peaks with sheer vertical faces dropping at 95 to 100 degree angles that crumbled from top to bottom like an avalanche. My first drop was so big and so steep and I was so surprised to make it that I didn't even attempt to make a turn. My second had a very wide peek and I saw a surfer way off to my right going for it. I hoped he'd go right and I'd go left and dropped in. made my bottom turn perfectly and as I looked back I saw he'd made it as well and was closing on me so I did the honorable thing and angled up and over the shoulder to let him have it. He looked up at me as he passed by and all I had time to say was "Go ahead" before the lip pitched over... not sure if he made it through that section or not, but I hope he did.

Like most sessions this epic I stayed longer than I should have. I had my right calf cramp up, which it seems to do like clock work after 3 hours in the water. I worked it out and then got sucked over the falls and pounded by a 14 footer. I had to pull my self to the surface by my leash. Fortunately the next wave was small and I rode it in.

Danielle was rough and choppy and windy and far from ideal, but there were some truely epic waves to be scored if you knew where to go and were patient enough.

Still stoked from this one,
DH

Flashback: Great Session at Micklers Beach

2010-09-06T13:48:00.001-04:00

Last month, before the latest run of hurricanes blew past, there was a tropical depression that came through sending great waves for one day only. It just wasn't the day that was predicted. Saturday morning was supposed to be the time to go but I decided to give it a shot one day early. Micklers was going off with fast, hard hitting, wedgy 6-7 foot waves rolling through on an evening high tide. I got some of the best rides I ever had out there for about an hour... nice long rides that took me from the outside right up onto the sand.

Then, just like that, the killer swell seemed to disappear with just one spot about a half mile south still going. I hate crowds and it looked pretty packed so I headed up to 18th street to see if I could catch some uninterrupted rides.

18th street was pretty decent though not near as good as the rides I had at Micklers but I still got a good hour of fun surf in. When I took my son out the next morning (Saturday, when all the surf reports had the swell hitting) all that was left were some thin 3 to 4 foot peelers, which, don't get me wrong, were great -- I got some fun tubes and long rides and my son had a blast -- but the reports totally blew it.

This isn't the first time I've hit the beach a day early and found great surf and it won't be the last.

Stay stoked,
DH

Still Bodyboarding

2010-09-06T13:15:00.004-04:00

I had a recent change of jobs that has had me bogged down... not that I haven't been body boarding -- it's been awesome lately -- I just haven't been writing about it. My next few posts will be about surf sessions that I missed blogging about.

This past Friday I left work a little early and was at the 18th street by about 5:30 to catch some of the remaining Earl swell. The waves were clean, consistent 5 to 6 footers in off shore winds that provided some of the most perfect, longest rides that I've ever had. The next morning was 4 foot and closing out a little but perfect for my son... especially since a pod of dolphins joined us surfacing all around us and even splashing though a wave a few feet away.

Still stoked,
DH

Great waves over the weekend

2010-07-19T22:28:00.000-04:00

This weekend was really good for July... punchy thick 5 to 6 foot waves. I had a Friday afternoon session with my daughter, a Saturday Morning session with my son, and a Saturday afternoon & Sunday afternoon session all to my self. The most consistently fun and powerful waves were Saturday morning. Another swell is due in tomorrow but I'm a bit under the weather so I probably won't make it out.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Giving Longboard Surfing a Try

2010-07-04T10:48:00.002-04:00

An acquaintance of mine (our kids often play together at the beach) offered to let me ride his long board recently and I decided to give it a shot. First I'll have to say that I've often seen longboard surfers casually paddling and moving past me at notable speed, even in strong currents, and I envied what appeared to be an ease of movement afforded by their surf craft. Having given it a try I'll have to say the ease of movement is an illusion... paddling a long board is a lot of hard work. The waves were 2 to 3 feet and weak and I only managed to catch a few and barely stood up on those. All in all it was a lot more work than I thought.

Afterward I watched my friend catch wave after wave without a problem... a testament to years of practice in the water.

I love bodyboarding, especially when the waves are big, but when the waves are small and weak, as they often are, I think the longboard is a better choice. It also has the benefit of providing a nice upper body workout. Excellent cross training potential. I'll probably try picking one up at the end of the summer cheap.

Stay stoked, what ever you may ride,
DH

Bodyboarder bit by shark in Jacksonville, FL

2010-07-03T19:10:00.002-04:00

There was a minor shark attack (29 stitches) recently near where I surf. The video interview says that they were boogie boarding -- normally I'd protest that it should be called bodyboarding, but from what I can gather they were just playing around on some cheapo boards so the term is appropriate.

It sounds like they'd gotten kind of far out and I didn't hear any mention of swim fins so that probably means lots of kicking and splashing splashing which is why it bit her foot. Other contributing factors were very murky water, being out near a sandbar and the time of year which is known for bait fish and shark migrations. Fortunately her injuries were minor. Unfortunately, though she knows the odds, she's decided not to return to the water.

Stay Stoked, Stay Safe,

Where's the swell?

2010-06-22T12:26:00.000-04:00

I just realized my recent posts have all been about the kids which is a sure sign that there haven't been decent waves for a while. That's Florida for you... what you gonna do?

Looks like there's a system moving north that could have some decent waves rolling in later this week. Here's hoping.

Stay stoked,
DH

My son's first Big Wave

2010-06-18T12:00:00.003-04:00

Last year toward the end of summer my son caught his first big wave. Now big is a relative term but for a 7 year old I'm sure the thick wedgy 6-7 foot wave I put him into registered as epic on his scale.

I had just bought him his current board and the summer was ending and I really wanted get him into a good wave before the water turned cold. My wife and daughter were busy so I decided to take my son to the beach and give it a go. I left my board on the beach, put my swim fins on and towed him out to the outer break (a sandbar maybe 40 yards out) on his board. These big wedgy crumbly waves were rolling in and after about 10 minutes of waiting (impatiently on his part) I was able to put him into a good one. Holding his board at the front I positioned myself under it laying on my back. Kicking as hard as I could as the wave overtook us I pulled him forward with one arm and watched him disappear into a 5 foot mass of crumbling whitewash.

The wave rolled on and I hung behind looking for him. 10 feet away, 20, 30 feet away and still I didn't see him and I started to get worried. Finally as the last of the wave dissolved I saw him and he turned around and waved to me, half smiling and unafraid but looking very grateful to see me. I swam over to him and he told me a little nervously that he wanted to go back to the beach. He played in the sand the rest of the day uninterested in the waves and I didn't pressure him for any more, but I was proud as I could be for the one he caught.

I'm not sure if he'll remember that wave when he grows up but I promise I'll never forget it.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Two Foot Waves, Bodyboarding and Hermit Crabs

2010-06-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

I had a fun session with my son Monday evening. The waves were small but clean, breaking consistently in about 3 feet of water and they were perfect for him to launch himself into. We drifted from 18th street to the castle (a house about a half mile away that looks a little like a castle) and then walked back three times. I was really proud of him.

Believe it or not I got quite a work out. My son went for nearly every wave and I went for nearly every wave he went for. We were going pretty much non stop the whole time. About the only break I got were a couple of times that my son found large clumps of seaweed and we both went to shore for an inspection.

These tangled masses, which contain not only seaweed and marsh grass but also fishing line, hair scrunchies and other debris, also invariable contain hundreds of hermit crabs. My son found one clump that as we shook out that had enough hermit crabs to thickly cover not only his entire board but also the sand all around it. I'd estimate somewhere between 600 and 800 crabs, some so small that you can barely see them.

This was me and my sons first solo session and I gotta tell you I had a blast. I can't wait to get him some fins and have him out with me on a little bigger waves.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Micklers Beach Bodyboarding for the Kids

2010-06-15T18:31:00.001-04:00

The other week I had the kids bodyboarding at Micklers at high tide for the first time. There was a 3 foot shore-break dumping hard in about a foot of water and I was launching the kids (cautiously) into the waves. The whitewash was exploding around them and shooting them up onto 10 feet up onto the shore at phenomenal speeds.

Unfortunately a thunderstorm rolled in within about 30 minutes of us getting there. As lighting stuck nearby and the crack of thunder startled everyone and cleared the remaining people from the water I told the kids we had to go. "But Daddy!" said my six year old daughter, "this beach is FUN!!!".

In consolation for their ruined fun I told the kids we'd drive south and catch another beach. We passed Guana River, and the Gate station as storm was still too close and ended up at a little beach just north of Vilano (the one where the wooden foot bridge crosses over the road). The waves were a little less punchy, and probably safer, but they spat the kids out up onto the sand just the same. Awesome day at the beach.

Stay Stoked,
DH

A new approach to Bodyboarding with the Kids

2010-06-12T23:29:00.003-04:00

When the waves are small, an evening at the beach with the kids usually consists of me launching them into wave after wave and not riding any myself, but I took a new approach today. Normally the kids disappear behind the wave after I launch them and I don't see them till they hit the shore but today decided to try pulling them into waves with me (me on my board and them beside me on theirs) and it worked perfectly.

