Team Stoked

Outlaws

2012-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

We found a spot that provided some shelter from the incessant onshore winds this morning. Trouble was we had to break the law to surf there... kind of... ok, ok, not really, but I don't think we were supposed to surf there.

The lone local didn't seem to mind that we visited his spot. Poor guy had a fishing lure stuck to his mouth.

Haaaaa-Y-N!!!

The Trap

2012-02-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

Cruised the entire north half of the bay in search of the best surf that it had to offer. I saw some spots that were better than others, only to end up at one of those "others". Dang it, not again! haha

One If By Land, Two If By Sea

2012-01-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

... three if by Subway?

After seeing a couple of nice rights come through, I decided to jump in and take some pics from the water. After jumping in, though, braddah Neptune decided to pull a full-on bait-and-switch. Needless to say, I was bummed with the waves and got out shortly after I jumped in.

Not wanting to waste an otherwise perfect day, I decided to take some pics from land. I took a few pics, but ultimately ended up talking story with Sal and Aless.

Still being bummed about the lack of surf, I decided to hit up Subway in search of solace. Meatball sub? Yes, please.

Mahalo for da shirt, brah. Bugga is cheray.

Nice meeting you today, Neal.

Welcome back, Creed.

Fun Looking

2012-01-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

There were some fun looking ones coming through.

Just a Few Moments to Spare

2012-01-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty busy day planned today, so I had to be pretty expeditious with my time cruising the beach this morning.

The spot I checked out was serving up an equal share of walls and corners, although I'm sure there were more corners once the tide filled-in.

Aftermath

2012-01-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

I decided to check out the battlefield of yesterday's Prone Wars event this morning. The cloudy conditions and decreasing swell made for a you-should-have-been-here-yesterday scenario. Despite that though, I was still stoked to check out a rather fickle spot break.

Courtesy of the back wash.

Last Post of 2011

2011-12-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great 2011! Here's to a great 2012, too!

A little inconsistent, but otherwise fun surf session (based on the hooting and hollering coming from the guys in the water when the sets came through).

Foggy

2011-12-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

It was super foggy out there this morning. Yup, that's pretty much it.

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

2011-12-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

If having today off was the cake, the weather and surf conditions certainly were the icing on top of it. This morning was a quintessential California day - clear sunny weather complimented by a nice cool breeze. The surf was pretty good too - a combo swell that stayed clean until I left mid-morning.

A Corner Here, A Corner There

2011-12-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't check out the surf yesterday, but from what I heard, it was pretty much walled. I was expecting this morning to be much of the same, but there were actually a few corners out there.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Posting Just to Post

2011-12-24T23:46:00.000-08:00

I usually don't get to blog as often as I would like to. So when I do get a chance to blog, I'm pretty indiscriminate with what I post. Case in point: Today's post.

I was debating whether or not to post today's stuff since I wasn't really happy with the results. But since I'm just sitting around doing nothing while I await Santa Claus' visit, I figure I might as well past the time with some blogging.

Merry Christmas!

On the Second Day of Christmas...

2011-12-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

the city gave to me: Two hours of free parking...

Not much out there today, but hopefully we'll get a Christmas gift or two in the form of waves.

Wardrobe Malfunction

2011-12-10T17:21:00.001-08:00

In case I forgot, the cold water flushes caused by the puka in the okole of my wetsuit reminded me just how cold the water was this morning. I guess it's time for a new suit... and a hood... and some gloves... and some booties... and a heater...

Trying to get my Clark Little on in the shorebreak. Ha

A foamy little tube.

Literally inside looking out is a lot better than figuratively outside looking in.

Low Expectations: You Complete Me

2011-12-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you low expectations for making this morning's session enjoyable.

Actually, if there were bigger waves, today would have been pretty fun. After all, the conditions were pretty close to perfect, well, except for the frigid-to-me water.

Silhouette of the hooded sponger. Speaking of hoods, I could have used one this morning - water was cold.

Leftovers

2011-11-26T16:05:00.003-08:00

The swell that we've had this past couple of days peaked yesterday; however, there was still a little push in the water this morning.

A Not So Friendly Reminder

2011-11-25T15:02:00.001-08:00

Aah, nothing to remind you that you ate too much on Thanksgiving Day and that you're out of shape like getting stuck in the rip and taking sets on the head the morning after. Haha

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T15:41:00.003-08:00

I'm pretty stoked about this long weekend. I mean, what's not to love about having four days off, spending time with family and friends, eating good food to your heart's content, and having a nice swell on tap?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Third Time's the Charm

2011-11-19T14:58:00.001-08:00

After having bad experiences with my last two waterproof video cameras, I was a little apprehensive about getting a GoPro camera. When the price of the GoPro Hero dropped, though, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try.

Even though the waves weren't that good today, I had fun on my first run using this cam. Hopefully, this third camera's the charm.

Howling Offshores

2011-11-12T15:19:00.001-08:00

Based on last night's quasi storm, I figured the winds would be howling this morning. And howling they were. Fortunately, they were howling in the right direction - offshore.

