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Flights out of Cabo cancelled due to hurricane, big surf hits

Laylan Connelly, staff writer — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:31:06 +0000

Flights out of Cabo have been canceled as Hurricane Jimena’s force slams Baja today, with people boarding up windows and preparing for the worst to come.
“Everyone is in a panic down there with mile long lines for gas, buying up all the bottled water,” said chief forecaster of Surfline.com Sean Collins, who got out on the last departing flight Monday night.
Collins headed down there to get the swell before the storm hit. Waves got up to 12-feet before he left, and he said the surf was about 15 to 20 feet today.
Hurricane Jimena is considered a category 4, with 145 mph winds was to hit northern Baja. Read more from the National Weather Service here.
The storm will be sweeping within 100 miles west of Cabo, and will send winds 30 to 70 knots and higher, Collins said.
“It’s going to be windy as hell, with a ton of rain. You want to make sure you’re not on the bottom floor, and not in a shack in the riverbed, as you read this blog on your Iphone,” he said jokingly.
Collins said there’s a large migrant construction community there to help build up the resort town, and they camp out in the riverbeds. They often ignore warnings to leave, for fear of losing their belongings. Flash floods from this storm could cause dangerous situations for them.
“It could be the biggest storm Cabo has seen in a long time,” he said.
Check out a blog Sciencedude had Monday about cruise ship delays because of the storm.

Here’s some photos Collins took from clean morning conditions, and just as he was leaving the area:

The Black Hole surf shop opening

Jeff Malanca, contributing writer — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:51:52 +0000

If you can’t seem to find many old school core surf shops in this neck of the woods these days, then check this out.

Just recently a store called The Black Hole opened its doors in Costa Mesa. The name sounds much more like a record store than a surf shop, and that it is…

The shop sits on a stretch of Newport Boulevard where you can find a handful of other cool stores.

Once inside you won’t find your typical surf inspired clothing brands, but more of the basics like retro longboards hanging from the ceiling, a few wetsuits, some old surf books and even a person who can fit you for a custom pair of surf trunks.

This Friday night is The Black Hole’s grand opening party. It’s all ages and includes music by the Japanese Motors and Gantez Warrior, a BBQ and free cocktails for those 21 and over.

When: Friday, August 28th at 7:30 p.m

Where: The Black Hole, Costa Mesa

The Black Hole surf shop opening is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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International Surfing Day

Laylan Connelly, staff writer — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:25:45 +0000

International Surfing Day is coming up next Saturday – like you needed an excuse, right?

If you’ve never heard of the day, it started about five years ago - with the goal of surfers getting together to help clean up their beloved environment, then heading out to appreciate some surf.

The first two years started pretty slow, but the day has gained a lot of traction, and I expect this year to be the biggest.

One of the events that looks really fun is held down at Bolsa Chica State Beach by Quiksilver and the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Conservancy, where they’ll have free lunch from Taco Bell, Surftech demo boards and smoothies for participants. The event is open to the public, meet Parking is free if you show up between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The clean up starts at 7 a.m., and the surf session at 9 a.m., meet at the furthest south parking lot.

If you have an event happening on International Surf Day, I’m pulling together a list for this week’s column, so shoot me a few details at laylan@orangecounty.com

Here’s some that have just come in:

Dana Point, Ocean Institute, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dana Point, CA (Dana Point Ocean Institute)
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Activities: Adults $6.50 Children $4.50 Members and Beach Clean-up Participants Free
Location: Dana Point Ocean Institute
Contact: Kristel Arnott and Jonathan Witt @ karnott@ocean-institute.org & JWitt@ocean-institute.org

Dana Point / South Orange County, CA (Surfrider Foundation Chapter)
Time: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM (in tandem with the NSSA contest)
Activities: Beach cleanup, Nalu’s Island Grille plate lunch for volunteers and participants, Shave Ice sponsored by Gidget Worldwide, Softboard demos from INT Surfboards, Surfboard demos by T. Patterson Surfboards, Official Welcome to the Algolita JunkRide in South Orange County (approx. 5-6PM)
Raffle and contest challenge winner prizes & giveaways
Location: Salt Creek Beach,Dana Point, CA
Contact: Denise Erkeneff @ denisedd@cox.net

