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Maverick’s 2011-12 Contest Preview: Watering the Roots of Maverick’s

mike — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:30:35 +0000

Thank you to Half Moon Bay Review for permission to reprint this article by our man In the Green Room.

Watering the Roots of Maverick’s
In the Green Room with Mike Wallace
Surf season has been in full swing on the coast as the Indian summer trades blows with Old Man winter in a losing battle in which surfers are the opportunistic beneficiaries. Onshore wind flows begin to clock around from the south in advance of storm fronts, and then switch to the northwest in their wake. Finally they swing to the northeast or, more rarely, due east – in piercing blue offshore perfection that mends tortured lumps of water into shapely waves, the shroud of summer fog lifts and reveals the coastside in all her glory.
This familiar seasonal change is met with great anticipation by surfers around these parts, but the vibe seems just a little more electric this year. Hollywood has made itself at home this fall as a battalion of moving vans sets up camp at various locations along the coast for “Of Men and Mavericks,” the movie paying homage to Maverick’s surf legend Jay Moriarity. Producer and star Gerard Butler got a firsthand welcome to the break with a legit 2-wave hold-down and flush through the rocks. The World Surfing Tour also decided to pay a visit, stopping over “Somewhere in San Francisco” en route from Portugal to Hawaii, spending just enough time to crown Ke11y Slater with his 11th championship…twice.
Yet with all the celebrities under foot the past couple months, the real star has yet to show up after skipping town last year – the Maverick’s Invitational 2011/12. While “The Jay at Mavericks” never ran, Jay’s outgoing spirit will still be in ample evidence, as a new local grass roots organization takes shape with the community and surfers as the driving force behind the event. A five-member board has been put in place for the contest composed of a group of surfers, local businessmen and leaders to ensure that the event stays true to its new manifesto. Reappointed as Contest Director, Jeff Clark aims to “get back to a great event showcasing the world’s best big wave surfers.”
Slater is negotiating with his sponsors to again challenge the infamous break. Kelly took second place back in 2000 behind eventual three-time winner Darryl “Flea” Virostko when his sponsor Quiksilver was still lending its name to the event, narrowly pipping Jay Moriarity in an earlier heat that many thought the young Santa Cruz charger had won. The rest of the Invitee list of 24 surfers will likely remain essentially the same one that was decided by peer vote of the athletes themselves last year (see Bruce Jenkins’ revealing profiles). The caliber of international big wave athlete is such that there will be not one easy heat, though there was a fresh heat draw at the opening ceremonies on January 6 a week into the revised January 1- March 31 contest window. Even the alternates list reads like a veritable “Who’s Who” of hell men. Talk is that Flea will be on water patrol this year — replaced by Ben Wilkinson. Josh Loya is first alternate, with Tyler Fox and Colin Dwyer next in line.
Board member Brian Overfelt is the owner of Old Princeton Landing and a community activist, which informs his perspective on the contest’s mandate and structure. A 20-person panel reports to the board, delegated responsibilities ranging from rescue to beach marshals. The aim is to build a stable structure for years to come based on three central pillars: “community, athletes and environment.” Tight coordination with over 14 government agencies, ranging from the Sheriff to the NOAA, has gone exceptionally well, but may ultimately be assigned to an event planning company in the future.
As Brian puts it, “It is important to water the roots of the local business community, which is always at the front of my mind on any decision the board makes.” In terms of tourism, contest day is one of the biggest of the year for Half Moon Bay and it’s important that the stakeholders in the community benefit from the contest. He foresees a day when local pride in the event runs deep and everyone celebrates it, rather than ducking and running for cover when the show comes to town. Indeed, all will be welcome to a Maverick’s Festival during the contest, which will take place in the Oceano parking lot to help minimize environmental damage to the sensitive cliffs of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. Details about tickets are available on: http://mavericksinvitational.com/
Access to the bluffs will be severely curtailed after previous incidents of rock slides and spectators being flushed into the harbor during the epic 2009/2010 event won by Chris Bertish. Land-based judges, photographers and journalists have in the past been granted access to the Air Force radar station at Pillar Point, but the new commander has been tightening security rather than offering access to witness the extraordinary natural events at the base of its cliffs. After recent productive meetings, however, the Air Force may relent on access and even provide “air support” for the event, allowing in some contest apparatus including judging, photography and officiating.
Jeff Clark has always been in sync with Maverick’s and a little Clark luck could well be in order when cherry picking a contest day, requiring full use of the tighter contest window. Mark Sponsler of Stormsurf forecasting doesn’t like the way the weather gods are conspiring this season, which has already slashed viable days for the Invitational. He accurately anticipated “high pressure taking firm control of the North Pacific amid remnants of what was a moderate-plus inactive La Nina weather pattern that he expects to hold well into the spring of 2012. That is not to say there will be no storms, in fact there could be short periods of intense activity when the ‘Active Phase’ gets an opportunity to come to fruition, but that will be the exception rather than the rule.”
Yet there is a refreshing sense of earnestness, renewal and hope about the new contest organization and Overfelt emphasizes that the board has gravitated toward volunteers with a genuine love for the sport of big wave surfing and the community. Indeed, pending a key long-term sponsorship deal or two, which are expected to be imminent, start-up funding is tight and the new group is leery of making big promises and coming up short. It will take a lot of hard work, coordination and a little luck to pull it off and, as usual, Mother Nature will not be rushed by any official time table.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mike Wallace has surfed for over two decades on the East and West Coasts, Hawaii, Europe and NorCal. Currently a resident of Moss Beach with his family of four, Mike has been spearheading an effort by The Surfrider Foundation to reopen Martin’s Beach to the public. He helps coach the HMB High and Cunha Intermediate School Surf Teams, and in his spare time is dedicated to surf journalism and surfboard design under his “Iconoclast” label.