This morning was very similar to yesterday - decent swell, swamping high tide, chilly overcast weather - except the sets were a little bigger this morning.

Veterans' Day 2011

2011-11-11T14:34:00.001-08:00

Big thanks to all the veterans for the service that they render and the sacrifices that they make for this country.

As far as the surf, the swell appeared to be filling in, although the high morning tide was definitely swamping things out a bit. Should be nice with a lower tide.

Winter's Here

2011-11-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

North swell. Cold weather. Offshore winds. Clear skies. Ahh, winter's here!

Ghandi setting up for...

this:

Columbus Day 2011

2011-10-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I get to hang out at the beach on a Monday, so when I had the chance to do so today, I took full advantage. Thanks Mr. Columbus for making that possible.

Looking Like Winter

2011-10-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

After a rather disappointing summer, I'm definitely looking forward to winter. This morning, Ma Nature provided a little preview of what I'm looking forward to - pristine conditions and waves.

Da Beach Run

2011-09-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I miss the most about my hometown is the beach run. There's really nothing like cruising down the beach, in Hawaii, on a road so close to the beach that you could throw a rock from your car with little effort and literally hit the ocean.

One of my favorite things of my hometown beach run is the surf check. Unfortunately, there wasn't any swell hitting any of the beach run spots, but I decided to post some pics of them anyway just for the heck of it.

I don't normally name-drop, but I thought this post would be more interesting if I provided the names of the various spots that I checked. Of course, I took the consequences (i.e. non-locals crowding these spots) into account first, but I really don't feel there's an issue. With these spots, it basically comes down to: if you know, you know, and if you don't, you don't.

Edit: So the one time that I decide to name-drop, another local from my relatively small hometown sees my blog and calls me out on it. Dang, what are the odds! LOL. Anyway, out of respect for a fellow local, the names and captions that I initially posted have been deleted and replaced with...captions in Pidgen!

Junk dis spot. Moa betta you no go.

Dis spot moa junk. Moa betta you no go.

Choke, da kine, puhi at dis spot. Moa betta you no go.

Da watah at dis spot is moa cold den da watah in Alaska. Moa betta you no go.

Da locals goin' pound you out at dis spot. Moa betta you no go.

Dis spot get choke vana, and if you step on one, one 'nawdah guy goin' have to make she-she on your foot. Moa betta you no go.

Da Manapua Man no stop at dis spot. Moa betta you no go.

Stayed at Home

2011-09-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to hook up with a couple of my cousins for a sesh, but they ended up going south in search of better surf. I considered going with them, but I ultimately opted for my home break. Surf was small, but the water felt amazing.

Yesterday, I posted a pic from the top; here's a pic from below.

Another pic from below, but from the back of a wave.

I love how you can see the bottom through the water.

My Home Break

2011-09-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

I took a quick drive to my home break this morning. The waves weren't that good, but it was nice to see my home break after not surfing there for over two years.

The view of my home break from up top.

The Point wasn't working today, but when it does...

Even if the waves aren't good, you can still enjoy the scenery.

Hawaii fact #2073: Anything in reggae colors will sell in Hawaii, including fins.

Now you know why they call a certain spot of my home break Rock Bottoms

I had one of my best summer seasons at this part of my home break back when I was a grom.

BIA 2011 Championships

2011-09-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Not even rain, thunder, lightning and hail could stop Nick at yesterday's BIA contest. Congrats, Nick!

I checked out the BIA 2011 championships yesterday. Even though I knew beforehand that the waves were going to be "meh" and the lighting conditions were going to be "ugh", I decided to go if nothing more than to support Nick. I wasn't the only one with that mindset - the MB contingent was ~~in the house~~ on the beach to support Nick. It brought a smile to my face to hear a hoot, holler, cheer or whistle each time Nick caught a wave.

Here are a few pics from yesterday. I've posted additional pics on my FB profile.

Some of the MB contingent

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!

It felt like forever since I last shot from the water - timing was a bit off on this one.

A foamy foamball

A Popular Spot

2011-09-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

I often like to check out a spot that gets popular with both surfers and spectators alike when big souths come through. A big south came through, so...

Party time!

Cali bodyboarding legend Brian Wise:

Swell Check

2011-09-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

With all the hype surrounding the south swell that's currently hitting Socal, I had to check it out for myself this afternoon. The winds and very low tide made for less than ideal conditions, but this swell is definitely packing a punch.

I spent more time than I should have looking for mysto spots that tend to come alive during a swell of this nature, so I only had a small window in which to take pictures before the sun set. Here's one of the few pics I got in said window:

Here's to more pics of this swell before it fades!

Groundhog Summer

2011-08-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

This summer sure feels a lot like last summer with the lack of waves, overcast skies and cool temperatures. If it really is anything like last summer, we should have better surf and clear conditions from here on out, fortunately.

Speaking of which, it was nice and clear this morning, and the waves were bigger than I expected them to be.

