More than once when I younger, I had been brushed/bumped, but thankfully never bitten..
Trying to find my old surfing pix..
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315101580.jpg

heading to san onofre tomorrow, trail 1

cant believe this swell is still here

Oh I can. You should have seen what made the swell :eek:

Have fun.

Chocolatelab, you post here all the time when you are going out to make me crazy, don't you?! I'm back in AZ and the closest body of water is my pool or the lake at the golf course down the street. Uggggggg!!! You are killing me!

Yikes! OK, maybe planning a snowboarding trip might be in order...

Aussie bodyboarder dies after shark bites off legs - Yahoo! News

But then you don't see many surfers buried by avalanches! or getting frost bite.

Same here. When I was younger I was brushed by a 4' Hammerhead (North Shore, Oahu). Thankfully it was already dead. Brought it on shore to show everyone, and some guys gave me $50 for it. I asked them what they were going to do with it, and they said they were going to put it in the bathtub of their bud's hotel room as a prank. Hilarious. :D

Ok I have to admit that I get the shark hibijibies too. My home break is just down the street at a place called tunnels. This is the spot where Bethany Hamilton got her arm bit off some years ago. Check out her story in the movie soul surfer.

Any way after that incident I have been much less inclined to just lay around after going down on my windsurfer, I used to take a brake, Rest, hang out look at the scenery after wiping out. Then after the deal with Bethany , I found that I would bounce out of the water as quick as I could.

Its funny that walking across the street to go sailing is probably more risky statistically, but somehow the primal fear of getting attacked by a big predator is way more impactful,
Just got to try to put out of mind.

Here is a pic from years ago just having fun.
About a 4' to 6' day at tunnels.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315333866.jpg

Cheers Richard
Make you itch to get back into it Bill?

Nice pic.



It does.

But it's still winter here. Nice and sunny warm winter, but still winter.

From my more active surfing days, lifted from M. Mcpherson's book, "All Those Summers" (Maalaea)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315339277.jpg

These days, an old surf buddy and I find it far less crowded carving the slopes. 1st tracks, mellow run, late May, 2011, near Truckee
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315339479.jpg

Geary thanks for joining us , That looks like a good session in maui. Super fast wave there at Maalaea. Makes me wonder what it was like last week with that macking south swell.
So you are enjoying the slopes now, pretty, got any more pics? the thoughts of no crowds sounds fun. Was it hard to get into boarding? How quickly are you having fun doing some carving.

Bill that old pic really makes me want to get back into sailing too, its been two years for me, Am working on rehabbing a shoulder injury. I can relate to what you said earlier about getting beat up, and breaking gear. Don't know if I am just past it, there are cream puff days tho. Got to keeping working on the shoulder.

I've got no more good pics, so come on guys, lets see what you got for us.

Cheers Richard

You can prevent frostbite, Tevake. You can't prevent a big shark from taking a big ol' bite of your tush. OK, have to agree with the avalanche though. But with anything in life, if it doesn't have some sort of risk associated with it, it wouldn't be worth while, would it? ;) We would all be living in a bubble.

And Geary! Love the picture of the snow! I am itching to get out this season. Looking right now for airline tickets to Tahoe or Colorado. I always have to travel to snowboard... snow doesn't get good in AZ until usually January. :(

I agree with Tevake... we need more pics. I absolutely LOVE all the pictures posted here so far. Post more, people! Some snowboarding ones too! I will have to get some of me snowboarding this year...

Since I don't have any pictures of me snowboarding, here's a link to a video I watch all the time to get me pumped for the snowboarding season. The USC ski & snowboard team... young but their little videos get me excited to watch the kids on the slopes and to get my old lady butt out there. :D They have a video from their surfing excursion too...

USC Ski & Snowboard - Party in the Park - YouTube

For your enjoyment... with all those crazy B-movies like "Ice Twisters" and "Sharktopus" being created by the SyFy channel, don't be surprised if they come up with movie about some government experiment on sharks or piranhas gone wrong and even snowboarders are getting eaten alive by vicious predator fishes that swim in snow.

Sharktopus trailer... be sure to stick around for the bungee jump at 2:20:
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GN2CFKmfOY0?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GN2CFKmfOY0?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Billabong Pro Tahiti Event Recap
 

For total enjoyment - enlarge to fill your screen.

The song is "Astronaut" by My Robot Friend.

These guys CHARGE - wow!


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Tevake .. I'm still recovering from a long flight back from OZ (where I missed 20' Bells by 1 day .. they were taking down the Billabong tent when the wife & I pulled up), so I haven't talked to anyone about the recent Hawaii waves. I imagine Maalaea was at least 8-10' on this swell. (The bigger the wave, the more makeable Maalaea gets.) One of our hurricanes pushed an 8' diameter boulder right into the freight train path maybe 15 years ago, so it's risky to ride a super deep 5-6' wave there today.

A surfer needs to dedicate 3 straight days to snowboarding, before expecting to feel "the carve". I'd recommend wearing full protective gear for those 3 days. I've now been at it for over 20 years, so it's just like surfing to me. My buddy had coincidentally e-mailed that snow pick to me two days ago, so I was able to pluck those two tiny pics from my e-mails folder ..