Shark Attack in Monterey County on Saturday, October 29, 2011

matt — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:26:48 +0000

From KSBW.com:

“MARINA, Calif. — A surfer was attacked by a shark at Marina State Beach early Saturday, emergency crews said.The surfer, Eric Tarantino, 27, was surfing with friends at about 7:15 a.m. The friends said they saw the shark before it attacked.Tarantino was bitten on the arm and neck. Paramedics said they treated Tarantino on the beach and then took him to the marina airport. He was later flown to Regional Medical Center of San Jose.Friends said that Tarantino was in stable condition.”

Photo: philstr

Save Martin’s Beach! UPDATE

matt — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:02:54 +0000

Photo: Ed Grant

The issue surrounding public access to Martin’s Beach near Half Moon Bay is gaining traction and possible decision-making by the California Coastal Commission in the next month or so. Here are some updates to our original In the Green Room article by Mike Wallace.

1) Following several compelling presentations on the behalf of the Surfrider Foundation at the California Coastal Commission meeting in Watsonville last Thursday, August 11, 2011, staff there confirmed that “Enforcement staff members are actively investigating the issue after a request by San Mateo County for enforcement action.” Surfrider understands that this process could take about a month and at this critical time when the Commission is considering bringing their resources to bear on the Martin’s beach access issue a letter-writing campaign could prove crucial. And there’s a very simple way…
From: Cen Cal Surfrider
Martin’s Beach Friends- You all have such wonderful memories and experiences to share. Please take a moment to share your stories with the California Coastal Commission, as this agency is in a position to consider taking action and open the door for considering the loss of access to Martin’s Beach. Now is as an important a time as ever to speak up. If you send a letter via this link, it will help our loose coalition track the number of letters that are sent. If you so choose, you can also send letters directly to the Commission via Deputy Director Charles Lester (his email address is [first initial][last name]@coastal.ca.gov). Martin’s Beach is a very special place to a lot of people. Please share with the Commission why you care about Martin’s, what kinds of things you do when you visit, and that you would like the Commission to take action to address this loss of access. Thanks for your help!

http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4566

2) Congressional interest in public access to Martin’s Beach

From the Half Moon Bay Review:
“During a July phone conversation with the Half Moon Bay Review, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo said she, too, was interested in learning more about the plans of Martin’s Beach’s new owners. The once-popular local destination has been largely closed to visitors since the land changed hands last year.

What’s more, ownership has been shrouded in secrecy. There is even a Facebook page dedicated to re-opening the picturesque spot on the San Mateo County coast.

True to her word, Eshoo wrote a letter, expressing her concern, to California Coastal Commission Executive Director Pete Douglas. The Coastal Commission has since responded.
Here are their letters.
- Clay Lambert”

3) The mysterious, secretive owner of the land is rumored to be a Sand Hill VC.

Shark Sighting at Ocean Beach on Wednesday, July 20, 2011

matt — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:10:45 +0000

From the Shark Research Committee:

On July 20, 2011, Myung Kil was surfing at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, almost opposite Beach Chalet. It was about 8:30 AM and he had been on the water 45 minutes. The sky was clear with air and water temperatures estimated in the low 60s and 50s Fahrenheit, respectively. The ocean was calm with decent swells for good small to midsized surf. No marine mammals were observed in the area. Kil reported: “I was waiting on my board for a set, looking outbound when slightly to my left, perhaps 10 o’clock and about 25 yards away, I saw a fairly large triangle fin a good foot to foot and a half and part of the sharks brownish back exposed from the trough of an incoming swell. It was moving perpendicular to me, cruised under the incoming swell and disappeared. I don’t recall much water thrashing when the shark broke the surface. I’d seen birds dive into the ocean for baitfish previously. I waited for seconds, registering that I had seen a shark, looked at the other surfers around me then saw a decent wave to catch back to shore perhaps minutes later. The shark had a very large dorsal fin, light and water shimmered on the back end of the shark, which was visible slightly out of the swell for a moment. In the light, and water, the shark looked brownish and I would guess 8 feet in length from my perspective.”

Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Photo by jutecht via flickr.

Redwood Stringer #6: Time-Sensitive Obligations

matt — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:58:14 +0000

Redwood Stringer #6: Time Sensitive Obligations
by Tom Mahony

I haven’t worn a watch in twenty years. When my last one broke I’d planned on getting it fixed, but two decades later I still haven’t gotten around to it. In that span I’ve grown pleasantly accustomed to not having a foreign object strangling my wrist. Most of the time I don’t need a watch, just use my cell phone or computer as a clock or infer the general time of day by the sun angle. There’s only one occasion when I need one: while surfing before a meeting or other time-sensitive obligation.

After sliding into my wetsuit, I’ll take one last look at my phone and then start my internal clock. It can be surprisingly accurate over short time spans, but the system breaks down after perhaps an hour (even quicker if set waves are taken on the head). When I sense my deadline is approaching but want to milk every last minute of good surf, I ask someone for the time. But nobody else wears a watch either, save for the occasional graybeard or gadget geek with a watch that makes tide predictions so generalized as to be worthless.

Sometimes you’ll get unhelpfully vague information from others in the lineup, like: “It’s between two and three.” You can often mine more precise information from someone who just paddled out, but the accuracy is plus or minus thirty minutes, tops, which is beyond the resolution needed for modern society. (The boss will not be stoked if you stroll into an important meeting thirty minutes late. And telling him you’re late due to an epic session is strongly not recommended.)

On occasion I’ll get a set wave to the beach with plenty of time left. But I usually push things too far and my internal clock goes red with no waves in site. Of course, the later you are, the flatter the ocean. It happens every time. I refuse to suffer the indignity of the paddle-of-shame to the beach, so I end up sweating out the remaining session and invariably catch some pathetic scrap fizzling on the reef, then run up the sand and scramble out of my wetsuit. And whenever I barely make it to an appointment, I curse myself and vow to buy a new watch immediately. I still haven’t gotten around to it, but I will.

In another two decades, tops.

Tom Mahony is a biological consultant in central California with an M.S. degree from Humboldt State University. His fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in Surfer Magazine and dozens of other online and print publications. His short fiction collection, Slow Entropy, has recently been published as an ebook by Thumbscrews Press: http://issuu.com/pearnoir/docs/slow_entropy His novel, Imperfect Solitude, was released on December 1, 2010 by Casperian Press. He is looking for a publisher for several novels. Tom is also the author of the twitter story, Dead Glass, which was featured on SurfPulse’s twitter feed. Visit him at tommahony.net.

Why Jay? The Naming of a New Maverick’s Surf Contest

mike — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:27:25 +0000

Why Jay? The Naming of a New Maverick’s Surf Contest
In the Green Room with Mike Wallace

It has been a memorable year of extremes in the surfing world, including the untimely death of 3-time World Champ Andy Irons and the 10^th World title for Kelly Slater. Yet when Mother Nature makes the call, Maverick’s will once again surge front-and-center into the impact zone. On December 1 the window will open for “The Jay at Maverick’s Big Wave Invitational” and will remain open until February 28 (Ed: except for blackout period between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).

By a fortuitous accident of geography, the reefs off of Pillar Point have for eons funneled muscular long-period winter swells into cavernous bowls and towering walls off of Half Moon Bay, which has comparatively only recently rolled out its welcome mat for this new threshold of surf legend and lore. For one epic day this winter our cozy hamlet will be thrown into a frenzy of activity as the contest machinery whirs to life, spectators jostle, shutters click, jet skis hum and locals either rejoice or duck for cover. Why, then, name the contest after a cheery, blue-eyed kid from Santa Cruz with the disarming grin who drowned on June 15, 2001, free-diving in the Maldives?

Well, in a world full of compromises, traffic jams, deadlines, dead-end jobs, bills, taxes and any number of other banal distractions, Jay lived his brief life with the rare sort of purity, joy and focus that most people never achieve in a lifetime. Pacifican Matt Ambrose vividly remembers the wide-eyed grom who “blew past me straight to the bowl” and said it “looked fun” before swinging into a past-vertical freefall. A less precocious veteran would have had a gut check, knowing that he’s way too deep if closer to the peak than Ambrose.

But from the moment Jay launched into public consciousness at age 16 on December 19, 1994, on the cover of Surfer, crucified in the maw of a feathering lip of that very same wave, he surfed his life in the sweet spot, right in the curl, making Maverick’s his second home. At times Jay was so excited to greet a rising swell, he was known to sleep overnight on the cliffs to be the first to crack it at dawn. Surely that’s grounds for residency, or squatter’s rights in our town? How many people can honestly say that their path inspires that level of passion?

