Oh wow, June 21, 2007.  Sunrise - 5:47 a.m. / Sunset 8:15 p.m.  What a glorious day.  The overcast burned off early in the morning followed by a classic Santa Barbara Summer day.  As you know, what made today special, besides being the longest day of the year (Summer Solstice), was the fact that today was International Surfing Day.  How cool that there even is such a thing.  Thanks to the longstanding efforts of organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation, the so-called "Sport of Kings" has its own day...

While there was not much surf around to get stoked about, a gathering was held at Ledbetter Beach to celebrate the day, and the event was both a social and environmental success.  Volunteers collected litter and garbage from the waterline and sand, ridding Ledbetter of urban refuse.  Cheered on by the Red Bull Girls, bag after bag of garbage was filled and hauled away.  At the same time, old friends got together and new connections were made, all in the name of environmental protection.  As I type the celebration continues.  Kudos to Scott Bull and the Santa Barbara Chapter for organizing this event. 



Spotlight on a local: George Manos

Local waterman George Manos is a man of few words.  A longtime Rincon regular, George has a unique surfing style that is recognizable even from a distance.  He's another one of those surfers who always seem to be in the right place at the right time -- picking off the biggest set waves time and time again.  What sets George apart from the rest of the crew is his ability to switch his stance -- often in the middle of a ride -- from regular-foot to goofy-foot and back again.  When setting up for a barrel he'll switch to backside, grab his downface rail, and go deep.  Often he'll come flying out of the tube, and then jump to his frontside and strike a classic longboarding pose.  This versatility really works to George's advantage.  What a gift...  Most early mornings you'll know George is there when you see his classic Ford Ranchero parked near the gate at the head of trail down to the beach.  Below are a couple of images of George surfing at Rincon.









Identify the Secret Spot II

So far, nobody guessed the last spot correctly.  Here's a picture of the same unridden break, only on a different day.  The hook on this wave in Northern S.B. is pretty distinctive, no?



La Luna

The other night the sky was very clear, so I thought I'd try to capture an image of the new moon.  Pretty amazing to think that this celestial body is responsible for our tide cycles, such a powerful influence on all of our surfing experiences...  The pock-marked surface is pretty trippy too.  Just imagine the impacts that resulted in those craters...