Kook + Jet Powered Surf Board = Bikini Atoll Take 2

Tired of paddling? Ever thought about strapping a jet engine to your surfboard? Well, you're in luck, because the "Wavejet" surfboard is coming to a surf shop near you.

Well, not quite. The boards cost around $4,500 and will only be sold at specialized dealers, but kooks everywhere will now be able to live the dream of riding a surboard without ever having to paddle. Yay!

The boards utilize a lithium-powered jet engine that functions much like the propulsion system on a PWC -- sucking up water and shooting it out in a continuously rapid motion.

The board can apparently top out at a "blistering" 12 mph.  Check out this link: Jet-Powered Surfboard

SUPS are dangerous enough, now I need to worry about a jet-powered longboard in the line-up too?

Honestly, this thing is just a pound of TNT away from being a torpedo. If you're going to buy/ride one of these things, make sure to remember to bring your skoal, cowboy hat, and goverment-issued survival kit with you, because you're basically a 21st century version of the lovable Major T.J. Kong from "Dr. Strangelove." Good luck amigo, and make sure to get those Roosskies.

Weighing in on the Malibu Controversy...

Alright, so Surfline just posted an article concerning the new dredging project that's gonna occur in June at the Malibu Lagoon. Close to 90,000 cubic-yards of mud and sand is planned to be removed (the walkway bridges and islands will also be removed in the process), in the hopes of restoring a bit more of a natural balance to the constantly stagnant (and consistently stinky) body of water.

Removing the sand will cause more water to flow through the lagoon, essentially flushing it out. This should help improve water quality both on and offshore, since the lagoon empties into the line up at Malibu Beach.

However, despite the fact that City of Malibu, the Surfrider foundation, and Heal the Bay have given their collective thumbs-up for the project (they gave the go-ahead back in November), a few local surfers and environmentalists are taking a firm stand against the clean up.

These locals (such as the great Allen Sarlo) say that the project will not only make the water quality worse, but it will also irrevocably damage the surf as well. Since the initial dredging project in '83, these same locals have often complained that Third and Second point were altered so dramatically that the surf has never been the same. A new dredging project, they say, will only make things worse.

Honestly, after reading the Surfline article, (and the Los Angeles Time piece that covered this issue in November) I'm confident that this project is the right thing to do. I trust that the Surfrider foundation and the Heal the Bay Org. would not support a project if they believed it would have negative environmental consequences. This is the right thing to do. 

The Surfer: Categorizing the Unknown

In The History of Surfing, Matt Warshaw described attempts during the 1960s at creating a census of American surfers. Rough estimates varied widely: foam-maker Gordon Clark estimated that there were around 200,000 total surfers in the country, while Newsweek generously estimated that there were close to 1,000,000 wave riders nationwide.


According to Warshaw, the reason for the varied numbers was simple: it’s difficult to define exactly what a surfer is. Is a surfer someone who owns a board? Or what about someone who only surfs during the summer? For that matter, what about a sponger or body surfer? Do they even count?

Of the many who have sought to answers these particular questions, no one has offered a more poignant conclusion than the mainstream media.


If you want to read more, follow the link below to Surfermag.com:

My article for Surfer Mag!

My interview with Scott Ditzenberger

Scott Ditzenberger is the co-director of Out Of Place, a documentary that covers surfing, surfers, and surf culture in Cleveland, Ohio. The film premiered at the New York Surf Film Festival in 2009, where it won the highly coveted viewer’s choice award. Scott is also one of the few and the brave to surf Lake Erie year round—even when there’s ice in the line up.


Read more at:
Surfinghandbook.com

Stuff Stefan Likes...

Hi everybody! Here is a article entitled "Stuff we like" from the surfinghandbook. Check it out!

Welcome to our first monthly installment of “Stuff We Like.”  Every month we are going to ask our writers, contributors, and friends what surfing related thing they have been stoked about in the past month.  It could be a piece of equipment, a book, a movie, an organization, or even just something like getting up for the dawn patrol.

Want to throw your two cents in?  Send a paragraph about something you like toadmin@surfinghandbook.com and we’ll add the best one each month from our readers.

So without further ado, here’s some stuff we like:

Stefan Slater

The History Of Surfing

For Christmas, my parents gave me The History of Surfingby Matt Warshaw. It is an incredible book, as it covers the entire history of the sport from its origins in Peru (yes, I said Peru) to the exploits of Duke Khanamoku, the first wave ridden by Greg Noll at Waimea, the birth of the shortboard, all the way up to the current events of today. Rather remarkably, Warshaw is able to condense nearly 2,000 years of history down to 500 very well written pages—which is a pretty impressive feat. As the former editor-in-chief of Surfer, he understands surf culture as a whole, so he is able to utilize the history of the sport in such a way as to allow the reader to comprehend the development of the character and demeanor of the modern surfer. Overall, the book is a wonderful read.  I just finished the section on Malibu point in the 1940’s, and I’m infatuated with the idea of paddling out at First Point on a vintage 50-pound redwood board. Not so keen on the butt-hugging trunks they wore back then though. Doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination… if you know what I mean.

Want to read what others are stoked about?
http://www.surfinghandbook.com/2011/01/stuff-we-like/