Q.  I heard about the bodysurfer getting killed at the Wedge this summer.  Do you think that place is really too dangerous when the swell is big and that the city should close it when it gets like that?

A.  That was a sad thing.  But the Wedge is what it is,  and if people are crazy enough to want to put it all on the line for the thrill that is their choice.  Just like surfing giant waves in Hawaii or other places around the world.  It would not be fair to the great surfers who do that to be denied the chance just on the merit that it is very dangerous.  It would be nice if there was some sort of qualification method to determine if somebody is actually skilled enough to attempt some of these challenges, but there isn’t.  So, in my opinion NO.  I don’t think that the city should not allow people to take the risk if they want to do that.

Q.  If you had to pick one place on Earth that would be the ideal location for a surfer, where would that be?

A.  Wow, that all depends on the person.  If it was totally based on surfing and nothing else, I would probably say some island in the South Pacific where there were no people and just perfect surf.  But life is more than just surfing to most people.  We like a social structure, too.  With that in mind I would have to say that right here in Orange County is pretty darn good.

Q.  Where do you surf most of the time?  I used to see you at Cotton’s Point all the time.

A.  I loved Cotton’s and that was my main spot for most of my life really.  But recently I spend more time at spots that don’t require walking far.  I have become lazy in that aspect.  I like Huntington Beach and San Onofre.  Also I spend a lot of time in Mainland Mexico, especially when it’s cold here in the OC.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

The first event of the season kicks off next month at San Onofre State Beach.  There are several divisions for both girl and guy surfers with a Boys 10 and under division all the way up to a Legends division for those 50 and over.

All the events are scheduled for two days with all Adult ( 18 and older) and Open divisions surfing on Saturday and all youth (under 18) divisions surfing on Sunday.  As always there are a ton of killer prizes for the finalists in each division.

When: August 8 and 9, 2009

Where: Trail One, San Onofre State Beach

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Paddle Surf Warehouse in Cost Mesa is having a SUP demo day at San Onofre.  There will be a ton of different stand-up paddle boards to try for FREE. Some of the brands include C4 Waterman, NSP, Trident, HovieSUP Boards, Ku i Luna, Quick Blade, Werner, Ron House and Paddle Surf Hawaii.

If  you can’t make it to the demo day and you’re in the market to buy an SUP, stop by the Paddle Surf Warehouse where you can find several stand-up paddle boards and any other equipment for the sport.

The Paddle Surf Warehouse is located at 629 Terminal Way #7, Costa Mesa 92627.  For more info. call 949 574-5897 or check out paddlesurfwarehouse.com.

When: Saturday July 18, most of the day

Where: San Onofre, Dog Patch Beach

Post from: OC Beach Blog

The Doheny Longboard Surfing Association

Approximately ten veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project will take part in this special event.  Most of these soldiers are amputees or suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If you have some good surfing experience and you want to help out some people who have fought for our country then this is an amazing opportunity.

Killer Dana surf shop in Dana Point is loaning several soft-top surfboards for the day and Quiksilver is donating backpacks and beach towels for each wounded soldier.

All volunteers will need to sign a waiver and have it turned in at least one week prior to the event so that they can get everyone on the access list to the marine base.  For more info. contact Tom Dolton at tdolton@cox.net.

When: The morning of Saturday, August 1.

Where: Camp Pendleton, San Onofre beach. The exact location is cabana 1 and 2 which are the two cabanas on the northern end of the beach closest to the surf area.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

It looks like the pups were riding some pretty good-sized waves, and there was a lot of stoke on the sand.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

If you want to hang out - hang it all out - on the sand down at San Onofre, you’ll have to be willing to pay for it.

The Orange County Register’s Cindy Carcamo reports that the state will start fining people after Labor Day who bare their butts down at Trail 6, a long-time nude beach where supporters recently lost a battle with the state.

So if you’ve ever wanted to have a get-naked-on-the-beach party,  you better do it before Labor Day.

Here’s more from Carcamo’s story about the ban.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

There’s a proposal by the state that would give free access to state parks and beaches - and eliminate this fear that we’ve all hear of about the state beaches being shut down.  State beaches in Orange County include: Bolsa Chica, Huntington State Beach, Corona del Mar, Crystal Cove, and San Clemente State Beach (and San Onofre is nearby, for those who like to go that far south).

How would they do this? Basically, a $15 fee tied to vehicle license fees would raise money for state parks, eliminating their dependency on the general fund - allowing them a solid cash flow that doesn’t fall on the chopping block every time the folks in Sacramento jack up the budget.

Register reporter Pat Brennan wrote about the proposal on his Green OC blog.

According to Bolsa Chica lifeguard supervisor Ryan Gates, the move would be a good thing for lifeguards.

“It will increase the visitation and we’re going to be busy,” he said.  ”But we’ll be properly funded to provide the correct service.”

So this can mean a few things. Locals at those spots who surf Doheny or Bolsa may figure it’s worth paying the $125 annual parking pass to keep the crowds out. But for the family who likes to come to the beach once a month,  it would be a huge savings.

