[Hepar]

OK, @MattJakobs @genmarks @hang10 @Dash Riprock and anyone else with a love of riding waves. General thread to bs about it. I'm also a gear nerd, so also one to talk about anything surf gear related as well.

We can start off with this. Kai Lenny is hands down the best waterman in the game today. Whether it is surf, SUP, kite, foil or race, he is sick at it all. Can anyone argue?

[MattJakobs]

Originally Posted by Hepar

OK, @MattJakobs @genmarks @hang10 @Dash Riprock and anyone else with a love of riding waves. General thread to bs about it. I'm also a gear nerd, so also one to talk about anything surf gear related as well.

We can start off with this. Kai Lenny is hands down the best waterman in the game today. Whether it is surf, SUP, kite, foil or race, he is sick at it all. Can anyone argue?

That air at 1:18 is nuts!

[Dash Riprock]

No argument here - super versatile surfer!

Do you surf in WA? A good friend out here in Mass grew up surfing around in Sequim (God's country) and she rips.

Glad you started the thread - I bought my 4Runner with surfing in mind, it's bone stock now, and it has been great.

With a few tweaks it will be amazing - just which tweaks to make.

Cheers!

John

[genmarks]

He is pretty good. haha nah he kills it, used to surf with him when i used to do grom contests

[BoarderDave]

BS: That Jaws air was NUTS. Incredible way to kick off this thread.

Intro: I've been surfing for about 10 years now. Started slowly and barely got out for the first couple of years.. then I made a commitment to actually stick to getting out every week, learn, and make it a main hobby. 8 years later, it still is my main thing.
I stick local normally to surf in the south Los Angeles beach cities (which isn't really known for amazing surf - hah). But with the likes of San O'nofre, Trestles, Huntington Beach, and all the San Diego spots within a couple hours drive... it is what it is. I enjoy my beach break spots around here.
I ride a shortboard. Only been on longboards a handful of times. Learned on a larger shorty, grew into a shorter shorty.

Techy talk: I'm a tall guy - 6'4" and I ride a 6'2" x 20 1/4" x 2 7/8" Becker 'Merk' I had shaped for me when I was working at the Hermosa Beach surf shop. Future fins - Red honeycomb model 'YU'. It's a little wider, and a little fatter than the off the shelf Merk models. Got it that way since I primarily surf 2'-5' waves that can be slow to paddle into but jack up and pitch quick once breaking inside. I find this board works wonders for me. I love it so much that it's my ONLY board - haven't really looked for others.

[Hepar]

Originally Posted by Dash Riprock

No argument here - super versatile surfer!

Do you surf in WA? A good friend out here in Mass grew up surfing around in Sequim (God's country) and she rips.

Glad you started the thread - I bought my 4Runner with surfing in mind, it's bone stock now, and it has been great.

With a few tweaks it will be amazing - just which tweaks to make.

Cheers!

John

Sure do. Love it out here. Wish waves were a bit closer, but think that adds to the "charm" of PNW surfing. It's getting more and more popular here, but still super manageable. Especially if you can get out midweek.

Being raised in Sequim would give you some pretty sick access to some of the better WA breaks. I can see why she rips.

I can easily say that my favorite surf-related mod was buying a super wide set of roof bars. Being able to carry boards side by each is super convenient.

Originally Posted by genmarks

He is pretty good. haha nah he kills it, used to surf with him when i used to do grom contests

He's (and if you're around the same age) still a grom to us old timers.

Originally Posted by BoarderDave

BS: That Jaws air was NUTS. Incredible way to kick off this thread.

Intro: I've been surfing for about 10 years now. Started slowly and barely got out for the first couple of years.. then I made a commitment to actually stick to getting out every week, learn, and make it a main hobby. 8 years later, it still is my main thing.
I stick local normally to surf in the south Los Angeles beach cities (which isn't really known for amazing surf - hah). But with the likes of San O'nofre, Trestles, Huntington Beach, and all the San Diego spots within a couple hours drive... it is what it is. I enjoy my beach break spots around here.
I ride a shortboard. Only been on longboards a handful of times. Learned on a larger shorty, grew into a shorter shorty.

Techy talk: I'm a tall guy - 6'4" and I ride a 6'2" x 20 1/4" x 2 7/8" Becker 'Merk' I had shaped for me when I was working at the Hermosa Beach surf shop. Future fins - Red honeycomb model 'YU'. It's a little wider, and a little fatter than the off the shelf Merk models. Got it that way since I primarily surf 2'-5' waves that can be slow to paddle into but jack up and pitch quick once breaking inside. I find this board works wonders for me. I love it so much that it's my ONLY board - haven't really looked for others.

