Check out rare photos of killer whales surfing in New Zealand at GrindTV!

Just finished building and launching a project that I worked on with Bob Tait of 910ZEN.com (and the acoustic surf rock band "Bag of Toys"). Ian Balding is a North Carolina surfboard shaper that builds custom surfboards and stand up paddle boards made out of wood. Check 'em out... They're beautiful!

Click here to visit Ian Balding Custom Surfboards

From now until the end of October, Surfrider is offering special benefits to new members including a 20% discount at Swell.com, a recycled tote-bag, a one year subscription to TransWorld Surf, Surfrider membership stickers, and six issues of Surfrider's newsletter "Making Waves". Get all these goodies and more by signing up at the IronSurfer Membership sign up page now! Most importantly, you're helping to protect our oceans by becoming a Surfrider member.

For those of you in the San Diego/Southern California area of the U.S., this just came in from the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation:

Get your donation matched by Jack...and a chance to win concert tickets!

As part of the All At Once campaign, Jack Johnson's To The Sea tour is collaborating with over 150 community groups focusing on plastic initiatives and sustainable local food systems, as well as environmental education, oceans & watersheds, tree planting and other hands-on community projects!! SurfriderSD is stoked to be involved but we need YOUR support to make it a success.

Donate to SurfriderSD before October 5th at 4pm for a chance to win Jack Johnson tickets for his October 9th show in Chula Vista AND to get your donations matched by Jack! This is a great opportunity to make a positive impact for the coast by supporting SurfriderSD campaigns and programs.

• $10 gets you one chance to win a pair of tickets
• $25 gets you three chances to win a pair of tickets
• $100 gets you 12 chances to win a pair of tickets AND a SurfriderSD gift bag (reusable bag, two t-shirts, license plate frame, stickers and more!)

Click here to donate and get every dollar matched.

Click here to pickup a copy of Jack Johnson's latest CD, To The Sea.
Click here to download MP3s of the songs on To The Sea

A few months back I posted a blog entry about putting together an event to raise funds to benefit cancer survivors. An event has been successfully organized around this cause:

SurfSTRONG is a fundraiser to support cancer survivors and their families. Now surfers can have a positive impact on the quality of life for others by doing what they love - surf!

For more information and to get signed up to participate or donate, please visit http://SurfSTRONG.org/

Thanks.... Hope to see you there!

I know this isn't really surfing related but I just had to post these. I ran across this Associated Press photo of a baby sperm whale just a few hours old swimming along side its mother and the rest of its pod.

Isn't that cool!? I had this image on my mind this morning while I was surfing. It blows me away that we share the ocean with animals such as these. Here's a video of what I believe are to be the same pod of whales:

World class surfing conditions are expected to hit the southern New Jersey coastline this weekend. According to pressofAtlanticCity.com, wave heights may reach 7 to 10 feet:

Check out "Hurricane Bill creates paradise for southern New Jersey surfers" for details.

I love seeing dolphins during a surf session. Here's some great footage from the BBC's "Wildlife on One" nature series showing a pod of dolphins ripping it up on some perfect rights at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

There's tons of Surfrider stuff happening here in San Diego over the next couple of months!

Chapter Meeting - On the Agenda: Access to Blacks Beach
Wednesday, August 19 at 7pm
Forum Hall in University Towne Center
The City of San Diego has initiated a process to prepare a plan for the approximately 44 acres at the top of the bluff. At issue: to preserve and enhance recreation opportunities, bluff protection, habitat restoration and cultural preservation. Beach access is a fundamental issue as this is one of the few ways to access Blacks.

Stone Brewing Company's 13th Anniversary: Last Call!
Saturday, August 22 from 9:30am - 6pm
Cal State San Marcos Campus
The #1 fundraiser for the Surfrider San Diego chapter every year. There are two ways to support Surfrider through this event:

Paddle for Clean Water Festival
Sunday, September 13 at 9am
Ocean Beach Pier
Food, fun, a raffle, live bands, and the "Clif Bar Wrapper Challenge"! Check out the Paddle for Clean Water blog to learn more about the Paddle for Clean Water Festival.

