Surfing is a Trip

Swell Has Risen' - pt.2

2009-04-13T19:30:00.000-05:00

Huge thanks once again to my photographer and greatest surf wife, V.

Relaxing in the pocket.

I had the captain from my yacht drop me off at this secret spot. (not my yacht and we're at the most crowded Spring Break beach in Destin). I was the only one out though.

The limper the wrist, the longer the nose ride.

Swell Has Risen' - Easter weekend

2009-04-13T19:23:00.000-05:00

Taking it high off the top.

Just about air dropped the landing.

Natalie getting some board time. Quadruple shaka... ahhh yeah.

kingscliff this week

2009-03-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

i have had this view plenty this week

burleigh barrells this week

2009-03-27T16:29:00.000-05:00

2009-03-27T15:53:00.003-05:00

Forecast issued 5.30pm Friday, 26 March 2009Short Forecast: E tradewind swell remains constant around the four to six foot mark over the weekend, potentially preceding a renewed rising trend in ESE swell getting underway on Monday, peaking at eight to ten feet into the middle of the week. WIND: moderate to strong SE.SaturdayE swell 5 to 6ft exposed coasts, about a foot smaller across northern NSW. WIND: SSE 15 to 20 knots.SundayE swell 4 to 6ft southeastern Queensland exposed coasts, marginally smaller across northern NSW. Small SE swell up to 2 - 3ft across far northern NSW. WIND: SE 10 to 15 knots.MondayE swell 4 to 6ft exposed coasts, possibly increasing to 6 to 8ft into the afternoon. WIND: SE 10 to 20 knots. TuesdayESE swell potentially 8ft+ exposed beaches. WIND: early light SW tending SE 15 to 25 knots.WednesdayESE swell potentially 6 to 8ft plus open beaches, gradually easing. Wind: SE 15 to 25 knots increasing to 10 to 20 knots.ThursdayESE swell around 5 to 6ft plus exposed coasts,.

The tunnel of my love. A green cathedral, a tube, a cave, a shack, a pit, a cavern, a precious place. A room with a view free of charge. An empty hole in Coolangatta yesterday. Look out for a comprehensive Meltdown feature on Coastalwatch later today showcasing the quality waves SE Qld surfers have enjoyed since Saturday

Good Luck Mike

2009-03-26T22:49:00.002-05:00

Congratulations and good luck to Mike. He's representing the panhandle Sr. Men Longboard division at the ESA regionals this weekend in Sebastian Inlet. Show them how it's done west coast style.

Surfer Dude, movie review

2009-03-04T17:07:00.002-05:00

So I made it through the movie "Surfer Dude" last night. The local video store had it on the shelf at knee to waist high level (or head high for my daughter who picked it out for me). Normally I wouldn't think about renting a movie with Matthew McConaughey attempting to act like a surfer in it. It's pretty much a stoner movie. The main character is basically a sketch of where Spiccoli from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" left after graduating. Cast members include Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson. Lot's of pot smoking and boobs. Not enough surfing.

Best line... when a virtual reality operator, who has thousands of breaks loaded on the computer, asks the main character (a total ludite) if he had a favorite surfing spot, he replies, "yeah... but I ain't tellin' you."

quiksilver pro

2009-02-27T23:56:00.002-05:00

went to the first day of Quiky pro today. saw 5 heats, incl mick, joel, the hobgoods(same heat, damo was on fire!)etc, etc(no disrespect they all surfed like pros)...and KS. He paddled out on what looked shorter than my fish which is a 5 11, probably like 5 8(or shorter), fattish nose and kinda rounded pin didnt look like much rocker. He was slidding tail, pulling 360s in gravity defying fashion, he must be part gecko the way he sticks to his board. What was amazing is that if you have any doubt that this man is the best in the world, just watch an actual contest, all the heats...his flow, power and artistry are clearly evident. The waves had deteriorated by his heat and he still put on a show...a true master.

Morning Session in Destin

2009-02-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

I managed to get out for my first dawn patrol of the year. Great head high waves, offshore winds and only a handful of people in the water. I spent 1o minutes when I got out of the water and took these shots.

Danny In Puerto Rico

2009-01-18T20:07:00.004-05:00

I couldn't resist posting this video in Dannny's absence. I hope he's having fun in Puerto Rico while we are all freezing up here. Below is some surf from a secret spot in Georgia.

