Reflecting on 2007

I would like to thank everyone for their support over the past year, and I hope that 2008 will provide an abundance of good times for all of us.  2007 was predicted to be an above-average year surf-wise, with al El Niño brewing in the Eastern Pacific, but we all know what happened.  A lackluster surf season by most accounts.  Over the Christmas break a year ago, the biggest swell of the year hit the point, but after that things were pretty quiet until March, when a potent combo NW/SW swell rocked Rincon.  After that it was mostly sporadic windswell through Spring, but there were some very memorable sessions in the mix.  Fall was slow to get started, and when it became obvious by tracking the sea surface temperature charts that the anomoly pattern had done a 180 (La Niña replaced her brother), expectations were downgraded.  Except for the Hanukkah swell, we really didn't get much to get excited about, but for some small but very clean and uncrowded sessions that were the product of windswells that filled in below the radar of the surf forecasting sites.  So now we're at the beginning of 2008, and on the threshold of a series of storms headed our way that figure to boost the morale of the Rincon surfer population.  La Niña years are typically drought years weather-wise, and the endless procession of Santa Ana wind events that we've been getting are the hallmark feature.  The entire Eastern Pacific region has water temperatures running a full 3-4 degrees below normal.  I'm going to remain optimistic, though, with the Rincon season now officially half over.  Sometimes during La Niña years the Pacific manages to become a storm generator in spite of the predominant patterns.  We'll know in the next few weeks how the rest of the season will pan out.  Let's all pray for surf...


Cool sea temps, wind, and small surf, but still having fun...                                                                               Photo: SHAFER


Spotlight on a Talented Young Local Photographer / Filmmaker:  Morgan Maassen

At an age when most kids are stuck navel gazing in high school history class and wondering about what the weekend may hold, Morgan Maassen is treading on a decidedly more soulful path. Graduating from high school at the age of 16 because he was “tired of wasting time,” Maassen exhibits a sense of self and artistic-flavored work ethic that goes far beyond his 17 years on this planet. The S.B. native eats, sleeps, and breathes all things ocean, and ever since he took a movie-making class in seventh grade at the Crane School, he has been following this bliss with a camera in hand. With three surf films already under his belt, some serious graphic designing and editing chops, and a self-made Web site featuring his work (bogus-media.com) that had about half a million hits last year, this Mesa-dwelling surfer, skimboarder, spearfisher, and boogey boarder is not only taking full advantage of the salt water playground in his backyard but also sharing it with the world. Immediately parlaying his early high school exit into a full load of Santa Barbara City College classes, one could easily assume that Maassen is perhaps a bit too focused for someone his age. But talking with him reveals quite the contrary - he simply knows what he likes and isn’t afraid to go for it. “It’s not like I have anything figured out,” he said. “I just really love those days when it’s been storming and the clouds begin to part and the sun shines through, you know? And it’s just you and your friends, and the waves are perfect. … I love working and looking for those special moments.” To that end, he has his eyes set on getting out of City College in a year or so, something that would once again put him ahead in the traditional educational timeline and thus afford him a big hunk of international surf-searching time. Talking excitedly about an incoming swell, the waves he and his friends Brandon Smith and Trevor Gordon are going to score, and his hopes for a trip to India and Africa next summer, you can’t help but be a little bit jealous of the life the young man is carving out for himself. “I guess all I want is for [filming and photographing] to take me somewhere - literally,” said Maassen before quickly adding with a laugh, “That, and I just hope I have a good time.”  Text taken from an article in the Santa Barbara Independent, photo: Paul Wellman

Be sure to check out Morgan's work by clicking on the links provided below:

http://www.youtube.com/bogusfilms

http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgan1

http://www.bogus-media.com