Support the Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation has been protecting our oceans, waves, and beaches for over 20 years. Show your support and join Surfrider today (tell them member 118089 sent you... they'll know what that means!)

I've been going back and forth on deciding to get an iPhone for quite awhile now. I think it's a cool gadget but I keep having that nagging feeling of "Do I really need it?" running through my mind. Recently, a friend of mine sent me a link to Apple's "iPhone in Business" section featuring Surfline. Having access to Surfline's surf reports on a mobile device would be pretty damn cool. Like I said, this is pretty much the deciding factor for me. I'm sold on the Surf Report application for the iPhone. I'll be picking up an iPhone soon and will keep you posted on my experiences with the phone itself as well as the app. Stay tuned...!

Dear San Diego Surfing Community,

Imagine a world where your passion for surfing has a positive impact on the lives of people affected by cancer. I invite you to join forces with me to turn this idea into a reality by organizing an event where surfers make a difference.

This is an opportunity for you and I to fulfill the possibility of improving the quality of life for others by doing what we love to do - surf! The following is my list of ideas but I want to hear what you think our event should include:

1.) Name of the event: What do you think our event should be named? Make it catchy, impactful, and memorable.

2.) Intention of the event: To have fun, promote health, and celebrate life while using a grass roots effort to raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation - a nonprofit organization that unites people to help fight cancer.

3.) Event date: To be determined. Perhaps late October or early November, 2009.

4.) Event location: Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach. Will you help research obtaining permits, etc?

5.) "Wave Count" fundraiser: This idea allows surfers to raise money based on the number of waves caught on the day of the event. Example: You make a promise to catch 10 waves. Friends, family, and businesses each donate $10 (or more!) for *every wave* you promised to catch.

6.) "Paddle" fundraiser: This is another idea for surfers to raise money which would be based on distance paddled. Example: You promise to paddle from Crystal Pier to Tourmaline and back. Friends, family, and businesses each donate $100 (or more!) for this achievement.

7.) Silent auction fundraiser: Yet one more idea to raise funds! Will you get in touch with local surf shops and other businesses and invite them to donate products, services, etc for our event?

8.) Surf lessons: Another fundraising idea. Let's invite a surf school to provide surf lessons on event day and ask if they will donate all or a portion of the money earned from these lessons to our charity.

9.) Music: DJ? Live band(s)? Both? Do you know a DJ and/or band that will donate their talents and perform for our event?

10.) Surf commemoration: Paddle out to the end of Crystal Pier at sunset to honor cancer survivors as well as those who have passed. I have a strong image in my mind of hundreds of surfers in a giant circle wearing yellow rash guards emulating the Live Strong halo. Man that would make a powerful photograph! Can you connect with a rashguard manufacturer to see if they will donate these?

Thank you for stepping up and getting involved. I look forward to hearing from you soon. We are going to make this event happen together!

Sincerely,
- James Loren

The surf at Crystal Pier this morning was actually pretty fun. The spot had the perfect combination of swell and tide height that worked together to provide consistent sets in the waist to chest high range. Let's hope the fun stuff continues to roll in over the next few days.

It was actually pretty fun at Crystal Pier this morning. It seemed like it was going to be a close-out session, but conditions improved as the morning progressed and the tide came in. Wave heights were waist to chest, and yes, there were some walled out sets but if you were lucky enough to be positioned at the right spot, you were treated to a nice and snappy open face wave.

The surf around Crystal Pier this morning was relatively small. Knee high rollers breaking on the inside provided some fun rides for anyone riding a longboard. Those of us (including me) on anything smaller were treated to a frustrating experience. It was still a beautiful, sunny morning in San Diego. Conditions were glassy and there was very little wind. Magic Seaweed's surf forecast for Pacific Beach shows a slight increase in swell size over the next few days.

The swell seems to have mellowed out in Pacific Beach this morning. Sets were in the waist high range with decent form but waves were fading to mush rather quickly. As the morning progressed, conditions seemed to improve. The peak right off of Diamond Street was the best supplying long and short boarders with some fun rides.

Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach wasn't too bad this morning. Just a bit mixed up but there were several fun peaks rolling in up and down the coast from the roller coaster up to Tourmaline. Wave heights were primarily in the waist high range with a few chest high sets. Let's hope the trend continues and the surf cleans up even more.

Del Mar was looking disorganized and mushy this morning in San Diego. Although it was a bit mixed up, there were some corners for surfers who were patient and positioned properly. Sets ranged between waist to chest high. There was a slight offshore wind with some surface texture. Hopefully the size will hold and conditions will clean up.

Crystal Pier was looking inconsistent this morning. Most sets were in the knee high range with a few waist high sets rolling in. Although several waves were closing out quickly, there were some corners to be had if you could position yourself in the right spot. It looks like the little swell we had here in San Diego will be fading over the next few days so look for more mellow surf in our near future.

Pacific Beach was small this morning with knee high closeouts rolling in from the roller coaster up to Tourmo. It wasn't worth getting wet but if these conditions persist tomorrow morning, I'm paddling out anyway. I'm anxious to at least get in the water!

Pacific Beach was still pretty small this morning around Crystal Pier. Knee high sets rolled in on occasion but most waves were closing out quickly. There were some fun rides to be had for those lucky enough to be positioned right on the corners. Let's hope the increasing swell forecast through this weekend helps pick things up a bit.

The surf at Crystal Pier was pretty mushy this morning but it was still fun for me. This was the first time I was able to paddle out since returning from the Virgin Islands last week (I got sick when I returned home). Anyhow... conditions were okay with light winds and surface texture. The surf forecasts are predicting a slight increase in swell size. Hopefully this will add a bit of punch and power.

The stormy conditions finally cleared up this morning leaving behind some fun surf here in San Diego. Crystal Pier had consistent waist to chest high waves with a few shoulder high+ sets. Overall the waves held up quite nicely allowing for a few maneuvers. The surf forecast shows that these fun conditions should remain up through Saturday.

The surf picked up this morning in Pacific Beach. Fun waist high+ sets rolled in on both sides of the pier. Glancing up and down the coast showed that the same seemed to be the case up at Tourmo, PB Point, and down at PB Drive. The forecast shows a building swell lasting through Friday and into Saturday.

The flat spell continues this morning in San Diego. Knee high close out sets were the best the ocean was serving up. The waves a little way up north at Tourmaline were looking a bit more well formed but not enough for me to paddle up there. The NOAA forecast is predicting a rapidly increasing swell for tomorrow.

Camp Surf and the pier were looking pretty flat this morning in Imperial Beach. Ankle high with knee high close out sets at best. It was a beautiful morning. It just wasn't worth getting wet. The surf forecast is showing a pulse coming in late Thursday and lasting well into Saturday.

When I initally rolled up to Crystal Pier this morning, I wasn't impressed with the wave conditions. I went for a run and debated about paddling out when I got back to my car. Let's just say that I was very happy I made that decision. Conditions were actually very fun. Waist high sets with some punch. Some waves were peeling nicely allowing for some long rides and a few turns. As the tide increased, it seemed to get a bit mushy but there were still some fun rides to be had.

The northwest swell hitting San Diego continues to provide some fun surf. The water was glassy with hardly any wind. Wave heights remained in the waist to chest high range with a few head high sets rolling in. 15th Street has been a pretty good spot the last few days and this morning was no exception. The forecast shows a drop in the swell starting tomorrow and continuing up until Saturday when another little pulse is scheduled to arrive.

It was a bit more consistent this morning at 15th Street. Wave heights were essentially the same as yesterday - waist to chest high with head high sets rolling in about every five to seven minutes. It felt like there was more power in the waves today and overall their shape  was much better allowing many surfers to execute several maneuvers while connecting to the inside sections. There's little change forecast for tomorrow; however, there's a 70% chance of rain.

It was a bit inconsistent this morning at 15th Street in Del Mar this morning. Wave heights ranged between waist to shoulder high with three wave close out sets rolling in every so often that would clear out the lineup. There were definitely some fun waves to be had for those surfers positioned right on the corners. Rides were fast punchy and long providing a nice canvas to pull off a few maneuvers. All things considered it wasn't too bad this morning.