Matt, right now Mike Sturdivant and I (as part of Blue Mountain Surf) are planning some events in April (one surf school in Florida and then a paddle/kayak school in Georgia). We are launching Stone Mountain Surf this Spring to sell/rent Stand Up Paddle Boards in Georgia and beyond. I still have an eye on the calendar for an international surf trip of some sort but a couple things need to fall into place. It's summer where you are right?

(Hey Cross--no autoplaying your slideshows. You're going to burn down the blog!)

ESA surf contest

2009-01-11T23:26:00.003-05:00

Had a surf contest this weekend. Mike and I duked it out at the pier on the island. Mike took first in longboard. The kids had a great time and weather was horrible. Good times. Kudos to the greatest surfing wife ever for taking all the photos.

Fog Days of Winter, pt. 2

2009-01-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

I had to move to the inside so V could get shots

John from Cincinatti (not)

Theo always ready to help a Dad out.

Fog Days of Winter

2009-01-09T12:21:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day swell. You could barely make out the wave on the outside from the shore.

Natalie's first bikini. And she got to try it out on Christmas.

V wrestling the 9'6" on the inside.

Best of 2008

2008-12-21T22:57:00.002-05:00

A lot of these shots you've probably seen over the last year. Definitely some sweet memories in here.

I hear we're supposed to have a decent swell on Christmas.

Random Surf Shot 2

2008-12-21T22:10:00.001-05:00

9'6" coming through.

March 16, 2008

Random surf photo

2008-12-21T22:06:00.001-05:00

INCOMING!!!

May 3, 2008

Storm Surfers

2008-12-18T06:04:00.002-05:00

Below is Discovery's announcment on Storm Surfers. Mike and I got contacted a while back by a production company (same producers that did Top Chef and Project Runway) after they saw our hurricane swell photos on www.bluemountainsurf.com. I guess they went with Tom Carroll and Ross Clark-Jones instead of Mike and me.

The show is airing in Australia only for now. I was able to watch it on Discovery's intranet. It's good. They got some crazy surf, just nothing classic. The adventure aspects in Tazmania were cool though. Tom and Ross were funny when the lines weren't scripted.

Matt, were you able to check this out?

-------------------------
Discovery Channel's STORM SURFERS Rides in on 60 Minutes Wave in Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific

Discovery Ignite's local co-production STORM SURFERS crashes onto Aussie shores this week, premiering on Discovery Channel at 8:30 pm (AEDST) on Wednesday December 17 in Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific. Combining weather prediction, science, extreme surfing and sheer bravery, the one-hour special follows former world surfing champion Tom Carroll and big wave legend Ross Clarke-Jones as they hunt down the biggest storm fronts in Australia and surf them. Between them, Tom and Ross manage to conquer the infamous Shipsterns Bluff and the mythical Dangerous Banks off the coast of Tasmania. The latest HD camera technology and GPS tracking devices give viewers a fantastic vantage point - right at the front of the surfboard - as the surfers push the limits of physical endurance in pursuit of the ultimate ride.
STORM SURFERS is a 2007 finalist for Discovery Ignite, a local co-production initiative which was launched in 2007 to generate Australian content for Discovery Channel while providing local documentary filmmakers with the opportunity to showcase their work to a worldwide audience. More information is available at www.discoverychannel.com.au/ignite.

There has been a lot of buzz around STORM SURFERS in the local press in Australia, including a three-page feature in The Sunday Telegraph (December 7) and a special on 60 Minutes on Sunday October 26. The STORM SURFERS segment, which pulled in over 1.55 million viewers, featured interviews with Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones, and footage of the pair catching monumental waves off the coast of Tasmania during the filming.

STORM SURFERS will be premiering in other markets in Asia in 2009.

Discovery Communications, Inc.
December 16, 2008

Blue Mountain Surf Online Store

2008-11-29T10:03:00.003-05:00

If you need any surf-related gifts this year, check out the new online store, Mike and I just added to www.BlueMountainSurf.com.

All proceeds will go towards a surf trip this Spring. I recommend the Jack Johnson Holiday CD and the new DVD Waterman. (You can listen to Jack's "Someday at Christmas" song at the site). Sorry Matt I think our store only allows US-based transactions.

No word yet on whether Santa will be able to fit a 12' standup paddleboard down my chimney.

