I had the very very long pleasure of watching the new ...Lost 5'5" x 19 1/4": Redux surf epic. As with anything that runs on and on for six hours, it was hard to maintain focus. After watching plenty of barrels and plenty of airs, the movie slowly lulled me into a hypnotic state of dreariness. Watching, but not really seeing anything, I stared and stared as surfer after surfer punted 360 airs. I might as well have been watching the growth of General Sherman since the birth of Christ. But, then … [Read more...]
KL Pontz
Bicycle Surfboard Rack: Cheap n’ Easy
June 3, 2010 By 4 Comments
Let's start at the beginning and assume nothing. Assumption 1: You are a surfer. Assumption 2: You live near the ocean. Assumption 3: You probably always drive to the beach. Assumption 4: A larger portion of you live close enough to the beach to a ride a bike. Assumption 4.1: Of that portion who could ride a bike, I imagine 65% of you own a bike. Assumption 4.2: The rest who don't own a bike obviously know how to use the Internet and could find a cheap bike at craigslist.com. Conclusion: … [Read more...]
Amputee Stoked on Surfing
May 26, 2009 By 1 Comment
One young man from Afghanistan, Mohammad Malek, lost both his legs to land mines. But the lack of legs has not stopped him from surfing. He came to Los Angeles in 2005 to receive treatment for his wounds, and after a trip to the beach in his wheelchair, he expressed an interest in surfing. With a little help from Michael Pless, owner of M & M Surfing School in Seal Beach, Malek caught the stoke. It didn't take long for him to start paddling out on his own, catching waves, and punting hand … [Read more...]
Extreme Connectivity – thenextpro.com
May 20, 2009 By 3 Comments
"Hello. How did you sleep?" "Well. Who are you?" "I am here to make your transition into society smoother." "Smoother?" "Yes. Smoother. A lot has changed in the 15 years that you have been in a coma. After your surfing accident in 1996, the world has changed in a myriad of ways." "What do you mean?" "For one, everyone is on the Internet all the time. No one uses pagers anymore. Newspapers are dying. The future will be read on digital screens instead of on paper. We have cell phones … [Read more...]
Surfer Magazine Late to the Party
May 19, 2009 By 2 Comments
Not that I want to diminish Surfer Magazine in their 50th year - but sometimes it just needs to be said. Even said loud and clear for the world to hear. Especially when it concerns Pontz. So I have scrambled atop my dailystoke.com soap box and I am ready to shout: "Surfer Magazine! Stop riding on my coat tails." This is frustrating. For one, Surfer Magazine has a much larger and grander soap box to pontificate from. "Surfer Magazine has the largest worldwide distribution of any surf publication. … [Read more...]
The Longest (and Ugliest) Wave in World
May 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Pororoca in the Amazon lays claim to the longest wave in the world. A tidal bore travels against the flowing current of the Amazon river creating a wave that can travel 8 miles. As tempting and illustrious as this wave may sound, the video seems to reveal a whole other side. The wave is a soupy brown silty mess. Obstacles include debris (like unusually large trees torn from the shore) as the advancing tidal wave moves up the river. When you think about it, have you ever seen any video of this wave … [Read more...]
Highwater: A Film Review of a Movie I Have Never Seen
May 2, 2009 By 4 Comments
Highwater is the newest film from the Brown family dynasty. Bruce Brown's son, Dana, is back on the surf beat after Step Into Liquid to document the final leg of the pro-surfing tour in Oahu, The Vans Triple Crown. The movie is set to release sometime in the Spring this year. The trailer is up. The tension is high. And Pontz has the only "insider" knowledge around. Have you been waiting for the greatest surf movie ever put on film? With the most epic barrels? The most epic wipeouts? The most … [Read more...]
Rippin’ the Curl Old School
May 2, 2009 By 2 Comments
As it tends to be the case in this day and age, I was on Google searching for some images. I believe I had typed, "vato surfers," into the search box. Instead of receiving an innumerable amount of vatos surfing, Google magically unearthed this awesome image of the silver caned surfer. I guess I should've been disappointed, but really, this image is much more engaging than any potential "vato surfer" image. Nor do I really want to criticize the company that basically makes the Internet possible. Remember … [Read more...]
Style of Another Kind – Daryn McBride Surf Art
April 30, 2009 By 2 Comments
For some reason I can't get off this surf art kick. It may have to do with the spring season in San Francisco. The spring in San Francisco is a windy affair. Unlike the cold and wet winter, the spring is clear, sunny, and windy--onshore to be precise. This inevitably leads to some problems. The most obvious one is a stormy soup of waves at Ocean Beach. The other problem is that you wake up in the morning, look out the window to a bright sunny day with an expanse of sky blue sky. With a giddiness … [Read more...]
Kassia Meador: The High Priestess of Surfing
April 22, 2009 By 4 Comments
Kassia Meador is "The High Priestess of Surfing" Aside from being one of the three women featured in Thomas Campbell's new film, The Present, Kassia graced the stage of the Victoria Theater in San Francisco for the premiere of the film. Superficially, she was on stage to pull out raffle tickets, but in reality, she was there to remind us that gods do still walk among us mortals. Her bright smile whitewashed the walls of the old theater and eroded the salt-corroded hearts of the mortal surfers … [Read more...]
