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October 2005 Issue
Diamonds and Dust: Kitesurfing in Central California
Words and Photos by Glenn Dubock
“It’s all right there in our backyard, so let’s go play in it,” said Peter Trow, talking about the untapped kiteboarding potential of the wide-open spaces of California’s Central Coast. As a member of the Flexifoil Team and an expert videographer, Trow has ridden wind and waves around the world and knows what to look for when it comes to visual delights. It didn’t take long to convince him to grab a few friends, toss gear into a 4-wheel drive RV and hit the road.
Kirk Peterson joined us and brought with him the kind of wide-eyed, youthful stoke that every road trip needs. He also brought his CD collection — a stack of custom burns that used all 1500 watts of my stereo system. I felt a little old when he had to tell me who the artists were and that there were no subliminal messages in the lyrics.
When he is not teaching others how to kiteboard, Peterson is out on the water giving live demonstrations on how to rip. Amy Naff, from Northern California, was also recruited for this adventure. I had seen her ride the large, cold-water waves of Santa Cruz, but I must admit I was a little skeptical about her ability to keep up with the guys on board. Amy would go on to prove that she could handle anything the guys could and would blow us all away when she caught the biggest wave of the whole trip!! And we had some big waves on this trip.
Our timing for phat swells was impeccable. After a long flat spell, the arrival of a storm-generated pulse from New Zealand guaranteed ripable waves for our crew. The Central California Coast just loves a long interval, south swell. This one hundred-mile-long stretch of virgin coast became a giant wave magnet with points, reefs and sandbars all putting a different spin on our great southern guest. The other required ingredient, bulk wind, is usually in good supply in this area. We were not disappointed as a stiff 15-25-mph breeze came up every day we were there.
I had recently purchased my dream RV and it was time to put her to the test. Formerly known as the Nadabus, she used to transport happy campers to the remote Solo Sports camp in Punta San Carlos, Baja California. When my good buddy Kevin Trejo told me he was going to retire her after 10 years of service, I just couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her put out to pasture. I had spent so much time in the beast, had so many great off-road adventures with Kevin and crew, I just had to bring her home. My loving wife Kathy instantly saw thru my thinly veiled excuse that I could use her as a business vehicle to promote our Website, Dubock.com. The truth of the matter was that I’ve always lusted after the biggest, baddest 4WD vehicle of them all.
After officially renaming her the Dubox, we filled her with all of our toys, a couple cases of beer, food for an army, Kirk’s endless supply of tunes and headed into strengthening wind and our close-to-home adventure. Our first view of the ocean was in Pismo Beach, a State Park with a hard-packed sand surface bordered by the blue Pacific on the west and gigantic wind-groomed sand mountains on the east.
The wind was light but there were definite signs of southerly swell. This is the only beach in California where it is legal to drive on the sand.
Every cell in my male hormone-enriched brain was begging me to drop the tranny into 4WD and blast around the sand dunes. It must have been Kirk’s thrash metal mix on the CD player that was telling me to go for it. But common sense prevailed.
The goal of our mission, riding waves not sand, could not be achieved without a few more hours of driving north. The dunes of Pismo would have to wait for some other day. The farther we cruised up Highway 1, the more swell activity we saw. We passed the sleepy coastal towns of Cayucos and Cambria, watching the local people go about their busy days. Did they not know that they had a large visitor from New Zealand scheduled to arrive any minute now?
Near San Simeon we pulled off the road to check the conditions. With the exception of a few gawking tourists, we had the place to ourselves. Signs warning about the dangers of interacting with the local elephant seal population were everywhere. As it turned out, there were more signs than seals.
At one corner of the beach there was easy access to the water’s edge in a small, crescent-shaped sandy cove where we decided it was safe to launch. After negotiating the rising shore break, riders had to keep a close eye out for boils that marked fin-grabbing boulders, which at a lower tide, would cause even a world-class wave rider like Trow to alter his track. Kirk later described it as riding in a minefield. He would know since, about an hour into their first session, Amy ran into some trouble and her kite had to be rescued and dragged to the beach by Peterson.
