Monday, September 29, 2014

Litterbug


Hey, litterbug! Don't make us clean up after you

On Sept. 21, 2014 an estimated 1,000 surfers paddled their surfboards around the Ocean Beach Pier to raise awareness for ocean and beach pollution by participating in the Paddle for Clean Water. Photo by Terry Rodgers
On Sept. 21, 2014 an estimated 1,000 surfers paddled their surfboards around the Ocean Beach Pier to raise awareness for ocean and beach pollution by participating in the Paddle for Clean Water. Photo by Terry Rodgers 
 
 
An estimated 1,000 surfers paddled their boards around the Ocean Beach pier on Sept. 21 to raise awareness of ocean and beach pollution by participating in the Paddle for Clean Water. The event, now in its 23rd year, is not only a fundraiser for the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, it serves to remind us all that we need to take better care of our most precious resource, our oceans. So instead of just paddling, here are some things you can do to make a difference.


Pack it in, pack it out
If you and your friends decide to go to the beach to enjoy some tacos and 64 ounces of diet soda, please make sure you throw everything away in a trash can or take it back to your car. I can’t tell you the dozens of times I have gone to the beach and watched visitors leave their food wrappers and bags of fries unattended as the seagulls moved in and tore it to shreds. The worst part is, most of those same people suddenly felt that it was no longer their duty to get that trash off the beach. If you see those people, tell them to get a clue and educate them on where the closest trash cans are located.


Hold on to your butts
I know some people love their smokes, but next time you decide to blast a cig and feel the urge to flick that butt out of your car window, know that your act will be adding to a terrible problem on our beaches. All trash on our highways and city streets eventually finds its way into our storm drains and into the watershed. Last year during just one beach cleanup in Pacific Beach, volunteers picked up more than 6,200 cigarette butts off the sand. In 2013, there were nearly 60,000 butts picked up on the beach — and that’s just what volunteers counted on a few occasions. That number could be zero if people took a few seconds to dispose of their butts properly. Be aware that your actions matter.


Beach toys
Each summer tourists and locals alike want their kids to have a great day at the beach and often pick up a package of blue and pink shovels, green buckets and orange molds to keep their little sand-jammer stoked while they bronze their pale carcass on the beach. What’s mind blowing is how many parents just leave them behind when the exit the beach, like they are doing the next family at the beach a favor. What really happens is the high tide comes in and washes these items into the ocean where they never break down completely and chip into tiny pieces that are eventually ingested by sea animals. Always remember that if you bring it, you take it home.


We are all stewards for our coast and if you love the ocean, pick up trash every time you leave the beach and look into volunteering at the next ocean or beach cleanup. Check out sdcoastkeeper.org or sandiego.surfrider.org for more information about our environment.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Surfing and Fall in San Diego



Surfers can reap autumn's rewards

With fewer tourists in town, fall is a great time to catch some great waves in San Diego in the morning and explore the county in the afternoon.
With fewer tourists in town, fall is a great time to catch some great waves in San Diego in the morning and explore the county in the afternoon. Charlie Neuman
 
Fall is the time of year surfers will gladly add a few millimeters of wetsuit in exchange for the summer kooks heading home. To celebrate, here’s a short list of some things that make our sweet hometown that much better when autumn makes its return.

Empty line-ups and beach parking
Yes! We finally get our beaches back! The kids are in school, vacations are over and tourists have gone back to wherever it is they came from. You can now slide into all those available parking spots, shimmy into your new full-suit and enjoy the uncrowded waves at your local spot. After your surf, tuck into one of the epic coffee shops to warm up. I recommend Bird Rock Coffee Roasters and Bay Park Coffee as they are two of San Diego’s finest and their espresso will rock your socks.

Indian summer
In late September and in October the Santa Ana winds return and the northwest swells get groomed to perfection. These chilly mornings are often less crowded due to the brisk water and later dawns so get out of bed early and be rewarded by watching the day turn from average into something extraordinary. Nothing beats the sunrise and empty perfect tubes.

Football
As a surfer, nothing beats a 1 p.m. kickoff. You will watch the line-up empty out as die-hard fans leave great waves to watch the game and give you the opportunity to enjoy some uncrowded conditions before dark. The downside is if you love the Chargers like I do, you will miss many good waves on Sundays sitting on your couch cussing at the TV. Pick your games wisely and if the surf is good, get out there because you know Rivers is going to break your heart in the fourth quarter.

Julian apple pie
October is apple season in our local mountains and trucking up to Julian is a San Diego rite of passage. Go shred the waves early, grab some coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Kono’s in Pacific Beach then head out on the beautiful drive into Julian. There are quite a few options for pie in town but the standouts are Mom’s and Julian Pie Co. Try both, but in my eyes there is only one that is best and that’s the Julian Pie Co., hands down. Try the Dutch apple pie and I think you’ll agree with me. While you’re up there, try some local wines at the Orfila tasting room in Wynola, and for bonus points do the gold mine tour just out of town, it rules.

