The days are already beginning to blend together. Talks of going to Brasil and meeting up with friends have become a reality. Its all coming at me so fast and I know that even though I’ve only been here for a week and a half the whole trip is going to go by like the blink of an eye. I started out my journey in Rio De Janeiro where I met up with my friend Bruno Dana. Bruno lives in Ipanema and treated me like a king! We ate fresh acai, surfed some of the fine beach breaks and wedges of Rio and had a great time, even though it was short lived. After only a day and a half, I flew into Florianopolis, not knowing if anyone was going to pick me up from the airport or what my plan exactly was. I was greeted at the entrance of the airport by Caue Wood and Pedro Husadel…Thank God! The next couple of days we surfed some insane waves at breaks called Matadeiro and Lagoinha, both wedgy a-framing beach breaks. The 5 star WQS contest at Atlantida Beach in Xangri-la was the next day so we headed down to be greeted with shitty weather and even worse waves. About this time is when Lele Usua popped his head inside our hotel room! The Grinch! Caue and I lost first heat so we took off back up to Florianopolis after a couple days of hanging out. Lele continued making heats so he stayed. Back in Florianopolis, we scored some insane waves at a place called Campeche. Triple barrels were going down and we truly had some insane sessions! The wind switched, the swell died and the surfing stopped as of this afternoon. Lele ended up making finals and getting 3rd overall, so now it’s time to party!
Part 2: Floripa
Back in Florianopolis, we we’re instantly greeted by perfect waves. Caue and I surfed an insane sand bottom right point called Campeche where we were getting double barrels regularly. We got two other great wedgy barreling beach breaks called Matadeiro and Lagoinha and had a great time just cruising and relaxing. We hung out with beautiful women, got good waves and got to chill with our friends Elohe and Felipe as well!
Good times in Floripa… I’m headed back in October and can’t wait!
Part 3: Argentina
With the contest in Chile coming up, Lele and I decided to go hang out in Argentina for 10 days before heading over there. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we were notified that the contest in Chile was cancelled, so we were left wondering what to do. We decided to hang out for my birthday which happened to be on Argentina’s Independence day and to say the least, Argentina rages! Nights generally don’t start out until 2AM in Argentina and usually end at around 7 in the morning. The Usuna’s are celebrities in Mar Del Plata and we were VIP at some of the biggest and best clubs in all of Argentina.
Everything about Argentina was absolutely amazing. The meat is the juiciest sweetest meat that you’ve ever tasted. The people are nice. The women- oh my God the women. The most beautiful women that I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Most foreign countries I joke around about falling in love, particularly because of the broken English that they seduce me with, but here there’s an exception. Not are the women breathtakingly beautiful but they are kind, sincere and very intelligent people! After this trip, I’m 99% sure that I will marry an Argentinian woman…
Although we didn’t get great waves, we got some fun little beach breaks and to be honest, I could care less about surfing in Argentina next time I go. I just want to find my future wife!
In 2010, Quiksilver brought a new special boardshort collaboration stateside that had been previously successful over in Europe. The Concept:
Under the moniker “Union Boardshort Collection” Quiksilver worked directly with seven key accounts—one from each region of the U.S.—to create a capsule line of collaborative boardshorts that highlight each of the store’s unique regions and heritage. -Transworld Business
2011 Quiksilver Union Boardshorts
South Coast Started as a small surfboard company in 1974 by Rob Ard – who is still involved in its everyday operation. The surf industry was in it’s infancy back then and South Coast grew and formed lifelong relationships with the leading brands. This boardshort collaboration with Quiksilver is a new expression of those lasting relationships. South Coast’s commitment to the local beach community and the surf culture over the years has made it one of the West Coast’s premier surf shops. Infact, the inspiration for the design of this boardshort depicts that commitment as most of the images are from actual photos of local surf spots, waves, employees at the beach playing music, and a team rider skating with his new South Coast board.
Hopefully you will enjoy these boardshorts and live you surf lifestyle as fully as South Coast has enjoyed being part of that culture.
Quiksilver and South Coast
These Quiksilver Union boardshorts were design in collaboration with South Coast’s Artist and Community member Tim Lowman of Lowman Kustoms.
