pushingtide

Dream

2011-10-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

It sure felt like a dream.
New homemade board. Long pointbreak.
EMPTY all weekend on the "worst tide".
Um, no, it was consistent long rides non stop treadmill fun.
Guess everyone was surfed out in the mornings fighting with the crowds?
Goddamn, Saturday especially, was top 5.

2.2 @ 12secs from 210

Fog

2011-10-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

YES!

It is now completely fogged in at the beach. Can't see the waves from the beach.

Love it. Go home cold only surf in the sun kooks. Push wants some lowtide soloness.

3.0 @ 14secs from 300

Fun

2011-09-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

This week has been super fun on lowtides.
Heard so many stories of crowded NW spots.
Why oh why when you can find a spot by yourself?
Out solo all week as I pass by the zoos.

7.7 @ 14secs from 300

A visit

2011-09-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Looked up my ol' lady Winter today.
See how she was holdin' up.
She told me stories of all the summer trash.
But today she was glassy and classy.
Think she's gonna put out a great Winter.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh.

NW was better than I thought. Out solo!

6.2 @ 12secs from 295

Yeah

2011-09-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Fall's a comin'.
SF's a callin'.
Stoney walks in the park and clear headed paddles in the ocean.

2.1 @ 10secs from 310

Yes

2011-07-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

vimeo.com/26927949

Rad new Marzo short.
Love that they show the paddle in.
The drops.
The falls.
The rippin'.

Waves out there! Go seeeek.

3.3 @ 17secs from 185

Early Bird

2011-07-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Solo and foggy and very glassy.
That three of a kind wins.
Surf's droppin' finally.
But man what a summer already!

3.7 @ 17secs from 175

Weekender

2011-07-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Friday night fishin' long rights warm fun.
Saturday dark super early low tide long rides on glass.
Sunday stoney stoked and tired ridin' the oldest homemade that still floats.

Rest up. And bring on more!!!

3.3 @ 17 secs from 210

Foggy

2011-07-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

Foggy mornings lately. Just the way I like it.

3.3 @ 17secs from 185

Gray

2011-04-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Loved this dark cold nasty winter.

Dumpy. Frumpy. Fishy.

Surf!

3.7 @ 16secs from 300

Boogiefish

2010-06-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Push love foggy dark mornings with swell.

From an ocean trashcan I snagged my first ever boogie.

Rad to see that my daily homemade board's just barely longer. Fishin'!

2.3 @ 15secs from 190

Spring

2010-06-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Been on the move and skate hunt lately. Livin' Diagonal.

Crashin' at random friends places. And skatin' everywhere once I stop.

C'mon Souths. Gimmie a reason to come on home!

3.3 @ 9secs from 308

Sand Fiesta

2010-04-20T04:05:00.000-07:00

Summer's 'round the corner.
Smellin' that Southy beach.
Let's all go fishin'.
C'mon ladies.

3.0 @ 17secs from 195

The Road

2010-03-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last coupla days are the first days of summer as far as I'm concerned. When I drive down this road at 4am it means Souths are flowin'! Only wish the road was still unpaved.

Added bonus of a phosphorus light show this morn in the dark. Trippy to see your hands and feet glowin' in the ocean. Caught more than a handful before the "regulars" showed up. And even then, not many of them did.

Yesterday was better.

Fishin'!!!!

2.5 @17secs from 185

Snowy Souths

2010-03-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Fun, fun, fun winter but bring on the Souths.

My first love.

Sorry if I ditched you for all of those Wests. I'll make it up to you every dawn. Or as much as I can.

Long points!!! Perfect rights!!!

1.1 @ 10 secs from 185

Sightseein' Sticks

2010-01-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Been makin' myself go a hundred miles north and then the next week a hundred miles south. New spots. New ocean lovely curves. Different homemade boards. Big fuckin' waves! Man that was fun. Stoked and tired.

Only didn't go in as much style as this pic.

3.0 @12secs from 275

Self-made

2009-12-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

Fuckin' love this photo. Especially because name of it is "Cliff, '76 on a self-made Bonzer".

Fittin' since my self-made worked the best it has ever gone today. My feet are finally feelin' it. My weighting is finally realizin' it. Figurin' out a board is the greatest fun. Lovin' the 5'3" fatty. But really, the ocean did most all the work. I just held on.

My little spot finally is sandbarin' up. West is the best. Get here and I'll do the rest...

4.9 @ 15 from 285

TC

2009-12-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

TC inna SC contest.
Crappy online transfer.
But perfect.
Rippin'!
'90

Huge @ short periods from everywhere

Gray and Grey

2009-12-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Nothing better than a rainy surf. A West. And glass. Let's go for a low tide sesh!!!

4.3 @ 14secs from 290

No ack

2009-12-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Eddie's on! Cleanup sets! Fun watchin' online. Although I wish I was that surfer above right now.

Go Clyde!

We had the cold version over here this morn, thick and rugged and messy where I was at. And cold. Pansy LA kid.

4.3 @ 10 secs from 310

Stussy

2009-12-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

Fuck yeah. This made my day finding Stussy has a blog. Old school local shit.

shawnstussy.blogspot.com/

Heady

2009-11-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

Foggy, fishin' and burnin'.

Thick lovely fog. Spliffin' in the bushes beforehand. Rocksteady. Had the day off and needed to see how the other side of the homemade board felt.

Less shape but better when the tide got higher. Talked to a guy who paddled out later in the morn who said "good to see it is that time of year again, where I see you runnin' down to the ocean at 5am stoked".

3.8 @ 14secs from 305

Lovin'

2009-11-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Good lumpy high tide lovin' this morn. Thought it would be a good day to dust off the dust from the last lam and try out my newly homemade fatty. She's 5'3" and red rice and beans definitely didn't miss her. About 21 3/4 wide.

