You lot don’t know how lucky you are … with your internets, webcams, swell models and new fangled surf forecasting sites. Back in the good old days of steam you had to forecast an approaching swell just by smelling it on the wind and feeling it in your bones. That said most people made do with just driving to the beach with their fingers crossed.
Not that it mattered back in the pre-internet age because petrol was less than half the price a litre it is now and no one bothered about saving environments and stuff. We’d leave the fridge open, put the central heating on full, drive two hours just to check the surf, pumping out lead, CFCs and Ozone without a care in the world. It was a carefree era. To find what the waves were doing right that moment was simply found out by ringing someone on a landline, for a fee, who lived near the beach. Someone like PJ out on the Gower. Landlines were like mobile phones but attached to your house with a string. They didn’t have Angry Birds on them. Plus side they never ever ran out of battery.
The sole source of information on what the swell was going to be doing in the future was a pressure map (you know those maps with the weird lines drawn all over them that mean nothing to anyone under 30).
These prized maps were gleaned from three sources:
a) behind Michael Fish’s back on the BBC six o’clock news, generally while shouting at the telly box for him to get out of the way so you could see the low pressure system behind his brown corduroy jacketed, with totes cool elbow pads, right shoulder. The BBC was one of four available channels back then.
b) from the weather fax, which had two main failings- you needed one of them hi-tech fax machine things to receive it (a fax machine is like a paper and ink based interweb with redonkulously slow download times and a really bad UX) and it cost a quid, which is a quid you could’ve been buying a pint of snakebite and black or a pack of fags with.
c) The worst-case scenario was the newspaper. The broadsheets, like the Guardian, carried a simplified, child friendly version of the Atlantic chart that was only any use if the biggest hurricane ever was on its way. It was about three inches across and rarely any use. For younger readers a newspaper is quaint anachronism from the old days. It’s a papery sheaf of news that broke on Twitter minimum of a day before. It’s not even any use for wrapping up chips anymore as chips probably have gluten in them and the ink is carcinogenic. Or so it said on FB anyway…
Being able to read a pressure map was near as dammit a Jedi skill. Surfers who actually understood them and called swells with any reasonable precision achieved Yoda like status in their communities. They were borderline gods. In retrospect they should’ve start surf forecasting businesses.
Think about it, how do you plan your surfs now? Do you just wander down the beach hoping for a wave or do you plot swells, check every resource and monitor storms as they’re born, progress and arrive? You know everything. Everyone is now an omnipotent swell god. Being able to track any swell, anywhere in the world, in real time just by going on the interweb on a computer you keep in your pocket. To a surfer of the 90s that’s pretty much flipping magic, real Derren Brown shit… We didn’t even know waves had periods in those days. Showing a surfer from last century a live web feed on your iPhone would’ve got you burnt at the stake for being a witch. We didn’t even like wizards then as Harry Potter was still aged minus 20.
The funny thing is with all this military-grade information things still don’t pan out. You can have the world’s satellite data at your fingertips, 90 percent confident predictions and even backed up by your old-school pressure map crystal ball gazing and still rock up to a wonky ocean. Or in the case of a recent trip say, ‘The swell’s always a day late.’ With confidence. For four days. until you realise the swell has just vanished into the ether. Ghost swells happen. Wrong angles. Bad wind. Surfing would be boring if everything happened as planned.
It is kind of cruel when it pumps all night, offshore, three to four foot barrels, then goes flat at dawn. But. I wouldn’t change a thing.
The modern era makes it so much easier to get waves with less environmental strain, well, apart from those cads that fly in for a two day swell, and much as the old days were quieter in the water the world was smaller also. Progress is progress. Interesting to see where we go next…
We broke the news yesterday that Surf Snowdonia is closing down early for the winter, two months early, leaving many punters disappointed and a lot of staff, seasonal or otherwise, in a dark predicament.
Bookings were strong, you couldn’t get a slot until November anyway, so it’s really bad timing when it comes to momentum for a new project. One thing’s for sure everyone knows the WG is in Wales and it is open for business.
