Modern surf-sounds bring back memories of the ‘60s
In 1962 my sister came home from college with an album that would forever change my life. It was called “Surfer’s Choice,” the musician was...
Sea Notes
The surf was good, but the industry was calling
Scott Bass got it right. Again. If you were at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, you know that this year’s...
I’d rather surf cold water than a red tide, that’s no joke
Red tide occurs when algae rapidly divide and release toxins into the water and air. The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute states that red tide...
Please, do support your local surf shop
When I was a kid in the early ‘60s, surf shops smelled like resin and rang with the sounds of power tools. Surfboards were often...
All that was left was dust: a surfing tribute to firefighters who fell on 9/11
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, firefighter Brennan Savage had finished his shift at Ladder 137 in Southern Queens, the firehouse where he worked...
Hawk or Hosoi: you choose
Like chocolate or vanilla ice cream in the 1950s, the choices of favorite skaters in the ‘80s were basically limited to two — it was...
A good conservation is never flat, even when the surf is
Last weekend, the beaches were beautiful, warm and packed; the surf nearly flat. That’s no surprise for North County in the summertime, but it did...
Remembering 100 years of Cardiff surfing
There are stacks of discount soft surfboards on mini vans — each driver, it seems, headed to Cardiff. Kids pour out into the water, laughing...
Give a wave, and get one for a peaceful lineup
My first surfboard was a 9 foot 6 inch Wardy that I bought used for $45 in 1961. Seven years later I would strip the...
Health gurus help keep surfers riding the waves
Rob Machado told me a while back that he could tell when the local waters were affected by red tide, even without looking at the...
Surf family opens new surf shop
In 1974, the winter waves were small and inconsistent. As happens during such times, the crowds suffocated every ripple that came through. Longboards were making...
The power of life and death
Dr. Udo Wahn is an Ob-Gyn doctor that lives in Del Mar. He is also a surfer that loves the ocean and works to pass...
Small waves, big minds, bigger dreams
Today the ocean once again looked like the Daytona Salt Flats. There were three desperate riders out, picking off the scraps of a dying swell....
Another Easter Sunday
We had been up early for a sunrise Easter morning service. I’m not certain of the year, but it was sometime in the early 1970s...
Revisiting 40-plus years of surfing in 20 minutes
The stairs were closed for repair and my friend Dave Gladstone served as my Sherpa, guiding me down the slippery dirt trail to the base...