Kirk swooped in, grabbed the floundering kite and picked his way thru the rocks, landing down the beach some 200 yards. What a hero!! Amy swam in, re-rigged, charged back out and managed to pick off the wave of the day — a huge one that closed out the whole cove. What an inspiration!!
In the meantime, Trow was putting on a show starring our imposing guest from New Zealand. By mid-afternoon, the swell was in full attendance and Trow was carving thru bowls, boils, peaks and pockets. The late afternoon sun turned the hollow low tide waves into diamond-studded barrels. Trow would lurk way outside until he saw his wave, drop in, crank a G-force bottom turn on his 5-foot long directional board and then set up his 10-meter kite to give him enough power to obliterate the pitching lip. He was also drawing crowds of tourists who poured out of giant buses to watch him. They had come to see elephant seals cavorting, snorting and
mating. ‘Sorry folks, none of that, but we do have three kiteboarders tearing apart windswept waves.’ I don’t think anybody asked the tour guide for a refund.
For the rest of the day it was more of the same. All three riders pushing their limits, ripping wave after wave but watching out for each other on a liquid playground riddled with obstacles. Late in the day, Peter ended up on the rocks at the south end of the cove. Rather than stress out about his misfortune, he chose to take a well-deserved break and just kick back and watch Amy and Kirk from a unique angle. Indeed, that’s what this whole trip was about — viewing a familiar place from a new angle.
As the last rays of daylight faded, we packed up Dubox and headed out, completely saturated with wind, waves and personal narratives that would unravel long into the night. The next day we woke up to a crystal clear sky with an ocean surface that looked like sheet glass. The waves had held their size but there was not a breath of wind. As we sipped hot coffee on a low bluff top overlooking a pristine beach, we weighed our options.
We could stay put and wait for the predicted afternoon winds, or we could fire up the bus and make a run up the magical Big Sur coast. Before I could even begin to explain how gnarly and twisted that stretch of road is, the kids were back onboard, jacked on caffeine with the music cranked way up.
A thousand feet above the ocean, carefully navigating hair pin turns on the winding ribbon of cliffside road, we could see our friend from New Zealand still sending rhythmic pulses. At one legendary surfing spot, we stopped to watch a huge five wave set wrap around a submerged rock reef and peel perfectly to the boulder-strewn shoreline.
“Why are there only 5 people out surfing?” Amy wondered aloud. Her question was quickly answered when we saw someone take off on the smallest inside wave and appeared to be simply a speck on the face of a moving mountain of water. No doubt about it, Big Sur equals Big Surf.
We decided to keep moving and try to find something a little more user-friendly with some wind on it.
Later that day we did some exploratory hiking around the northern part of the Big Sur coastline but couldn’t find any suitable kiteboarding sites. The possibilities for excellent kiting in that area are endless, but our time was not, so we made a group decision to backtrack down the coast to another spot we knew would be cranking with wind and waves.
The Dubox was gulping down gas on the twisting mountain road, so we made a fuel stop at the only open gas station on the whole Big Sur coast. After getting over the shock of gas prices twice as high as anywhere else, I struck up a conversation with the station owner. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t get him to understand what kiteboarding was and why we were there. He knew what surfing was and he had seen plenty of hang gliders soaring on the coastal ridges, but he just couldn’t get a mental picture of what I was trying to describe. Needless to say, Big Sur is your kind of place if you want to be a kiteboarding pioneer.
After winding our way back down the redwood-lined highway, we got to a spot I’ll just call the Studio because of it’s picture perfect setup. Out of respect for the few locals that ride the place I won’t draw any maps, but the simple fact is, it’s in plain sight from the highway and, if it’s windy, the crew is on it. They like their privacy at this quiet little spot but like most places, the locals will share it with anybody that plays by the rules.
I’ve been bending the “No Photos” rule for about 15 years there, so they at least tolerate me though they don’t necessarily throw out the welcome mat. Showing up with a busload of high profile wave rippers was definitely pushing it, so we made sure to step lightly and leave only footprints.
The wind at the Studio mostly blows side shore. In the late afternoon, just as the sun angle gets perfect for front-lit photos, the dust flying from the surrounding cow pastures adds a golden glow as it mixes with the cold ocean air. Peter, Amy and Kirk knew what I was looking for and proceeded to gouge wave after wave in a feeding frenzy that went until almost dark.
