Has anyone ever been charged "per board" when traveling with a multi-board bag. I'm flying to PR in Feb on US Air out of Philly and I'd like to bring more than one board, but the US Air policy says $80 per each board. Just wondering if most people get away with bringing a couple boards in a bag and only getting charged for one.
Hey man, Ive traveled a lot with boards and most of the time they just ask, are you bringing one board? Just be confident and say you have one board. With security and terrorism they really dont care! They never look because its to busy to investigate some surfers in an aiport unless your bringing back some cocaine. What I do is pack two or three boards and wrap them in one board bag and tell them its one!
Traveling with boards I've traveled with my kids many times and we offen have a total of ten boards. This is an issue I face everytime, it seems your pretty much at the mercy of who ever is checking you in. Most times, I only get charged for two board bag (2 board charges) however, I have had the coffins opened up and the boards counted and then the airlines have tried to charge me for each board. This happen only once on Contental going to PR two years ago. I was able to talk them into charging me for only one extra board after much arguing. If you're only bringing 2 boards, it is my guess that you will not have a problem. Just tell them one stick and be polite, it's not a bad idea to wrap them and then put two boards in one bag, and then into the travel coffin.
Better yet. . . Tell them the bag contains golf clubs and they'll count it as just part of your baggage. . . maybe. Maybe not. There's something about airlines that doesn't like surfers. I scored a cheap ticket to Florida for $36 one way in mid Oct, but I would have had to pay triple the air fare for my board. Cheaper to buy one down there, and then re-sell it at a loss.
Thanks guys for the responses. I've only ever traveled by plane with a board to San Diego and I only take one board with me, so I wasn't sure what they do when they see a coffin. I think I'll stick two in there and try my luck.
It's different than the east coast. Not better, just different. My cousin lives in SD so I go there at least once a year. Now I just keep a board at his place so that I don't have to pay to bring one. Typically we get a 8 - 10 second period here. It's rare that we get 12 sec or more and when we do our beaches start to close out. I think this is because the sand bottoms at our beaches drop off (or slope) rather steep. You can only walk out maybe 10 yds before the water is deeper than your head. Then you hit the sandbar that the waves are breaking on. So with longer period surf, the waves jack up, break fast and close out on the bar. Out west they average a 12 sec period or more. But you can walk out 30 yds or more before the water is over your head. So with less slope, the wave takes longer to break. Most of the time I feel like I can get off two or three extra paddles before you actually catch the wave and pop up out there. The take off zone is much wider. The waves seem to slope a bit more there making the drops easier. However, this all goes out the window when they get a real swell which is just about as often as it gets good here. I'd say 80% of the time there is something to ride out there, but a good swell is just as rare as it is here. Crap that we'd be excited for here, they turn their nose up at every day waiting for the days they get a real swell. A good swell there is 15 - 20 sec period. Then it breaks fast and steep more like it does here. And even a waist high 20 sec wave will hold you down and have it's way with you. There's also a whole different vibe in the water there. But that's a whole different thread. My favorite break in SD is Blacks beach. It's always bigger than everywhere else and it's a real fast steep wave. When it's working you can't beat it. The down side is the huge cliff you have to climb down to get there and having to walk past naked old man a$$ on the nude beach. But Scripps pier can be fun and it's alot more accessible. The seals freak you out. They'll swim right under you and pop up next to you. First time I saw one I thought... who the heck let their dog swim all the way out here, oh that's a seal. I definitely recommend a trip out west. It's a different wave and you learn a lot by surfing something that different.
Your read on So Cal Right on the money with your assessment RDJ. My personal favorite out there was Lowers at Trestles.
I still haven't surfed Trestles yet. My cousin is right in between Blacks, Scripps and PB so they're most convenient. But Trestles is definitely on my list as is Swamis. I did make it up to San O once. It's real mellow, kinda mushy, but a classic. When everywhere else gets big and unmanageable, San O can be smaller and fun. There was one day two years ago that all of SD was just huge. Double over head 20 second bombs. I had my a$$ handed to me the day before and had enough so we drove up to San O. Lots of longboarders and a real easy wave. Not much of wall to work, but the lines were long. The kelp sucks though. Trestles and Blacks are great if you can go midday during the week. You'll get morning and evening crowds, but access is too hard for a lunch time session. For breaks that are always packed, you can get lucky and score a more manageable crowd midday.
trestles is an amazing wave...picks up swell every day and there is usually a long rippable right and a shorter (but still long compared to around here) left on every set wave that comes in. There will always be a crowd on it - guaranteed - but you'll get waves if your patient and one wave there goes a LONG way with all the sweet turns you'll be doing.
