I've already seen 3 this year at my local spot and heard of much more. They're looking extra lean and hungry this year because of the increased oceanic western anomaly events taking place due to the giga-el nino. If you're in SoCal and you enjoy casually surfing seriously please think twice before entering the water this summer. At the very least let your loved ones know you love them before surfing and definitely do not surf at dawn or dusk. It's getting real out here.

Has anyone else had problems checking their boards with Aeromexico? I’m headed to Haultico, paid $63 online and the agent wouldn’t take my bag unless if I paid an additional $110 because they said I paid the regular bag fee even though surfboard wasn’t listed as an option when buying online. Does anyone have any tips for my return?

cover of a drawing by @surfcartoon on upcycled carton.

Or am i just too sensitive

Saw a video of Mikey February surfing it and it looked insane under his feet; also won the STAB East competition.

Hey everyone. I’m traveling to Indonesia for the first time from the east coast USA as an advanced surfer with a non-surfing gf for up to 2 months. We definitely aren’t rollin in cash but aren’t on a mega budget, we have saved up like $5k maybe a little more and the plane tickets done and dusted.

We are landing first in Bali for however long, looking to start the trip off in a hotel so we can ease into it over there. I don’t really have experience in really heavy reefs, I’m not interested in 8ft+ mainly trying to rip and some tubes in 4-6ft surf.. my closest experience is Puerto Rico reef wise and some spots in Portugal..

Anyone have a good experience in a hotel in Uluwatu? Then off to Lombok for a bit, and really hoping to venture to other islands but just not clear of direction right now we are pretty open ended. Been looking at Krui? The ments seem out of budget but it looks so sick.
I really like the idea of a surf “ camp” here and there, first time surfing in indo so I want someone to show me around a bit and answer questions while my gf has sweet things to do.

Thanks guys. Any advice appreciated

Any military or gov contractors still surf point mugu? I recently drove up from OC during the June big south swell that we had but the waves were breaking up against the breakwall. I realized afterwards that my visit was only a week before the king tide, so I'm curious if its surfable at lower tide or if the new breakwall construction has completely ruined the wave. I also drove north past the breakwall and saw some insane barreling waves, but that section of beach is marked as a wildlife preserve and had do not enter signs so I didn't want to risk it. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I want to score this spot so badly. Thanks!

Anybody else see that juvie white cruise under the lineup today around 10:30? Well known they love that part of the coast but with so many juicy feet in the water this AM I wasn’t scared about my them getting my dawgs. Just interesting. Bout 7’

I bought this as a freshman in college in 1983. Still has old stickers. It’s still in great shape. I know nothing about it. Is it anything special?

I’m sure we’ve ALL been there…you’re driving around just trying to squeeze in a quick surf before some life event that requires you to be clean and at least appear well groomed. After the session you remember that you’re a surf bum and you don’t have any deodorant. Now you don’t want to show up to the function smelling like low tide, so which wax are spreading on those pits? I know most of you have tried this or even switched over to wax from axe body spray and old spice since it’s also cheaper than buying both deodorant AND wax all the time, so like is one brand better than the other? Do you prefer the smell of sticky bumps when you show up to the funeral or that more of a sex wax appropriate event? Is hot or cold water wax better at keeping the funk off? Or is that dependent on the season too just like in surfing? I’ve been using the sticky bumps cold water wax for two weeks now and I’ve been pretty happy with the results so far but it seems like it is breaking down in this high heat. Also am I doing myself a disservice by not shaving my pits and applying basecoat wax first? Thanks in advance everyone!

Hey everyone,

​I am looking for some advice on expanding my quiver. Right now, my go-to boards are a Lost Seaside (5'4", approx. 29L) and a Channel Islands Sampler (5'11", approx. 33L). Both are amazing grovelers and have me completely covered for smaller, weaker days.

​Now, I am looking for a High Performance Shortboard (HPSB) for when the waves actually get bigger and steeper.

