StokeReport User Surf Reports

Property Rights to Surf Breaks

Sea-spout — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:44:31 -0700

Seeking all comments to this article. I'd love to hear your opinions. Everyone's! If you're a lurker, it's time to come out of the closet. This was written by an academic in Montana.

Here are some choice excerpts:

Ocean-Rascal For Laird [video]

Sea-spout — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 11:57:30 -0700

After he's too old to even tow, Laird will go. But the going will be slow on his new Ocean-Rascal

No surf? Why not tase yourself?

Sea-spout — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:58:18 -0700

You think about surfing when there's no surf. But what else do you do? Ever thought of tasing yourself, bro? Here's a hilarious entry by a Kiwi surfer about doing just that. To think I'll be committing 8 months to living there next year. Hmm....

Another "Sweetness and Blood" Review

Sea-spout — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:53:02 -0700

"SURFING, with its risk-taking, expanses of taut flesh and sun-bleached hair, has been the coolest sport for more than half a century. To the uninitiated this masks an important truth. Surfing is more akin to fly-fishing or bird-watching than to parachute jumping or alligator wrestling. Waves, more often than not, are no good for riding.

More Kiwi Surfing Antics

Sea-spout — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:55:16 -0700

"Back in 1999 Kiwi big wave surfer Doug Young laced up his tramping boots, grabbed his surfboard, and walked for five days along the remote Hollyford Track into deepest darkest Fiordland. He was in search of waves - ideally, some of the biggest monsters to hit the New Zealand coast."

Hawaii big-wave charging is a product of two New Zealand inventions

Sea-spout — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:52:51 -0700

"Who would have thought the humble Kiwi jetboat, first used to help with sheep mustering in the hard-to-get-to places of the high country, would lead to the most glamorous and dangerous form of surfing?"

Fail or Hail? [video]

Sea-spout — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:54:34 -0700

HI House Defeats Fred Hemmings' "Surf Reserves" Bill [video]

Sea-spout — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:50:19 -0700

From Honolulu Advertiser:

"SB 2646 was patterned after a similar concept in Australia, Hemmings said.

Clifton Evers on "Poseur or core or something else entirely …"

Sea-spout — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:12:33 -0700

Considering the recent discussions about who's who and what not, I thought this self-described "hippy reflection" was worth putting in the mix. If only to keep up international interweb relations.

Ozzie Navy approves Shark Shield after attack

Sea-spout — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:36:51 -0700

The Australian Navy has approved the use of an electronic shark deterrent following an attack on one of its divers last year. The Adelaide-based Shark Shield company said on Thursday the Navy accreditation and clearance followed seven months of testing after able seaman Paul de Gelder was attacked by a shark during a training exercise in Sydney Harbour in February, 2009.

New Underwater Parks for California's North Central Coast

Sea-spout — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:25:22 -0700

Northern California's ocean is protected in a new network of underwater state parks at Point Reyes Headlands, Bodega Head, the Farallon Islands, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, and other ocean hot spots. The new marine protected area network went into effect on May 1, 2010.

Scientists uncover deep ocean current near Antarctica

Sea-spout — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:04:47 -0700

Get your ocean-geek on:

A Short on Conflicting Wave Usage in UK [video]

Sea-spout — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:56:34 -0700

The Severn River in England produces a surfable bore wave. It also produces energy that could partially power southwest England. This short docu tells of the pending conflict between the two uses.

Lamest Surf-related Photo Ever?

Sea-spout — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:12:16 -0700

Back in the 80s Surfer* had this feature that would eviscerate a ridiculously cheesy ad that incorporated surfing. I submit to you, faithful StokeReports, what may just be the mother-of-all cheesy surf-(un)related ads.** I welcome any entries to upstage this.

EDIT: Follow the hyperlink to truly experience why this ad is so obnoxious.

Aussies Got Stones: Bait The Landlord From a Surfboard [video]

Sea-spout — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:45:27 -0700

Found this juicy little video over at Surfpulse. Mind you, it's "Great White Hunters", not "Great, White Hunters".

Itchin'

Sea-spout — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:47:43 -0700

It's 12:49pm on Friday, April 2nd. I've checked Surfline, Surfpulse, and StokeReport three times each in the last half-hour. To anyone who knows I can't surf for another 3 months, this might seem ludicrous. To anyone who surfs, this might be a common tick: jonesin' for a wave so intently that we obsess over surf reports.

