Radalog

Heuvo

2011-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

New handshape from yours truly, works really well, I'll start accepting orders next year. Haha!

6'9" x 20.5 x 2.5, built for groveling in small summer surf, but tail pulled in enough to handle some juice if need be. 2+1 fin setup for versatility.

Finished Product

2011-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

So Moonlight called me up and said the boards was ready. Picked it up last week but due to a stomach ailment, I didn't get to give a spin till this morning. Gotta admit that it worked pretty well, in punchy, shoulder high beach break. Stoked to give it another whirl tomorrow and the day after that.....

Rock and Roll

2011-01-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

It had been a long time since I'd done anything really "rad". January 2011 has been one of the "radder" months in recent memory for a variety of reasons. One of the "raddest" things was the building of a new backyard board shaping rack upon which various shapes and sizes of surfing devices will be crafted.

This piece of foam was given to me by my sister for Xmas and will be transformed into a 6'2" fish by the Ides of March.

The outline has been cut but there are still decisions to be made. Glass on or removable??? Quad or twin ??? Single wing or double bump??? More pics to come and more work to be done.

This song makes me happy...

2010-08-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Symphonic Cowboy Music at it's best. This is my shit man.

Fat and Lazy

2010-07-12T22:07:00.001-07:00

I don't surf anymore. But if I did I would like to surf like this...

http://innersection.tv/video/128

Art -of- Ficial

2010-05-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

As a quasi-scientist I really dig this sort of thing... I've been talking about using dump truck tires to fix a couple of spots for about 10 years now. These guys seem to have it a little more dialed in.

India's First Multi-Purpose Reef Goes Off from ASR Limited on Vimeo.

Who knows where this wave is?

2010-04-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Beat of the Week

2010-03-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

I used to rock this track all day, every day. Forgot about it until yesterday. Left Field and Roots Manuva, Dusted . Awesome production value and cool english dude flow. The video effin rocks too.

Drawing a line off the paper...

2010-03-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Modern Collective. WTF. This video is heavy. The soundtrack is unreal. These guys are surfing at a level unlike I've ever seen. Bottom turn, 360 Air, bottom turn, alley oop air w/ double grab, bottom turn, heaviest cutback ever. Literally, they are taking their boards off the wave face and coming back down without losing speed or momentum. Fluidly connecting airs and linking them with traditional turns and not looking like a douche bags. I was beside myself when I first saw it, I'm still awed after seeing it a second time.

I remember I surfed at Lakey peak with Dion, Dusty and Yadin for a week back in 2007, and it was rad to watch them rip and try to push my own surfing to the next level. Looking back it still seems like some of the best turns I've ever done were on that trip. I remember paddling out watching Yadin take off in the barrel, do a big lien air, then fit in two quick whacks before doing some sort of 360 cutback into the closeout. Then I remember D.hump yelling at him something about trying to launch higher. Meanwhile I was thinking that was the biggest air I'd ever seen in person, by a long shot. Incidentally, Peter Mendia was also on that trip and I remember him throwing 50 gallon buckets of spray when I was paddling out from a left. So power surfing is still rad and will never go out of style but full rail power surfing with big airs is even radder.

I turn 30 next week and feel like I just got 10 years younger after watching Modern Collective. I'm going to buy a 5'10" epoxy shred stik and start trying to surf like I skate or snowboard. Watch this video as soon as you can, it's like cialis for your surfing. Here's a trailer...

DanMar Original Print Circa 2005

2010-03-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hand Cut Linoleum, Red Ink and Rice Paper. Just found it in the archive. Made during my brief stint at the Hui.

Marine Layer Productions is beyond Rad

2010-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my favorites, check out how hard he hits it on his backside. Damn son, look at that body rotation. Fins free is the new rail gouge. Pink is the new brown which is the new black, so you figure it out.

I've had this link on my site for a few months, but who knows how many of you have actually clicked on it. For those of you who have, you know how cool this site is, but for those who have not, lemme tell you it's probably the best source of high quality video of what may be the best surfer in the world right now...Dane Reynolds. Click on the link and watch his other videos like Slopey Slalom Ski, the beat is sizzling and the surfing is pretty hot too.

Beat of the week

2010-02-23T10:04:00.000-08:00

Pumphouse 35 at Sunset

2010-02-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately a lot of the best waves in San Diego are located at sewer pumping stations. This motivated one of my favorite writers, Tom Wolfe, to write The Pumphouse Gang. Not the best book in the world by any means but certainly enjoyable. If you live in California and surf, you should probably do your self a favor and read it. "Meda!"

