Teaser...

I found this video on YouTube. The first 2/3 of it was filmed in the Mentawai's and is a pretty good sampling of the waves I hope to find while I'm over there. Enjoy... :-)

3-4 ft. - waist to chest high' occ 5 ft.' fair

How many freaking times have I seen that forecast for 17th St. in HB, just to get out and realize that it's every bit of 3-4, occ. 5' but the "fair" part of the forecast is where they are sorely mistaken. It seems that "fair" by Surfline's standards means 80% of the time it's closeouts, the remaining 20% are shoulders that yield 1 or 2 turns/pumps then it closes out on you. What gets me excited is the 1 out of 15 waves on a day like today where you get a clean take-off, stand up and the wave opens up in front of you if even just for 1 big turn or slash or floater or whatever. The reason that 1 wave intrigues me and gets me stoked is when you see photos or video of the waves over in Indo, the shape is pristine; fair is not a word that enters the forecasts over there. 50-yards and more of peeling waves where even when it sections out, there's enough push in the wave to get you around the section and keep on going. I find myself these days catching those waves here and getting ahead of myself; I imagine that the wave will keep on peeling for 50 yards and the water is crystal clear and the reef is rolling along underneath my board like a mural. Then I snap out of it right as the damn thing closes out on me and I'm scrambling to find the surface and my board to paddle back out and try again...

Oh and the water sure isn't crystal clear here. I've got a sinus infection right now and I'm placing the blame solely on the "clean" water here in HB. 2 nights ago I noticed that I couldn't complete my after surf ritual of doing a forward fold on the beach and letting the sea water drip out of my nasal cavity; the old sinuses are holding onto that water and it's causing havoc with my head and this morning I could barely breath or speak without sounding like the guy in the NyQuil commercials. Oh well, a couple days out of the water and I'm usually good to go.

22 days to go...

Fintastic!!

What better way to really get a feel for different fin designs than taking them out and getting a chance to see what they can do in super clean surf?? It's about as "controlled" environment as you could ask for, without standing in a wave pool in a lab which is considerably less fun. I consider myself somewhat of a scientist this trip as I take with me several different types of fins for my std. shortboard shapes. My boards use a Futures fin system (for those unfamiliar, it's like electrical outlets; only certain fins will fit in certain fin systems, like your hair dryer from Germany won't work with the plugs in Japan...).

For those not familiar with fins, let me assure you that there is WAY more science at work here than you might think. Hydrodynamics is serious stuff and all the principles of aerodynamics are the same: lift, drag, flex, all that stuff is used when creating these fins and while I'm no pro, I CAN feel a difference between regular old standard issue fins and some of the more "hi-tech" fins I'll show you below. In most cases it's not dramatic, but certainly enough to keep you surfing them over the other fins. Problem is, most times around here the conditions are not very optimal with wind, surface texture, smaller wave size, inconsistency and so forth to REALLY get a feel for your fins. But, the cleaner and more consistent Indo waves should provide ample opportunity to see what templates work best.

Anyway, here are the experimental fins I'll be bringing with me...

Futures Vector II 454's

Just won these on eBay for a ridiculous price. They're a pretty big fin so they should give me plenty of drive but the foiled edges should provide a little lift and loosen the board up just a bit. I'm a big fan of the Vector fins from Futures and think this sort of foil/outline will become the defacto thruster fin design now and into the future.

Futures VF 460

I got these as a demo fin from Futures a couple years ago before they hit the market. They're my "daily driver" fins and I love them. Lots of drive, lift and speed through turns. They're not the best fins for being super loose and surfing top to bottom but when you need speed, these fins are the way to go. They're made of this resin-transfer-material or RTM and are insanely light and strong; the blue color looks killer, too. I think these will have a permanent place on the new 6'7" superfly...

Futures VF452 3/2/1

These are the real mad scientist fins. They have little "kinks" in the trailing edge of the fin at different angles that help keep speed through turns and the stubby tip of the fins allow for them to release much easier, or rather, to become disconnected from the water and transition much quicker/easier. The center fin is a hatchet and looks radically different than the side fins. My surfing dosn't really lend itself too well to the forte of these fins but again, I got them for a sweet deal on eBay and decided "why not!?" They're a little small for me but maybe they'll let me try a different style of surfing on the very different style of wave in Indo and I will find a permanent home for them in my thruster rotation.