As we stumbled back up the beach, we watched a thick blanket of clouds move in under cover of darkness. That signaled the end of the wind for the next few days, so we packed up the bus and headed home, content that we had scored big in our own backyard.
Glenn Dubock lives in Carpinteria, Ca.
Posted October 2005 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
The Ocean Crusader
By Chuck Graham, Photo by Carrie Vonderhaan
As a child I spent many hours scouring through countless stacks of my grandparents’ old National Geographic magazines, and watched on television the captivating specials on Jacques Cousteau and his groundbreaking pelagic expeditions exploring the world’s oceans.
Cousteau’s discoveries were astounding, revealing underwater habitats to millions of viewers and readers, and introducing his own sons, Philippe (who died in 1979) and Jean-Michel, an ambassador and advocate for the environment, to a life of adventure.
“My father pushed me overboard when I was seven,” said Jean-Michel, president of the local Ocean Futures Society, a non-profit organization committed to saving wild places. “In those days, kids didn’t argue with their parents. I became an instant scuba diver with my late brother. As a family, we began discovering the south of France.”
Curiosity, adventure and discovery shaped his father’s life, and those characteristics and interests were reinforced his sons. Jean-Michel said his father was very determined, and that nothing stopped him. If a piece of equipment was needed but didn’t exist, his father invented it. However, as driven as his father was, it was his mother Simone, and her low-key approach that fueled much of the family’s success, he said. “The typical cliché is a strong woman behind a famous person,” said Jean-Michel. “That was my mother. I don’t think he (Jacques) would’ve gone as far or accomplished as much without her.” She may have stayed behind the scenes and didn’t want to be on film, her son said, but she called the shots. While the Cousteaus explored the Amazon in1982 and 1983, Simone spent more time on the ship than the rest of the family combined. “She spent 10 months on the ship without getting off,” said Jean-Michel. “I don’t know anyone who would've done that,” he recalled. “She was the real captain. It comes from the fact that she descended from many generations of naval officers. She wanted to be in the navy, but in those days women weren’t allowed.”
When it came to Jacques Cousteau’s vision and discoveries on the many global expeditions aboard the Calypso, the younger Cousteau found his father to be very demanding, but for good reason. Not only was Jacques his father, he said, also his friend and boss. Sometimes the roles were difficult for the two to juggle, but they always managed, said Jean-Michel. “When we had breakfast together I felt like I was with the president or prime minister,” said Cousteau. “We argued about all kinds of things like we should, and then we walked out of there with a plan.”
Ocean Futures Society
Jacques Cousteau died in 1997, but his legacy lives on in the Ocean Futures Society, a global organization created in 1999, under the direction of Jean-Michel, which is spreading the word actively about the environmental plight facing the planet. Cousteau’s son started the organization to honor the memory of his late father, realizing that if he didn’t grab the reins there would bed no one to continue and perpetuate his father’s mission.
“I worked with him most of my life,” said Cousteau. “He had a vision, then suddenly he’s gone. He didn’t give me any indication that it would continue unless I did something about it. We [Ocean Futures Society] want to be the voice of the ocean.” Ocean Futures Society lives by its motto, “Protect the ocean and you
protect yourself.”
However, protecting this vital resource is a massive uphill battle against a mounting world population, greed and ignorance. For centuries, the ocean has been the world’s garbage dump with waste originating in the mountains, farms, and towns, flowing down creeks and rivers and eventually reaching the ocean. Cousteau said there are over 100 dead zones, virtual wastelands, in the oceans where there were once thriving habitats. Now nothing lives there. These oxygen-deprived regions resulted from chemicals like DDT, nitrogen runoff from fertilizers, oil spills, lead and mercury that have ended up in the ocean. Marine life either succumbs to the pollution or moves on to healthier waters.
“We continue to use the ocean as a garbage can, a universal sewer,” Cousteau said. “So our infrastructure is wrong since day one, and it’s a huge headache. Anyone that’s aware of it and wants to correct it, that’s very, very difficult. From an economical point of view, it’s a total nightmare.” The world’s largest known dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico. Cousteau was aware of it in 1982 while doing a presentation in Mississippi. Since then it has doubled in size, and is now as large as the state of Pennsylvania. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina it will continue to grow.