I held onto the front of my board with one hand and onto their leash string with the other. Once we were in (and I was sure they wouldn't pearl) I'd let go of their bodyboard and ride the wave in with them. There's a whole new level of stoke that comes with sharing a wave with your kids. For once I got to see every smile and laugh and watch them enjoy the waves. Too cool!

Stay Stoked,
DH

Regaining My Stoke

2010-05-30T23:40:00.008-04:00

Towards the end of April work and home got busy and the waves died down. The end result was the I spent nearly a month out of the water. This combined with the fact that I'd been having trouble adjusting to my new bodyboard before this break left me disheartened with zero desire to paddle out.

A random day at the beach with the kids last weekend ago began to revive me. There was some irregular but solid swell rolling in and I decided to tandem up with the kids (son 8.0 yrs old, daughter 6.5 yrs old) and give them a real wave riding experience. Each in turn climbed on board and scooted as far forward as possible with me overlapping them a bit but mostly hanging off the board. We dropped into some punchy 5 to 6 foot bombs and rode them straight in with whitewash exploding around us. They were laughing and cheering and proud and full of joy and it was contagious.

So my kids brought me out of my stupor and with good surf being forcast I decided to paddle out on Wednesday over an "extended lunch break". At 18th street I found that conditions were far better than forecast with waves in the 10 foot+ range. Big thick wedgy waves that refused to pitch over but instead crumble away in a mass of angry whitewash... Big Crumblies I call them and they're one of my favorite waves. Long rides down steep faces... loads of fun. From around noon to 3pm that day I regained my stoke.

Thursday topped out at 10ft but the waves cleaned up and provided better rides. And if my stoke needed any more of a boost it maxed when a school of dolphins joined me for the last hour of my session... chasing fish, riding the waves, jumping and surfacing as close as 10 feet away... dolphins everywhere. There was even a baby swimming with them... too cool!

So to sum up... bodyboarding with kids + big waves + dolphins = Maximum Stoke.

Oh and the new board is working out great; I'm really loving it, I'll write a review soon.

Bodyboarding 101: How to Wax your Bodyboard

2010-04-20T22:02:00.005-04:00

When I showed up at my first FBA bodyboarding event I found, to my embarrassment, that I was the only one with a fully waxed board. Unlike a Surfboard it's not necessary to wax the entire surface of your bodyboard. Though each person tries to personalize their wax application the consensus leans toward minimalism, which is to say only as much as necessary.

The basic rule is wax anywhere on your board you find yourself slipping. At it's most basic this probably means waxing the top corner and side of your board where each hand grips, where each elbow sits and where your belly rests on the board when riding a wave.

If you paddle out using both arms and legs then you'll find that you're balancing yourself on your chest towards the upper part of the board. This is nearly impossible unless you've waxed where your chest touches the board.

Here's what this looks like personalized and stylized for me:

Hope that this saves some newbies from my blunder.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Please leave a Comment:

Waxing tips? How do you wax your board?

The Stoke of Overhead+ Windslop

2010-04-18T01:22:00.004-04:00

Well there's nothing like several days of 15 to 20 knot NE to onshore mix to blow up some big disorganized overhead+ windswell. There are no sets and these aren't the clean long overhead lines featured in surf magazines. You're paddling out into large wind slop for a shot at the towering triangular peaks that shoot up as waves merge over just the right spot. They're unpredictable and you'll have to PLF to position to catch one, but if you're into big, quick, steep, drops down towering faces you might want to give this a shot.

This past Thursday Evening at the pier showed decent large windslop conditions. Though it prove less disorganized than I'd expected it was still rough and a serious side-shore current had set up; the current stayed strong even beyond the shore break it took constant paddling to keep from getting sucked into the pier. There's a great spot on the north side of the pier that tends to focus and peak up northeast windswell even under normal conditions and I could tell there was some potential there for some monster waves to form. Unfortunately every wave I caught from that spot put me inside fighting the worst part of the current.

I had been out about an hour -- fighting the current the whole time to keep from getting sucked into the pier -- and had caught a hand full of decent head-high rides when a wedgy 10ft wave loomed overhead. I chose to take it right at the peak which proved to be a mistake as it pitched me forward just as the bottom had flatten out and sent me for a big drop. I tossed my board and went under and didn't get worked over too bad.

I broke the surface to to find a long 6 foot line coming in. By this time I was exhausted and dangerously close to the pier and that was the most welcome site in the world. I pulled my board to me, caught the wave and let it carried me in all the way to shore. Silently I thanked God that I wasn't going to have to fight the current to get back in safely. I managed to walk 20 feet or so before calmly heaving up half my dinner.

A good day.

Stay Stoked,
DH

How I hate/love/hate my wetsuit

2010-04-13T21:51:00.007-04:00

Oh how I relished my new wetsuit last fall as air and water temps dipped below 70F. Now with water temps climbing into the upper 60's I'm surprised to find I'm the first guy in the line up out in board shorts. After a winter of consistently 50-55 water temps, 68 doesn't feel near as cold as it did last fall and I've been desperate to be free of the heavy, constraining, strangling feel of my wetsuit. The thought of putting it on again makes me feel claustrophobic. I can barely imagine that there are people who live in climates that demand a wetsuit year round. Maybe it's my imagination but I paddle faster and ride more freely without it on.

So as of now I hate my wetsuit... until next winter when it's the only thing that allows me to feed my surf addiction without suffering hypothermia... then I'll love it again.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Bodyboarders Boycott Snickers

2010-04-12T23:05:00.007-04:00

71mag.com, a new bodyboarding magazine, broke the story online that Snickers is running an ad with a pro surfer saying "When I'm hungry I boogie board" as part of their "You're not yourself when you're hungry" ad campaign. A quick google showed that Surfer Today later covered the story and identified the surfer as Mick Fanning and said that the IBA is calling for a ban of Snickers.

I don't know what clueless copywriter decided it was a good idea to single out specific groups of people to identify as inferior and demean with their ads but as as long as they're going that way here are a few suggestions:

Women Executives as House Wives (Home Makers?)
Navy Seals as Marines
Republicans as Democrats
Doctors as Nurses
Evolutionists as Preachers

The over all goal here is to establish one group as lesser or inferior and to make the point when you're hungry you not just "not you", you're less than you and the equivalent of this other, lesser group. It doesn't matter that these groups aren't actually inferior, as long as you make it seem like they are you can make certain that they understand that you don't want their business.

Thank you Snickers for making it clear that you don't want our money.

Bodyboarder? Hungry? Boycott Snickers and eat an apple instead.

Oddly the Ryobi campaign on SurfingStoke (must see) doesn't bother me at all... in fact I love it. I guess it's because it doesn't single out bodyboarders, but kind of says "Surfers are against everybody... we can help". And of course everybody redirects their animosity right back at the surfers and says "Bring it on" while imagining what they could do to a short board with Ryobi tools. It's a fine line but Ryobi pulls it off while Snickers takes it too far.

What are your thoughts?

Florida Bodyboarding Association Contest, May 1st, Flagler Beach

2010-04-07T00:24:00.001-04:00

If you're with in driving distance of Flagler Beach, Florida make sure you make it for the upcoming FBA event May 1st.

The flyer says it all.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Review: WaveSkater Pro Bodyboard 45

2010-04-02T08:21:00.014-04:00

As you know I'm in the market for a new bodyboard and was considering the WaveSkater Pro 48 among my options as I was looking for something with more float than my current 45 inch board. Fortunately I found out that my local bodyboard shop had a few WaveSkater Pro 45's up for rental so I had a chance to try before I buy. Though the owner of the surf shop doesn't bodyboard himself he said that they were great rental boards as they seemed nearly indestructible.

A New Kind of Board

When I looked over the board for the first time in person what struck me was how shaped everything was: the scooped out center, the grip channel around the edge, the twin 'hulled' bottom; this type of molded construction definitely opens up a lot of options for shaping. Also notable is that the widest point of the board has been pushed back to the center of the board and with the majority of the board volume in the back rather than the front, a design which others have suggested provides greater maneuverability given that turning on bodyboards pivots around the hips... I was hopeful this was going to turn out to be a great board.

In the water the first thing that I notice was that WaveSkater 45 definitely had a lot more float than my current 45 inch board, even without moving to the 48 in model. I had hoped that more float would mean an easier time paddling out but was disappointed to find that wasn't the case. I guess I just need to train harder.

It took me about a half hour to figure out how to ride this board; it really is a different beast. Hand on nose and elbow locked into the channel around the rim was obvious. What was less obvious was that to compensate for the pushed back midpoint I need to grip the edge with my outside arm much further back than I was used to in order to balance my weight over the mid point. Once I got that down I caught quite a few rides.

