Swell’s most colorful (in terms of nail color and personality) surfer is embarking on an East Coast escapade; surfing, stylin’, and living in a white van down by the river (or wherever he can get away with really). Swell sent him off today with a sparkly banner, clean and freshly stickered van, and two economy-sized boxes of Cheez-Its.
Read on for more pics and good stuff. (more…)
This past Saturday dished out some killer jams and sick shredding at the Roxy Chicken Jam held at Mammoth Mountain. A free Santogold and Cold War Kids concert, combined with a few solid days of riding at Mammoth, topped off with a cush ride in the Spy Optic van, made the trek from San Diego to Mammoth a pretty sweet little journey.
Although the snow was a little slushy, the free concert at the Village at Mammoth more than made up for its mediocrity. The packed crowd brought a great mountain town dynamic to the outdoor show with a heaping portion of dancing boots, sparklers and Coors heavy. Santogold kicked it up with some stage diving action, her infamous metallic backup dancers, and a sexually ambiguous character in a panda hat. After Santogold hyped up the dance crowd, the Cold War Kids turned up the rock factor with killer energy and heavy keys. It’s safe to say the show’s energy and large crowd size made for pretty sparse slopes the next morning. Not that I was awake to witness this first hand, but I could only imagine. Above is a little taste of the Cold War Kids. Sorry about the video quality; dancing and filming make a poor combination sometimes.
Check out the event photos after the jump. (more…)
The Chargers’ loss wouldn’t have been nearly so painful if there had been some decent size surf to cry in. Better late than never we suppose. By the way, the Hot Jugz we got for Christmas has been a lifesaver! Better make sure you’re in gearbefore the next swell arrives on Saturday. Read on for the full report. (Special thanks to our friends at Mutiny Media.)
Saturday the 17th WNW swell will build along the California coast as waves from the Japanese system begin to fill in. This will be from 280° with periods initially coming in at 18-20 seconds. Calculating the ETA and size this morning, it looks like most all west facing breaks will see head high surf around dawn with possibly spotty sets. Note though that rogue waves running 2-4 feet overhead are likely (albeit sporadic in the early AM). As the swell fills in throughout the morning, sets with waves running 2-3 feet overhead will become more likely at west facing breaks. By the afternoon or evening, top spots could see set waves hitting DOH. Since the periods will be exceptionally long, there will no doubt be disparity in size between breaks of varying bathymetry, where slower-sloped breaks see head high size while at the same time standouts with steep-sloped bathymetry see waves running DOH. Also, since this swell is coming in at a relatively low trajectory (~280°), south facing breaks should pick up a decent amount of wrap. The lengthy periodicity also means power, so heavy waves can be expected. Rip currents will also be a major concern, so caution is strongly advised. This swell-making storm still has a couple more days to pass the Hawaiian longitudes, which could change this forecast slightly. I’ll stay on top of it, and will keep you posted. Also, for a more detailed, visual explanation on this WNW swell for the 17th, check out my latest video surf forecasting blog where I break down what’s going on in the Pacific to make this all come together.
Sunday the 18th should be the peak day for this swell. Most west facing breaks would be looking at sets running 1-3 feet overhead with pluses. Standout west facing breaks are looking at DOH sets. Periods should run about 16 seconds.
Monday the 19th should still see plenty of waves from this swell with sets running 1-3 feet overhead with pluses. Standout west facing breaks are still looking at DOH sets at times. Periods should run about 16 seconds.
Tuesday the 20th this swell should wane as the lagging periods arrive (14 seconds). Still, size is still looking to hover in the 1- to 3-foot overhead range; there should just be fewer pluses, and less disparity in size between breaks.
Wednesday the 21st this swell should back down.
Thursday the 22nd or Friday the 23rd we could see more swell come out of the Western Pacific. This is based on the 108h+ models showing a higher latitude storm spinning off Japan. Preliminary numbers are showing head high swell from 290+, but it is just too early to call this one today. I’ll keep an eye on it though and will keep you posted.
