The Lost Slides

In the late summer of 1992 my dad, Hal Lewis was in his last days with his battle with cancer eventually passing away on Aug 11. The lymphoma caused by long undiagnosed Melanoma had destroyed his once spartan physique and took him at the young age of 62. 

Before he passed he got to say his apologies, his goodbyes and tell countless stories about his lifes adventures and decades of spearfishing and body surfing in La Jolla from 1950-1990.

Pops partying in the Cove

After his death, I didn't keep very many things. The other family members sold the stuff that one collects over a lifetime and the haggling for big appliances and his car wasn't what I wanted to be involved in. All I wanted was what he and I spoke of before his passing. His wooden spear-gun and an old box of slides that were in his closet.

My dad with his world record Totuava

The teak wood gun was made by Riffe way before he had a factory. I remember going up there with my dad in early 1984-85 to pick it up from Riffes garage in Laguna Beach. It still hangs on the wall in my house by a picture of my old man.

The box of slides was more of a surprise. I had never seen them before. Ever. My dad had moved to Belize in 1980 after divorcing my mom and these must have made the journey with him.

Once in my possession, I opened the old weatherproof box and started to go through the slides. I thought they would be of old family events or your everyday run-of-the-mill pics of days spent at the zoo or park. What they were was a time capsule of La Jolla Cove circa 1964-1965. The majority documented body-surfing at Boomer Beach just around the corner from the Cove. 

The Box of slides

There were pics of my dad body surfing along with many others who names did not ring a bell. My mom said that Bud Miller was the one who took the photos but didn't remember when or where my dad may have come into possession of the slides. There are only a handful of the old LJ Cove crew around but im sure they can shed some light on this mystery.

One of the unseen slides

These have been in my possession now for 22 years and I have never showed anyone these images till last week when my friend PMK asked to see them. I hope people smile like I did when I first saw these. He will be sharing these this weekend at his new movie premiere "What the Sea Gives Me"

Lifeguard memorial at Boomers

Paul Elder - the man behind Ballast Point Brewery Beer Label

You ever buy a beer because of the label? You might be out shopping at your local store staring at 100 different IPAs and then one label will catch your eye. A few years ago that happened to me because I saw an amazing image of a fish. It was a red and orange Sculpin swimming over some cobblestones. I bought it and it turned out to be the most delicious IPA I had ever enjoyed. 

I soon found out that the artist behind the image was Paul Elder an old friend and longtime Pacific Beach local. I caught up with Paul to discuss the brand, his art and his life long passion of surfing and spear fishing.  One thing that many surfers have in common is that they are very artistic, whether the medium is music, paint or words, many surfers crave creativity and Paul is no different.

Spending his early childhood traveling across the world as the son of a Navy man, he found a passion for the ocean while his family was in Thailand. When he finally arrived in San Diego in 8^th grade he loved to fish. Fishing also lead him to discover something new; Surfing. His family had moved to San Diego and as he was fishing off of Crystal Pier he saw some guys catching waves on surfboards and was instantly entranced. He ran off the pier and returned the rented rod and asked if he could rent a surfboard instead. In the years that followed, Paul became a very accomplished surfer and was known for having a very powerful surf style like that of BK or Jeff Hackman.

Paul Elder and his secret Baja Point

His other passion was art. He found himself painting ocean fish and comical t-shirts for many locally based businesses like Cass Street Bar and Grill, Skip Frye and Joe Ropers Repair shop. Somewhere along the line Paul began home brewing beer and would often stop at the Home Brew Mart on Linda Vista Rd to get his supplies. He struck up a friendship with the owners and they would talk beer and fishing quite often. Soon the Home Brew guys were starting up their own beer label called Ballast Point and asked if Paul could draw up a label for them. The first image he made for them was that of a yellowtail for their new Pale Ale. It was an instant hit and a perfect fit for the fledgling brand.

In the 18 years that followed, Paul has done dozens of beer labels for the brand including Calico, long fin, Dorado and the now award winning Sculpin, which Paul had a hand in naming. He was asked what would be a good fish to represent this new IPA and he said the Sculpin , because it’s a beautiful fish with the sweetest meat but you had to be careful because it also packs a very sharp sting. Much like the 7% alcohol content of the new beer. Then and there a new flagship beer was born.

Finding his passion in the sea and with beer has lead Paul to live a very simple but fulfilling life. He is very much ingrained into the DNA and identity of one of the fastest growing breweries and distillers in Southern California and the partnership is really just beginning. Now you know when you see a good label, give that beer a try, you just might find a winner.


You can follow all my stories over at www.discoversd.com 

Support your local surf shop

Your local surf shop is something to behold. These local bastions of knowledge and vibes are among surfings most important necessities and I’m going to tell you why.