Richard .. in scanning through this thread, I see you spent some time in Whangerei .. very cool. I lived in Titirangi (20 minutes from Piha) off & on '87-'91, and had a number of friends in Whangerei. We had some epic days at 90-mile beach. I left my Ole longboard with a young shaper just south of Whangerei, and later read (Surfer's Journal) how he had become one of NZ's premier longboard shapers. I've had a virgin Brewer 9' gun "curing" on Kauai for over 2 years now .. Hanalei is one of my all-time favorite spots. Aloha, Paul

Ha, I told you NZ is a small place and everyone of the 6 people who live here know eachother. I grew up in Titirangi. Lived on Old Titirangi Road. And my Mom used to take me on the back of the Vespa for swims at Green Bay and French Bay LOL.

Oh, that's funny, Bill .. My house was 21 Arapito Rd, where I had a nice little dock (until the highest tide of the year swept it away).
Did a bit of lifeguarding myself (Waianae) in the late '60s, Richard.
S2 & Tweez .. you should PM me next season, if you visit North Tahoe and want uncrowded pow (.. or we can ride a free day or 2 at one of the bigger resorts).
Shaun .. I think you should further develop your magnetic boots .. it's an awesome idea .. way better than the "freeboards" marketed now.

Geary, I am still new to snowboarding even though I get better every time I go. I have only gone a total of ten times but I have gotten addicted to it! So, I doubt you would want to go with me. Maybe the end of the season when I am better. I am carving though. Can't do any of that fancy stuff. My friend always rents a house up in N Tahoe for the winter season. One year in Truckee actually. I went to Alpine and Squaw. Heard Heavenly is good too? How's Northstar? Ugggg!!! I SOOOO want to go snowboarding! Can't wait!

Leave the jumps and parks to the kids. Deep powder & carving nice groomers is what gives me joy. This past season was a good time to be recently retired .. everywhere had unbelievable snow, and I rode about 175 days. Alpine's great. Heavenly (south shore) is better for skiers. Squaw has oversold itself with cheap season tickets (crowded). Northstar's OK .. inconvenient parking-wise, but I can score free passes for guests. Sugar Bowl is excellent. My favorite terrain is hidden between two resorts, only ridden by 3 of us. (I still find it hard to believe sometimes.)

I'm heading to SanO next Thursday, and I hope the waves are back to the normal SanO slop. My recent knee injury (and the fact that I haven't been on a board since last October) makes me long for the long slow rollers that SanO is famous for.


When I was there in June of this year (alas, in a knee brace, so I wasn't able to surf) there was a good swell with head high to head and-a-half high sets. (that's if you're standing up, NS SmileWavy) My friends and I remarked on this as we have been going to SanO for surf/camping trips since 1985 or so, and can count on two hands the times there has been "big" surf.


Looking forward to the waves next week. :)

The half pipe and parks aren't designed for anyone under 40 believe me. When I used to volunteer teaching boarding my student wanted to try the half pipe. He asked me to go also.
All I did was fall on my arse. Oh I forgot to mention the half pipe was hard packed ice.
Now I mostly stick to the marked runs occasionally venturing in the trees.

I have never ventured into the parks...yeah, right! That's hilarious! I just like watching the youngins doing all their fancy stuff. It is truly amazing. Maybe if I was a young miss thang again but nope, this old lady is gonna be happy just cruisin'.

And Baz! That video was awesome! Those guys... Insane! That must be such a high riding those waves... I can just imagine. I will never be that good but oh how I wish I could experience coming out of a barrel at least once before I die. Don't think it will happen but at least I can watch those cute dudes do it. I guess second best thing to me experiencing it. :)

And geary, your "hidden spot", steep? And how do you get out there with no lift ? Curious about this secret pow you speak of...

Here's a pic a friend of Keala Kennely's dad sent to me a few days ago:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315548418.jpg
(reef rash from that epic session in Tahiti)

Tweez, You'd have no problem riding our secret area. If you're able to zero in on this photo, you'll see only my dozen or so tracks. This is only the smaller (slightly less steep) portion of the area.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315548345.jpg

Well Paul, I am not going to be surprised if we realize we have run into each other at some point. We have overlapped or closely so many times since the 1970s , Oahu, New Zealand, Kauai.
Lots of the time spent in Whangerei was doing a rebuild on our boat Tevake. See below. So not a lot of time for surfing then.

Funny Brian and Caverly live 1/2 mile from me. That is looking like more than rash that Keala is sporting, ouch! Did you see some of the bombs she rode, and those that munched her? WOW! Is your Brewer gun at Brian's house? Hey, it has cured long enough, Bro.
We just had our first north swell of the season today. Maybe time to head this way this year. Sounds like you about wore out the slopes last year. I like the pic of the hill side with all the tracks, do you have to hike back up the hill?
Next time you find yourself heading this way, give me a shout. We can check out some near by back roads in the SC.

