Which Day Would You Surf?

Dilemma. Swell from the south, winds pretty mellow in the AM, high tide in the 3ish area. Which dawn patrol would you bet on? Before you say "both," just know that's not an option.

Ultimate Surf Coach

I just bought "Occumentary," a flick about one of my first surf heroes, Mark Occhilupo. The reason why I liked Occy so much was because of all the surfers on tour during the '80s, he seemed to have the most personality and pure stoke for the sport. He had great style and was always giggling in that high-pitched voice of his. Not to mention that he's goofy foot, surfing with the most backside power I'd ever seen (J-Bay).

I pretty much suck when I have to go right, a fact that got me thinking: Wouldn't it be cool if you could pick any surfer in history to mentor you? Thinking of it as a "desert island coach," who would be the best surfer to impart wisdom, pointers, and probably more importantly: Who would be the most fun to have as a teacher?

Taj Burrows was a close second (those Aussies often seem to avoid "sea jock" syndrome), as was Rob Machado (a goofy who can ride anything).

Who would you pick?

Again, if you haven't seen it, check this link for the opening sequence from Occumentary. Notice the slash where Occy's front foot is completely off the board...

Peter Bjorn & John - Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

The (Bruised) Plantain

This is my quiver right now. I've decided to rack the Grean Bean and stick with the stick that has opened up my surfing the most since I started three years ago. It's a quad shaped by Stu Kenson. Not sure I can remember the dims: 5'8 X 2.75 X 20 (double wing) comes to mind.

Like I've said before, it rides really well. I think it has a little more nose rocker than traditional fish, so it can drop into some pretty decent waves without pearling. I think I also mentioned that this thing is a ding magnet. I just picked it up from the shop, where I had a huge gash from Mexican reef fixed on Saturday morning. As I got into the water and started paddling out, stoked to finally have my favorite board back, I came to a screaching halt and heard the sound of crunching fiberglass. I had just run over a barnacle-encrusted stone hiding inches below the surface.



Shit.

I hustled back to my gear as the other guys continued out into the rip, more mindful than I of the rocks. I asked everyone I saw if they had tape; nobody did. I grabbed a tube of Suncure and smeared some into the fissure, then I aimed it at the sun, which had creased the clouds near the horizon. 15 minutes later, I was on my way back to the rip, paddling wide of any submerged boulders.

You guys are all going to tell me to fix this ding myself, but I'm a little hesitant, as I don't want to screw it up. I also want to use the board this week... I'm not sure that the Suncure is completely sealing the cracks. What's the best quick-fix? Duct tape? Clear packing tape (as Slim assures me)? A "Life's a Beach" Sticker? More Suncure? How hard will it be to do a better repair if I throw another layer of crusty resin on it? Kenson assured me that this Surfblanks Australia blank has a more closed cell structure than other poly boards, so maybe shouldn't stress on it.

Anyway, some peeps asked to see my quad, and here it is!

Evangelicals - The Water Is Warm

(not)

Blame It on the Board

This is a picture of me waxing up my 6'6" hybrid swallow tail "Evo" model board from Hammersurf. I used to fondly refer to it as the Green Bean, having named all my previous boards after fruit (The Banana, The Blueberry). But after last weekend, I decided to rename this board The Banana Slug. When I first got this board two years ago, it seemed impossibly fast and squirrley - a far cry from my stable 7-foot and 8-foot fun boards. Now, after riding a quad that is almost a foot shorter than this, the board feels cumbersome and stiff. Like a raisin sliding through cold oatmeal.

Last weekend was the first time I'd ridden the Slug in months. The waves were big and fast all three days, requiring speed to make freight-training sections. The days where I surfed backside were the worst. I've never been incredibly comfortable with my back to the wave, but this was ridiculous: I watched other surfers generate speed backside, clearing sections and getting tubes, but when I dropped into the reeling rights, I would start my bottom turn and get hammered by the lip (did I mention that I'm riding a Hammer?).

Granted, I wasn't doing what I knew I should: grabbing my rail and twisting my torso (kinda like my position in the picture above), but I still wasn't making waves that I thought I might be able to on my quad (The Plantain). Even on the last day of our trip, when we were surfing the barrelling lefts of a certain mysto spot, I couldn't get in early enough and have time to pump down the line before the wave chewed me up and spat me out.

Is it the board?

Is it my wimpy arms?

Is it my lack of skill in technical waves?

How big a wave can I surf on my 5'8 quad?

One consolation was that almost all my other surf chums who I talked to about the surf last weekend were having similar issues. Maybe we were just all knocking off our collective rust. But I'm still claiming that this board could be a little big for me. Anybody want to make an offer? It's never been dinged!

New Pornographers - Use It