Boogie Boarding

[Hugh Conway]

She-Ra, just go do it. I moved to a pretty gnarly little break in Ventura County about 3 weeks ago that is known for some heavy surf (and heavy localism). It's summertime so it's super flat and mellow and everyone I've met has been nothing but stoked for me to get out and kook around and learn. In the winter when it gets big I'll just drive north to the more longboardy breaks.

not sure which of the "heavy localism" breaks you are talking about but the ones with localism reps ime were much nicer to surf than say the Rincon douchefest of kook dropping in on kook dropping in on kook dropping in on Kelly Slater

[shera]

I live in Maui so am pretty familiar with Launiopoko. A perfect place to learn. In summer time, it catches south swells. If it's big, you can just hang on inside while learning. If not much swell, you can go outside and wait for sets. when you fall, try to land flat as there is quite a bit of reef. Regarding boogie boarding here, it's not just to catch the white water after the wave breaks. Unless you're a tourist with a soft mushy boogie board. With a more expensive boogie board and fins, you can catch waves. I'm not a surfer or much of a boogie boarder ( windsurfed for about 25 years tho), but both of my sons did it for years.

Thanks for responding.

I have some more questions, if you don't mind. First off, can a boogie board go on the bus?

Second, do you know anything about the golf there? I've been talking to my golf pro friend and it turns out he's on Oahu. He can get me a job at his club, which I'll take if need be, but I would so rather be someplace less populated. Anyway, if you're in the know, I'd like talk in PMs. tkx

How do people keep their stuff safe on the beach if they didn't bring a car?

[stenou]

Maui has a lot of golf courses. I only golf about twice a year, so don't know a ton about it. However, I think Maui is a Golf destination for a lot of people. The luxo courses are in Wailea, Makena (south side) and Kaanapali, kapalua (west side). there is a big tournament each year in january at kapalua that draws the big names. I would encourage you to try to save enough money to buy a used car if you are going to be here a while. The mass transit system in Maui exists, but is not great.Not sure if you can bring a boogie board on bus. Crime is not a huge issue at some place like launiapoko, but don't tempt fate either. Launiapoko is considered a pretty mellow surf area with lots of families and kids. so, not an aggressive scene. My office mate who grew up in Lahaina and has surfed all of his life spent years hanging with his 2 daughters at Launiapoko. They both turned out to be very good surfers and were very active in the Hawaii contest scene. One almost went pro. In any event, if you have any questions re surf scene on Maui, I can relay the questions to he and his daughters who will be able to answer any question re Hawaii surfing. By the way, stand up paddling is huge here. Gotten to be a very big deal and is worth giving a try. From what I hear, it's easier to catch waves and good fun can be had even on small waves. Regarding living here, I would tend to shy away from living on West side as it's easy to sort of get isolated on that side. Also, a big transient population. Both the south and west sides have tons of tourists. I would not care to live there personally, but on the other hand, there are probably more jobs there as that is where most of the tourist industry is. For living and getting a bit more authentic feel for living in Maui, I think Haiku and upcountry maui are better. However, out haiku and Paia way, you definitely have a certain percentage of mainland haoles (whites) who have lived here for a year and figure they're full on locals. Or rastafarians. Like most places that have cool recreational opportunities, there is a little bit of local/visitor tension. But not bad. Feel free to PM any questions. I've lived here for 28 years (yes, I'm old), so know the area reasonably well. the good news is that there are many people lijke yourself who move here to have fun and work for a year or two, so there will be a lot of people in your situation. For ocean recreation, it's hard to imagine a better place. some of the most steady, strong trade winds in the world for Kiting/windsurfing, beautiful coastline for kayaking, and reasonably consistent good surf for wave fun. By the way, though, be careful, as the waves here tend to be more powerful than most places. Which is why you can still catch swells with boogie boards (as opposed to just some mushy white water as some have said), but you can also get slammed.When I first came to hawaii about 30 years ago, I went to a beach in Oahu called Sandy Beach. It's a reasonably well known body surfing/boogie boarding spot. I saw all of these kids riding the waves with the greatest of ease. the waves looked just like you expect hawaii waves to look like. Anyway, i decide to go in and catch one, just like the kids. It was a humbling experience. The force was unreal. I ended up dragging myself back onto the beach after being tumbled and having my swimsuit mostly pulled off of me by the water sucking out. I reassessed which waves I should go into after that. Aloha

[shera]

Thank you very much for taking time for such a nice response.

