surfers?

gtoast · #1 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 04:56 PM

sorry kids, know its not the lounge...(when is that place coming back again?)

was in biarritz france for a couple of weeks over the summer, did a tad of surfing (for first time, i sucked, really really hard) but more bodyboarding and bodysurfing. anyways, got a bit of a bug in me, so i am looking to do a surf camp for a couple of weeks over xmas to learn it right.
initially was first looking at morocco, but is too cold for her during december, australia is WAY too far (as is west coast usa). thailand seems interesting, but all i can find is charter trips.

anyone have some good suggestions/experiences?

side note: i did find a place in india...their write up made me laugh

'...follow the rules...
no alchoholic beverages permitted, no smoking allowed, no non-vegitarian food permitted and couples are requested to follow celibacy during their stay...and we love to have fun'

thanks

g.

Gog · #2 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 10:20 PM

I spent nine glorious months at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz. Surf surf surf! It's silly addictive and there are evil territorial wars going on but eventually, people let you in and share some waves and space.

My biggest suggestion would be to get ye a camper(westfalia..yeah), live like a pauper and surf till you're sick of it or you're shark shit.

I am half tempted to start again because I have Lawrencetown 25 Min away.
Its very nice there and, if anyone acts like an ass, they drown them right off. The ONLY drawback is the water temp.... Horses worry about shrinkage when they enter the water up here.

YouTube Video

But, alas, I seem to have become unmotivated, unfit and lazy.

Happy shredding dude...

Ben710 · #3 (**permalink**) 09-09-2008, 08:11 AM

Sweet vid dude!

You made me laugh with the horse comment

I lived in Australia for a year. We had some nice surf at Byron Bay. Went to Angourie for a few days and it was a really good time surfing. I tried the Gold Coast (burleigh heads) at 5:30 AM, and yes, massive shrinkage occurred.

Have never looked at surfing in Europe, though I hear south of France is really nice. Most of the places in SPain are supposed to be sharky and I don´t like that. Hated it in OZ as well.

Hope you find a good spot for yourself. And don´t worry about sucking at surfing. I´ve tried it almost daily for a whole year and can´t say I am for away from sucking big time.

gtoast · #4 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 09:35 PM

yoink, been a while.
settled on agadir/taghazoute, morocco for 2 weeks.
and no, i don't have any illusions, or expectations to not suck. all part of learning

had a couple of friends from sweden/italy living in adelaide, AU who spent alot of time surfing after work. so, now i know who to blame if i end up getting hooked and going poor...i think we both no germany is not known for its coastline

we are already planning for somewhere (fiji/bali etc) next year

WillRaceForBeer · #5 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 11:22 PM

come to Daytona Beach Fl and surf with me in New Smyrna Beach its 10 min away and the shark bite capital of the world, 23 of them so far this year, but its only pup sharks and spinner sharks, they only take little nips off your heel

i was out today and caught a wave with 2 dolphin, amazingly beautiful

blade625 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 11:54 PM

best kept best surfing secret on the east coast: NH

Gog · #7 (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillRaceForBeer

come to Daytona Beach Fl and surf with me in New Smyrna Beach its 10 min away and the shark bite capital of the world, 23 of them so far this year, but its only pup sharks and spinner sharks, they only take little nips off your heel

i was out today and caught a wave with 2 dolphin, amazingly beautiful

That sounds amazing to a guy who needed a heat gun to get his fingers out of his gloves today...

roadkill · #8 (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillRaceForBeer

come to Daytona Beach Fl and surf with me in New Smyrna Beach its 10 min away and the shark bite capital of the world, 23 of them so far this year, but its only pup sharks and spinner sharks, they only take little nips off your heel

i was out today and caught a wave with 2 dolphin, amazingly beautiful

That is where I surfed many moons ago growing up on the Florida coast...loved the Shark Pit and up the coast to Vilano Beach.

Speaking of sharks......got quite a scare once when I got bumped twice quite hard....instantly police cars were on the beach using their loudspeakers to get everyone out of the water....then I looked down to see what was hitting me...about 6 foot long sand/lemon/nurse shark trying to push me away from her pups.....I got the message.

I used to get up way before dawn to be at the beach before sunrise, get some surfin' in and then go to high school lookin' like crap, endure the day, head back to the beach and surf some more.

Good luck on the curl......try the Florida coast from Vilano Beach down to Melbourne/Cocoa Beach......head over to the world famous RonJon surf shop and load up with useless crap.....and go surf some more.

SifuGR · #9 (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 08:36 AM

Jax Beach sucks for waves, we wait & wait & wait for hurricane swells!
but i'll still paddle out whenever i can...

learning to surf is not easy for an adult, glad i grew up surfing instead!

also, i wouldn't suggest going on a trip to learn... the best spots are not for beginners --- and we can often be Very Teritorial... respect the locals, don't try to learn in a place where you will become a target (buoy).
More importantly, Respect the overwhelming power of the ocean, in can humble you in an instant (or worse)
i made a living out of pulling people out of it for many years!