Right?! Who the F thinks to do that on a barreling Jaws wave?!

Nice call on the quick intro. I technically started surfing around 20 years ago, but really didn't get super into it until about 8-10 years ago. When I originally started, I only had a sh*tty 3/2 suit. One of my good friends and I went on a 2 month Costa Rica trip and after that, I said I'd never go surfing in WA again. That same friend slowly broke me down by convincing me that it was all about having the right gear. He was definitely right.

These days I'm surfing less and less and SUP'ing more and more. I know I know. But it's just too perfect for my scenario. There was a time I was getting out around once a week, but those days are long gone. Now I get out in bursts and with a SUP, I can go months without water time and be able to go out for hours right off the couch. I'm all about wave count. Don't hate me.

Originally Posted by Dash Riprock

Wow - Rincon?

Just south of Rincon at Ventura. I bet Rincon was insane that day.
(Moved to this thread. Figured it was a more appropriate place)

[Dezert4Runner]

Don't get out much anymore. My water time this year has been 50/50 surfing and scuba diving for lobster. Been surfing for the last 20 years or so.

Intro: Learned to surf at Church's (Camp Pendleton) in between San O' and Lower Trestles. I was a military dependent at the time, and I was spoiled on some of the best point break in the state! Also surfed San Clemente pier & T Street for my surf PE in high school. My local spot these days is Oceanside Harbor, but it isn't what it used to be due to the sand bar changing about 5+ years ago.

Board: My dad's been shaping all of our boards for the last 15 years, so I only pay materials costs and it's a lot more wallet friendly. I ride a 5'10" quad fin fish/hybrid shaped shortboard that's 20.5" wide and about 2 1/4" thick. Similar to a Merrick Dumpster Diver. Really good board up to about 6' waves and shines in mushy high tide surf. Since it's got a relatively flat rocker, it holds good speed across the flat spots and is a bit easier to get into waves with the wider shape. I also have a 5'6" Merrick Biscuit influenced knock-off thruster for small stuff and also a 6'2" rounded pin tailed quad fin performance shape for head high plus surf.

[MattJakobs]

I'll add

Intro
I'm only 20 so some of you may have been surfing longer than my lifetime. I've been surfing for at least 10 of those years. I've always lived at a beach so finding access to surf isn't hard for me. With that said, I usually don't surf at my home break (Virginia Beach), I find myself going to the Outer Banks if there's any sort of bump in the water and I'm able to escape for a day or two.

Boards
Up till about 2 months ago, I hadn't ridden anything but a Lost board for the past 7 or so years. A guy at a shop ordered a 5'10" Lost Rocket, the original Rocket, and couldn't afford it when it came in. I picked it up from him, plus a day bag, and some honey comb fins for $400. That was the best board I've ever owned and I keep wanting to order another. Right now, I'm surfing less and less in the winter due to school and work so I'm slimming the pack. My go to board is a custom 5'9" Lost Sub Schorcher II sitting around 28.8 L and I just picked up a custom travel board from a local shaper. 6'0 x 19.5" x 2.38" with 30.1L shaped like a Lost Mini Driver.

Favorite surfers
My list of favorites is comprised of a lot of Hawaiian free surfers. Albee Layer, Matt Meola, and Mason Ho. I find them all to be very exciting to watch. I can remember watching Matt Meola's winning Innersections video from years ago. I like all of their style and sense of just having fun on a wave. They all have a great aerial instinct and well I don't and I think I'm too big for it. At 6'4 and 195lbs with a heavy heal, I've stomped through my fair share of boards trying.

[BoarderDave]

Mason Ho cracks me up. The guy totally rips and then you get him in the post-heat interviews and he talks to ya like you're out at a bar with him. BSing and just stoked on life. He amps me up watching him surf and then generally his chatter.


Loving hearing all your guys Intros and Board choices. Some good stuff out there.

Anyone get any fun surf in the last week or so?
My local breaks actually got a run of swell over the last couple weeks. A big run actually. My local spots got walled out a bit, but I attempted a paddle out last Friday and was able to snag a few little corners.
When I arrived and scanned the breaks to figure out where to paddle out at, saw a couple of these come through (you can see a guy up and dropping in right in the middle. hah).