A couple steep drops to closeouts.
A couple feet in the wrong spot.
A couple of kook outs.
Then a couple of speeeeed burners.

Love the board already. She's fast. Gonna have a real good time this season.

4.2 @ 12 seconds from 305

surf tunes

2009-11-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

Go find it. 18 tracks. Crystal Voyager, Innermost Limits Of Pure Fun, Morning Of The Earth, on and on. Good listenin' for the dark DP rides. Gets ya goin'.

1.6 @ 12secs from 300

Fatty

2009-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh, Push is back in the lab again. Measurin' and mistakin'.

Think you can tell where I'm going with my new creation. Short. Fat. And a round schnoz. Probably around 5'2". Fishin'!!

1.9 @11secs from 315

Lumpy Crowds

2009-10-27T14:24:00.002-07:00

Redondo Breakwall crowded even way back in '61.

Well that long weekend kinda sucked. Sure there were good waves but the kooky crowds were everywhere. You'd get a spot to yourself for a 1/2 hour only to see groups of 4 running down to your break. Forgot my wetsuit one day after a pretty long drive to a certain spot. That sucked. Basically a lot of driving for lumpy waves and frumpy crowds.

Highlight was one day I was at a jetty and some tool in a green wetsuit come walking out on the jetty to jump in. The waves weren't that big to not paddle out in dude. The best part is this jetty doesn't really have a jump in rock at the end, just barnacles and this kook was trying to figure out how to jump in for a 1/2 hour. Ha! Then he preceeded to paddle violently for every fucking wave that came in. Joke was on us.

3.9 @ 14secs from 305

Doyle

2009-10-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Yep that looks like a South Bay wall.

And Mr. Doyle is rippin' it.

Fucking rad snap from back in the black and white days.

7.2 @ 11 secs from 310

Sea Smoke

2009-10-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Early week big dumpy swells. Slowly turning into later week shapely walls.

Beachbreak lovin'. I've missed my winter spot. Not many around, bars fixin' up and still warm water.

Got the bonus of a deep foggy morn today. Wish it could be foggy every morning. Keeps people away and keeps them on their cells talkin' "well bro, I can't see the waves yet so I am gonna stand here and keep drinkin' coffee" as I'm out getting the foggy goods.

5.7 @ 14secs from 305

Whoa!

2009-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

All photos by Randy Wright. Pictures and story of a shark breaching off Sunset!

I'll paraphrase " On October 3, 2009 Randy Wright of Horizon's West Surf Shop, Santa Monica, was kayaking 320 yards off Sunset Beach.... Still looking towards the point area, at 9:00 AM exactly, I noticed some movement towards my left and quickly turned the camera and fired off 4 shots of something, I wasn't sure, airborne and then splashing. As I was not originally looking in the same exact direction, I did not see what it was, it happened so fast, but I assumed this was a shark, since I did not see any dolphins in the area surface and breathe afterwards...... At exactly 10:00 AM I heard another splash on my starboard side, towards the Bel Air Bay Club, but missed the animal breach, but shot the remnants of the splash. I did not see any other breaching by the time I left at 11:23 AM arriving back at Horizon's West Surf Shop at noon. Two friends, Carlos Pires and Paige Heatherington watched me unload my camera from the SPL Waterhousing and download and go over the photo's I shot that morning over the 4 hour period that I spent observing. Our jaws literally dropped when image #73, 74, 75, 76 appeared, for his was the legendary breaching shark in mid-air! This was what I saw and luckily captured.”

Gnarly!!! Hopefully it will eat some SUP kooks!

Read more here: http://sharkresearchcommittee.com/pacific_coast_shark_news.htm

2.5 @ 14secs from 200

Hmmm

2009-09-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

On the cover of the Journal. Surprised. Kinda sucks but that's life. It mostly looks like this though. Shitty and small and no shape and very rocky.

Such good memories. Cool locals in and out of the water. Horses runnin' on the beach. Deep green brush meets super white sand meets turquoise water. No one 'round for miles of sandy coastline. Traveled there a coupla times and will travel there a coupla more. I'll shut up now.

2.4 @14secs from 185

Out West

2009-09-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Rollin' bones this mornin'. Like my man Biggie Smalls.

Shifty beachie. Lots of longish rights. Lotsa closeouts. Speedy sections. Fast walls. Old wintertime spot all week. Good to see it's shape is fairly good for so early in the season. Even saw speed-walkin' lady go by. I've seen her out there for 10 years or more. Crazy dedication.

Love sunny warm morns where you roll the bones, turn and drop, see whatcha got.

4.8 @ 12secs from 310

Coast Coastin'

2009-09-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Peaceful. Fun. Fishy. Fall-ish. Dolphins. Different swells. Lovely last coupla days out in the ocean.

I would still give it all up to be the dude drivin' this car along the Malibu coast back in the day. What a time to be livin'!

2.4 @ 14secs from 200

Fishin' and Talkin'

2009-08-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Part One of an old article on fish thoughts by Bob "Sniffer" Milfeld. He won a couple WSA surf events in the mid 70's. You don't see much old fish stuff in print from back in the day.

Hope you can click to enlarge and absorb it.

Fishin'!! And there was a little swelly today. Shhh.

2.7 @ 11secs at 175

Gimmie More

2009-07-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'm battered, I'm stoked out
I'm black and I'm blueeee
Give me my swell back
And I'll start lovin' you

You give me your lovin'
I give you a ride
Oh please don't tie me
Down to that damn tide

Was all up in my head all morn in the small lovely olas.