However, if you do stick with it... there is nothing else quite like dropping into a monster wave that could crush a house! ---
or pulling into a fast hollow Barrel, all alone inside one of the best natural wonders on earth... it is truly cleansing, Zen like.

Gog · #10 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008, 07:19 PM

ahhhh...think happy thoughts...

RockyMt · #11 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008, 08:21 PM

Ahhhh, Linda Mar (15 miles south of S.F., 5 miles north of Maverics) the only beach on planet earth where you walk 50 ft. in from the waterline to the back deck/take out window of a Taco Bell!

-Rocky-

Busy Little Shop · #12 (**permalink**) 10-20-2008, 08:27 PM

My idea of a Sufar...

bafflebrain · #13 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 12:33 AM

I saw Larry's post on this thread and I had to see if V4 surfs better...

Gog · #14 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 12:50 AM

That is a great shot BLS!
Not as great as the shot of you measuring specs of Rossi's bike, to the disdain of the doubters, but, yet again, another amazing post.

Realmanken · #15 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 12:55 AM

If you want to do a surf camp to learn how to surf then there are only two places ideal to learn. The first is Southern California. There are quite a few Surf Camps,
two that I can think of off the top of my head are one in Santa Monica and another in San Diego. Come in early to mid Summer when the Surf is mild (before August).
The second place (and probably the best place) is Hawaii. If youre going to do Hawaii then go in the Summer time and stay at a place close to a South facing beach.
I know its more crowded in the Summer but the Summer time is when the South facing beaches kick up some surf and the southern summer surf in Hawaii is not going
to kick your ass like the North shore during the Winter. North Shore during winter is for more expierienced surfers.

Vitza · #16 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 06:15 AM

a different view point of GOG's pic...

Busy Little Shop · #17 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bafflebrain

I saw Larry's post on this thread and I had to see if V4 surfs better...

The wide I4 surfs better than the narrow as a arrow V4... but enough I
was on vacation enjoying the heavenly sunsets...

Gog · #18 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitza

a different view point of GOG's pic...

Beauty! I remember my first "cartwheel" in a bowl. Imagine a 9ft, 50 pound Tiki pointed the wrong way, clubbing a a man repeatedly while onlookers decided whether it looked like the wash or the rinse cycle.

I am riding over to the surf shop today to see what I need for a trial/test 'winter' surf session...brrrr. Gotta get fitted for a 6 mil suit.

gtoast · #19 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Realmanken

If you want to do a surf camp to learn how to surf then there are only two places ideal to learn. The first is Southern California. There are quite a few Surf Camps,
two that I can think of off the top of my head are one in Santa Monica and another in San Diego. Come in early to mid Summer when the Surf is mild (before August).
The second place (and probably the best place) is Hawaii. If youre going to do Hawaii then go in the Summer time and stay at a place close to a South facing beach.
I know its more crowded in the Summer but the Summer time is when the South facing beaches kick up some surf and the southern summer surf in Hawaii is not going
to kick your ass like the North shore during the Winter. North Shore during winter is for more expierienced surfers.

i was going to try jaws, but i figure you'd need some experience

ill prolly head back to the states at some point, but during the time period i look at, morocco is cheaper, and closer. the swell at that time o year is okay for learning also, plus the temp is acceptable. hawii/kali in the summer is too hot for my taste, and fair, fair skin.
the swedes are thinking about hawii/bali next year, so i may get there at some point. a buddy near to stockholm is still surfing off the coast...and is looking for a 6mm. i have challenged him to surf in the moonlight. pretty soon, its all they'll have anyways

Realmanken · #20 (**permalink**) 10-21-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtoast

i was going to try jaws, but i figure you'd need some experience

ill prolly head back to the states at some point, but during the time period i look at, morocco is cheaper, and closer. the swell at that time o year is okay for learning also, plus the temp is acceptable. hawii/kali in the summer is too hot for my taste, and fair, fair skin.
the swedes are thinking about hawii/bali next year, so i may get there at some point. a buddy near to stockholm is still surfing off the coast...and is looking for a 6mm. i have challenged him to surf in the moonlight. pretty soon, its all they'll have anyways

Perhaps the winter time in Morocco is ok for you pasty white dudes LOL! But I would be willing to bet that the summers there are much hotter then in California
or Hawaii. You should be ok there in the winter though. Also try researching Surfing in France, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. Also look into Cape Verde as well.
Good Luck, Hang Ten, and no matter what always end your surfing session with two feet on Terra Firma. Oh, and keep an eye out for sharks. Schools of many
fish jumping out of the water, frantic seals, and erratic circling seagulls are all tell tale signs that there is some shark action. Not trying to scare you, but these are things you
should know. Shark attacks are rare but they can and do happen on rare occasions, but youre more likely to drown before being eaten by a shark.
I'm not trying to scare you, just trying to keep you safe. Other then that, have fun!

Here's a couple sites I found for you...
Surfing in Fuerteventura,Canary Islands
here...
Surf in France
and here...
Surf School Cape Verde|Courses, Punta Preta

Just do some research. You dont have to go to Morrocco if you dont want to. I dont even think those Morrocans even know what they are doing when it comes to Surfing.