Here’s a bit from the story:

A local surfer who has been tangled in fishing lines near the pier wants the city to put restrictions on where anglers can drop their lines, but some fishermen argue surfers should paddle away from the pier.

The long-standing conflict has pitted fisherman against surfer for years – each side claiming their territorial rights to the ocean.

But one side will have to budge, said pier fisherman Jose Llamas, 30, of Huntington Beach.

“Someone is going to get hurt,” he said. “They need to make a rule; either tell the fishermen to fish only on the south side or tell the surfers to surf farther out.”

…

It’s a pretty interesting debate, and I’d love to hear what you guys think. Take the poll!

Read more on surfing:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Well that warm stuff is gone for now.  So break out a thin fullsuit if you’re grabbing a session in Huntington Beach or Newport Beach.  HB lifeguards are calling the water temperature 58 degrees while a few miles down the road in Newport Beach it’s 59.

If you can’t imagine throwing on a fullsuit in August then head down south to San Clemente where a pair of surf trunks will do the job.  Lifeguards there reported 70 degrees in the water today.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

As of this morning down south in San Clemente lifeguards were reporting a 75 degree sea temperature…wow, that’s like being in Cabo!  Farther north in Newport Beach it’s 74 in the water and up in Huntington Beach the ocean temp is 72.

Typical water temps for this time of year along the Orange County coast is between 66 and 68 degrees.  Just remember the ocean temperature can change overnight especially if we get any strong winds from the west northwest for any length of time.

More surf news from the Beach Blog:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Cozad - most known for his Web site Newportsurfshots.com - was working with Surfline.com to pull together this amazing slideshow. And knowing that Cozad is scared of heights, please make sure you take a few seconds to check it out.

He captured some amazing images - people looking like the size of ants sitting on the shore watching the Wedge go off, the massive rip current whirlpools making big brown circle formations, and my personal favorite - a dolphin putting on a show for surfers as it leaped from a huge wave.

From Cozad’s first person on Newportsurfshots.com: “… while I was a little bummed that I didn’t capture a lot of surfing, Bill Sharp said something that put it in perspective. ‘Who cares about surfing when nature is getting freaky’?”

Check out the photos here.

More surf news from the Beach Blog:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

It seems Kelly Slater is always drawing lots of attention in the surf world, but even more so in the last year.

Ever since he broke out that odd looking stub nose board at last years Pipe Masters it has been a big surprise as to what type of stick he’ll show up with at the next Dream Tour event.

Just recently, Channel Islands unveiled some photos of the 9-time World Champions latest experiment.  It’s called the Manta Ray and it’s definitely likely to have many surfboard shapers scratching their heads.

This latest shape Slater’s experimenting with is inspired by the hydrodynamic qualities of a manta ray as well as some innovative shapes taken from a wake-skate video.

According to Channel Island’s Travis Lee, the board is basically a combination of Slater’s Tangent and Wizard Sleeve models, but with one obvious exception: the nose is hacked off about six inches and sculpted into the shape of a manta ray, making for another very short, and very strange looking shape.

I guess the big question for the rest of the surf world is how is this thing going to work?  Well it seems most of Kelly’s shapes have been a hit or a miss.  And if you’re wondering if this latest shape will be available for a custom order, contact cisurfboards.com.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

On Thursday June 25, an eight-foot-long alligator cruised just past the surf line at Satellite Beach. 

George Walrath, the Nuisance Alligator Trapper for Brevard County insists there is little cause for alarm as this is a rare occurrence.  Alligators typically steer clear of saltwater.  “This is only the second one in the ten years I’ve been doing it” said Walrath.

Photographer Steven Harp, who has experience documenting animals of this type, agreed: “It was pretty eerie.  I’ve been on the beach here for almost 30 years, and I’ve never seen an alligator out in the ocean.” 

Harp photographed the reptile, saying it stayed 50 to 75 feet offshore for the two miles he stayed with him.  He noted that the salt water bothered the gator, as it swam with its head above water.

Walrath tried to snag the gator with a fishing line, but never caught it.  “It was out past the break in the surf, too far for me to catch,” he said.  “He was just moving north and stayed out of my reach.”

The next morning alligator tracks were found farther north, and it was assumed that he had disappeared into the dunes somewhere.  However,  it was decided that he wasn’t really a threat, so the hunt has been called off.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

First, there were all the crazy stories about the sea lions learning how to jump on boats (eventually sinking a bunch of them). Now apparently, they’ve learned how to drive the vessels!