The swell has arrived here in San Diego and it was hitting Sunset Cliffs perfectly this morning and into the afternoon. Plenty of shoulder to head-high+ peaks were found up and down the cliffs. Conditions were very consistent and the waves were holding up and breaking evenly giving surfers options to go left or right with plenty of face to play with. As the day progressed, some spots were starting to dump allowing some surfers to get a little head dip here and there. The surf forecast is predicting that it should be the same tomorrow.

It looks like the swell predicted to hit San Diego may be a bit late or it may have missed us. Perhaps I just picked the wrong spot to surf! Conditions at 15th Street picked up a bit this morning with waves around the knee high range with an occasional waist high set. The pulse may still be building so it may get better later in the day and into this holiday weekend.

This should be the last day of the flat spell we've been experiencing here in San Diego. Windansea was empty this morning and for good reason: no surf! The upside is that the NOAA Surf Forecast is projecting 5-7 feet with sets up to 8. Have a great weekend.

The surfing documentary Bustin' Down the Door focuses on the Australian and South African surfers that pioneered pro surfing back in the 1970s. Filled with beautiful original footage as well as open, honest, and sometimes emotional interviews, the movie successfully conveys the challenges that Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards, Peter Townend, Ian Cairns, Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew, and Michael Tomson faced in their quest to bring surfing to a worldwide, professional level. Overall the movie is well worth watching and is not your typical surf movie as it deals with much more than just the sport.

As the film progresses, we learn about the lives of each surfer and what drove them to go to the North Shore of Oahu at the advent of pro surfing. One surprising yet refreshing aspect the filmmakers included was the conflict the surfers faced with native Hawaiians. By presenting each viewpoint in a balanced yet frank fashion, we become witness to how the situation escalated to a point where neither side was right and where each had lessons to learn about respect, humility, and the true meaning of Aloha.

This film can easily be watched and enjoyed by anyone even if they aren't involved with the sport. The surfing is awesome - of course - but the depth at which the filmmakers explore the athlete's personal lives as well as the inclusion of the historical background of the Hawaiian people relative to surfing make this movie satisfying to watch on many levels. Five stars.

The surf has actually dropped here in San Diego and it's now officially Lake Pacific! Conditions were extremely small with an occasional (emphasis on *occasional*) knee-high, one-wave set. Those stubborn enough to surf next to the pier were treated to some mellow rides. The surf forecasts show that these conditions will continue to hold up until Saturday.

We're still getting small surf here in San Diego with waves heights being around ankle high with knee high sets rolling in every now and then. These conditions are forecast at Magic Seaweed to remain the same up until Saturday. On the plus side, we've been having gorgeous weather so hit the beach!

It was a beautiful morning in Pacific Beach but unfortunately there wasn't much surf. The longboard was definitely the right type of equipment to paddle out with. Wave heights were pretty much at the knee high range and consistent. The water was clear but still pretty cold.

It looks like the little pulse we had on Friday and Saturday started fading away this morning. Although it was sunny and relatively warm in Pacific Beach, there wasn't much wave-wise. Weak knee-slappers were the main course with an occasional side of waist-high close-outs were being served up. The forecast calls for pretty much the same throughout next week until Saturday where it looks like a big northwest swell is in our future.

We had another extreme high tide this morning that seemed to have a bit of an effect on the waves this morning at Scripps. It was as though there was almost too much water. Even though, there were plenty of fun sets rolling in giving long and short boarders room to maneuver. There was a slight off shore wind blowing giving the water a bit of texture. Air and water temps remain chilly.

Fun peaks rolled in up and down the beach from Crystal Pier up to Tourmaline this morning in Pacific Beach. Conditions were glassy with waist to chest high sets. Faces were wide open up and peeling perfectly for picking up speed. Fun rides were had by long and short boarders all morning long. Despite the extreme high tide (7+ feet) it was a good morning that seemed to get better as the tide started to drop.

