Surfing on the Big Screen!

:Movies and Documentaries about Surfing:

*The Endless Summer*

*Step into Liquid*



*Surf's Up*

*Shelter*

*Pointbreak*

*Blue Crush*



*In God's Hands*

*Blue Horizon*

*Big Wednesday*

*North Shore*

*Riding Giants*



*Semptember Sessions*

*Thicker than Water*

*A Broke Down Melody*

*Sipping Jetstreams*

*Laird*

-By Carla Darmiento

Surfwise

Surwise is a new movie that's coming out that takes an interesting view of how surfing has had a profound affect on people's lives. It's is a documentary about a doctor named Dorian Paskowitz. He packed his wife and 9 kids into a camper and traveled around the world surfing at various beaches. It seems interesting to see what it's like growing up surfing everyday. But what's more interesting is the question as to whether Dorian Paskowitz is really smart or just completely insane. Totally isolating his kids from traditional society he raised them in a dictator fashion demanding that they surf every day. Is this surfing lifestyle paradise or just some crazy old man's idea? One of the first showings will open in Newport Beach at Lido Cinema on May 23. Visit www.surfwisefilm.com for more info.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6KNWupmoB0&feature=related

Surf History & Culture

Last Year we were taking a trip to Huntington Beach and on our way back to the car we passed by the International Surfing Museum. I had always heard about this museum but had never really thought about or actually pursued to check it out. Since the museum is FREE of charge, and yes....you read correctly...free of charge. So being that we had no plans later that evening and we were passing by it anyways we decided to go in and check out the fascinating surf memorabilia.


The museum includes so many interesting things from history. Especially the fact that Huntington Beach is "Surf City" and is the most surfed beach on the west coast, this is the perfect place for a surf history museum to be located in. In the museum they have everything that has to do with surfing...like:

>old surfing films

>surf music (records, album covers, and samples)

>trophies & awards

>photographs and posters of events and surf championships

>old surf boards (longboards, shortboards, etc..)

In 1767, The first people to observe surfing were the Europeans and then the first American to actually observe the art and sport of surfing was Captain Cook in 1778 in Hawaii. Surfing is a big aspect of the Polynesian culture and believe it or not but the sport of surfing and the art of carving boards actually disappeared for a while because of the ban over the hawaiin culture...finally at the begininning of the 20th century surfing was revived again by protesters of the disapperance or the Hawaiin culture and the "Ambassador of Aloha" Duke Kahanamoku actually played a huge role in exposing the world to surfing. Surfing in the beginning was a very low-key sport that no one knew about and heard of. The main destinations for surfing in the early years were only 3, Hawaii, California, and Australia. That soon grew throughout the years after the popularity of the sport exploded. The popularity grew after things like movies, music, and books were based around surfing and set in beaches. Some early movies that put surfing on the map were Gidget and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (which actually portrayed the stereotype of a "surfer")

(^Pictured above: Movie Poster "Gidget" and movie poster of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and Spicoli at the beach surfing^)

Another Popular surf culture icon was The Beach Boys. The Beach Boys were most known for their melodic vocal harmonies and songs about California culture like Surfing, Beaches, Cars, and Girls. The Beach Boys formed in 1961 by a guy named Brian Wilson, the group also included his brothers, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, this band also had early members David Marks and later bandmate Bruce Johnston. They have all become part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The International Surfing Museum is located at:

411 olive avenue in Huntington Beach, California -zip code-92648

The Phone number for more information is (714) 960-3483
and the hours the museum is open is Monday thru Friday from 12-5 pm

and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am - 6 pm

website: http://www.surfingmuseum.org/

By: Carla Darmiento

Surf Lesson

Last summer I tried to learn how to surf the old-fashioned way. I got a board and went down to the beach to see what I could do. What I discovered was that I was a boogie boarder on a surf board more than anything else (and a bad one at that). So, as I said in my last post I took a surf instructor with me this time.
The Monday following my last blog post I had a scheduled surf lesson with a seasoned surf instructor named Chris from
Zack’s at the Huntington Beach Pier.