2.0 @12secs from 170

Power

2009-07-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today was perfect. Chest high leftovers with no one out. Just as I thought. Well, one other dude came out, but not 'til 7am. By then, I was tired of the long peelers.

Wow, what a swell. I'm battered. I'm stoked out. Haven't felt that power since a couple winters ago. Paid for it on the early part of this swell though. After a month of being too sick, too lazy, too much late night revelry, and no surf...my arms were slow to paddle. Feet were slow to set. But when they did, man it was wooooosh.

RIP wedge surfer Mr. Valantin.

2.2 @ 14secs from 195

Itchin'

2009-07-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Oh to be him. How you gonna surf this big wall in front of your eyes? The wave is yours. Get on with it!

But yet I am me. How long am I gonna go without surf with some size. The world is yours. Let's get on with it!

South not really hittin' when I was out. Summertime good times.

1.3 @ 14 secs from 190

MM

2009-07-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Saw this the other day when I was way inland. Raddest photographer out there now. By far. New school takin' knowledge from the old school. You throwin' up tags now Morgan?!

Fun lil souths lately. But want more. Always!

1.6 @ 14secs from 200

Fishin'

2009-06-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

As one ol' dude said out in the lineup after just me and him trading good sized sets for the first two hours of light this mornin'... "Man, the bats are swingin' today!"

Yep.

4.1 @ 17secs from 180

Think and Hunt

2009-04-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

Pulled up in the foggy dark just as this irie Burning Spear song came on called Happy Day. Yes indeed! Skankin' in the dark in my wetsuit always starts my day right.

Don't draw violence...
Think for yourself...
Solve your own problems...
You can be a trip to know...

Love the words.

Huntin' around always helps on these hyped swells. Still couldn't be alone after 7am though. No matta 'cause got nuff long rides for the two hours before that.

But had to yell at a dude, first time in a long time if ever. Big outside set comes in and I am paddling out behind him. He ducks and lets his board go. "Hold yer board!" and he looks at me and continues to paddle. Next wave of the set and the fucker does it again. "FUCKYOU! Hold onto your fucking board. It ain't that fucking hard". So pissed. Don't want to miss out on summer because I have a gash on my head from some kook longboard fuck. Well, guess I didn't totally heed Spear's good words but it was necessary.

4.5 @ 17secs from 190

GLSA

2009-04-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Punchy south the last couple days. Good to get some souths again.

Mostly had to be confined to gross, touristy, dirty Hollywood. Saw a yellow pintail gun in a tourist shop up on the wall. And it seems like the G.L.S.A., lead by the Marshall Brothers, were in town there recently as well! How the hell did they shimmy up that high up sign to throw that sticker?!

Good to at least feel some surf in the middle of soul sucking Hollywood.

2.8 @ 17secs from 195

Now Ya Learnin'

2009-03-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

How great is this photo? A early 80's (??) photo of Mr. Campbell checkin' out his bonzer's line. At Pipeline no less.

Always innovating. Always evolving. Always learnin'. Always adaptin'

Windy @ Windy from Too Windy

Soces

2009-03-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

"It was all private land then and fenced off, but Phillips tolerated us climbing through his barrier to surf and dive as long as we didn’t disturb his cattle and other livestock on the beach. No other surfers went there. His house was where the lifeguard building is now. We eventually changed the name to Sequit after the Arroyo Sequit canyon that meets the beach there." - Mr. Porter

Surfed four points. Two different homemades. And one spectacular South. Did my part by not blabbing, 'net nor cellphone. The super dawn going to low tide darkish blue mornings blew my mind. Solo. Alone. Pumpin'. Only shared with others once 6:45am came around. Consistent enough for waves and smiles all around. Beautiful sunsets burnin' smog. Obviously Monday was the best.

2.4 @ 11secs from 225

Leisurely

2009-03-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Wish I knew the painter of the above because it explains my surf huntin' this weekend. Lazy trawling for waves. Crowds but find your pocket. FUN sets. So good to get back to the points. Definite evening sesh upcoming.

3.1 @ 17secs from 185

Presentin'

2009-03-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Present: Cool 16mm film feel but a very clunky feel. Weird voiceovers that didn't go together or say anything new. Songs that would stop mid wave. Good waves with cool angles, but were sped up to nonsense. Nose cam of Rasta's mouth hanging open for 5 minutes. No thanks. This was not the movie I was so hyped on way back when this trailer came out. Shit back then, I was so stoked I even did a quick drunken late night awful remix of the trailer. I think I'd buy the trailer on DVD, but not the movie.

Five years to make this? Seems like a thrown together side project mishap that happened to come from a very talented guy.

2.8 @17secs from 170

Magic

2009-03-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

Love board design. Love tryin' new things. Love tryin' old things. Love combinin' both. Love surfin' both.

Fun weekend testin' out my latest. It came out very close to "The Magic". Eerily close although I just found this pic.

Lookin' so forward to testin' it out on a couple nice Souths. Can't fuckin' wait.

4.1 @ 10secs from 310

Aura

2009-03-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

This morning was refreshing. Smaller. But more shapely.

Love to listen to KZSC Santa Cruz every Tues. and Thurs. from 10-noon for some irie roots tunes.

The riddims and ambience make me feel like I have been transported back to that amazing area. Just got out of a kelpy fun reef session and pick up a breakfast burrito on the way back to a buddy's homebuilt trippy little cabin in the SC woods. Burn a couple down on the porch with the KZSC reggae show blastin'. Tweakin' boards. Repairin' dings. Talkin' smack. Chillin'. Getting' pumped up for the afternoon glassy surf. Ahhh, the life.