A Disappointing Experience

Unfortunately riding the board was a disappointment, perhaps because my expectations were so high. First off it felt slow, though I told myself that that could be chalked up to inexperience positioning myself or possibly even to the type of waves it was designed to ride (waves in Jacksonville are far from ideal, though I went out on my old board that afternoon and caught some fun rides on similar waves, no problem). As expected I did notice that turning was fluid and was pleased to find that maneuvering didn't seem to reduce speed much but sadly that didn't translate into a more enjoyable ride.

Despite all of the potential I saw in this board, there was one thing that sucked away all the joy of riding the waves and that was how horribly stiff the board was. Riding the WaveSkater Pro literally felt like riding a slab of steel (albeit a very floaty piece of steel). As I mentioned I rode my old board that afternoon to make sure I wasn't imagining it and by comparison it felt so responsive it was like I was gliding as part of the wave; in contrast the WaveSkater was so stiff and unpleasant that I if it had been my first board I'm not sure I would have stuck with bodyboarding.

Not Recommended For Beginners, Possibly for Others

It's possible that amateurs and pros looking for maneuverability for tricks might find it useful to experiment with the WaveSkater. Unfortunately it's durability and cheep price make it ideal as a rental board, meaning it will find it's way into the hands of new bodyboarders and tourists, people that I feel it is least suited for. If you're interested in buying this board I definitely recommend renting one first and giving it a try before purchasing it.

A Final Note

To the WaveSkater manufacturer... I like a lot about this board and love that you're pushing the status quo in design and manufacturing but you've got to go with less stiff, more responsive materials; indestructibility isn't everything.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Falcon's Bodyboard Shop Grand Opening, Encinitas, CA

2010-03-30T19:02:00.008-04:00

A shop dedicated just to Bodyboards? Righteous! The idea got me so stoked I just had to plug their Grand Opening!

If you're in Encinitas, California or nearby San Diego this Saturday, April 3 2010 then be sure to check out the Grand Opening of...

Falcon's Bodyboard Shop

1026 N. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
Website Get Directions

Falcon's has the Largest Selection of bodyboards in the San Diego area and is the only all bodyboard shop in town. I gave Falcon a call out of the blue and he was nice enough to answer some quick questions on bodyboarding for me and to chat about the status of bodyboarding in his area. He proved knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

That's the great thing about having a local shop to go to... when you need help picking out a board or you need other advice on bodyboarding there is someone there for you who knows what they're talking about. Sure you might save a little shopping on line, but how do you know that you're getting the board you need? And who's going to answer your questions later on... good luck with those .com shops. Not the right color... not the right board... good luck getting your money back online.

In today's down economy it's more important than ever to keep your money in the community. Support your local shops... in turn local shops push the sport locally and support local events and the sport grows in the community and the jobs stay in the community.

Make sure to support your local bodyboard shop where ever you are.

And, to Falcon, Congratulations on your shop. I hope you have an awesome grand opening!

Stay Stoked,
DH

Teaching your kids to respect the Ocean

2010-03-29T23:19:00.002-04:00

It's good for children to have confidence in their abilities. Even overconfidence isn't bad in a lot of situations, but around the ocean it can be deadly.

One day my son was bodyboarding on his own and kept edging little by little deeper than he knew he should be. The leash on the cheep bodyboard he had consisted of little more than string with a weak Velcro wrist strap and I was worried about him getting out too far and loosing his board. I'd call him in closer and he'd move but 3 minutes later he'd edge back out again. Now my son was a fair swimmer for his age (7 at the time), but was limited to dog paddling. Were he separated from his bodyboard and caught in a rip current it's likely that his lifespan would be 4 to 10 minutes... less if he panicked. I'm painfully aware of this fact every second he is in the water, but up until that day he had been blissfully unaware of it.

For his safety I knew he needed to see how vulnerable he was. I took him out neck deep for me. I had my bodyboard and fins on. The waves were breaking between where we were and the shore. They were 3 to 4 feet and punchy and the was a little current pulling back out where the waves were breaking as the shore. I explained to him quickly that he had been going out deeper than he should and I need him to learn how hard it was to get back in if he got pulled out too far. Then I plopped him off the board and told him to swim for shore.

He immediately pleaded for me to pull him in. Half way in he swore he was going give up, to which I replied that "If you give up in the ocean you drown... you better get to swimming buddy". I talked him through the whole thing, alternating between encouragements that he was almost there and could make it, and firm insistence that I wouldn't help him and that the only way he'd make it in was if he did it himself. He huffed and puffed and swore he was going to drowned and he even got tumbled a bit by the breaking waves on the way in but 5 minutes after I let go of him he pulled himself out of the water under his own power. I was relieved and extremely proud he'd managed to do it himself.

I was never more than arms reach away and he was never in any danger but he learned first hand how dangerous the ocean could be and he quit fighting me the rest of the summer about going out too far. If he were pulled out by a current now he'd know what to expect and I'm fairly certain that he wouldn't panic. Another day I repeated the experience with my daughter in shallower water and calmer conditions. She did fine as well, though for her it was a much needed confidence builder as she was overly afraid of the ocean before.

I worried when the idea occurred to me that it might be to much but neither of my children came out of the experience fearful or resentful and both benefited from it so I guess I handled it well. I now have them regularly practice swimming around in water above their head on calmer days using me holding my bodyboard as a dock to launch them selves from and return to. It's important to have them continually push their limits in a safe environment where you can help them when they need it.

Note: I removed this story above from a recent post on teaching kids to bodyboard because I thought it needed separate discussion. I'd really like to know if any of you have taken similar approaches. I would not go so far as to recommend this approach for other people's children but I do think that instilling respect for the ocean without making kids to fearful requires a difficult, delicate balancing act; this to worked for us.

Your thoughts?
DH

How to Teach Kids to Bodyboard

2010-03-28T09:17:00.053-04:00

When I started teaching my kids to bodyboard last year it seemed to me that it should be fairly easy.

Start out by launching them into whitewash and letting them ride it into shore.
Once they're comfortable with you launching them into waves let them try it on their own in small waves (positioning themselves just in front of where the waves are breaking).
Gradually progress to larger waves and give them tips and encouragement along the way until they're trimming down a wave like a pro.

Those are basic steps that everyone knows.... so what's so hard about that?

Well first off I have 2 kids that are completely different. My son is cautious until he gets comfortable with something new but from that moment on theirs no holding him back. My daughter on the other hand charges head first into everything but is easily discouraged by failure.

You need to gear everything to each kids abilities and temperament. Keeping that in mind here are some tips that should help teaching your kids to bodyboard go more smoothly.

When it stops being fun you're doing something wrong.

This is one of the most important rules in bodyboarding. You bodyboard because you love it. You love it because it's fun. If it was a miserable experience you wouldn't want to do it and neither will your kids.

Remember, these are memories that will last a lifetime... make sure they're good ones.

Your board is not the right board for them

Once they start progressing from riding whitewash to riding waves they definitely need a board of their own, sized to their body -- feel free to do this as early as you'd like. They should be able to hold onto the front of the board with their hands, elbows propped up on the board with their hips on the board and their legs dangling off of the back. On boards smaller than this they will have trouble riding waves at all. On bigger boards they'll be easily turned sideways and flipped and also be likely to pearl (though hanging their legs off of the back of a larger board adds stability and directional control).

Bigger is not Better

Just because bigger waves are more fun for you doesn't mean they're fun for them. Riding white wash all the way in till they hit sand is an absolute blast for younger kids. As they get a little bigger they can learn to position themselves on their own and take off just in front of a breaking wave.

Remember even knee high peelers can give smaller kids a really good tumble. Unless your kid is an aggressive natural talent I recommend letting them stay at the whitewash stage until age 6 or 7 unless they're pushing you for more.

Confidence is Crucial

Some kids are discouraged by even the smallest tumble. Others can get plowed over and jump up smiling ready for more. If you have a child that is easily discouraged build them up with lots of small successes and praise. You know your child. Just be careful not to push them too far too fast or they could be turned off to body boarding or worse yet develop an unhealthy fear of the ocean.

Safety is Everything

The first thing you need to do is lay down some rules with your kids. The ocean demands respect and it's when you forget that that tragedy strikes.

Our family rules:

Daddy goes in first and decides if the water is safe before anyone else goes in the water. Here are somethings I consider:

Are there rip currents.
Is there a strong side shore current.
Is there a sucking current pulling under the breaking waves (happens sometimes when waves dump right on shore).
Are the waves too big or conditions too choppy.
Is there a drop off where the water goes from very shallow to very deep very quickly (One of our beaches has this at low tide another at high tide... know your beach).
Is there a lifeguard on duty.

If I'm teaching one then the other plays on shore (or in shallow water if things are calm) with my wife watching. The one in the water gets my 100% attention. It only takes a moment distraction for a kid to be out of reach and in trouble. The "one in the water at a time rule" also has the added benefit of guaranteeing that by the time the one in the water is tired the other one is dying to get in and learn.
Orders given in the water are to be followed immediately; argue and you're out of the water immediately. I make sure my kids know that the ocean can be dangerous and that I'm responsible for their safety and that if they don't listen they can get hurt or drowned. They know that if I tell them to do something in the water I'm always serious. I will take an angry, pouting kid over a dead or hurt kid any day.

