The parable of Little Oaks
“The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth.” — Chief Seattle, 1854 Long ago there was a tiny settlement called Little Oaks,...
Chris Ahrens
The legend of the Rubberman
In 1975, I returned to Encinitas after two years overseas. Broke as always, I was blessed to find shelter with local ripper and Sunset Surfboards...
The Boardroom is anything but boring
I’ve been to quite a few action sports trade shows over the years. They were big, loud and filled with people and items I don’t...
Near-death or near-life experience
Surfing waves of consequence can open doors to new perceptions. If you’ve ever been near drowning, you know the feeling. My first out-of-body experience occurred...
Captain Courageous: When Duke saved the day at Disneyland
In the mid-1960s, Paul Strauch was ranked among the world’s best surfers. Those who saw him in his prime, including Greg Noll, Jeff Hackman and...
Happy birthday, Skipper!
He was born Harry Richard Frye on Sept. 7, 1941. Only a few years later, while he was still a child, his father said, “You’re...
Surf spoken here
Nothing, in my experience, can replace the feeling of riding a wave. Nothing! Billabong had it right with their tagline: “Only a surfer knows the...
Selling the last secret spot
Surfers guard directions to secret surf spots like pirates guard treasure maps. Or, they used to. Until recently, surfers were bound by an unwritten code...
A lifetime of surf stories
My first surf story was published in 1971 by the now-defunct local San Diego surf newspaper Waves. Named “Song of Doheny,” the 500-word tale concerned...
UCSD, the Green Marines and surfing for a cure
It’s been 33 years since I first sat around a table with Rusty Preisendorfer, Debbie Beacham, Ignacio Felix, Fred Borelli, Sam Armstrong and John Otterson...
Ancient Hawaiian surfcraft in Oceanside
It’s been over 40 years since the late, great Donald Takayama requested I announce the 2nd annual Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club Contest and Beach Festival....
Joey Cabell and the pig that changed surfing
From the mid-1950s clear through to the mid-1980s, Hawaiian-born surfer Joey Cabell was revered as one of the best surfer/watermen in the world. His competitive...
Check out ‘Pinch’ pod
I like history, but am too lazy to dig through 20-volume sets on the fall of the Roman Empire to get to the juicy bits....
‘Good Things Love Water’: When surfing had a soul
Maybe it’s just me, a 40-year, post-prime, stay-at-home surfer who used to be an okay rider. Maybe, but I don’t really think so. Once surfing...
Surf documentary ‘Changes 2’ explores faith, purpose
“From the creation of the world the invisible things of Him are clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made.” — Romans 1:20...