3.1 @ 14secs from 310

Get It

2009-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

Just good skankin' fun out there today. Head high and fresh. The 5-6 hour was hard offshore, the 6-7 hour had a slight bump to it, and the final 1/2 hour was blown out and junky. Felt like I surfed 3 different spots today. Cool to see the lifeguards going out in a dingy just as I was getting out. They looked stoked as they were blasting through the whitewash.

Love surfin' in the the rainy mist. Some good juice to the swell.

4.1 @ 17secs from 205

Ledgy

2009-02-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

"Rodney at Matakana Island, NZ 1975"

Felt so good to get some good drop and go's the last couple days.

Nothin' better than gray glassy dps.

2.6 @ 17secs from 305

Life

2009-02-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

Grandfather's hands. Just turned 96. Full life. Hardcore carpenter and whittler. In his late years he would still go to whittling conventions where they would say, here is a block of wood, make a ____ out of it in 2 minutes. Amazing almost lost art.

He surprised me one year with a wood carved surfer. Not some cheesy stanced typical surfer Cardiff style. Nope, his was of an ancient Hawaiian, no trunks but a loincloth around his waist, even had him standing on a wave made of driftwood. Incredible to me. Should post a pic of it one day. Hopefully I picked up an ounce of his talent and drive and life.

My grandmother, his wife obviously, died recently and he is devastated. 76 years(!!!) of marriage will do that to you. Rad. Sad.

Need some cleansin' today. Keep on truckin' Grandpa!

4.1 @ 12secs from 295

Island Cane

2009-02-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

Island style. Prime Primo. Ono.

Dude said that was the last sixer of his shipment. It'll help my homemade glassing go a little smoother today.

What is better than gettin' some decent waves this morning and then finishin' up your homemade while you try hard to imagine you are on the Islands instead of in your cold garage? Ha, not much.

3.1 @ 14secs from 290

Heaven

2009-02-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

At a certain Ranch up north...

115 acres. Main House. Guest House. And Barn. All yours for just a hair under 11 million. hollisterranch130.com

3.2 @ 10secs from 305

Solitude

2009-02-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

Not much to say lately. Other than gimmie this wave. I'll just bring a tent and my new homemade. Some beers to share with the locals around the fire at night. I'd be happy.

4.6 @ 10secs from 300

Lucky

2009-02-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Joe snaps. Surprisingly fun rainy stormy weekend. Had small windows both weekend days to surf and mostly drove down just to check it. Whoa! That looks good. And crowded. People jonesin'. Get me sick from runoff, don't care. Need waves. Repeat on Sunday.

Guess I lucked out although I heard some even better tales from the better spots.

4.2 @ 12secs from 310

Soon

2009-02-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

Feels like just yesterday I was out waitin' for the final lumps of the final South of the summer. That turned into being stoked for Winter who was on her way.
Bigger lumps!
Cold bruisers!.
Beachbreak beatdowns!
Well that didn't really happen this season. Oh well.

Now I am back jonesin' and thinkin' about this sunrise view again. Super early dark sessions waitin' for dawn to break.
Shortjohn lovin'!
Warm peelers!
Pointbreak fishin'!!!
Well I hope that happens this season. Soon come.

1.1 @ 12secs from 310

Simplicity

2009-02-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Damn. Humans these days. Need the most up to date state of the art shit. Need wool-lined wetsuits to rip. Need a brand new surfboard every 6 months to shred. Need the latest skate trucks to ollie. Need the latest skateboard to grind. Need a masonite half pipe to thrash.

Not these dudes back in the day. Rippin' and shreddin' on the most warped, patched together, cheapest of wood ramps. And on those boards.

If you have the love, you'll find a way. Not the other way around.

2.2 @ 12secs from 310

Feelin' Foam

2009-01-29T00:18:00.000-08:00

After that grand run of swell I have been a fairly lazy bum. Not risin' early in the morn. Not gettin' in the water. And not doing much. So I finally started to shave down my blank. Ahhh hot damn that feels good runnin' your hands along freshly cut foam.

Shapin' and surfing's such a perfect match. You make what you feel. And you feel what you make.

1.3 @ 8 secs from 305

All Right

2009-01-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

No matta your politics, your religion, your race or your anything. You gotta be a little stoked that our new leader is throwin' shakas. Hang loose.

Yes we all need to.

Fun surfin'. Swell stickin' around still. Tighter periods lead to silky fast walls. Hopefully tomorrow still has some left.

3.9 @ 14secs from 280

Surfer

2009-01-17T23:43:00.000-08:00

Medium sized fun beautifully sunny day in LA. Warm air and crisp water is a perfect combo. Took out the 5'8" homemade single for a different kick.

Surfed with the kneeboarder again who is stoked on a altered twin fin which he carved out this trippy tail. He would just drop so late and grab the highline so fast on it.

Amazing thing is that he only has one leg. He crawls out of the water over to his crutches. Then he balances his board and hobbles the 1/2 mile walk to the car. Such an inspiration every time I see him. Always give a wave and never take your life for granted.

4.1 @ 20secs from 285

Swifty

2009-01-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

Curren screamin' on a 5'6". Lovin' it. Nothing better than super short wide boards.

Found over at the Swift Surfboards site....

"FUN CAN'T BE STOPPED. SIMMONS'S PHILOSOPHY WAS TO BUILD
JUST ENOUGH BOARDS TO SUPPORT HIS SURFING HABIT."

Great philosphy.

1.5 @ 8secs from 315

Full and Low

2009-01-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

Gimmie that right off the headland. Stony mindsurfin'. Bucolic paintin'. Then lemme build a house up there. Stairsteppin' down to the shore. I'd need nothin' much more.

Brightest full moon this weekend. Lowest of the minus tides this weekend. Santa Ana's howlin'.