Don't rush it

Your kids have years and years ahead of them for you to coach them to pro bodyboarding status. Take your time. Enjoys your kids, especially when they're young... these days don't come back again. Remember if you're not having fun you're doing something wrong.

I'd love to hear about your experience teaching your kids and if theirs anything that you found helped.

Please drop a comment.

Thanks, Stay Stoked,
D.H.

Top 5 reasons why Jacksonville, FL is the best place in the world to Surf

2010-03-22T00:34:00.000-04:00

If you're familiar with Jacksonville and the long lulls awaiting good surf then you might be surprised by this statement but here me out.

1. It's one of the safest places in the world to surf (see previous post).

Surely not having a high likelihood of dying or being cripple for life is a bonus.

2. It makes you really love surfing.

People who live in places where everyday is a great surf day really take it for granted. If you surf in Jacksonville you really love surfing and you learn to appreciate even the crappiest swell that comes your way.

3. It's a great training ground.

Short, fast, inconsistent, unpredictable waves are the norm. Those who catch waves consistently here learn to read them well and they push hard and fast to get them.

4. You can surf and still have a life.

In some of the more consistent spots in the world you find tons of people who give up girl friends, family, college, careers and nearly ever thing else because all they care about is the next great wave. Part of me understands the allure, the sirens call, the addictive nature of surfing but fortunately for me that's not an issue here... there aren't enough great waves to fill up your life with. In Jacksonville you're forced to fill up your life with life.

5.When it's on it's on.

Those few days a year when it's going off the waves are breaking great all up and down the coast. In fact the traditional surf spots are the last place you want to be on those days; they're over crowded with kooks and locals who don't know any better. Pick a spot nearly anywhere else, paddle out and be prepared for a killer 3 hour drift session that keep you stoked for at least another year. Feast or famine... that's Jacksonville. Learn to love it.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Top 5 reasons why Jacksonville, FL is the safest place in the world to Surf

2010-03-21T23:50:00.001-04:00

1. Fewer Sharks

Only 19 Shark Attacks ever
Last fatal Shark Attack was 34 years ago

2. No Killer Critters

No Deadly Jellyfish (our local variety is barely an irritation)
No Crocodiles or other man eating animals
No poisonous octopus or sea snakes
No Sting Rays
No Poisonous Fish
No Urchins

3. Sandy breaks (beach or sandbar)

No Coral
No Rocks
No Reefs

4. No Nasty Rips

Yes I've seen dumping shore breaks and a handful of rips (some of which have met with tragic results to those who don't know how to swim), but nothing that I'd considered dangerous to surfers.

5. Fewer surfers

Yes those 3-5 days a year when a big swell comes in you could toss a baseball from surfer to surfer from the Poles the way to Ponte Vedra but most days the most crowded spots have less than 25 surfers. Fewer surfers means less localism and violence and fewer kooks dropping in on you. In many places this is your biggest danger.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Bodyboarding, Surfing and Sharks

2010-03-03T00:38:00.009-05:00

The water is dark, more so now because the sky has clouded over and a late afternoon storm is rolling in. Some fish jump. You glance over and ignore it. It always makes you a bit nervous when the bait fish are out, but the waves are really good today.

OK, not they're not that good, but they're a lot better than they have been lately and it's been weeks since you've had a good session. You've been out about two hours and managed to catch a handful of decent waves. You're glad you paddled out.

Out the corner of your eye you see a gray fin flash the surface.

You turn but it's gone. "Shark?" you think to yourself. You look around nervously. It could have been a dolphin, you've seen lone dolphins out before. You wait but no dolphins surface. "Was it really a fin?", you wonder. It was probably nothing... just your imagination.

Yeah, it was nothing.

You look around again just in case.

So here's the question...

Do you paddle in or do you stick it out?

And what are the risks anyway? You're more likely to get struck by lightning than bit by a shark. Everyone knows that... and you're fairly certain it's true.

But what are the risks?

For those who want to know the statistics there's tons of information available through the International Shark attack file which is "a compilation of all known shark attacks that is administered by the the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History".

It's a little disorganized but I was able to confirm that among other things yes you are more likely to be struck by lightning or, surprisingly killed by a dog or an alligator, than to be attacked by a shark. If you want to know the number of attacks in your area you can find that out too. For instance according to the stats for Florida my county has only had 19 shark attacks in the past 108 years and only 2 of them were fatal (the last fatal attack was over 30 years ago).

About 40% - 50% of attacks worldwide are on surfers (I assume they lump in bodyboarders with surfers). Divers and swimmers make up the rest of attacks. I haven't found any numbers comparing the numbers of surfing vs bodyboarding attacks worldwide but from recent memory I'd say there are more attacks on surfers and that's probably because there are more surfers in the water.

Of course, just as walking around in a thunderstorm with a lightning rod increases your chances of being struck by lightning , there are things that can make a shark attack more likely.

Contributing Factors to Shark Attack:

Low visibility in water (greater chance for mistaken attacks)
Bait fish running (greater chance for mistaken attacks)
Early morning and late evening sessions (sharks are more active)
Inlets, sandbars and drop-offs (more sharks around / more shark food around)
Shiny jewelry and watches (resembles shiny fish scales, greater chance for mistaken attacks)
Bleeding / fresh open wounds (Duh! don't chum the water)
Surfing alone (Less help, more of a target)
Splashing and horseplay (may attract sharks)

Of course even if you play everything safe sometimes your number is just up. In 2003 Bethany Hamilton was surfing with friend in clear waters on a beautiful day at a break that had never before had a shark attack and lost her arm for it. Though she no longer surfs that break she still surfs professionally and is out-surfing some of the best women surfers in the world with just one arm. I'm not sure if the words like bad-ass and cahones can be politely applied to women, but those are definitely the words that come to mind. Bethany was able to look past the horror of her experience and see that attacks are not very likely and that while you should be careful you shouldn't let caution keep you from living your life.

It's been said that “Properly experienced, life is a very risky behavior”. I for one refuse to live life cowering in the shadows of what-ifs.

Stay Stoked,
DH

XL Bodyboards for larger riders

2010-02-14T19:40:00.005-05:00

At 6'2" 270 pounds I'm a big guy. I'm fairly muscular, if perhaps a little overweight, but I don't have a gut hanging over my belt or anything; I'm just a big. That said, my bodyboard just doesn't have the buoyancy to handle my weight. Paddling out I'm mostly submerged and the current really drags on me and my board feels sluggish riding all but the biggest waves.

The traditional rule for sizing a bodyboard is to get a board with a length within one inch of the height of your belly button. For large waves an inch below and for small waves an inch above. The advice is often repeated but I've never heard a real reason for it, though it seems to work fine as a starting point for most people. Following this advice my max board length would be 45 inches, which is the length of my current board (45"L x 21.5"W x 2" thick). It was a good board for learning on for the price and I'd definitely recommend it to any first timers, but I need a larger, more buoyant board.

Bigger than 45" there are only a few models available:

Custom X Beast 260$

48"L x 24.5"W x 3.5 thick
Core: Polyethylene (Dow) core
Two stringers
Polyethylene deck and rails
Crescent Tail

Wave Skater Pro 180$

I recently reviewed this board

48" Long x 23" Wide x 3" thick
Compression molded EVA/PE foam
Unique one piece construction
See full info here

Manta Pro XT 46" 230$

46" Long x 23" wide x ??? thick
Beaded Polypro Core
XPS Bottom Slick
Double F Stringers

JL Designs Porpoise Board 57" 260$

57" Long x ?? wide x 3" thick
Single stringer
Flat Bottom

Or you could I could choose a Custom Board

Kenu Hawaii 295$ and up + S&H

Any length, size, shape, specs you want
Fin boxes for skegs

So what will I choose? Well I'm not sure... if anyone out there has any experience with any of these boards I'd really appreciate your feedback.

Thanks, stay stoked,
DH

Decent surf session at the Poles

2010-02-08T19:53:00.001-05:00

Well the report was that there was good surf at the poles at low tide. Unfortunately I missed dead low and caught more of an incoming tide which had the waves closing out a fair bit and a little more inconsistent. I must have passed 10 people walking in on the board walk but there were still about 20 surfers in the water(most on the north side of the poles) when I paddled out. The waves had a lot of potential and I saw a few rare overhead waves on the outside. The overall length of the waves surprised me.

I found my self watching a really nice wave roll in and be picked up way down the line only same wave rising up right on top of me a second later. One of two rides that I really should have caught. Most of the rides I caught were steep, fun, and very short. I did manage to catch two outside waves that I was able to ride into the inside for a nice long ride but overall I was rather disappointed if only because there were a handful of really great waves were there if you could just get in position to ride them.

