"Surf School" = another way to separate sheltered white-folks from their money.

/white
//wasn't sheltered
///surfs

I've tried surfing but I don't have balance on boards... skate boards, snow, water... fark it.

Gettin' a couple brews in me and goin wake boarding or water skiing is a different story... Good times had by all!

Tr0mBoNe: I've tried surfing but I don't have balance on boards... skate boards, snow, water... fark it.

Gettin' a couple brews in me and goin wake boarding or water skiing is a different story... Good times had by all!

Waterboarding sounds awesome, but not so much.



I hope to live somewhere where I can surf someday. NJ waves are awful.

daneurysm: Yeah.. surfing isn't very big in Nova Scotia... well, we do sometimes but only at one beach and it always sucks.

I just sit on the board and pray. Works every time.

I use Mozilla.

What?

Tr0mBoNe: daneurysm: Yeah.. surfing isn't very big in Nova Scotia... well, we do sometimes but only at one beach and it always sucks.

I love those kinds of beaches!

/Beaches ain't shiat but tricks and hos.

Christian + Science....does that collide and create a power source?

Beginner skimboarders: The most entertaining thing to watch, ever.

/Fail means faceplant into wet, dense sand.
//Maybe a quarter inch of water.

daneurysm

I hope to live somewhere where I can surf someday. NJ waves are awful.

They're decent for body-boarding, if you're not looking to break your spine. I've had much better luck with waves here than on the Atlantic coast of Florida, but maybe I just had crappy days down there.

Mugato: Christian + Science....does that collide and create a power source?

I love noobs who bash CSM and know nothing about it.

The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam don't surf!

Came here for pics of surfer girls. Disappointed.

iammiles: Mugato: Christian + Science....does that collide and create a power source?

I love noobs who bash CSM and know nothing about it.

I came in here waiting for someone to bash the CSM because of the that. And I was not disappointed.

Barakku: Tr0mBoNe: daneurysm: Yeah.. surfing isn't very big in Nova Scotia... well, we do sometimes but only at one beach and it always sucks.

I love those kinds of beaches!

/Beaches ain't shiat but tricks and hos. ho's and tricks

If they're not the best news source going, it's damn close.

bodyboarding is by a LONG stretch the easiest and least dangerous of those. Although if you have some nice slow rolling waves like Waikiki a longboard can be a relatively easy and painless entry point.

the biggest redneck here: If they're not the best news source going, it's damn close.

I was browsing their photos of the day, and this one caught my eye.



Holy Shiat.

/he was uninjured, thankfully

I never got into surfing; I think I have surfed maybe 4 times. Boogie boarding though is a completely different story. I always have a boogie board in my car just in case I am near the beach and have some time to kill.

Their foreign-based team is fantastic, no doubt about it.

/they're the best

Sir Vanderhoot: I was browsing their photos of the day, and this one caught my eye.

Yeah, that was the best of the bunch. Good timing by the camera man.

Sir Vanderhoot: the biggest redneck here: If they're not the best news source going, it's damn close.

I was browsing their photos of the day, and this one caught my eye.



Holy Shiat.

/he was uninjured, thankfully

WhotheWhatNow: Barakku: Tr0mBoNe: daneurysm: Yeah.. surfing isn't very big in Nova Scotia... well, we do sometimes but only at one beach and it always sucks.

I love those kinds of beaches!

/Beaches ain't shiat but tricks and hos. ho's and tricks

They see me misquotin'
They hate-in'

/Trying to catch me Rosky dirty

iammiles: Mugato: Christian + Science....does that collide and create a power source?

I love noobs who bash CSM and know nothing about it.

I like the one where the guy gives a clever quip, puts his sunglasses on and The Who starts blasting.

haha, shark biscuits. Gonna have to remember that one. Anyone ever see a skimmer do one of them fancy tricks called a face plant? It's hysterical. It's also hilarious to watch newbies try to figure out surfing by themselves. I've seen countless people get skipped across the water like a rock on a pond by waves that are way above their skill level. I wouldn't recommend waist deep water either, I've seen plenty of people get on the board and stand up, then flop off like a fish out of water and go head first, you wouldn't dive into a kiddie pool would ya?