And I’m a total sissy! So…why in the heck did I try to hike it?!
Well that’s a long story… I’ll give you the nutshell version. My husband’s friend flaked a week before go time and I was the backup plan. I’m always up for adventure, so this seemed like fun. In theory. Plus, we would get to the top, take pictures (wearing our favorite Swell tees of course) and I would check it off of my list of things to do before I die. I had it all worked out.
Shopping for the trip was great. I already had my Swell thermals and tees, so I headed to REI. They have SO much stuff – night vision headlamps, SmartWool socks with fun designs, every kind of freeze dried food you can imagine… Wal-Mart and Sports Chalet were also on the list. I added on hiking poles, polyester pants (not flattering at ALL) and a back up windbreaker and I was ready.
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Recently my girlfriend and I decided to take a hiking trip up Iron Mountain in San Diego, and I thought what a great time to try out my new Swell Tee, after all I was headed into rugged terrain, hot sun, rattle snake and mountain lion territory. Perfect! So the adventure begins with my Swell Tee and I.
There is no other wave in the world that has dominated the hearts and minds of surfers like Pipeline. Through two-hundred pages of captivating and timeless images from over fifty of the world’s best photographers, combined with words from surfing’s most renowned writers, Pipeline: The World’s Most Respected Wave tells the stories from almost five decades of heart-stopping action: the first rides, the first contests, triumphs, deaths, localism, foreign invasion and performance revolution.This Saturday, Gerry Lopez and other Pipe legends will be on hand to autograph The Pipeline at the book’s launch party, held at Billabong-USA’s highly-acclaimed “board room”. Only 350 tickets will be on offer for this historic event.
Get a copy here! Or pay homage to the “Wold’s most respected wave” with the Limited Edition Book.
While our thoughts and concerns are with all who have to endure the devistation brought on by the recent string of hurricanes, we’d like to show you the other sort of power these monsters can muster. Surfline’s latest photo essay takes you from sea to shining sea to document the phenomenal storm surf. We’d also like to point out that our GEAR department has been stocked with all the heavy ammunition you’ll need to ride out the winter months. (Special thanks to TWSurf for the photo above.)
In this our first installment of our PROFILES category, we talk with North Shore lensman Jim Russi. We were lucky enough to have Jim shoot all of the action shots for our Summer ‘08 catalog, including the much talked about cover. Here, Jim opens up about the pros and cons of going digital, and the future of “quality” surf photography.
As a graduate of a prestigious American photography school, how important is formal education is to a successful career in photography?
The most important thing I learned at Brooks was to finish strong with what I had started…. even when the assignment wasn’t fun anymore.
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We’ve been hearing a lot lately about surfers/skaters/videographers Alex Klein and Bryon Derballa’s monumental documentary and blog, God Went Surfing With The Devil: A Documentary About Life In The Middle East. Currently only 22 days into their journey, the American pair and their growing crew post real-time dispatches from Israel and Gaza. Having gained the attention of major media outlets world wide their story has become a real-life Truman Show of sorts, with independent fan websites and message boards rumored to have launched this past week. Here’s a brief post from April 29:
“The warning came abruptly.
‘TZEVA ADOM… TZEVA ADOM…’ Everyone had roughly twenty seconds to find shelter before the Qassams struck. Tearful children and frantic mothers ran for their lives. The bomb shelter was crowded. Everyone huddled together. Some wept, others prayed, many fearful, and one or two nervous giggles. The bombs exploded and the crowds emerged gingerly. A few drove home, shaken. Others returned to play as though nothing had happened”
Timmy Turner will bring his latest documentary to the Forum Theater in Laguna Beach on March 28. Titled Tsunami Diaries: Voyage To The Epicenter, the film focuses on Turner and friend Dustin Humpherys’ relief mission to Indonesia following the catastrophic tsunami of 2004. Enlisting the help of friends and family, the two set out to bring whatever medical supplies, food and provisions to the regions most devestated areas. For more information on this showing, please call 949-494-8971, ext. 201.