As bleak as this all sounds, Cousteau is confident the pendulum can swing the other way by specifically targeting the world’s youth, taking teachers and students out of schools and introducing them to nature. Currently, Cousteau has a total of 11 educational sites in California, Hawaii, French Polynesia, France, the Caiman Islands, the Caribbean and the British Virgin Islands. Next year sites in Italy, Greece, Brazil, and possibly Florida will be added. In these educational settings, the relationship between the land and the ocean is made extremely clear to young students.
The programs works to instill self-confidence and teamwork in participants and problem solving with logic is taught and modeled. Materials are provided in local languages. Instead of Cousteau making appearing and teaching in classrooms, local teachers and other well-known local figures from each country teach the lessons. After the units are completed, Ocean Futures Society utilizes feedback to enhance and modify its future programs. “We can take a kid out of downtown L.A. who has never seen the
ocean — believe me there’re a lot of them,” said Cousteau, “and in three days we make a swimmer, snorkeling at night.”
Ocean Futures has another another program that involves sustainable coral reefs, 85 percent of which are located in third world countries. Its goal is to expand the understanding of how coral reefs work, and Cousteau mentioned the Bahamas as an example. The Caribbean country’s maximum altitude on 95-98 percent of the islands is 10 feet above sea level. Without a barrier of coral reefs surrounding the chain, the islets would be exposed to storms, tsunamis and hurricanes, which would wash the tiny nation away.
Cousteau said the most important aspect of the coral reefs project involves economics. Nearly all countries bordered by coral reefs rely on coral as a resource — for export and for tourism. It provides for up to 90 percent of the economy of some of these countries. “Destroy your reefs and no one will show up again,” he said. “If you go to a place that’s been trashed, you’re not going to go back.”
Blue Pacific
One ocean that isn't completely trashed and is of special concern to Cousteau is the Pacific, “because its such a huge place and we know so little about it,” he said. However, Cousteau, working in conjunction with the National Marine Sanctuaries and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is in the process of converting one of the most biologically diverse regions of the Pacific into the largest marine sanctuary in America. The proposed sanctuary would begin in the Hawaiian Islands at Kauai and cover the sea for 1200 miles northwest to Kure, the northernmost tropical atoll on the planet.
Characterized by massive sea mounts teeming with marine life, remote atolls and endangered species like monk seals and green sea turtles, it’s one of the most unique chain of islands in the world, and is almost as large as the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. “There are species of endemic fish and corals that we don’t even know about,” stated Cousteau. “It's a legacy we can pass onto the next generation.”
Posted October 2005 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
Towsurfing in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary: a Territorial Dispute
By Erynn Im, Photo by Dr. Steve Lonhart
The Pacific Ocean is unbelievably vast and would seem large enough for all of us to share and enjoy. However, it is a limited resource. And many people, perhaps especially surfers, have had to learn to compromise with respect to the ocean and others who value it. It is not, however, easy to determine boundaries and set them in fine print, which is currently why the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) and towsurfers are waging an ugly battle.
The future of towsurfing at Mavericks and other big wave spots within the Sanctuary is unclear since the Sanctuary’s Advisory Committee is presently attempting to regulate and limit the use of powered watercraft (PWC), used for towsurfing.
The Marine Sanctuary, stretching from Marin to Cambria and originally designated in 1992 as a federally protected marine area, is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. The use of powered watercraft is a relatively new development in the sport of surfing. Their introduction has allowed surfers to catch extraordinarily large waves that would otherwise be impossible to ride. In recent years, the sport of towsurfing has become a fascinating phenomenon and it has grown dramatically all over the world, including in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.
In 1992, the Advisory Committee laid out definitions of powered watercraft applicable within the Sanctuary’s boundaries, and ruled that the craft could be used in only four zones, all specific distances from sensitive habitats and species. The current definition of a PWC is any motorized vessel that is less than 15 feet in length and has the capacity to carry no more than the operator and one other person while in operation. The term includes,
but is not limited to jet skis, wet bikes, surf jets, miniature speed boats, airboats and hovercraft.
