by Clay Schmitz | Aug 4, 2015 | adventures, articles
Imagine this: I arrive at a a popular surf spot and everyone makes welcome eye contact with me and they greet me or introduce themselves. As I paddle out everyone who recognizes me is happy to see me and those who don’t are curious and excited to meet me. I’m welcomed into a place in the lineup and while I wait my turn those around me engage with me in authentic conversation and they are genuinely pleased that I am there. They believe I have something to offer and they are stoked to help me practice my abilities for the benefit of the group. When it’s my turn to catch a wave they all hoot me into the wave and cheer and celebrate my ride. I have heard stories from parts of the south pacific that this is real and the local villagers greet and welcome outsiders in this way. I saw in Fiji…
Read more
by Clay Schmitz | Jul 25, 2015 | adventures, articles
I saw a video of surfing this wake on Lake Tahoe about a week ago and I’ve been envisioning surfing it every day since.
My amazing wife, our baby, and I were leaving Tahoe when she said she felt like we only did part of all the activities we planned. I agreed and said I really wanted to surf that sternwheeler boat wave. She replied let’s do it, so we impulsively turned the truck around and drove to South Lake Tahoe…
Read more
by Clay Schmitz | Jun 29, 2015 | adventures, articles
My experience at popular surf spots is that most of the surfers’ have a deeply held belief in scarcity: there are not enough waves, and they need to fight for waves if they want to have a good time. This perception leads to bad vibes, and all kinds of shenanigans and debauchery in an attempt keep others away and get more waves. For me this behavior, commonly known as localism, sours the whole surfing experience, and has lead me on a search for surf with people who are putting out positive and welcoming vibes.
Downwind SUP surfing feels like…
Read more
by Clay Schmitz | Mar 17, 2015 | patronage
I’m excited about the possibilities of crowd funding websites. I’ve created an account at Patreon and you can find it here: http://www.patreon.com/ClayIsland Thanks so much! Read more
by Clay Schmitz | Aug 17, 2014 | projects
We broadcast a radio show on KPFA 94.1 FM from Berkeley, CA. Livestream is available at KPFA . Show archives can be found on the Video page and on YouTube, and also on the Podcast page. Our goal is to bring and make accessible traditional and ancient healing practices to our communities. The empirical knowledge of traditional healing practices is still being used by the indigenous cultures from the four corners of the world. This proven medicine has its place in modern culture as it heals imbalances of the body, restores mental clarity, brings serenity to the heart, and reconnects us to our soul. The show is hosted by David Kukkola. Executive produced by Miguel Molina. Audio and video production by Clay Schmitz.
Read more