The waves were very different than any I'd ridden before and I'd love to be out there on a nice clean consistent day when it's going off.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Aggro Surfers and the Us Versus Them Syndrome

2010-02-03T20:22:00.010-05:00

Yesterday the surf was up for the first time in over a week. I was bodyboarding with about 20 surfers on the south side of the pier and got in on one of the best waves of the day when a surfer dropped in on me. I called him off and he tried to swing his board back at me. Had he been closer I would have gone high, lifted my board up and taken him out at the ankles. I hung in there and rode it out right on his heels, but a wave that should have made me stoked had me ticked.

Following the wave the guy had the gall to yell at me from 20 feet away:

Aggro: "You need to get a surfboard man! Why don't you go somewhere else!"
Me: "It's a free ocean, brother!"
Aggro: "Yeah, I guess I'm free to drop in on you like I just did then!"
Me: "Yeah, everybody's free to be an A$$####!"

Surprisingly he didn't respond. Maybe he realized that he'd just admitted to everyone around that he intentionally dropped in on me and felt suitable shame. Or maybe he realized I was a head taller than him and outweighed him by about 80 lbs and I wasn't going to back down. Either way he paddled down the line and we didn't have anymore problems.

So why the aggro? The pier was pretty crowded and everyone was vying pretty hard for waves, especially since surf has been scarce lately... that's usually enough to do it. Seasoned vs groms, surfers vs bodyboarders... when resources (waves) are scarce people develop a sense of entitlement. Us versus them... we deserve to be here and they don't because (fill in reason here).

I was talking to a bodyboarder from California who said that if you want to bodyboard out there you better bring a group of friends or the surfers will run you off. I don't know if it's true, but it makes sense... the more people competing for waves the more they'll group together and try to exclude people not like them.

Fortunately it's not that bad here... probably because there are so few bodyboarders here and fewer surfers than a lot of places. I wish I had a solution to the problem but sadly I think it's just the way it is.

Stay Stoked,

DH

FBA Competition Pictures

2010-02-03T06:53:00.005-05:00

Here's some pictures from Decembers Florida Bodybording Association Competition in December. Sorry to take so long to get them uploaded.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Sunday surf session

2010-01-24T16:52:00.002-05:00

Well there was a bit of swell coming in today. It was a little crumbly and very inconsistent but there were some wedgy 6-8ft peaks coming in on the outside if you were willing to wait for it... and I mean wait for it... I caught my first wave about an hour into the session, which is crazy but you'd see these great waves to the left and to the right of you and then you finally get your shot at one only to find you're too far inside or outside or you're right at the peak and it's suddenly going vertical just as you're about to get into it and you've got to pull back at the last second or you're going to get dropped.

I was in the water about 3 hours and conditions improved the last half of the session and I caught 4 or 5 good waves, but you really had to work for each wave. For me it was worth it. I love big waves and we get so few of them that I take what I can get.

The air temp was in the 70's so the chill wasn't too bad even though the water was in the 50's. The inside was a total mess though I did catch two waves outside that I rode until they reformed and broke twice more, first in the middle then inside; really kind of a cool long ride.

Anyway, Stay Stoked,

Cold water + warm air = not too bad

2010-01-20T21:21:00.006-05:00

The surf was up this past Sunday... chest high, if a little weak. Water temperature was around 50F, which wasn't surprising, but air temp got up to 76 with onshore winds rising from 5 to 10 knots. Gotta love Florida winters!

The combination was almost comfortable. You still got the standard ice cream head ache from duck diving in the cold water but it quickly subsided in the warm wind and the wind kept the chill from building up. Sadly I only had an hour out.

Lots of good waves though things started to chop things up by the time I paddle in. I caught one long right that seemed to go on forever though the paddle back took forever... at least the current wasn't bad on the outside. Of course the wind had blown things down by Monday and we're in another flat spell again, but it was fun while it lasted.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Florida Winter Surf

2010-01-11T17:33:00.006-05:00

Well the past two weeks of no surf are finally over and we finally have some swell coming in, but man is it cold. I was out yesterday for an hour in 50F(10C) water temp and 45F(7C) air temp and it was at the limits of what I could take. Mind you, no hood, no gloves, no booties and and a 3/2 suit. I can live with numb hands and feet but I'll definitely buy a surf hood before my next session... the waves crashing over my head were cold fiery torture.

The surf was fun. It was a little week and inconsistent but there were waist high plus peeks coming in. The swell started coming around mid afternoon with the tide push; I'd been watching the high def cam so I was the first one out. Two groms followed me in about 30 minutes later and an older guy started tearing it up on a short board a while after that. I stuck it out just a little longer then had to head in.

My recipe for out lasting the cold... wet suit on at home, hot Chai Latte and pastry from Starbucks on the way and heater on full blast in the car all the way to the beach. The built up heat and the extra calories really make the difference.

Stay stoked,
DH

Bodyboarding Christmas

2009-12-27T23:10:00.014-05:00

A while back there was a write up on autistic surfer Clay Marzo where he said "Waves are like toys from God". Well this Christmas God gave me some big beautiful toys to play with. Waves were 8-10 foot; Big wedgy rumbling beauties breaking on the outside.

I tried the pier first. There were lots of smaller short period swell pounding the inside with a strong side shore current. I gave it 2 tries but couldn't make it out. I was discouraged but I decided to grab some hot chocolate from the gas station then head up to 18th street for another try.

The Magic Spot

18th street is a great place for getting out during big swells. The outer break is a sandbar with a deep trench that shallows up quick. Because the inner break shallows so fast it's not hard to get past the short period swell on the inside. Once you get out you'll see the large waves breaking on the sandbar and dissolving in the deep water of the trench.

What you need to do is paddle out to where the waves haven't quite dissolved but no longer have enough power to knock you back. This is what I call the Magic spot. Rest there and wait for a lull. When it comes, all of the sudden, you'll see maybe a hundred feet of white foam dissolving ahead of you and open water beyond. You have maybe 90 seconds to paddle hard as you can to cover that distance before the next set rolls in.

Almost Good as Bill

Hurricane Bill sent waves that were bigger, punchier and hollow. The Christmas waves were a little less perfect but they were big enough and sounded like thunder when they broke and I had them all to my self. Of course when Bill came through I didn't even know how to do a bottom turn, I was just school busing the biggest waves I could find. This time I had the chance to really ride them.

And it was marvelous. The way I figure it there are three high points to riding waves: Face time, tube time and hang time. I've never caught air and I've spent very little time in the tube, but I love, absolutely love face time. Long steep rides on big beautiful faces. There's nothing like it.

I drifted from around 3:00 to around 5:30 when the sun set and caught wave after beautiful wave. Nice long rides with plenty of time to take everything in. By the time I paddle to shore I'd drifted within within sight of the poles. I had a two mile hike back to my car in the dark walking off a charlie horse that I got on the last wave, but oh was it ever worth it.

Merry Christmas,

Winter Solstice

2009-12-23T06:37:00.002-05:00

Well the winter solstice passed by unnoticed by many yesterday, but was happy to see it come and go. For those in the northern hemisphere like me it marked the shortest day of the year. From now till June 21 we will gain roughly one minute of daylight per day. And unless you're on of those crazy night surfers daylight equals surfing.

For months I've watched the available surfing hours slip away until there was no longer daylight to surf by before and after work. Surfing became limited to the weekends and the occasional extended lunch break. But that process is reversing itself and if you're a Northie you should be looking forward to the long surfing days ahead slowly creeping up on you.

You Southies down below the equator be warned: the time of cold, darkness and short surf sessions approaches!

Stay Stoked,
DH

FBA event blown out, next day perfect

2009-12-13T17:33:00.018-05:00

Well, we had 30+ guys show up for the FBA event in Flagler yesterday. Unfortunately it was blown out, choppy, overcast and cold. On the plus side I met a lot of great people and it was really cool to paddle out with a bunch of other body boarders pre-event.

Though I'd paddled out just fine before the contest, by the time my heat came up the conditions had worsened. Some guys opted to ride small crumbly waves inside but my pride wouldn't let me do it, especially since I'd made it out before. I spent the whole 15 minutes of my heat paddling as hard as I could but never made it outside. Never rode a wave. Nature kicked my butt.

No pictures available yet. I accidentally left our digital camera so we bought a cheep little Kodak camera. I'll write a bit more on the event when we get the pictures developed.

I do have a few shots from this morning in Jacksonville though. Great waves, big and peaky but a little crumbly. My wife was tolerant enough to let me spend an hour in the water and she snapped a few pictures of me from the pier. Thanks sweetie.

When I paddled in I ran into a drop knee body-boarder on the beach and told him about the FBA event and that they had a forum where you could find other body boarders close by and arrange to paddle out together. I told him I'd paddle back out with him and catch a few waves but after the end of a long session I couldn't make it out again. Sorry guy, maybe I'll see you around.

So Nature beat me 2-0 this weekend, but that's OK, it just makes me want to train harder and go out more. I'll be ready next time.

