The Rock Showed Swell

The many faces of huge Ventura. If you started out at the top of the point you would end up about a half mile away at the Pier.

As the wind changed Ventura looked perfect and then gnarly all in ten minutes.

Some of the sets were big. Scary big, but if you had the position you could go on forever.

Cutback


Jason Schecter is my new hero going for an off the top floater reentry on a wave that started double overhead. He made it and won the heat, the contest and scored the highest wave score of the contest at 9.43.

After each wave you needed to run back to the line up. The heats barely afforded two waves. The no leash Cardiff Crew had to strap on what they had. Lucas' old soft board leash lasted about one 12 foot set.

With 8 minutes on the clock it was an interesting run back to try to get out for another wave. He put back on his leash event though it was broken maybe to feel like there was some measure of safety.

Big and perfect, a wild ride had by all

Tofino

Canada surf trip this summer looks interesting

Surfing

There’s no wonder Tofino is Canada’s surf capital. Home to the aptly named Long Beach and a host of others, the waves keep rolling in along miles of sandy beaches—35km of surf-able beach break to be exact—leaving plenty of room for all boarders, from absolute surf beginners to seasoned waveriders.

The water is a cool, yet fairly constant 10°C/50°F, making surfing a year-round activity in Tofino, with some of the best rides being caught during the winter when the surf is definitely up! Neoprene is the order of the day with wetsuits, booties, gloves and a hood recommended if you want to spend quality time in the water.

Get started with Tofino surf schools, offering lessons and surf camps, where certified instructors share their knowledge of proper surfing technique, ocean safety, and surf etiquette. Visit our surf shops for surf gear rentals – they’re also the best place for advice on current conditions and where to ride the next epic wave during your stay.

501 / math assigment

I got the call from the Leucadia Project for some input on Erik Baldwin's 501 Sessions

from Ed Lewis
to Aaron Foster
date Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 11:04 AM
subject Erik's 501 sessions a year
Jan 5 (3 days ago)

Aaron,

I am doing a post on Erik’s 501 sessions for the year. Would you be willing to provide me with a little math support on what 501 session a year means?

Lost productivity, loss of wages, the average number of bars of wax you go through, anything your mind can come up with? It would be fun to included.


Well Ed knows I like this type of thing so I messed around a little with the numbers

from Aaron Foster
to Ed Lewis
date Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 1:27 pm
subject Erik's 501 sessions a year/opportunity cost
Jan 5 (3 days ago)


Opportunity Cost



John Stuart Mill defines opportunity cost as-

"the basic relationship between scarcity and choice”

1. The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action.



Opportunity cost is measured subjectively and not necessary within the confines of money or goods. The formula is basically what you give up divided by what you gained. Which bring us to Erik and his 501 sessions in a year.



I will be subjective and go for it:



Let’s define Erik monetarily:



A few facts for the mix;

1) He lives in San Diego County = Median income $86,139

a. He is between 25-40 years old +7.5%,

b. Valedictorian of his High School+11.46% ,

c. White Male (sad but still true) +6.4%



His total average demographic income is $107,984 Annual



2) Let explore the value of surfing

a. A typical one week surf trip is 1493.91 (According to Wave Hunters)

b. Take out airline tickets -40%

c. Add housing cost v hotels in surf destinations +26%



His total yearly value of surfing is $66,807





According to John Mill, Erik gave up 1.6 units of what he gained?



Is this right?



Opportunity cost (oc)=$107,984 – gain (g)$66,768 =$41,216 or $82 dollars per session



Can we add some other math to the equation!



If happiness is gauged on money spent on Psychotropic care we have to do the following.



An average Psychiatrist in San Diego charges $189 per hour. (from studentdoctor.net)



There is no drug or conversation that equals a surf session. It can’t be replaced. If you look at the real number taking happiness into account Erik is ahead $107 per session or $53,607 over the year.

from Ed Lewis
to Aaron Foster
date Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 1:47 pm
subject Erik's 501 sessions a year
Jan 5 (3 days ago)

So you are saying he actually added $53,607 in value to his life last year by surfing 501 session?!


