OC Beach Blog

Chris Hawk paddle out

October 27th, 2009, 7:26 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

chris-hawk

If you were a friend of Huntington Beach surf legend Chris Hawk or you surfed with him over the years, then you’ll definitely want to attend his memorial and paddle out this Sunday.

The HB local and surfer/shaper lost his battle with oral cancer last Friday at his home in San Clemente.

Since then, a makeshift memorial with surfboards, photos and flowers has been set up outside of Huntington Surf and Sport on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

If Chris Hawk ever shaped you a custom board or you just happen to have one of his surfboards in your quiver, then you’re encouraged to bring it to the paddle out and ride it!

When: Sunday, November 1st 11 a.m

Where: Northside of the Huntington Beach Pier

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Posted in: Beach news • Events • Latest surf news • Local surfers recognized • Surf Junkie Jeff • Surfing | 4 Comments »

Beauty and the beach: a look back at October

October 27th, 2009, 5:00 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If there’s ever a time of year cherished by surfers and beach lovers along the coast, it’s now.

After the chaos of summer dwindles, the crowds and tourists take off and peace quietly lingers over the sand.

This month has given us a handful of those great surf days that make us remember why we love this sport so much.

It’s because of this transitional time that the surf – especially at beach breaks – is so great, says Sean Collins, chief forecaster at Surfline.com.

“In fall, we get a combo swell – remaining southern hemisphere swells, hurricane swells and early west and northwest swells – to create better shaped waves,” he explains.

“Combine that with offshore winds, and it creates some of the best surfing conditions of the year,” Collins said.

Those offshore winds that typically show in October – while subtle so far this year - also contribute to the amazing sunsets. The wind coming off the land makes it drier and clear of clouds, and the winds whip the dust out to sea, which makes the horizon glow, he says.

Still, the waters are unusually warm, allowing surfers to trunk it or keep their spring suits out. And on Monday, the water was so clear when I sitting on my board in Newport that I could see the patches of seaweed on the ocean’s floor, and the schools of fish swimming nearby.

One of my favorite surf photographers, Diane Edmonds of Eppicsurf.com, has been out tirelessly capturing the beauty along the coast. Enjoy!

The crowds are gone - for the most part: This amazing shot was taken on Oct. 21. "Can you imagine what kind of communication these dolphins have, to get in sync like this? They stayed in the wave a long time, and even turned to follow it as it turned a little south," Edmonds explains.

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Surfline: Warmer weather, dropping surf this weekend

October 27th, 2009, 3:35 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Surfline.com forecaster Kevin Wallis gives us a look at what’s happening on the OC coast this weekend:

The recent passage of a cold front will keep beach temps cooler than what we’ve seen of late for the middle part of the week. On Wednesday we’ll see breezy northeast wind early, shifting northwest in the afternoon with beach temps topping out around the mid 60’s, with clear skies. The second half of the week will bring slightly warmer weather with sunny skies and very pleasant conditions at the beach; light wind in the mornings will give way to light to moderate onshore westerly winds in the afternoon. Our water temps remain very pleasant for this time of year, mainly in the middle 60’s.

Our surf on Wednesday will be a northwest windswell, bringing crossed up and very peaky surf in the 2-4’ range for many spots in the county. Select spots that really favor the northwest windswell will see waves up to 5-6’. Dropping surf takes over on Thursday (a little more than half the size of Wednesday), with a further decrease in surf on Friday, when it looks quite small.

Get the longboard out this weekend

Heading a little further out, the weekend of Halloween is looking quite small as well; stay tuned to Surfline.com for the latest details on any potential swells. Have fun, be safe and we’ll see you out in the water!

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Blackie’s Classics Halloween surf event

October 26th, 2009, 5:41 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

halloween-photo If you surf Blackie’s in Newport Beach then this is an event you won’t want to miss. The Blackie’s Classics Longboard Association is holding its 6th annual Halloween Costume contest this weekend.

This isn’t a typical surf competition where judges are only looking for the best ride, but also the best costume.

About three dozen surfers showed up in costumes last year, including one surfer who came dressed as Laker superstar Kobe Bryant.

The event will start about 7 a.m and wrap up about 10 a.m. So if you can surf and you think you have a really cool costume this year, come down just north of the Newport Beach Pier on Halloween morning.