That's it for now... stay stoked,
DH

It's hard to catch great waves on the clock

2009-12-10T21:29:00.001-05:00

Tuesday was one of the better days I've seen at the pier. As I crossed the walkway I saw these beautiful lines stacking up. There were a few head-high tubes but I wasn't patient. What I should have done was sit a little outside of where the medium sized waves were breaking and wait ten minutes or so for my shot, but I had less than an hour to surf so I rushed.

It's a pretty usual pattern for me on a short session. I sit a little shallow, almost desperate to catch waves, fighting hard for anything that comes by and lamenting the bigger waves that I miss because I'm too far inside. Once I've caught 8 to 12 waves I start to relax. I head outside a little and patient wait for some better waves in the time that's left.

Yesterday followed this pattern perfectly and toward the end of my session I was finally able to relax and catch some good waves. On the best one I wasn't deep enough so I took off towards the peak, then, as it started breaking toward me, I cut back, changed hand positions perfectly and rode it the other way. I'm still stoked about that wave.

I'm still planning on going to the FBA competition on Saturday. As I understand it I'll have about 20 minutes to catch as many waves as possible and conditions are forecast to be 6-8 feet and choppy. I don't know if my impatience will help or hurt me. I'll be interested to see if other competitors focus more on catching more waves or bigger waves. To be honest I'll be interested just to see other bodyboarders catching waves; it's a rarity in Jacksonville.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Surf what you can see

2009-12-07T21:16:00.014-05:00

Last week at the poles I was listening to an old timer talk about his years of surfing. He was waxing nostalgic and dropping nuggets of wisdom and one thing he said stuck with me "Surf what you can see, don't see what you can surf".

In other words, don't put off paddling out because the report says "great waves tomorrow" or "great waves next week". If the surf's ridable today then go ahead and paddle out. The only thing you know for sure is the waves you have today.

So when I saw that today was small, blown out and crumbly with a strong nor'easter and a heavy current I had second thoughts but his words tipped the scale and I decided to give it a shot. I figured what the heck, it's a good work out and I'll have the waves to myself and it's better than the doldrums we've been caught in lately. Of course this is the day SJP comes calling.

Now I've been out to the pier a lot and caught some great waves and never managed to get my picture taken but today, in crummiest condition possible, I finally get my shot.

Had planned to head right, but realizing it's breaking there too.

Looking left, too late to back door it.

Ah, Crap.

Woohoo!

Moment in the spot light over.

Of course the SJP narration was a bit derogatory (and anti-bboarder), but it's all in fun, so no offense taken. Heads up SJP: if you take some shots of me on a good day I'll drop by your site and buy the high-res downloads - booger money spends just as good as stand up money!

Stay Stoked,

DH

Looking Cool VS Having Fun

2009-12-04T20:08:00.001-05:00

In the small Florida waves it's hard to get respect as a body boarder. Unfortunately unless you're charging big tubes then the stand up surfers have the advantage in the looking cool department. Disagree if you'd like, but to the average Joe on the beach any grom who can ride down the line commands more respect than veteran body boarders who've spent years in the water.

Who cares! I'm 33 and married; who the heck do I have to impress? I paddle out because I love the ocean and I love to surf. It's one of the most relaxing, enjoyable experiences in life and I catch bigger waves and have more fun and freedom in the water because I do it on a body board.

Body boarding rocks! And if the stand up guys don't respect it fine. And if the people on the beach don't get it that's their loss because they could be out there doing it too; but they're not and they're missing out.

Stand up is expensive and high maintenance. Stand up is the stuck up, miss priss, prom queen. You might not be happy with her, but man doesn't she look good on your arm!

Body boarding is surfing's cute little sister. She's not a knock-out, but she's low-maintenance, laid-back and she knows how to have a good time. In the small waves of Florida surfing might be the trophy wife, but body boarding is the girl next door you fall in love with.

Oh, and make no mistake, when the big swells occasionally do roll in it's the body boarders charging the biggest, best waves when most of the stand-up surfers are falling off their boards and getting pounded. Who's cool now?

Stay stoked,
DH

Women bodyboarding

2009-11-29T23:33:00.000-05:00

What I love about body boarding is that it's an equal opportunity sport; Young, old, male, female... anyone can do it. Because of it's low entry point there's the potential for a lot of people to get stoked and stick with it. And if they're willing to put in the time I think anyone can take it to a high level.

Here's some videos of young ladies and women who've done just that.

Looks like a junior women's competition at pipe? Great surfing.

2008 Womens Pipeline Bodyboarding Championships

IBA Confital World Tour 2009

It's hard to find good women's footage. I know that women are taking it seriously in Australia, Hawaii, Portugal, Brazil and Peru but it gets even less press than women's standup surfing. If you want a good read check out this write-up by Lane Davey on the history of women's body boarding.

Keep surfing ladies.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Thanksgiving Holiday

2009-11-28T23:47:00.009-05:00

We hosted Thanksgiving this year so there was a lot of prep getting the house ready. I cleaned out the garage and then filled it up with junk from the porch so the kids would be able to hang out on the porch and stay out from under foot. Family's been over all weekend and we pulled everything off without a hitch... great holiday.

Needless to say I've had little time for surfing the past week. I anticipated as much so last Sunday I caught a 4 hour afternoon session at the Pier and made the most of every wave. By the time I paddled in my legs were cramping and I'd tweaked my neck pretty bad.

I made it out to the Poles for the first time on Friday for a short morning session. It was nearly flat, which was hugely disappointing because it there were some fun waves Thanksgiving day and I couldn't make it out.

A few rogue waves broke on the outside teasingly showing me just how good it could be at the Poles. I definitely plan to have another go of it when a good weekend swell roles in.

Florida Bodyboarding Assocaition December Competition

2009-11-18T23:13:00.004-05:00

The Florida Body-Boarding Associations is having a Contest on December 12, Flagler Beach at 8am. There will be Pro(60$), Amateur(30$), Master(15$), DropKnee(30$), Junior(Free) and Women's(Free) divisions. Fees are to be paid on the beach, and submitted with entry form. You can check the schedule for future events.

Here are some highlights from the last contest in September.

FBA BodyBoarding Contest #2 Day 1 from Ranga352 on Vimeo.

If I can go I plan to enter at the amateur competition for fun. Hope to see you there.

Stay Stoked,
DH

NE Florida Surf Forecast Resources

2009-11-17T18:53:00.015-05:00

For a short range surf forecast Surfline wasn't bad and I staid with them a long time. Recently though I switched to the SJP surf reports and don't plan on switching back. The SJP morning/lunch reports have snapshots of surfers on the waves so you can see what conditions are really like.

For longer range data I have to say that Weather Underground is one of my favorite resources; not because it's the most accurate(though it's really good), but because its clear, concise and packed full of information. I also like that I can subscribe to the blog in Google reader so I get alerted to anything going on.

Weather Underground has several other great resources:

Animated Marine Wave Report (Awesome)
Global and Local Sea Surface Temp Map
Global and Regional TS and Hurricane tracking

I've added these and other useful links to the sidebar.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Quick session at the pier

2009-11-16T23:51:00.003-05:00

I got in a quick session at the pier today. Another Body-boarder was out, one of only three guys I've ever seen taking it seriously out there. He was hanging outside patiently waiting for one of the few bigger sets to come in.

I mostly hung inside and caught plenty of fun waves though they were a little mushy due to low tide sucking the life out of them. Worked on forcing myself to use proper hand/body positioning as I found that some how the combination of the wetsuit and good waves had made me lazy and I was getting sloppy.

Anyway, great session, stay stoked.
DH

A great weekend at the pier

2009-11-15T21:07:00.010-05:00

I was able to get out for a bit on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Saturday morning the outer break was pumping but I only had a half hour to catch some waves (promises to keep) so I hopped on as many insiders as I could in the time I had. I caught one nice tube and then another cool wave where the trough of the wave I was on merged with the shoulder of a slightly smaller wave and I was able to drop over the shoulder and keep going.

Saturday I saw something new. Long boarders were catching waves on the outside and staying with them till they reformed on the inside and broke again. One after another they were riding them in... sweet.

Well this morning I managed to do it totally by accident. I caught a wave on the outside and as it crumbled I dug my rail in the white-wash and managed to keep traveling down the line. After a second it started peeking again and I rolled down the shoulder and started picking up speed. There were at least 3 surfers who were getting on their feet as I shot down the line and over took them. One after another they fell back politely and got out of the way (awesome). One of the best rides I've ever had.

Today was another first; I was dangerously dropped in on twice. The first time was an accident. I called "Look out!" and the guy looked startled and quickly pulled back over the shoulder as I passed by.

The second time was on purpose and I was nearly impaled by a short board but I didn't back down. The wave was peeking to my left and me and a short boarder were paddling hard for it but I was closes to the peek and had right of way. I got into it first and cut right towards the path of the short boarder who was getting to his feet. He looked genuinely surprised that I was in his path (suicide mission?) but I banked a little inside to stay clear of him and he panicked and fell. Unfortunately it slowed me down too much and ruined my ride down the line. The wave broke on me a second later.

