Three local surfers finished in the top five of the men’s shortboard: Colin Andersen from San Marcos finished in first place for the second year in a row, Cody Davis from Dos Pueblos High received second place and Mike Lonson from Santa Barbara High came in fourth place.
In the men’s longboard, Daniel Hendrickson from Dos Pueblos finished fourth and Will Radis from Santa Barbara finished fifith.

Jane Hinkle from San Marcos finished third and Kyle Aker from Santa Barbara finished fourth in the women’s shortboard. Chelsea Zanibioni from Santa Barbara and Mahea Furukawa from Dos Pueblos finished first and third respectively in the women’s longboard.

In the bodyboard division, Cody Hemmah (Dos Pueblos) finished second, with Shane Orr (SB High) in third, Cody Fleishauer (SB) in fourth, and Buddy Flora (San Marcos) in fifth.
The final Channel Section high school overall team results this season were:

1st- Ventura High
2nd- Thousand Oaks
3rd- Santa Barbara
4th- Palisades High
5th- tie between San Marcos and Dos Pueblos

For more information, go to www.isfsurfing.com and click on the “Channel Section.” Team try-outs for the individual schools are in the fall.

California Coastal Commission

If you’ve ever used the beach access trail to Naples or Jalama, please help the CCC and fill out their questionnaire. This information will help determine whether or not these popular beach accesses deserve to be dedicated public access points. Go to http://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/naples.pdf or http://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/jalama.pdf

The Arden Taylor Surf Benefit Contest in Memory of Larry Ugale
By David Pu’u

In its seventh year, the Arden Taylor seems to have continued in an evolutionary path that sort of defies competitive definition. The event is actually a tool whereby people who have passed tragically are memorialized. Funds and for lack of a better word, aloha, are raised to benefit the living.

It is a best case example of surfers and the community giving back in both body and spirit. This year’s beneficiary was 17 year-old Larry Ugale Jr, whose father tragically passed away on August 17th 2005 as the two were preparing to go for a surf.

The event unfolded as the northwest wind blew, and the smallish swell faded. But no one seemed to care about the fickle weakness of the surf conditions. The event is all about putting whatever one has back into a sport that has given much to many.

It was likely that same oneness of attitude that caused none of us to be surprised when Larry Jr. won the men’s division that day. It just seemed eminently appropriate to all of us, as most stood smiling in the late afternoon sun as the last of the swell disappeared and prizes were handed out.

Product Review: Big Sur Bar
By Chuck Graham

I could've used 20 or 30 of these bars up on Aconcagua last January, or when I was circumnavigating the Channel Islands, or running an ultra marathon. What I'm trying to say is the Big Sur Bar is without a doubt the best tasting energy bar there is on the market today. It felt weighty in my hand, but after eating one of these dense and delicious five ounce bricks consisting of rolled oats, flour, almonds, pecans, raisins, coconut, white chocolate chips, brown sugar, orange zest, honey, eggs, baking soda and other ingredients, I was instantly hooked. Sharing with friends isn't an option, you'll be hording these away like a squirrel stores nuts in a tree! Baked along the rugged central California coast, they currently come in three flavors: The Original, The White Zest and their newest bar, The Blind Date Bar.
www.bigsurbar.com.

Ventura Surfrider

The Ventura Surfrider is asking for your help. The Ventura County Beach Line is currently in serious threat by developers, and if you enjoy this beach, you can help by speaking out. A development company has purchased all the land directly above County Line Beach with plans for about 25 homes in a private gated community. The Ventura Surfrider believes that this proposed community will yield significant environmental impacts to the County Line’s water quality, fisheries, beach sand, scenery, available beach parking, and more. Surfers, divers, fishermen, beach goers, and environmentally conscious citizens need to speak up and defend their beach. You can write, fax, email and call in your concerns. To find out how, go to www.savecountyline.org.

That's A Mouthful
By Chuck Graham and Carli Leavitt

On March 9, at least two harbor seals were killed by a 15-foot great white shark, approximately 30 yards offshore from their rookery located just east of the Venoco Pier in Carpinteria. The first attack occurred at approximately 10:55am followed by the second at 11:20am.

