Free to travel surf jong, where to go for lessons....

[3PinGrin]

I have a floaty barge showing up this Friday (South Bay Board Co - 8' Verve). I'm looking forward to getting it out on open water here just to get a feel for paddling, standing up, etc. Hopefully this will be a good learning tool for a while until I can progress to higher quality hand shaped board.

[BS720]

Too short.

[3PinGrin]

Too short.

Hmm, that's what they recommended for a 6' 165# rider over the 8' 8" Heritage. It gets a lot of good reviews from beginners heavier than me, 74L of volume. It's a start I guess and will see how it goes.....

[Ottime]

74L for 165# is pretty good. That thing looks wide and think. A longer, narrower board would paddle easier but be less stable. So work out those shoulders and back and you should be fine.

[3PinGrin]

74L for 165# is pretty good. That thing looks wide and think. A longer, narrower board would paddle easier but be less stable. So work out those shoulders and back and you should be fine.

Thanks, I saw a few others that were a little sleeker, but the shipping was over half the cost of the board in some cases. I really want to get out on it a little and start working those shoulders and back before I hit the road, so that limited options quite a bit. It does look like a whale from the top though, ha.

Pale white mountain kook, comin' through!

[BS720]

Think it would be tippy, but it'll still get you waves. I'm pretty excited to hear what a month gets you.

[3PinGrin]

Think it would be tippy, but it'll still get you waves. I'm pretty excited to hear what a month gets you.

I do appreciate the advice, mostly went with the shorter one based on their recommendation. And I'm thinking at least two months now and maybe a lifetime. If I really get into it, I may end up settling down near the ocean someday. I have no plans at this point other than to have fun for a while before returning to the professional world someday. Or maybe I will become a beach bum, I hope if I'm still at it in 20 years I'm not on the same board though, ha!

[romeo tango]

Port Orford on the SO.OR coast has a great beginner's break at Battle Rock, right in town.
Hubbard Ck, south about 1 mile, is more complex.
In the past, RVs, trailers and campers were tolerated spending the night at the numerous pullouts along 101.
Parked cars and tents attract the attention of LE.
Charlie one-nine may have changed all that.
The scene is super-chill all the way to Westport WA

.

[3PinGrin]

Port Orford on the SO.OR coast has a great beginner's break at Battle Rock, right in town.
Hubbard Ck, south about 1 mile, is more complex.
In the past, RVs, trailers and campers were tolerated spending the night at the numerous pullouts along 101.
Parked cars and tents attract the attention of LE.
Charlie one-nine may have changed all that.
The scene is super-chill all the way to Westport WA

.

Great beta, I'm getting stoked for this trip, thanks!

[3PinGrin]

Received an O'Neill Epic 3/2 yesterday in a Medium/Tall. I watched a lot of fit videos to make sure the fit is right. The fit is great throughout except arm and leg cuffs which are a little long. I can either fold them over a couple of inches or trim them down with some sharp scissors, thoughts? Also, the suit seems much warmer/thicker than I thought it would (granted I haven't had it in the water yet, that will be this coming weekend). I boogie boarded Huntington Beach/Newport area in late August 2018 in just some swim trunks. Is this thing going to be too warm for that water in Aug/Sep? I might pick up a rash guard top too for warmer water since I will likely be moving up and down the coast a bit.

romeo tango gave me some great ideas for further north but I also have some questions regarding Baja. How difficult to pull a camp trailer down there? I see that I would need a permit for the truck but also the trailer, Looks like most folks are using slide in truck campers if RVing. If I end up heading down there would I be better to store the trailer and take my tent? Is going solo bonkers? I definitely won't try to tackle anything big or get too far off shore. The tent option would be more mobile, obviously, if just picking a spot on a beach. Looks like some cheaper RV park options too though.

[406]

You wont need a 3/2 in San Diego Aug/Sep, unless you run crazy cold. I was out last Th in a spring suite for an hour and would have been fine in trunks, water temp 68, air temp 77. It might be nice to have for your lesson, but almost nobody will be out in one in the summer, girls will be in just bikinis soon.

C19 is out of control in TJ and I don't think they will get it under control anytime soon. Mexico would be awesome, but personally would suggest it is not worth the risk. As a newb, it is nice to have professional life guards and excellent ER nearby. Save Mexico for when you are better and the world is not ending.