You can learn more and write your representatives by going to this site: www.calparks.org

Tell me what you think in the comments section below, and take our poll:

Post from: OC Beach Blog

He pressed down on his left leg to see how the shocks were working, fidgeting with his screws to add more spring to his step.

It would be much different then when Lincoln, now 17, started surfing as a child.

Back then, he had both his legs intact.

Lincoln on Saturday morning went out for a surf session for the first time since having his left leg amputated nearly 3 years ago, joining a group of other amputee surfers for a program called “Amp’d.”

The outing was organized by Amy Ginsburg, an employee at Hanger, an Orange County based-prosthetics company. The surf groups – who have been meeting up occasionally since August -  are made up of patients, but soon Ginsburg wants to open the surf outings up to others.

“It’s just a cool way for them to find something else they can try, and be good at,” she said. “I like to get people back to doing what they used to do.”

Surfing with other amputees allows them to share tips, and to see that missing a limb doesn’t mean you can’t do what you love.

Before hitting the water, Wayne Tanimine chatted with Lincoln to share his surf technique.

Tanimine, 55, takes his prosthetic off and leaves it on the sand, riding waves on one leg in a crouched position.

Tanimine lost his leg in 1975 after a bout with joint cancer. It took him about 10 years to get back in the water, and these days he can be found surfing just about every day.

“I want to do what I can to help,” he said. “I know what it’s like.”

He has to worry about things like not slipping on rocks while walking on one leg in and out of the water, or what time high tide hits so his leg doesn’t get swept into the ocean.

Lincoln decided to do it different than Tanimine, leaving his sports prosthetic on while in the water.

“I know I’m not going to be shredding, but no matter what, I’ll be in the water, so it will be a good day,” Lincoln said.

Lincoln’s injury happened 2 years, 8 months, and 29 days ago, when a drunk driver smashed into him as he helped push a friend’s car up a hill in Newport Beach after it broke down.

“I just heard (my friend) yell ‘look out’!” the former Newport Harbor High student recalled. “I was totally frozen. I just saw headlights.”

His leg was mostly severed.  A 4-inch piece of his femur was left in the street.

Doctors thought they might be able to reattach his leg. But after 38 surgeries and months of unbearable pain, he made the decision to have it cut off.

“I’d rather have a fake leg that works than a real one that doesn’t. I just decided it was time,” he said.

Life got tough after that. The pain was severe, and soon he was hooked to the pain medication – which then led to other drugs.

“It got rough, and I’d break down in tears,” he said. “I was constantly in pain. I got in the mindset ‘I’m not ever going to be able to do anything again.”

After a long struggle, his family eventually had enough and sent him to rehab. Now, he’s been off drugs for six months, and is slowly pulling his life back together.

On Saturday, he got a big piece of his life back: the thrill of riding a wave.

As he paddled out, his father Scott asked him if he wanted to give it a shot in the whitewash – where the waves are a bit more gentle – but Lincoln powered through to the outside sets.

After paddling for a few waves, he finally got into one with enough power to move his board forward.

He slowly put his hands on the top board to push his body up, but hesitated too much and lost balance, his board flying out from under him.

He got back on the board to try again.

On his next attempt, he was quicker – and in a quick second he was standing up and riding a wave, flying down the line.

His dad cheered from his surfboard.

“That was awesome,” his dad said, as Lincoln went back out for more.

He grabbed his son’s hand: “Just one of many, son.”

After riding about five waves, Lincoln was done for the day, stoked on his accomplishment.

“It was sooo sick. I didn’t think it would be that easy,” Lincoln said. “It was epic.”

More on local surfers:

Surfer catches 80 waves for 2 hours to help friend

San Clemente’s Nathan Yeomans ranks top 10 in ASP

Surfer Greg Long wins $50,000 at XXL Awards

Fundraiser for HB surfer Mike Fisher

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Those surfers who competed in at least five of the regular season events are invited to surf in the prestigious contest.  The divisions include micro grom boys and girls, boys, mens, senior mens, masters, legends, girls, womens and senior womens.

Some of the top local talent to watch for are Newport Beach surfers Blake Davis who’s leading the ratings in the boys 16 and under division and Tyler Gunter who’s in first in the micro grom boys.

Post from: OC Beach Blog

Bucky Barry of Dana Point catches a wave. Photo courtesy of Jim Coshland

The event – at Church Beach last weekend – had rough, choppy winds on Saturday, but the last day provided nice 3-to-6-glassy-footers.
There were two areas where surfers were judged. It was the 13th year for the club competition. The event also included a Stand- up Paddleboard segment for the first time.
The Coalition of Surfing Clubs is an international organization that acts as a united voice to address issues related to coastal water quality and government action. There are more than 10,000 surfers in the coalition.

Here’s a list of some of the top finishers from OC:

Girls 14 and under:

Hallie Rohr, Doheny

Men 15 – 19

Alex Calkins, Doheny

Presidents

Gary Sahagen, Huntington Beach

Check out www.dohosurf.org later this week for more winners

Post from: OC Beach Blog