Torrey Pines
The beach hike at Torrey Pine State Beach is always killer but go in the late afternoon and watch the cliffs light up during magic hour. Afterward, head up into the bluffs and look out on your beautiful ocean. From that vantage point look for whales heading north, dolphins riding some waves and the local osprey catching fish. It’s breathtaking to say the least and it’s Instagram gold.
Do you have some favorite locations that best represent fall in San Diego that you think we missed? Share them with us on Instagram #discoversd

The GoPro Dummy Mount



GoPro mouth mount making waves

Byron Rohrer is the inventor of Dummy Mount, a simple Mouth Mount solution to carry your GoPro Camera between your teeth.
Byron Rohrer is the inventor of Dummy Mount, a simple Mouth Mount solution to carry your GoPro Camera between your teeth. — Rick Nocon
Do you own a GoPro Hero 3? You know the one. It’s the little hi-definition camera that is the world’s best-selling camera. San Diego surfer Byron Rohrer has one, and after using it and finding that the accessories available to him didn’t meet his needs, he created the world’s first mouth mount for the device. The creation, called the Dummy Mount, is a molded mouthpiece made of soft silicone and rubber that the user can easily breathe through and film their favorite activity hands-free.
Every idea starts somewhere, and for Rohrer that moment came in early 2014 when he suffered a knee injury. During the recovery, he started tinkering in his garage, fabricating prototypes for a mouth-mounted accessory that would fit his GoPro camera. He wanted something that he could use and keep his hands free to push up on his surfboard. Eventually, it all clicked, and the breathable mouthpiece mount was ready for research and development.



photo
Byron Rohrer is the inventor of Dummy Mount, a simple Mouth Mount solution to carry your GoPro Camera between your teeth. — Rick Nocon 
 
The little item with the funny name is making its debut to the public after months of R&D and grass roots marketing. I asked Rohrer how the name came about and the bushy-haired surfer said, “When I was first using the prototype, my buddies would give me a hard time saying that it looked like I had a baby pacifier in my mouth. On my trips to New Zealand I remembered that the Kiwis called pacifiers dummies, so right then and there I knew I had my name.”

I also asked what the response was like when he first used it in public, and with a smile Rohrer said, “Everyday, 15 people would paddle up to me and ask what it was and where they could buy one. It turns out many other people have GoPro cameras and share the same frustrations.” With that bit of inspiration, Rohrer rolled the dice, got a loan and decided to quit his dead-end job and make a fresh start. Within the week, he filed for a patent and started on the fast track to producing the world’s first breathable mouth mount for the GoPro camera.

After Roher got his production samples, he knew he needed to get some backing from professionals. The tenacious Rohrer booked himself a flight to Fiji at the same time as an ASP world-tour surf event, chartered a boat and paddled into the Cloudbreak lineup with his invention. He knew he had to make his own luck.

Right away, the pros were asking him the same question as the kids back in Pacific Beach, “What is it?” and “Where do I get one?” Rohrer passed out his samples and explained the device to top pros Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson and many others. The positive feedback was immediate, and it didn’t stop in the surf. The demand for the Dummy Mount has grown outside of water sports, finding traction in tennis, golf, fishing and biking. These are a few other sports that are discovering the little accessory with the unforgettable name, what would you use it for?

If you would like to learn more about the Dummy Mount visit their website dummymount.com and their Facebook page facebook.com/dummymount

You can find all my articles over at www.discoversd.com 

The Hurley Pro



Top surfers converge at Lower Trestles

 Surfer Josh Kerr, 30, who lives in Carlsbad is one of top surfers on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) tour. He will compete in the upcoming Hurley Pro at Trestles.
Surfer Josh Kerr, 30, who lives in Carlsbad is one of top surfers on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) tour. He will compete in the upcoming Hurley Pro at Trestles. K.C. Alfred
One of the first things you learn as a kid growing up in San Diego is if you want to get good waves in the summer, you’re going to have to drive an hour north or south. If you’re at Crystal Pier in PB and it’s waist high, you can jump in your car and make the 50-minute drive north and score pumping overhead sets at Trestles. Just know that 50 of the best surfers in Southern California will already be out, and there won’t be a scrap left for the old, the weak or the kooks. The young lions will take what they want.
Lower Trestles, while only a few hundred yards away from San Clemente and the grind of the OC, is in north San Diego County. Locals like Kolohe Andino, Christian Fletcher, Chris Ward and many others have built their careers there due to its consistent surf and proximity to local surf magazines — making it a favorite for surfers and surf photographers alike. While it’s known as SoCal’s cradle of modern surfing, the other thing that makes the wave so special is that it picks up almost all swell angles, and the summertime south swells focus on the rugged cobblestone point like no other.


