OK. On the topic of surf schools. There are lots of things little
girls are getting for Christmas today: dolls and dresses and all that girl stuff. But what about surf lessons?
Surf divas is a surfing school for women and girls on the West Coast. In San
Diego. The company is run by Isabelle “Izzy” Tihanyi and her sister Coco. They offer classes and clinics and camps for
surfer girls young and old and, you could probably talk them into taking little boys too, if you’re hoping to teach the
kids to ride rollers before that big Hawaii trip you got coming up.
Surfline
How are the waves breaking in Southern California? How about
Eastern Australia? Surfline.com has got oceanloads of updated info on where the
waves are. There are also photos, videos, a surfing forum and articles on everything from technique to the science of
Sunset beack in Hawaii. I remember checking this site out way back when and being psyched by all the free stuff.
Sadly, a bunch of the content has now gone premium. But there’s still a lot here for both the hard-core wave Nazi
and the weekend dabbler.
Learn to Surf in Central America
Did you know Outward Bound offers courses on how to surf?
More than that, even. You can learn to kayak and raft on some of the world’s most gorgeous
rivers, you will learn Spanish in a beautiful Mexican village, and, if it’s your fancy, you can learn to surf world
class breaks.
The Outward Bound folks say theirs is a “holistic
instructional approach” that gives a full breadth of knowledge about surfing including study of lunar phases,
wave formations, coastal ecology and traditional surf philosophies. The classes take you from Costa Rica to Nicaragua
to Panama, beaches throughout Central America. There’s also the opportunity to gain certifications in CPR & First
Aid (American Red Cross), White Water Navigation and Training (CRROBS), and SCUBA diving (NAUI). What’s it cost? Almost
7 grand. Scheisse, that’s a lot.
But man, what a fricken dream course this would be.
Skate Dough
Here’s a question for you: how much do pro skaters make? The answer is pretty surprising.
According to this article in Skateboarder Magazine, when you
add up al the endorsements and cashola pro skaters make competing, it can be a pretty hefty sum. Money comes from
all sorts of sources: clothing, watches, sunglasses, action figures (yes), grip tape bearings, and of course, the board
companies themselves, which apparently offer as much as $1,500-$2,000 a month to skaters who ride their boards. So next
time you look down your nose at some skate rate who tells you he’s pro, consider he might be raking in the dough.
More Photos from Quiksilver Event
Coupla days ago, I posted
some great photos from the The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational event…pictures of towering
forty foot swells at Waimea Bay. Well, Surfer
Magazine has got a series of their own that are even more amazing.