About 15 years ago, right after I moved into the area where I now live, a big swell came... almost doh on the outside peaks and solid 8ft on the INSIDE... remarkably clean for the size, but it was first light, and nobody out. At the time, all I had was an 8'0 triple stringer mini log because I had recently broken my shortboard. It was either take out "Frankenstein" or don't surf. So I attempt to paddle out the first time and don't even make it out... I get pounded wave after wave, and end up drifting the entire length of the beach. I get out, walk back up the beach, and try it again. I finally make it out, and I'm sitting on the outside and I say to myself, "I do NOT belong out here on this board." A few minutes later a set comes and I go for it... barely make the drop, bottom turn and go straight down the line... flying... race it into the inside section and a huge, overhead bowl section starts to suck up ahead of me. I take the fastest trim line I can find, and pull in... I feel the board... a triple stringer... flexing under my feet as the curve of the barrel warps up and over me. Deep inside a spinning tube, foam chunks flying over my head... I exit smoothly, straighten out toward the beach, and go home. One and done.
I grew up in Southern California. Remember long before cellphones, computers and internet dialiing surf report daily. I don't remember the number I dialed. But I can still recall the recording I would hear every morning when ever I dialed in. "This is the Los Angeles County something w/ the early AM, etc. surf report. South bay beaches, air whatever it was, water temp whatever it was. THen surf conditions.....
Thank you !!!!!!!! I will say Surfline has it good point but , I will not pay for something when This site is free and WAAAAAAAYYYYY better. There are diffent styles of surfing now a days. I am not into Airs myself it not that I dont think there cool its just they dont apeal to me . Different stroked for differnet folks I also remeber the day when people use to check the surf by going to the beach to see what it is like LOL
"]I will say Surfline has it good point but , I will not pay for something when This site is free and WAAAAAAAYYYYY better. (Matt Johnson) Both Surfline & Swellinfo miss their targets, repeatedly. Each also get their share of accurate hits. Surfline does not project clean 3-4 glass at 5 days out. Swellinfo does this, routinely, especially for the upcoming weekends. I do utilize both sites. Understanding the business model / motivation behind the owners of both sites goes a long way to 'getting it.' 2." i find watching spastic flapping by the "shortboard only" to be boring & slightly painful." Possible quote of the year candidate. "Spastic flapping." I'll never look at shortboarders in 2 foot slop the same way again. Tremendous.
Hmmmm would u pay for something thats always wrong or use the free site that is just as good or better??? Seem like a easy answer. SL has little tid bits that I like that Swellinfo dont. For instance the travel section gives you tip on what work best at certian breaks and gives you a little info on the area which is helpful I think. Really who needs to pay for Forcasting?????
thanks, yankee! i aim to please! matt, i may not ride a log frequently, but i have long since made my peace w/ it & try to ride it as stylishly as possible. no "oversized shortboard" longboard for me... also, i think that travel section matt's talking about is actually accessible for free...
Yeah I never understood the whole ride a log like a shortboard phase. I remeber the Astrodek videos with guys shredding it on a log . It just looks out of place to me. Anyone can ride a log but making it look stylish and fluid take practice and time. Before there were shortboards (well 9ft was considered short then) thats all u saw out from knee high malibu to DOH pipe longboards were the only thing at one time
yup...logs have their place, just as fish, hp shorties, stubbies, & the like all have their place. hp longboarding was an abortion born of the late 80's/early 90's longboard revival & seems to be happily gone. it's been a long time since i've seen someone try to bust an air on a longboard. as for the "smooth & stylish" bit, i think i'm getting there. (i'm prob. not nearly as close as i think i am, but it FEELS like i'm getting there... ) if the waves stay in this knee-waist high range, i'll prob. have my cross step down just in time for hurricane season to crank up so i can jump back on my shorties! (at least i can still put a board on rail!)
I had Surfline Premium a few years ago & dumped it. It wasn't good, wasn't accurate & there were no HD cams at the time. Actually wrote them a couple emails *****ing about how lousy their east coast prognostications were. Gave it the re-try a couple months ago. Gotta give props where props are due. The HD cams are decent to good, depending on locations. The forecast is much improved. The past 4 swells in VB as well as Assateague have been spot-on by Surfline. So, yeah, they are earning their keep at the moment. One man's opinion. Your experience may vary !
1. Surfline Premium - forecasting as given on this site is just as legit as anything compiled by Surfline. Otherwise, the actual NOAA models are the real deal, and they cost nothing. 2. To the original poster (can't remember now who it is!), why complain about this? While I rarely longboard, I would take pride in going "against the grain". I don't ride shorter boards because it's popular, but I would be stoked if I were doing something (more) unique. Don't worry about not getting media attention. There's plenty of stuff on the internet apart from Surfline. It's also not a bad thing to NOT draw attention to ourselves. I for one would be thrilled if the following never existed: a. Surfline (except LOLA, that was very new revolutionary stuff that has helped us all) b. Soul Surfer c. Blue Crush It'd be a lot more chill in the water if the general populace didn't think surfing is so cool.
Longboarding is GOOD for you! First off, Great thread. Some real good quotes and stuff in here. Regardless of what you ride now, shortboard, fish whatever... I bet that almost everyone, atleast on the east coast learned how to surf on a log and experienced that first thrill and that damn feeling we all are addicted to on that log so you can't knock longboarding at all. Its also great to take a big ol longboard out every now and then to work on your style and just loosen yourself up a little bit...(atleast in my experience)...riding a shortboard exclusively everyday regardless of wave size or quality really tightens you up and limits your creativity and vision on the wave. Gotta take the log out and get back to clean smooth lines and relaxed style and stance.
I've never ridden a longboard and i never much get involved in threads unless its to +1 someones humor(some of u r funny as hell) or to shut someone up( r.i.p avonsurfernc). but in regards to what the last poster said "regardless of what u ride", mixed w/ my affection for the boos this evening I have this to say; Regardless of what u ride, u shouldnt be talkin **** to anyone else cuz of what they ride, no one chooses to paddle out on a certain stick w/ the mentality of gettin in ur way. Theyre tryin to have fun, which is what everyone should b tryin to do. Which leads me to the word kook and how loosely its thrown around like it makes someone more of a "real surfer". Not to be rascist, but as an anology, do u really have to call every black person u see a ni*ger, theyre already black it doesnt make u anymore white callin em n*gger. If u can surf and u love it ...it doesnt matter if Chris Christie is out ther blowin a fu*kin whistle in ur face , ur gonna have fun. Learn how to read waves, get position and paddle hard and u won't have anything to complain about, except maybe not havin the funds to go score better waves....but u can blame urself for that
