Dream realized

After years of preparation, the first generational third world Latin American surf trip to Bocas del Toro. Sam & Kiko found swell & brought stoke. Strength took a back seat. And, yes - that is a left.

Santa Left Something Under the Tree

Some Jews celebrate Christmas with Chinese food and a movie.  Others prefer sliders and barrilitos.

But don't be fooled by the first photo, there was more "taking" than "giving" by the locals on this holiday.  Nonetheless, a few tidy gifts presented themselves.

So much for the spirit of Christmas in the line-up....

Strong

Very Strong

Little known fact Re: Obama's election

Outside of exerting our constitutional rights to vote for the President of the United States (at least those of us that don't live in a Commonwealth), it's a little know fact that a "dream team" of  COBS [sic] were instrumental in helping Barak Obama win his second term as President. You can read more here.

Self-portrait in Robe

In SB loving my vaporizer, listening to classic Grateful Dead ~69', strolling the grounds. Hopefully, a Hammonds session tomorrow. My natural is not in nearly the state of disrepair it appears in this photo.

PS-The Hammonds sessions were excellent as the swell had so much west in it, the word "classic" was being used liberally by people in the line up. A much less serious and soulful crowd then in North County. Meanwhile coming down the coast every single spot we passed was firing.

 This is a shot from late afternoon yesterday in front of the Biltmore.

Smokin Jay Cutler

For some reason these photos of Jay Cutler working out have gone viral. In any case he appears to work out vigorously. Pony if you hire this guy I expect a finder fee.

Yikes

Not quite sure what to make of this forecast for NW PR.

It's too soon to tell, but TS Sandy may send some death swell from an unusual direction.  How fitting for the Marea de los Muertos which always seems to deliver a punch around Halloween. The downside is that this swell direction, plus what are the highest tides of the year, will probably wreak  extreme havoc on our beaches.  This could be the kind of event that leaves a permanent scar.

Not the Same

Sans Cobbs, it's just not the same.  But there is still some J in surfing a new and somewhat secluded spot on what's been called "The Lost Coast."  This shot hardly describes the remarkable staircase leading down through cliffside scrub and jungle to a pocket beach surrounded by bluffs and featuring a righthander that vacilated between bowling waves, closeouts and loggable walls.

Respect

Hug It - Always Go Left

Just Hug It

Uh..oooh! Look out Esteban!

Well, it looks like the Maloguas picked the right week not to make a lightening strike to Mag Bay. Who only knows what is going on there right now as Steve and the Crew prepare for a direct hit from Cat 3 Miriam. Meanwhile SoCal is looking at an extended run of South Swell through next week as Miriam and a long period South come home to roost. 

Going Left!

Well well well, finally another goofey foot.

We still (b)log

A log alert was issued at Antonio's this morning.

This cobb enjoyed a solo session until...

 joining the owner of this other log for a few slides at the parking lot

Meanwhile, at the Dome...

there was nothing solo or soulful going on.

Doesn't Say Anything About Loggers or Maloguas

Eat Meat, Pull, Pray

Goldenwest Thursday

The water was 70, air was 80, the waves were awesome only problem....no Cobbs! Leon just so you know, it happens here too.

For your consideration

Abe and Noa's swim teacher was given this Malogua for his 16th birthday and it was 4 years old. He is now 35 and has been driving it ever since. The car's odometer stopped working 7 years ago at 250k. He's put in 2 transmissions and 3 engines himself , I think he may have done the paint as well.

New design concept for Patagonia

This relic from Madison Wisconsin circa 1970 was brought to my attention by this happy chappy. Along with other Malogua gear it might be nice to some of these made for the next Yule Log where we will be surfing cold winter waves.

Et tu Dante?

The Olympic Spirit is Strong

Talkin about swell, stoke, and a gang of strength

3/4 of team Malogua stokin after a surgical assault on a right hand point break.

Puede Ser

Puede ser la vista nuestra

Un sueño nuestro

Un punto de vista

Ballenas y fuerza

Ballenas y fuerza

Remando, lanzamos,

 Caminamos por otra

Nash gets a "cold" welcome to Los Angeles

Ballenas Americanas

It has been recently discovered that Ballenas are now being imported to California

Did you hear the hummingbird fly by?

Leon and I met Glen Horn through Boots McGee down in Baja a few years back. Glen is a surfer and Surfboard shaper 3 months per year in San Diego, he lives the other 9 months in "Big Red" his RV is a converted '67 delivery truck. He split this time in between 2 secret locations that he tries to preserve as pure as they were 30 years ago when he first traveled there. Here's Glen dropping some knowledge on living in both worlds - urban & natural.

Ministries in the Mainstream?

 

 Turn the volume up.

Not sure how the word got out on this one.

But, I suspect that you'll say that again.

A Not So Elegant Fiesta

Travel plans frozen by indecision and fashion confusion resulted in 

a surprisingly fun, albeit small, out of season session at Il Duomo.

¡Que festejaren esta noche amigos!

The Workout

Pony @ MultiArts

Pony vibrating with stoke at the new MultiArtsBuilding (Granoff Center for the Creative Arts) 

Muy Fuerte!

Fuerza!

Greener

Campus Dance Denoument

OMG

Boom!

NLM

Next Level Malogua

Reflections on Shize: Le Troisième Etage

Who ever knows which way is really up?

Finding stoke in uncertain times requires searching through the shize.

A north shore run for perhaps a final surf of the season yielded long 

righthanders that defied the less than ideal looking conditions.

Reflections on Shize: Part Deux

Hope springs eternal.  Same spot; different day.  The condition of glass makes the cup half full.

Other side of the pond same ole Shiz

However I heard a voice like Obi Wan Kanobi that whispered through the cold onshore mist "it's always better than it looks" and it was. Wave count 1/2 dozen and feeling better than before I got in.

Reflections In Shize

As spring creeps towards summer in the tropics, even shize can lure a cobb into the ocean.   A mostly social session, there was some serious small wave shredding being done for a spell by soulful surfing guests Otto Flores and Keith Malloy.  But ultimately even their skills could not overcome the primarily shizer conditions and disconcerting number of spongers. Today's session of mediocrity provided some moments of contemplation and a few realizations...

1) Even guys like Otto can get yelled at by boogie boarders who think belly riding waste high slop is worth getting worked up about.

2) May is Malogua month.  They both start with "Ma" and who doesn't love their Ma?  Unless we can undo the Euro curse (can the third time be the charm?),  let's turn back the clocks in 2013 and go logging for a week between May 10 and 24.

3) Surfing shizer is better than not surfing at all.

This Log Can Go Left - Frame 3

What might have seemed like capricious travel planning and indecision, was actually a successful hedge that
yielded fine results and the opportunity to come home to charge a nw swell; an all too rare event this lackluster season.

Evolutionary Questions

Photographic evidence suggests that an ever-increasing jo could potentially result in a hybrid walrus/malogua; or is this just a walrus riding a malogua?  Who really knows?

Six Two Lima Lima

A surgical strike to the DR reveals legitimate potential for swell, stoke and strength in Hispaniola

While bad winds can be a problem, even the local laundromats are hoping for clean waves.

The primary method of transportation for locals is the ubiquitous moped.

But, you need more than a moped to reach the island.

In Response to Dr. Extremo's Last Comment re: Lew and Equipment

No Cobbs?%#@!

Lew the Jew is back on the Rock and he really wants to know 

why he doesn't see multiple Cobbs chargin' on their longboards!