Baz thanks for posting the vid. I was mesmerized watching the event for days. Fantastic conditions. I've spent quite a bit of time in Tahiti, but not looking for any of that size.

Cheers Richardhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315555934.jpg

I'm sure we'll get to ride together this season, Richard .. one spot or another. Funny thing is, I haven't seen Brian since Bake Oven days in San Diego, 45 years ago.

Tevake is a beauty. I had an interisland ride on a tri just a few weeks ago, where we all shared an incredible spotting of a 12-ft Tiger, slow cruising alongside in glassy water.

The Secret hike is only 3 minutes. Here's a pic of the condo steps in April 2010 :
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315591596.jpg

Man is that a pile of snow!! :eek: My jaw dropped. Looks like you could loose a car in all of that.
I did try an afternoon of snow boarding a few summers ago near the top of the Jungfrau
in Switzerland. It was funny, most folks were just renting gear to have a pic taken. But for me it was a session. There was a small rope tow line and about a three hundred yard area to slide down. It was definatly coming together for me as the afternoon progressed. after the first couple passes I started making it without falling. Then was able to slide up to the rope for a clean turn around. Big fun!

I'm loving the snow pics.

Cheers Richard

These photos are actually all from the '09-'10 season. Imagine approximately double that for this past '10-'11 season.

A couple shots of Sugar Bowl, again '09-'10
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315604119.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315604214.jpg

Someone with a sense of humor:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315604310.jpg

.. and yes, there are a few cars that get lost along the roadside every year ..
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315604511.jpg

.. and Tweez .. this little lady is only 3 years old. Dad took her down the steepest hill, just to build her confidence

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315605062.jpg

Hey, this posting pics stuff is fun .. My daughter's in town, and she's teaching me how to retrieve & move all these pics around.

Looking at the same stairs, 2011. I can't believe the garage held the weight.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315612482.jpg


looking down the stairs ..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315612233.jpg

I surf on concrete.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315613408.jpg

Concrete's good .. so long as you wear all the safety gear. I love watching the park guys, but prefer downhill twisties on a Mountain Board (big rubber tires) with brakes. Great to get those legs ready for snowboarding.

Lowyder .. have you ridden Pavones (CR)? We had a property down there for many years. It may be the longest, most fun left I've ever ridden.

Geary! Your secret spot looks awesome! Yes, perfect for me. A gentle slope, not too steep. Awesome! I am so down with that! You said Truckee? I plan to head to Tahoe sometime this season. I'll have to PM you when I do... And check out my son... I don't have a pic with him on his board but he was 4. Did pretty good. Didn't take him on the slopes though. Just the bunny hill. I am going to take him again this year. I would love it if he picked it up young.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315680806.jpg

Tevake! Your boat is GORGEOUS! I don't a thing about sailing but it looks fabulous! I love being on a boat but hmmm... maintaining one and sailing one, too labor intensive. :D

And HardDrive, I would like to surf concrete since we don't have any waves in AZ. I want to buy a Hamboard really bad. Again, none of the fancy stuff, just to cruise the streets...

Tweez .. Your son is the perfect age to learn. One of my friend's son is a ripper at 6. Hey .. in AZ, you've always got the Surfatorium in Tempe. I remember surfing some odd, experimental waves/tides there in the week prior to the grand opening ('69 ?) Some of my high school friends worked on that project.

No...I haven't...was always difficult to get down there. Ever run into Allan Weisbecker? Guy that wrote "In search of Captain Zero"? He was living down there. Theres now a Pavones surf cam down there...i check every once in a while...I'm regular, not goofy foot, and I look like a dork trying to pig dog a barrel:rolleyes:

Papa G Surf: Costa Rica Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

I never ran into that Allan, but I heard his name mentioned a number of times. Pavones had quite a few interesting characters, and a number of crazy gun battles, etc. Amazingly, evening time at La Cantina was neutral zone for even the bitterest enemies. It's peaceful now .. but unfortunately the surf scene has been exploited/bastardized. You have to go to the other side of the bay for good right handers ...

Even Google Earth has a good line up at Pavones, and Google Images shows some fantastic pics. What a great place.

Left handers go the wrong way for me so my surfing adventure took me to Jefferies Bay. I spent about a month there and got waves just about every day. A couple of big days were just like the postcards, however I tended to like the head high, or just a bit more, days the most.

Jefferies Bay would be a dream trip for me ..

It was pretty good. I spent four months in Zim' and South Africa. The food was good, great weather, the blonde Africaner girls were very pretty. Lots of surfing breaks all the way down that Indian Ocean side of the country. The locals were very friendly and would take me on a surf trip through their farm to a perfect point break. The Atlantic side was OK but the water was cold. Nice clean clear water everywhere and a cheap country to travel in. Safe enough if you don't do anything silly. Waves at Jefferies typically were 300 to 800 yards long and walk back up the beach for your next wave.

Ok, need help. Want to find a private surf instructor in Irvine/OC area. I am going to be out there for two weeks and seriously need to get in the water. Been three months now. I will need to rent the board and wetsuit. Anybody have any recommendations?