New boards

2008-11-26T02:28:00.002-05:00

6'4", 2 1/2", 20 1/2", shaper Steve Barber "Full Force" single to double concave, swallow tail, abit more shallow tail than my fish but same idea, middle of board very flat, hardly any rocker, with alot of volume up front, quad. Will take pictures when I can find the camera. Rode it this weekend on a ok swell about 3 feet but a bit weak. It took a bit of figuring out. This board is very tail driven, you have to plant your back foot and drive from there. If you get too much on your front foot(which I tend to do) the board will not turn and seems to stall. Once it gets going it is very fast. I think it is going to fit in nicely in my growing quiver for smallish days. It really is a bit more foam than I was after...but I am experimenting. I have 2 shapers that I have on a deal...I take care of pets, they make me boards. I have 3 more boards already to my credit!! This board is kind of an attempt at a version of Al Merrick's Pod shape. Probably more "pody" if was about 4 inches shorter.

6'4", 2 1/2", 19 3/4" Shaper Skye Burton "On Fire" different shaper to above, more standard looking board, took this to Bali, only board I took out, and handled surf up to solid 6-8 indo. Still has a fair amount of volume, again maybe too much, probably could shave another 1/8-1/4 off the thickness, the width is fine, and maybe just a touch too much foam in the tail(rounded square/thruster/FCS K2s. Single to double concave, very moderate rocker.

New iPhone Surf Report App

2008-11-11T11:07:00.001-05:00

New iPhone surf report app from Oakley. I don't have an iPhone but this looks pretty good.

bali

2008-10-30T05:04:00.002-05:00

Well, back home 3 weeks now. I had the best time. I have no surfing pictures as all the surfing done on reefs that you take little boats out to. The days went like this...wake up...breakfast buffet, walk out the back of the resort, check the tide/waves etc. There will be several owners of small local wodden boats with outboard motors hoping you will use their services. You stick with the same guy each time so he takes care of you. 50,ooo rupia, about 3 bucks for a round trip out to the reef. About a 5-15min trip depending on what part of the reef you want to surf that day. You jump out of the boat, he goes back to shore to continue his services for other surfers. You tell him come back and get me in 2hrs...he does...and you are happy to climb aboard....head back to the beach...rinse off...jump in the pool....the pool has a plunge bar...so you order a Bintang or 3 if it happens to be happy hours....The waves posted on this site just recently at Blue Mountain...it/s like that...every day...some days a bit smaller, some days bigger. 6 foot there is like 10 foot here, more power. Paddled into the biggest waves of my life...and paid for it. Dreamlands was a solid 9 foot with bigger sets, I caught set waves but also got the shit kicked out of me...and was scared. Not really my idea of fun. Impossibles on the same day was smaller by about a foot or two but on dangerous reef, Pandang Pandang was perfect but so crowded and critical that I didn't bother...that's why I surfed Impossibles instead...same beach. Uluwatu that day was a solid 15 foot, I watched, as did most everybody else, only 4 people out and only saw I person catch a smaller set. Most of my surfing done on Kuta reef. I stayed at the Ramada Bintang that sits right on the reef. Biggest day there was solid 6 foot at Middles. Anyway...we had such a great time that we have already booked our flights for July next year!!! Hope everybody gets waves as soon as possible!

Solid Fall swell in Blue Mountain

2008-10-24T21:11:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty epic day today. Mike and I surfed about 2 hours in Blue Mountain Beach. It was breaking big on the outside. Steady offshore winds kept conditions clean. I hope there's lots more of this to come this winter.

Mike had the eye-in-the-sky spectator on this ride.

If you look close, you can see me ducking under this monster peak.

The flying gull stance (COMING DOWWWWWN!!!).

Special thanks to Greg W. for hanging out and taking these photos.
View all the photos from this session here.

SL8R Could Clinch 9 Tomorrow

2008-10-02T13:34:00.002-05:00

If "Robert Kelly Slater (b. February 11, 1972, Cocoa Beach, FL, USA), known simply as Kelly Slater" wins at Mundaka tomorrow morning, he'll clinch his third world title. I challenge you to watch the webcast, then be the first to update his Wikipedia page with the news.

Steve's Hurricane Ike Pics

2008-09-25T12:50:00.004-05:00

My new Hurricane Ike Pics are posted on www.BlueMountainSurf.com.

Riding concrete mountains.