San Diego’s largest craft brewer STONE has announced $26.6 million in expansions which includes a brewery restaurant in Point Loma. Thirsty Southern San Diego beer fans rejoice as cab rides will now be affordable home after enjoying a fine afternoon at the new Liberty Station STONE brewery location set for opening late 2012. Along with the new restaurant STONE will also be opening a shop in South Park’s ‘Beer Corridor’, Acquiring an organic farm in north county as well as doubling the footprint of the main STONE Brewery in Escondido. All of this while they also attempt to be the first American company to open a craft brewery in Europe. It is safe to say STONE Brewery is taking over the world.
Point Loma’s Liberty Station is the perfect central location for STONE’s new 400-seat restaurant. The new location is set to feature bocce courts, outdoor movie screening area, 19,000 sq ft beer garden and small brewery. This place should be nothing short of its big brother in Escondido.
Future Liberty Station STONE Brewery Location in Point Loma
The recently acquired 18.7 acre farm for organic produce for both of the brewer’s restaurant locations. The new 30th Street shop in South Park will sell bottles, kegs and growlers of STONE’s fine brew. Making growler ownership a must in south San Diego.
As STONE’s aspiration of a European brewery opening are held up by legal restrictions the company has made some big moves in supplementary expansion. 250 more employees, purchasing 35 more acres, adding 125,000-plus square feet of work space and at a cost of almost $27 million very big moves for the craft brewer. South Coast is glad to hear that the craft brew industry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Thriving through tough economic times it’s good to know that no matter how broke people may be they are still drinking fine brew from the makers at STONE Brewery!
Words: John Noris Photos: Michael Barrus www.michaelbarrus.com
With bad weather forecasted in Southern California for a couple of days, Michael Barrus and I decided to make our way up to Santa Cruz for a couple of days to try and score some waves and visit some friends.
Day One: We decided that with a little bit of south in the water we’d try and score The Wedge in Newport Beach but with unfavorable winds, Ended up surfing 54th street. I struggled to even catch a wave, but Daniel Shea here found some big ramps and took advantage. I had to stop at the Brazilian Consulate in Los Angeles to try and get my visa for an upcoming trip and from there we drove up to Michael’s parents house in San Mateo County for the night. Day Two: We met up with our good friends Matt Myers and Noah Wegrich at a wedgy wave in the Santa Cruz area for some punt ramps and sharky vibes! Although none of us said anything in the water, when we got out we all mentioned that we had seen shadows in the waves but didn’t want to scare each other by saying so. I guess it’s just part of surfing up here. We ended the day with a quick session at pleasure point followed by Matt Myers’ hot tub just blocks away. And finally getting to surf it for the first time since October! I was able to boost a couple but my homie Matt Myers showed me how to really surf the wave… here are some pictures of him BOOSTING some sick airs! Day Three: Noah and Matt had obligations for the day so it was just Michael and I on a mission to score a couple of waves. The swell had dropped a lot but we were still able to get a couple of fun waves in Mid-town, Santa Cruz.
The Rivermouth.Day Four: With Michael having to get to LAX tomorrow evening, we decided to start making our way back down to SoCal, but not before hitting up one of San Mateo County’s fine skate parks. We had a fun skate session with some of the locals and made our way down to San Luis Obispo to visit some friends for the evening. Day Five: Hung out at the house in SLO on Kentucky street with the homies, dropped off Michael at LAX for his flight over to Bali, and just got home a couple of minutes ago. It was definitely a fun weekend with some fun waves and good times with friends!
It’s as though the trip never even happened. I’m back home. Scratch that. The past two weeks were by far some of the best two weeks of my life. Fragments of time were frozen and are now embedded into the virtual camera in my head. Memories of barreling French beach breaks, baguettes, beautiful women, Caprice Des Dieux cheese, wine by the bottle and kebabs run through my head just about every second of the day. The rumors are true. Everybody needs a little bit of France in them.
By my side for the two week adventure were two of my good friends Michael Barrus and Marty Weinstein, both fairly experienced travelers. The only problem at this point in time was that none of us spoke French. Our journey began in Paris, where we suddenly realized that we had absolutely no clue what our plans were. Luckily during our layover in Phoenix, Marty decided to email his friend Martin who had spent a couple of summers as an exchange student with his family in Orange County. When Marty checked his email upon our arrival at the Charles De Galle airport, there was a response from Martin saying “I’m in Biarritz…come hang out with me and my friends for a week!”. We had a destination. Three wrong train stations and three hours later running amok the underground subway system of Paris, we finally found the correct terminal to purchase our train tickets to Biarritz. Now for the six hour train ride. I guess they call it a hop, skip and a jump or whatever…anyways.