[3PinGrin]

You wont need a 3/2 in San Diego Aug/Sep, unless you run crazy cold. I was out last Th in a spring suite for an hour and would have been fine in trunks, water temp 68, air temp 77. It might be nice to have for your lesson, but almost nobody will be out in one in the summer, girls will be in just bikinis soon.

C19 is out of control in TJ and I don't think they will get it under control anytime soon. Mexico would be awesome, but personally would suggest it is not worth the risk. As a newb, it is nice to have professional life guards and excellent ER nearby. Save Mexico for when you are better and the world is not ending.

Yeah, the whole C19 thing is going to require adjustments on the fly probably and good points on Mexico. My plan right now is to take a couple lessons somewhere and try to camp in an RV park, state park, etc. nearby for a few days before finding a more remote cheap/free camping near a beach break somewhere if I can to practice.

[nortonwhis]

You wont need a 3/2 in San Diego Aug/Sep, unless you run crazy cold. I was out last Th in a spring suite for an hour and would have been fine in trunks, water temp 68, air temp 77. It might be nice to have for your lesson, but almost nobody will be out in one in the summer, girls will be in just bikinis soon.

C19 is out of control in TJ and I don't think they will get it under control anytime soon. Mexico would be awesome, but personally would suggest it is not worth the risk. As a newb, it is nice to have professional life guards and excellent ER nearby. Save Mexico for when you are better and the world is not ending.

Great advice. I doubt you can enter MX right now anyway.
Don't cut your wetsuit. Send it back and go for the straight medium if thats an option and you haven't used it.

keep us up to date. Its hard work and theres gonna be tough times where you'll want to never see your board again, but just keep trying...

[3PinGrin]

Great advice. I doubt you can enter MX right now anyway.
Don't cut your wetsuit. Send it back and go for the straight medium if thats an option and you haven't used it.

keep us up to date. Its hard work and theres gonna be tough times where you'll want to never see your board again, but just keep trying...

Thanks nortonwhis,
I got out and paddles my board around a large windy lake yesterday. Boy howdy, do I need to work my shoulders and chicken wings, I tired out pretty damn quick, ha. Not quite like paddling my sea kayak around! As far as the wetsuit fit, I realized that I just hadn't worked the material up far enough and fit seems perfect. I have a long torso for my height, that's why I went with the medium/tall, but appears that was the right choice. The legs do go just past the ankle bone, but seem to work fine. I got a small tear in the rubbery chest reinforcement already, but have some aquaseal FD I will patch it with. It was hard to see, just a slight slice with the flap of rubber still there so will just glue it back down, may have been like that when I got it and I just didn't notice. I've already knocked over about everything in my house lugging this big red barge in and out, lol. I can't stop watching surfing competitions/videos, getting stoked!

[Ottime]

Never cut your suit yourself. If you need cuffs adjusted, bring it to a suit repair shop out in CA. It would likely cost $20 to shorten the legs. But just over the ankle sounds fine to me.

MX water is much colder than SoCal. So it is kind of nice staying state side. Plenty of good surf in SD/LA in summer.

Try to paddle 4-5 times per week and you’ll get in shape. You can also prescribe duck dives and turtles rolls in flat water to get technique down. Do sprints and long slow paddles. Work on turning your board while paddling and while sitting. Sit on your board and spin and circles. Spin the other way. Spin 180 degrees and smoothly drop into a sprint paddle. All these things will help you later when there are waves to catch.

[3PinGrin]

Never cut your suit yourself. If you need cuffs adjusted, bring it to a suit repair shop out in CA. It would likely cost $20 to shorten the legs. But just over the ankle sounds fine to me.

MX water is much colder than SoCal. So it is kind of nice staying state side. Plenty of good surf in SD/LA in summer.

Try to paddle 4-5 times per week and you’ll get in shape. You can also prescribe duck dives and turtles rolls in flat water to get technique down. Do sprints and long slow paddles. Work on turning your board while paddling and while sitting. Sit on your board and spin and circles. Spin the other way. Spin 180 degrees and smoothly drop into a sprint paddle. All these things will help you later when there are waves to catch.