When: Saturday, October 31st 7 a.m

Where: Blackie’s, Newport Beach

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Posted in: Beach news • Competitions • Events • Latest surf news • More things to do on the coast • Surf Junkie Jeff • Surfing | 2 Comments »

Enjoying the day in HB

October 26th, 2009, 4:14 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Seriously, Halloween is next week?

It was like a summer day - minus the crowds - at the beach today. The weather is smokin’ hot, the water is toasty warm, and there was still a bit of leftover swell in the water. Check out this slideshow of who blew off work today to enjoy the day.

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Beloved surfers pass away this weekend

October 26th, 2009, 11:42 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

hawk Two of surfing’s greats died this weekend, and were remembered by the surf community along the Orange County coast.

Surfboard shaper Chris Hawk - who was admired for his surfing style during the 70s - passed away in his San Clemente home. He had been battling against cancer. He was 58.

According to a story on the OC Register by Deepa Bharath, a makeshift memorial with surfboards, photographs and flowers stood outside Huntington Surf and Sport at the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway on Saturday.

Just a few months ago, Hawk was inducted in the Huntington Surf and Sport Hall of Fame. The ceremony usually happens during the U.S. Open of Surfing, but a special induction was held due to Hawk’s health issues.

“I’m sorry, I can’t talk much,” said a raspy-voiced Hawk on the day he was honored, one hand held up to his throat where a blue bandanna covered his neck, the other hand clutching a trophy. “This is the most honorable moment of my life.”

Hawk is survived by his wife, Kathy, and his son, Christian, 11.

Surfers also said goodbye this weekend to Joe Wood, who died last week from an apparent heart attack, according to reporter Fred Swegles.

Surfers held a paddle out on Sunday and talked about the things he loved most: surfing and kidding around with his friends.

Wood was in the water when he collapsed. Read more from Swegles story here.

wood

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Clay Marzo Signature Fin

October 25th, 2009, 7:51 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

clay-marzo-fins If you’re a fan of Clay Marzo, then check this out. The futuristic surfer now has his own signature fin from Future fins.

Marzo has been riding Futures for several years and has been working closely with the team of engineers to create a fin for the medium to heavyweight surfer.

So if you want to punt some massive airs and throw some serious gouges like Mr. Marzo give these fins a try. The Clay Marzo fin is a limited production, so you can be sure these things will sell fast.

The fin dimensions are: Height - 4.53 inches. Base - 4.49 inches. Area - 15.10 inches. The fin has a traditional foil for a natural controlled ride made with Honeycomb materials.

A set of Clay Marzo fins will set you back $78.00. For more info. check out Futurefins.com.

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Surf shots: Friday swell in Huntington and Newport

October 23rd, 2009, 1:40 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

The surf wasn’t as clean as it was with last week’s swell, but there were plenty of surfers out taking advantage of the energy pushed to shore by the swell that came through today.

As soon as the fog lifted, I went out to snap some photos of the action down at the Huntington Beach Pier, then shot over to the jetties in Newport Beach. The swell will be tapering off through the weekend.

Here’s some snaps from the day, and see the full slideshow here.

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WSA contest this weekend

October 23rd, 2009, 11:27 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

wsa-surf If you happen to be heading down south for a surf this weekend and you’re going to be near Carlsbad, stop by and check out the Western Surfing Association surf contest.

The third stop of the 2009/2010 WSA Surf Series takes place at Ponto in South Carlsbad. Several amateur surfers from the southland will be competing in the two-day event.

The divisions include:Legends, Senior Men’s, Men’s, Masters, Women’s, Longboard, Micro Grom, Boys and Girls.

The surfers hit the water each day at 7 a.m with the event wrapping up about 5 p.m. For more info. and heat times, check out surfwsa.org.

When: Saturday, October 24th and Sunday October 25th

Where: South Carlsbad Ponto

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Posted in: Competitions • Day trips • Events • Latest surf news • More things to do on the coast • Surf Junkie Jeff • Surfing | Post a Comment »

Blue whales sticking around later than usual

October 22nd, 2009, 8:43 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

The season for blue whales is staying unusually strong off the coast of Orange County, where charter boats are reporting strong numbers of sightings later in the year than they ever have in the past.

Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari reported seven sightings Wednesday and 12 sightings on Tuesday. The total number of blue whale sightings so far in October is 45, whereas last year this time there were only a handful of blue whales off our coast.

The blue whale season usually ends in mid-September, and boats start prepping for the gray whales, which come down from Alaska during the winter and can be seen off the Orange County coast on their way to breed in Baja, California.

Random sightings of one or two blue whales happened last year this time, but nothing like the numbers charter boats are seeing now, said Gisele Anderson, Capt. Dave’s wife. Boat captains are reporting massive amount of krill off the coast, which the blue whales eat. The whales are the largest mammals on Earth.

“This is just amazing,” she said.

The blue whales found a home here in Orange County about five years ago, coming down south from Central California. It’s unknown how long they will stick around, likely until their food source runs out.

In the video below taken the other day, it looks as if a blue whale was just as curious as those on the boat - circling around and coming up close to passengers.

“Look at that, he’s right here,” Capt. Dave Anderson says to the passengers on the boat. “Oh my, this thing is just totally checking us out.”

Check out the video here.

For more info on charter boats, click here. Capt. Dave’s is also the only whale watching boat to stream live video of their trips, so if you are stuck behind a desk, check out the blue whales at whalewatchingtv.com.

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Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • blue whales | 2 Comments »

Rip Curl Pro Search is finally on!!

October 22nd, 2009, 7:01 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

The ninth stop of the ASP World Championship Tour finally got underway today in Peniche, Portugal after three days without competition.

Day one was called off due to the lack of swell, day two was too big and stormy and on day three the contest site on the beach was completely damaged due to the large surf.

So finally the world’s top 45 surfers have taken to the water at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Searchat a backup spot called Mohle Leste which is down the beach from the main contest site Supertubos.

The waves have dropped quite a bit in the last day, but are still offering the competitors plenty of contestable waist to head high surf.

Due to the three consecutive days of no competition, contest organizers have opted to run the new Round One elimination format which means one surfer will be going home early.

The Rip Curl Pro Searchofficial waiting period wraps up on Friday, October 30th. To watch the live webcast, go to live.ripcurl.com.

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OC surfer helps get clean water to Indo after earthquake

October 21st, 2009, 3:21 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

In case you guys missed it, I had a story about a Laguna Beach surfer who was on a trip in Indo when the devastating earthquake hit on Sept. 30. It was pretty amazing what this guy, Jon Rose, was able to do in the early hours of the relief effort.

Jon Rose, of Laguna Beach, with Red Cross workers in Padang after the 7.6 earthquake hit. Photo courtesy of Jon Rose

Here’s a snippet from the story:

Jon Rose sits on the back of a moped, scouring the crumbled city of Padang.
He passes hotels he’s stayed in, looking straight into the rooms. The walls have collapsed. Cracks in the ground run five-feet deep. Entire structures are crumbled like so much broken glass.

The pro surfer had just spent days on a boat off the Indonesian coast, riding waves with friends. When a massive earthquake hit a day before their trip finished, they barely felt it.

But now, he hears screams echoing beneath buildings.

Unable to move concrete slabs that lay on top of the cries, he keeps on searching the streets for plastic containers.

“It was hard to leave,” he said later, tears welling in his eyes as he recalls the memory.

“I had to block it out. I had a mission.”

If you have a chance, check out the story I wrote or Rose’s website at Waves for Water to learn more about how the region needs help.

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Surf shots: Wednesday waves at Salt Creek

October 21st, 2009, 2:35 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you’re stuck in the office today and didn’t get a chance to check out the surf, I was out at Salt Creek and pulled together a slideshow of the action.

Waves were fun, and word is there’s more on the way - so you might want to start developing a cough to convince your boss you need to be out of the office for a bit. Here’s some snaps from earlier today, and check out the full slideshow here.

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Rip Curl Wetsuits demo day

October 21st, 2009, 6:31 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

rip-curl-bomb Are you thinking about purchasing a fresh fullsuit for winter? Well if you’re not sure what brand to buy, then here’s a chance to test out one of the biggest wetsuit makers in the business.

Rip Curl is holding a demo day in Huntington Beach this Friday. This is a great opportunity to try the all new line of Rip Curl Bomb wetsuits featuring lighter, warmer and more flexible E3 neoprene.