We get settled into our place (Martin Dupont’s house)in Biarritz and finally more than a day later, we get to sleep. We wake up, hop into Martin’s car( imagine Jason Bourne driving through the streets) and sketchily work our way up through the tiny streets of Biarritz, Anglet, and Capbreton to Hossegor. We take a casual stroll to the beach to be welcomed by perfect six-to-eight foot right handers and all of the sudden it hits us. We’re in France. Suit up, wax up, run to the beach and jump in the water. I manage to get barreled on my first wave and, well, every single wave after that. Perfection like i’ve never seen before. About an hour into the session I snap my leash, get caught in a current for 15 minutes and decide to call it quits. Marty, after getting barreled every wave as well, sees me on the beach and paddles in. Now is about the time that I inform whoever may be reading this that there are too many Marty’s to keep track of (4 of them to be exact) so good luck. Our host Martin Dupont (Martin’s friend that lives in Biarritz) comes to meet up with us while he’s on his lunch break and tells us he got word that a wave called La Piste is going off so away we go. We show up to La Piste and when we see the waves start freaking out. Four-to-six foot right hand barrels. Six hours and about one hundred barrels later Martin comes back to pick us up. Anyways, the next four days we surfed about six hours each day in some of the most rippable waves one could imagine. One more thing- we got to snowboard in fresh powder in St. Lary on our last day there. Sounds too dreamy doesn’t it?
South Coast thanks Johnny for the travel update! We look forward to hearing more from him and his travels in the coming months. For more on his trip to France and more photos by Michael Barrus check out Johnny’s travel blog:
Nearly all dings and cracks to your surfboards likely happen in transport, especially if your the type that throws a bare board in the back of your pickup truck. Protect your investment and save money on repairs by using a surfboard bag! Whether your heading down Voltaire street to sneak a barrel in OB or your planning a trip to Indo, South Coast has your board bag needs covered.
Day Trip Surfboard Bag:
When a quick coastal day trip is in order, the day bag has you covered. Coming in at a more affordable price than the world travel bags, day bags offer around 3-6mm of foam padding and sometimes a reflective side to keep your board from cooking in the sun and melting all your wax (hint: Don’t leave your boards cooking in the sun). Most day bags come in either single or double board capacities and are very lightweight and easy to fold up and stuff in the truck while you rip it up at that secret point break just south of the border. Padded adjustable shoulder straps are standard and a definite must for long hikes. Day bags are a needed step up from the board sock for everyday surf trips to your local break, as the added protection will keep unnecessary dings at bay and your rip stick in prime working order!
World Travel Surfboard Bag:
When it comes to packing your precious boards away to hand over to the airline luggage destroyers, you have to have ample padding and rugged construction. A good world travel surfboard bag will have at least 10mm padding and some extra bulk in the nose and tail. Many of the larger “coffin” type bags that carry 3 or more boards will also come with padded dividers and internal tie downs so everything stays exactly the way you put it when you arrive at your tropical destination. For the minimalists out there, single board travel bags are available, but chances are you’ll hit a point in your trip when you wish you had extra boards when your single stick snaps on a reef or a possessive local. One of the greatest options available on the world travel bags is the rollerblade wheels making for super easy transport around the airport. Combine this with upgraded padded adjustable straps and you have one super mobile, ultra protective board traveling machine. (hint: A wheelie travel surfboard bag tends to be more reinforced in the tail section to support the rolling feature, offering your boards a much greater level of tail protection)
I paddled out right around sunset at the jetty. I didn’t think about what had happened earlier that day, what I was going to do after, or even what I was doing at that moment. It’s all muscle memory anyway. All my thoughts melted away somewhere in the sand. I paddled out to the break, right hand stretched out to the top of my board, left arm dangling in the water. I felt the cool ocean flow between my fingers. I didn’t think about school, how shrinking paychecks dictate my now canned tuna and Tapatio hot sauce diet, work, the fact that my gaslight had been on for a couple days. It also didn’t dawn on me that this is probably what professional Rip Curl Soul Surfer Bethany Hamilton was doing on Halloween morning in 2003, excluding the tuna and gaslight. She was enjoying the ocean, and nothing else.
