How To – Paddling Out Through the Surf – Techniques

Paddling Out Through the SurfA tutorial I made for SUP The Mag on how to paddle out through the surf.  In this video are a couple techniques I learned this past year, as well as how I get out when it’s overhead plus and heavy.

Filming some of the best paddlers in the world gives me a chance to see what they do in slow motion.  After trying the techniques myself I make a video and hopefully this helps others.

So here are 4 ways I use to get out at Ocean Beach:

Read more

Clean Beaches with Renewables – Free and Simple

Clean BeachesA Clean Beaches video I made for SUP the Mag.

I started monkeying around with renewable bamboo because I had some poles collecting dust in my garage.  Building with free bamboo seemed better than ordering another couple hundred dollars worth of carbon tubes.  Now that my eyes are open to building with bamboo, wood, and other plants it’s a no-brainer for me to start building with these materials and stay with it even if…

Read more

DIY Wood Surfboard Rack – How to Video

DIY Wood Surfboard RackOver the years living in several different houses my surfboards also needed a home.  Putting them in the rafters or loft of a garage or shed was quick storage but pulling them out was always a hassle.  So I have made several versions of a wall mounted multi-board rack, and I am stoked with this wood rack I am using now.  I made a video tutorial of how I built this wood rack for SUP the Mag.

I built it around 3 years ago and it has held strong and sturdy.  Purchasing an unlimited board required re-configuring the rack to accommodate this 17 foot board.  It was surprisingly easy to rearrange the rack arms.  I am stoked to report the rack has held the weight of 3 downwind boards, 2 sups, and several shortboards totaling about 140 pounds.

Making a rack out of renewable plants is important to me, and I love the smell of wood in my garage:

Read more

Tube City at Ocean Beach – An Epic Surfing Day

Tube City at Ocean BeachI am renaming San Francisco Tube City after seeing so many epic barrels this beautiful warm winter day. Twice in the past three years I have wished I brought a prone shortboard with me, a shallow fast reef break in Maui and this day at Ocean Beach.

Driving to the beach I had no idea it would be hollow and barreling.  The last time I saw this many barrels it was huge and serious…

Read more

Foil Surfing – Beginner Tutorial Series

Foil Surfing TutorialI made a foil surfing tutorial series for SUP The Magazine.  Designed for newbies and beginners.  I made it now when I am still learning myself.  I have found that after I have progressed and developed advanced skills it is challenging to remember how difficult being a beginner was.

Also I suspect down the road will be fun to have a video record of where I was and my thinking about foil surfing.  I wish I had this from my early prone surfing days.  Now it’s hard to imagine not being able to paddle out and catch a bunch of waves and do whatever turns I want…

Read more

Year of the SUP Surfer

Happy New YearHappy New Year!  I have seen more SUP surfers out at the spots I routinely surf, a welcome addition.  Also I have met and been hanging out with more surfers then ever before, another welcome addition to my life.  The most enjoyable part for me is the welcoming inclusive vibe, everyone is glad to see each other and stoked to share waves.

I am looking forward to seeing what unfolds in 2018 and I hope to see you soon…

Read more

Cohousing – A Modern Take on Tribe – Retribe Podcast #3

Cohousing – A Modern Take on Tribe – Retribe Podcast #3

On paper Cohousing might seem like any other Condo or Home Owners Association (HOA). Every CoHousing community I have seen looks, feels, and is very different. I am reminded of my transition to barefoot. I was unable to immediately ditch my rigid hiking boots and go barefoot all day, my feet were not ready for it. Likewise going straight from single family home to tribal living might be to much of a culture shock. Co-Housing seems to fit somewhere on the spectrum between domesticated humans in isolated single family homes and wild hunters and gatherers living as an egalitarian tribe.

In this episode…

Read more

SUP Surfing Footwork – How to Position the Feet for Radical Turns

SUP Surfing FootworkLearning to move my feet rail to rail made a huge difference in my turns, control, and confidence in any conditions. In this video I break down the footwork that empowers us to do radical maneuvers, make sections, and kick out.  I slowed down and enlarged the footage so we can see how the pros move and position their feet to enable them to do stylish fluid turns.

For beginners this footwork helps us stay in control and have more confidence when taking a large SUP into a crowded surf zone.  With the right footwork we are safer for everyone around us and ourselves, this is an important skill to have on these bigger boards.  Also we are enabled to have longer rides and do those carving turns that feel so good…

Read more