Saltwater for Breakfast

When I paddled in the other morning to say goodbye to Surf Sister Ashley, I stepped off my board and into a pile of seaweed hiding underwater. After a short scream and awkward squiggle out of the gross, scratchy pile of slimy stuff, I hugged her and paddled back out. I was on my own in the water for the first time in a long time. It was a Wednesday morning with Very Small Waves with a Long Wait in between them, so not many people were out. It was incredibly peaceful. I looked

Blackies parking lot on a Saturday morning is hopping from 5 am onward into the night. When I arrive in the summertime for dawn patrol at 5:30 am, it is difficult to find a parking spot. The fish market is open and there is already a line halfway down the lot. People leave with bags of fish, sea urchin, octopus, and shrimp freshly caught by the latest people in a long line of fisherfolk who have been working near this pier since at least 1888. The Dory Fish Market is notabl

Under the right conditions, I can make the turn to surf down the line. At first, catching a wave just means looking back and trying really hard to notice a good one. As a beginner, a kook, there are too many details to organize and you can only do one thing. That's why beginners are often dropping in on other people. But now, my awareness is expanded. Every time I catch a wave, there is a whole process. I am looking back out to sea to notice the green wave coming. I turn arou

My intention was to go coasting: head north along the coast. Attention, letting go, love, and beauty. I did that -- all of that. Drove...

"The silence holds with its gloved hand the wild hawk of the mind." R.S. Thomas "I know what it is to exist between the world's...

Went to San O the other day, down by Dogpatch and Old Man's. Surfline said 2-3+. I should know by now that the little "+" at the end of...

Dawn Patrol. First light. The alarm chimed at 5:30 this morning; I was in the car by 5:40, everything sorted. The preparations now are automatic. I can carry the surfboard and dry bin at the same time I open the door on the way to the car, keys around my neck on a ribbon. Wetsuit slipped on easily. Car was already prepared. The drive to Blackies takes 20 minutes no matter what I do. At the beach by 6, in that beautiful blue mass shortly after, joined by lovely surf sister, Ka

It starts with my hand. I notice that my right hand feels strained and achy. I flex my fingers and roll my wrist to see if the pain is...

There is a division in the surf group. Yes, it's not all perfection over here -- just very close to it. ;) The division exists between...

There's no actual surfing here. If there was, then I'd never leave. On the home page of my website is a quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn, "You...

I had the opportunity to apply for a new job the other day. It was a "real" job: one in which I would need to wear "real" clothes and...

Saturday, there was a shooting on the pier. Someone accused of shooting another human in another town drove their car to Newport Beach,...

While a common phrase in surfing is "When in doubt, paddle out," there was no doubt the other day about the conditions. Water temperature...

Let's first focus on the absolute decadence of this surf sesh: clear blue sky, crystal clear cold water, the bright sun warming my...

In a Facebook post on the Surfing Life, Tibetan Buddhist monk Anam Thubten wrote, "When I first came from Tibet, I found the ocean to be...

Awhile back, a couple of us drove up to Santa Monica to see a screening of the film Maya and the Wave . Maya Gabeira  is a big wave...

Happy Halloween, Witches! Our surf coven surfed in costume this Halloween season and had a wonderful time on a glorious morning. A...

We had a wonderful experience the other day with our awesome surf instructor, Paige , at Doheny. A number of us commissioned her to take...

From Google AI: "The marine layer is a weather phenomenon that occurs when cool, moist air from the ocean meets warmer, drier air from...

I went to the beach recently on my own. I sat in the sand on my deep blue cotton towel south of Balboa Pier and stared at the ocean for...

This has been such a big summer – expansive in many ways. I continue to stand up now and stay up on the board nearly every time. After 16...

I can so do it now, people. I don't know what has happened, but it has CLICKED. I can stand up on every wave I catch now. My feet just...

We did another class with Waterlogged this weekend -- a 6-hour extravaganza -- practicing breathing, feeling more comfortable when we...

After getting held under water a bit too long by the enormous waves at surf camp, one of the goals that emerged from our group...