Quiver

Well, a couple Friday's ago I picked up a board made just for this trip: a Surf Rx Superfly round-pin. The board is built for speed and it just looks fast; no need to surf it to figure that out with the deep single concave, rounded-pin tail and solid yellow paint job!! A BIG thanks, as always, to DOC and the gang for building me another sweet board to add to my growing quiver. Anyway...

Now that the Superfly has arrived my travel quiver is complete. I'll be bringing a quiver of 4 boards on this trip:

• Surf Rx RSQ - 6'4" x 19.25" x 2.375"
• Surf Rx Superfly round pin - 6'7" x 19.375" x 2.625"
  
• Campbell Brothers 5-fin bonzer - 6'6" x 20.25" x 2.75"
• Surf Rx Ol Skool Fish - 6'1" x 21" x 2.625"

I'm not looking to charge huge waves and when it's large and in charge I'll be on the boat taking photos or sitting in the channel watching the action in person. So, I won't be bringing any guns or real critical-wave boards in favor of the fun and easier to surf (for me at least) shapes.

The 6'7 "round pin is for the days and the waves when it's a little bigger or heavier than I'd ride the 6'4" and need that extra "oomph" to get me up and riding and then have a little more horsepower for that extra speed, thanks in great part to DOC's Superfly design with single concave throughout. DOC and I sat down and tweaked the hell out of nearly every dimension on this one and both think this board could be unreal over there for me. It's a great travel board in the dimensions, outline and glassing (went with 6oz rather than 4oz for the strength and I always like a heavier board in bigger surf). I have a feeling I'll be surfing this one a lot of the time.

The bonzer is there for...well...because it's my bonzer :) It's glassed heavier and has a bigger, fuller outline which I've found is great for stroking into nicer waves and affords me plenty of options on what to do on the wave so I'm super stoked to really give this board it's chance to shine. I love the bonzer design and have experienced that "5th gear" everyone talks about with the design so I can't wait to see if they have a hidden "6th gear" on some even nicer waves! Thanks to the team at Moonlight for building this beauty.

I'm not sure how much I'll be surfing the fish but it was just too tempting to leave it at home and I'd be regretting not bringing at least 1 fishy shape with me since these are the boards I surf most often and surf the best. This board has always been one of my favorites and the old standby when I'm looking for a fun shape to take out and just enjoy the art of surfing; it's no business, all pleasure...except going backside where 1/2 the time I inevitably end up on my ass with the board 6' above my head. It should be noted that said complications are due to user error, not the equipment :)

Oh yeah I'll also be bringing my swim fins in case I get the urge to bodysurf or just swim around and explore the Indian ocean.

From L-R:
Fish, RSQ, Superfly, Bonzer
(the bonzer and RSQ showed up to the shoot with wax all over them...pardon the oversight...)

T-minus 1 month, and counting...

Holy crap!! It's 1 month away!! I'll be stepping on the plane @ LAX in month and embarking on this incredible journey!!

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm really excited to go I can't stop thinking about this trip...

Why the Mentawai islands?

That's a good question. I chose the Mentawai islands primarily for their consistent and totally surfable waves. I'm not a big wave surfer; DOH+ ( double overhead) usually scares the crap out of me around here and this trip is more for having fun rather than pushing my surfing to new limits. That's not to say that waves in Indo are easy to surf and small, it's just that there are plenty of options. When one spot is macking and just going off, you can drive 5 minutes away in the boat and find a place that's just getting the "leftover" energy and surf playful waves. When one spot is getting onshore winds, you go to the other side of the island and it's offshore. When the tide is killing one spot, keep motoring to another spot where the tide is working with it. Everything is in such close proximity that you can find out a spot isn't working and only have wasted 20 minutes, then know exactly where will be working based on the conditions at the spot you just motored to; it really is an amazing place. I'm sure there will be a few sessions I'm really feeling it and want to push my limits and try a few waves that will be damn scary and out of my comfort zone, but why not?? I mean I'm traveling by myself for the first time, taking my first "real" surf trip, going to a 3rd world country so why not just go all the way?! HA!

