Test Run 2

I took my new camcorder out for another aquatic test run this afternoon. To make a long story short, I realized a little more today that I'm no Scotty Carter. Oh well, I had fun recording, and, at the end of the day, that's what it's really all about.

After today's test run, it's apparent that recording in the water generally sucks at beach breaks since you can't really record the entire ride due to the waves closing out most of the time. On the other hand, maybe I just need to find the right technique(s) to make the most out of recording beach-break waves from in the water.

BIA 2009: Zuma

I checked out the BIA contest up at Zuma today. I couldn't stay for the entire contest, but I was able to see Nick's DK heat. Nick did well. In fact, I've since found out that he came in second in his DK division and first in the Juniors division. Congratulations, Nick!

The pictures below are from Nick's DK heat and the DK heat that took place right before Nick's heat. The video clip is also from the DK heat that took place right before Nick's heat, as well as a couple of groms' heats.


Nick about to get shacked








My cousin decided to get some Zuma action too

BIA 2009: Zuma from Team Stoked on Vimeo.

Warm Waters

The water was warm this afternoon. I wouldn't say it was Hawaii-warm, but if you were a trooper, you would definitely be fine in just boardshorts. The waves were rather pleasant, too. They would break on the outside and then reform on the inside, and if you were lucky you could get a nice little close-out shack.



If you had low expectations, the waves were decent; however, I assure you they weren't as good as my cousin's facial expression would lead you to believe

Night and Day

My cousin was down for a sesh this afternoon, so I decided I'd record his sesh from the beach since I hadn't used my camcorder in a while. We went to the same spot that we went to yesterday. Trouble was by the time we got there the onshore winds were already wreaking havoc. As you can probably guess, the waves were pretty crappy. The waves were so crappy, in fact, that we decided to call it a day pretty quickly. Looking at the waves today, you'd never guess how fun they were yesterday - the difference was like night and day.

Fun Toobs

Thanks to the up-to-the-minute spot check report via Brandon, I was able to have a fun sesh at one of my favorite breaks. The conditions were nice too. In fact, it was the first Saturday sesh that I've had in a while where the conditions were nice. There were also some fun toobs to be had.

Spring Cleaning

With summer just around the corner, I decided to do some spring cleaning by giving away a few things. If you want any of this stuff, send me an email at team.stoked@gmail.com (or text me if you have my number) By the way, please be either in the South Bay area or willing to travel there as I don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping.


Brand new Aleeda wetsuit cap that was only tried on to see how it fits. Size large. I'm giving it away because it's one size too small



Brand new bodyboarding DVD that I got for free from OC Surf & Sport.



Used Fire DVD. It's well produced, but it's not what I had expected

June Gloom Session

I was pleasantly surprised by the waves today. They had a lot better shape than they did yesterday (must have been the tide), and there were a few nice sets that came rolling through.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures today. The overcast weather that's common in Socal during this time of year (known as June gloom) made lighting pretty bad (not that bad lighting ever stopped me from taking pictures before!). Also, it seemed like my camera wasn't focusing correctly. If that wasn't enough, most of my pics had water spots on them. What's up with that?

For what it's worth, here are some of the pics from today:

Sal in the distance



Up close and personal with Nick




Snaking in progress



Brandon going faster than my camera can focus

Sponger-Less

Knowing there was a swell in the water, I ran down to the beach to see what was good. Since I was heading to a spot popular amongst spongers, I thought I'd see a bunch of my bodyboarding brethren out in the line-up. Funny thing was, there was only one sponger out. I snapped a couple of pictures of said sponger, as well as a few waves, and then called it a day. Of note: there were some decent sized sets coming through. However, the waves in general were pretty walled

The sets come marching in

Pre-Work Session

I decided I owed it to myself to catch a morning weekday session, so I ran down to the beach early this morning and did just that. Although the conditions weren't the best, the waves were bigger than I expected them to be, and, all in all, I had a fun sesh.

5:37 AM: I'm usually still in bed at this time



Surfing at first light



The sun finally shows its face



The man behind the cam