Bruddah Al back from the 808 and back into the swing of things.

Revo off the section

Nick reminding me of shots of the legendary Keith Sasaki when he used to drop knee with a straight wrist leash. Nick's leash is actually a coiled wrist leash, but in this pic, it almost looks like a straight leash. Oh, by the way, Nick landed this - he was ripping it up today.

Duty Calls

2011-08-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to check out the BIA comp at Goldenwest this morning to support Nick, but duties called, so I was unable to make it.

The good thing is I found some time in the afternoon to wander around, so I decided to check out a certain spot.

Congrats to Nick - he placed first in DK.

Action Figure Surfing

2011-07-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Not a lot out there so I ended up imaging myself as the size of an action figure surfing some of the minis coming through.

Puerto for He-Man

Pipeline for Thundercats

Ke Iki shorepound for G.I. Joes

The lone life-sized sponger

AM Winds

2011-07-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about morning sessions here in SoCal is the usual off-shore winds. Unfortunately, the winds were already on-shore by the time I rolled up to the beach this morning. Fortunately, however, there was a little swell. Hopefully it will clean up for tomorrow.

Eh, Why Not?

2011-07-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

With the waves forecasted as being a whole foot bigger than they have been recently (yeah, I know, "wow!") and the water temps estimated at mid to high 60s, I took a look outside this morning, saw the sun shining, and said, "what the heck; I might as well go for a dip".

So go-for-a-dip I did. I'm glad I did too. Despite the small waves, I had a surprisingly enjoyable sesh. I guess that's what happens when you try to tune into nature instead of trying to make nature tune into you...or it could have been the exceedingly low expectations that I had. Either way, I left the beach stoked, and, in the end, that's really all that matters.

An Afternoon Peek

2011-07-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

I saw some nice pics from this morning so I decided to check it out myself this afternoon. The conditions weren't as nice as they appeared to be in the morning, but there were more than a few fun looking ones coming through.

By the way, after a little hiatus, Jeremy Phillips is back dropping some sickness on Blogger. Stoked that you've brought back your blog, Jeremy!

The high tide made for some shore break:

Ocean Current

2011-07-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

A nice little current made it quite a challenge to stay put where I wanted to be. I had to constantly paddle to maintain my position - I definitely got my share of exercise for the day!

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

On the short list of things to do on the Fourth of July in SoCal: BBQ, watch a fireworks show and hit the beach. I took care of the latter this morning.

The waves weren't that good, but the weather made it an otherwise perfect day to be at the beach.

Happy Fourth of July!

Fourth of July 2011 from Team Stoked on Vimeo.

Holiday Weekend

2011-07-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

On any other day, I probably wouldn't have taken a dip, but being the Saturday of a holiday weekend, I just had to jump in.

I'm actually glad that I decided to take a dip. The water was warm - spring suitable to trunkable - and the waves were better than what they looked like from shore.

Nick reminding me of Hawaii by standing up on a bodyboard, in trunks.

Bringing in July with...

2011-07-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

small surf!

Not a lot of surf action going on this morning, although it looked liked it was getting better, relatively speaking, with the tide push.

Not a lot out there

Water's getting warmer

Some Gloom, Some Swell

2011-06-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Staying true to June, it was gloomy this morning. The good thing was there was some swell and the water is warming up.

Men Amongst Boys

2011-06-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

There were just two adult bodyboarders in the line-up at a spot that I checked out this afternoon. Everyone else was either a grom or the occasional kid that got too close to the water's edge and almost got swept out to sea.

The North Lot

2011-06-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

It's funny how a relatively small slab of asphalt can have such a life of its own. If you've ever spent time in the North Lot, you know what I mean.

The North Lot in all its grandeur

The North Lot rules

The view from the North Lot

[cholo accent]Manhattan Beach Locos forever, homes[/cholo accent]. Actually, I have no idea what "MBL" means in this context - I just saw it written on the sidewalk and took a pic of it.

Some of the North Lot locals:

The North Lot villains

USBA Sport Chalet US Open 2011

2011-06-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

The USBA Sport Chalet US Open was held today on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. The conditions weren't the best - two to four foot waves and onshore winds - but the competitors made the most of it.

Dubb won both the Men's Pro comp and the DK comp, while Chiaki Okuyama from Japan won the Women's Pro comp. Apparently, it was Chiaki's first comp win ever, and she was stoked!

While I went to the comp to see the pros surf, I walked away really impressed by the amateurs. There's a lot of up-and-coming talent, especially from Hawaii.

Trevor Kam was killing it yesterday. Unfortunately, he didn't get through his heat today.

Steve Jackson and Chris Won on the mic

South Bay in the house!

Chiaki Okuyama: Women's Pro Champ

Dubb getting doused after winning the DK comp.

Dubb sharing a few words after winning the Men's Pro comp.

USBA Sport Chalet US Open Meet & Greet 2011

2011-06-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

I decided to check out the USBA meet and greet at the Sport Chalet in Huntington Beach this afternoon. The daunting 405 rush hour traffic gave me second thoughts about driving down to HB, but I figured it might be worth it to meet some pro bodyboarders.