photo
Sunset view from Trestles in North San Diego County. — John Gastaldo / John Gastaldo

A brief history

During the 1960s, access to the area surrounding Trestles was restricted because of military activity, so determined surfers would paddle great lengths to surf the wave. Unfortunately, it was a time before leashes, so if you lost your board and didn’t get to it quickly, some angry military police would chase you down. In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed a bill allowing access to the beach at Lowers, thus forever changing the surf scene in Southern California.
While there have been contests held at the break for decades, none is more legendary than the 1989 Body Glove contest when San Clemente surfer Christian Fletcher took skateboarding tricks off the ramp and into the water, shattered the status quo and unknowingly poured the foundation of today’s modern surfing maneuvers. At the time, the world’s best surfers were lucky to get their fins out on their top turns. Today, pros like Hawaii’s John John Florence and Brazil’s Gabriel Medina have built their careers flying six feet above the waves. In recent years, the one surfer who has owned the spot competitively is 11-time world champion Kelly Slater. He won his first professional contest at Lowers in 1990, and has since gone on to win the event six times.

The tour comes to town



photo
Kelly Slater greeted by fans at the beach after finishing off Kalani Robb in the quarter finals in 2005 surf competition at Lower Trestles. — Peggy Peattie 
 
This week’s ASP World Tour stop, the Hurley Pro, is Southern California’s only chance to watch all the top-ranked surfers compete at the legendary break. It is also where the pros break out the most cutting-edge equipment and progressive maneuvers. To say the pros look forward to the Lowers event is an understatement.
One of the first things you’ll notice is that Hurley pulls out all the stops with this event. It builds a huge, three-story compound on the point and provides every amenity for traveling surfers, their families and the surf industry insiders who hang from every corner of the scaffolding. This event is where the ASP first started putting surfers’ names and world rank on the back of their jerseys, helping the unknowledgeable to differentiate the competitors. It’s those little things that make an event step up from good to great.

2014 Hurley Pro

When: Sept. 9-20
Where: Trestles (in San Onofre State Beach)
Online: aspworldtour.com
Some differences this year will be the presence of larger non-endemic blanket sponsors such as Samsung, which was a decision made by the new controlling entity of the ASP, ZoSea. This move was once controversial within the surf industry, but the “new” ASP has done a nice job with its newfound professionalism. The increase in prize money, the return of great venues and a static announcing crew are all things that have the pros nodding with approval and keep the surf fans tuning in to every contest.

What it takes

I recently spoke with Josh Kerr, the gregarious Australian surfer now living in San Diego’s North County who also happens to be ranked in the top 10 on the world tour. Kerr lives right down the road from Lowers in Carlsbad with his wife and two children, and is a team rider and brand ambassador for a number of local companies, including Arnette sunglasses in Encinitas, Fish 101 restaurant in Leucadia and Rusty Surfboards and Saint Archer beer, both based in Miramar.
I asked Kerr what he thinks it takes to win the Hurley Pro. “Lowers is such a rippable wave, you really have to be on point with your surfing, otherwise it shows,” Kerr said. “At other places you can rely on wave choice and just be on the good ones for barrels and such, but that doesn’t apply at Lowers.”
I also asked Kerr what his favorite memory at Lowers is, to which he replied, “Just every time my family and friends cheer for me after riding a wave. It’s a great feeling.” If you were looking for someone to root for, I think you just found your man.


Previous winners

2013 – Taj Burrow
2012 – Kelly Slater
2011 – Kelly Slater
2010 – Kelly Slater
2009 – Mick Fanning
2008 – Kelly Slater
2007 – Kelly Slater
2006 – Richie Lovett
2005 – Kelly Slater


photo
Kelly Slater came from behind in the final round of 2005 Boost Mobile Pro Men's World Tour competition at Lower Trestles to win the event, beating out Australian Phil MacDonald, who was ahead for 32 of the 35 minute final. — Peggy Peattie 
 
 

What to bring

Going to the comp? Be aware that this event is in San Onofre State Beach and there are limited amenities. It’s a fair walk from the parking area to the cobblestone point so plan accordingly. Here are a few items you should consider taking with you:
• Beach umbrella
• Beach chair
• Food and refillable water jug
• Surfboard (while you can’t surf Lowers, you can surf the cove, Uppers or Cottons)
• Zinc-based sunscreen SPF 50 or higher
• Sunglasses
• Good sandals or walking shoes
• A Sharpie and a surf mag for autographs
When you’re on the beach make sure you take a selfie with Slater or one of the touring pros and tag it with #discoversd. After the comp, stop into The Riders Club restaurant in San Clemente for the best hamburger you will ever eat, hands down.

You can read all my articles over at www.discoversd.com