There were other spots I considered going but decided not to. Fiji has always been one of my dream trips but there's not quite as many wave choices at the resorts you stay at and most of the waves are pretty beefy and not quite as fun, at least in my mind. It's go big or go home from what I've heard and the same goes for Tahiti; another one of my dream trips. The trip I had initially planned on doing a couple years ago was to Australia. Oz is great surf and very similar to here in SoCal since it's mostly all beachbreaks and pointbreaks and spending a week or 2 on the Gold Coast would be a ton of fun and someday I'll do it, but I was more attracted to the secluded and exotic feel of a trip to Indonesia and I wanted a break from surfing beachbreaks all the time.

If you want to see what the waves will be like over there, I can think of 2 films that were filmed totally in this area: September Sessions and Quiksilver's Young Guns 2; September Sessions might be my all time favorite surf film. These waves are featured all the time in damn near every surf video but those 2 are all Mentawai, all the time.

What do windy, crappy surf sessions have to do with Indo?

So I go for a surf yesterday out front at 17th Street. It was the first session I had on a thruster in a long time and I figured I better be getting as much time in the water on thrusters as that's primarily what I'll be surfing on my trip. It was maybe shoulder/head high but the wind was putting some not-so-fun surface texture on it and the shape seemed to disappear by the minute. By the time I got out it had become an overcast, cold and lumpy low-tide mess. I still caught waves and a few memorable ones, to boot, but it certainly wasn't in the top 50 sessions of the year. What does this ho-hum session have to do with the Mentawai's and my trip? Everything.

See, it's like this a lot here and I go out pretty much every day no matter if it's epic or a lake. I always find a way to have fun even if I'm not catching waves; I consider myself to be a very fortunate and blessed person to have the ocean in my backyard and to be a surfer and I know that most everyone in the world will never have the opportunity to ride waves and experience that magical feeling I get every time I paddle out so it makes my sessions that more special and meaningful, to me. I feel that I owe it to all the people that can't/don't surf to enjoy my time surfing as much as possible and not complain because I'm being given the chance to go out and do something that they may never get to do and I consider it to be one of the most beautiful and amazing things on earth.

This trip is happening because of all the cold, windy, lumpy days I've surfed that have helped me gain a great deal of appreciation and respect and stoke for surfing. Without days like yesterday and the countless other days that were just as marginal or worse I'd never have learned to love surfing like I do nor plant the seeds of imagination and desire to visit places like Indonesia. Hell, I never would have known the Mentawai islands existed without putting in my time surfing on the good and the bad days and learning something about surfing and myself in the process. See, for me, surfing all the time isn't just about building up my skill level and becoming proficient at the act of surfing, it's way more than that; it gives me clarity and focus and an appreciation for everything around me. Not to get all philosophical on you here, but I've found surfing to almost be a religion for me. It has taught me more about myself, my limits, my joys, my pains, my goals, my disappointments, the world around me and some of the most wonderful individuals that have ever lived, moreso than anything else I can recall and it's not just about surfing; it affects everything in my life. It's good stuff that feeds my soul every day, even the ho-hum days that would be considered sub-standard by the surfing community. Of course, the super bitchen, unbelievable days every now and then don't hurt, either... ;)

So, I ended yesterday's session with a smile on my face knowing that days like that are making trips like my 1st trip to the Mentawai's possible and will continue to open doors for me throughout my life!

5 Cities, 5 Airlines...

When you book your travel with frequent flyer miles you realize that you are about as welcome as the common cold in a crowded elevator during the peak of cold/flu season. They put you on whatever flight they want and wherever they have space and the lost revenue of putting you in that seat outweighs some model for profitability...or something like that. For this trip I will be visiting 5 airports:

• LAX (Los Angeles)
• NRT (Tokyo)
• SIN (Singapore)
• PDG (Padang)
• HKG (Hong Kong)

Even better is that I'll be flying 5 different airlines!