In his too-brief 22 years, Jay’s preparation and athleticism was only outclassed by his infectious personality, which deeply touched those who knew him, surfed with him and loved him. And one person who knew him well was his Maverick’s mentor and tow partner, Jeff Clark. The pioneering big wave gladiator and the young gun built a special relationship in the water, logging countless sessions seared in the memories of a small cadre of awed witnesses. Clark recalls, “Mike Gerhardt, one of Jay’s best friends, brought me a bunch of stickers recently that said: ‘Never Forget Jay!’ And I said, ‘Mike, what do I need those for? I’ll NEVER forget Jay.’”

On just one of those many special days, Clark threw Jay the tow rope on an improbably giant and clean swell on December 22, 2000, and told the few remaining stragglers in the channel: “The sun’s going down, it’s 25-foot and we’re going to show you the future.” With the harbor horn bleating its lonely call, an amber mist on the water and the size of the swell amplified by the 20-30 foot spinnakers of spray and dark silhouettes of the waves, Clark zipped out the back and whipped Jay into a bomb. It was one of the longest rides ever witnessed at Maverick’s and you could only follow its progress by watching the ski on the shoulder with Jay completely engulfed by the shadows. Kicking out 45 seconds later, past the rocks, Jay would have probably continued all the way into Surfer’s Beach and high-fived a few groms if the wave hadn’t prolapsed back into the maelstrom.

As noted local sports journalist Bruce Jenkins sums it all up, Jay set the tone for future generations: “There’s only one thing about the Maverick’s contest that reminds me of Jay, and that’s the contest day itself. It’s always a huge success – fog, wind, rising tide, whatever, to say nothing of perfect days – because of the spirit in the water. It all came to a head three years ago, when Greg Long split his winnings among the five other finalists, but the Maverick’s lineup always shines when the very best, most committed guys are in the water. All the egos, sponsorship deals and personal agendas are cast aside, and nobody epitomized that attitude more than Jay. If he got the biggest wave on a certain day, he only wanted to talk about Grant’s wave, or Ambrose’s, or how good one of the hot young kids looked out there. His soul was pure; nobody could recall ever seeing him out of character.”

Jay had the audacity to live to the fullest, push over the ledge and laugh at life’s precariousness. In this sense, surfing Maverick’s is better characterized as a dance of life, rather than cheating death. This is why those of us chained to desk jobs and the daily grind are drawn to witness the contest. To be transported for a fleeting few seconds when time is suspended and a relatively puny human stands up, dwarfed by the enormity of the universe, pulls in, and comes back out to do it again, rejoicing in his good fortune to be alive in such a place.

As Maverick’s veteran Grant Washburn puts it: “For me, Jay represents the personification of stoke. Enlightenment is usually described as living in the moment, and enjoying every minute… and people work hard to achieve that state, but I think Jay was born with it. He had this very special disposition, a way of treating everyone like an old friend. He also had a habit of giggling at everything, and it was contagious. As we grow up, most of us lose part of the magical feeling that comes from just having fun. Big wave surfing is a way for us to get back to the wonder of being a kid. When a big set hits the reef, everyone becomes a wide-eyed grom. We all tap into our inner Jay – that amped-up 15-year old who was drawn to Maverick’s. Jay is that rare individual who makes a lasting impression on everyone he meets. If one of my kids had been a boy, he would have been named Jay. We had girls, but my wife liked the name Jaden… so I asked if we could throw a ‘y’ in there. Now my younger daughter Jayden is almost 6.”

Unlike Eddie Aikau, the Waimea lifeguard who sacrificed his life at age 31 on March 17, 1978, to save his crew stranded aboard the outrigger canoe Hokule’a in the Molokai channel, Jay didn’t put his life on the line to save others. Aikau made over a thousand undocumented rescues, but of course couldn’t be bothered to do the paperwork. Aikau selflessly put others’ lives before his own and, in addition to being a true waterman, set the standard for Aloha and Hawaiian pride.

In contrast, it was by living for the moment that Jay provided his lasting gift. Rising above pettiness, avarice, selfishness and other human frailties, he led by example with joy, camaraderie and inclusiveness that all too often seems to get lost in the rip tides of negativism. To “Live Like Jay” is to embody goodness, friendship and stoke. As contest organizer Katherine Kelly Clark recalls, “Jay was an angel come to earth. He used to come into my café and just light it up. I loved him like a son or a kid brother – nothing can replace him. Jay belonged to the world, crossed all barriers and rose above it all.”

What did these two legendary watermen share in common? Neither of our humble heroes sought the limelight; it came and found them. Both innately knew the secrets to living a simple life fully and sharing their gifts for doing so. Both, by their shining example, compel us to reflect on our own better nature. And, both were taken from us too soon.