[Hepar]

Originally Posted by Dezert4Runner

I ride a 5'10" quad fin fish/hybrid shaped shortboard that's 20.5" wide and about 2 1/4" thick. Similar to a Merrick Dumpster Diver. Really good board up to about 6' waves and shines in mushy high tide surf. Since it's got a relatively flat rocker, it holds good speed across the flat spots and is a bit easier to get into waves with the wider shape.

Nice. When I do paddle, my go to is a Hynson Black Knight fish. I love it.

Originally Posted by MattJakobs

Favorite surfers
My list of favorites is comprised of a lot of Hawaiian free surfers. Albee Layer, Matt Meola, and Mason Ho. I find them all to be very exciting to watch. I can remember watching Matt Meola's winning Innersections video from years ago. I like all of their style and sense of just having fun on a wave. They all have a great aerial instinct and well I don't and I think I'm too big for it. At 6'4 and 195lbs with a heavy heal, I've stomped through my fair share of boards trying.

Originally Posted by BoarderDave

Mason Ho cracks me up. The guy totally rips and then you get him in the post-heat interviews and he talks to ya like you're out at a bar with him.

That dude is a riot. The whole family is. I'd say my favorite surfer is Rob Machado. Just always loved his style no matter what shape of wave he's riding. Also a big JJ fan. Figured if he ever got comp surfing dialed, that he would be a force. Guess that came true this season.

I haven't gotten into the water, but I'm itching like crazy. Hoping a clean swell comes in soon. It's been a mess ever since I got back. But I just booked my tickets for two weeks in Baja in Feb! The land of righthand points!




I haven't gotten into the water, but I'm itching like crazy. Hoping a clean swell comes in soon. It's been a mess ever since I got back. But I just booked my tickets for two weeks in Baja in Feb! The land of righthand points!

[genmarks]

Intro: Ive been surfing for most of my life, but like @MattJakobs Im only 20 as well, so I would still consider myself a grom haha. Pretty cliche for a kid from Hawaii. Over here its kinda hard not to surf, our dads start us off young and then let us figure it out on our own. I used to surf a lot of contest when I was younger, traveled a lot to the other islands for stat competitions etc. Ive been recovering from a shoulder surgery for the past month, but besides that I do my best to surf daily, its the best way to stay young.

Boards: My dad used to be a shaper, learned from John Carper (shaper for Shane Dorian), so until I was about 8 he used to shape all my boards. I shaped a couple as well.. but they sucked haha. After that I started getting deals from shapers and rode a lot of Mayhem's, Pyzels, and currently a JC. Always a fan of dumpster diver styled boards, short, fat, a lot of volume, for summer. As for winter I have a couple step-ups for when its too big for the summer boards. I also ride a lot of soft tops to keep it fun, such as costco foamies, odysea stumps, and beater boards etc. These are usually for when it's really small, or when Im at a heavy shorebreak and want to break something.


Also if you guys got pics of yourselves or good waves post em up!

[Hepar]

Originally Posted by genmarks

Also if I say if you guys got pics of yourselves or good waves post em up!

This is a great short of some Cali surfers riding in WA. Gives a good feel for the waves and the vibe of PNW surfing.

from Jeremy Almeda on Vimeo.

[BoarderDave]

Originally Posted by Hepar

That dude is a riot. The whole family is. I'd say my favorite surfer is Rob Machado. Just always loved his style no matter what shape of wave he's riding.

Yep.. Coco Ho is my top female tour surfer. Always pulling for her. She's got that great character and always living a joyful life too.
I'm also a Rob Machado fan - he's my top favorite in surf world. Not only surfing and surf style, but general life-living, mannerisms, stoke, and style. He's got his stuff together. Such a good guy.

[MattJakobs]

As far as funny surfers, I've got to give it to Sterling Spencer. The guys's a nut. He's got some hilarious videos on Instagram

[BoarderDave]

What kind of surf gear do you guys carry in your 4Runners?

I pretty much always carry my bucket with towels, boardies for summer, rash guard, wax, and spare leash.. And then I'll rotate in either spring suit during Fall/Spring or full suit in Winter. Always on hand. You never know when all of a sudden you need to get out in the water. haha
Plus the board angled down the passenger side with the rear seat down.





Personally, this is one of my favorite rigs I've had for easy loading and carrying surf equipment. The easy access rear window is always nice too. hah.
My old coupe BMW 3-series was definitely not as easy for surf trips.