We are all on the sea's clock.

2.6 @ 13secs from 305

Summer Love

2009-01-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

Been away from the ocean for far too long but it didn't sound like I missed much if anything. Strapping on a snowboard, piggin' out on holiday crap, and seeing different parts of the country. Get back into town and see an out of season south showin'. Stoked!

Hit the ol' fun summer spot and was the first out. About as fuckin' freezing as it gets around here, 39 air and low 50's water but no matter. Fun chest sets rollin' in which got me back in the fishy fun groove. Man I have missed those long ass point waves. Didn't feel too kooky on my ol' homemade either. Didn't miss the outta shape paddle back outs though.

It was so clear this morning, you could see another island out there past Catalina. I guess it was San Nicolas Island or San Clemente Island? Never seen it before. You can see a piece of the island in this snap I nicked from swellmagnet.

Looks like the south is already tapering off, hope you all got some surf somehow over the holidays!

2.7 @17secs from 185

Sharin'

2008-12-28T23:22:00.000-08:00

And carin'. Grey cold days up North with buddies and family. This snap of family swapin' boards on a beautiful day. I kept the swap for a couple of days to get a handle on it. Felt weird to ride an over 6' board. But even weirder to see my brother ridin' my homemade better than I ever have. Fucking ass.

Twas a good holiday, hopefully for all.

1.9 @ 12secs from 310

Once more

2008-12-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

A reposted snap I took way back in the early days of pushingtide. Rememberin' this good day. Offshore. Overhead. Warm air. Hidden gems.

Man Christmas seemed better back then!

Oh well. Get barrelled this holiday!!

4.1 @ 14secs from 310

Yes

2008-12-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

Nicked this from somewhere on the web...

This is really only what you need in life.

Nature.
Shelter.
Fish.

Poo @ poo secs from poo degrees

The Frogfish!

2008-12-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

6'9"x20 1/2"x2 5/8" Mid 1970's. Shaped by Bobby Kazanis.

5'3"x20x2 3/8" Late 2008. Shaped by Pushingtide.

Frogfish. Discovered in the mid 1800's. Shaped by Mother Nature.

I know I already talked shit about this recreation. I know I said it felt kooky to ride. But I am kinda kooky too so who knows. It was still a fun experience and the ol’ board was resurrected! And it floats. I’ll take her out again in the future.

“Frogfish are small in nature. They don’t swim in a conventional way. And their camouflage is further aided by numerous warts and filaments on their skin.” -wikipedia.

Shit that sounds like my board!!! Perfect.

2.1 @ 14secs from 305

Amphibian

2008-12-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

If you make the trip along the coast down by El Porto and El Segundo way, I am sure you have seen this boat washed up on its side, layin' on land. It has been there for over a month and lately it has got some good ol' graff thrown up on it. I am sure some dudes are living in it by now too.

I need to get a closer look, this snap taken as I was driving by. Anyone know the story on it?

Didn't surf this morn. Should have.

3.8 @17secs from 275

Reminiscencin'

2008-12-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

Blown and weak finally. What a great run! Drove up into the mountains instead to see something new. Crisp and very wintery but still in LA country. Pine tree barrels and no sign of the smoggy city.

Stopped by an Native American run little museum shop up in the hills. First thing I saw was this Indian poster over some old weavebaskets. Long peelin' offshore walls from a lovely South. I sat their droolin' and rememberin' some of the classic days we had this summer. Mindsurfed a couple set waves.

What I wouldn't give to live in one of those little teepees on the point!

3.3 @17secs from 285

Caught

2008-12-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Kinda felt like this all mornin'. Just barely getting caught by the dumpin' whitewater. Lemme go! Walled. Some corners. Some fun. Some frustration.

Will pick the better tides this weekend with mo' time. There were some speedy runs this morn for sure. Keep it comin' storms!!

4.1 @17secs from 290

Gone

2008-12-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Goin' off all December.
Goin' off in Hawaii.
Goin' off in California.
Goin' off 'round here soon.
I'm goin' off!

6.1 @17secs from 285

Sea

2008-12-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

Love this pic of our oceanic playground.
Dude getting' barrelled flyin' down the line.
Dude duck divin' deeep to not get obliterated by the lip.
Dude out way back kite surfin' in the air.
Everyone has fun in the sea.

Big and thumpy and closeouty with an occasional screamin' corner. Glad I went out in the gray fog this dawn.

4.5 @ 17secs from 295

Alive

2008-12-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

This ol' snap sums up the up north trip. Buddies, dutchies, fishies and hikin' in the cool fog. Water is so crisp and clear up above LA. Everything feels more alive and "nature-y". People are more real and down home. Just a different lovely vibe.

Oh and my renewed homemade worked OK. Only surfed it a couple of times and always would trade it out for my other fish. Think it is more of a novelty than anything. Still cool to surf some of the same spots on the same foam, just reworked. Maybe I'll get used to it. Maybe it will just be a story to tell.

Back home the last couple days just in time for more big swell. Certain places blown out, certain places not working and certain places doin' it well. How fuckin' great is surfing!!!!!!

5.1 @ 17secs from 295

Slips

2008-11-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Tops and bottoms of my glassin' slippas. They've been thru a lot. Bottoms are caked with resin and dust and beer and color. I can trace every homemade board's lineage by checkin' these. Already jonesin' to add some more resin drops to them.

Takin' the newly finished and revived stick for an up north trip(I will have to bring that old Mobb Deep cassette with me). Should be big and scary and stormy with some lovely hikes and stoney nights.

Happy Turkey Day Week all. Hope everyone scores and smiles. And keeps it secret.