Most PWC now fall outside of the Sanctuary’s definition. The latest models of powered watercraft can carry up to five passengers and attain speeds in excess of 60-mph. Engine size, endurance, and thrust capabilities have all increased over time. Powered watercraft that do not fit within the Sanctuary’s original definition are not limited by the guidelines.
The Sanctuary is currently reworking its definition so that all craft used for towsurfing will be covered and thus limited to operating in the four zones already outlined, said Rachel Saunders, community and public relations coordinator for the for the Bay’s Sanctuary. Not only is the Sanctuary’s Advisory Committee attempting to create a new definition for PWC, it is also reevaluating the existing zones where such craft are permitted to operate, especially Mavericks.
The world-renowned Mavericks surf breaks are some of the largest in the United States. But Mavericks is also “in an area that is right near Fitzgerald Marin Reserve where there is a large concentration of harbor seals that could be endangered by towsurfing,” said Saunders. Though not yet set in stone, special permitting requirements that would ban towsurfing except for designated competitions once or twice a year. are under serious consideration by the Committee.
This proposed ban of recreational towsurfing has been met with both dismay and outrage on the part of towsurfers. According to Don Curry, a professional towsurfer, the existing restriction limiting the sport to specific zones has already dramatically narrowed its scope at the location and nearly created a ban without doing so officially. “Who wants to chum for food in this little designated zone?” he asked. “We already rarely get a dozen days of towsurfing in the winter, and in the summer, you can’t even count on one hand how many towsurfers are out there.”
The Advisory Committee contends that towsurfing poses a significant threat to marine life and its habitat within the Sanctuary, and could even lead to its elimination. The Committee has cited research conducted in other locations to support its position. Even though the studies were done in places other than the Sanctuary, members of the Committee are standing by their claims that the results of the studies are nonetheless applicable. For example, a study conducted in the San Francisco Bay between 1998 and 2001 concluded that watercraft exhibiting sudden changes in speed and direction were much more likely to flush harbor seals than were vessels passing at a steady speed and constant course. Research in Florida found that PWC can increase turbidity in the ocean and redistribute benthic invertebrates. Another study in Florida found that Bottlenose Dolphin, which also frequent the coastline of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary, are endangered by such craft because jet skis are not acoustically detectable at the same distances as other types of watercraft. If dolphins are unable to detect the jet skis until they are dangerously close, concluded the study, then they may not be able to adjust their behavior in anticipation of the vessel’s approach. According to the study, “It is not inconceivable that Bottlenose Dolphins could be disturbed enough by to leave parts of the Santa Cruz and San Mateo coastline altogether.” Saunders has said that the Sanctuary should not have to wait until the environment experiences more destruction to take action. “We do have the mandate to proactively protect significant sanctuary resources,” she said in response to questions about the lack of studies specific to Monterey Bay shorelines.
Towsurfers have contended that the environmental claims of the Advisory Committee are weak and unsubstantiated. “Research in Florida should not be applied to what is happening on California’s coastline,” cried one angry blogger on towchat.com. “I think it’s falsified and there’s not actual scientific proof — especially since, when we’re out there, we’re doing our towsurfing in 40 to 60 foot waves, nothing survives.
“There’s nothing near when we’re towing,” said Curry. Why, ask towsurfers, are they being singled out? What about other vessels including speedboats, fishing boats, and others that are possibly just as hazardous to wildlife and habitats? Many towsurfers have alleged that the real issue at hand is personal bias against towsurfers. ˆPeople are more annoyed at the noise and commotion that PWC kick up,” said Ken Skindog, a professional towsurfer. Curry calls it a personal vendetta. “Somebody had a bad experience at a lake or somewhere.” Perhaps it is a “disagreement between users,” as Skindog calls it. Curry suggested that paddle surfers might feel that their waves are being overcrowded, that they are resentful toward towsurfers who are catching huge waves. “It’s a moral high ground that they take. They’re not willing to give in to technology and change,” he said.
The most practical solution, towsurfers say, is education. Curry believes that it has been only a small group of reckless towsurfers, without the proper education or environmental etiquette, who have created a bad rep
for the towsurfing community. Those who want to operate PWC should be certified and licensed, he said.