2008-09-24T10:55:00.001-05:00

You may need to towel off after watching this. I worked up a sweat just watching.

trips

2008-09-20T04:20:00.002-05:00

hey boys, just wondering if there are any chances of those on this blog attempting to gather somewhere, sometime for a surf, probably not considering the Gulf of Mexico. I could be a year or more away, is it worth the effort? Where would reasonable? Considering all the different proffessions we come from, we could set it up as a conference, possibly, to satisfy the tax man and then claim as an expense. Just a thought.

Gator vs. Shark

2008-09-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

A visual for the story below. Love the artwork.

Surf Trip to Crooked Island

2008-09-03T18:29:00.009-05:00

On Sunday, a group of seven of us (3 guys; 4 ladies) tried to surf Crooked Island between Panama City and Mexico Beach aka The Forgotten Coast (map).

The main surf break when the surf gets this big (the pass at Shell Island) had over 100 surfers there, so we thought the pass at Crooked Island would be a better choice. The warning sign posted at the boat landing across from Crooked Island (Point A) gave lots of different warnings regarding alligators, sharks, currents, and ended with "No Rescue Possible." No joke.

We only had one boat, so part of our group paid another boat to drop them off at the surf break in the pass at Crooked Island about 3 miles away (Point B). The plan was for the rest of the group to follow behind in our boat. The motor would not start on our boat, and we didn't have any way to contact the first group. I called my brother who happened to be in Mexico Beach for the weekend. He agreed to pick up the first group in his boat via the Gulf of Mexico route (Point C) and take them back to his marina through the pass at Mexico Beach. (Point D) The first group later drove back (Point E) to the boat landing to make another attempt at reaching the island.

Being without a boat, we decided to paddle straight across to the island and hike to the surf (Point F). Part of the group went right, instead of left, around a swamp and were not able to make it to the surf (Point G). They had to backtrack to the car. (Point H). The three of us that went left (including me) made it across the island and surfed until it got dark (Point I). The surf was head high and building fast but it was getting dark. We walked back the beach route (Point J) and one person hitched a ride to the car and returned for the group (Point K).

One of the cars broke down on the dirt road leading back to the group at the beach (Point L). Somehow we were able to get a tow truck on a holiday weekend to come help us in the middle of the woods.

Crazy times.

Hurricane Gustav - surf photos 2

2008-09-03T12:31:00.001-05:00

Just a couple other shots from yesterday.

Hurricane Gustav - surf photos

2008-09-03T12:23:00.000-05:00

We had a fun day on Sunday afternoon. Wind was still slightly offshore with the waves coming in head high on good sets. I got a little video and will try to post later.

These shots are from Tuesday morning. Steve and I made our way down to Blue Mountain and surfed the outside. Big, relatively clean, hard to catch...

Gustav waves?

2008-09-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

So, have you guys had any good waves from this storm?

Biggest Waves in the World

2008-08-29T14:10:00.003-05:00

With Katrina's anniversary passing by I did a little searching on articles for the largest waves on record. Here's a few interesting articles.

Hurricane Ivan

Lituya Bay

Retro Board Article

2008-08-23T05:59:00.002-05:00

Hilarious article. Surline's most commented article yet.

40 year old barrel virgin.

Daily Stoke

2008-08-21T02:10:00.001-05:00

Great site
http://www.dailystoke.com/

bali

2008-08-06T17:02:00.001-05:00

Bill, has been a long time, we fly out Oct 10th at 10pm, maybe we will cross paths in the airport!
We should contact via normal email to discuss things.

write your congressman

2008-06-30T12:56:00.001-05:00

If you want to let your congressman know what you think about offshore drilling, beach access, water quality, etc. look them up here and give them a piece of your mind.

Governor Crist, the idiot...

2008-06-19T08:54:00.002-05:00

I'll go ahead and throw this blog into some election year political rambling. Governor Crist now supports offshore drilling in Florida.

Let me refer you to our fishing trip we had last February off the coast of Louisiana, which bent over and let the oil industry ream them for everything they're worth by putting up oil rigs every where. It's bad enough that we have so many developers building high rises right along the coast, sucking our resources to mostly empty buildings. The future of Florida's coastline will forever be altered if the Govenor opens drilling in our waters and there will be no going back.

Slater at the Laker's Game

2008-06-16T12:23:00.002-05:00

Anyone catch the Laker/Celtic game last night? Slater was courtside right behind the Celtics bench. Found this link on a search...