2.1 @ 11secs from 300

Sea

2008-11-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Foggy and small but felt good to get wet in the cool ocean. Rinse off the fiberglass resin dust. Swallow some dirty water. See a sea lion chillin'. See the pelicans swoopin' low. See the sea.

1.9 @ 12secs from 285

Tails

2008-11-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Check out that ugly bump down by the tail. I got out as much as I could before I glassed it but couldn't go any thinner. Oh well, it adds character. It's not like my shapes are perfect anyway. They fit my kooky style.

Kept as close as I could to the original boards' yellowish color. Ugly but original. Had to do a lame resin swirl attempt on the bottom just to change it up.
Just got to do a hotcoat and she is done!

1.5 @ 13secs from 295

70's Haze

2008-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

First snap on the way to the beach, second snap on the way back. Quick Sunday Eve dip to hit the low tide glass and see a cool sunset. Ash everywhere in the water. Heavy hot feel. Small olas. Refreshin' ocean. Give thanks.

2.9 @ 12 secs from 295

DJ

2008-11-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

No matter how shitty of a day you had. No matter if you are pissed off that you blew that one drop this morning. No matter if you are angry at your boss makin' you come in to work in the morning therefore having to surf the mushy swell killin' DP tide. No matter if it gets dark so early now that you can't make an evening session. You didn't fuckin' lose your house today.

Some people did. Heart goes out to them. One of those less fortunate was Santa Barbara super shaper Dave Johnson. Lost his house to the fire as did many others. Apparently, a couple years ago he lost his shapin' shop to a fire too. Maaan, that's not right.

Step back and realize and give thanks at what you have. You never know when you might lose it.

Go here to find more info to help out: http://surf.jonshafer.com

3.8 @ 12 secs from 300

Yep

2008-11-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Dammit. Couldn't help myself. Love fish too much. Everything in my world becomes a fish. This one will be interesting because the rocker is more curved than a traditional fish. Will be good for the winter steep droppin' beachies.

4.3 @ 14secs from 305 DAMN HUGE HIGHTIDE!

Peeled

2008-11-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

Froghouse style. An ol' Bobby Kazanis shape (thanks Beetle!). Fibrecraft glass peelin' off well. Weird plastic blocks of ding repair in a couple spots. Wonder all the waves before me this board has seen. What shape do I want out of this? Rebirth. Reuse. Recycle life. This is gonna be fun!

4.1 @ 11secs from 315

Superlight Single

2008-11-09T13:37:00.003-08:00

Second board. First "real" board. Garage sale pickup for forty bucks. Stained yellow. Dude said it was from the early '70s. Who cares, here's forty, gimmie!

70's Froghouse Single Fin Pintail.
6'9"x20 1/2"x2 5/8"
Clark foam superlight.
Fibrecraft glassed.
Shaped by B. Kna.... ?

Rode it scared shitless at big Jalama. Kooky drops up in Montara. Classic Rincon towards the end of it's life. Central Coast surfin' and this board was perfect for it. Great sessions. Frightening sessions. Smooooth sessions. Dinged and repaired. Waterlogged and dried. Been thru it all. She died about 10 years back I'd say. Up in the attic to live out her land life. Five years back, I dug out the finbox to use on one of my first homemade singles. Probably the same time when she got graffitied with a wierd face. And then back up in the attic the board stayed.

Took her down recently. Thought about recyclin' the old soul. Maybe I could peel the glass off, reshape her, glass her, and give her another life? Another chance to get wet! Feel the ocean again!

Anyone know who might be the shaper? All I can read is B. K (looks like a "Kno.." or a "Kna..."). The "custom glassing" was done by Fibrecraft Glassing which I can't find anything about either.

9.5(!!) @ 7 secs(!!) from 295 with 40knot winds

Skate to Vote

2008-11-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Rainy days and junky surf have had me spendin' late nights around LA in some parking garages. 10 floors of downhill fun, stop on the 2nd floor to not get seen by the guard, skate over to the elevator...to floor 10 please! Repeat. Over and over. So fun. Only got chased out of one garage.

This is my homemade board. Just a leftover piece of redwood plank. Was sketched on the first couple runs on it but she has lasted well over a couple years now!! Amazed at what you can do on your own if you try. And I don't try enough sometimes.

2.1 @ 10secs from 310

West

2008-11-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Got bored and went out of my way. Kept drivin' timing the tide high.

A destination always remembered in my head from a couple years back.

Oil glass. Kelpy fast. Some good lumps. Deep respect. Take the scraps.

Even saw some LA rain!

2.2 @ 11secs from 275

Woozy

2008-10-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Foggy mornings late last week into early this week. Lovin' it. But damn that dawn light don't break as early anymore. I LIVE for this shot of the sun comin' up. Makes me whole. Makes me stoked. Makes the day a goodie.

Didn't make it out the last couple. No need really, would rather remember the good and not taint the memory with this weeks' junk.

1.5 @14secs from 180

Semi Homespun The End

2008-10-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

So I goopily glassed it very thick and heavy. Lots of resin sandin' down shavin' off pounds. A couple different colored resin buckets of mess and destruction and out she came. A little 5'1X21X2 2/3" of fishy delight. Fun, fun, fun in beachbreak, like ridin' a bronco if there is any windbump on the waves, and it flies through sections at the points. So here she is all bundled and taped up because she made the cut on a recent Mex trip last year. Love Mex.

Deep sunrise session the last day tryin' to beat the departin' plane almost made the best session of the trip (better than the long point olas even). Punchy chest high Mexican glassy beachbreak is where this board came alive! The V and the thin rails really helpin' out digging that rail. I think. Your senses are always sketching in a different country in the early dawn. People in the shadows and big shadows in the ocean. Then you feel that warm sea and all your worries are gone.

