Surfers spend inordinate amounts of time idolizing the up and coming rider or mesmerized by the most progressive shaper. Yet they rarely give a second thought to the person they interact with most – the surf shop owner. And yet it’s the surf shop owner that fights the good fight to preserve our culture so we might experience it a stone’s throw away from our local break. Whether it’s the sudden closure of a sole supplier, the invasion of mass produced imports, the encroachment of corporatized big box “surf shops,” or even a worldwide economic meltdown, these unsung heroes leave it all on the field so that we might still have that local shop experience. The kind of experience that’s on a first name basis; where surfboards exude history; and where local knowledge is held in high regard. The kind that is the last bastion of surf.

Few are more intimate with this concept than Robert Howson, owner and operator of Harbour Surfboards in Seal Beach, California – arguably one of the standout shops preserving the surf culture. Located right on the main street walking distance from the local break, the first thing you’ll notice is the quaint facade and the hand written surf report updated at each crack of dawn. A friendly greeting is always given by the handful of staff that have all been with Harbour for some time – and actually surf....

Although Pro Teck fins are commonly known for safety, they have also been proven to hold their own against the name brand fin technologies. My first experience with Pro Teck fins was on a trip to Maui. Our rental longboards were each equipped with Super Flex center fins. I could have lived with the bright red and yellow color scheme, but watching the fin bend past a 90 degree angle to the touch made me question whether this was some sort of sadistic haole initiation. The shop owner reassured me that the fins would work just fine even in bigger surf. He proceeded to show me a shot of pro surfer Dino Miranad charging the North Shore ... with Super Flex fins.



While not all Pro Teck fins are as flexible as their Super Flex line, they all share a distinctive trim along the leading and trailing edges made of soft material with varying flexibility. The company behind the fin, SurfCo Hawaii, is renowned for safety related surfing products the first of which was the “Nose Guard” released in 1986. Current CEO David Sedeleski co-invented SurfCo’s second product, the Pro Teck fin, inspired by his son’s severe fin injury which involved over 100 stitches.

Surfing safety is no joke. Although surfing popularity continues to surge, there are still only as many beaches. You don’t need to have a degree in statistics to see how increasingly crowded...

Imagine selling it all, dropping everything tomorrow and hopping on a plane with a one-way ticket to some far off place with epic surf. A place where you don’t know anyone, don’t know the people, the culture, the streets, the beaches ... nothing. We all imagine doing something like this but few of us have the balls to pull it off. Northern California native Ryan Teixeira has not only done so – twice – but also founded an adventure travel company U R FREE2B U, to give people like us that extra nudge to take the plunge.

Some might say that this sort of reckless abandon is better suited for beach bum beatniks with nothing much to leave behind in the first place. Not so for Ryan. He grew up in a traditional family with parents that instilled a strong work ethic in him at a very young age constantly working in their almond orchard or taking on side jobs. After graduating with a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Cal Poly SLO, he spent 15 years honing his skills. After he answered an ad on Craigslist for a CAD manager position, he found himself working for a company in stealth mode, where they developed the world’s first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells capable of traveling more than 250 miles per charge and going 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds – the Tesla Roadster.

In 2006, he decided to drop everything embarking on...

There are few things more annoying to most surfers than having to put on a soaking wet wetsuit. It’s one thing to dunk yourself suddenly into frigid water. It’s another to have to slowly sheath your body with neoprene still soaked from yesterday’s session. It’s like slow torture. And try as we might, there is just no effective way to quickly and effectively dry out a wetsuit within a decent amount of time. Warnings abound of leaving a wetsuit in direct sunlight which reduces its useful life substantially. Drying it indoors can take days. It’s a wonder no one has ever thought of putting a fan inside a wetsuit hanger to expedite the drying process – until now.