Bali vs Niceville 20yr reunion

2008-06-08T21:48:00.002-05:00

Well, it was a hard decision, but I have made my choice...I am going to Bali to surf for 2 weeks instead of go to my 20yr high school reunion....do you guys think that is a bad idea?

Destin Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-28T08:43:00.002-05:00

Steve

Mike

John

Mike

We had a fun Memorial Day holiday:

1. Waves all weekend.

2. Humpback whale spotted 1 mile off the beach (so we heard)

3. Surfers getting circled by some sharks in Sandestin (unconfirmed)

4. A 6am wakeup call for me on Sunday to help save a guy that had gotten caught in a rip while taking a morning swim. His friend was screaming on the beach for help and woke up everyone in the whole area. Everyone was just standing around half-asleep and with no equipment on the beach to help. I ran down there with my board but the guy saved himself before I got there. The paramedics took it from there.

5. Mike, Jill, and I caught some waves in the outrigger kayak.

6. Mike and John surfed against each other in the final of an ESA surf contest at the Okaloosa Island Pier. See above.

Destin beach camera

2008-05-19T15:08:00.002-05:00

I found a pretty good web cam for the area in Destin near where I like to surf. This is from the Jade East tower which is a couple blocks down from the Back Porch. When it pans to the west you can make out the east jetty on the horizon.

Surfwise: The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family

2008-05-17T21:54:00.001-05:00

Crazy times.

Mid Bay Media - beach party

2008-05-05T15:59:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the beach party. Thanks to Steve & Mike for supplying the fire at night and shade during the day.

Big Kahunas - Honolulu Half Pipe

2008-05-01T16:42:00.003-05:00

http://www.bigkahunas.com/pages/ride_honoluluhalfpipe.html

This is the new ride they're going to have at the local water park in Destin. I got my season pass for 2008 at the end of last season. Bring it on...

Inlet Beach April 6, 2008

2008-04-28T12:31:00.002-05:00

Mike Sturdivant, Paul Cross, and I had a nice dawn patrol session earlier this month on April 6, 2008. I left Mexico Beach at 5am and joined Mike at Inlet Beach, Florida just east of Rosemary Beach. After about an hour, I took off late on a wave and landed hard on the rail of my board. The board was dinged badly, and my foot was bleeding. The water was very sharky — poor visibility in the air and water, bait fish jumping right at us, porpoises jumping outside, a couple of guys surf fishing on the beach, and cobia boats with spotters in the tower cruising out back. I did not want to add a bloody foot to the mix so I called it a day. I was able to take some good photos of Mike and Paul.

2008-04-28T12:26:00.002-05:00

I picked up a new 8'0" board to fill the gap between the 7'0" (currently in the shop for repairs from the Inlet beach session) and the 9'0" (currently broken almost all the way through from Hurricane Noel). I rode the board in Destin a couple weeks ago. It's thick, easy to paddle, and rides nice. Anyone recognize that logo?

Donkey Kong - monster truck

2008-04-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

This is not a toy. Picture from a P'cola monster truck rally. Yeeeehaw!

2008-04-02T16:54:00.002-05:00

This picture is of Bede Durbidge(currently #2) at KINGSCLIFF getting aloft! This was taken yesterday, I was at work, didn't surf. He is getting this much air in 2 foot waves, this is the shore break. These guys are amazing...anyway...just another plug for my local beach to get you guys to consider a visit!!

Kell's Bells!!

2008-03-31T04:48:00.002-05:00

well, slater is on a roll!! surfing like this is his last go? Liam and I have joined Kingscliff Boardriders Club. 3rd sunday of the month competition. Liam's first contest 3rd out of 4. My first since highschool? well....not as good as him. The old boys division has some serious contenders...good group of people and a great way for Liam to establish himself as a local. There are only 4 boys in his age division so they should form a good little gang. Surf was small, took out the log, pefect sun. Take care boys!

Surf Louisiana... You can do eeet!

2008-03-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

I finally dug these off my camera from our fishing trip last month. These two guys were in Grand Isle, Louisiana trying to catch waves. We saw their truck parked at a public access and pulled over to see for ourselves. Pretty weak waves in one of the nastiest beaches I've seen. The stoke trumps all I guess.