Mike Wallace has surfed for over two decades on the East and West coasts, Hawaii, Europe and NorCal. Currently a resident of Moss Beach with his family of four, he can often be found haunting the beaches south of Devil’s Slide in search of the perfect sandbar with his blind dog, Moose.

(Article originally published (in modified format) by the Half Moon Bay Review and SurfPulse thanks them for the permission to post here.)

Book Review: Imperfect Solitude by Tom Mahony

matt — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 00:52:08 +0000

Book Review

Imperfect Solitude by Tom Mahony
Casperian Books, 210 pages, $15.00
Releases December 1, 2010

Apropos to current coastal land development issues from Santa Cruz to San Francisco and points north (see “Big Wave” Development fight being waged in Half Moon Bay), Imperfect Solitude, a new novel by Central Coast writer and surfer Tom Mahony (Slow Entropy; the tweet novel Dead Glass), incorporates the local NorCal battles between environmental concerns and development greed into a Chandleresque plot line with surfing biologists, a sell-out scientist, a wealthy San Francisco real estate mogul, a neurotic, hypochondriac mother, a homeless Vietnam vet, and, of course, a hot, but non-committal, environmental activist babe for the love triangle subplot. Oh, lest I forget, there’s also drunk, druggy, and often nude roommates and friends all too familiar to SF flatmate vets.

As a working biologist, Mahony has lifted natural world details from his own professional knowledge and experience to fill settings and set up character conflicts. The protagonist, Evan Nellis (a surfer), dealing with the recent, mysterious death at sea of his father, is hired as a greenhorn biologist at PDT Biological Consulting in San Francisco. He is tutored, roughly, by Gordon Shaw (a surfer), a gruff and unfriendly biologist at PDT, but a guy who is an expert at what he does—evaluating land tracts and watersheds for environmental impact reports that could save or doom natural habitats. PDT works closely with a tycoon developer, Richard Headley (yes, dick jokes ensue), and it is this relationship between a biological consulting firm and a developer that creates both external and internal conflict amongst the characters. Add in Sarah, an environmental activist and ex-fiancé of Gordon, who Evan falls for heavily, and we have a love triangle that tangles the plot nicely. With personal and family debts weighing down Evan and his hypochondriac mother, the plot and subplots thicken. Ultimately at stake is Evan’s rural homestead that includes Solitude Beach, a heavy mysto beachbreak where his father taught him to surf and that serves as a moral barometer—as well as does Sarah—for Evan.

Tom Mahony has created a very entertaining read, especially if you are a surfer familiar with San Francisco’s Ocean Beach and the well-known, somewhat known, and mysto San Mateo County surf breaks (names changed to protect the secrets). The dialogue is excellent at revealing characters in an authentic and instantly familiar way, and the verbal sparring only seems forced a handful of times. Mahony employs a fair amount of metaphors and similes, often within the phrasing of a biologist, with most being pertinent to the characters and the situation. For example, “Sarah was a precious resource they both wanted but couldn’t both have, like the critters they surveyed, fighting over scarce territory.” However, there were a few similes that came out a bit forced and were perhaps overkill. The descriptions of the Outerlands and other ‘hoods of SF are fun to read, and Mahony does a fine job of portraying surf session moments.

If you are a fan of Raymond Chandler or Kem Nunn (Tapping the Source), Imperfect Solitude is definitely up your alley. Bonus if you are a surfer—especially a NorCal/Ocean Beach surfer, an environmental activist, a greedy land developer, or just a plain old San Francisco citizen. This is a fun novel to read on a surf-deficient day.

Excerpt from Imperfect Solitude:

Evan peered from his sleeping bag into the dawn. Damp chill washed over his face. Seagulls frittered about the shoreline, eyeing him as a potential scavenge. He retreated to his cocoon and savored the cozy stupor for a minute before emerging onto the sand.

He stomped for circulation and hobbled toward the ocean. Onshore wind burrowed down and scraped his bones. His body ached from yesterday’s trudge. He rubbed his back, cursed Gordon, and understood why so many employees quit after three weeks.

The morning light was soft and grainy, the eastern sky streaked orange. A wind-swell rumpled the Pacific. The water looked murky and frigid with upwelling; undoubtedly a cold and difficult paddle, ice-cream headaches and muscle fatigue. A surf, no matter how marginal, would clear his head. Bury the bullshit. Nobody could tell him how to ride waves. But the prospect of sliding into a damp wetsuit made him shiver. A coastal drive with doughnut, coffee, and blasting heater held more appeal. He decided based on the calculus of lethargy: the ocean had to offer waves sufficient to justify his suffering. It didn’t.

Evan approached his wagon and glanced toward the water. The breeze went slack. A wave peeled to the sand. Clean, symmetrical. For a moment the ocean turned smooth and inviting. He leaned against the hood and scratched his belly, wishing he hadn’t seen the wave. Inertia battled escapism, his inner loafer thumb-wrestling his cosmic drifter. Another glassy wave taunted him. Done. He slipped into his tattered wetsuit, grabbed his surfboard, and paddled out.