I got a couple of hours in this morning catching wave after wave till low tide sucked the life out of it and I called it a day. It wasn't as big as other days lately but it was glassy with perfect form and there were plenty of rights of to counter the slight North-South drift pulling us toward the pier.

Stay Stoked
DH

Ocean Gas Eruption in Atlantic Beach, FL captured by Google Maps

2009-11-13T23:13:00.019-05:00

Google maps shows an underwater gas eruption (also known as a seep blowout) just north of 16th street Atlantic Beach, FL. It is very clearly frothing white-water but it's beyond the outer break and looks nothing like the elongated forms that you see from the waves which are breaking close to shore all up and down the coast. Eruptions of this type are caused by sudden massive releases of methane and hydrogen sulfide that have built up under the ocean floor over time. As you can see from the bottom picture this eruption is nearly perfectly round and 130 feet in diameter.

As far as I know events like this are rare and would only be dangerous if you were caught in the middle of it, but still its freaky that its happen so close a break that I surf.

Another day of beautiful surf

2009-11-13T19:30:00.007-05:00

There was plenty of chest high surf in the water this evening. I decided to hit 18th street to avoid traffic and had a great high tide session. There were a few head high tubes breaking out back but I was short on time so I opted for catching as many of the punchy, chest-high insiders as I could. A fair number of stand up surfers were out as well as a couple of SUP-ers. B-boarders where are you?

Anyway it was a beautiful and sunny but the water was cold and the air temp was dropping with the setting sun. I must say I was loving my new wet suit. Special thanks to Jax Beach Board Shop for a great suit at a great price. Their was a solid north-south current running so I had to hike it back about a mile after 45 minutes in the water. Lots of fun all around.

Stay stoked,
DH

Offshores clean things up, Great session at the pier!

2009-11-11T20:33:00.005-05:00

Air Temp 79F-83F, Water Temp 72F.

I made it out today for a beautiful hour+ session at Jax Pier. Conditions were clean with shoulder to overhead plus waves with a moderate South to North current. Thanks to SurfJaxPier for the morning alert that offshores might clean things up. I bought a 3/2 wetsuit earlier on in the week and even though it was a bit warm for it I decided to give it a test drive.

The suit fit well but was hot for the conditions. I ended up unzipping the back all the way to let water in and that made it almost comfortable. It'll be perfect later in the year when the water turns cold. It took most of the session just to get positioned. I kept finding myself just inside enough to get pounded by the really big peaky ones that came in every 20 minutes or so and just outside enough to not be able to make it over the lip of the weaker and more crumbly ones. I finally caught a long crumbly 6 footer that didn't have much power but gave me some nice face time.

Since I was short on time I headed inside and caught a couple of punchy five footers at the shore break before having to call it a day. If I'd had a few hours to kill I would have loved to sit on the far outside where the big ones were breaking and wait for my shot, but it wasn't to be. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't catch more waves, but I had fun and it was a great session overall.

Oh and check this afternoons post on surfline for great pics from the pier.

Inflatable Surf-mats?

2009-11-11T00:01:00.014-05:00

I've never ridden a surf-mat. To be honest I've never even heard of this as a surf alternative before; though I do remember floating on one of the old canvas ones on in the pool as a kid. For all I know riding a surf-mat might be the most fun you could ever have on a wave, but it's hard for me imagine.

Surfline did run a story on surf-mats a while back, albeit in their women's section. Their conclusion: if you're looking for a lot of fun and don't take you're self too seriously then you should definitely give it a shot.

All machismo aside I wouldn't mind having a go at it. On the plus side it is probably the most portable, least expensive surf device ever created (not counting some assisted body surfing gear). I couldn't find any big wave footage but it seems very effective on small waves. There are two small wave clips below and an instructional clip below that.

Some fun footage.

A group riding really small surf effectively

Tips on how to ride a surf mat:

Jacksonville Florida - Surf and Seaweed

2009-11-10T21:13:00.018-05:00

Ever wonder about the tons of seaweed that wash up in the surf on North Florida beaches from time to time (like now)? Its called Sargassum Seaweed and comes from the Sargasso Sea which is a massive area of the Atlantic, a few hundred miles off shore, that is filled with huge lines of the stuff.

The seaweed can be pushed to shore by large storms or by strong, sustained onshore winds blowing for several days in a row and is not an uncommon sight in the winter months. Due to the currents that surround the Sargasso Sea it tends to gather up all kinds of floating waste. Because of this all sorts of stuff can show up along with the seaweed including logs, boards (with nails in them), coconuts, plastic bags and paint buckets -- so keep an extra eye out for debris while surfing.

Many fish and creatures make their homes in the to the Sargassum Weed Lines. One of the most common is the needlefish , which is a harmless, thin, foot-long fish that can often be seen in the lineup and cresting waves when the seaweed is washing in, so don't be surprised to by them. Another interesting inhabitant of the seaweed is bio luminescent plankton. If you shake a freshly washed up clump of seaweed on a dark night you'll see their their fluorescing flashes lighting-up throughout it.

Anyway that's enough of a marine science lesson for one night.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Wedge Envy

2009-11-09T07:00:00.008-05:00

If you don't know about the wedge in New Port Beach then you need to see this footage. When it's pumping the wedge is about as mean a wave as you can imagine. It breaks hard and shallow with crippling results. I might be foolish enough to give it a try if it weren't (thankfully) 2400 miles away. Check out this footage, its off the hook.

Of course the real kings of the wedge are the body surfers; these guys are nuts.

First B-Boarding session at Micklers/Crossroads

2009-11-08T23:27:00.007-05:00

Air Temp 78, Water Temp 70-72

Had fun body-boarding today but I really need to get a wetsuit soon, the water wasn't exactly cold but it seemed to sap the energy right out of me. Conditions were blown out and nasty at high tide with a pretty stiff current. The beach break was dumping right on shore and unridable. There was a bit of a mid to outer break going with shoulder high waves but it was really unpredictable and hard to get into position on one -- The rides were fun but it took a lot of work to get them. I'd love to try this break under glassy conditions with the same swell. It was a different sort of beast that what I'm used to.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Bodyboarding Hurricane Bill: Epic Memories Part 2

2009-11-05T21:16:00.015-05:00

Saturday, August 22 - Bill swell, AM Session, Atlantic Beach

Continued from Part 1.

When I got to 18th street at 7:30AM there were only 3 parking spaces left out of the 20+ there. The swell was coming in big and beautiful and there were surfers spaced 10 feet apart up and down the line as far as the eye could see.

It was a beautiful sunny day and glassy. The outer break was pumping, with Average waves in the 8 to 10 foot range. Standout waves were in the 12 foot range but closing out.

The outer break from 18th street north to Hanna Park is a sandbar. It tends to be about 4ft deep on a lowest tide and maybe 11 feet deep on the highest. There's a deep channel between the sandbar and the beach even at low tide. Weaker rip currents can occur but strong ones aren't common. Instead under heavy waves a strong cross current will develop in the channel often flowing north towards the poles. With the volume of water being pumped in a fast cross current had already set up.

The paddle out was tougher than the day before and the last 30 feet to the line up was a brutal paddle, fighting the current and duck diving 6ft walls of white water that were steadily coming in.

At this point my skills didn't allow for a bottom turn especially in surf this size so I spent the morning school-busing the biggest closeout waves that I could find. Unfortunately each wave left me deep inside and it took 10 to 15 minutes paddling as hard as I could to get back out and then another 10 to 15 minutes catching my breath.

It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed my time on the outside resting and waiting for my turn in the lineup. A pod of dolphins even showed up surfacing just feet from me as they worked their way down the coast.

Over the next 3 hours I rode about seven 10 to 12 foot waves and then paddled in totally exhausted and starving, only to face a long walk back from deep into Hanna park.

I drove home, stuffed my self with anything that I could get my hands on and then dropped on the bed for a blissful 3 hour nap. An hour after I woke I'd fully recovered and headed back out for a second session.

PM Session, Atlantic Beach

More great waves in the PM session. Twice I had the lip of a large wave land on my feet, sucking one of my fins off. This left me in the impact zone about 15 minutes each time searching for my missing fin. Duck dive, search, duck dive, search, oh there it is... duck dive, paddle to where I last saw it, oh there it is... duck dive, paddle some more. Not Fun.

Of course it never occurred to me that I if the lip was landing on my feet that meant I was barely making it out of the close outs. One second slower and they would have landed on my head. Joyful Ignorance.

The outside was still calm and beautiful. Peaceful even... until a guy to my right thought he saw a big shark heading straight for him underwater. He quickly headed in on the next wave and I paddled over nervously to the guy on the other side of me and asked if he'd seen anything. He laughed and said he'd seen a lone porpoise chasing fish a few minutes before and not to worry. Sure enough a moment later I spotted it coming up for air and was much relieved.

I was pretty worn out and it kept taking longer and longer to get back out and recover but I knew I wouldn't be back out Sunday -- obligations, plus I was developing a nasty case of fin ulcer on the middle toe of each foot -- so I made the most of it and ended up spending 3 hours out. I did make it out for Tropical Storm Danny the following weekend and heard it was comparable to Sunday Bill so it wasn't too disappointing.