• American Airlines
  
• Japan Airlines
• Garuda Indonesia
  
• Tiger Airways
• Cathay Pacific

The short flights from Singapore to Padang leave very sporadically and only on certain days so the airline I take down there can't fly me back and I have to find another carrier; American isn't to blame for that one. How's this for cheap... A 1-way ticket from Singapore to Padang and vice versa cost me $18.86 and the flight takes about an hour and 15 minutes on an Airbus A320, so it's not some guy's Cessna or a cargo plane carrying chickens. Can you imagine if a flight from LAX to San Francisco cost $18.86?? For some odd reason, I feel no sympathy for US-based airlines bitching about the rising cost of fuel, labor, etc. and then making us pay for it...

Action water shots?? CHECK!

How could I go on a big surf trip without a camera that I can take out in the water?! I just picked up a new pocket digital camera that works underwater and can take little movies, too. The Olympus Stylus 720SW was the best choice to replace my last digital that was damaged and left non-functional on a recent trip and the fact that this one is waterproof to 10' and can be dropped from 5' with no apparent damage or loss of functionality was a no-brainer. I've always wanted to take a camera out in the lineup and shoot some photos of friends and good waves and I snorkel/swim on every vacation I go on and think having a camera underwater will be a lot of fun... However I've got to figure out an effective way of keeping it attached to my body. It is heavy/dense and does not float so if I drop it I'm SOL... Someone made the recommendation that I attach one of those big foam pool noodles to it. Umm...not so much. I have to spend 12 days on a small island with these people and I'd much rather be known as the big tall dude that got the hang of barrel riding super fast opposed to the guy with a 4' pool noodle attached to his camera out in the lineup... LOL!

If at first you don't succeed...

Who would have thought that booking an international flight with my frequent flyer miles would be such a PITA!

I called American to cash in 70,000 miles for a R/T to Singapore thinking it would be a simple and pain-free ordeal. It was anything but... The first woman I spoke with must have lost her poker game the night before or they ran out of her favorite side item at her lunch spot or she just hated being at work. I asked her for a flight from LAX to SIN in coach. She came back and said there were no flights available. OK, fine. I then said "does that mean there are NO spots available on the flight for frequent flyers or could we try first class or business class and have some luck that route?" She replies, "SIR...I did what YOU told me and I just told you there are NO seats available. Is there something else you want me to do because I just did EXACTLY what you asked me..." I sorta quipped back that I just asked her to look in first and business class but after another bitchy comment and a long exhale I decided this just wasn't gonna work and hung up on grumpasaurus rex, who I assure you is anything but extinct in the world we live in.

Now what?? Do I have to buy my own ticket, which would not be a cheap decision? Well, like the title of the post says, I tried again 15 minutes after my first round... This time I got Dolores, a kind and happy customer service agent, to help me out. I gave her the exact same days and times and she put me on hold for about 2 minutes. She comes back and gives me a confirmation # and tells me I have until the 11th to cancel it with no penalty, otherwise I'm booked and she wishes me a safe and pleasant journey and thanks me for being a continued American Airlines traveler.

This just goes to show you, that if you're booking international air travel with your frequent flyer miles to Singapore from LAX on American Airlines and you don't succeeed, just call back 15 minutes later and ask for Dolores! :)

Here's my itinerary:
Depart LAX 10/13 @ 12:20
Arrive in Tokyo 10/15 @ 16:20 (gotta love the Int'l date line!)
Depart Tokyo @ 16:25
Arrive Singapore @ 0:25
19 hours total flight time

Then on the way back...
Depart Singapore 10/29 @ 16:30
Arrive Hong Kong @ 20:15
Depart Hong Kong @ 23:40
Arrive LAX 10/29 @ 20:10
16 hours total flight time

On top of all of this I have to book my flights from Singapore to Padang and vice versa. Wow, and to think I was getting bored on my 9 hour flight to Munich last year...who knows what I'll do this trip with all this travel time!? I have a feeling if I'm not fast asleep I'll be watching as many surf DVD's as I can and just getting even more stoked to get there...