Being the first commercial WaveGarden in the world has been a double edged sword. On one side it’s got all the coverage and froth but the sharper, cutting side has been the experimental nature of the whole deal. It’s been shut three times since opening for instance for tweaks/repairs.
Thing is the Basque WaveGarden crew that have pioneered the whole project have never built a bigger installation. This is their first go at a ‘proper’ sized pool. Fun as the wave is at the secret test facility in the Basque mountains it’s a waist high tickler better suited for groms. Wales was the step up to the big leagues. Two metre barrelling waves were promised. We got a chest high version of the original … That’s also a bit longer. It was a theoretical jump up in scale that hasn’t quite panned out as planned.
Doing anything like this for the first time is a big leap into the unknown. So build time, test phase time, tweak time were all based on best guesses. Which turned out to be way off. In retrospect they’d have been better off opening next year once the thing was comprehensively tested and working right. As it was it opened before the WG engineers had even signed it over to the owners.
It’s not as big as promised. The ‘wave every minute’ is a non-starter. It’s been more like 3 to 8 minutes. Or, when we were there 45. If it runs faster it just turns into a bouncy mess, and if you want to surf a bouncy mess you might as well go surf in a gale force onshore.
Making big calls before something has been built and refined is asking for the world to point and go ‘Aaaaaaaaah!’ which many have. It needed to blow our minds. It hasn’t. At all. The naysayers have rubbed their hands in glee.
Not that I’m slagging it off. The point is, as I mentioned earlier, by being first the Welsh Garden has taken one for the team. It’s been a huge investment. A brave move into the unknown that can only be applauded. It just sticks in the craw a bit that everything the WaveGarden engineers learn in Dolgarrog they’ll refine and enhance for the mega Texas installation and others to come.
Hopefully with a long winter of testing and tweaking they can perfect the bottom contour, the foil shape, angle and speed and deliver a wave with enough punch for more than wraparound turns. We want the Garden to be something we can all be rightly proud of. We’ve been sold a bit short so far.
As for what happens once the bitter North Wales winter kicks in, that routinely freezes the lakes of Snowdonia, I’m not sure. Come January it might be a ruddy good joint for some speed skating.
Good luck to the engineers, staff and all involved, you’ve done good work, built a wonderful site, and have a globally famous asset on your hands. Fiddle with it over the winter and come out firing in the Spring…
Vid: Stoker as filmed by Gordy Fontaine around the Unleashed event…
The BBC has just dropped the news that surfing has made the short list for inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. It’s not a lock yet. That decision happens next August. But it’s in the mix with skateboarding, sport climbing, baseball and karate for inclusion.
What’s your take on the whole deal… We’re not sold on the idea.
Speaking about the recommendation, ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:
“Tokyo 2020’s announcement today is an extraordinary moment for our sport and for the global Surfing Community. The ISA has been riding an amazing wave in this journey for Olympic inclusion and we are thrilled that Tokyo 2020 recognise the exceptional value and youthful lifestyle that Surfing can bring to the 2020 Games. We are deeply grateful to Tokyo 2020 and the IOC for providing us with this wonderful opportunity. We are immensely proud of our sport and what it would bring to the Games and we will continue to work closely with the Olympic Movement to achieve our Olympic dream.
“Surfing has incredible and growing global appeal, particularly amongst young people, and we believe that the dynamic energy of the sport and its fan base around the world would bring many benefits for Tokyo 2020 and the Games. Surfing embodies a cool, playful lifestyle that would add a completely new element to the programme, helping the Games reach new fans through live action and stunning broadcast opportunities.
“Today’s announcement gives us renewed drive and focus and we are looking forward to working closely with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 in the crucial months ahead to deliver the best possible solution to the IOC Session in Rio.”
We are very proud to have Ramón Navarro on our cover this month. The Chilean big wave charger has been a key player in highlighting and fighting coastal development around his home of Punta Lobos and along the coast of South America. Having been highly involved in fighting for cleaner seas since 1989, and the protection of our coast by setting up Surf Reserves since 1993 we at Carve know what it takes to stand up and try and take on obstinate and financially motivated politicians and company directors.
