Boogie Boarding

[Ottime]

All this BS is impacting localism. As a result, the lineups will become a little less regulated, more chaotic and possibly more dangerous due to drop ins.

Localism definitely exists. This is a process and not an event, it will gradually become more the norm even at the heavier localized breaks. You can't hide from a DA on a witch hunt

Do you really think that because people cannot as easily (w/o prosecution) beat the crap out of someone for 'not belonging' is ruining surfing? Come on. The ocean is not real estate. It is not owned by anyone.

There are plenty of way to regulate a line up outside of using violence. First step is to speak up, and let the kook know about their infractions. If that does not work, positioning is key. If you have even three competent surfers working together, you can completely skunk another persons (or groups) session. If nothing else works, remove a carburetor and drop it in the water. jk. I've always thought the beat down was the least creative way to protect your wave. Sure, it is effective in many cases. And still wrong.

Claiming surf clubs as gangs is just silly (except for that one in Point Break), and I agree the easy out - instead of going after actual gangs. But stopping assault on the beach is a very good thing IMO.

I've always thought the surfing community dynamic was interesting. Surfing has always brought me a sense of solace. Engaging with a wave and being out in the ocean is special. I think most folks surf in order to enjoy themselves. Yet, add too many surfers (sometimes that is just one other person) to the mix, and things tend to become competitive. Waves are a limited resource. People tend to put the blinders on and become a bit more selfish. And then at some point, tempers flare, and people get pissed off. Then you need to begin to wonder what the entire point of being out is.

[Piggity]

I didn't say 'ruining surfing'. I said impacting, which is true.

In no way am I saying beatdowns need to happen or should happen but the thought of one keeps a lot of people following the etiquette. Take the same egocentric surfer from Trestles, then watch him paddle out at Velzy's, all of a sudden he is the most humble guy on the North shore and it's not by coincidence. It is still the same ego driven surfer but the lineup dynamics can change the persons etiquette because they know there are 'potential' consequences for acting like a fool.

I guess living in Socal has jaded me because I see drop ins, back paddling and a lack of etiquette on a daily basis. I wish the lineups were more organized, nothing more and nothing less.

I don't want to get into a pizzing match with anyone, that is definitely not my intent here.

[Piggity]

I have noticed my interwebz communication is lacking.

I feel like most of the time I'm agreeing with people but having to clarify things further. I should consider quitting the webz and just going back to being a real life guy.

[Long duc dong]

Take the same egocentric surfer from Trestles, then watch him paddle out at Velzy's, all of a sudden he is the most humble guy on the North shore and it's not by coincidence.

:

The funny thing is, while Lowers has a VERY aggressive takeoff zone, most people tend to kick out if there is someone behind them. I surfed Lowers a whole lot one summer, and I was always amazed to see that. While you might have 6 people paddling for one peak, when someone is up and riding, usually the guy in front kicks out, in fact almost all the time. There are plenty of drop-ins, but I very rarely saw a blatant burn where the guy did not kick out.

I eventually got sick of dealing with Lowers. I surf middles/Cottons/Uppers now and don't deal with the Lowers hassle. But it always amazed me just how civilized Lowers was, all things considered.

Velzy, of course, is a completely different beast. If an important guy drops in on you, he is most definitely NOT going to kick out!

We actually got our car stolen at Velzy once. I actually surfed Freddyland, which was really fun. They found the car a few hours later. Luckily our wallets were back at the hotel. All the guys got were our cell phones, pre-smart phone, and our ID's.

[Piggity]

That sucks LDD, thieves suck. I think the break-ins at V'z happen regardless if someone is local or not. The ice heads are usually doing the break-ins and they don't tend to discriminate. My buddy was paranoid about his truck also and he's surfed there since the 60's.

My sis in law used to hide her key while she surfed DH and she came out to find her truck gone. She bummed a ride home and found her front door wide open. They stole her truck, realized they had her home key, found her address and then decided to load her entire house into her truck and steal both. It sucked.

[Piggity]

To bring this thread back on topic....this beachie is a board breaker

[Ottime]

No pizzing here. But extra curious now.

I've surfed SoCal probably a total of ten times. Never had any real issues. Surfed Lowers, Salt Creek and a few other spots. I guess I was lucky, because it never seemed all too crowded or too douched up. Both Lowers and Salt Creek reminded me of a lot of EC busy locales. Lots of aggressive paddlers, but generally a low skill level. Sure there were a few total rippers, but mostly just lots of folks in the water.

