POINTWAVES

Daydream Lineup

2008-01-20T15:39:00.000-05:00

We woke up to this dreamy lineup on Day 2.
150 yard long lefts anyone?

I believe that I snapped this after surfing all morning, and finally
coming in when I couldn't paddle anymore
(that's a great feeling by the way, highly recommended!)

Casa

2008-01-20T15:32:00.000-05:00

This place ended up being a wonderful place to settle in for a week

Hammocks on the deck

Tropical plants everywhere

Some nice local building handiwork

First Glance

2008-01-20T15:30:00.001-05:00

After a long day of travelling, we checked in
to find this view of the point from our casa

Packing Up

2008-01-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

One afternoon, I pulled all of my boards and gear out into the yard
and almost ended up with a stowaway in my boardbag....

August

2008-01-20T15:19:00.000-05:00

This summer, a couple of friends and I decided to take a break from the everyday busyness, and head south in search of south swell, some shade, cervezas, and some adventure in the tropics.

Here is what we found....

Passport Required

2008-01-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

Of course, sometimes you have to venture far from home in order to find
dream waves that won't soon be forgotten.
Remembering is a bit easier when someone gets of shot of you like this.

MT charging through another hollow one.

Hot Curl

2008-01-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

These two shots of DM continue to inspire....
Finless plywood sliding out front

Late afternoon, backlit, point-racing

Winter Spot

2008-01-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

Winter is a great time to take a chance
on one of those out-of-the-way spots....

Curves In The Grass

2008-01-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

Lay It Down

2008-01-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

Tim grooving on his Speed Dialer in Central America

Liddle Hull rail squirt closer to home

Stand Tall

2008-01-20T14:51:00.000-05:00

One of the most sublime waves I've seen in a long, long time....

North Atlantic Bonzers

2008-01-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

A curvy Bonzer for North Atlantic juice

Wow!

Trio

2008-01-20T07:54:00.001-05:00

Here is a trio of lineup shots for you....

Surf camping is a blast, especially when you're waking up to this!

The lineup of my dreams

Lineup shot from a boat in the channel

One Of A Kind

2008-01-19T18:52:00.001-05:00

Here is a truly one-of-a-kind handshaped (remember them?) Wayne Lynch
7'1" Mini Gun with a 5 Fin Bonzer bottom added by Malcolm Campbell.

Tag-team handshaping completed in San Diego & Ventura,
with custom glassing by the crew at Moonlight.

"Get Experienced"

A Beauty!

M P

2008-01-19T18:42:00.000-05:00

Here's an exceptionally sweet Mark Andreini single fin,
from a quiver that is pointbreak-centric

Note the classic image of MP under the glass

More Fishiness

2008-01-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

Some extreme, fishy, hull-ness from the depths of SD

Check out those Simmons inspired keel fins

Waves of the Point

2008-01-19T16:07:00.001-05:00

Amazing off-season groundswell lines from the start of the winter

New England Fish

2008-01-19T16:02:00.001-05:00

An incredible 6'2" Lis Fish, awaiting its maiden voyage

Sweet!

Heart In Your Mouth

2008-01-19T15:59:00.000-05:00

No words for this....

Hunting Tools

2008-01-19T15:57:00.001-05:00

Hunting down this type of groundswell requires the right tool for the job

Here is a mighty fine example of just such a tool,
courtesy of the skilled hands of heart of
Master Surfboard Craftsman, Malcolm Campbell

Winter Swell

2008-01-19T15:53:00.001-05:00

Let's start with some beautiful lineup shots from part of that
fine run of NW swell that hit this winter.

Lineup shot of your dreams (if you're a regularfoot)

Pristine

Been A While....

2008-01-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

It's been way, way too long since I've posted any new stuff on here.

Luckily, I've collected a few pictures in the time in between, so here it goes....

Mark

Curl

2006-09-26T14:41:00.000-04:00

The TrimMaster enjoys a Liddle moment....

Wave Experiences

2006-09-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Catching waves certainly is a fun way to spend your time, but sharing your wave experiences with good friends leads to lasting memories.
Thanks for joining me.

Now more importantly....Where are we heading next?

Sets & Cycles

2006-09-03T22:55:00.000-04:00

Sets of waves come in cycles just like many other important things in this world.
It sure is nice to be right there in the perfect spot when everything comes together for a few moments.

Outside!
This one caught all of us off guard.

Set wave, stacking up down the line....

....with nobody on it....

I'll bet this was right around the time that Tim decided to put his camera away and join us in the water.

Golden Elk

2006-09-03T22:48:00.000-04:00

Steve wasn't the only one lucking into some good waves this morning.
Chris surfed really well and had such a blast on my Bonzer 5 Egg all week, he's now in the process of ordering one for himself from Malcolm.

Sweet one.

Wall hanger.