As Ramón makes his way over to the UK for the Global Wave Conference we interview him about his fight highlighted in the film ‘The Fisherman’s Son’. The cover, our post and getting you to reading this are our small way of standing alongside Ramón in the fight to save surf spots, our environment and educate those in power of the value of our environment.
Chile is along way from a lot of us, but we are lucky enough to have a common thread through surfing, and an intimate understanding of the value of waves, coastline and clean oceans. In a lot of ways his fight is our fight and it is a fight that is well worth having.
There is much to love about this shot; a surfer who grew up from modest beginning charging a huge wave at his local spot. The skill of the photographer, the beauty and majesty of the wave, even the little wind turbine in the background has a significance. It is a moment in time frozen for eternity that will stare out from newsstands, coffee tables and internets and be remembered for a long, long time to come. But most of all we hope people will remember the back story of a surfer trying to protect his coast, and be inspired and get involved to fight for their piece of coast. Whether by picking up a litter at a local beach, engaging local surf communities or taking the fight right to the top of the political agenda we can all make a difference in protecting global surf spots, and as a result our environment.
The mission is possible, but the fight will be long, sometimes it will seem unending, and some you will not win, but at the end of the day when you look back at and ask ‘What did it prove?’ You will be able to answer ‘It proved we stood.’ And sometimes that is all the justification you need.
Want to help? Save The Waves is working with Ramón and local community activists at Punta de Lobos to preserve and protect the unique coastline of one of Chile’s most iconic surf spots. With both rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity, the place is also home to a traditional fishing community, who hand-harvest kelp, shellfish and other local fish species. Recently approved as a World Surfing Reserve, the goals of the campaign are to safeguard marine and terrestrial biodiversity, protect surf resources, and preserve the fishing community’s traditional fishing rights. For more information about the campaign here:
Surfing is not about rules, it’s groovy and not for squares, it is supposed to be a counter-culture after all. That’s all well and good but even counter-cultures need suggested guidelines. Here’s some ideas for a fulfilling surfing life.
1. Always have two blocks of wax in your car. One freshy for your stick and one sandy, pubey, possibly dog-chewed, fragment for lending to the inevitable wax taxing git in the car park. It’s a win-win.
2. If you’re getting a lift with a mate for a wave make sure you pack a bin/wetsuit bag for your post-surf, piss-ridden suit. The driver doesn’t want the acrid taint of your whizz haunting their car once you’ve gone. You do get brownie points for lift sharing though.
3. Never claim the surf by text to your mates until it’s too late. When it’s near dusk and any chance of getting in has evaporated then by all means drop the, ‘OMG it was off its fricking chops today! Where were you? LOL!’ to rub it right in.
4. Never ever use LOL or OMG in a text message or online unless you are a teenage girl or pretending to be a teenage girl.
5. We don’t need to tell you this but just to be sure: DO NOT ever wear board-shorts outside of your wetsuit. Unless you want every single right-minded person in the universe to think you are a tool of the highest order; and yes it is okay to point and laugh if you see someone doing it.
6. Ultra hairiness is not cool. Chicks do not dig it. Invest in some clippers. Keep that shit at ’number two’ max. You’ll be surprised at the benefits. One being not peeling your suit off and it appearing that its been borrowed by a mountain gorilla. The other being … some things look larger. That said a Connery style chest wig is acceptable as long as it isn’t too much of a thatch.
7. Always be as careful as a brain surgeon if you are bringing razor sharp, mechanised, whirring, clipper blades of doom anywhere near your meat and two veg. Trust us, it smarts when it goes wrong and it’s a tricky area to apply a plaster.
8. You can never have too many of the following: fin keys, leash strings, leashes, fins. Keep spares squirrelled in your car, garage and friends’ houses.
9. If you are too deep for the wave of the day go anyway to give the crowd a show. Everyone loves a good swan dive into the flats and someone on the right spot can still enjoy the ride.