Launiapoko sounds great for a first summer of surfing. Thanks for feedback on that. The closest town is Lahaina. Possible to bike down there even with a surfboard, it's only 3 miles or surf the harbor for a change of scenery. There are rooms on craigslist right on the water. I'm not there for the wind, just the summer swell, so leeward seems perfect. Haiku not so much. Also working on a little business plan and the closer to tourists, the better. They got the monies, you know?

Here in California, my truck is mostly parked. I ride my bike, I ride the bus. Even though I'm new here, I'm open to the community that way, talking to lots of people. It's good. This is like a trial run, being in a new place. In Hawaii I want to work less, surf more. Use my saved money for food and rent, not a bigger carbon footprint, so no car. If it's a great summer, I will plan to come back and reconsider location and transportation. Your bus system looks great. And cheap. Would ride the bus to Costco, golf course, saturday market, etc...

As far as localism and transient folks, I understand it too well. It's a fact of life in Summit County which has been my home for a lot of years. As a local I completely understand the mentality. It breaks your heart to make new friends every season and then they leave, so you harden it and put up barriers. You wait to see if people are more permanent or if they are staying year round before you get too tight with them. But also, I remember my first year teaching at Keystone I made the greatest friends with the other new people, the other freshmen. Maybe Hawaii will be similar. I will let it happen and not worry too much. If I show up at the same beach every day, ride the same bus every day, get a part time golf course job, I'll get known and it'll all work out.

As far as SUP, yeah I've seen them at UCSD. I really like the idea of traveling distances on flat water, nicer than a kayak because you're up and can see more. Will def do if I get a chance. Surfing with a SUP, not so much. Big log. I'm going to surf as short and nimble as I can learn to manage, that's what I'm feeling anyway. In general I'm not into fads either and SUP is so full blown. Sheep mentality is not my thing at all.

Oh man, no fishing licenses needed in Hawaii! May I ask how you get your fresh fish? Costco? Do you ever talk to the boats coming in? When I was little we got our shrimp right off the boats. Do you know anything about crabbing there?

Mahalo

[BirdRock]

Launiapoko IS perfect for learning if you're in that area. Bus stop right at the stop light as well. The south end of the Lahina harbor is pretty mellow as well. There were a few surf schools teaching tourists there last time I was in Maui so it's definitely a chill wave most of the time.

[TWINS]

The south end of the Lahina harbor is pretty mellow as well. There were a few surf schools teaching tourists there last time I was in Maui so it's definitely a chill wave most of the time.

My niece at that surf camp.

That jetty is a great place to learn.The outside harbor reef break looked pretty good also when I was there.

[mach.850]

not sure which of the "heavy localism" breaks you are talking about but the ones with localism reps ime were much nicer to surf than say the Rincon douchefest of kook dropping in on kook dropping in on kook dropping in on Kelly Slater

Totally agree. I'm speaking of 'Strand. The stories were outlandish but I've found nothing but great people and great surfers who don't mind sharing the lineup with a new guy.

[shera]

My niece at that surf camp.

Sweet pic! Nice shirt. Hopefully my new back yard! Makes me realize there are no palm trees here.

[Piggity]

Totally agree. I'm speaking of 'Strand. The stories were outlandish but I've found nothing but great people and great surfers who don't mind sharing the lineup with a new guy.

From the guys I've talked with, today's SS localism is not = to old SS localism. Lawyers and cops have ruined localism on the mainland. A few breaks have given a longer fight to keep their localism but today's PC world doesn't allow it. I've never been a loc anywhere so I can't give first hand experiences.

edit: There will most likely be a lot more intensity in the vibe when SS is maxing this winter with a heavy pack. I'd expect a lot more stuffing will be served to everyone in the lineup when it's on. Instead of fighting, a lot of the tactics will involve back paddling and blatant burns. It's still a form of localism but just not as violent.

edit edit: you live really close to the best beach break I've surfed in california, not that I've surfed many but this one stands out

[BS720]

I surfed Windansea last week on accident. I had been in the water 30 minutes, hadn't caught a wave or even paddled for one. Was playing it cool. Dude called out another dude for dropping in on and cutting off other people. Random dude pulled up to me, told me how nobody would have challenged this dude twenty years ago. He was a heavy. An "enforcer". I still managed to get my waves, and nobody yelled at me. I'd never seen this much localism in real time outside of SC or HI. Always interested to see what goes on away from home. With very few exceptions, I think that a low key approach and a humble attitude go a long way. That and a killer hack.

