Good Morning!

No surf but I'll be outside all day due to this beautiful weather.  xo

Surfboards for Women

Recently, a question was posed on a surfboard forum I follow about the difference between boards for men and women.  "Are there any structural differences when constructing a women's board?" For example, do you make it longer, wider, thicker because a woman is 'not as powerful'?   Well I have been thinking about this for a couple of days and decided I needed to write it out.  I believe there are not many differences between  'women's and men's' boards. Here's my explanation.

Disclaimer : I know there are not very many good female surfers out there.  How do I know? Well I surf everyday at a different spots in Southern California.  There may be one or two women at a spot (most of the time, I'm the only girl).  I have observed other women at all kinds of breaks, from easy hardly breaking waves to six foot barrels and I believe I am a legitimate source to answer this question.  It may or may not be like this where you surf.  

First, I must declare that there are three types of female surfers:
1. Professionals 2. Good surfers  3. Beginners 
Pro's obviously have practiced and surfed all their life, that's why they are sponsored. 
Good surfers are those who can surf all types and sizes of waves, are confident, and can handle a pack of guys on a peak. 
Beginners are those who have difficulty catching waves, paddling, duck diving, and can't handle the changing conditions.

So now that I have broken down the ‘levels’, we can discuss boards. When constructing a board for a good surfer, she can ride pretty much anything.  Personally, I like a little more volume in the chest area because it helps with my paddling (This way, I can keep up with the boys).  I have a variety of boards all under 6 feet because I found that this is the right size for me.  My go-to board is 5’8” x 20.25” x 2 1/3”.
     Now when talking about beginners and what type of board they should ride, I would recommend starting with an egg shape around 6’6” x 20.5” x 2 1/2”.  Low rocker and more thickness for easy paddling and a shorter length for manageability.  You know a beginner isn’t going to be pulling into barrels or riding waves over 3 feet.  Eventually they probably will and that’s when a different board would work better.  Adding width just makes it more difficult to paddle due to smaller shoulder structures and length just makes me think of pearling and the inability to duck dive.  So, a short board seems ideal.

Now, to graduate from a beginner to a good surfer takes days and days of paddling and riding waves confidently.  For guys it may come easier because they are ‘stronger’ but even so, men have to paddle too in order to keep up their physique.  On bigger days,  say 4-8 foot waves, the paddle out sometimes takes 10 minutes and I have to duck dive 30 waves (Or more). By having boards that have a little more volume allows me to paddle faster. This gives me confidence that I can manage my board and surf bigger waves.

I hope this gives a clear understanding of how women’s surfing and surfboards should be treated.

Triangular shredder + good surf

Finally it's Friday. Waves are excellent, I'm happy to have some size.
I enjoyed a solid morning in Cardiff at some undisclosed spot.  Ha.
Long lines, some were closeouts but an occasional sneaker came through that had a wonderful peak.
Living life.  Feeling Free.

Cardiff lines

More N/NW Swell

Waves once again!  Happy to see that we have waves.  Some nice sets were rolling in today.  Even saw Rob Machado at Swami's. :) 
Unfortunately I wasn't able to surf today.  I have extreme low back pain and its tough walking.  Biking was good today though, got my muscles moving. 
Can't wait for tomorrow & more waves.

free aloha vid

amazing video. 

XXL swell on the horizon

Might be headed north soon.........

Van sank in Newport Harbor

What an insane story.  A family with small children is riding the ferry across Newport harbor when all of a sudden a car rams them from behind sending them into the water!  So happy to hear that no one was hurt or killed.  Glad to know there are still good people helping others in the world. 

To read more, check out the article here: http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-0114-car-20120113,0,2959112.story

Triangle Creatures

getting creepy.

I'm so wild you can't tame me!!!!!

raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrhhhhh
happy sunday .  man i wish I was still this tan.  F&CK!

Random board construction shots

First big swell of 2012

 This swell was much anticipated and talked about so much before it arrived.
In the past week, I surfed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Beginning Tuesday evening, the waves increased in size every day. On Friday morning it was at least 4-8 feet and Saturday the same with an occasional bomb set.  On Saturday, I duck dived at least 100 waves.  
What an incredible week of surfing!

Sweet vid

Carissa Moore 2011 ASP Women's World Champion from Nike Action on Vimeo.

Warm January

a lovely afternoon hanging out at newport's famous Wedge!
the weather was incredible.

Tomorrows hype?

i love graphs like this!!! 

Big Swell Hype

Last night the web was full of wild numbers displaying huge potential wave heights for today.
Needless to say, It was HYPE!  The swell isn't supposed to arrive til Friday (allegedly), but don't tell all of your friends.
North county was so crowded this afternoon.
I'm guessing so many people called in "sick" today.
Let's see what Friday brings. goodnight.

Backyard Sanding

Happy 2012 New Year.
I'm in the backyard sanding a little surfboard today. 
What better place could I ask for... sun, warmth, and surfboards.
Am feeling a little under the weather blah hope it goes away soon.