blog
Not in my regular Bart Simpson way, but I just didn't get around to changing the look of this site. In fact, I haven't had time to do much of anything.
For the past month, or so, I've been tied up with Surfrider stuff. Meetings, contests, protest and more contests. I'm lucky if I've had a chance to surf at least once a week and even then it's only been for a short while. Last Sunday was the first time that I had a chance to go out a few times. And that's only because I kept losing my board and had to swim back in. With a paddle in one hand. :p
Yup, it's CSS Naked Day III. Hope you enjoy my plain old XHTML site. :D I've also nudified my other sites. vertseven.com and totallylocalmarketing.com
Maybe I'll change the my CSS. Again.
I first saw Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama SUP boarding at Ho'okipa about three years ago. Sure they made it look easy, but what really got me was they they were doing it in choppy head hight + waves.
Last year when we were back in Hawai'i, we were picking up surfboards and I saw some SUP boards at the shop. I asked the guy at the shop if they rented them and he flew into a tale of how you should only try it when the surf is perfectly glassy and the smallest ripple would completely knock you off your board. I figured I'd skip it and just picked up a fish and longboard. While at Puamana Beach Park, I saw some guys trying it and they were mostly knee paddling and falling a whole lot.
Since our last trip to Hawai'i, I've been watching tons of videos and reading about it. At the past two Surf Expos, I hung out in the SUP section, but never even began a conversation with anyone at the booths. Then, one day I stopped by Tom Neilson's shop to see what he had in the store. I knew that he might have a SUP fish, but didn't think that it was still there.
I walked around a bit and finally asked Tom if he still had the SUP. He said he did and then pointed at his couch. I was puzzled for a while and then realized that it was behind the couch. We pulled it out and it was a monstrosity of a fish. 11' long 31½" wide and thick as hell. I just loved it. I called the Mrs. and asked if we can afford to get it. I got the OK and it was mine.
I've been SUP boarding for the past month now and it's insanely addictive. I've taken it down some canals in the Banana river (Saw some really cool dolphins and manatees), on small days and on some not too small days. In fact, I've taken it out on the past to weekends when it's been head high and semi-glassy and chest high and choppy. Now, if I can only get some leash plugs and an 11' leash.