[Hugh Conway]

From the guys I've talked with, today's SS localism is not = to old SS localism. Lawyers and cops have ruined localism on the mainland

For SS, Pierpont(where I lived) and most of the rest rising real estate and old age were the bigger problem, imo. Same with Santa Cruz. Fun surf down there and even on great swells weekdays were good. Great variety of breaks, accessible and you are heading into the $$$$$$$$$$ season of fall. Good swell and an offshore = heaven.


Take your lunch break on Pebble or wherever and go body surfing to wash the douche of those events away. Nice cars though.

[bodywhomper]

i used to see some weird shit from some drunk "enforcer" hacks at windansea. in my few years of living 2 blocks from that beach, on a quality summer day, most folks there seemed to be enjoying themselves, and focus on having a high quality day. i once observed a local almost get physical with a bodyboarder on a really good day at big rock. the bodyboarder was ruling that wave at the time, more so that anybody else. the local got called out by several other surfers who knew the local and he stfu. all these folks were high-quality riders. i spent a good bit of time in the water at big rock and it was the deepest (the bodyboarder) i'd ever seen somebody successfully get pitted there, like 1 or 2 waves a set. it was also some of the most intense backside freefall to deep pit surfing i've witnessed.

[shera]

Take your lunch break on Pebble or wherever and go body surfing to wash the douche of those events away. Nice cars though.

That about sums it up. Looking forward to serving caviar for $16/hr+tips. Just wondering how much I can sneak into my own gullet

The water is still too cold for me to enjoy. Sad. I've biked hundreds and hundreds of miles this summer. Lately having more fun climbing with my mountain bike through the redwoods in Nisene Marks. The pines are dying where I come from in Colorado, so I really enjoy this thriving cool green place. Moss,clovers,ferns,redwoods,coastal oaks...and that blasted poison oak. But I learned my lesson on that.

I go to the beach a few times a week and lay in the sand and stare at the waves. And I read everything I can find about Hawaii. They are getting their ancestors bones from museums and putting them back in the ground. They don't want any studying done, like no DNA analysis. If it were my ancestors, I would want them studied, different way of thinking.

[TWINS]

Shera,I also dislike cold water. As I get older I am less tolerant to it. Localism in H.B. is alive still.
My wifes coworker invited me to his lineup whenever I want. If you don`t belong they will let you drift by without any issues.Just don`t paddle into position.I never took him up on his offer though.I go the beach to get away from hostility,not be part of it.

[BirdRock]

Localism doesn't quite exist like it used to around here but still surfaces at windansea/big rock semi regulary. Nothing like back in the day however.

Bottom line (as with life in general) - don't be an idiot, show some respect and all will be fine.

Bodywhomper, we should hook up. My office is in the village. Used to be across the street from boomers and would spend half the day at my desk watching guys take off on peaks. I don't whomp as much as I used to growning up but still enjoy putting on the fins and getting after it.

[bodywhomper]

BirdRock, i live 'far from my next whomp' , i.e. western slope of the sierra. i often desperately miss putting my body in barrels, but also grew tired of getting sick so often. i blew out my eardrum mid-summer from little critters in the water at windansea during my last summer living on la jolla blvd.

cheers

[BirdRock]

Ahhhh. See you in mammoth this season then hopefully.

[BS720]

BirdRock, i live 'far from my next whomp' , i.e. western slope of the sierra. i often desperately miss putting my body in barrels, but also grew tired of getting sick so often. i blew out my eardrum mid-summer from little critters in the water at windansea during my last summer living on la jolla blvd.

cheers

This made me shudder. I snapped a fin in half with my groin last fall, and it was nowhere near as painful as rupturing my eardrum. The EENT I saw said I would need surgery to repair it. It healed completely in 8 weeks on it's own, but I seriously contemplated quiting surfing. For about five minutes.

[bodywhomper]

yea it sucked, mainly because i had to be out of the water and taking gnarly antibiotics. i blew out an eardrum twice over a few years. pin prick holes both times. the first time was mid-winter probably from contaminants in the water at blacks beach (most of my daily water time at that time). that one hurt like hell until the eardrum finally popped and the floodgate opened. i wasn't following that rule of thumb about waiting a certain number of days after a storm for the water to clear up a bit. second time was mid-summer and was not proceeded by or followed by any pain. i just woke up one morning with a bunch of shit on my pillow and stuff oozing outta my ear. yum! the beaches were semi-regularly assayed at that time and were open (though they were occasionally closed for contamination), no recent rain, etc. the Ci of SD needs to re-evaluate it's sewer and (lack of) stormwater treatment in that area.

cheers

[BS720]

Heh. Yeah. I went to bed in my gf's house, woke up with a pillow case that you could hold sideways and it would stand up. Drainage was ridiculous. Mine was not a pin prick. It has only happened once, and mine was from OB(up here). I've used a 50/50 blend of rubbing alcohol and vinegar, and it has worked for the last two years.