A formal draft of the Sanctuary’s updated work will submitted for review and public comment by the end of the year. A small working group consisting of people from the PWC industry, towsurfers and environmental organizations is currently working to find common ground, said Saunders. Recommendations, when complete, will be sent to Washington for inclusion in legislation. Curry said that for now, “the ball’s in their court, [and there’s] not a whole lot we can do.” He’ll be maximizing his towsurfing this winter, he said, and then he expects that he’ll be heading to the courts to appeal what he anticipates will be an unacceptable result from Washington.
For updates or to get involved, visit www.towsurfer.com or www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov/.
Posted October 2005 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
Tri-County Shapers' Spotlight
Shaper Spotlight: Todd Proctor
By Erynn Im
The evolution of Todd Proctor begins as the story of a skinny young boy who tagged along with his older friends to the beach. He was the grom who wasn’t so hot on the waves, and the older boys weren’t afraid to tease his lack of skill. Then one day, his neighbor let Todd try one of his boards, and all of a sudden he was surfing, surfing well. That’s when he realized that there’s something about surfboards that really affects how one surfs. At the age of 33, Todd now leads a life dedicated to helping others find their magic boards as a successful shaper with his own label, who’s laughing now?
Todd first learned how to shape from a book he checked out from the public library, titled How to Build a Surfboard. It was an old green book from the ‘70s that outlined the most elementary basics. Todd had been watching shapers for years and asking them questions, but most were always hesitant to share all their knowledge with him. He laughs now at his first steps in becoming the shaper he is today.
He took his first four shapes that he ever made to McCrystals in Oxnard to get them glassed. Though he was a little embarrassed, he was surprised by how impressed Casey McCrystal himself was. He was immediately offered a job and a couple years later, he was working alongside one of the shapers for the company Lost in San Clemente, handshaping boards for pro’s in his own shaping room. “I got feedback from the best surfers in the world…that kind of thing is priceless,” said Todd. He was gaining experience shaping a lot of different types and styles of boards. But in the back of his mind, the Central Coast was calling him, and soon enough, he realized that he had enough of a reputation to start his own line. His move to begin his own label was carefully calculated, and with the experience he gained from the industry thus far in his career, he began Proctor Surfboards in Ventura.
Customization is the key to Proctor’s success in the business. Every board that Proctor makes is as unique as the surfer riding it; the board has its own living, thriving soul. This is because Proctor takes the time to talk to each of his customers to assess and achieve each of their personal needs, whether they be professional surfers or retired businessmen who want a new hobby; there is no discrimination. Just like his neighbor who equipped him with the right board years ago, Proctor wants each of his customers to have the best board possible for the kind of surfing that they want to achieve. “It’s not like basketball where you just use any basketball,” Proctor said about surfing. “Boards are such an individual thing, it can make a huge difference what type you use.”
Proctor’s commitment to the most advanced technology and his state of the art factory allows him to produce his dream of individually specialized boards. When he first started his own label, he had ideas for some kind of computer system that could take any aspect of a board design and accurately customize it. Coincidentally, at this same time, Brazilian shaper Luciano Leao was in the throes of designing a system and machine that would revolutionize the world of shaping forever. Proctor went to Hawaii himself to check out the machine himself and even gave input as to how to improve the system. He was one of the first to own and use this program that allows for customized accuracy. The system records and adjusts the different design features that the board will have, and then sends the information to a machine that mills out the exact measurements. Proctor keeps a huge database of all the boards he’s ever handshaped, and this program can adjust each to the unique needs of his customer. After recording all of the customer’s information, Proctor handpicks the different design aspects from the database to create one, accurate, customized board. All of the customer’s information and their customized designs are then saved onto a disc. The customer can then come back to Proctor and say, “Hey, I really liked this one board, but I’ve gained 20 pounds,” and Proctor can accurately readjust the design but maintain its original functions. “It’s a new frontier in precision and design,” said Proctor. “People know what they’re getting every time.”