Rip Curl team rider Tom Curren and a few other notable surfers are expected to be on hand as well. So who knows maybe you’ll even be able to go grab a surf session with the 3-time World Champ.

For more info. check out Ripcurl.com.

Where: Southside of the Huntington Beach Pier

When: Friday, October 23rd from 8 a.m to 12 p.m

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Posted in: Beach news • Day trips • Events • Latest surf news • More things to do on the coast • Surf Junkie Jeff • Surfing | Post a Comment »

Surfline: Waves on the way

October 20th, 2009, 4:13 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Surfline.com forecaster Kevin Wallis gives us a look at what the waves and beach conditions will be like this week:

The middle to second half of the work week will bring sunny skies and very pleasant coastal weather, as high pressure builds in over Southern California. Look for temps to top out in the low to mid 70’s each day, while water temps also remain quite warm for this time of year and are in the mid to upper 60’s. Wind conditions, especially in the mornings, will be favorable for surfing and other water related activities: look for light offshore flow out of the east to northeast in the mornings Wednesday through Friday, with a moderate onshore wind out of the west building each afternoon.

Our surf looks fun and will be a combination of swells out of both the southwest and west-northwest. For Wednesday look for 2-4’ surf at many breaks throughout the county, while breaks best exposed breaks to the southwest swell in the south half of the county see larger waves up to 5-6’ at times. We’ll also see a small southeast swell wrap into best exposed breaks of North Orange County from former Hurricane Rick.

A larger west-northwest swell will build in for the second half of the week. While select breaks will start to see some new waves from this swell Thursday afternoon, the largest waves from it will show on Friday when the better breaks see 3-5’ surf. Select, top exposed breaks, mainly in the north half of the county, pick up 6-7’ waves on the largest sets. Those waves then wind down over the weekend. While the long range forecast outlook isn’t quite as promising as the second half of this week, we do have more waves on the way. Be sure to check the forecast at Surfline.com for further details. Have fun, be safe and we’ll see you out in the water!

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Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Surfing | 2 Comments »

Skimboarders battle it out in Newport Beach

October 20th, 2009, 2:51 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Some of the best skimboarders showed up in Newport Beach last weekend to battle it out for the world title during the Oktoberfest Skimboarding contest.

I haven’t written much about this sport over the years, but I have to say that watching what these guys can do on these small boards was pretty amazing.

(Check out a slideshow from the event here. )

The sport has strong roots here in Orange County – it’s said that the first skimmers were a couple of lifeguards in Laguna Beach who threw planks of wood down to ride back in the 20s.

Laguna Beach today remains the hub of the sport, and the breeding ground for many of the top riders – proven at this past contest with the top three placers coming from Laguna.

Skimboarding often gets snubbed in the surfing world, but as the riders continue to push the limits and do insane, skate-influenced moves, it’s earning more respect.

“Skimboarding has endured the little-brother syndrome,” Paulo Prietto, three-time world champ on the United Skim Tour. “Anything different from surfing is not easily accepted.”

For anyone who scoffs at this sport, head down to the Wedge on a big day to see these riders run full speed into a wave, then pull off crazy moves, or check out Prietto getting towed into waves during the last big swell.

Surf clothing company Atwater – which just won SIMA’s Breakout Brand of the Year award – is one of the few in the surf industry that sponsors skimboarders, including Prietto.

“These guys are just going at it, taking a lot of risks,” said Dean Bradley, president of Atwater, who came down to check out the event. “When he’s in the barrel, you can’t tell me that’s not surfing.”

Not to mention that landing on the wet sand can almost feel like eating it on concrete, he notes.

A few hundred people came down to watch the contest, which brought 105 amateur riders and 35 pros to compete. It was the last leg of eight stops on the United Skim Tour.

This contest was started five years ago by exile Skimboards and Main Street Surf Shop, and offered competitors a first-prize purse of $2,500.

Competitor and judge Lance Brooks was stoked to have the event in Newport Beach, where there’s a skimboard scene right south of the Balboa Pier, where the contest was held.

“My heart belongs to this beach,” he said. “To get a contest where I grew up is a long time coming.”

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NSSA contest heads down south

October 20th, 2009, 6:19 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

nssa-banner1

The National Scholastic Surfing Association NSSA is heading down south this weekend for the fourth stop of the 2009/2010 Southwest Conference Open Season event.