Thirty feet off the beach, he ducked under the first wave. Gallons of Pacific Ocean penetrated a wetsuit hole and rushed down his back. The set persisted and so did he. Endless paddling. His head numbed, arms jellied. Three weeks of hole-digging stabbed his right shoulder.

Though usually a tough paddle, Solitude Beach never denied him access. This was his spot. He knew it intimately, had mastered its moods. He’d seen others flail in the tricky current while he paddled by unscathed. But this morning he verged on collapse. Defeatist thoughts crept in. The car heater beckoned. No. He summoned the old resolve and paddled west. He crested a final wave and saw flat horizon. A few more strokes and he straddled his board in calm water.

Evan caught his breath and glanced around. The sheer mudstone wall flanking the cove loomed in the gathering light. Bright domes of alder and dark spires of Douglas-fir lined the canyons. Coastal terraces were covered in grassland, foothills textured with scrub. Pasture and farmland checkered the valley. Not a soul was visible. Few people surfed Solitude Beach. A dozen better spots dotted the local coastline. For years, Evan and his dad had mostly soloed the place. It had a mystique, a reputation as a heavy spot not to be trifled with. They took pride in it, an inside joke. A secret for which they were the sole trustees. Now Evan guarded it, alone, like the last survivor of some lost civilization.

Lines on the western horizon pulled him from thought. He dropped into the first set wave, turned, and streaked forward ahead of a whitewater avalanche. Wind bit his cheeks and stung his nostrils as he carved across the wave contour. The wave barreled fast and long until it collapsed in a slurry of water and sediment. Rather than hazard another paddle, he straightened out, dropped to his stomach, and rode whitewater to the beach.

He stood on the sand and studied the ocean, marginal at best, one wave and out. But he felt recharged: a few minutes of respite, a few minutes of truth.

He issued a curt, satisfied nod. “Good enough.”

Shark Attack in Oregon on Thursday, October 28, 2010

matt — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:26:19 +0000

Who says lightning, or sharks, don’t strike twice? The following report was provided courtesy of the Shark Research Committee:

Florence, OR — On October 28, 2010 Seth Mead and Gus Gates were surfing 75 yards from shore and about 100 yards from the North Jetty of the Siuslaw River at Florence, Oregon. It was 3:20 PM and they had been on the water 5–10 minutes. The sky was overcast with a light southeast breeze and an estimated air temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The sea was calm with a 4–6 foot swell over a sandy ocean bottom 15 feet deep with poor visibility and an estimated temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit. An undetermined number of Harbor Seals were observed near shore with one animal dead on the beach. Gates reported the following:

“I was paddling out on my surfboard to where my friend Seth was surfing, approximately 100 yards north of the North Jetty in Florence. I was watching him as he was paddling back out after catching a wave (his first and only after about 10 minutes in the water) from a distance of about 50 yards, all of the sudden I saw a bunch of commotion and a large grey dorsal fin and the shark’s tail out of the water next to Seth. A wave in between us blocked my view for an immediate second as I contemplated what I had just seen. When Seth reappeared he yelled, ‘paddle to the beach now!’ and we both paddled as hard as we could and caught a wave on our bellies. Seth was totally unharmed physically, minus the loss of a favorite surfboard. No rescue was needed, Seth was relieved that he was not hurt and wonders why sharks seem to like him so much. I told the Coast Guard officer who was on the beach about the encounter and asked that she notify others in the event that they might paddle out.”

Seth Mead was attacked, but uninjured, by a White Shark on 20 September 2004 while surfing at Gold Beach, Oregon. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. Please report any shark sighting, encounter, or attack to the Shark Research Committee.

Photo: hermanusbackpackers (flickr)

Shark Kills Bodyboarder in Santa Barbara County on Friday, October 22, 2010

matt — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:36:01 +0000

On Fri., Oct. 22, a 19-year old bodyboarder, Lucas Ransom, was attacked and killed by a shark—suspected to be a Great White Shark between 14 to 20 feet in length—at Surf Beach in Santa Barbara County. The beach is a part of Vandenberg Air Force Base with public access. Mr. Ransom was a junior at UCSB, studying chemical engineering. He suffered a major trauma to one leg and by the time his friend and another witness pulled him 100 yards back to shore, he had died from the injury.

Photo courtesy of SBSO

In 2008, a surfer was attacked by a Great White Shark at the same beach.

More details at The Santa Barbara Independent.

Photo of Mr. Ransom above courtesy of The Press-Enterprise.