The production of his boards is also completely in-house, meaning that everything from the start to finish in making the boards is done within his factory. This insures the very best quality, best technology, and best customer service every step along the way. And unlike many shaping rooms, Proctor’s factory is impeccably clean, from the showroom all the way back to the airbrush room. The factory boasts a special filtering system that filters all the harmful vapors and brings in fresh air into the workplace. He’s just as meticulous with the business aspect of his shaping career as he is with the design.
Honesty and true love for the art of shaping is what keeps Proctor’s factory running and flourishing. With the loving support of his wife, Charissa, the two have created a business built on principles that is sure to stand the test of time. For more information on Proctor and his boards, visit www.proctorsurf.com.
Shaper Spotlight: Wayne Rich
Words and Photo by Branden Aroyan
Soul shaper. Master craftsman. Wayne Rich started shaping surfboards in Hermosa Beach in the late 70‚s, a protégé of Bendiksen. After spending years of just watching, Wayne began to use the tools himself to be involved in the art of making a board go where he wants to take it.
The beginning: “When I was a little kid growing up, I had to become a junior lifeguard or my parents wouldn't let me surf. They made me do it. I hated it at first. ‘But, if you‚re going to go down to the beach and be able to be down there we have to know you‚re not going to drown'‚ said my parents. All the famous surfers were lifeguards, Dewy Weber, all the main surfers. You can see it when something weird goes on or somebody's hurt. The people who notice it right away and are helping are the ones who understand the ocean better. It's going to depend on the people who are aware to keep people from getting hurt. It's ironic; the ones getting hurt are usually the ones dropping in on all of us. It's become a world of a free for all with surf schools and beginners and this and that. Then you have the good people who put in their time over the years."
Lifestyle: I don't consider surfing a sport. It's more of an interaction between people and the ocean. It's a rush, it's a way to get intense a way to get mellow. If it's pumping and it's crowded and you get one through it adds to the reward factor. If you had perfect waves all day by yourself you wouldn’t have the same drive. You'd be so free it didn’t matter if you blew it you'd just get another. When everyone's watching you’ve got to perform and hold yourself in order."
Respect: "The levels of respect are gained and earned by how well you can do what you are doing and how you go about doing it. Being able to help someone, how you act, if you're doing right or wrong, it comes from putting yourself in the right place at the right time and how intense you can be. I’ve always wanted to be in the core group, a surfer first and then a shaper."
Shaping: "It starts with what you want. ‘Form Follows Function’, said Frank Lloyd Wright. What are you looking for? They trust me to shape something that will work for the way they want to surf. That comes down to variations that are extremely subtle. So subtle, most people can't figure it out when they try and dissect a board to rip off your shape. It might not be in the actual contour, could be in the foil or the volume of the shape or in the fulcrum where you set the rocker forward of where you're compressing cause that will allow the board to change its angle of attack and so that it performs in a different way than what people might perceive it to do when they look at it. So there's a lot of tricky stuff going on in surfboards. I’ve put 30 years into knowing this and it's blowing my mind how much there is to know. And fins are equally important. I’ve shaped about 200 different fins over the years and most didn’t work. It's through R&D when the most awesome parts of ideas are extracted and combined to where they are most effective. To take the chance and go through all the problems and money and time and frustrations together with riders is where it comes from. All the friends are doing this together and it’s working on these ideas that validates them.
The future: Looking at boats and airplane wings. Getting the board to flex and bounce back in certain areas while adjusting the rocker. The shape the template and the foil of the fins too are a whole other thing with a lot more room for technology and experimenting. There are lots of variations we can keep doing and have a lot of fun with it.
The man: 14 yrs sober, Aircraft design background, most recent contest at C-street, 5 winners were riding his boards.
“The underground Lives”
Shaper Spotlight: Gabriel Loyd
Words and Photos by Vincent Shay
First impressions are everything. Walking into Gabriel Loyd’s shaping room gave me a first impression that I will not forget for some time. Vivid blues and greens under fiberglass give his boards a life of their own. A living, breathing entity that almost begs to find that perfect wave on its own. No rider needed. Central Coast board shaper Gabriel Loyd is a surfer and has been all his life. Born and raised around surfing, his philosophy has always been centered on the joy of the ocean and the form of a wave as art. Not a particularly competitive surfer, Loyd would rather be known as one to give a wave than to take one. He is the son of legendary photographer and board shaper Aaron Loyd. He learned early on that quality and the final product is the most important component to the art of shaping. Every shape begins from a raw blank and ends with the final polishing. Gabriel does everything and enjoys being in control of every facet of his shapes. Learning every aspect of the final product is his goal.