Some of the best 18 and under amateurs from up and down the California coast will be battling it out at the Oceanside Pier.

Some of the top talent from Orange County includes: Huntington Beach’s Christian Saenz and Kanoa Igarashi, Costa Mesa’s Colin Moran and Kaleigh Gilchrist from Newport Beach.

The event is made up of several divsions including: Mens, Juniors, Boys, Mini-groms, Women and Longboard. Meanwhile, Surfline forecasters are calling for a fair to good mix of west northwest swell and southwesterly energy for the coming weekend. For more info. check out nssa.org.

Where: Oceanside Pier

When: Saturday, October 24th and Sunday October 25th

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Posted in: Beach news • Competitions • Events • Latest surf news • Local surfers recognized • More things to do on the coast • Surf Junkie Jeff • Surfing | Post a Comment »

County stops water quality testing in Seal Beach

October 19th, 2009, 2:18 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

For those of you who keep tabs on whether the water is too funky to surf in, looks like it might be tough to find out in Seal Beach and Sunset Beach.

A surfer is seen through pilings that hold up the Seal Beach Pier. Photo by Bruce Chambers.

The crew over at Seal Beach Daily shot me a story saying the county is going to stop water quality testing from Nov. 1 through March 31.

That’s weird, because that’s when the water is the nastiest after the rains, and really when we see how much gross germs end up in the water.

I guess Bolsa Chica south will still get tested, but sucks for the people at Seal Beach. The city manager is looking at ways to privately fund testing.

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Mammoth closes slopes after short opening

October 19th, 2009, 9:00 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you were planning on skipping out of work this week to head north for some fresh powder, sorry to tell you, but you’ll have to put your snowboards away.

After a very short opening, hot weather put Mammoth’s near-record opening to rest. After getting enough snow to open after a storm that rolled through, the lifts opened on Friday and stayed open for just a few days before an statement was sent out on Sunday that they’d decided to shut it down again.

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Here’s more from the announcement:

“After three days of great skiing and riding here at Mammoth, we’ve made the tough decision to close. Mother Nature forced our hand – after a big storm earlier this week and great skiing and riding on Friday, record breaking warm temperatures rolled in, wreaking havoc on our snow in the process.

But there’s a small storm on the horizon that may bring some snow and forecasted lower temperatures will hopefully allow us to start making some of the white stuff in the near future. We’re going to evaluate conditions daily …

For those of you who visited to celebrate our early opening: thank you! We’re glad you had a chance to work on your turns, jibs and jumps, long before you had to turn your attention to your Halloween costume.”

You can find out when they’ll open again by following twitter.com/MammothMountain or check out the Web site at MammothMountain.com

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Posted in: Beach news • snowboarding | 5 Comments »

Hurley intern’s memory lives on

October 19th, 2009, 8:30 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Friends and family on a hazy Saturday came together to remember Hurley intern Dane Williams - a young man they describe as someone who was quick to rally the troops and bring people together.

I can’t begin to imagine what the family must endure as they find out more about what happened to Dane. His body was found in an alley in San Diego January 2008, and for a year and a half they wondered what happened to him. An arrest was made recently, and it could get about as horrible as you can imagine.

But for one day - as they still endure the pain of losing a loved one - they smiled, embraced friends, and enjoyed the event set aside for their son.

If you get a chance, read more about what they said about Dane, and see photos from the event here. The family is starting a memorial fund in his name, click here to find out how to contribute.

dane3

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Chris Hawk paddle out

Beauty and the beach: a look back at October

Surfline: Warmer weather, dropping surf this weekend

Blackie’s Classics Halloween surf event

Enjoying the day in HB

Beloved surfers pass away this weekend

Clay Marzo Signature Fin

Surf shots: Friday swell in Huntington and Newport

WSA contest this weekend

Blue whales sticking around later than usual

Rip Curl Pro Search is finally on!!

OC surfer helps get clean water to Indo after earthquake

Surf shots: Wednesday waves at Salt Creek

Rip Curl Wetsuits demo day

Surfline: Waves on the way

Skimboarders battle it out in Newport Beach

NSSA contest heads down south

County stops water quality testing in Seal Beach

Mammoth closes slopes after short opening

Hurley intern’s memory lives on

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