10. By all means hack down a tree and shape yourself an alaia board if you feel the need to be a hipster. Just don’t expect a spot in the line-up rotation. They don’t paddle, can’t turn and if you really want to be doing stand up 360s you can buy a bodyboard.
11. No matter how many fin keys you own, the length of time it takes to find one is in direct proportion to the quality of the waves. Where’s yours right now?
12. See. Told you. Get one on your key ring and just man up and deal with the fact it will inevitably stab you in the thigh at an inopportune moment.
13. Disposable barbecues are a nightmare. Don’t do it. Buy a lifelong use metal bucket one for your beach sessions.
14. There’s no such thing as a veggie BBQ. Would you really want your Quorn burger burnt on the same grill as the hydraulically reclaimed meat and abattoir floor sweepings that pass for burgers? You may not win any friends with salad, but you will miss out on the E-coli food poisoning.
15. Never hang a wetsuit out to dry near a BBQ, unless you get off on the smell of burnt rubber and/or greasy meat debris on your precious.
16. Boffins have calculated it takes exactly four and a half minutes from when you buy a new board until you ding it on the nearest solid object with a sharp edge.
17. Riding a longboard is actually only legal from July 30 to August 30. Fact.
18. Cruising on a foam board is okay any time of year as they are super fun and are amazing for doing big floaters on, knee friendly and ding proof too, also you can run over tourists who will think you’re an inexperienced tourist too.
19. Surfing leashless maybe a freeing experience and great for your fitness but it’s lethal in busy waves. If you’re doing the 4:30am dawny then knock yourself out; anyone else in the line-up and you’ll be knocking someone else’s teeth out.
20. Coffee maybe the poor man’s cocaine, but stained teeth and a Starbucks habit are preferable to than paranoia, impotence and a heart attack in your thirties. 23x times the risk of heart attack whilst on it and that’s without the multiplying factor of booze.
21. The first rule of Surf Club is: you don’t talk about Surf Club.
22. The second rule of Surf Club: no smoking.
23. The third rule: no sandy feet, we’ve just had the carpet Rug Doctored.
24. You don’t need to get every biggest and best set wave of the day. Sharing is caring and sometimes the medium sized ones run better. Slater knows this well.
25. If you see some litter on the beach on your way back to the car pick it up. Might not be yours but it’ll do wonders for your karma. #2minutebeachclean whenever you can.
26. Recycling doesn’t only apply to newspapers and bottles. Reduce, reuse as much as you can.
27. Give broken boards and old wetsuits away to people less fortunate than yourself.
28. When you say, ‘This is my last wave!’ mean it, even if it’s a smoking deep keg. If you paddle back out for ‘just one more’ you can guarantee you will either a) paddle around in a mirror calm ocean for half an hour and have to paddle in looking like a bona fide idiot or b) snap your pelvis clean off on the next one.
29. Never drive away from good surf.
30. You will regret it, cos you can guarantee that by the time you get back from searching up and down the coast the tide will have changed and the bank will have turned to mush.
31. Never piss in your wetsuit in the car park.
32. And really, never piss in your suit in the car park then kick piss drips at your friends from the ankles. That is just gross.
33. It goes without saying that dumping in your wetsuit is a no-no.
34. Unless you have dysentery. Or if the surf is the best it has ever been and ever will be, although this is a movable goalpost. It has been known in Ireland on epic tow days.
35. Don’t attempt to dry your wetty using the hang it over the wing mirror whilst driving at speed technique. It will blow off into a cow field or become a fetching new grill decor for an HGV.
36. Cheap is not an option. Your wetty is not a style statement. It is a technical item. By the best one you can. Warmth and flexibility are worth paying for. A twenty quid from the garage job is not a good suit.
37. Chafing is an unavoidable hazard. No matter how good the suit if you surf a lot you will get neck rubs. Which look like obscene love bites. Doesn’t matter. Let the rest of the world think you’re still having frenetic, teenage style sex.