“A lot of people don‚t know that I do everything! From shaping, to glassing, to doing my own airbrushing!” he said.
In Pismo Beach his shapes stand apart not only because of the quality of his boards, but his unique airbrushing. Each board is a piece of art that seems to breathe, but even more than that, the creation seems to have a soul.
Loyd learned from the best. He credits his development to working with his father who shapes for Al Merrick and PJ Wahl, local Central Coast shapers. Both role models have been pivotal mentors in not only his personal life, but also for his passion for shaping surfboards. “When I go into shops, I check out every shape. I truly believe Al Merrick designs are the best. The quality of the boards and consistency of the shapes are what I model my own shapes from.”
Equally important is the feedback he gets from surfers who regularly surf his shapes. Always evolving and learning, a shaper fine-tunes his art form. This is the destination of every shaper and Loyd is no different.
None of Loyd's boards are pre-shaped digitally. He believes in the art of finding the shape. Like most of the artists I have met, Loyd truly believes the perfect shape is already in the blank; it‚s just up to the shaper to find it. Not to say that Loyd is against computer shapes, he just wants to truly learn and hone the art of shaping before he starts to utilize the computer.
Loyd's specialty board is his 'Miss Piggy‚ model. Not just the average short board, but also more of a high-performance hybrid model. He believes that boards in general are getting shorter with increased width and more curvature in the templates, especially in California. This philosophy is what drives his board designs.
Loyd is very excited about the future. Creating a business and working with his father is his goal and his passion for the industry is driven through his dedication to the art of creating a quality surfboard design. Loyd believes in hard work and a 'never give up‚ attitude' Loyd is here to stay.
“I am a shaper, but I really want to be a ‘company.’ I don’t want to be just a ‘backyard shaper’! Everyone starts somewhere, but my goals are set very high.”
If you are interested in surfboards that ‘breathe’, check out Loyd Surfboards at Solutions in Pismo Beach, Shell Beach Surf Shop, and Azhiaziam in Los Osos. Loyd Surfboards also has an exclusive dealer in Cayucos at Cesmat Surf. You can contact Gabriel at gabrielloyd@hotmail.com or 441-5103.
Posted October 2005 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
October Calendar
Saturday, October 1
Heal the Ocean Benefit
Come for a night of dinner, entertainment, and a live auction to benefit Heal the Ocean. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. at the QAD, Ortega Hill in Summerland. For more information, call (805) 965-7570.
Thursday, October 6
The Channel Islands Sanctuary will celebrate their 25th Anniversary this evening at the La Pacifica Ballroom at the Four Seasons Biltmore. This black–tie gala dinner will feature a video tribute and historical retrospective about the sanctuary and its outlook for the future. The night will also honor Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congresswoman Lois Capps and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Stewardship Award. All proceeds will benefit the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. For more information, call (805) 892-4914.
Saturday, October 15
Intra–club Contest
The Ventura Surf Club will be hosting their intra–club contest at “The Wall” today. All contests start at 7 a.m., please arrive 30 minutes early for sign–ups.
Saturday, October 29
Halloween Camp-Out
Come out to Ventura Surf Club’s SBSC Halloween Camp–Out at Hobsons. For more information, visit www.venturasurfclub.com.
Saturday, Oct. 22
Goldfish Surf Series
Volcom’s Goldfish Surf Series will be making their stop on 24th Street in Cayucos today. The contest will have tons of prizes and giveaways. For updates and more information, visit www.volcom.com.
Summit for Danny
Help kids rise above drug abuse. This local fundraising mountain climb benefits the Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Treatment Center. There are three new exciting trails from easy to advanced and all the climbs begin and end at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens. For more information, call (805) 963-1433 or log onto www.summitfordanny.org.
Saturday, October 29
NSSA Gold Coast Conference
The NSSA Gold Coast Conference will host a contest at California St., Ventura today. This is a AA rated contest. For more information, visit www.nssa.org.
Posted October 2005 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
