Tag: San Diego
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The Vanishing Canyons of My Youth
It was the Grand Canyon of my youth: deep, dark, and scary as hell. It took me and my 10-year old friends years to conquer our fear of the wilderness in our backyard. They set me on a path in life that serves me to this day. They were the canyons of my youth but…
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SmartFin: Environmental Wave of the Future
As the world’s environmental problems expand the challenge is to keep up with the increasingly larger scale of the issues. Decades ago we worried about individual beaches, now we are focused on whole coastlines, and indeed entire oceans are at risk. To keep pace marine biologists and oceanographers have deployed huge arrays of sensors across the…
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Surfing Crystal Pier: Life as a Grommet
Crystal Pier, 1966 In the long arc of my surfing life my early years remain indelibly etched on my psyche, as is true of most surfers. Why is simple: we are pulled in by the ocean’s allure, rapidly learn her inner-most secrets, measure our courage against her power, but are ultimately humbled by fear. It is the beginning of…
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Gone with the Tide: the Abalone Divers of Isla Natividad
During the summer of 1986 we embarked on the ultimate surfing ecology road trip. Combining my interests of surfing and marine biology we set off looking for abalone and good, uncrowded waves. I had just established study sites and tagged black abalone in northern and southern California. Baja was next.
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Demise of the Dawn Patrol and the Search for Uncrowded Waves
Dawn Patrol. N. The act of getting up extremely early – sometimes before sunrise – to go surfing. Searching for uncrowded waves. September, 1970, Pacific Beach,California You know the drill. Wake up to tapping on my window by my surf buddy, Neal. Dark outside, 4:30 AM. Grab my board and head down to the beach. Riding through…
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My Life in Surf Boards
The surf board is an essential part of a surfer’s interaction with waves. Some might say it is the spiritual connection between the surfer and Mother Nature. The size, shape, and style of the board reflects both the surfer’s personality and approach to wave riding as well as the trends in board styles and design over…
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Best Years of Our Life: Pacific Beach 1971
It was the best years of our life When we were children remember what it’s like To bring back memories of the good things we once knew To be right, there’s so much we gotta do. — Iron Butterfly, Best Years of Our Life, Metamorphosis ▲ click to hear the music ▲ Listening to Iron Butterfly transports me…
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Playing Chess during the Vietnam War
Finally, there it was: “Pawn to Queen’s Knight Four.” I raced into my bedroom to my chess set and made the move. Staring at the pieces I smiled and immediately thought of my next move. But then I had time to think: it would be months until his next move. They call it the Game…
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Coming Home
Born on the Navy circuit, moving every 2 years. Home was an elusive concept at best. As life would have it we occasionally doubled back and that place was San Diego. Living there in the’ 60s and ’70s was a magical experience. Simple, clean, fun, and just right for starting my love affair with the ocean.…
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The greatest surf movies you’ve probably never heard about
I am continually surprised about reactions to my amateur surf films of the 70s and 80s. While living in San Diego in the early 1970s I started borrowing my Dad’s 8mm Minolta film camera and making surf movies. Somehow making movies just clicked with me and I made about 20 short movies between 1972 and 1985.…