Speaking of pro bodyboarders, I got to meet Jacob Romero and Hubb. I also saw Dubb and Bud Miyamoto. There were also a lot of other Hawaiian bodyboarders that came up for the event. Stoked on that. Now I'm really looking forward to this event.

The parking lot that is the 405 Freeway during rush hour

Contest registration

Sport Chalet zones with Jacob Romero somehow

Hubb and me

Dubb

Choke Bodyboardahs, Brah

2011-05-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've seen as many bodyboarders at the same time at this one spot as I did today. I sure wasn't complaining, especially since most of them were ripping, and besides, who in his right mind would complain about chilling on the beach on a Monday, no less?!?

Happy Memorial Day!

Joe coming off the bottom and then slipping into a little nug.

Chris Taloa and JY hook up for a photo op.

Nick making sure the other dude knows what's up.

One Option

2011-05-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I only brought one lens with me this morning since I had intended to shoot from the water. I ultimately decided not to shoot from the water though since the conditions weren't the best for water shots. Even though the lens that I had brought wasn't anything near a telephoto, I decided to mess around with it on the pier.

Chilling on the pier with my Locals rubbah slippahs. When a baby is born in Hawaii, they're issued a birth certificate and a pair of rubbah slippahs. Haha

Sal breaking through the white wash

The wind was on it from the get go.

Southern Pulses

2011-05-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to catch the tail end of the south swell that we just got. I tried to choose my spot carefully so that I could take advantage of whatever swell was left. While the spot I chose still showed some swell, it was also cloudy/marine layer-ish with a healthy dose of side shore winds. Definitely not what I was hoping for in terms of conditions, but hopefully this is just the first of many good southern swells of the summer.

Reforms

2011-05-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

There really wasn't a lot out there this morning besides clouds and some reforms.

Three Amigos

2011-04-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Nah, not these guys:

These guys:

Met up with three of my amigos this morning. It was pretty much just the three of them out in a certain part of line-up for most of the morning. I couldn't help but wish it was always like that - sharing uncrowded waves with just your buddies.

Indecisive

2011-04-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Evidently, I wasn't sure where I wanted to be in the line-up this morning. I'd see a nug in the distance, get excited, and then move over to where it peeled. Then I'd see a nug elsewhere and move over there. I'm sure I missed a bunch of photo ops, but I guess I got some exercise.

Sal slotted in the distance

Looking Forward...

2011-04-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

to something else. Yesterday, I was looking forward to this morning, thinking that it would be pretty good. There were some swell and semi-favorable winds, but besides that, there really wasn't a lot of goodness out there.

Looking Forward

2011-04-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

I just had to take advantage of this beautiful weather by taking a beach cruise this afternoon. I stopped by at one spot and noticed that the waves were bigger than I thought they'd be. With the swell evidently still filling in, I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

By the way, DK Wars is going down at Creek tomorrow from 7:30 to 3:30.

A little emerald peeler

Better Late Than Never

2011-03-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to spin by a spot that I had been wanting to check out for a while. The swell currently hitting other spots wasn't the best swell for this particular spot, but with its window of opportunity quickly coming to a close, I thought I'd better check it out before the window shut completely.

Foamy

Dude's 'stache was rad

Mediums

2011-03-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

me·di·um /mē-dē-əm/ adj the shirt size that I wish I could still comfortably fit into; n a couple more ways that I’ll be sharing my stoke for bodyboarding.

I’ve created a Facebook profile and a Twitter account specifically for Team Stoked. Facebook so that I can network with other bodyboarders and Twitter because, well, I’m just vain like that. Haha

By the way, if anyone knows how I can change my Facebook name to “Team Stoked”, please let me know. Facebook won’t allow me to use that name for some reason, but I’m thinking that there might be a way to do so since there are profiles with names that are clearly not people names.

A Little Stormy

2011-03-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

It was a little stormy out there today. Windy, choppy, cloudy, cold. Nick decided to brave the conditions. I took a few pics of him before the elements made me give in.

Strange Waters

2011-03-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it was an aftereffect of the tsunami, the low tide, or just me, but the water looked a little weird today - the way the water was moving just seemed out of the ordinary. In any case, there was some swell, although it wasn't as big as I thought it might be.

Sponger Spotlight: Sal

2011-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

I knew Sal even before I actually knew Sal. Does that make sense? No? Ok, I’ll explain: I came across Sal’s blog, rightspotattherighttime, a few months before I actually met him in person. Within the first few minutes of reading Sal’s blog, I felt like I was already well acquainted with him. When we finally met in person, it seemed more like I was catching up with an old friend rather than meeting someone for the first time.

Sal is one of the South Bay’s local bodyboaders. He’s one of the most laid-back dudes you’ll ever meet. Get him on a wave, however, and he becomes one of the most aggressive dudes you’ll ever meet. His agro revos and wave-mutilating, chunks-throwing, no-regard-for-human-safety cutbacks provide plenty of evidence of that. Behind Sal’s skill on the boog, you’ll find a person that just loves to surf.