Sir Vanderhoot: the biggest redneck here: If they're not the best news source going, it's damn close.

I was browsing their photos of the day, and this one caught my eye.



Holy Shiat.

/he was uninjured, thankfully

Awesome.

mavexe: haha, shark biscuits. Gonna have to remember that one. Anyone ever see a skimmer do one of them fancy tricks called a face plant? It's hysterical. It's also hilarious to watch newbies try to figure out surfing by themselves. I've seen countless people get skipped across the water like a rock on a pond by waves that are way above their skill level. I wouldn't recommend waist deep water either, I've seen plenty of people get on the board and stand up, then flop off like a fish out of water and go head first, you wouldn't dive into a kiddie pool would ya?

I started trying to surf when I was around 25. Bought myself a cool looking board and tried to surf in Japan, where the breaks are generally very short and if there is any swell at all it's probably typhoon swell, i.e. big. It took about 2 years before my stupid hot rod board finally broke and I'd barely managed to stand up the whole time.

Then after going to Hawaii in the summer a few times and experiencing the joy that is longboard riding on tame, tame slow-breaking swell. I realised I was doing it wrong.

Bought myself a sturdy fish-tailed shortboard that was small enough for the quick breaking Japanese surf but stable enough for a beginner like me to handle, and never looked back.

Lesson... it's not how hard you try, you have to do it RIGHT.

used to skimboard for hours in my 20s. Now I am old.


//and fat =(

They see me misquotin'
They hate-in'

/Trying to catch me Rosky dirty

straight stunned ya. sucka.

I caught my first tube today... Sir.

Bodysurfing is cheap, easy and a good way to dislocate your shoulder.

/learned this when my dad did so, on his first time out bodysurfing after several years of no Hawaii
//first wave picked him and dropped him on his shoulder
///messed up his golf game
////that said, we bodysurfed lots of times with nothing more than a faceful of sand as punishment

been surfing Central California since high school.....the best way to learn depends on your age, weight, physical condition, type of break, time of year, surf conditions, blah blah blah....
Start lap swimming in a pool to get your shoulders and breath in shape, the rest will come.

I never knew it was called skimboarding. I used to do it a lot, but it's been years since I've been at the beach. Pretty easy to do, but there's no such thing as a graceful way to stop.

lindseyp: I started trying to surf when I was around 25.

15: Hey, man, guys your age learning to surf, it's cool, there's nothing wrong with it.

UTAH: I'm twenty-five.

15: See that's what I'm saying, it's never too late.

I am quite possibly the worst surfer in the world and I would surf all day long if I could.

/it's fun even if you suck

Boogieboarding is hands down the easiest. I'd recommend getting the fins, even if they do chafe after awhile. The number one lesson for noobs though is: stay the fark out of the way of the surfers. That way nobody gets pissed or accidentally hit by a board (hurts even worse than you think it would).

Acid_Aspirations: been surfing Central California since high school.....the best way to learn depends on your age, weight, physical condition, type of break, time of year, surf conditions, blah blah blah....
Start lap swimming in a pool to get your shoulders and breath in shape, the rest will come.

I totally agree, I surf here in wonderful Southern California, (Malibu, Sunset ) and I actually taught women and little kids to surf for two whole summers. Was one of the most rewarding jobs ever, when someone finally pops up on a wave and you can see the stoke in their eyes.

I say if any one wants to learn grab a longboard, foamie and practice your pop ups (going from a push up to standing up on the board.) Strong upper body and strong swimming skills are whats needed

Grew up skimming places like Aliso Pier, 1000 steps, and the Wedge in Newport. Spent almost as many hours nursing bruised bones and a battered body.

It is a great sport with awesome opportunities to hit on all the girlfriend's sitting on the beach waiting for their surfer boyfriends.

However, we've moved too far away from skimming beaches, its too bad I had my board completely reglassed and redone...it sure looks beautiful.

/bought our first boards when Victoria opened in Laguna, love seeing that sport in such a respectable mag!