These pics are from another pumphouse, but one that is often just as protected.

From the archives of Surfer Magazine...

2010-02-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

This short piece from 2003, deals with something near and dear to my heart, the fish.

Also from this episode, a picture of a local break a lot of people choose to ride fishes at, which would seem to shatter the notion that they are for small, mushy waves.

Happy New Year

2010-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's February 1st, which means I just started writing the correct date on checks, correspondence, etc. The last forty or so days, have seen some of the best swell and conditions in recent memory. Naturally, I've spent very little time taking pictures or taking care of business in general and have spent the majority of my days in the pursuit of noodle-armed perfection. However, I have managed to capture a few images during the last month that I finally have gotten around to sharing them.

Best right point break in San Diego

This guy is doing is Lopez impersonation

Lefts and Rights
Cold, Square Morning

Way bigger than it looks

2009-12-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Shot from over a mile away on December 9th, 2009. I've seen this wave work about three times in the last two years as it takes 10 ft, 20 second plus type energy to ignite this deepwater break. Wherever you think this wave is, that's where it's not. My guess is this thing is easily 15-20 feet on the face, unfortunately there is no way to get a sense of scale. You'll just have to trust me. If you can name the break and where it was shot from I'll give you some back issues of surfer I've gorging on for the last month.

Out of focus, but in the slot

2009-12-14T13:50:00.001-08:00

Stoked Reading Material

2009-11-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

Just Havin' Fun

2009-10-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Texture

2009-10-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wind was offshore this morning, waves were inconsistent but fun. Air was remarkably cold, fall is definitely here. Here are a few black and whites that show the various textures of a Southern California autumn.

Trim

2009-09-29T05:09:00.000-07:00

Small days with clean conditions lead to some smooth trimmin.

Paths

2009-09-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a trip up north and scored some good waves. While returning from one of the better waves in the area, I noticed how beautiful the path back to the road was. I snapped a few pictures to share with you here. If you've been fortunate enough to lay sights on this trail after catching a few drainers, you'll recognize this trail immediately. Tread lightly.

Mysto

2009-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sidewalk Surfing

2009-09-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Maiden Voyage

2009-08-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Great album by Herbie Hancock.

I also made my Maiden Voyage in the "Blue Dream" Baja mobile to Punta XXX with 3 friends. The drive was long and at times scary. The vibe was very hostile, and for parts of the trip safety was the primary concern for the group. Fluent spanish skills and a calm temperament eased us through one particularly sticky situation. Nevertheless, we were rewarded with some great waves in a very remote part of Baja California.

Fences everywhere.

Guns everywhere. This shot below almost got me in big trouble. That guy is wielding an RPG mounted on top of a Humvee. I then got to feel an M16 up against my scapula.

Sunset perfection.

Mysto left on fire.

Glass on fins work the best.

Livin' the Blue Dream.

Setting up for the barrel section.

Got fish?

Mi hijo

2009-08-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Das Adventurewagen ist wunderbar

2009-08-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly why but the idea of cruising up the highway, bumping an old Black Uhuru cassette tape in this VW van seems very appealing to me.

Sugar on the Asphalt

2009-07-29T10:03:00.001-07:00

A few pics from the mayhem that was a well broadcast weekend south swell in sunny Southern California.

-Sunday Afternoon at Chumash Creek-

-Friday Evening at Roseville Reefs-

Hype

2009-07-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Summer Love

2009-07-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Normally I hate summer. Since I was about 16 I've been under the impression that summer sucks for surf (and I grew up in Oceanside!) Sure the water was warm and there were some epic days of combo swells, but most of summer was walled or flat and always crowded. I would prefer a good day in fall or winter every day of the week. As I've grown older and moved further south, I've only become more sour on the madness that is summer. Living in Point Loma their is a paucity of quality summer breaks around and their is no shortage of surfers. Last summer was the worst in years and I was ready to call it quits during August. I was determined to surf only in the months of Oct-May give or take a few swells.

But this April was an amazing time to surf in South San Diego and the it seems like we had nonstop windswell waves well into May. Since then we've been graced with an extremely consistent run of south swells which have kept me in the water at least 5 days a weeks. More importantly it seems as if the crowds haven't been quite as bad as they have during the last few summers. I surfed fun chest high waves today with offshore winds in North County with 12 guys out. I got about 15 waves in just under an hour and several head-ducks/tuberides. It's real tough to argue with that in early July ( it's easy to argue with the water temp right now, brr.)