I just stumbled across some disturbing photos on the Surfrider Foundation Blog. The images show a massive amount of debris on Seal Beach at the mouth of the San Gabriel River. I can only guess that this is urban runoff after the December rain storms we had in Southern California.

Please Support Surfrider and help protect our oceans, waves, and beaches from this type of thing.

It was another beautiful morning here in San Diego. Wave heights were around knee to waist high with an occasional chesty set. Plenty of fun was had on the north side of the pier. The water and air temperature seemed to be slightly warmer today which - combined with the fun surf - made it hard to leave the beach!

Plenty of fun peaks to go around this clear and sunny morning in Pacific Beach. Breaking in the waist high range with a few chesters, the waves were nice and consistent with some open faces to play with. The peak just north of the pier seemed to be the best but I saw a few nice rides by the surfers camped out on the south side. It looks like there's a pulse forecast for the weekend.

Isn't it time you were rewarded for being active on a Social Network? Now you will be and Surf Buds is pleased to provide this benefit to its members! By simply contributing to the site in various ways like uploading photos, inviting friends, or writing in your surf blog, you earn Reward Points that can be redeemed for electronic gift certificates to Amazon.com or even for cash contributions to the Surfrider Foundation. Login to your account or join now to learn more about Surf Buds Rewards.

The surf finally picked up this morning. 15th Street was getting consistent and punchy waist high waves giving short and longboarders fun sections to work with. Occasional chest high sets rolled in in pairs providing those patient enough to sit outside with steeper, faster, and longer rides. Waves breaking on the inside were jacking up just enough to give shortboarders some satisfaction.

Here's a  photo from this morning's surf session photo album:

We got a bit of rain this morning in San Diego. As planned, I surfed 15th Street in Del Mar where the waves were breaking in the ankle to knee high range. There was an occasional one wave, waist high set that rolled in about every 7 to 10 minutes. Longboarders were dominating and having the most fun out of the 20+ surfers that were out. Conditions seemed to get better as the morning progressed but maybe it was wishful thinking...

Wet Sand is forecasting slightly larger wave heights in Southern California for Sunday. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

I'll be in Del Mar again tomorrow morning.

That pretty much sums up the entire week here in San Diego. I went to Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach this morning for a run and a surf. I ended up just going for a run! It's been a bit chilly these days even for me and I just didn't feel like getting wet. It wasn't long ago when I would've paddled out anyway just to be in the water. I must be turning soft!

Forecasts are projecting a northwest pulse that could potentially hold up throughout next week. Let's hope it comes true. I'm planning on surfing Del Mar at 15th street on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Pray for surf!

Surf Buds, the social network for surfers, launched version 2.0 of its web site just after midnight on new year's day, 2009. The new site is a fresh start and will require members to create a new account in order to experience several new and powerful features:

• Photo Albums - Members are provided with 1 gigabyte of disk space on the Surf Buds server to create their own albums for displaying photographs;
• Surf Blogs - Members can now share their thoughts and ideas or simply rant and rave on their very own Surf Buds web blog;
• Improved Interactivity - Connecting with friends is easier than before with profile commenting, messaging, and real-time network activity updates.

In addition to these new features are two "under the cover" upgrades. Surf Buds is now hosted with Dreamhost and powered by the Social Engine platform. These upgrades improve the way Surf Buds performs and make the user experience more fun and engaging.

Surf Buds is your surf site and your surfing community. Have a happy new year and enjoy the new site!

Links to surf reports and other surfing resources from around the internet.

• NOAA Orange/San Diego County Surf Forecast
• Magic Seaweed
• Wetsand.com So Cal Surf Report
• Wavewatch - San Diego Surf Forecast
• Surf Shot
• Water Quality - San Diego
• Surfing San Diego
• Surfrider Foundation
• Twurfer - Share Your Surf Reports & Surf Sessions with Friends

The original version of Surf Buds has been taken offline in order to make a much needed upgrade to the application. When January 1, 2009 rolls around (perhaps sooner!), surfers from around the world will be given a powerful tool to connect with friends and express their individuality. Sit tight and keep an eye out for the official launch announcement of Surf Buds 2.0!