Does not approve. Probably.

I want to learn to surf, but don't have a wet suit & I'm hesitant to buy one not knowing if I will be teh suck at it. That said, any farkers have recommendations on how to get started or where the best spot in SoCal for a newbie would be?

I grew up in SoCal, never board surfed but did a LOT of bodysurfing at Santa Monica, Pismo, Malibu, etc. Moved away to a place with no waves and then went back ~5 years later, went out, grabbed the first decent wave, which was on the large side, got plowed face-first into the bottom and then body bent over the top until my feet kicked me in the back of my head.

I was paralyzed (momentarily, thankfully) by the impact and bending, and got tossed by the wave for ~30 seconds before being able to move again. Took another ~30 seconds to orient myself and find the surface (and breath).

Longest minute of my life.

Scientician: I want to learn to surf, but don't have a wet suit & I'm hesitant to buy one not knowing if I will be teh suck at it. That said, any farkers have recommendations on how to get started or where the best spot in SoCal for a newbie would be?

Bay street in Santa Monica right next to the Pier. It's calm not a lot of people and the waves won't kick your ass. But if you want a quick lesson Surf Academy, gives lessons at tower 27 in Santa Monica, they provide the wetsuit and foamie (surf board). I'm biased used to work for them so yeah, and they operate on the weekends, you could just walk up and they'll talk to you about price and stuff.

Scientician: I want to learn to surf, but don't have a wet suit & I'm hesitant to buy one not knowing if I will be teh suck at it. That said, any farkers have recommendations on how to get started or where the best spot in SoCal for a newbie would be?

Wet suits are for pussies. Carry a knife to keep other people off your wave. Only go out when surf is huge. You'll learn quickly, or drown.

Good swimming skills, skinny, and great ankle/knee flexibility. Lose any of these, and the experience changes drastically. People with a prosthetic leg, but which has full flexibility at the ankle and knee can actually do better than people with certain lower leg injuries.

NinjaNik: Sweet, thanks for the info.

It actually looks like the Southern California beaches are worse than the East Coast for skimboarding--hence the"straight into the water" thing.

A wide, steep beach during a hurricane is a blast. You get a long, parallel to the water ride before gravity kicks in and you accelerate into the surf, sometimes the equivalent of a ten or fifteen foot drop.

The only time I ever tried to teach anyone to do it, they broke an arm.

I've sponged Mavericks, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies...


/ Speedbump

I came in here waiting for someone to bash the CSM because of the that. And I was not disappointed.

I was first introduced to CSM in high school speech and debate. At that point I was reading the NYT every single day for my current events class along with Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Reports along with The Wall Street Journal.

I found CSM to have the most consistency in terms of the quality of writing and the fairness.

It's unfortunate the title turns people off to a great news organization.

lindseyp: bodyboarding is by a LONG stretch the easiest and least dangerous of those.

Very true, but still be careful in rough surf.

30 something years ago, I wrecked my back with a new fangled toy called a boogie board and it's had quite an affect my life since. I remember it just perfectly fit into the nose compartment of a VW bug too, LOL. I've never heard the term body board before this article.

That old boogie board is long gone. Now I just body surf on the rare occasions I get in the surf, no tools needed.

Now with the intertubes you can check water quality too. Not as much guessing on ending up sore throats anymore!

Heal the Bay report cards (new window)

Link (new window)

L.A. Public Health Ocean Montoring (new window)

OC and SD counties, and other beach cities probably have their own sites.

A few years ago while vacationing in Siesta Key (on the Gulf of Mexico), my husband and I decided to buy a skimboard and try it out. Major life lesson: don't jump into a potentially ass-breaking activity without having at least *some* idea how it's supposed to work. We figured we could just pick it up slow and have some fun. Of course, neither of us knew that you're supposed to *wax* the board first, so I kept wondering why my feet always slid out from under me and I landed on my ass. I ended up better than my husband, though; he never learned to fall properly, so on one fall he caught himself with his hand. Hurt his wrist for months after.

So, I guess my only point is, if you're going to try it, you should at least Google it first to get the basics.