...As opposed to my previous experiences surfing I actually got to the beach early (9am). Going earlier doesn’t always mean better waves but it does mean that the beach is less crowded (which it was).
Chris is passionate about surfing. It’s kind of obvious that he would be since he’s a surf instructor but he likes it so much that he gets excited when other people try to pick up the sport. He asked me “Are you ready for this?” grinning from ear to ear like three times.
One of the most tiring aspects of the lesson was carrying the 9 foot foam long board down to the water. After that endeavor I was already spent and I hadn’t even touched the water yet. The initial pointers were pretty standard. We set the board down on the sand and went over stroking technique and how to pop up properly. One of the big pointers he taught me was to keep looking forward as you are popping up because if you’re looking at the board you’ll lose your balance and fall.
Even with a wet suit getting into the water was quite a chilling experience. It was the kind of cold that made my feet and hands numb (but after 15 minutes you get used to it and it’s not a big deal). As we were paddling out a bit he told me to push down on the board and arch my back as I was getting past the crashing waves. I had to discipline myself to keep my legs together because when my body wasn’t straight I would get knocked off my board by the oncoming waves.
So this was it. We were in position near the break and I was going to catch some white water. The amazing thing was that I got up on my first try and rode it all the way in. But the truth is that it took me until my third try to get up and ride the wave. I was completely oblivious to the whole gliding experience because I was so focused on not falling off the board. Standing up was my mission.
After the second time I stood up I was exhausted. My arms were burning and I couldn’t lift myself up on the board anymore. For the first 35 minutes there was a lot of adrenaline pumping and I was paddling really hard. If I had been a little more relaxed I probably wouldn’t have got gassed so quickly. I didn’t take full advantage of having Chris there who was positioned to push me into the waves. I paddled way harder than I had to.
All in all, my lesson was a success which had a lot to do with the 9 foot foam board I was using (which is made by BIC by the way, I thought they only made pens!). The downside to the lesson was that it set me back $75. But Zack’s provides the board (and the wetsuit if you don’t have one), so it’s actually a pretty decent price, especially with instructors like Chris.
Looking back I think I could have done without a formal lesson. There’s no doubt that it was much easier with the coaching and encouragement Chris provided but the necessity is using a board like the one I used. I didn’t have that board last summer. However, if you’re not a very strong swimmer I would recommend taking a surf lesson with an instructor because they go out with you and push you into the waves. You spend less time fighting the elements and more time learning.
-Gabe Garcia

Website for Zack's: http://www.beachfoodfun.com/

SURFING 101

I've done a few things to learn and better prepare myself to be an expert surfer in the years to come..when i was younger i did a fun experience that i think all kids should try if they're under the age of 17, I went to a YMCA surf camp in San Diego, CA. That week was a blast..we actually had to bring tents and set them up on a reserved section of the beach just for the YMCA kids..then they're were activities ever night and wake up to go surfing every morning and afternoon -- it was soo much fun! [and don't worry, there was food provided for us in a cafeteria - so there was always enough food to feed our bellies!]

...Another way i further expanded my learning experience was once I got to college I signed up for a surf class for the fall semester and every friday we would wake up at 6:00 in the morning and leave to get to ourclass at Huntington Beach at 7:00 am. it was hard work but worth it and the waves and weather were great in the early morning..

*some basic beginner tips are...

>>>the different parts of the board (nose, rails, tail, fins, etc..)

>>>OFF-shore and ON-shore winds..(tip: the best waves come with off-shore winds)

>>>offshore winds are typically better because the wind is coming from off the shore and blowing towards the waves causing them to stay up longer and break not as fast

>>>onshore winds however come from the ocean and are heading towards the shore, this causes the waves to be pushed and slapped down making them break sooner which is not ideal for a surfer

>>>surfing etiquette (who ever is higher on the crest of the wave gets the right away and gets to take the wave)

>>>How to paddle out and duck diving (shortboards) & turtle rolling (longboards)

>>>Turtle Roll: Hold onto the rails of the surfboard, then use your body to roll over onto your back then hold tight, hold your breath and brace yourself for a breaking wave to hit (hint: make sure your always perpendicular to the waves)

>>>Duck Dive: Hold onto rails of the board but more towards the front, push downwards putting your weight on the nose of the board, then take a deep breath and submerge yourself underwater making sure to keep your arms straight and lean forward

~Carla Darmiento

Shortboards and Longboards

I have a friend. Let’s call him Dave. Dave decided that he was going to break into the world of surfing with the popular shortboard. Shortboards (a.k.a thrusters) range in length from 5’8” to 6’10”. They are known for they’re maneuverability. Advanced surfers use them to make sharp turns and perform tricks. They have a pointy nose, usually three fins, and a square tail.

Dave didn’t catch any waves in his debut. In fact, he was in a world of hurt the whole time. He thought since he was a decent snowboarder and skater that making the jump to surfing wouldn’t be a big deal. He was wrong. What Dave needed was the opposite of a shortboard; he needed a longboard. Longboards (a.k.a malibus) start at about 9 feet in length. As opposed to the shortboard it is much more stable when trying to stand up on a wave and it has a rounded nose. It is much easier to catch waves with this board due to its’ size.

I made my first attempts at surfing with a 7’6” funboard. A funboard is a hybrid between the shortboard and the longboard. It has a semi-pointed nose and a square tail. However I wasn’t much better off than Dave. Whenever I caught a wave the board was shaking too much for me to balance myself and stand up in time. Consequently, I wasn’t able to catch a full ride on a wave. I’m going to try my luck with a longboard and a surf instructor at Huntington Beach. I’ll describe my experience in my next post.

-Gabe Garcia