I've never really experienced a spot where localism made things better - in the sense of regulating the line up - unless you too were a local. Never have seen where it was regulated for the general good.

Perhaps I am looking at localism wrong. I see the guys that enforce the rule - if I don't know you, you don't get a wave. If instead I saw them policing the line up to improve etiquette, and I might see it differently.

As for the internet. No body understands me either.

EDIT for slow reply and missing several posts before posting. I guess that happens when holding the babe in one handle, bottle in the other and typing with whats left. Great pic, but it needs a speed bump in it to remain on topic.

[Piggity]

I see the guys that enforce the rule - if I don't know you, you don't get a wave. If instead I saw them policing the line up to improve etiquette, and I might see it differently.

I started to think I should have made this point earlier but I kinda gummed up this post already and didn't want to cvnt it up anymore than I had already.

The 2nd example is what I think makes sense.

Where a local person politely educates the new guy in the lineup that they are putting others in danger of injury, that person either chooses to accept the advice and learn more about etiquette or possibly snub their nose at the person. If the new person continues to snub their nose then I can understand (not advocate) why that might reach a boiling point.


The "i don't know your face" type of localism is just a bunch of angry guys that would find something else to be angry at, even if they didn't surf.

I think I'm too old to give this wave a try ;

[shera]

I don't know if it's the 10 hr days at the car shows or something (many things really) about the movie, but I fell asleep right in the middle of Blue Crush 2. I'll try again tonight because there is some good footie mixed in there and I have to see who gets the girl at the end, of course. Which girl, you ask? This athlete here, and I wonder how the bikini stays on anyway? I guess it's all the extra string.

[Hugh Conway]

I'm guessing spray adhesive. The last string bikini I saw in surfing didn't stay on

Big Wednesday for the old school surf scene.

[Ottime]

Big Wednesday is an excellent pic. Gary at his best. And the GAH.

[Hugh Conway]

Huh, the whole thing's on utube

[shera]

Netflix too. Will watch tonight.

[BS720]

Wait, the general consensus is that when, in any surf(hollow or not) , someone is endangering your well-being, someone should politely point out to that person that they're being a dick? When someone drops in on you, they are physically threatening your person. It's not pointing a gun, it's not swinging a knife, but surf fins cut. Deep. Boards break bones and smash skulls. I don't see a collision in hollow surf NOT winding up in a trip to the hospital. A maggot just posted where a guy was getting shacked in Indo, a guy paddling out didn't observe the rules of the lineup, and the guy in the tube died. Skier code of conduct stands up in court. Does it with surfing, or does surfing police itself? I think there's something to be said for being afraid to drop in on someone. That's why I apologize like a mofo when I accidentally drop in on someone. I never do it intentionally.

Kala Alexander is a punk. He is open about violence, he has questionable legal principles, and I don't condone his actions. That said, when he was talking about Pipe, and The Wolfpak, I almost could see where he was coming from. Now, everyone has seen the video where he beat down the developmentally delayed kid. Perfect example of what I don't like about the guy. However, many people have died at Pipe. He mentioned that a Pipe drop-in can cost you your life. Is that worth a chew out? A board break? What if you do it twice?

I don't condone violence. If someone swung a board at you on the street, you could legally beat their fucking ass. If they drop in on you in the water, and you warn them not to do it again, you just threatened their life. I don't get involved in disputes in the water. I can count on one hand the times I've screamed at someone while surfing. I've never splashed water at someone, never pulled a leash when they were paddling. However, I don't think that the occasional display of wrath is that bad. It keeps things in check.

[ill-advised strategy]

jesus.. I tried to watch that Big Wednesday last night and the only thing that kept me going was a sort of morbid amazement at young Gary Busey. I think I fell asleep before the good part.

edit: went back and watched epic ending. ok ok. pretty good.

[Ottime]

I think you need to be stoned grom to truly appreciate it.

[Long duc dong]

Wait, the general consensus is that when, in any surf(hollow or not) , someone is endangering your well-being, someone should politely point out to that person that they're being a dick? When someone drops in on you, they are physically threatening your person. It's not pointing a gun, it's not swinging a knife, but surf fins cut. Deep. Boards break bones and smash skulls. I don't see a collision in hollow surf NOT winding up in a trip to the hospital. A maggot just posted where a guy was getting shacked in Indo, a guy paddling out didn't observe the rules of the lineup, and the guy in the tube died. Skier code of conduct stands up in court. Does it with surfing, or does surfing police itself? I think there's something to be said for being afraid to drop in on someone. That's why I apologize like a mofo when I accidentally drop in on someone. I never do it intentionally.