Thanks to Sal for being down to be the first profiled sponger on my blog. Even though my idea to profile bodyboarders was rough around the edges when I first presented it to him, he was still down to do it without any hesitation.

Name: Sal

Hometown: Torrance, CA

Years bodyboarding: Since September of ‘05, so I guess going on 6 years

Local spot: Manhattan Beach

Favorite spot: I actually have 2 favorite spots. Of course Manhattan Beach, and for those that know me know the other spot :) But I guess if I had to choose 1, it would be Manhattan Beach.

Dream spot: Indonesia... I can't remember the name of the spot but it's a left pointbreak. Ben player has it in one of his YouTube videos.

Riding style: I'm 99% prone. I can't DK for squat.

Favorite maneuver: Revos, revos, revos... I love doing revos.

Travels: I have not taken any surf trips out of the state... well, I went to Hawaii 2 years ago with my family but I couldn’t really surf because my family had other plans in mind. But I was able to squeeze about 3 hours in at Sandy’s :) Gnarly shorepound. Nice round toobz :) As for traveling locally, me and my boy Creed use to travel on a daily but I got tired of driving and gas prices suck. So I just settle for what’s out front.

What influenced you to start bodyboarding? My brothers. They invited me one morning in ‘05 to 40th Street Newport dawn patrol. I always knew they went early in the morning so this time I decided to go just to see what the hell these idiots were waking up so early to go to the beach for. Long story short... I got barreled and that was it. I was hooked. From then until now I still feel the same. For those that know me, I get retarded when it's barreling, I'm like a little kid and I know it. It's a great feeling :)

What’s your most memorable sesh? This is a tough one, I would have to get back to you on this one.

What are your bodyboarding goals? I don't really have any goals for bodyboarding. I just like to have fun and getting barreled. Well, I guess you can say my goal would be to pull an ARS. One more turn in the air and I got it :)

I’m sure this is a question that a lot of people would like to know the answer to: How do you stay motivated to surf almost everyday even when the waves are bad? It's like an addiction for me. I don't know if that's bad or good but my wife doesn't seem to mind so I guess it's good. LOL! But I know she would say something if I didn't have a job. To me it just feels good being in the water. It's like stepping away from all the everyday stress and entering my own little happy world.

Free Sesh: One of the really good things I got out of Bodyboarding is that I got to know a lot of cool people/ friends that got my back and I know that will keep in touch for life. And to me that's awesome. Keep Shreddin!!

Wave mutilated? Check... Chunks thrown? Check... No regard for human safety? Check

Sal, right where he likes to be - in the tube

Sponger Spotlight

2011-03-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

I’d like to profile some of the local bodyboarders on my blog, if nothing more than to add something new to my blog and stoke out some of the local bodyboarders with free pics. Each profile will include pics and a written interview of the featured bodyboarder.

I want to open this up to anyone (even if I don’t know you personally), so if you want to be featured in Sponger Spotlight and get some free pics of yourself, send me an email at team.stoked@gmail.com.

War is Imminent

2011-03-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Per Chris Taloa, DK Wars IV will be going down at Oceanside Pier some time during the last two weeks of March. I'm definitely looking forward to this event. For more info, check out www.dkwars.com.

Here are some pics from DK Wars II:

Stoked on Toobs

2011-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Back when I was in the sixth grade, one of my friends and I were talking about bodyboarding. Naturally, I asked him what kind of board he had. I was expecting him to answer that he had a Morey Mach 7-7 or a Turbo XLR8 - two of the more popular boards during that time. Instead, he answered that he had a Toobs. "Toobs?", I thought to myself. I had never heard of Toobs before, but despite that, the name just sounded good.

It didn't take long for me to find out for myself about Toobs. Shortly* after my conversation with my friend, I bought my first Toobs, a Pro 16-C Arcel. It had a black deck, red rails, and a white slick. I was so stoked on that board and its performance. I would later find out that stoke was a common sensation when owning a Toobs board.

Being as stoked as I am on Toobs, I wanted to feature them on my blog. I recently wrote to their customer service and asked them for some pictures and product descriptions, and they kindly provided them. Special thanks to Patrick at Toobs.

*It actually took me a year and a half to buy my first Toobs. But I still think that's relatively fast considering my only source of income as a grom was saving my school lunch money and scrounging for loose change between the seat cushions of my dad's '78 Chevy El Camino.

The following wording and pictures were provided by Toobs. Check it out!

About Toobs - "Established in 1988, from day one craftsmanship and performance have been our main focus. Every Toobs bodyboard is handmade in Morro Bay, California by shapers who not only have been shaping for over 20 years, but also ride. Since we make our boards just up the coast we can make you pretty much anything you desire, as long as it's functional."

This Board represents where the Toobs journey all began.

Brett Roldan throwing some tail in Chris Burkard's face.