Save Martin’s Beach! Preserve the History of Public Access

mike — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:52:29 +0000

Save Martin’s Beach! Preserve the History of Public Access
In the Green Room with Mike Wallace

Heaven's Gate closed to the public

One of our favorite haunts is the not-so-secret spot of Martin’s Beach just ten minutes south of Half Moon Bay. A short drive down a winding, pot-holed road leads through scrubby farmland to the beach, allowing a quick surf check from the cliff before committing to the $15 parking fee on the rare occasions now when the gate is opened. Since the property changed hands, however, the new owners have painted over the old billboard advertising access and shut down access for all but the remaining residents. The epic beach survives, but appears to be lost to corporate greed and development. Or is it?

Straight out front of the shuttered Deeney family market lies a rolling and jacking reef break leading to the soft inside sandbar. To the south is a thumping reef that bends and stands up both south and north swells for hollow funnels at low tide and fun rollers at high tide. All this is set inside an amphitheater in the form of a unique pyramid formation of rocks that even features a tunnel running from north to south.

Generations of coastsiders and curious visitors have found the secluded and dramatic backdrop just the tonic for a quick get-away for surfing, fishing, and family frolicking. Forty-five ramshackle cottages squat in a worn vigil on the terraced cliff above the main beach, grandfathered in and pre-dating Coastal Commission restrictions. If you just squint your eyes a little on a bright sunny day, the peeling paint and decay blurs, and you could be transported to any number of Mediterranean villages.

Jeff Clark

Maverick’s pioneer Jeff Clark recalls the days when access cost only 25 cents and local families took full advantage of the mystical and multi-faceted playground, when “we used to paddle out, climb over the rocks and shoot the tunnel to surf alone for hours.” Now Jeff’s rebuilding a broken-down old powerboat to get back to the surf spots of his youth.

After years of working the land, owner Rich Deeney sold the property—rumored at under $40 million—and reportedly invested in land and a former B&B on the east side of Highway 1 to spend more time with the grandkids and less time herding cattle and growing hay. From the subterfuge and mystery surrounding the change of ownership, the predominant vibe has been a palpable sense of doom; current residents’ cabin leases will expire in 2021 and have no further claim to their property and lifestyle, while non-residents have been shut out. Strangely, several properties are still listed for sale, ranging in price from $110–175k in what amounts to a glorified rental, since the value will zero out in eleven years.

Martin's Oak: omen for poisonous attitudes

Some intrepid surfers we’ve interviewed have been rumored to park up on the highway and make the longer trek in to still surf Martin’s beaches, only to face trespassing threats and, in some cases, allegedly finding their tires deflated while attempting to get reacquainted with the area’s charms. One anonymous local was confronted by security guards when attempting to walk in to the beach a couple months back. He warned them in no uncertain terms not to touch his vehicle, claiming that it was a violation of California Coastal Commission law to deny access. One of the guards let slip that the “public” bathrooms were in a state of disrepair and this was the “pretext” for the “temporary beach closure.” Certainly, no attempt has been made to install portable toilets in the meantime, while just the fact that there were public bathrooms and a general store suggests a long history of public access.

"Temporarily closed"?

These reactions by the new owners are unacceptable and completely ignorant of the history of access and the loss to the community of slamming the gates shut. Just how wrong-headed this combative approach is will be proven when plans for development or changes on the property are inevitably undertaken. Even worse, the “temporary closures” may be a cover to demonstrate that public access has not been continuous and, therefore, is not legally defensible. Any attempts at zoning changes or new construction will face full review by the California Coastal Commission, where community input will be considered. In the meantime, it is up to coastsiders to bring pressure to bear on the new owners to reopen the property.

Martin's Beach: a setting that should be open to all

Local families have already started a facebook page, “Friends of Martin’s Beach, CA”, that has some great historic photos, and familiar names like Cunha and Duarte populate its pages, mourning the loss of their childhood memories. This is a great place to start to galvanize support to coordinate a campaign to reopen the beach that transcends generations and the attempts to shutter it for good from public access.

As the Friends page poignantly states: “This is for all of the people who loved Martin’s Beach, CA, and the way it was before. For all the families that spent their days fishing, watching the Pelicans and sea lions and enjoying the tide pools. Feel free to share your memories and pictures of one of California’s most beautiful and unique beaches.”

Joao De Macedo, Program Director of Save the Waves

As Joao De Macedo, Program Manager of Save the Waves Coalition in Davenport explains it: “It speaks volumes that one of the most legendary surfers in Half Moon Bay, Jeff Clark, is passionate about that reef. Public beach access is an important free resource for humanity—one of the most beautiful things. Like a natural theme park with sand. Even a limited entrance fee to maintain the beach is acceptable, but to completely gate it off is just wrong. The reef, tide pools, and unique rock formation have inspired generations of families, fishermen, and the local community. This is not just a surfing spot.”

