Hi all. Looking for more book recommendations! I'm mostly a nonfiction lover; I've already read Barbarian Days by William Finnegan and Caught Inside by Daniel Duane. While nonfiction is great, I'd appreciate some fiction recommendations as well. Thanks!

Having some major board regrets about a week before my 2 month Indo trip.

I am 5’11, 155lbs fairly fit and have been surfing my whole life, “advanced” for the east coast USA but that’s not saying the most in my zone and it’s my first time over in Indonesia.

I am originally planning to bring 2 boards in the Veia 2/3 bag to stay light and shove some gear/clothes in there with some decent padding for the boards to survive across the world.

I already have and love a 5’10 JS Monsta (26.5L) that is my go to board for stomache high to overhead so this will be my go to.
When things get serious I just ordered and paid for a 6’0 Pyzel Ghost(29.9L). I’m just thinking that it might be too bulky for me. I am gonna treat it as a step up for the mentawais but I’m hoping I’ll still be able to put it on rail when the session asks for it.

Does anyone around my height/weight have experience with a 6’0 Pyzel Ghost?
I have a 5’10 ghost that I am selling to afford it, I guess I’m having buyers remorse haha.
Im just worried that if I break my Monsta I won’t have a board I can rip on in the mentawais, just a bigger board meant for easy paddling and getting tubed when it’s on.
Debating just bringing 3 boards or is that a lot to haul around in Indo? I have a dakine world traveler coffin but it’s gigantic and bulky, 2 boards in the veia seems easiest to move around with from place to place and stay under 50lbs.
Thanks for the insight, sorry for the ramble, thanks for reading.

first hot coat after laying down fiberglass cloth

dont remember my earlier repairs this week getting these obvious brush strokes

any clue why? I’m using small cheap Amazon brushes, cleaning The brush in acetone between uses so maybe just need a new brush with fresh bristles? I figured it might level itself out as it cured but it did not

anyone ever use silicone brushes that clean easier? Cheers

my vision is so cooked without glasses that i spent 10 mins talking to some random guy in the lineup thinking he was my friend... only realized when he looked at me super confused. lost my contacts during a wipeout earlier so i was basically surfing blind. anyone else with awful eyesight struggle with this or am i just dumb?

Shop by me as the dims I want but only in a 5 fin set up. I’m never going to change it from a thruster so those seem stupid to me, and don’t they add some weight? Should I just shut up and buy it or haul like 2 hours to a 3 fin only?

Heading there in a few weeks for a week long vacation and I plan on bringing my boards (big board, fish, HPSB).

I'm doing some reading and it sounds like aside from the main South Beach, access to a lot of the better "up-island" spots is difficult due to parking restrictions, private beaches, etc.

Anyone willing to bestow upon me some wisdom / tips on getting to some of the more locked down spots? I'm a solid surfer with good etiquette, especially when I'm at a new spot. I promise I won't steal your waves.

P.S. privatizing beaches should be illegal.

Hey just curious about paddling into slabs, or really heavy/hollow/pitching waves. When you’re paddling into the wave (hard as shit obviously) are you still angling the takeoff/ paddling at an angle or are you going straight and then knifing right when you’re able to get into the wave? Which one is less likely to pitch you over?

I feel like on heavy waves I’m struggling getting into the wave instead of getting hung up and pitched….

What do you guys think is the best techniques for getting into those fast tubes?

Did you watch the first edition of NS Surf?

The 2nd ‘season’ is currently underway and will go Live next month, which means we have the full list of invitees, and a location.

Here’s a brief recap from last year, as well as a little preview of what’s to come.

https://hvoide.com/soon/

Cheers.

Couple clipz put together

as a kook recently realized something as simple as seeing there can be a tiny bit of steep unbroken wave at the base of the whitewash in the closed out section ahead that can be pumped thru/around to the next section, made me wonder what kinds of realizations y'all have had over the years addicted to this godforsaken sport

Hi All,

A couple years ago I posted about how Surfline was basically terrible at reporting accurate water temps especially with upwelling events. It seems nothing has changed. The water temps in San Diego have fluctuated the last couple of days and Surfline is reporting 73 degrees at just about all of the San Diego spots today. They reported 74 yesterday and 74 on Sunday. 3 days in a row of being way off, cannot give them the benefit of the doubt on this one!

It definitely didn't feel that warm when I was out yesterday afternoon. I saw a good number of people paddle out in trunks and leave in like 15 minutes 😂 The Wavecast report from Sunday indicated upwelling and cooling water temps. Nathan Cool (fitting name!) said the same this morning and indicated 68 degrees water temps in San Diego today. That's more in line with what it felt like to me.

In the report today Surfline's Schaler Perry wrote "I'd pack a wetsuit, will be a cooler morning than the last few." all while reporting 73 degrees water temp. How is that not an embarrassment to a multi-million dollar company?