The basics. A person has to get the staples eventually.  You have to buy your first Surfboard, wetsuit, trunks and leash somewhere. You can buy stuff all day long on the web but you don’t want to wait a few days for wax when the surf is good, do you? Go in and take a look around. If the shop is worth is salt, there will be someone behind the counter from the area who has spent years surfing the local beaches and reefs. They will know what the tide is like and what spots will be good for that days swell. The owner of the store will most likely be there because they never leave. They work seven days a week and live and die by the slim profit margins on the goods they sell. They usually are a little grumpy at first but they will warm up eventually. Here’s a list of some things you may find.

Reality check. They will point you in the right direction for the equipment you need, not what you want. The employees will know about the history of the sport and can tell you who is doing well on the ASP tour. They can tell you what the pros are riding and can tell you why you shouldn’t be riding what the pros ride, because despite what you think, you don’t surf like Slater.

Talking story. Reading something in an Internet chat room is not the same as hearing a surf story from a guy who just lived it. While the face of surf retailing has cleaned up and focused more on profit margins than hanging out, everyone has a few minutes to chop it up and talk about that mornings session or share a great tale from some recent travels. It’s how we used to learn before the Internet stole our social skills.

Making friends and extended family. Many of us started surfing because our families were screwed up or we didn’t like a coach telling us what to do. It’s a very personal and individual activity and at one time it was even considered anti-social. The surf shop is where you can find like-minded people who see the world through the same set of filters. The best friendships of my life came about because of surf and skate shops. Beware though, The BS detector is very finely tuned and the shop owners can smell a fraud a mile away. Be yourself and be real, it will serve you much better in the long run.

Giving back. The local shop is the one who will organize a beach clean up, sponsor your son or daughter and will enhance your community by being active and supportive to your schools and events. Lord knows the people who own shops do it for the love, not the money so remember that when you are grinding them for an extra discount. You don’t ask for a bro-deal at the super market so don’t ask at the surf shop.

So go forth and seek out your new shop. Find a good one and tuck in for a while, you’ll see what I mean.

You can read my stories over at www.discoversd.com

Wayne Lynch - the Shark Story

Wayne Lynch shares an epic tale.

Quite possibly the best tube footage ever - GoPro: Mikala Jones surfing ...purring green, orange and yellow cats.

Photos and video from the summer of 2013

So for the past year of my unemployment I have been taking quite of videos and photos of my local beaches. Here are a few I wanted to share with you.

                                        

Handplane Madness - Recycled Stoke!

So I found myself unemployed as of the second week of January 2012. Instead of being depressed, I've taken this time of to reconnect with my passion for the ocean. While I have been a surfer for 25 years, I have always been in love with womping and body surfing. My dad used to live on the one way street leaving Windansea Beach and I spent my elementary and Junior High years womping in the summer and listening to my dads awesome stories of body surfing Boomer Beach and La Jolla in the 40's and 50's and 60's

My dad at Boomer in La Jolla - 1964

Ive been seeing some cool handplanes this past year...some better than others. I was looking at some and was turned off by the $120 price tag. They were made real pretty with cool wood but the shapes were weird and many felt too corky in the water. That got me to thinking. Instead of buying wood I wanted to use recycled wood. That's when I had my idea to recycle used skate decks, strip off the grip and reshape them for a new purpose. Skate decks are thinner and have a great neutral buoyancy. That along with the natural concave of the deck along with a slight nose rocker make for a good time.

I wanted to not only recycle the wood, but the stoke as well. These items we love and leave so quickly still have life and beautiful wood underneath the grime. I used to own a skate shop and have sold thousands of boards and never really thought to use a deck in this new way. Anyway, I went to my garage and found an old favorite deck. I started to get busy and after a day i had a sweet little swallow tail. I rummaged for a strap and used a natural oil to seal the wood and make it water proof. I mounted a GoPro camera on it and down to Cardiff I went. 

In the week that followed, I got more tubes and had more fun than I have had in a couple years. I started posting the pics and made a few more handplanes and friends started hitting me up wanting one as well. What had started as a spare time project has turned into my new hanplane company -Recycled Stoke tm Every board is different as every deck I use, has a different shape. I sand each down and find the outline that fits it outline and start shaping it. 

If you are interested in getting one, email me at recycledstoke@gmail.com

The website should be one of these days at www.recycledstoke.com

My first Handplane made from an old Black Label skate deck.

I threw a Go-Pro on the front and the results were awesome!

Pitted...so pitted.

Looks like an Ice cave

I started making a few other Handplanes and they are for sale at a few SD Shops