So I've decided to show summer some love because of all the love it's shown for me in the recent weeks. BTW, summer nights have always been good to me :)

Anxiety Control pt 2

2009-06-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Finished this recycled egg/funboard thing in time for the recent run of south swell. It looks kinda funny, but paddles like crazy. And it actually surfs pretty well, but forces you to draw a pretty long lines, swoop and carve mood for sure. Got some good ones at several reefs, beaches and points across multiple area codes during the last few weeks.

7'2ish x 20ish x 2 & 1/2ish, give or take a few. Click here to see how it used to look.

Bucket

2009-06-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to post something every Tuesday in order to satisfy the neverending demand of my enourmous readership.

This is the definition of a bucket.

Threading it down the line

2009-06-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

Wes Montgomery keeps it real

2009-06-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Radical Aliens

2009-06-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Lineups in Black and White

2009-05-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Uber-consistent wind swell and light winds??? meant some good waves went unridden during the last few weeks.

My answer to summer flat spells...

2009-05-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Very mellow way to spend the arvo.

North

2009-04-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to go on an extended roadtrip to Northern California with my wife and son. People always try to scare you about NorCal, especially when you get north of the bridge. They say "It's Cold, It's Sharky, It's Heavy, It's Windy, It's Localized, etc." While all these things are true ( especially the cold part), you can still score up north if you know the rules of the game and are willing to excercise patience. I scored lot's of barrels, and lot's of wide open space. Here are a fewer of the choice images from the trip.

W.O.R.

2009-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know I how I stumbled upon this site but I did. It's good to see people commited to the cause of all things rad. These people surf (quite well) too.

www.warriorsofradness.com

I think I'm going to pick up a sweatshirt to sport around town.

The Van Gods Approve

2009-03-22T21:16:00.001-07:00

I see this car in the lot everyonce in awhile and I find myself humming songs by Heart.

Good Waves and Light Crowds

2009-03-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me. I'm embarrassed to mention how good I got some waves this week with less than 5 people out. Everyone must of quit surfing during February and forgotten to check the beach. The powers that be had listed these days as small and windy, when in fact they were head high and glassy. I knew there was a reason I live less than a mile from the beach...

Simmons Inspired, Skip Approved

2009-02-03T13:19:00.001-08:00

I haven't been surfing much in the last month and a half. I scored some great waves north of Point Conception during the second and third week of January, but had my camera (and CD's) jacked at our campsite. That sucked. Since I've been back in SD, the waves have been crap but I've managed to keep busy doing other random stuff.

I ran into Chris from Surf Indian today and he had this board on his roof. I asked him if I could take a couple pictures. 9 footish and shaped by Steve Mast, it was really different looking with a huge single concave, quasi-step deck and beautifully foiled Geppys. He said it went great and wasn't as wierd as he had anticipated. He also mentioned that he let Skip have a few on it and it was given the official stamp of approval.

I'd like to try this board at a long lined up point, with predominate side/offshore winds and a concave pocket. I could see it beeing really fast.

Anxiety Control

2008-12-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

I haven't surfed for about a week. It's been cold, small and windy. So I started a project I've been hyped on for awhile to help calm the nerves.

This board was magic, but it's time in the water was over. Two/thirds of the board was delaminated and the fins weren't even connected to the foam anymore.

So I stripped the entire board, salvaged the logos and fins.

Then scraped off all the moldy wet foam to clean things up.

I'm going to have to trim a little length, width and thickness but the result should be a 7'2"ish "very" funboard.

Backpaddlers Beware!

2008-12-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

I consider myself to be a relatively positive person. There isn't much that really upsets me. Every once in awhile however, something manages to get under my skin enough that I feel the need to rant on for hours on end. Recently the poor etiquette in the lineup has been of particular concern.

The back paddlers were out by the dozens that day. You know those guys who are sitting wide of the peak and a little further out than you. Then a perfect peak comes in and you're in the takeoff position. You turn around and begin to paddle to shore. Over your shoulder you see that guy who was sitting wide of you start to paddle behind you. You think nothing of it and assume he's lining up the next wave. You pop up and start to drop in. All of the sudden that same guy is taking off behind you and he whistles to call you off it !!! What the F*#$! You have to be kidding. The only move more blatant that that would have been to paddle directly underneath you and then turnaround to take the wave.