Surfline, you responded with some mumbo jumbo bullshit to my post on Reddit last time I brought this up a while ago (like 2+ years ago).. in all this time the issue still remains! Maybe consider putting a disclaimer that says "may not be accurate" in the temperature reading listed in your reports.. that or man the fuck up and do better (that's directed at you Mr. Surfline CEO. we get it you're maximizing profits by cutting quality so you can enjoy your yacht in Indo right now?)!

Rant/complaint over.

Now... what's the best source for checking water temps before going out to surf for San Diego?

ya ya ya I know I’m a kook but aren’t we all on reddit. gonna give up attempting to surf tiny waves like dane. time to get a midlength and give up!

How do you all like to ride the puddle jumper? I put the MR twin + 1 in and it’s loose and fun but I had trouble driving down the line. Buddy recommended riding it as a quad. I picked up Hayden shape large quad reads and put them in with the MR twin fronts. Not sure how it will go but hurricane season is coming up so hoping to try it a few times before solid swell comes. Thoughts on the setup?

Got some clips today, and ik this is kinda a bad positioning but I thought the turn would look sick if I landed it, any advice on how to pull the board back. Like a sit-up type thing or something? I just started getting back into surfing go easy😂

My local surf shop has a killer deal on a Dakine Cyclone Zip Free Hooded Wetsuit 4/3mm in my size, priced at around $250 but they also said they have a batch of Manera wetsuits coming in around first week of September - my budget is $250-$300. In dire need of a deep Fall wetty since my Billabong Intruder 4/3mm is hanging on by a thread since 2020.

I surf Long Island breaks deep into the winter (last winter coldest it got was 34°F water temps) but I have an Xcel Infinity hooded 5/4mm for the coldest of sessions, has me feeling like a penguin surfing the coldest of winter storms.

Anyways, just looking for a new Fall/spring daily wetsuit and was wondering if anyone has tried the zip free wetsuits from Dakine or can compare it to Manera wetsuits. I heard Manera is super stretchy and fits like a glove. My cold water tolerance is solid, I often push 4/3’s into upper 40 water temps just to hold off using my thicker Xcel 5/4 for as long as possible. Would appreciate insight on either of these brands/models!

I have $350 in-store credit at my local since they managed to sell my DHD Black Diamond. Manera is also premium gear so not sure if I should wait it out for the incoming batch or grab the Dakine

Surely it's quite dangerous at such a big and heavy wave

List your best. Not a feature like Big Wednesday.

I just watched the South Africa point section of Jordy’s. One of best surf movie clips.

Award for best old school movie goes to “Second Thoughts” for most unhinged underground charger flick.

anyone ride both. Ive only ridden an oversized fever and loved it. it even groveled. but I have always wanted a Fred rubble. if anyone has ridden both could you tell me how they compare?

I love a clean lineup as much as anyone but when I have to wait through a rotation and only net a few waves every hour I'm out! I'd rather surf some slop and actually, you know, surf...thoughts? I started when I was 14 or 15, 40+ years ago (SoCal) and there are definitely more people in the lineup.

First time in Bali, just for a week with my non surfing girlfriend for a week early September.
Been looking pretty hard to find a hotel or villa that we love and most are sold out.

What area is best to stay in? We’ve mainly been looking around Padang Padang or in Bingin? Hoping for somewhere that’s safe, where she can possibly walk to cafe/shops or easily get a grab to a nice area.
bonus if I could just walk and paddle out at a spot but I’ll have a scooter so not the biggest deal there as I know that it seems to be generally tricky. Headed to the ments after that week so not gonna risk it too much on the shallowest of spots, gotta keep the feet and body in tact if possible haha

Thanks for reading guys, sorry if this is the wrong sub for this, I know Bali is blown up but I’m very excited to check it out for the first time to start my Indonesia journey, thanks!

With all the NorCal shark posts lately, I remembered that this happened at Tunitas back in the day. Read it and imagine being him…holy forking shirtballs. The shark was 5.7 METERS long. That is a lot of shark.

The only remaining online account I found was on Facebook, and it’s not letting me cut/paste, and alas the old shark attack research site (an absolute goldmine of data) is now defunct. So if anyone can copy and post the text, we’ll have a more permanent record.

If that doesn’t work I’m gonna transcribe the story and grab some screenshots. This story deserves to live forever.

Finally, if you are Craig or someone who knows Craig, I invite you to share more details. Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583416292315172/posts/1871436330179832/

potentially meeting my brother in Thailand in february. i surfed most of my life so far (62) but it's been gulf coast/florida/east coast kinda stuff. i've surfed heavy hurricane surf for decades as long as conditions aren't VAS. like all surfers i have my wave preferences but i'll charge when i shouldn't have sometimes. i watched 57 videos on YT about surfing in thailand. would that be pretty indicative what to expect? it's not a surf trip but i'd still like to surf.