Huntington / Seal Beach, CA
Time: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Activities: Join the Huntington, Seal and Newport Beach Surfrider Chapters for a beach cleanup, paddle out, free monster beverages, Surfing Magazines, Surfboard shaping, Polynesian dancing, music, give aways and more!
Location: Huntington State Beach at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, south of Brookhurst off of PCH (Enter at Brookhurst Street and go south to the end)
Contact: Tony Soriano @ aosacs2@aol.com

Source: Surfing Magazine

Get out and surf!

International Surfing Day is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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Patrick Gudauskas pulls off aerial flip again!

Laylan Connelly, staff writer — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:30:01 +0000

OC Register reporter Fred Swegles just wrote about another amazing display by San Clemente’s Patrick Gudauskas, who pulled off another aerial flip to nearly win the ASP event going down in the Maldives. Here’s a bit about what he wrote:

One history-making move was not enough for pro surfer Patrick Gudauskas this week at the $145,000 Sri Lankan Airlines Pro in the Maldives Islands.

Today the 23-year-old from San Clemente pulled a second aerial flip during the final and – incredibly – it wasn’t enough.

He placed second to Australia’s Owen Wright in what observers described as one of the most exciting Association of Surfing Professionals finals ever.

San Clemente's Patrick Gudauskas, midway through a rodeo clown aerial flip in the final of the SriLankan Airlines Pro today in the Maldive Islands.

Wright scored 19.23 out of a possible 20 on his two scoring rides in the final, Gudauskas 18.93.

The result boosted Wright into the No. 1 position in the ASP’s World Qualifying Series, a worldwide circuit in which hundreds of hopefuls seek ratings points to qualify for next year’s ASP World Championship Tour.

Gudauskas, who was No. 27, leapfrogged 20 spots to No. 7. Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach, who finished 37th of 128 surfers in the event, remains Orange County’s top-ranked WQS hopeful, at No. 5.

Pat Gudauskas (and Brett Simpson) is currently nominated for the OC Surfer of the Year contest. To vote, click here.

Patrick Gudauskas pulls off aerial flip again! is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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Gudauskas advances to Quarterfinals at ASP event

rshadley — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:39:01 +0000

San Clemente standout surfer Patrick Gudauskas, 23, successfully continued his campaign at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star PRIME SriLanken Airlines Pro at the tropical pointbreak of Pasta Point in the Maldives.

The talented regular-footer narrowly defeated Floridian transplant Cory Lopez, 32, by a score of 13.80 to 13.33 to advance through to the Quarterfinals.

After already making history in the premier event by landing the first aerial flip in competition, Gudauskas will look to cap off his impressive Indian Ocean campaign with a win at the premier event and will continue when he faces off against young Brazilian talent Wiggoly Dantas, 18. The champion will be crowned by day’s end.

If you haven’t seen Gudauskas’ flip action, check it out below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gudauskas advances to Quarterfinals at ASP event is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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Dewey Weber contest and Surf-a-Rama down at Doheny

Laylan Connelly, staff writer — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:06:00 +0000

The annual Surf-a-Rama event went down at Doheny State Beach on Saturday afternoon, a fundraiser that helps raise money for the Interpretive Center, which was shut down due to mold issues.

About 60 booths – double what was allowed last year – were set up to show off local products and innovative inventions. Set up in the grass area, there was everything from the latest natural soaps, surf memorabilia from the 60s, artwork, tikis, and more.

Check out the slideshow from the event.

Tony Jones unveiled a “Solar Surfboard,” which can charge electronic devices for those surfers who like to go to secluded breaks far away from civilization. The board is made with solar panels, and charges up even in cloudy weather.