Saw the Plastiki set off to Oz

Sea-spout — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:54:56 -0700

My wife and I were walking the bluffs above Baker Beach this morning when we saw a funky looking sail boat getting towed out to sea. Turns out it was this crazy-cool vessel made out of recylced plastic setting sail for Oz. http://www.theplastiki.com/ I wish I were the youngest son of the Rothschilds.

DNTN SF, great surfing

Sea-spout — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:30:46 -0700

Got so pitted coming through the B-Way tunnel this AM. I was like whoa -- that's seriously piping!

Shaun Tomson Launches Surfboard iPhone App

Sea-spout — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:25:35 -0700

For all you tech-geeks: "Shaun Tomson has launched an iPhone application to provide helpful information when buying a surfboard and equipment." HT to wnut on twitter.

Mi quiver es tu quiver

Sea-spout — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:24:55 -0800

To the indefatigably stoked crew:

I'm land bound till at least August because of surgery. In the meantime, I've got a quiver of boards sitting around like bird dogs with no quarry. They're pent up and need to get wet. If anyone's going on a trip, just wants to try something new, or has a friend from outta town hit me up here, on email or twitter.

Mavericks is Puny

Sea-spout — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:32:48 -0800

A challenge to "Big-Wave" surfers everywhere: you're surfing anthills! You think you can handle real action? Try surfing ocean waves that are 150m @ 20-30 min periods. Of course, there's the minor problem of these waves being in rather than on the ocean. But no excuses. You either got sack or not!

Growing low-oxygen zones in oceans worry scientists

Sea-spout — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:09:22 -0800

"In some spots off Washington state and Oregon['s coast] , the almost complete absence of oxygen has left piles of Dungeness crab carcasses littering the ocean floor, killed off 25-year-old sea stars, crippled colonies of sea anemones and produced mats of potentially noxious bacteria that thrive in such conditions."

Rhetorical response to Palinesque NYT article: If You Can Stand Up, Who Cares if Surf’s Up?

Sea-spout — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:33:24 -0800

"In San Francisco, where I live and surf, there’s almost always a stand-up paddleboarder in the lineup on any given morning." Where in SF? Aquatic Park?

"On days when there aren’t many waves, I envy the cruise-y ease of the paddleboarder as he maneuvers through flat water, getting exercise all the while."

Coast Guard recovers woman from San Francisco Bay

Sea-spout — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:03:42 -0800

Unfortunate news today. "At approximately 9:17 a.m., the Coast Guard was notified by the captain of the ferry vessel Peralta of a possible person overboard." Stay safe, folks.

West Mata Prometheus Flame [video]

Sea-spout — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:22:23 -0800

Scientists funded by NOAA and the National Science Foundation recorded the deepest erupting volcano yet discovered, describing high-definition video of the undersea eruption as spectacular.

Oregon Surfer Rescued [video]

Sea-spout — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:30:18 -0800

USCG ... gotta love having those guys around!

George Greenough on accidents, shortboard fashion statements, and SUPs

Sea-spout — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:03:13 -0800

Last week Grumpleflump posted an article about an Aussie grom that survived an intense head blow. George Greenough offers an unusual point of view on reducing the intensity of surfboard nose-to-human head collisions.

The Ocean Metes Out Her Own Lessons [video]

Sea-spout — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:20:26 -0800

With the renewed threads of localism, its good to remember that we're all just visitors in the ocean. She'll keep us honest, and, from time to time, call out the non-locals, as this vid shows.

The Surfer and His Professional Career.(1)

Sea-spout — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:49:23 -0800

It appears that Mr. Peter Bowes is starting on another set of observations, and as some Stokereporters may remember, such observations usually merit the effort one might be able to exert in any way to follow his thoughts and ramblings, which carry hard wit, dry humor, and lots of words.

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:03:34 -0800

For breakfast I had a new cereal called Ocean Bowls. This energy-packed meal grew a little mushy. But digging into frothy peaks, I was able to scoop up a couple good bites. Ocean Bowls are being dished out at random, but if you don't get in the feedline you can't get served. Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, after all. Ocean Bowls: if you don't bite it, you're not trying hard enough.

(Submitted via the Web)

Locals Only Anthem [video]

Sea-spout — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:22:45 -0800

Watch out, it's a catchy tune!

Mick Fanning's Surfing Warmup [video]

Sea-spout — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:05:50 -0800

If anyone saw Mick Fanning warming up for the Pipe Masters, you'll recognize most of what's in this video. It's interesting that it doesn't show any shoulder/upper body warm-ups; mainly it's core/hip warm-up (makes sense for his surfing).

