Absolutely classic footage of Batman, Mr. Ed, Gidget and more showing us all a thing or two. Check out this clip for the styles and trickery that set the stage for the likes of Buttons, Lopez, Carroll, Curren, Slater and even John John.

Little fella’s cute, eh? And to a great white, he’s darn tasty.

This harbor seal appeared on my local New Jersey beach, bellying out of the water while I was doing an impromptu clean-up with my kids. Figured picking up trash gave us some kind of good karma moment. But it did get me thinking…

It’s amazing the sights and attractions you don’t go to when they’re in your own backyard. Case in point, I live in NJ, love the ocean, dig wildlife and yet have never stepped foot in the Jenkinson’s Aquarium since it opened in 1991. I finally did so back in February and was super-bummed I hadn’t gone before. It was a great little place and one that every local surfer and fisherman should check out at least once. 

We all remember our first.

How we lost our breath when we held her close. How she promised to show us things we never thought we’d see. How she was the most beautiful thing we’d set eyes on with her banged up nose, duct taped bottom, and yellowed skin. You didn’t care what your friends thought. Man, it was your first REAL board.  You were on your way. You were in love.  

There’s nothing sweeter than throwing on the 5/4/3, booties, gloves and hood and jumping into the icy Atlantic in the heart of winter. While it’s at once stupid, hilarious and damn life-affirming, I’m never happier than when I trudge back up the beach with a cold swollen face, shaking hands and a chill throughout my body.

Watching Jake Paterson commentate a contest is like watching John McEnroe just after he retired from competitive tennis and joined the network booth. He’s calls it like he sees it and doesn’t pull any punches. But it’s all built on the fact that he’s been there at the highest level, gone toe to toe with the best and often rose victorious. He knows the psyche it takes to win.

On September 1st, everything changes. Slater, Fanning, Parko, Jordy, Bede, Dane Reynolds, the Hobgoods and the whole rest of the elite 34 will be in NY for the Quiksilver Pro in Long Beach.  Make no mistake, their presence on our shores is no small event. We’ll have the best of the best on our local stage, showing us how it’s done. And the stage has the potential to test these guys like few outside our area are expecting.

On the heels of Katia and on the back of yet another solid swell to hit our shores, the Belmar Pro went off in every sense of the word this past weekend. The event draws high profile locals (i.e. Sam Hammer, Andrew Gesler, Balaram Stack, Dean Randazzo), as well as, international pros (i.e. the Coffin brothers, Shea Lopez) who are after the points and prestige as much as the cash. It’s NJ’s biggest surf party with heaps of vendors, food, give-aways, stickers for the kiddies and bands. This ain’t your neighborhood comp. It’s serious. It’s respected. It’s the real deal. On top of everything else, this year TheSurfersView.com webcasted the finals!

’Great. Flew 19 hours to get killed in West Oz.’

That was the last thought that ran through my mind, then ran for cover, as I watched the lip of a 10ft. wave detonate five feet from the nose of my board. Before I could even flinch, I was flipped, rolled and thrown backwards until I landed with a two bounce skip, driven deep and dragged for almost 40 yards underwater. The wave beat me like I called its momma ugly. When the pounding at last subsided, I climbed my leash, hand over hand, towards the surface. Though progress was quick at first, it hit a wall when currents swirled around my legs and the water hissed into an aerated, grip-free impact zone. I couldn’t move. Seconds ticked by with a painful laziness until the currents finally released me. I broke the surface scared senseless and immediately paddled to the beach.

Much to the dismay of my wife due to spatial concerns, I have an insatiable appetite for surf-related books. My collection first took shape a little over 10 years ago and is now comprised of over 250 different titles jammed on a large multi-level bookshelf that sees newer additions stacked into every empty corner. Similar to the boat captain in “Jaws” who realized he needed a bigger boat, I need a bigger bookcase or, better yet, a larger room.