Passerby’s marveled at the new product, which goes for $995 for an 8-foot board, and $1,295 for a 10-foot board.

Mickey Munoz stopped by, checking out the new invention.

“The next step is to plug it into your electric wetsuit to warm it up,” he said jokingly.

Another fairly new product showcased at the event was Kahuna Creations longboard skateboard that you can push using the “Big Stick,” similar to the latest craze of Stand up Paddleboarding.

This product was created when the now-president’s car broke down, and he had to skateboard five miles – his legs cramping up. There has to be a better way, he thought.

“I just had a blast on this thing!” said Aaron Lybarger, after giving it a spin.

Lybarger was there with his sons, pro longboarder Joe Aaron and Jordan, who were showing and selling their surf art.

For surfer Pete Casica, 21, the day was all about the surf competition. He was knocked out early, but said it was all about having a good time.

“It wasn’t about winning, it’s about respecting the name,” he said of the Dewey Weber Longboard Contest. Casica fixed boards for the Webers years ago, and for the contest he rode one of their vintage boards. “I was expecting to get taken out. It was more about having fun.”

FCS and Lost surfboards introduce new fin

Jeff Malanca, contributing writer — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:16:31 +0000

It seems most surfers these days have the luxury of trying out different fins on their boards thanks to companies like FCS (Fin Control System).

Just recently FCS and Lost Surfboard’s Matt Biolos released the GMB fin template with a new Performance Core construction which consists of a Resin Transfer Molding process.

This popular FCS fin has been on the market for some time, but the PC construction enhances the feel and performance of the GMB making it more like a fiberglass fin.

The FCS GMB PC is available as a thruster, a quad or as a convertible, making it one of the most versatile FCS fin sets.

The FCS GMB fin is used by some of the best surfers in the world and by Mayhem’s crew of Lost team riders, including ASP World Championship Tour surfer Chris Ward. The new fin is now available in surf shops.

FCS and Lost surfboards introduce new fin is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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Dano celebrates 20 years of shaping

Laylan Connelly, staff writer — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:32:15 +0000

Dano lovers turned out to show their support for the surfboard shaper at a 20th anniversary bash held at the Hurley headquarters in Costa Mesa on Friday.

Boards representing various eras and design were set up on display.

“It doesn’t seem like 20 years,” said Dan Forte, the man behind Dano Surfboards.

Dano bought his first blank 20 years ago, and made it under his mom’s house in Laguna Hills.

“It was kind of weird, but I rode it,” he said.

Soon, friends were hitting him up for boards. And a business began.

“It’s awesome. I get to do what I’m passionate about and love everyday. I’m truly blessed, you can’t ask for a better life,” he said.

Dano celebrates 20 years of shaping is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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Laird Hamilton signature traction pad

Jeff Malanca, contributing writer — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:06:47 +0000

If you’re a stand-up paddler and you’re a fan of Laird Hamilton, then check this out. The world class waterman and big wave charger has joined the On A Mission stand up paddle global team.

Hamilton’s signature traction pad for SUP’s will be on store shelves this September. On A Mission’s Ross McInnes says he is “thrilled at signing Laird, he’s just amazing in the water – a total legend who is indestructible.”

Some of the other notable names in the surfing world representing the OAM brand include Taylor Knox, Bede Durbidge, Ross Williams and Chris and Keith Malloy.

Laird Hamilton signature traction pad is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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Things to do on OC beaches this weekend

Laylan Connelly, staff writer — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:48:06 +0000

There’s tons of stuff to get into this weekend down at the beach, so hopefully these gloomy skies will fade to allow for some sunny skies along Orange County beaches. Here’s some ideas on what to do:

Clean the beach – then drink some wine

Surf-a-Rama hits Doheny this weekend

Rip Curl GromSearch set for HB

Surf authors come to town for tour

Channel Islands demo day coming to HB

Obey Sample Sale this weekend

Things to do on OC beaches this weekend is a post from: OC Beach Blog

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