Growing up here I've seen may fair share of this sneaky tactic. It was usually employed by one of my "sponsored" friends who thought he deserved every wave or a crusty old guy who claims his localism on a daily basis. But this year everyone has been doing it. College kids just learning to surf, brazilian tourists on holiday, middle aged goons on softops and everyone in between.

On the day in question I decided enough is enough and started dropping in/tackling anyone who employed the technique. I had been surfing for an hour or two and was getting a decent amount of waves including several gems. Another peak was headed right towards me, I asked the guy to my left what way he wanted to go and he said "left". Perfect, as a saw a beautiful right wall unfold ahead of me. Then I could feel some one paddle behind me and get elbow to elbow with me. I told the guy to watch himself but he took off anyway. I snapped, dropped in right on top of him and tackled him into the surf. Underwater I grabbed his board and yanked the leash as hard as I could. I emerged from the water and waited for the perpetrator to surface. The lifeguard in me asked the guy if he was ok. When he replied yes, I yanked his leash and gave him a quick lecture. He tried to swim away but I had his leash and board in my hand and would not let him go. We sat in the impact zone taking sets on the head until I felt he had learned his lesson. I gave him his board back, he said sorry and paddled down the beach. I think the intervention was successful. No one got hurt and this guy understands the importance of waiting in line, respecting the order and not paddling behind people to snake waves.

Afterwards I was a little upset. Several people saw what I did and were giving me dirty looks. Several other people were laughing because the perpetrator had back paddled them as well. I wondered to myself if this was what to need to be done to ensure a respectful lineup? I hope not, but I will employ the technique again if provoked. I've told several other members of my posse as well and the word is out. Backpaddlers, underpaddlers, guys who take off in the foam behind people and all other manners of oceanic serpents.........Beware!

December Sunset

2008-12-06T17:44:00.001-08:00

Gotta love those pinstripes

2008-12-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

If you don't like this van, then I probably don't like you. My buddy picked this thing up for some deep Mex missions this winter. Right hand points await...

Rain, Fog and Swell

2008-11-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

Ocotber was cooking

2008-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Literally, I trunked it for 3 hours on Halloween and didn't approach getting cold. I spent so much time in the water during this month I seemed to have lost track of everything else. This isn't the first time this has happened, and I hope it won't be the last. I probably quadrupled my tube time for the year and I hope you did too. Here's a few images I managed to capture in between surfs.

Or is it an Indian Summer?

2008-10-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Finally fall

2008-09-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

What a week! Pretty good waves around the county and everyone has gone back to wherever it is they came from. I surfed a peak by myself for the first time since April. The traffic has almost disappeared. The hotel sign down the street says it all.

This outer reef was real fun during the south swell last week. More waves than people in the lineup. Very refreshing.

Fly By

2008-09-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Tree

2008-09-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

This movie spoke to me

2008-09-02T16:27:00.001-07:00

Rent it. Basqiuat (1996)

Jim

2008-08-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

This guy asked me to take his picture, so I did.

Continental

2008-08-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Raddest Board I've Seen in Awhile

2008-05-13T14:27:00.001-07:00

Would love to ride this board in overhead hollow surf. The tail is really pulled in and foiled nicely. The custom Gephardt fins are just icing on the cake, Marine Ply Double Foil. There isn't too much this board's not ready for.

South Swell Weekend

2008-05-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Great day at the local reefs
This bodyboarder kept pulling into the most mutant pits

This wave below was firing with no one on it.

Picture me rollin

2008-05-01T09:23:00.001-07:00

Surf Movies Kinda Suck Right Now

2008-04-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

No offense to any filmmakers or the surfers who are starring in these films but enough is enough. I can only listen to the SAME people wax poetic about the SAME topics riding the SAME boards at the SAME breaks with soundtracks that sound the........SAME.

The retro revival, find your soul in surfing, let's play slow mood music and watch surfers in slow motion type of movie has officially bored me to death.

I realized this the other day when I popped in a copy of one of these "new" flicks and was like WTF, didn't I just see a movie with these 3 brothers traveling around the world surfing some far out places, didn't I just see a movie with this chick cross stepping all sexy like at The Pass, didn't I just see another movie with some "stoked on the glide guy" riding a behemoth board at some musher and didn't I see this same cat spray painting the bottom of his board, ripping a log at another musher. These people should know better. What are they hard up for? Cash? Exposure? Who knows. I saw this movie five years ago, It was called...