[bodywhomper]

you're lucky it healed-up. i'd imagine you have scar tissue. i do.

middle ear infections for me (infection coming from inside of the eardrum); cleaning out outer ears doesn't help. saline flush up my nose helps me a lot for all that stuff. SF treats most of it's stormwater, of course, you have the rest of what's comin' out the golden gate.

i get wax issues (another critter vector for me), too. one of the two the ent's on kauai told me to rinse my outer ears a few times a month with mild soapy water using a baby bulb, like what you use to clear out baby noses. that's worked really well for me since my last full ear plug-up (whomping shipwreck's beach ).

[Piggity]

For SS, Pierpont(where I lived) and most of the rest rising real estate and old age were the bigger problem, imo.

I think that has a lot to do with it. What I am saying is the new school locals are not dealing out quite as many beatings like the old school locals before them did. Part of the reason is today's legal society we live in is actually filtering into the surf scene and most people think twice before dealing out a beatdown as the norm. This is also my opinion on society in general, not only specific to localism in the surf scene.

A popular surfing spot where graffiti on a lifeguard tower once proclaimed "if you think you can just pull up and paddle out, you are wrong," Silver Strand was a tight-knit community where neighbors looked out for each other and sometimes resented arrivals of outsiders, residents say.

So when prosecutors in the Brandon McInerney murder trial argued he was a member of a criminal street gang called the Silver Strand Locals, or SSL — and was influenced by white supremacist members of the group — some residents were upset.

Like McInerney's attorneys, residents argue that SSL is simply a mark of local pride for a diverse community, not a gang with white supremacist leanings.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department officials, however, said there is a criminal SSL gang with at least a dozen youths, and deputies recently increased enforcement in the area in response to several assaults. The enforcement is unrelated to the high-profile trial, officials said.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/aug/...s-upsets-some/



Trying to stick gang charges on someone obviously increases the penalty. All surf clubs are subject to this and all DA's will start following the lead.

Bird Rock Bandits (not fully surf related) is another example of the DA trying to stick gang charges that probably shouldn't have been added. Imagine if one of the Wind & Sea surf club loc's deals out a heavy hand? Definitely gang charges to follow.

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

[Long duc dong]

I think that has a lot to do with it. What I am saying is the new school locals are not dealing out quite as many beatings like the old school locals before them did. Part of the reason is today's legal society we live in is actually filtering into the surf scene and most people think twice before dealing out a beatdown as the norm. This is also my opinion on society in general, not only specific to localism in the surf scene.



http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/aug/...s-upsets-some/



Trying to stick gang charges on someone obviously increases the penalty. All surf clubs are subject to this and all DA's will start following the lead.

Bird Rock Bandits (not fully surf related) is another example of the DA trying to stick gang charges that probably shouldn't have been added. Imagine if one of the Wind & Sea surf club loc's deals out a heavy hand? Definitely gang charges to follow.

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

From what I recall, negligence on the part of the school probably had more to do with the Brandon Mc. killing than any type of surf gang influence. This is a sad case, one that could have been avoided if the school had played a more proactive role.

[Piggity]

I think we are agreeing. DA's overplaying stuff

[mach.850]

I think we are agreeing. DA's overplaying stuff

I think you're right. The whole "SSL is a gang" thing has raised a lot of eyebrows here locally. There was a recent story in the local paper where long time locals (talking elderly folks) were upset because they had SSL stickers and claimed themselves as Silver Strand Locals. It didn't mean they were in a gang, it just meant they were a part of a tight knit community that takes care of one another.

My tinfoil hat says that it's VC Sherriff's attempt at making ground in a gang case that they can control, since they can't control the Hispanic gangs in Oxnard. Go after a bunch of groms (maybe 10-15 at most) and claim victory. And the fact that they claim it is white supremacist is a fucking joke. Half of the people with SSL tats or stickers are not white.

That being said, the localism has relaxed for sure due to the impact of law enforcement. You can't just beat somebody down on the beach because he dropped in on you. Several court cases have proven that. I think that school shooting case had little to do with SSL and even less to do with surfing and localism.

Rode my first left all the way in at the bowl yesterday. Never been so stoked to do something I'm so terrible at. Luckily, there's some great locals to help me out.