ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Two surf legends leave behind a legacy with quality boardsChris AhrensJuly 25, 2019 July 25, 201901418 Ranked No. 1 among my favorite surfer/shaper duets were shaper Bill Caster and surfer Chris O’Rourke....
ColumnsWaterspotWater Spot: R DotChris AhrensJuly 19, 2019July 19, 2019 July 19, 2019July 19, 201901466 It was in the mid-1970s when I was working the cash register for Koast Surf Shop in Cardiff when a tall surfer walked in with...
WaterspotWaterspot: If Pavlov’s dog had surfedChris AhrensJuly 11, 2019July 11, 2019 July 11, 2019July 11, 20190769 It’s Super Bowl Sunday, windy, bitter cold and rainy. I am alone in the muddy water, riding waves that sane people want no part of....
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Real legends or …Chris AhrensJuly 5, 2019July 11, 2019 July 5, 2019July 11, 20190437 Traditionally, a legend is a myth or a person whose feats of heroism are celebrated, often to the point of mythology. As such, there are...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Manufacturing artificial dreamlike waves since 1969Chris AhrensJune 27, 2019 June 27, 20190493 When the first artificial wave in the U.S., Big Surf, opened in 1969, not many coastal surfers took the Arizona wave seriously....
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: The low cost of a free ride, part 14 billionChris AhrensJune 21, 2019 June 21, 20190465 I had recently been informed that the average American was discarding nearly six pounds of trash each day, times that by 300 million, if you’re...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Friends past and presentChris AhrensJune 6, 2019 June 6, 20190599 Mike Doyle and Tom Ortner will be remembered long after the waves have evaporated into the sand....
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Lessons from Pez the PrezChris AhrensMay 30, 2019 May 30, 20190813 I first became aware of Steve Pezman after seeing his photo in a 1964 Surf Guide Magazine where he showed power and grace while riding...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: The best surfer in the worldChris AhrensMay 23, 2019 May 23, 20191522 It must seem strange to those who don’t participate that we who are involved in such a joyous activity get grumpy while surfing....
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Surfing’s most flexible familyChris AhrensMay 16, 2019May 23, 2019 May 16, 2019May 23, 20190899 Pendo, as he is known throughout the surf industry, is the inventor of a genius flexible tail design called “Pendoflex.”...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: A joyfully sad week brings loss, celebration of lifeChris AhrensMay 9, 2019 May 9, 20190915 The week began heavily after hearing that legendary waterman Mike Doyle had passed away....
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Even on flat days, if you wait long enough you’ll catch a waveChris AhrensApril 25, 2019April 30, 2019 April 25, 2019April 30, 20190270 I no longer remember the name of the surfer who lived directly above Swami’s in the early 1970s. I do, however, recall that he surfed...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Remembering skateboard legend Jay AdamsChris AhrensApril 18, 2019April 18, 2019 April 18, 2019April 18, 201918590 I can’t think of Jay Adams without smiling or nearly crying. He was the toughest, most tender-hearted, brilliant, foolish, talented, fatally flawed surfer I have...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Riding into surfing’s future with ‘The Master’Chris AhrensApril 11, 2019April 11, 2019 April 11, 2019April 11, 20190673 Satisfaction is the enemy of progress. Nowhere is that more evident than in surfboard design, where the status quo is force fed to the ever-ready...
ColumnsWaterspotWaterspot: Grauer students shred Ponto Beach in surf contestChris AhrensApril 4, 2019April 8, 2019 April 4, 2019April 8, 20190698 While I have rarely surfed in a contest, I have judged one, commentated dozens and watched countless. For much of my life, I have failed...