The infamous "wall" in the shaping area.

Californian legend Mr. Jacob Reeve.

Mike Brum, in midst his usual routine for the past 22 years.

Kellen Keene pushing himself over the ledge.

Proudly made in America

Forgetful

2011-02-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

This morning I forgot my parking meter money, my phone, and how cold 50-degree weather can be when you're wearing shorts and slippahs. It looked like Mother Nature forgot the waves, so after 15 minutes of shivering, I said "forget about it" and bounced.

To Be Continued...

2011-02-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

It's 9:30 PM, and I've finally had time to go through this morning's pics. I started dozing off at my computer, so I'll finish this post tomorrow.

Continued: The conditions were a lot better than I expected them to be, especially considering how much rain we were supposed to get. The sun popped out after a while, and the choppy surf smoothed out a bit.

Stuff Giveaway: Churchill Fins

2011-02-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm giving away a brand new pair of Churchills. The winner will be able to choose his or her size.

If you want a chance to win these fins, send me an email at team.stoked@gmail.com and include your name and Churchill fins size (small: 5-6.5, medium: 7-8.5, medium large: 9-10.5, large: 11-12.5). This giveaway is open to anyone within the United States.

I’ll randomly pick the winner on Thursday, February 17th, at 5:00 PM.

Mahalo to Deep Surf Co. for the nice price on the fins.

Update: Congrats to Jon on winning this giveaway.

The Morning Breaks

2011-02-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

Dawn was absolutely pristine this morning. I've seen many a beautiful Socal dawn, but this one definitely stood out from most. The visibility was probably the clearest I've ever seen it, and the color hues of the sky were nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Two Weeks: Too Long

2011-02-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

After not being able to go for a dip for the last two weeks, it was nice to finally get into the water today. A little walled, then a little soft (due to the tide), but after being MIA for the past two weeks, I wasn't complaining.

War!

2011-01-22T19:42:00.000-08:00

I checked out the DK Wars contest today. I was stoked to see some of Cali's top DK talent.

And talent there was - Won Ton, Manny Vargas, Joe Grodzen, Wally Sani, Stan Moniz, Nick and a bunch of others whose names I don't know, but were putting it down on the knee just the same.

The DK Wars battlefield

DK Wars participants and spectators alike gather at the AS tent.

Alex and I were amongst many others taking pics of the event.

Empty Agenda

2011-01-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't have anything to do this morning besides enjoy today's holiday and meander around the South Bay - I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Another fine Socal day

A little peak

Some shorebreak action

Not Surprised

2011-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

The website that I checked this morning called for surf in the two to four foot range. Considering this website overestimates the surf size rather regularly, I wasn't surprised when I pulled up and saw pretty small surf. Can't complain, though, especially with this nice weather.

808 Soul and I snap in unison.

Winter Slumber Over

2011-01-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Maybe it was just my imagination, but the waves looked a lot better both before I got in and after I got out. Whatever the case, it felt good to get some sponge time in since I hadn't actually surfed for a good month.

Shooting the Pier

2011-01-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

There was lots of pier shooting going on this morning. I thought it would be cool to get some pics of dudes getting shacked by the pier. I got a few pics, but the lighting wasn't really ideal for what I had in mind, so I quickly abandoned that idea. However, it's definitely something I want to mess around with when the conditions cooperate.

Inside a foamball

A-Frames and Sharks

2011-01-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

There were some nice little a-frames peeling this morning. Trouble was, they were really little a-frames. More size, and today would have been a great start to 2011.

I saw a pretty good sized school of sharks. Fortunately, they were of the harmless variety.

Cold

2010-12-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

It was cold, that's pretty much all I remembered from this morning.

Brown

2010-12-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

At first glance, it was hard to believe that we just went through a week straight of rain. After all, the weather was beautiful today and the water looked clean. Upon further glance, however, the water was anything but clean. At least the waves made up for it though.

The crystal ~~blue~~ brown waters of the South Bay

Twas the Sesh Before Christmas

2010-12-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ran down to the usual spot and took some footage of the boys. I think Santa came yesterday since the waves weren't quite as good today and it's only supposed to be smaller tomorrow on Christmas day.

Just in Time

2010-12-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

I rolled up just in time - right before the clouds covered the sun and the onshore winds starting kicking - to see a rather finicky spot doing its thing.

I decided to check another spot, but by the time I rolled up, the clouds and onshore winds had already staked their claim.

A little peak rolling through

Little Peeler

2010-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

I took a gander at a couple of spots this morning. Not a lot going on, but I did get a clip of a small peeler that spat a little. Haha

For a Limited Time Only

2010-12-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

Based on some of the pics I saw yesterday, I was looking forward to some good surf today. Apparently, though, yesterday’s swell was a one-day thing. It must have been a pretty good one-day thing; paraphrasing Sal from this morning: I usually don’t say this, but you should have been here yesterday. Haha

Even though today’s surf wasn’t as good as yesterday’s, the line-up was virtually empty this morning. In fact, Sal had it all to himself for most of his sesh.