Palm Sunday Surf Sesh

2008-03-17T19:47:00.001-05:00

We had some really nice conditions yesterday. Mostly waist to chest high, with the occasional head high set. Real clean. The weather is nearly perfect. Another week or two and we'll be in spring suit conditions.

I posted all the good shots on Fluid's site. Click here...

Slater's back!

2008-03-05T12:33:00.001-05:00

The champ's still got it. Way to go Kelly on winning the opening event of the ASP season.

Extreme Skiing

2008-03-02T13:55:00.002-05:00

Check out guy in the clip from the new movie Steep called "Just add a Parachute." I agree with him except when he says "It just makes sense."

Quiky Pro

2008-02-28T17:38:00.002-05:00

Small waves first 2 rounds, held at D-bah,just around the corner from Snapper. Watched Kelly, Taj, Mick, Julian Wilson. Swell should pick up this weekend for the finals. Kelly has bought a place here on the coast....says he likes to get away from it all down on the Tweed Coast...that's where I live...do you guys need anymore of a reason to come down here!!

tried to upload video but wouldnt allow...any tips?

Fishing Trip

2008-02-27T21:47:00.000-05:00

Here are the photos from our trip. This is from a combination of cameras so the days may be mixed up. Basically we fished two days in a row and had two days of travel. It takes 6 hours to get to Grand Isle from my house. We stayed in an unattractive but clean hotel called the Sandollar Motel. It was more like a two bedroom dorm room complete with bunk beds, kitchen and living area.

Holy Mackeral... Oh yeah!

2008-02-27T11:25:00.000-05:00

I've found the end of civilization and it's at Grand Isle, Louisiana. Google map it and you'll see what I mean. We just got back from a 3 day fishing trip with Bubba (far left). Left out of Grand Isle. This photo is of a stud King Mackeral that I caught (40+ lbs, 56 inches). I hooked in to a 300-400 lb hammerhead. Fought it for over an hour before it broke the line.

Actually on the way out of town yesterday. We spotted a truck parked at a public beach access with board bags hanging out the end. We pulled up and sure enough, we saw two guys on longboards out surfing. Once I get the photos from that camera downloaded I'll post it. Surfing in Louisiana... who'd a thunk?

President's Day Surf Session

2008-02-18T17:25:00.000-05:00

I call this the "snake barrel"... Does he make it? Find out at the web gallery of today's session. Bob got a new camera, so there's plenty of shots (beware, over 350). http://picasaweb.google.com/midbaymedia/2008_Feb18

Feb 2 shots

2008-02-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks to V for all these great photos. All are on Fluid's web gallery at
http://picasaweb.google.com/fluidsurfshop/2008_Feb01

The Final Wilbur Kookmeyer Comic

2008-01-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

Farewell old friend.

MLK day swell

2008-01-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

Small clean day on Martin Luther King day. I took out the 9' T&C that I have hanging in the house. Perfect little longboard day. Water temp about 58deg. Thanks to Debbie and V for taking pics.

Gulf Coast Surfing 1973 Part 1

2008-01-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

I found this 1973 video on YouTube.

I have the old Men of Steel videos from us surfing in Navarre in the 1980's. I'll finish the edits some day and post it.

Gulf Coast Surfing 1973 Part 2

2008-01-21T11:53:00.000-05:00

Check out the old Colonel's Point footage.

Rob in Costa Rica

2008-01-18T11:55:00.000-05:00

[Below is the story of my cousin Rob who recently returned from Witches Rock Surf Camp in Costa Rica. He stayed at the Four Seasons a couple of nights before he left for WRSC.]

Here's the gulf (Golfo de Papagayo) in Costa Rica, which I swam
across alone (from the Four Seasons resort to the Costa Blanco Del
Pacifico resort) on the evening of Jan 4th, 2008. Finished in
slightly less than 2hrs, just after dark. A succussful, yet, not very
well planned adventure on my part. Curt, the friend I was traveling
with, was the only one who knew I was going to try it. I ran into
some currents, white capping waves and jelly fish. Landed after dark
with no money and without really knowing what was on this side of
the Gulf. It turned out to be a resort and the general manager bought
me beers at the bar and introduced me to his friends as a
"hero" (which I thought was funny and definitely undeserved). This
all made for an nice light moment though, especially out of the
totally unexpected and unknown (considering it was dark and all I had
with me was the board shorts and googles I arrived with). The manager
said he'd never known of anybody else to swim across. The whole thing
ended up costing me $110 bucks. Had to take a $60, 45minute, cab ride
back. Plus, Curt, concerned for my welfare, called out a rescue
party (Which I never saw, $50) when the sun sun began to set (ended
up as a "misc" charge on my hotel bill). Sometimes you just gotta go
for it I guess.