Because of my super thick resin job, the board even made it home with only one ding. Nice! This guy perfectly sums up the feelin' and vibe of the whole trip down south...taco n' cervesa fatted up, sunny warmth, dippin' boardshorts, surfin' stoked, and just barely gettin' out of it in one piece.

2.4 @14secs from 190

Unwindin'

2008-10-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yellow gold floaters and mushy reform schwacks on the super high tide. Swell kinda comin' in. Maybe I picked the wrong spot but I wanted a mellow long ridin' Friday. First out in the beautiful barely orange horizon sky in the east mixin' with the dark starry sky in the west, with the moon straight above. Notice Orion is barely hangin' on in the pre-dawn sky these days. You can't buy that view as only a surfer knows. Late October it is 80 degrees out and 60+ degree water, I love LA.

Man it will be soooooo fun in about an hour. Happy Surfin' Friday!!

2.9 @ 17secs from 190

Unwind

2008-10-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Walkin' and glidin' in the gold dawn light. Small and pleasant.

Knew the morn would be a goodie once I drove by Pepperdine and the strains of a Congos heavy dub tune crackled thru 88.7 for about 2 minutes and then was gone. Probably some dudes reggae show from his dorm room.

2.2 @ 14secs from 190

Help

2008-10-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Got down to the shore yesterday and was just going to jump in the ocean when I noticed a seagull flopping around. He was scared of me but could not fly away so I put down my board to investigate. Noticed he had a fishing hook in his foot and the fishing line was connected to wrapping around his beak. Everytime he tried to open his mouth it would pull the hook in farther! I looked around for a lifeguard but there was none so I rounded up the little guy to see what I could do. He was pissed and flopping around but I held him close and petted his head. The hook was lodged in his foot pretty good and I couldn't get it out with him flopping all around, plus I knew it probably hurt a ton when I was pulling on it. So I unraveled the line from around his beak and around his tongue (which was being sliced with every pull of his foot). So sad.

After that he was "free", in a way, and flew off a bit, I could still see him hobling down the beach but at least he can fly and eat. I really hope he was able to get the hook out later on in the day somehow. I had such a gross feeling in my stomach thinking about him and how much he was, and probably still is, hurting. But I was glad that at least I caught the little guy and helped him somewhat. Sad.

Then I see the Warbles post today of him finding almost the exact same thing yesterday to another beautiful bird only this time it was too late. Strange coincidental occurrences along the coast on the same day around the same time.

Caught some nice South lines this morn for all the downed birds. Crisp offshores at a spot that doesn't get offshores usually. Beautiful sunrise. Beautiful day.

2.1 @14secs from 195

Silence

2008-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Loggin' like Kenny all weekend. Small warbly near empty spots up North. Crisp water and crisp air. Crispy face at work today.

A new feelin' I wanted, so I only took my only log with me. Homebuilt in around '05. It was a reshaped bigger longboard that I had been given to me by a buddy. Striped the foam off and copied a Brewer pintail shape. I glassed it all red because it seemed like every Brewer board is cool red. Early on in the shapin', I sanded too hard and broke off the nose so she finally turned out about 8 inches shorter, at 7'1". Hey, its still a long ass longboard for me!

This is my only watershot of the Fake Brewer Red Beast, 7'1"x21 3/8x2 3/4. Looks like an ode to the rad jdubsingles site with this board and wave pic.

1.9 @ 17secs from 200

Fatty

2008-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last coupla days tryin' to hold onto my summertime spot. Fatty tide Wednesday. Fatty tide coupled with a mornin' fatty today. Made it a tad better. Perfect sunrise again. Warmish air. Stoney stoke. Peelin' small lines. Smilin' and laughin' with a buddy. Trading boards. Gimmie mine back. Fishin' fun as always.

How fuckin' awesome it this pic. Winter. Soon come.

2.3 @ 14 secs from 190

LA

2008-10-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Even Torre surfs. Never leave the hat at home.

Kinda fun. Kinda walled. Kinda cold. Kinda smokey sunrise. Buoys look HUGE above Point Conception.

3.1 @ 11secs from 310

Congrats

2008-10-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Congrats...

On fixing those dings well.
On makin’ that fish fly again.
On making it out at o’dark thirty 7 days in a row.
On catchin’ overhead swell for half of those days.
On making a lot of good drops.
On not kooking out too hard.
On sweating in your 3/2 in October.
On hidin' from them crowds.
And congrats on bitin’ a Surf in Oregon post.

FUCKIN’ AMAZIN’ RUN O’ CLEAN SWELLS.

3.4 @ 17secs from 205

Beachbreak!

2008-10-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

Forgot how much I have missed beachbreak! I am pretty much a pointbreak summer surfer and a beachbreak winter surfer. Mellow vs thumpin'. Calm walls vs steep walls. Slow takeoffs vs get the fuck to your feet and go takeoffs!

The last two days I reunited with my wintertime friend. The sandbars have held up fairly well, moved just a tad. Had a lot of waves like the snap above. Hang onto the fast wall and try to not get the clampdown. Lovin' it. Fish was lovin' it. The windswell combined with the small south swell combined with the punchy west swell made for some nonstop fun the last two days. Plus only a couple out. Noodly armed and stringy legged and stoked head.

4.0 @ 12secs from 290

Weak

2008-09-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Man. Was kinda stoked for the weekend and waves. Then I went surfin'. Weak, not much umph, short rides, closeouts, knee high beatings.

Bring on the winter juicy thumpers. Please.