I challenge the filmmakers out there to come up with some new shit. This hull thing seems interesting but the surfers riding them can look pretty awkward. The Simmons movie should be cool when it's done, if it ever gets finished. Maybe all the finless, paipo, alaia hype will produce a good movie as well.

I'm going back into the vault to watch the Innnermost Limits of Pure Fun or 5 Summer Stories.

Out

Where were you?

2008-04-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Obviously too many people are going on-line to check the surf rather than drive to the beach and give it a look. Lot's of little square ones went completely un-ridden on this day. Better for me I guess...

Slash!

2008-04-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Where the streets have no name

2008-04-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is but sometimes I like taking pictures of really mundane shit sometimes. This was one of those days where the simple seemed a little special.

A pure little south

2008-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

Got to love south swells like this one, no hype from the forecasters, just kinda snuck under the radar and if you were lucky enough to go check it early today you would have had it alone for 45 minutes, until I paddled out. We scored for another hour or so. Then came the hoard...

For Real?

2008-03-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Summer Travel Quiver

2008-03-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Monday Morning

2008-02-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is what I woke up to early Monday morning, this wave went for another 150 yards until I lost the guy. We surfed for 4 hours straight. Even at the queen of the coast, crowds aren't an issue when it 's this consistent and this big.

Quick Sunday

2008-02-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

Never seen a swell fill in that fast in California. Reminded me of when I lived on Maui. Good waves for sure, had to get ready to hit the road for points north in the morning.

This wave isn't as good as the picture makes it look.

Neither is this one. Or is it?

OBSF Road Trip

2008-02-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Scored a few little pits on a recent trip to OBSF. Had a lot of fun on this trip, warm water, just overhead, easy paddles and no crowd.

.Also saw an amazing van. How would you like to hit the road on this thing?

Pimpin aint Easy

2008-02-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what's going right here, but it's seems suspect.

An amazing weekend

2008-02-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

How blessed were those in San Diego this weekend? This guy was having a good time for sure, although on the cliff we were contemplating throwing a penalty flag for tube avoidance.

Fish and Chips

2008-01-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but I've been obsessed with this place since I was 12 years old. I tend to gravitate to anything that looks like it belongs on a movie set or comes from a specific era in time. This day in age , the abundance of big box retailers and restaurant chains makes a place like this seem more real.

Epic Frontside Turn

2008-01-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Found this T-shirt at thrift store in OBSD. Way too small , but I figured it was worth a picture. Ocean Pacific really had some rad design back in the 80's.

What a View

2008-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite stretches of coast in the entire world. Imagine my delight as I rounded the corner to see this right hander doing it's thing. Look closely and you'll see a guy getting shacked on the inside.

Vintage Noseride

2007-12-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

Gotta love small days sometimes, wouldn't you like to be where this guy is right now?

Biggest Wednesday.

2007-12-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

I sacked up, made the drive and surfed Rincon, El Cap and Cat Canyon on this swell, whereas on the swell two years ago I surfed Church all day, so it's tough to compare. I wish I had some pictures but I was too busy surfing. However, when comparing the buoys from this swell to the last "Big Wedenesday", I'd definitely agree.

A local semi-secret spot in rare form on the day after "Biggest Wednesday". Only 2 guys on it, stand up barrels all the way through the inside when the sets hit.

Macrocystis radicalis

2007-11-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Tom Killion is a very Talented artist who works in traditional style of Japanese woodblock printing. His work will be featured in the next Surfer's Journal.

www.tomkillion.com

Rad!

2007-11-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

One of the inspirations for the title of this blog.
Lori Laughlin is so hot. How can you deny this movie?
Do yourself a favor and rent it next time your bored.

See also Gleaming the Cube, North Shore and Ski Patrol

Bunker Spreckels is my hero

2007-10-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Face it. You want to be Bunker Spreckels. Minus the early death, this guy did it right. My uncle was friends with him out on Maui and used to tell me about him. Bunker charged 20 ft outside reefs on 7'6" guns and 5'8" fishes. As if that wasn't cool enough he had loads of hot chicks following him around the world while he searched for waves. Yeah. You want to be this guy.

Indo Electrical

2007-10-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

The raddest electrical box I've ever seen.

Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia

Baja Norte

2007-10-25T14:24:00.001-07:00

Hearing of a epic combo swell we loaded up the ponies and headed to Northern Baja. It was damn windy but there were some mean barrels to be had by those who possessed the scrotum necessary to paddle into such beasts. Full speed pits, not for the faint of heart.

Baja Norte, Mexico