happy new year

2008-01-10T03:13:00.000-05:00

surfed head high today at home break kingscliff...did i mention female world champ steph gilmore is from kingscliff? we now have both mens/womens world champs here on the gold coast!!! hope all had a happy new year and all families are well. Bought a new camera and should be able to start to get some representative pics of the area up soon.

cheers matt

Blue Mountain Surf

2007-12-29T18:27:00.000-05:00

I surfed Blue Mountain today. It was shoulder high and clean. The winds were straight offshore. The above are pics from today in PC that were originally on Mr. Surf's Website. Based on the guys I talked to, the swell was directed more to the Blue Mountain-Destin area. The swell east and west of that area was smaller. I talked to guys that drove in from PC and Pensacola.

Video from the Late Iz

2007-12-28T09:34:00.000-05:00

Davis and I got a ukulele for Christmas. Davis is lead vocals. We have some work to do to play like Iz. The above is a tribute video following his death in 1997.

Greg Brady Surfing Video Classic

2007-12-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

Timmy Curran's New Album

2007-11-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

You can get Timmy Curran's album for free. He said he didn't want to mess with the labels--decided to just give the music away and concentrate on surfing. It's a good album. Check it out here.

Surfer dude stuns physicists with theory of everything

2007-11-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

An impoverished surfer has drawn up a new theory of the universe, seen by some as the Holy Grail of physics, which has received rave reviews from scientists.

Liam surfing!!

2007-11-14T03:08:00.000-05:00

Steve's Hurricane Noel Video

2007-11-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

Broken Arrow

2007-11-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

I had one casualty in North Carolina. My cousin Rob had one too many trips over the falls and broke my 9'0". It didn't break all the way through so I can put it up on the wall.

World Champ Party

2007-11-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

Gossip from the home of the World Champ. Mick returned home to the Gold Coast and promptly had a serious party last night. I was not there, as I am nobody, but I have friends who are in the circles that surround the Champ. The Kirra Pub was booked out, Mick's favourite Australian band, Grinspoon, played and drinks where on the house. Many a sore head this morning! This morning down on the beach for Nippers(that is a training organisation for young kids to get surf smart), I "coach" the under 7s group, a friend of mine that was there said that it was a great time had by all. He was kind enough to grab me a hat and T shirt proclaiming the reign of Mick Fanning as world champ. This is front page news here and on National Television, completely different coverage to surfing than in the USA. Stephanie Gilmore is from Kingscliff, where I live, and if she wins the women's crown, then this local area will be home to 2 current world champs...there is a buzz in the air....like your favourite team about to win the Super Bowl or World Series....kind of like the Gator's winning basketball and football in the same year...you get the picture anyway.
Oh yea, good swell running currently, head high, 2 surfs on friday/saturday and dawn patrol this am...I am surfed out for now...time to go to a BBQ and a few beers!!

Surf Godzilla

2007-11-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

So I was out surfing on a small waist high day when this monster set rolled in (pun intended). Up pops mini-Godzilla and starts snaking all the waves. Just as I was about to say somthing, Senior showed up and vaporized him. Kinda scarey.

Hurricane Noel--Carolina Beach, NC

2007-11-06T00:33:00.001-05:00

I logged over eleven hundred miles to chase these waves down, but it was worth it. Rob shot this footage of me from the balcony of our room. The pictures below are from Sunday, 11/6. The waves we caught on Saturday were bigger.

WPS Super Blog

2007-11-03T15:42:00.000-05:00

The World Pro Surfer's Super Blog

Where the surfers give you the lowdown on their lives

Waterspout in Walton County

2007-10-22T10:03:00.001-05:00

Bad weather on 10/18. Paul got it on video.

Mako in the backyard

2007-10-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

Just heard about this big catch at the Destin Rodeo. The mako was caught 70 miles out and weighed 844 lbs. Take a look at the article. At least we haven't seen a repeat of 2005.