The harbor seal rookery is home to approximately 300 animals that wallow on the beach and feed just offshore. Each year the beach is closed from December 1 through May 31, so adult harbor seals can breed, pup and wean their young unimpeded by beach walkers and dogs. The rookery is looked after by Seal Watch volunteers who monitor the health, growth and numbers of the rookery.

Seals are easily observed 100 feet above on the Carpinteria Bluffs, where one individual was fortunate enough to witness the feeding frenzy. Vic Hypes, a new Carpinteria resident, witnessed an explosion of feathers as gulls fled the scene when a dark pool of blood surfaced and swirled with the rush and power of the great white.

The carcass was retrieved from the beach after it washed ashore where the bite marks were examined. Thanks to pictures taken of the dorsal and caudal fins, a zoologist at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History was able to confirm that it was indeed the same Great White Shark responsible for both attacks. On Friday the City of Carpinteria issued a warning for local fisherman and surfers to take caution when using this area.

In the last 130 years the great white has been responsible for 64 human deaths worldwide. California is the white shark attack capital of the world with seven recorded fatalities. The chance of a surfer being attacked by a great white is extremely rare but that doesn’t stop the shark’s presence from having an effect on our local beaches. Tyson Parsons, a regular in the Rincon line up for the last seven years, paddled out just south of the Seal Preserve that following Saturday. When asked which shark is the most frightening, Parsons replied “great white” without hesitation. Although these sharks are at the top of the oceanic food chain, they don’t purposefully eat humans. Usually they mistake us for a seal or sea lion but due to their huge mouths and razor sharp teeth, the damage done from the first bite is often fatal.

It’s no surprise many surfers are afraid of the great white and chose to stay out of the water after the sightings. When asked how he deals with the knowledge of Great Whites in the area, Parsons replied, “I don’t think about them, but if I saw one I would get out of the water.”

Chasing Dora

On Thursday, May 11th, “Chasing Dora,” a film by Wes Brown and T.J. Barrack will be coming to the Arlington Theatre, with live music by Tom Curren. “Chasing Dora” is about legendary Mickey Dora’s vision of a perfect surf contest. Three surfers take the challenge by shaping their own wood boards and traveling to Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa, to surf some of the fastest waves in the world. Mark this one down in your calendars.

Santa Barbara Surf Club

The Santa Barbara Surf Club will host their 4th annual Meeting of the Tribes contest at Middle Beach. SB Surf Club will be competing against the Ventura Surf Club and Oxnard Wave Riders. Come check it out and support your local team in a contest against its neighboring towns.

Save our Access Path (S.O.A.P.)
By Tim Page

The Historic Access Path used by residents and visitors for 40 years leading from the side of 188 Seacliff to the Bluff Top, Spyglass Park and St. Ann’s beach in Shell Beach was fenced off and closed by an adjacent property owner in October of 2004.

Since then, the community has formed a non-profit corporation called Save Our Access Path Inc. They filed a lawsuit against these property owners, seeking to get the fences removed and the blocked access path opened. The California Coastal Commission has completed their study of Prescriptive Rights for this path property, and determined that there is strong evidence that Prescriptive Rights exist. The case is currently in the State Attorney General’s Office waiting for a decision. They should rule soon that a Prescriptive Easement exists.

S.O.A.P. is currently planning a fundraiser for May 20th at Spyglass Park in Shell Beach. All donations from a raffle, BBQ, and 5K Fun-Walk will be used to pay the legal expenses associated with getting the Historic Path opened again. Come out and see for yourself what the blocked path looks like, and join in the fun, food and great prizes. Contact saveourpath@aol.com for more information.

Surfing’s Greatest Misadventures

The reading tour for the book, Surfing’s Greatest Misadventures is coming to the Central Coast. On Wednesday, April 26th, 7 p.m. Shawn Alladio and Jeff Phillips will be recounting a collection of true stories about shark attacks, tsunamis, big waves, wipeouts, etc. And on Thursday, April 27th, Shawn Alladio and Glenn Hening will present a reading at the Bank of Books in Ventura, 7 p.m. For more information, go to www.thesurfbook.com.

K38

Check out www.ShawnAlladio.com for a list of PWC Open Water Courses going on this spring. April 20th is the deadline to register for the Western states Police and Fire Games Watercraft Competition, and May 1st is the deadline to register for the H20 Responders Team Challenge.

Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day! The Community Environmental Council will be throwing a South Coast Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 23rd at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. They will be featuring the latest and greatest in alternative fueled vehicles along with live music from a solar-powered stage. Learn more about Earth Day at www.communityenvironmentalcouncil.org.

The Goleta Family School will be having their 6th Annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 29th at Stow Park featuring music, earth friendly arts and crafts, games and booths. Admission is free. Visit www.goletafamilyschool.org for more information.

Groundswell Society Update
By Glenn Hening

For the tenth year in a row, the Clean Water Classic-Team Surfing at
Rincon Benefit Event- left everyone with smiles on their faces. We were finally able to declare victory in our efforts to stop pollution at Rincon - our goal since the first event back in 1997. The septics-to-sewers project is going forward, thanks to Heal the Ocean. So to create a sense of occasion for the last "Clean Water Classic," we sent invitations to every team that has ever surfed in the event. Eighteen teams enjoyed a good swell on Saturday and fun waves on Sunday. And we raised another ten thousand for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, HTO, and the City of Carp Youth Ocean Program.

So, now what? A couple of new ideas are ringing true when it comes to honoring a great tradition of community spirit at Rincon, such as giving more people a chance to be a part of one of surfing's most unique events (not to mention the best waves!) The Society is in contact with the Santa Barbara and Ventura Surf Clubs, so keep reading this column for info about what's next: The Rincon Invitational.

Community Environmental Council
By Sigrid Wright

The Community Environmental Council is the South Coast's oldest and largest environmental group. A 'think and do' organization, our work focuses on finding positive and innovative ways of solving the region’s most pressing environmental challenges. In the past this has included creating the first recycling centers in Santa Barbara, the first organic community gardens, and one of the first hazardous waste collection centers in the nation.

Today our main areas of focus are renewable energy, watershed restoration, alternative transportation and environmental education. We are best known for cutting edge programs such as Fossil Free by '33, Million Solar Roofs, Green Schools, and efforts to restore the health of ecosystems such as Carpinteria Creek. Our centers include Art From Scrap and the South Coast Watershed Resource Center, and events include coordinating the South Coast Earth Day Festival, the Steelhead Run, the Santa Barbara Channel Swim, and frequent beach cleanups. We are always looking for volunteers to help with events or programs.

For more information about CEC visit www.communityenvironmentalcouncil.org.

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
By Penny Owens

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper is a local non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds through citizen action, education and enforcement.

Channelkeeper works on the water and in the community to monitor local waterways, restore aquatic ecosystems, advocate for clean water, enforce environmental laws, and educate and engage citizens in identifying and devising solutions to local pollution problems.

Channelkeeper’s clean water advocacy and enforcement efforts are currently striving to compel the Santa Barbara Polo Club to cease polluting Padaro Beach, Halaco Engineering Co. to clean up its mountain of toxic waste on the Ormond Beach wetland, the City of Santa Barbara to enact a strong ordinance to address leaking sewer laterals, and numerous local municipalities to implement strong programs to reduce storm water pollution.
Channelkeeper is also conducting monthly water quality monitoring in the Ventura River and Goleta Slough watersheds with the help of scores of volunteers monitoring and restoring kelp and eelgrass in the Channel, and teaching local youth about the importance of eelgrass beds, kelp forests and water quality through hands-on lessons and labs in twelve local middle schools. For more information, go to www.sbck.org.

Betty Belts

Betty Belts, the creator of beautiful ocean-inspired accessories, has recently been nominated for The Surfer’s Path Green Wave Award, which honors businesses that promote environmental consciousness in the surfing world. All Betty Belts accessories are hand-made with a commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Owner, designer, and passionate surfer Donna von Hoesslin makes every effort to reduce, reuse, recycle and reinvent her product. There are no sweat shops or factories used, instead all the work is contracted out to home-workers in Bali, Indonesia. To find out more about Betty Belts, go to www.bettybelts.com.

Patagonia

In January of 2006, Patagonia Inc. launched its 2006-2007 environmental campaign, Oceans as Wilderness, to raise the public’s awareness of threats to the marine environment. Patagonia will spend 18 months with scientists, writers, surfers and fishermen exploring the threats and solutions to the ocean environment. Patagonia invites scientists, writers, politicians, athletes, activists, parents, and all people to exlpore these topics in essays featured on their website. For more information, visit www.patagonia.com/oceans.