Here’s a quick edit from today:

Helpful Tide

2010-12-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has surf experience will tell you that the tide is an important factor in the way waves break. In fact, the tide can make or break a sesh.

Fortunately, the tide was working in our favor this morning. The extreme high tide made for some fun shore pound barrels on a day where the small waves on a normal tide probably would have made for a pretty mundane sesh.

Stuff Giveaway: No.6 The Vice That Binds Leash

2010-11-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

I’m giving away a brand new No.6 The Vice That Binds Leash. The size is standard and the color is gold.

If you want a chance to win this leash, send me an email at team.stoked@gmail.com and include your first and last names. This giveaway is open to everyone within the United States (sorry, but international postage rates cost more than I'm willing to pay).

I’ll randomly pick the winner on Thursday, December 2nd.

Update: Congrats to Kalani on winning this giveaway.

Stuff Giveaway

2010-11-29T16:36:00.000-08:00

I recently had an epiphany, of sorts – why not do giveaways? After all, who doesn’t get stoked over winning something for free?

I’ll be randomly giving away stuff just for the stoke of it. These giveaways will be open to everyone within the United States (sorry, but international postage rates cost more than I'm willing to pay).

Trying to Make the Most of It

2010-11-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

There really wasn't a lot out there today - the sets were knee high, if that. However, I was determined to log-in some water time, especially since yesterday's sesh left a lot to be desired.

Despite the tiny waves and the ice cream headaches, I had a pretty fun sesh. Maybe it was because I knew I wasn't dealing with the madness that is Black Friday.

Six inches and bowling! Haha

The pier getting so pitted.

Getting a glimpse of Mark before I scoot out the back of the wave.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

2010-11-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

I was planning on meeting up with bruddah Sal this morning, so when I rolled up early at one spot and didn't see him there, I figured he was at another spot. I rolled up at another spot, saw some spongers in the distance and thought that that was Sal. I quickly suited up, ran down to the shoreline, and peered into the line up only to realize that none of the spongers out there was Sal. Oops.

Being already suited up and noticing that the waves were significantly better than the first spot I checked, I decided to jump in. Unfortunately, I had some technical difficulties shortly after jumping in and had to prematurely finish my sesh. Photo tip of the day: If your camera is indicating that its battery is low, it's probably not lying to you.

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the few shots I got before my camera's battery died.

Gear Review: No.6 The Vice That Binds Leash

2010-11-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, I noticed that there was some hype surrounding the then-new No.6 The Vice That Binds leash. Wondering if this leash lived up to the hype, I decided to get one.

The hype that this leash received is duly deserved.

From a specs standpoint, the No.6 The Vice That Binds leash is a coiled bicep leash, which features an ergonomically shaped cuff band, BSP polyurethane coils, a brass swivel and a stainless steel connection ring with double reinforced stitching. The leash also features a rail saver and a top-threading leash plug. Lastly, this leash comes in three different sizes – small (2.75” diameter), standard (3.25” diameter), and wide (4.25” diameter) – and three different colors – black, gold, and silver.

The thing that immediately caught my attention was the comfort of this leash; it’s easily the most comfortable bicep leash that I’ve ever used. The comfort is attributable to the design of the cuff, which is more padded and wider than most other bicep leashes’ cuffs. On top of that, the leash strap stretches, which allows you to tighten the leash without overly constricting your bicep.

Beyond the comfort of this leash, it’s also very well made and durable. On top of that, the coils have good shape retention. Also, the rail saver is a huge time and hassle saver when you want to remove/attach your leash.

The only thing that could be improved is the stretchiness of the leash strap. It stretches a little too much so you can only tighten the leash to a certain degree. If the leash strap was a little less stretchy, you could probably tighten it a little more while still not overly constricting your bicep.

The No.6 The Vice That Binds leash is my preferred leash due mainly to its comfort, but also due to its durability and rail saver. I highly recommend this leash to anyone looking for a high-quality, comfortable leash.

As you can see in this pic, the leash cuff is well padded.

The rail saver: easy on, easy off

As I Expected

2010-11-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

It was pretty much as I expected it to be this morning - wet, cold, dark, windy and small.

I checked out Alternative Surf's grand re-opening this morning. I entered a drawing for a free board, but judging from the lack of a phone call from AS, I guess I didn't win it. Anyway, there were giveaways, a 10% discount and autograph signing by a couple of local pro bodyboarders (Rusty Friesen and Jeremy Wright).

Ominous clouds about to reign with rain.

Da boyz waiting during the lull between sets.

Alternative Surf Grand Re-Opening

2010-11-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

Alternative Surf will be celebrating its grand re-opening this Saturday, November 20th. Per Ron Dog, there will be giveaways, discounts and food. Check it out if you can.

Picture courtesy of Alternative Surf

Not A Lot Out There

2010-11-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

I checked a few spots this morning, but I didn't see anything that made me want to suit up. The weather was perfect once again, so I decide to stick around for a little bit and partake of it. Today's a great day to cruise the beach.

