The 43-year old was a fixture in the lineup for many years and could be found ripping the northside or southside of the HB Pier on any given day.  Kissel was also quite the character and made many friends throughout the years.

If you knew John Kissel and would like to attend his memorial and or paddle-out, it takes place next Wednesday, September 9th.

A service will take place at St. Mary’s by the Sea Catholic Church at 10 a.m.  Following that there’s a paddle-out at the pier and lunch from 12 p.m to 2 p.m at the Aloha Grill.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Seal Beach Lifeguards on Saturday were reporting 65 degrees in the water, while in Huntington Beach it’s also 65.  Newport Beach lifeguards called the water temp 67 today and down south in San Clemente it’s a comfy 70 degrees.

If you’re planning on paddling later today or tomorrow, the most you’ll need is a thin short sleeve fullsuit for that a.m. surf and no more than a spring suit for the afternoon session.

And keep your fingers crossed that it continues to warm up and hopefully we’ll see the toasty low to mid 70 degree temps we saw a couple of weeks ago.  However, I would keep that fullsuit handy just in case it drops drastically again.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Volcom’s Totally Crustaceous Surf Tour is making a stop on the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier.

This is the second of three events for the Orange County Starfish Series.  As always, Volcom’s surf contests are FREE to enter and that usually brings out a lot of top talent from up and down the coast.

There are three divisions including Pro/Am, Juniors, Groms and Girls.  The winner of the Pro/Am will take home a paycheck for $500 and the surfer with the most radical “Move of the Day” walks away with $50.

When: Saturda,y August 15th

Where: Southside of the Huntington Beach Pier

Read more on surfing:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

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

In front of a crammed crowd in front of Jack’s Surfboards, the Surfing Walk of Fame paid tribute to iconic surfers who paved the way for a future generation. At the same time, winners of the 2009 O.C. Surfer of the Year contest were given awards for being fan favorites of ocregister.com online voters.

The morning started with the O.C. Surfers of the Year being introduced by Peter “P.T.” Townend. More than 600,000 votes were cast during a six-week period for the contest, which was put on by the Orange County Register.

The winners include: Brett Simpson (shortboarder), Joe Aaron (longboarder), Courtney Conlogue (Rising Star Female), and Andrew Doheny (Rising Star Male).

Surfers got creative when it came to generating votes, posting updates on their Twitters and Facebooks.

Simpson said it was an honor to be included in an event where the Walk of Fame surfers were being honored.

“That’s a pretty awesome feat. Hopefully, one day when I get older, I can be there too,” he said.

The Surfing Walk of Fame paid tribute to five surfers who have had an influence on the sport of surfing. The nominees were selected from a group of 200 surf journalists from around the world. Those honored include: Duke Boyd, the man behind Hang Ten, four-time world champion Wendy Botha, Fred Hemmings, considered the godfather of professional surfing, and local hero Jackie Baxter.

One-by-one, the surfers told stories of past days when surfing was much different.

Townend shared a story of how, years ago, he saw a cover shot in a surfing magazine that showed a surfer taking a big wave.

“That’s who I want to be one day,” he said of Baxter.

Duke Boyd talked about how surfers have an immediate bond when they meet.

“I think surfing is a special society,” he said. “I think it is different than all the sports in the world.”

Botha – who flew in from Australia for the awards – said she was surprised by the turn out of the event, and was so nervous she couldn’t sleep.

Although it was tough sometimes being a female surfer, should couldn’t have asked for a better life.

“It was so cool. You couldn’t have more fun, having surfing as a career.”

> Get more U.S. Open coverage - slideshows, video, schedules, results and more.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Check out the slideshow here, or click on the image to the right.

Here’s some more Session Shots if you’re bored at work right now:

The Wedge in Newport Beach

Girls training at Salt Creek

Bolsa Chica

South side of Seal Beach Pier

The Wedge in Newport Beach

North of the Seal Beach Pier

56th street in Newport Beach

Post from: OC Beach Blog

It’s the 59th year for the event, where hundreds run into the chilly water to lap the pier as spectators watch from the sand.

We’ll post the results soon!

Post from: OC Beach Blog

The group of five will start off at Duke’s in Malibu before sunrise for the 50-mile journey, each doing 10 miles of the trek along the Southern California coastline. Fisher, an avid surfer, will do the last leg of the event and arrive at Duke’s in Huntington Beach between 2:30 and 4 p.m.

“Ever since (he was diagnosed), he has had the aloha spirit,” said Fisher’s surf coach Andy Verdone, who is organizing the event.

Fisher has a strong connection to the ocean, getting into the water every single day no matter what the conditions.

“He loves the joy of surfing, the joy of the ocean, the ebb and flow of the tides and the movement. He’s part fish,” Verdone said.

The fundraiser will help raise money for Fisher’s $12,000-a-month treatment – which is not covered by insurance – to make sure he gets his daily dose of 42 pills a day.

“There’s never been one of those moments where all hope is lost. It gets tough. No one ever said life was easy. So you have to deal,” Fisher said in an interview a few months ago.

Huntington Beach lifeguards will meet the paddlers during the last leg of the paddle to ensure they make it in safe.

The fundraiser for Fisher will continue through the night as part of Duke’s Big Wednesday, which they do each week to benefit various causes. Supporters can purchase a T-shirt made by O’Quinn clothing company at the event, or go to savemikeshead.org for more info.

“It’s going to be a great thing for everyone, in terms of understanding a young man’s plight against brain cancer,” said Verdone.

When: Wednesday, May 27; paddlers hoping to get in between 2:30 - 4 p.m., with fundraiser all night at Duke’s

Where: Duke’s at the Huntington Beach Pier

Post from: OC Beach Blog