1.8 @ 14 secs from 180

Semi Homespun Part 2

2008-09-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

The ol' foam was dirty and brown with some deep water holes. But then the beautiful pristine white foam started to come out. I thinned the rails down super, tryin' to get a smooth rail outta a dinged up waterpatched rail. In the end, the rails came out very hully, or what I believe the definition of hully is, meaning very thin and pinched. On my boards, I love makin' the fish tail kinda flare out. That Mackie dude down in OZ calls them sidecut fish, or at least I think that is what he means by the term sidecut. You can tell that I have my own interpretations as to the shapin' definitions. Ha.

Anyway, I was thinkin' hard about just clear glassing this board so I could keep this same cool look. Loved how the brown faded into the white. Wish I woulda stuck with that idea in hindsight.

Come on swell. Damn.

1.1 @ 20secs from 230

Semi Homespun Part I

2008-09-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

The crowded small southie days of the last couple of weeks were a reminder of older crowded small southie days a couple years back. That is when I found her broken and beaten. Noticed the front half of an ol' weathered log under the pilings. My buddy grabbed the back half of her that was halfway down the sand. A wetsuited lad came swimming up out of the ocean and yelled "Fuck it, you take it, was shit anyway" and he walked off towards the path pissed.

It was about 5'3 by 22 inches of stoke.

I finally got around to scrapin' off all the old glass and underneath it all was brown and pockmocked. I was kinda bummed.

It sat in my rafters while I would get nice clean new blanks and shape them. But,I always thought it would be fun to try to make a shape out of the brown blob. So, I got back into the shed one day and measured and brainstormed but deemed it too short. Plus, it had this big v where I would be cutting out the tail.

Then, one rainy day I was bored and needed some inspiration so I looked at it again and started wonderin'. Just like the old owner said to me, Fuck it. So I traced out a little fishy shape and went to sawin'.

EDIT: Lookin' at the first pic, you can see where I was toyin' with the idea of having the fish tail cut out of the front of the board. Kind of a rounded fish tail with a lot of rocker. Wonder how that would have made the board come out? Would been interestin'. Has anyone ever tried that it on a half longboard blank? Or have one to try?!
1.1 @ 11secs from 170

Good Week

2008-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Mutherfucker. Someone has been breakin' Pelican wings down in Bolsa Chica. 10 have died already. $5,000 dollar reward so please if you live down that way and know anything, spill the beans to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Is there anything more calming than watching these beautiful birds trim the waves and get most of the sets in the dawn?

"The birds targeted are new birds arriving from the Channel Islands," she said. "They are young and inexperienced and don't have a fear of humans. Because they're so hungry, they'll go right up to people."

Readin' this crap ruined a great week of slidin' and dippin' in the mornings. Fun, fairly consistent south all week. Made it 4 out of 5 of the days. First out everyday although I had to run on a couple of 'em. Crowd was "light", compared to last couple weeks at least. Even had a pleasant experience with a SUP dude. ONLY because he would take off and kinda block the others from going, so I would just paddle deep and take off behind him. He usually fell or stayed waaay out on the shoulder. Good, clear, sunny, warm full mooned mornings. Still a lil' left for the weekend although I don't have much left.

2.3 @14secs from 185

America

2008-09-11T08:46:00.001-07:00

Smaller today but it don't matter. Catch one for the fallen.

2.7 @ 14secs from 185

Diff'ent Vibes

2008-09-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

A little smaller.
Super fun before sunup soloness.
Crowds show up.
Less cool heads than yesterday.
More drop-ins and aggro-ness.
A couple big collisions and screamin'.
I just smiled and sat in my spot pickin' off the tweeners.
Didn't care because I got my early fill.
Goddamn the breaks are swollen lately.
But I can't really complain.

3.2 @ 17secs from 195

Stoked!

2008-09-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

J. Mallman snap.

Damn clouds lettin' all the sleepyheads wake up late and crowd up the lineup. I miss those 30 minutes you can get if there are no clouds and the dawnlight shows sooner. Oh well, it was a super fun morning.

First out in the dark, snaggin' a couple. The crowd comes and I am in a rhythm. For once, the crowds didn't throw me off. Didn't get in my head. Caught one of the big sets at the end and swooped and looped forever 'til I stepped off on the sand. Two hours of chest high olas. Stoked. A couple heads walking down the trail as I got out saw my homemade and said "Good wave. Man, we are groovin' on that shape". Stoked! Made up for a comment last week out at a south bay beachbreak, 15 year old kid in the water says "what is that? that is not a surfboard is it?" ha!

3.4 @ 14secs from 210

Sail!

2008-09-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

This rad kid has been settin' sail around the world. First mornin' he left Marina Del Rey and started out over the Pacific. He's on a little yacht and seems like he really immerses himself into the different culture stops where he anchors. He's been broke down in Papua New Guinea for a week or so and I was thinkin', if I was him, I would find some swell and a hut. But then I read about the city he is in.

"Port Moresby was ranked the worst capital city in the world to live in the Economist Intelligence Unit's ranking of 130 of the world's capital cities . High levels of rape, robbery and murder and large areas of the city controlled by gangs of thugs, known locally as "rascals".

Anyway, he just got the word all's good so the teenage kid from South Bay is back up sailin' again!! Go Zach!

Kept track of the voyage and learn more: zacsunderland.com/blog

On the surf note it has been small and crowded and frothing and stoking. Fun for the first 1/2 of the day and then it would be no fun. Still some southie out there too!

2.4 @ 12secs from 190

Enough

2008-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Fuckin' enough. Not even the lightnin' the other day could make our beloved points work. Some small olas mixed in but for the most part I've been dry for weeks. Dings are fixed. My feet cuts are fixed. Now my stoke needs to be fixed.

1.2 @ 11 from 185