Shadow of the hooded man, aka me this morning.

A Beautiful Fall Day

2010-11-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

I was a little surprised that the waves were smaller than they were yesterday, especially since it was supposed to pick up yesterday afternoon. I decided to stick around anyway and take advantage of yet another beautiful California day by snapping a few pics.

A Catalina-inspired barrel

For some reason, there were a ton of birds just chilling in the water.

I've been wanting to try one of these surf mats. I saw a video of some dude just flying on one of these.

Veterans Day 2010

2010-11-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

The waves weren't all time today, but it was the best sesh that I've had for at least the past two weeks, so I was pretty stoked about that. On top of that, the sun was out and the winds were good.

Big thank you to all the veterans on this Veterans Day.

If you look closely, you'll see a little dude in there. He came up stoked from this barrel.

If Can, Can; If No Can, No Can

2010-11-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to get some barrel shots today, but I couldn't because there were no real barrels to be had. I wasn't really that bummed though since it was nice to be in the water on a hot summer-esque day like today.

Dying Winds

2010-10-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

I got to the beach earlier than usual this morning in anticipation of some decent surf. All that was waiting for me though was a healthy dose of onshore winds. I decided to stick around, and to my surprise, the wind died down.

With the wind dying down, I decided to go for a swim. It wasn't much of a sesh, but at least it was an improvement over what it was when I first arrived.

Fast Kine

2010-10-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning debating whether I should check out the beach or not. After procrastinating for a bit, I finally decided to check it out. I didn't have a lot of free time this morning, so when I finally got to the beach, I took a few pics and then bounced with quickness. I think I spent more time looking for parking than actually taking pictures.

Inconsistent

2010-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

It was a little inconsistent this morning, and the waves were smaller than what one surf report initially stated, but there were some nugs to be had if you were patient.

Columbus Day Sesh

2010-10-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

I discovered the waves and conditions were a lot better than I expected them to be this morning.

Southie

2010-09-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

It was nice to finally see some swell in the water.

Reminded me of an old school air when guys used to go vertical instead of inverting

A Summer to Forget

2010-09-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

With Labor Day unofficially marking the close of summer, I think it's fair to say that this past summer was pretty much epicless. The lack of swells, overcast mornings, and cold water made this summer one to forget.

In true summer 2010 fashion, today was small, overcast, and the water, while not super cold, wasn't exactly trunkable.

Due to the tide, the waves were pretty powerless this morning

A Little Reminder

2010-08-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

I was kind of bummed when I arrived at a spot this morning and realized that the conditions were not what I was hoping for. I decided to stick around anyway, and I'm glad I did.

Even though I wasn't too stoked upon arrival, I later saw a bunch of groms that were. It reminded me of when I was a grom and how stoked my buddies and I were just to be out in the water - good waves were a bonus. It also reminded me of how fortunate we are to live so close to the ocean, and that in itself is stoke-inducing!

Flashback: One Million Dollars

2010-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have seen the movie Austin Powers will undoubtedly remember the scene in which, after being cryogenically frozen and thus oblivious to the change of times, Dr. Evil brashly places his pinky finger next to his mouth and exclaims "one million dollars!" Unfortunately for Dr. Evil, one million dollars just isn't what it used to be, and, consequently, he becomes the laughingstock.

If you've read my profile, you'd know that I took more than a decade-long hiatus from bodyboarding. Not only did I stop bodyboarding, but I also stopped following bodyboarding in its entirety.

When I first started bodyboarding [in the '90s], being part of a team meant you were "doing it" aka you were the shiz. So when I started bodyboarding again a couple of years ago, and thought of a name for this blog, I thought to myself "hmm... how 'bout 'Team Stoked', cuz 'Team' is where it's at and well, I'm stoked to be back". Little did I know that "Team"-anything isn't as gnar as it used to be in the '90s, and it's probably now more of a joke than anything.

After realizing that the term "team" just doesn't carry the clout that it used to, I thought about changing my blog's name many a time. I never got around to it, though, and the name "Team Stoked" just kind of stuck.

So with all that said, I present to you my cryogencially-frozen-one-million-dollar-inspired blog, Team Stoked!

The Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice...

2010-08-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

But the later in the day, the better the waves? Not usually. It was this morning, though. Conditions cleaned up mid-morning, blackball went into effect, and if you were in a certain part of the line-up, you were most likely stoked.

This guy got a bunch of in-and-outs

Nick busting an air rollo

Curtain call

Here are some unedited clips. Since I didn't initially plan to video record, I didn't use a tripod - the videos are a little shaky. I'm not too stoked about the YouTube compression, as it degraded the quality pretty significantly.

Small Kine Hawaiianitis

2010-08-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

The lack of waves combined with the uncharacteristic gloomy skies during the past month gave me a pretty good case of hawaiianitis (aka laziness), hence the lack of blog posts.

Fortunately, Mother Nature came through with a cure for my hawaiianitis today, which consisted of a little swell and clear skies.