This one definitely made all of those early morning paddling sessions worth it.

Steve - Gone Fishin'

2006-09-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Surfing photos are mostly a mirage on a trip like this. Unless you have a friend who is really into photography (and who doesn't surf), you're mostly out of luck in the hopes of capturing any surfing photos. All of us were way more interested in riding waves than recording any of them for posterity's sake.

Anyway, Tim snapped off these shots while walking back up the beach, allowing the tide ample time to work it's mojo. After he shot these, Tim grabbed his board and proceeded to paddle out and get one of the waves of the day. Thanks for the shots, Tim.

Steve had lucked into a travel-ready Pavel Fish this summer which was perfect for some of the bowly, fun, point surf that we caught.
Friends in high places....

Here are three shots of Steve, fishin' around at Bomba.

A nice inside bowl.

Reeling through the crystal clear shallows.

Setting up a set wave through the cove section.

Bomba....Growing

2006-09-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

Bomba treated all of us to some nice rides during our time in Oaxaca.
As a surfer, its always quite incredible to watch the tides transform a break from lackluster to firing, all within a geological nanosecond.

So here is Bomba - in three stages:

"Looks kind of fun."

"Whoa...where'd that come from?"

"Hurry up! Does anyone have some spare sunscreen....and have you seen my leash?"

Deserted Beach Still Life

2006-09-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

"What's An XBox?"

2006-09-03T22:17:00.000-04:00

The Iguanario

2006-09-03T00:47:00.000-04:00

David had been talking all week about wanting to get an Iguana. We would see iguanas running wild on the sides of the road when we were driving around the backcountry.

On the morning of our departure, David suddenly slammed on the brakes to pull over and visit this Iguanario. It was fine with us.

A big fella.
All of these photos were shot from within the iguana cage.

Ready for their close-up.

Chris, getting his reptile kicks before boarding the plane for the long flight home.

One Last Stop

2006-09-03T00:45:00.000-04:00

La Jolla Scenes

2006-09-03T00:41:00.001-04:00

Beachfront scenes from La Jolla....

International surfboard racks

Resident bouncer.
We got on his good side.

There may be surf 'round these parts.

Fresh Cut Coconut Anyone?

2006-09-03T00:41:00.000-04:00

Another Palapa Lunch

2006-09-03T00:40:00.000-04:00

Damn good

La Jolla Afternoon

2006-09-03T00:35:00.000-04:00

There's a long story about this hammock.
Best told over a cold cerveza.

A long, long way from Elkton....

Mornin'

2006-09-03T00:33:00.000-04:00

Tim's Tea Time

Agua Purificado Stand

Blurry Morning Shuffle

2006-09-03T00:32:00.000-04:00

Point

2006-09-03T00:27:00.000-04:00

After our palapa lunch feast, we scouted a couple of spots in hopes of an afternoon session.

Beautiful setup.

Steve approaching the primordial rock.

An insider looking promising.

Another view of the rugged jungle headland.

Grill

2006-09-03T00:26:00.000-04:00

Punta Elvis Glimpses

2006-09-03T00:23:00.000-04:00

Timeless

Beachfront Condiments

Soda box and sand steps

Palapa Lunch

2006-09-03T00:14:00.000-04:00

After surfing all morning at a break in the area, David suggested that we head over to this beachfront palapa for some lunch, and some shade while we waited for the wind to die down in the afternoon.
Sounded fine to us.
It turned out to be one of the most memorable afternoons of our trip.

Chris with fresh-caught lunch.

That's a mud and stone wood burning oven.
The slow food movement is alive and well in Oaxaca.

The crew taking advantage of the palapa shade.
Two fellow surf travellers, Ted and Jamie are sitting next to Chris - they are winemakers visiting from Napa, CA.

You just can't put a price on this mid-day shade.

Ritual

2006-09-03T00:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a glimpse of our early morning load-up ritual.

Still pitch dark out.

Oaxaca Still Life

2006-09-03T00:09:00.000-04:00

Electric Meter, Fence Post, and Twine.
Quite a combo.

Beachbreak Magic

2006-09-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

Some more beachbreak magic.

The Beachbreak At The End of the World

2006-09-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

This wide-open beachbreak felt like it broke at the end of the world. After a hot, twisting drive through some eye-opening villages, we walked up to the beach and were greeted with this sight.

With the stiff offshores, the waves were jacking & having a pretty good time on the offshore sandbars. A couple of us were game to paddle out and see if we could handle the quick drops.

Nice left.

The Moon

2006-09-02T23:49:00.000-04:00

This particular morning, it felt like we were on the moon for some reason.
At dawn, we caught one of the points spooling out long rights into the cove.
But the wind was never far behind.

That's me with my trusty 6'5" Bonzer 5 diamond tail, handshaped by master surfboard craftsman Malcolm Campbell.