It's funny but, as awesome as the memories are, I feel somehow disappointed as well. Knowing what I know now, I could have pulled into some awesome tubes and made the most of the waves. I feel like I wasted them. Now I have to wait for next fall or maybe even the year after for comparable swell. I guess the good news is that there's plenty of time to prep so that next time I'm in top form and ready for it.

For the east coast HC Bill was truly epic.

Bodyboarding Hurricane Bill: Epic memories Part 1

2009-11-04T21:08:00.014-05:00

Friday August 21 - Bill Swell
I called my wife from work and told her that waves were going to be coming in big soon and I wanted to go see what was happening and maybe surf a little. So me, the wife and kids show up at the 18th street, Atlantic Beach at low tide. It was maybe a little before 6 and we noticed on the way over a storm coming in fast from the west with a bit of lightening so I knew I didn't have long. I went up and talked to the life guard.

"How is it?" I asked.

"It's getting worse" he said, adding as he climbed down "You know there's a thunderstorm coming in?".

"Yeah I know", I smiled as he walked over to the lifeguard truck that had stopped to pick him up -- nothing was going to stop me from sampling what looked liked some really beautiful surf.

I spotted one lone surfer a ways up the beach, sprinted toward him, figuring it was best to be out near to some one else, just in case. The paddle out was surprisingly easy, the currents that would plague me the next day hadn't set up yet and I lucked out to catch a nice lull between sets. Just as I was reaching the outside a big set was rolling in. I paddled up and out the back big 12 footer getting a huge rush and a bit of air time as I shot over the top. It was the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

It was calm on the outside as I caught my breath a second. Given the size of the wave I'd just come up I probably should have been a little scared but I just remember feeling amped. I dropped into the next wave that came in and hung on for dear life traveling at what felt like a hundred miles an hour as the wave closed out and a huge wall of white water exploded behind me.

I shouted and laughed and cheer and paddled back out as quickly as I could, duck diving a huge wall of white water then PLF to shoot out the back of another huge wave and again, surprisingly made it outside without much trouble.

The storm was closing in now and a strong off shore was blowing showers of mist off the top of the creasting waves. The next wave I caught was massive and I barely made it in, dropping near vertical; I remember skipping down this huge face and gripping the rails with my elbows to hang on (the next day there were bruises on my inner biceps from pressing so tight). The lip clipped my swim fins as white water erupted around me and I shot free of it.

I'd made it out again.

I whooped and shouted and cheered and slapped the water. It was one of the most singularly joyous moments of my entire life.

I considered paddling back out for one more wave, but I'd already drifted down to Hanna Park, nearly a mile from where I went in, and I'd left my family on the beach with bad weather approaching. Rain was sprinkling now and lightning was closing in the distance. Reluctantly I paddled in.

My kids spotted me in the distance and ran out to meet me. They smiled and laughed and told me they were worried about me as they walked me excitedly back to my wife as I told them about the waves I'd caught.

The first wave was about 12 feet, the size of the largest waves I'd see the next day; the second I estimate at over 15 feet. Close-out Epic surf.

When I reached my wife she pounded my chest and scolded me. The last she saw I'd ran down the beach and into the surf and disappeared. It had been maybe 35 minutes since I'd left and she'd worried the whole time. While she worried I'd experienced one of the most momentous events in my life.

I found myself laughing spontaneously at the joy of it all, a joy that bubbled up the rest of the evening.

Continued...

My first good tubes

2009-11-01T19:07:00.010-05:00

Okay I've had waves close over me before; I even went backdoor on a big choppy overhead wave in an attempt to get the tube experience (and got pounded), but I've never caught the nice curling wave that you see in the magazines and videos where a nice hollow tube creeps down the line until it catches up with you and slowly closes over.

Well today was my day. It was glassy on a low to incoming high tide. About 20 minutes after I paddled out these hollow, 4 foot, glassy, pealing waves started rolling in and dumping just off the beach. I caught 10 perfect waves in the next 40 minutes or so. 9 lefts and one beautiful right.

Unfortunately the 18th-Street beach break shallows quick at low tide and I got rolled pretty hard in 2-3 feet of water when the waves in. Eventually I figured out that bear hugging my board once I was under saved me from the worst of it and kept my head and neck from being pounded.

It was a great day all around.

Stay stoked,

Advice for beginning bodyboarders

2009-10-29T23:34:00.015-04:00

Well it's been roughly four months since I started body-boarding and I think it's safe to say I'm no longer a kook. Let's run some numbers. I've been going out for 2 to 4 session a week (lets call it 3), for 16 weeks, at an hour+ per session, and being conservative, lets say 6 waves ridden per session. These are just rough numbers, but I'd estimate but I've probably logged 50 solid hours in the water and maybe around 300 waves. Yeah, I rounded up, sue me, but I don't think that's too far off the mark.

Hand placement is automatic now when going right or left... shifting my body, one hand on the nose, the other gripping the rail for the bottom turn, then shifting to a palm on the board for trimming, then round the corner and out the back as I reach the end of a wave. Things I'd seen in videos, but after a while I found I was doing them with out thinking about it at all.

Of coarse when I first started there were so many things to think about it was dizzying. Where am I in the line up? Is this a wave I want to catch? Is anybody else going for it? Who has priority (it took me a while to figure this one out)? Ok, I'm in, is anyone else in, no? Okay, quick, make the bottom turn. Blink. Blink. Wave over.

There was so much going that it was hard to remember the wave with a great detail. I think this is where many new surfers have trouble. In the very beginning if you're focusing on catching the wave enough to actually catch it, make the turn and ride it, then you've used close to 100% of your focus just on that. You just don't have the bandwidth to absorb the fact that you just dropped in on someone or that there was anyone else there at all.

The best you can do is find a spot where there aren't that many surfers, try and leave as much space between you as possible and then apologize when you inevitably offend someone.

So without further ado, here are some quick tips for beginning b-boarders:

Watch the videojug instructional videos and read all that you can (remember, Google is your friend).
Don't surf alone, but keep a little distance away from the other surfers so that you can focus on what you're doing without worrying about being in someones way.
Spend as much time in the water as possible. The more time you spend, the quicker that things that need to be automatic, will become automatic.
Be bold, but don't be stupid. Be wise enough to know that you might not be able to tell the difference yet. Respect the bigger waves. If you haven't taken a big drop, if you haven't been sucked under and tumbled, if you haven't been caught in the impact zone and pounded after taking that tumble then you don't have any idea what your limits are yet.
Have fun and stay stoked!

Later,
DH

Great waves lately at the pier

2009-10-27T07:00:00.003-04:00

Bodyboarding has been great lately at the pier.

Friday evening was small and disorganized on the inside but there were cleaner waves and some occasional big tubes out towards the end of the pier. After a while I paddled out alone to see if I could catch a few good waves on the outside. It took some patience but I finally caught a nice long ride on a shoulder-high wave followed almost immediately by another slightly smaller wave right where the first one dropped me off. Unfortunately it was nearly dark by then so I caught one more at the beach and called it a day.

Sunday afternoon wasn't big but it was consistent and very fun.

Monday was choppy, waist to shoulder high and thick with the occasional overhead closeout rolling in. I decided to give one of the big ones a go and didn't quite make it. I took a big drop. I managed to hang on and landed hard then whitewash plowed into me like a freight train, ripped my board away and churned me around a while. It shook me up a little but I paddled back out and caught a few more before calling it a day.

Latest Sessions

2009-10-22T00:06:00.001-04:00

Paddled out a few times recently. This past Sunday was choppy and cold (air temp 63F and the wind was whipping) but the water was warm(79F). I got a few good rides in but the current kept pushing me toward the pier which made me get out, run up the beach as fast as I could and jump back in to warm up again. I mostly stayed off my board while waiting for waves.

Tuesday was warmer(air 70ish) but the water had cooled(72F) and seemed rougher though with less current. By the time I'd caught one good wave I'd drifted down to the pier and was feeling chilled. I didn't feel like walking back up the beach to have another go of it so I called it a day.

I'll need to buy a wet suit soon, but I'm putting it off as long as possible. Looks like it's warming up again anyway.

Waves and wind are supposed to have cleaned up some; I'll try to head out tomorrow.

Stay stoked,
DH

Welcome to Surfprone

2009-10-04T22:04:00.002-04:00

Surfprone is dedicated to the exploration of prone surfing in all it's forms e.g. Bodyboarding, Body Surfing, Tray Surfing, Alaia/Itaka, BellyBoarding etc.

Surf
1) a breaking wave
2) the act of riding down a breaking wave

Prone
1) having a tendency or inclination : being likely (prone to forget names; accident-prone)
2) a: having the front surface downward b: lying flat or prostrate

Surf Prone
1) likely to surf or to be surfed
2) To surf lying down

Stay Stoked.
DH