38. Never love bite a wetsuit rub, they sticky.
39. Surfing is done on the water not on the internet.
40. Try putting your phone down once in a while.
41. You should always tell at least one newbie that the ‘wax goes on the bottom of the board to make it go faster, like a snowboard’ then watch the confusion.
42. Conversely always tell a beginner that the zip does indeed go on the back of the wetty, no one should be allowed to walk down a beach like that.
43. When travelling don’t haggle over two pence it makes you seem like an utter twat. Spread the wealth.
44. One drop in is an accident, two is rude, three requires the error of their ways being politely pointed out.
45. Living somewhere for a year does not make you a local.
46. Living somewhere for five years still does not make you local, it makes you a regular.
47. Being a true local is not a license to act like a muppet.
48. Learn how to forecast waves the old school way using pressure maps. Learn all you can about how waves work and interact with local geography. Nothing more fascinating. Compare and contrast forecasts to reality and really get your spots wired.
49. Learn how to cook a roast. Nothing better than making your own Sunday spread. To add some zazzy to your gravy fry off some bacon lardons, roast some garlic, add to your gravy and whizz. Maybe a dash of Guinness or red wine if you want to really go to flavour town.
50. Cutting off an old full suit to make a shorty is never a good idea.
If you live in the UK like I do then being obsessed with the weather is something you’ll appreciate. It’s also something to do with the British trait for disappointment. This summer, as many are, has been totally ‘meh’. We have totally been dealt a ‘nope’ card.
So much so with only two weeks left before autumn kicks in proper summer has plain given up and sodded right off. From now until September the weather is looking more like autumn than it has any right to. So. Goodbye beach barbecues. See you snorkel sessions. Au revoir tan. Hello overflowing CSOs and glum, damp tourists cursing the decision to staycation.
Plus side autumn is awesome. It is the surfer’s season after all. Autumn is coming. So seeing as it’s here already ingest a pros and cons of my favourite season.
Things I dig about autumn:
•Roast dinners.
•Proper swell (crosses everything and wishes real hard as it’s small as hell right now)
•No crowds (hopefully).
•Offshores.
•Water’s still warm.
•Parking restrictions end and car park prices drop.
•Being allowed to take the mutt on the beach.
•Nature’s free bounty collected and converted into chutney.
•Sloe gin.
•Bonfires.
•Getting to play with high explosives.
•Dressing up as zombies.
•Mulled cider/wine.
•Getting to surf the deep shelter spots again.
•The pros showing us how France and Portugal are meant to be surfed when huge.
•Not having to dodge tourists.
•Riding short boards.
•More roast dinners.
•Conkers.
•European surf trips.
•Watching SUPs get smashed trying to paddle out.
•Not wearing boots or gloves. Yet.
•The zing of frosty mornings between your toes.
•Bacon.
•Coffee.
•Lines to the horizon.
•Beanies.
•Farmer’s tan.
•Being able to park.
•Guinness (summer cider/rest of year black gold)
•Overhead waves.
•Getting snug in the back of a van.
•Nature’s colour show as the leaves turn.
•Few more roasts for good measure.
Things I don’t like about autumn:
•Restricted hours of sunlight.
•Endless rain.
•Lack of bikinis.
•Beer gardens are only for hardcore smokers.
•No dawnies or lates.
•Christmas schmaltz.
•Clothes smelling of bonfire smoke.
•Wetsuits not drying.
•Ruining wetsuits by drying them by bonfires.
•Floods.
•Snow.
•Frozen wetsuits. Don’t laugh. Can happen.
•Endless flat surf.
•Freezing tootsies and fingers as it really is glove/boots o’clock.
•Finally admitting it’s time for the hooded suit.
•Having to flush the lovely warm wee out.
•Onshores.
•Getting bad gravy with a roast.
•Salad.
•Admitting it’s not really cider and ice season anymore.
•Farmer’s tan.
•Not having enough bedding in van and so freezing.
•Closed public toilets.
•Cheap firework displays.
•A big storm blowing all the golden leaves off in one go.
Enjoy it while you can. At this rate it’ll be winter by October…
