"There are no more committed people on the planet than surfers. We fall down a lot. We turn around, paddle back out, and do it over and over again. Unlike anything else in life, the stoke of surfing is so high that the failures quickly fade from memory" ~Gary Sirota
Up-to-Date Surf & Weather Forecast for Punta De Mita, Mexico
Surf Map: Banderas Bay and Surrounding Areas
San Onofre, California
I lived in Huntington Beach, California during my early 20's. One day, my surf-bum neighbors offered to teach me how to surf and I sprung at the opportunity. When we arrived to the water's edge, in front of the pier, both of my neighbors vanished into the water and never looked back. So, I jumped in, too! But instead of trying to follow them into the uber competitive line-up at the Huntington Beach pier, I walked farther south and explored on my own. I ended up just sitting on my board, bobbing in the water, watching the waves...and fell in LOVE (with the feeling of sitting in the powerful ocean; not my neighbors)! To this day, I consider my neighbors to be the best surf instructors ever. Being thrown into the situation has been typical of how I learn best. Within the week, I bought an 8'6 Town & Country board and spent most of my time in the water trying to figure it all out.
Next thing I knew, I was a regular in the dawn patrol line-up. My favorite weekends consisted of relaxing at Sunset Beach, with my mom watching me surf. My weekdays consisted of waking up before the sun to get in the water, as well as, ending the day, once again, in the water. I also got into the nasty little habit of driving to college via Pacific Coast Highway...and when the surf was good, I missed school or showed up a little late. I began to feel guilty about borrowing notes from my classmates when I was showing up to school with flip flops, board shorts and sand in my natted-hair. However, it all worked out...I got my waves and my college degree.
There is nothing in the world that compares to surfing; although the mechanics of spring snowboarding are very similar. And there is nothing that compares to surfing with loved ones. I am always striving to get in more waves than Sam, silently cheering him on when all I can see is the back of his head rising and falling as he glides across the face of the wave, and continually checking to see if he saw me get my last wave; it is part of the fun when you are in the water with another person.
Surf Memories:
Night surfing in a full moon. Funky surf scene in Mancora, Peru. Trading my 8'6 board for the tattoos on my feet. Canoa, Ecuador. Catching a shoulder high wave in Samara. Montanita, Ecuador. Party-waves with Sammy. San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Camping trips to San Onofre. Buying & bringing home my 9'0 from Hawaii. Trestles, California. Pedros Tacos. Sam getting stung by a jelly-fish (multiple times, multiple locations). Surfing with friends. Just sitting in the water on a flat day. Big rights at Turtle Bay in Hawaii (probably shouldn't have been out that day). Getting 'washing-machined' and coming up for air. Locals in Samara giving the wave to me. 4 wheel drive jeep trips to surf breaks in Nicaragua. Looking at the snowy mountains while in the water in So Cal. Board falling out of my truck, at full speed, on PCH. Sore arms and ribs. Sand in the foot of my bed. Turtles popping up next to you. Surf trips from SLC to San Diego.
Samara, Costa Rica
San Diego with Kris & Bethany
'Ka-Pows' North Shore, Hawaii
North Shore, Oahu
Samara, Costa Rica
Trails in San Onofre, California
"The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun" ~Anonymous