Precedents for access have been set in communities such as Malibu, where wealthy residents attempted to block passage to and along the beaches with private security, fencing, etc. As the Coastal Commission states, “Along the California coast the general public has historically used numerous coastal areas. Trails to the beach, informal parking areas, beaches, and bluff tops have provided recreational opportunities for hiking, picnicking, fishing, swimming, surfing, diving, viewing and nature study. California law provides that under certain conditions, long term public access across private property may result in the establishment of a permanent public easement. This is called a public prescriptive right of access.”

The Surfrider Foundation has dedicated some of its finite resources to campaigning for coastal access, in addition to maintaining clean water, education, and other environmental programs. Under the topic of coastal access, the group cites the California Coastal Act of 1976 that states one of its main goals is to “Maximize public access to and along the coast and maximize public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone consistent with sound resources, conservation principles and constitutionally protected rights of private property owners.” Unfortunately, those the public’s rights tend to expire without community activism to uphold the law and establish and maintain easements for access.

Rufo

Rufino Hernandez Vega enjoyed soaking up the mystery of the spot and taking photos of its moody backdrop. Having grown up in Puerto Rico and Hawaii where beach access is vital to tourism, he warned: “What bothers me is that it seems like such a violation of our rights as human beings and our heritage. That shouldn’t be restricted, but enjoyed by all of us. Surfers, fishermen, and families are generally pretty green-friendly and conscientious visitors, so why are the new owners being so secretive?”

Rumors have swirled that “Do No Evil” Google purchased the property, though a knowledgeable local realtor suggested that an anonymous “Silicon Valley venture capitalist” was the new owner. A title search of the property reveals that 22325 Cabrillo Highway South in Half Moon Bay, 94019 has been divided into two parcels: Martins Beach 1 Llc for Parcel # 066-330-230 and Martins Beach 2 Llc for Parcel # 066-330-240. A “Limited Liability Company” (Llc) is a company structure that essentially shields the identity of the individual or company who now owns the property, as does the mailing address of 1760 The Alameda #300, San Jose, CA 95126, which is most likely the CPA or attorneys retained to create those companies.

Postcard from Paradise

A spokesman for the San Mateo Planning and Building Department was contacted about the beach closure and what building permits were being sought by the new owners. He acknowledged that his department has “an open investigation and cannot comment on the details.” This is actually critical, as it suggests that someone has already made a complaint about a zoning violation or that the new owner has made a petition for a permit to build or redevelop on the Martin’s Beach property. Ultimately, if the community’s access is denied, the community will have a say once the process is made public.

Martin's Beach in the old days: a long history of public access

The Coastal Commission requires that in the case of private housing development along the coast any entity requesting permits must provide an “Offer to Dedicate” or grant public access through their property to the beach vertically and laterally in areas where evidence can be found of long-term beach access for five years or more. Martin’s has been accessible since the 1950s and should amply qualify. The catch is that a government agency such as the city or county, Parks and Recreation, POST, or some other official group must accept the responsibility and liability for maintaining the easements for beach access in exchange for public title to those specified paths. If such an “Offer to Dedicate” is not accepted by an agency within 21 years, it can be permanently lost.

Surfrider also points out that the city of Half Moon Bay can specifically require that the new owners grant the access paths to the city directly in order to receive permits for redevelopment. That’s where public pressure again could be critical going forward. Surfrider Counsel Angela Howe warns that prescriptive easements can get sticky unless the public access was “continuous and uninterrupted” and the fact that the previous owners charged a fee suggests there was no apparent “right of access.” This could also shed light on the cynical tactic of the new owners actively interrupting public access, which then effectively becomes a self-fulfilling legal interruption. Common law equity, however, can still argue that access specifically to coastal assets should be retained where it has been available in the past.

Tim West

As local Maverick’s charger Tim West observes, “That beach area has been a great getaway from town, not only for a day at the beach stretching out in the sun, but also for bringing the family down for a picnic. The fishing is great since the water drops off pretty deep right from the beach. The people who live there are always respectful if you share the same vibe with them. There is a lot of history in this small community that has deep roots. We should be able to access the beach area without opposition.”

Ultimately, Martin’s fate may lay in the hands of the Coastal Act of California, Section 30604 (c), which provides that “Every coastal development permit issued for any development between the nearest public road and the sea or shoreline of any body of water located within the coastal zone shall include a specific finding that the development is in conformity with the public access and public recreation policies of Chapter 3.”

In the meantime it is up to the public to exert pressure, raise the stakes for the new owners and keep a spotlight shining on the issue. The campaign to “Save Trestles” in Southern California and “Keep the country COUNTRY!” on the North Shore of Oahu were successful precisely because of unwavering public support, spearheaded by the surf community. This set a strong precedent for the power of targeted protest, aligned with the legal resources of enlightened organizations like Surfrider and Save the Waves.

Now it’s time to Save Martin’s!

Sunset for Martin's Beach public access?