I’m impressed.
from Ed Lewis
to Aaron Foster
date Tue, Jan 7, 2010 at 8:29pm
subject Erik's 501 sessions a year
Jan 7 (1 day ago)
do you want to do a post on this? I just did one with my take but the math sounds better coming from you.
Ed

Yes Value has been added to Erik as well as us getting to surf with him and follow him over the year.


501 is not a prime number, but the sum of the first 18 prime numbers.

Gumby

Cut Back

I think there are two maneuvers that you need to accomplish in surfing.

1) Duck Dive- You know I feel strongly about holding on to your board. See my post

There is a satisfaction to a clean duck dive. You feel like you cheated the ocean and made it through a secret door coming out the other side refreshed. On a nice warm summer day there is nothing better than that first duck dive through the cool water.

2) A roundhouse cutback. It just looks good. Before you start your launching of airs and all the other moves, the full cutback is my favorite move

Is there a Holy Grail of surfing

I know your mind goes right to the Monty Python movie, me too.

However the early writings have Joe of Arimethea an original 'Twilight Fan' taking some blood from Jesus on the cross in a dish,cauldron, plate or some other cup like thing.

Years later mythical King Arthur had his whole crew looking for the thing that would bring, peace, prosperity and so forth to his land.

Other writers claim that the legend was a crossover from the Pagans who used some sacred cup thing to help their crops......but I digress.

We all have an ideal, a Holy Grail in our Surf fantasies.

The boat trip with no one out in perfect tropical conditions. I am not telling you not to go. You have to. You go for the stories and the change of scenery. Getting out of your comfort zone and enjoying the journey good or bad.

Is it good? Yes!

Is the the end all, perfect session that ends all sessions...Is it the Holy Grail?
No, it is awesome though.

But stay with me and think of surfing your home break after a long two weeks of good surf. Your lineup with friends and family surfing till you are silly and coming home to your own bed. Perfection and the pursuit are subjective to your experience. Yet your perfect day is hard to gauge or disagree with. The saying of the surf writers is 'six foot consistent and glassy there is nothing else to say' Do we have perfection and perfect days when we aren't looking?

Like Perceval who met the Fisher King and lived in his castle of luxury with maidens, great food and and all. He had to get the Grail. When he demanded the Grail, he ended up waking up alone and lost.

Maybe on the good days at our own break we found nirvana. A good cloudy day with long head high waves and crowds that are not too bad is what we have found. The search for the Grail might be just as impossible as the literature says...

But time is what we have. Learn to enjoy what we have when we have it. I pass by the mailbox where Dougan has his reserved parking spot at Grandview. He found the Grail by surfing his spot with his friends.

And enjoying everyday

20-10 or Two Thousand and 10

Christie's friend Theresa always wanted to surf. This New Years (unfortunate birthday when you are a kid) Theresa finally had her chance. Hannah was ready to help. With everything working well:

Water: 57.2
Swell: 6ft @ 13 Seconds plus a wind swell
Tide: +7.2
Crowd Factor at Cardiff: Every Sweeper this side of Orange County

Perfect day to go


Hannah swam out with Theresa and she go out right in front of the rocks on the south side of the river. I was a mere spectator. Then Hannah got her into a wave....she came down the 3 foot peeler....and started to get up...tentative at first than she was up!!!! A goofy foot was born! All was going well until we watched Theresa make her first wave and head right for the rocks! Uh Oh... The cops happily parked at the end of the parking lot getting their triple overtime with no one bothering them and every local got up and said AAAHHHHH! Look out!

I was a bit under the weather and not planning on doing anything be spectating ran and put on my wetsuit to try to keep her away from the danger. She caught a couple more until she couldn't stand up.

In the end Theresa was stoked. Here she is post surf learning quickly that the post surf life of a surfer. There is no drug you can buy Theresa or no class you can sign up for to get this feeling. You can only earn this high by getting in the water.

She loved the experience and is ready to charge the lineup. Is there room for one more stoked goofy foot girl with a great attitude?

Always!!!!!.