Allan Weisbecker website and ezine

2007-10-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Allan Weisbecker (author of Search for Captain Zero, Cosmic Banditos, and Can't You Get Along With Anyone) has a new website and and ezine. Check it out Bandito Books. I recommend you read the books in the above order. Good stuff.

You should have been here yesterday NOT

2007-10-09T17:39:00.000-05:00

Below is a picture of Mike that I took the day BEFORE the swell got there on Sunday. I arrived from Atlanta on Friday night after the first swell petered out and left on Sunday before the new swell arrived. Mike and I hiked out to the West Jetty at the Destin Pass and caught some small but fun waves.

strawberry marguerita for the little guy

2007-10-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

You couldn't have photoshopped this shot any better. M's dog catching a sneaker sip.

nose ride sequence

2007-10-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

V got all of this ride. Fade away bottom turn with a little nose time. Then it's back in position and milking it to shore.

Contest shots.

2007-10-08T16:33:00.000-05:00

The second picture down you'll see a rare photo of never before seen Mike on a certified short board. Actually a quad fin bat tail demo board. Sweet.

ESA contest 1 - Okaloosa Island Pier 2008

2007-10-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

Mike and I were the only ones in our division. I got first, he got second. The kids all had fun with the new hardware.

Check out the mobile beach media unit. A custom, remote controlled, DVD, Hi-Fi with satellite reception. Crazy.

ESA contest 1, Okaloosa Island Pier 2008

2007-10-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

It was wedging up nice right next to the pier.
Demo board craziness. Need a surf tech board cheap? Fluid has a hundred different surf tech boards available to try and demo.
V on wave patrol. Nice shoulder high set coming through.
Mike digs deep.

Surfpedia

2007-10-01T13:11:00.001-05:00

The Surfer's Encyclopedia
Surferpedia is an encyclopedia of surfing that anyone can edit.

Today's Catch

2007-09-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

Took the fish out today on a nice, clean chest high day. Absolutely picture perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky, mid 80's, cool north wind kept the temp down.

Stand Up Paddleboard in Destin

2007-09-26T09:16:00.000-05:00

I snapped this pic from the condo in Destin. Anyone interested in adding a 12-foot standup paddleboard to the quiver?

2007-09-24T17:10:00.000-05:00

These humbacks are some of the locals, Kingscliff is on the horizon.

2007-09-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

2007-09-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

2007-09-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

new board

2007-09-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

Like the Hurricane Dean video?

2007-09-14T13:01:00.000-05:00

A big snafu on my part of posting the video of Hurricane Dean was crediting the most awesome videographer along the Gulf Coast. Steve Baker of SB Video Productions is a great guy and would love to be shooting surf videos in warm water at exotic locations around the world. If you've got the budget and want a great surf video please contact him.
Steve Baker
SB Video Productions
2036 Jessica Way
Navarre, FL 32566
sbvideo@mchsi.com
www.sbvideo.org
850-582-1240 cell
850-936-8618 home office

Surfing Hurricane Dean - Destin, Florida

2007-08-23T17:12:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Dean--St. Andrews Park

2007-08-23T07:58:00.000-05:00

Edwin, Paul and I surfed Inlet Beach. Then Edwin and I went to St. Andrews. The pics above are from www.mrsurfs.com but I wanted to post them here so they are preserved. It was smaller when Edwin and I arrived at St. Andrews, but the surf was still good. Some video of us from Inlet Beach is hopefully on the way.

Pulling in deep

2007-08-22T16:01:00.000-05:00

Dean Wednesday

2007-08-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

These are shots from this morning's session from Hurricane Dean.

met the champ!!

2007-08-14T06:21:00.001-05:00

introduced to mick fanning at dinner party tonight...i still get star struck...hope i always stay impressed meeting world number 1 surfers!!

snapper this weekend

2007-08-05T04:00:00.000-05:00

the onshore winds stayed away, it was pretty cross shore which is ok for snapper, once the wave breaks the face is still pretty smooth, and a small but fun 2-3ft wave was on, due to the small size not as many people out as usual, that means 20 instead of 200!! but it didn't bother me being small, managed to squeeze into a barrel so my weekend was good after that. Not likely to get pictures of me surfing as nobody ever around to take pics. took out the new 6'8" still breaking her in...got me into the wave quicker and probably through a few sections that i wouldn't have made on the 6'4" but definately not as loose...this board needs a good solid 3-4' i think.