The HangAir Drying System sold by Underwater Kinetics (UK), known for its lights and accessories for harsh environments, is comprised of a powerful AC powered fan tucked inside an oversized hanger perfect for wetsuits. First revealed in the 2006 Action Sports Retailer expo, the HangAir was designed to dry out wetsuits, drysuits, and thick all-weather outer gear. It makes use of a 120 cubic-feet-per-minute (cfm) fan powered through a standard power outlet. The HangAir claims to dry out your gear in about eight hours as opposed to the 24-48 hours it might take under the conventional drip and dry method. The MSRP is $39.99 but, at the time of writing, prices hovered in the $30...

If there were royalty in surfing’s microcosm, the August family would certainly qualify. Known as “Blackie” throughout the Southern California local scene, Orall W. August was introduced to surfing by the legendary Duke Kahanamoku himself. His son, Robert Alan August would grow up surfing in Seal Beach under his father’s tutelage and balsa shaped longboard. Early in his teenage years, Robert would be appearing in homemade films capturing trips to Mexico and Hawaii. Soon after a local San Clemente lifeguard named Bruce Brown would come up with a daring idea to expand the locales to the far reaches of the world.

Robert was selected by Bruce along with Mike Hynson to be the subject of a film documenting surf footage in areas many of which until then had never seen surfers. Released in 1964, The Endless Summer would propel not only Robert and Mike but surfing itself into the mainstream limelight. Produced for a mere $50,000, the documentary has since grossed over $30 million. In 1966, the film was selected in the top 10 for the year in Newsweek Magazine. Although neither stars were entitled to royalties from the film, the exposure and relationship with Bruce would eventually catapult Robert’s career in the surfing world.

Although Robert’s life would take a few turns before ultimately reaping its rewards. He began his shaping career...

If you thought Matuse couldn’t top their 2008 model (v.08), think again. The Matuse Hoplite 3/2/2 2009 model (v.09) may not look different at a passing glance, but you do notice the difference the first time you try it on. And for anyone that’s tried on a Matuse, you know that this is no triviality. Actually, it’s an epic friggin battle. The first time I tried on a 3/2/2 v.08 Hoplite, I had to have my wife help me. When I tried on the v.09, the suit slid on like a glove but somehow maintained it’s death grip along every square inch of my body. Not that the only improvement from the v.08 is a better fit, but that – without a doubt – is the first thing I noticed.

This article is a comparison review to the Matuse Hoplite 3/2/2 v.08 which I published not too long ago. How did I manage to pull off two Matuse purchases in such a short period of time? Well my wife hates me now, and a Costco sized case of Top Ramen sitting next to my computer will be my sole source of sustenance for the foreseeable future. With that said, expect to drop $440 for the 3/2/2 v.09, $490 for the 4/3/2, and $530 for the 5/4/3.

Ichiban Redux

Having covered the whole geoprene thing and meaning of Matuse thing in the Hoplite v.08 and Matuse Philo reviews, let’s suffice it to say that Matuse makes a great suit. The v.09 carries on that tradition with the changes over the v.08 focused on making the suit more flexible.
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There’s nothing like being able to watch yourself surfing on video ... and realizing how badly you suck. Poo stances and botched floaters aside, one of the most relevant applications for in-water video capture is the GoPro line of waterproof sport cameras. I’ve had the chance to use the standard definition GoPro Wrist Hero Camera on our Tribal outings as well as a trip to Maui with decent results. The Wrist Hero is small enough so you can still surf with it and effective enough so you can capture decent footage. Don’t expect jaw dropping Blu-ray quality, but for just about $150, you really can’t complain.

We had originally picked up a Panasonic SDR-SW20 waterproof camera to capture surfing footage. Although that worked pretty well, it decided to crap out on us while snorkeling in Kihei. Preferring not to buy another full-fledged camcorder, we decided to pick up the GoPro to pinch hit for the remainder of our stay in Maui. Although the video quality was not quite to par with the Panasonic, which in itself isn’t exactly eye-popping, it absolutely sufficed.

Go Go Gadget GoPro

Small and durable, the Wrist Hero seems more like a portable gadget than a video capturing device. It basically looks like an oversized watch. The camera itself is a very barebones little box with nothing more than the lens, a light sensor, two buttons, and a tiny LCD display that would be hard pressed to render a game of pong.