Here’s what Hernandez wrote about the event:

The three deputies had just left a Newport Harbor dock after responding to calls of juveniles smoking pot and a young sea lion trying to bite people. They tied up the boat while they checked the dock. The sea lion, which was snapping at people, refused to stay in the water when the deputies tried to shoo it away.

Eventually, the deputies decided to put the sea lion into the fire boat and take it out to sea, where they would try to set it free.

While deputies maneuvered the boat at the main controls, the sea lion took a seat at the foul-weather station, a secondary control station for the boat.

“It ran into the driver’s seat, flapped its flipper, turned the lights on and honked the horn,” Slikker said.

At one point, the sea lion was able to get the throttle to go full speed — in reverse.

Read the full story here, and you gotta check out this video:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Your pooch doesn’t have to be an expert wave rider to participate at the July 11 event.  The contest is more of a fundraiser for the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Registration is open to dogs of all ages, sizes and abilities; with a $25.50 per dog registration fee profiting the OCSPCA.

The surf competition is open to the public and free for anyone to watch.  At noon, there will be an expression session, where organizers are going to attempt to get more than eleven dogs on one board for a world record.

This is the first year for the SurfinPaws event.  It was started by René Bruce and his pet inspiration, Kia, who has participated in a surf dog competition that was put on by a friend in Del Mar. Kia is a seven year-old Russell Terrier and is the “spokesdog” of the Surfinpaws Dog Jam.

Check out Kia surfing waves down in Del Mar recently:

Kia has been riding boards, scooters and jet skis since she was a pup. She has been featured on various news sites, Reuters,  National Geographic and The Discovery Channel because of her riding talents.  You can also find Kia on her Web site.

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Red carpet and auction festivities will follow the competition at the Waterfront Hilton Huntington Beach from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Bolsa Chica State Beach

For more information about The SurfinPaws Dog Jam, rules and regulations, or
to register your dog, visit surfinpaws.com.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

If you’re ever in Newport Beach, check out this joint on the north side of the Newport Beach Pier. It’s not only a great spot for an afternoon beer, but every time I go for a surf down there they are showing off these crazy messages that make my morning that much better - and I especially love them on Monday mornings. I’ll try to shoot as many of these as I can in the next few weeks when I see a good one, and post up a slideshow.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, hope you got to surf with your kids!

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Judy Allen

“Oh my God, this is insanity,” she said, checking out the dudes battling it out wearing barely anything. “Speedos are sexy!”

For player Paul Lent, it was just painful.

“It is terrible. It’s really uncomfortable,” he said.

One of the funnest events on Orange County’s coast came back to the beach today on the blacktop of Newport Elementary School, where 24 teams battled it out during the “Shorevival of the Fittest” dodgeball tournament.

Now in its fifth year, the event is getting bigger and better. They go after more than just the trophies for who beats out the other players - but also get props for who has the best creative costume.

“We’re trying to top it each year,” said one of the organizers, Stan Divranos.

There were the dudes in Speedos, of course, but also a lot of other wacky things to laugh at - like the “Magnum P.I.” team, wearing Hawaiian shirts and fake mustaches, and team “Black Out,” sporting tight cut off jean shorts and rockin’ mullets.

But the winners of the Best Costume contest were the Newport Cougars. It was a tough decision, but because they got a guy to dress in a school girl outfit, they took home the win.

For others, it was all about the game. Team Newport Legend came ready with strategy this year: keep calm, and don’t hesitate, said team member Eric Mendeza.

Lauren Machanis, of Newport Beach, gave love to organizer Khari Johnson for pulling together the event.

“He created something amazing for the community,” she said. “He put his heart and soul into the event.”

Spectators lined three chain-linked fences that created the battlegrounds, where the six players from each team hurled blue balls at each other and jumped and weaved to miss being tagged out.

Each year, the teams get more into the competition, challenging the refs’ calls and letting emotions flow during each match.

“It’s competitive, there’s so much invested in this tournament,” Machanis said.

One girl took the game a little too serious, coming after one of her opponents with a closed fist after getting nailed by the ball. Mind you, there’s an Ultimate Fighting team that has been competing for five years - and no one saw them throwing blows!

It didn’t take long for the refs to break up the cat fight, and spectators went nuts. When the game was resumed, the girl got boo’d when she got back on the court.

“I don’t know what came over here,”  said Jackie, the players who was attacked.

“You get the girl’s teams out here, and they start swinging,” said Mike Ryan, of team Green Room. “I think we could market this.”

Congrats to the winners of this year’s Dodgeball on the Beach tournament:

First place: Magnum P.I.

Second place: Young and Hung

Third Place: Woody’s Wharf

Fourth Place: Loose Cannons

Best Outfit: Newport Cougars

Post from: OC Beach Blog