Thanks, I did work on sitting/spinning some but suck at it so needs a lot of work still. Inside of both thighs are a little bruised and sore. The board kept wanting to twist with the rail flipping up. This thing is so buoyant and also a little tippier side to side than I expected. I'm still figuring out how much nose to have up when paddling to get the trim right, and I think I had it too nose high when sitting/spinning too. Can you really duck dive a big foamie? I did practice a couple turtle rolls, which I also suck at.

Practice and conditioning is in order for sure.

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[North]

Nose high is your friend when sitting and spinning. Sink the tail. The farther back you are the faster/easier you’ll pivot.

[3PinGrin]

Got another paddle in yesterday, it's already feeling a little more efficient and I realized that I was paddling with the nose too high, much more efficient once I moved forward and put it a couple inches above the water. Apparently I am hard on wetsuits, I already pulled the stitching out in two places putting the damn thing on yesterday. I'm the kind of guy that grabs the top of my socks and yanks them on as fast as I can though, need to slow things down and be more patient apparently. I am getting better at the on/off suit donning but have a hell of a time trying to get it on while in the truck. Bare white ass will be on display for all to see I guess, ha! Hoping we get some big wind before too long so I can at least play around in some waves a bit.

Thanks again for the advice all. My plan is to practice as much as I can over the next couple of months in preparation for my journey. Watched Kissed by God last night, what a storied life Andy Irons had, RIP.

[Ottime]

Wet wetsuits go on easier. Inch and roll it on. Never tug or pull. Slide, hence wetness making it easier. Roll off. Avoid stepping on it with your feet to pull off. Bend at waist and share your asshole with the world. Or wear a towel.

Nose should be as close to the water surface as possible w/o diving for efficient paddle. Board should be as vertical as possible for sit and spin.

[Ottime]

Rinse suit after every use. Dry by hanging crotch over top of hanger, in the shade. Don’t hang from shoulders (it wears out the shoulders) and avoid UV light (it degrades the neoprene). Don’t piss in your suit (urea degrades neoprene).

Duck diving will be hard, but possible - you just need to get under the foam, and in small weak surf, you can push a longboard through.

Turning turtle is good for larger surf, but you lose all your forward momentum.

For the duck dive just try to get the board 1” below the surface. Push down with hands, then snap with foot. It will also build shoulder/chest strength and agility to help with pop ups.

[406]

I put a bread bag over my foot to slide into my full suit.

[3PinGrin]

Thanks guys,
Been rinsing and hanging folded over in my shower stall with the fan on or window open to dehumidify. I found about the bread bag trick and was using that, helps a lot! The issue in the truck is getting it up over my ass, lol. Less tugging / more patience and need to be more careful about keeping it off the dirt/gravel. Also, this is the first sport that I have had to slather my balding dome and forehead with sunscreen since I usually have a cap or helmet for everything else. Any suggestions on something that lasts and won't sting my eyes?

[nortonwhis]

Yeah as others have mentioned dont yank ya wettie. Just ease it on, grab handfuls. I never take care of my suits. piss in them, hang them by the shoulders, dry them in the sun, haven't rinsed one in 25 years. Im currently still wearing a 3/2 from 2003. I do take care taking them off and putting them on though.

ps. definitely pee in your suit, it feels so good when its cold. I will often hold of peeing until im in the water for maximum toastyness.

[3PinGrin]

Yeah as others have mentioned dont yank ya wettie. Just ease it on, grab handfuls. I never take care of my suits. piss in them, hang them by the shoulders, dry them in the sun, haven't rinsed one in 25 years. Im currently still wearing a 3/2 from 2003. I do take care taking them off and putting them on though.

ps. definitely pee in your suit, it feels so good when its cold. I will often hold of peeing until im in the water for maximum toastyness.

Now that's what I'm talking! lol

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[Ottime]

I surf with a 1.5mm squid lid which is great for keeping the sun off and wind out of my ears. That would be excessive in SoCal in summer. They do make nylon coat with a velcro strap. Something like this

They are not great I large surf, but for long boarding and such, they can be great. I have used them in bigger surf.

Also, they make rash guards with hoods. I wear a long sleeve hooded rash guard with in the tropics, and while dorky as fuck, most people re jealous.It even has a small brim to reduce glare, which is great.