A flash of grey, massive pressure, and red everywhere as blood stained the ocean water all around her in what was perhaps one of the most horrific and terrifying moments in her life. The young surfer was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing one of her favorite spots on Kauai. Despite having lost her arm she continues to follow her dreams and ambitions and is as driven as ever. Almost a decade later she is fully recovered, surfing professionally, and using her story to encourage others to get back on the board. Her new movie, Soul Surfer is out in theaters everywhere on April 8th, and is really more of a documented Biography. After losing her arm Hamilton feared never being able to surf again.
The movie is the story of her struggle to get back in the water and learn how to cope with her new life. Directed by Sean McNamara, it was filmed in Hawaii and casts Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt as Hamilton’s parents not to mention the likes of Anna Sophia Robb as Bethany, and even Carrie Underwood as her encouraging youth pastor, not a bad casting line up for a surf movie. Besides the A-list celebs and incredible story, the movie is a depiction of Hamilton’s beliefs, values, and dreams. Being able to paddle out is a privilege, and sometimes we may take it for granite or just not think about it. Hamilton encourages people in her movie to keep fighting. In an interview with pro surfer Mary Osborne, Hamilton said the one thing she wanted young girls to know was to, “Live your dreams and work hard at what you believe in stand firm and don’t let the world tell you are what you aren’t.“
To find out more about Bethany Hamilton or her new movie Rip Curl Soul Surfer you can visit her website:
We love getting feedback like this from local boardriders who are doing big things in the world. We wanted to share this with everyone because of the great cause behind it. Be sure to check out the video and if you want to help click this link to purchase the song on itunes. Thanks Casey. Glad you love your SC Boards and we’ll pass that along to South Coast shaper Larry Ricci.
So I just recently got back from Indo…I got out of there before the tsunami hit the mentawais.
I’m in a local band here in SD called Stained Glass Saints and I also play out solo under my own name CASEY TURNER. We shot a music video in the mentawais and Bali 2 months ago and are donating all the proceeds to the itunes sales of that song to SURFAID to help the tsunami victims. Here is the link to the music vid. The song is called “Wayan and Friends”. Pass it on and maybe buy the song on itunes and help donate…if you are down. Maybe you can spread the word. There is a shot of an SC board on my scoooter in the begginning. I’m loving my new SC board Larry Ricci has some of the best shapes I surfed your boards the whole time I was out there. click on da link and check out the video.
Rip Curl has highlighted the top ten surf editorials of the summer and we at South Coast found in interesting enough to share with you. Surf culture in mainstream media can be inviting to the kooks but also inspiring to those young looking to sharpen their skills enough to one day have their own editorial feature. With today’s technology everyone is a photographer now so we can expect to see more and more surf insight in publications like Seventeen, People, LA Times, and ESPN. These companies are paying big bucks to feature these surf heros who are becoming idols across the country. Rip Curl can’t help it if their gear is so high quality that it turns their customers into instant celebrities. Haha ok well maybe not but anyway click the photo and check out the link!
Day Two: We met up with our good friends Matt Myers and Noah Wegrich at a wedgy wave in the Santa Cruz area for some punt ramps and sharky vibes! Although none of us said anything in the water, when we got out we all mentioned that we had seen shadows in the waves but didn’t want to scare each other by saying so. I guess it’s just part of surfing up here. We ended the day with a quick session at pleasure point followed by Matt Myers’ hot tub just blocks away.
I was able to boost a couple but my homie Matt Myers showed me how to really surf the wave… here are some pictures of him BOOSTING some sick airs!
Day Three: Noah and Matt had obligations for the day so it was just Michael and I on a mission to score a couple of waves. The swell had dropped a lot but we were still able to get a couple of fun waves in Mid-town, Santa Cruz.
Day Four: With Michael having to get to LAX tomorrow evening, we decided to start making our way back down to SoCal, but not before hitting up one of San Mateo County’s fine skate parks. We had a fun skate session with some of the locals and made our way down to San Luis Obispo to visit some friends for the evening.
Day Five: Hung out at the house in SLO on Kentucky street with the homies, dropped off Michael at LAX for his flight over to Bali, and just got home a couple of minutes ago. It was definitely a fun weekend with some fun waves and good times with friends!