Front Row Parking

2006-09-02T23:42:00.000-04:00

All of those footprints in the sand are ours.

Later in the morning, a herd of goats picked their way through the rocks up towards the top of the point.

Counselor

2006-09-02T23:33:00.000-04:00

Chris and I became friends in 3rd grade, and graduated from bodyboarding to surfing at the same time when we were 14. His dad had (has?) a sweet, vintage Hansen single fin shortboard that we started learning to ride waves on during the summer of '86. Bryan Adams Reckless days. After all these years, its great to still be getting together for surfing adventures. We'd probably dreamed of this Mexico trip in high school study hall at some point.

Here's Chris with my 7'0" Bonzer Egg that he rode for the majority of the trip.
Smooth as ever.

The Shuffle

2006-09-02T23:27:00.000-04:00

Nothing like sharing your Ipod Shuffle tunes at 5:30 in the morning on our way out to another deserted surf break. Tim & Ritchie groovin' it up.

Stainless Steel & Cerveza

2006-09-02T23:22:00.000-04:00

"Honestly dear, surfing's not dangerous at all."

Ritchie accepted an opportunity to explore one of the local Mexican medical clinics during our trip. Here's a shot of his stainless steel staples. Not to worry, he was back in the water the next day.

Brace Yourself

2006-09-02T23:21:00.000-04:00

For our group shot....

The Prince of SC

2006-09-02T23:17:00.000-04:00

..
David R. is The Man.
He knew the sand tracks like the back of his hand, no matter where we ended up.

Just after I snapped this picture, he suggested:
"The wind is getting better. We should check (insert secret spot name here), yes?"

Sure, why not.

No Name Spot

2006-09-02T23:10:00.000-04:00

Every spot has its day.
I'll bet that this one hasn't seen another footprint since we left.

Wavelength

2006-09-02T23:04:00.000-04:00

On this particular afternoon, Tim and I were on the same wavelength....

Tim kept us rolling with wild stories of his travels through Mexico in the 60s/70s, and other misadventures in locales around the globe.

Downtime

2006-09-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

We journeyed all this way to find some secluded waves to surf, and unwind from each of our busy lives.

Senor Chris contemplates a dilemma:
- Siesta?
- Siesta in Hammock?
- Cerveza?
- Cerveza + Hammock?

Steve enjoying his travel-friendly nine pound hardback book.

Still connected to the outside world (if you want to be).
"Where's the @ symbol on this thing?"

Steve

2006-09-02T22:55:00.000-04:00

As usual, Steve tends to blend in wherever he goes.

(La) Bomba

2006-09-02T22:47:00.000-04:00

We made the trek out to a nice spot to see what was going on. We killed some time as the tide drained a bit, and then enjoyed some good waves with just the five of us friends in the water, and no one else around for miles.

Local transportation system.

Subdivision-free zone.

When I inquired about the potential of the lefthand point at the top of this cove, David said that they've never bothered to go up that far.

The Hidden Point

2006-09-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

Later, we checked some other spots, including this secret point buried under a gorgeous, rugged headland.

We needed more West in the swell, but this wave still managed to stack up and heave its way through the cove.

A grinding barrel right onto dry boulders.
Helmet optional.

Rugged Beauty

2006-09-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

The Point

2006-09-02T22:26:00.000-04:00

The next morning, it was time for our first dawn session at The Point.

Surf Exploration Vehicle

2006-09-02T22:13:00.000-04:00

We spent loads of time in our intrepid surf exploration vehicle, heading off-road to access one dreamy surf spot after another.

The Suburban - skillfully piloted by David, our guide

No pavement necessary

Casa

2006-09-02T22:08:00.000-04:00

Our Casa's gate:

Courtyard hammocks.

And surfboard racks.
("Hmm....which one shall I take this morning?")

Our Digs

2006-09-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

After a long day of travel along the twisty roads of Mexico 200, we finally arrived at the Casa that would be our home for a while.

Surf Check

2006-09-02T21:54:00.000-04:00

Once we all arrived down south in one piece, we picked our way along the coast, checking a couple of surf spots on the way.

Nice Setup

Looks kind of interesting....

Here's another sweet setup that held promise.
Wrong tide when we first checked it, but don't worry, we'd be back.

Two Characters

2006-09-02T20:58:00.000-04:00

Ritchie W.

M R

Characters 1

2006-09-02T20:52:00.000-04:00

Every trip has its cast of characters, and our group was no exception.
Some would argue that we had character to burn....anyway, here we are....

Steve J.

David-The Prince of SC

Tim E.

Chris L.-aka "Counselor"

Southern Mexico

2006-09-02T20:24:00.000-04:00

Here is a rundown of a trip that me and some friends took to Southern Mexico this summer.

We went down south with a couple of goals in mind - here are two of them: