Author: dmadey

Jaws Themed Surf Van

Ocean Beach, SF, CA, is a fun, let’s say, place to surf. It’s also a great place to see all sorts of weird things. After a pretty lackluster but expected start to summer surf conditions here in northern California I scored some fun waves on a Sunday before the 4th of July weekend. While I was driving home I passed this Volks surf van as the owner was getting out to pick up a coffee across the street. Doubt I’m the first person to photograph this guy’s Jaws inspired artwork of a vehicle, but if you look closely I capture the owner’s dog in the back left window and it looks like the little guy is about to become shark food!

Ocean Beach Local

pelican at ocean beach

I’ve been taking our camera to more places with me recently. For every 50 shots there are five that turn out Ok. This was a good one. I know so because I posted it on the Gram and an honest to god photographer told me it was a “great photo!” So there’s that. The waves at OB were horrible, as they have been since its spring. The beach is still a fun place to pass time with a Tecate, camera, wife and dog.

My Hipster Surf Quiver Is Complete

I’ve been sitting on this post for a long time and I’m not sure why. I completed my hipster surf quiver back in January on a trip to Guerneville.

The town’s five and dime was showcasing this surf mat in its window, and I happened to be strolling by when it caught my eye.

I’ve surfed a wooden board for a couple years now thanks to my brother Chris gifting it to me after he brought it out to San Francisco with him on a trip. Now, with a surf mat, my hipster quiver is whole.

The mat’s inflated for this photo, but I’ve yet to surf on it (which is pretty hipster).

A Swell View Of A Swell

Temps are high, surf is high, and I’m high (up that is). 15ft+ swells hit the Northern Californian coastline this weekend, and you get a good sense of the size of the waves if you see them from the top of the Marin Headlands. That horseshoe of swell in the center of the photo is about one mile away from colliding with Ocean Beach (upper left).

Sometimes In San Francisco There’s No Telling What The Surf Is Doing

San Francisco is a foggy place. So much so, the fog here has its own Twitter handle. Heck, the city of Chicago sees more ideal beach weather days than San Francisco. Nonetheless, we have waves and waves trump sunshine (if you must choose one).

One other thought here… How many waves has a surf cam caused you to miss out on? You open your computer browser and the surf doesn’t look worth a drive to the beach so you call it a day and do something out of the water. A crumby wave is better than no wave, yea… So thanks Karl, for the Ok waves last week. Wouldn’t have caught ’em without you.

I Stenciled My Dog Olive On My Surfboard

Olive is my dog, and she’s coming out with me whenever the waves are small and fast. I guess I have a bit of time on my hands, and making stencils is a favorite way of mine to fill up that time. I don’t yet have the guts to put one of my stencils in a public area where I might get busted for vandalism, so I tend to stick with placing them on my surfboards. Olive is on my Sperm Whale from Channel Islands, and she might see some action at Ocean Beach mañana given the current forecast.

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Kelly Slater’s 540 Air: What Do You Expect From A Guy Fueled By PURPS

Everyone and their mothers were posting this video of Kelly Slater’s 540 air on Internet yesterday, so I thought I’d post it again today! I like Slater’s airs when they’re done in the dark green waters of Long Island, but this one ain’t to shabby. When I texted my brother to see if he’d seen it, he responded with, “What do you expect from a guy fueled by PURPS?” I couldn’t agree more. For those of you not familiar, PURPS is Kelly Slater’s organic, all-natural, from the earth, etc. energy drink. It helped me get second place during a recent tri-sprint.