Kala Alexander is a punk. He is open about violence, he has questionable legal principles, and I don't condone his actions. That said, when he was talking about Pipe, and The Wolfpak, I almost could see where he was coming from. Now, everyone has seen the video where he beat down the developmentally delayed kid. Perfect example of what I don't like about the guy. However, many people have died at Pipe. He mentioned that a Pipe drop-in can cost you your life. Is that worth a chew out? A board break? What if you do it twice?

I don't condone violence. If someone swung a board at you on the street, you could legally beat their fucking ass. If they drop in on you in the water, and you warn them not to do it again, you just threatened their life. I don't get involved in disputes in the water. I can count on one hand the times I've screamed at someone while surfing. I've never splashed water at someone, never pulled a leash when they were paddling. However, I don't think that the occasional display of wrath is that bad. It keeps things in check.

I think you are correct on all counts, and that most here would agree.

I look at localism as something different than what you are talking about. You are talking about etiquette, and understanding the rules for the sake of safety. If someone does something dumb, and dangerous, they need to be told NOT to do it again. There is nothing wrong with that.

To some extent, the good local surfers will get the best waves anyway: They are skilled, and they know the wave very well, so it will be tough for new guys to legitimately get waves. I see localism, as robbing outsiders of waves they have legitimately gotten. It often involves blatant drop-ins, and basically acting as if the non-local does not exist.

We all need to be smart. When you are paddling out to a place with a tight takeoff zone, somewhere you don't surf much, don't paddle right up and start hassling. Wait, and watch what is going on. Make sure you fully understand the spot before you paddle right to the main peak. Don't paddle back right in the way of folks on waves......Most of these things are self-evident, just don't be an idiot basically.

Kala is a thug, but I do understand what he is saying about Pipe. A drop-in at Pipe is a very dangerous thing. I think some of his message is good, I just don't like his methods.

Part of the problem with Pipe is that it is so damn crowded. I don't see how outsiders will ever really learn to surf it.

[Hugh Conway]

how to get an in? meet some of the thugs from the wolfpack somewhere else in the world (where they still act like thugs) show you can surf and you are "in"

[BS720]

^^Or you show them you can do meth and you are in.

[BCJC]

^^Or you show them you have meth and you are in.

fify
1234

[Hugh Conway]

coke is it

yeah BW isn't the greatest movie ever. it is better than BC or BC2

[shera]

I liked Blue Crush a lot. Will def watch again. It's a chick flick that's actually legit, not just a formula love story. Issues, fears, aspirations, etc that every girl faces, especially when love interferes with a goal. Chicks let love hold them back all the time. There were even some important nuances, like the question of whether the football player would respect/admire/love her if she failed to compete. I think not. A great story.

Blue Crush 2 just sucks on so many levels. Not even gonna start.

As far as Big Wednesday, Jan Michael Vincent is the hotness. I'll try to write a better review, but right now he's got my mind all befuddled. So much hotness.

[shera]

Of course I wondered what happened to Jan Michael Vincent. http://www.lostmag.com/issue27/jan.php

[Piggity]

Holy shady shades on the down climb to the surf tonight. Huge bluff that I had to improvise on do to construction on the train tracks.

The sandstone was just crumbling from under my feet At about 12-15' up and all this with a bum knee

Glassy and empty chest high peaks on a Friday after work was the payoff!!

[shera]

Netflix has Surfing Hollow Days on it for streaming, an early Bruce Brown movie. Just watched and loved it! He said that only in California will you get glassy water, beautiful footage of that, so I've got a nice mental image of your rides.

Also footage of the first pipeline rides, and an 18 mile ski descent in New Zealand. Nice looking snow too. Great flick.

He said that waves in Australia are formed from the wind, Hawaii and Cal from groundswell. Therefore Aus is really choppy. And they need shark towers there. Daaaaamn.

Also finished Big Wednesday. I liked it a lot, but it made me sad too. It's a story about growing up and losing your friends and losing touch with your joy de vie. Sad.

I am enjoying watching how those old schoolers stand on their boards all relaxed and arching back, like they're about to fall over backwards any second. It's got almost a silliness to it. I like.