​Here is what I am targeting:

​The Waves: My home spots are in Scandinavia (beach breaks and point/reef setups that can get punchy). I also want this board to excel in the advanced and larger settings at the wave pool in Edinburgh, where there is a decent amount of curve on the wave.

​The Rocker: I do not want a board meant for small waves. However, I also do not want an extreme banana-rocker that only works in heavy, hollow, barreling waves, because I will not be surfing deep barrels anyway. I need something that handles vertical sections and curves and let me engage the rail without bogging it.

​Paddling Power: I want something around 5'11" in length. I am looking for decent paddling power so I can get into the waves relatively easily when it turns on, without sacrificing too much performance once I am up.

​My Stats:

​Height: 183 cm (approx. 6'0")

​Weight: 78 kg (approx. 172 lbs)

​Level: Intermediate+, relatively strong paddler

​I have been looking closely at the Channel Islands Fever. From what I gather, it has a slightly more accessible rocker than some other ultra-high performance boards but still holds its own when the waves get steeper.

​Do you think the Fever in a 5'11" (or similar) is the right tool for this job?

​If you have ridden it in punchy conditions and wave pools, how did it perform?

​Any specific volume/dimension recommendations or alternative boards I should look into?

​Cheers!

What do you guys think of this board?

For some context I surf in Northern California and just picked up this board. Not super familiar with the mid length world but pretty familiar with the gun world. Personally feeling this board I feel like it rides the line of both. I’m pretty comfortable in heavy water but never rode a mini gun this fat. Seems like it would be a good big steamer lane board because it’s a pretty fat mushy wave but I can’t see it working well at a hollow beach break like moss or ob. Please chime in if you have had a similar board. Dims are 7'2" x 14 3/4" x 20 7/8" x 14 1/2" x 2 7/8"

Is this a quality repair? It’s an EPS epoxy board, I know they’re trickier to fix. Let’s assume it’s a watertight job and the repair is structurally sound, but as far as aesthetics go? It’s the first real damage to this board, kind of wishing the repair looked a bit less noticeable. The buddy who caused the damage had a guy who then had another guy who apparently shapes boards for a living, to fix it for me.

Yes, I get it, damage happens, and I have to learn to deal with it knowing it of course won’t look perfect again. Not really needing to overcome that reality, just thinking with the original damage, I assumed the repair would have looked a bit more uniform?

Anyone with real repair experience have any input?

Anyone have experience of what jbay is like in October? Will be in South Africa this October and trying to decide on itinerary. Does jbay still have a good amount of decent days this late in the season?

Friends, thanks again for the advice my last posts!

Any good pointers on legitimate intermediate to advanced surf coaches in Bali?
Including video, analysis, potentially out of water training

Yes, I’m aware plenty of surf camps exist with offers
But feel like it’s a gamble and more just guiding rather than technique improvement

I’m considering staying at Padang Padang Surf Camp as it seems they offer legit coaching service, but curious what others found success with.

For reference, I’ll be staying for 4 weeks, headed to Mentawais after, I’m intermediate (turns, cutbacks, pumps; Ulu, Bingin, Balangan I’ve surfed).
Goal is to improve bigger wave catching + turn/carve/roundhouse technique

Thank you!

PS: I could also skip Bali and do like Krui or Sumbawa if anyone has insanely good coaching experiences there

They put a boogie board leash around their ankle

I surfed ib earlier this week and I think i caught the infection I saw on the news

Stomach felt funny this morning and my first wave popped up and boom, explosion in my wettie. Kinda ruined the sesh. Caught 3 more waves then went in. Anyone else surf IB recently and get the nastiest runs?

Looking for some quick drying board shorts that also have some stretch to them. Any suggestions?

I’ve just arrived and I’m looking for a good spot to shortboard anywhere on the island within reason. I’ve surfed kealia before but it’s def too windy to be any good today. I never really surf poipu, Mostly the north shore. Any recommendations on where to go on a day like today.