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:18:10 -0800

Beggars can't be choosers and so I take--and make the most of--what I can get. But if you've had ######une of being able to surf this past week, today might not be compelling. For the rest of us, there are some warbly lines and occasional HH sets stumbling their way through. I'm sure my session was uninspiring to watch, but there were two guys scoring consistent, longish (for OB) rides.

(Submitted via the Web)

Hello, Pipe Masters, Day 2

Sea-spout — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:42:08 -0800

Good bye, productivity.

Pipe/Backdoor Compilation [video]

Sea-spout — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:46:43 -0800

Great to know there are folks getting some OB goodness today. For us office-shackled surfers, I present this North Shore video. May it stoke the inner-surfer rebelling against the four walls and capricious bosses.*

Beneath our dangling feet ... [video]

Sea-spout — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:10:16 -0800

...is a whorl of flesh-eaters efficiently turning carcasses into energy. This BBC video captures the eerie scene of that death-life dance.

A hipster meets Aussie surfah in Beaverton, Oregon

Sea-spout — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:23:11 -0800

hilarity ensues. For those who've not been to Portland in the last 10 years, the Pearl ("Mollusk in the Pearl") is an urban area that used to be an industrial center and is now an uber-yuppie neighborhood featuring yoga shops and frigid, steel and oak clad restaurants serving free-range, wild-harvest, humanely-killed, artisan tofu scrambles.

Surfer's Ear Prevention Tips?

Sea-spout — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:38:42 -0800

Just had an EENT doctor tell me that i had initial stages of surfer's ear. I've been wearing Mac's Aquablock earplugs for the past 8 months, but I don't wear a hood/cap. The doctor also recommended always using some OTC drops after a session to dry all the water out. Has anyone else successfully kept minor surfer's ear from getting worse? If so, what advice?

Angry Guy has a protege?

Sea-spout — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:26:32 -0800

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:16:02 -0800

I lucked into a pretty easy paddle out between ###### and Wise. Water conditions were glassier closer to ######, and the current pushed me south to a pod of surfers in front of the ######. The waves had plenty of juice, even if the rides weren't super long. Expect fast, steep drops with a tailing out shoulder. Incoming tide seemed to slow things a little bit in the hour I was out. Definitely fun conditions right now.

(Submitted via the Web)

fair surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:21:45 -0800

A quick checkalooka from ###### to ###### led me (and most others) to split the difference. Scored a few peaky, bowly drops with some workable shoulders. Depending on which side of a rip I sat, there was a strong north current even though the water looks pretty placid. Overall, it's a fair morning surf since the light offshore winds give these chest-high warbly waves a little shape.

(Submitted via the Web)

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:35:12 -0700

Funk 'n junk continues this morning. Made a first light session at ###### and there was a small field of peaks warbling in, toppling over, fading out, closing out, and doing anything but being predictable. A few funky shoulders, warmish water, no wind, and first one in the water made it all worthwhile.

(Submitted via the Web)

Virtual Mavericks Contest

Sea-spout — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:53:08 -0700

If the real Mavericks comp doesn't go off again this winter, maybe this epic, alternate venue can be used for a Virtual Mavericks? Unconfirmed murmurs report that Jeff Clark is busily lobbying against letting Keir J. Beadling from also having the rights to call the Virtual Mavericks Contest.

California passes bill to encourage stormwater reuse

Sea-spout — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:09:32 -0700

Would it be too much to ask that the PUCs also get money to capture and treat all the wastewater in the first place?

"The Stormwater Resource Planning Act, SB 790, allows municipalities to tap funds from two of the state’s existing bond funds and use the money for projects that reduce or reuse stormwater, recharge the groundwater supply, create green spaces and enhance wildlife habitats."

good surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:48:21 -0700

Shifty peaks and soft shoulders make it a scrambler's game this morning. Or just drift-surf and catch what peaks come under you. Either way, with sunshine, light offshore winds, the occasional head-high drop, and no fecal matter this is a great start to a Friday.

(Submitted via the Web)

Some swell reading while the ocean flushes itself

Sea-spout — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:50:08 -0700

Not that this would describe anyone on StokeReport...

"Aged anywhere between twenty-five and forty, members of this category write their choice of surfing destinations for the coming weekend in their work diary only after they have completed extensive Internet research involving reading synoptic charts and interpreting wave models, all on their employer’s time."

poor surfing conditions at San Francisco - Ocean Beach

Sea-spout — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:29:30 -0700

At ###### Cove, we had toenail to mid-ankle high waves with light chop. I'm not sure whether these waves were wind-generated or just the wake from the Navy ships that were steaming in for Fleet Week. Either way, a good morning to watch wildlife and massive warships, but not much for surfing.

(Submitted via the Web)