Kickin' rocks

Well, surf sessions have been more of a rock kicking session lately with virtually no swell. I've put miles of miles on my truck and had very limited success with it. Been getting into SUP Paddleboarding a bit lately just to get wet and have a little exercise and really liked it. Dropped into my first wave the other day to much surprise seeing as it was little more than an ankle slapper. Nonetheless fun new activity. Today's pic is a beautiful red agate gathered on the beach soaking and glowing in a rare bit of sun.

With the price of oil these days...

Another whale of a tale this episode. This is a juvenille fin whale I've been told. Apparently you can identify a fin whale from the fact that it's right underside is white and it's left underside is black. You can clearly see the large tongue and balene in the beginning of the video with what I thought was a tiny lateral fin and then the powerful tail and ending with the belly of corduroy which allows for the huge gulps of water and the subsequent sifting of food through the balene. Not too sure about the cause of death here, but it certainly wasn't old age. The whale was very recently deceased as you can tell from the state of decay. I was amazed at how the skin was so thin and generally when the whales show up, it's the first thing to really fall off. It isn't really captured in the video, but there was oil leaking from the skin of the whale and literally melting off of the skin. Anyhoo, another cool experience living at the edge of the world.

Premium Parking

Those damn vandals struck again! It's amazing that all of these agencies share the same interest in this premium parking spot. I find myself regularly being asked by fishermen about the websites we look at to predict the swell coming in, or the weather tendancies. The department of fisheries are all asking me about what's going on with the beach. I also noticed that similar weather patterns bring swell and seafood. Hmmm... Really nice to feel connected to the land and seas and to share this with the authorities and others that share our area in a respectful fashion. Hope they see the sign before giving me a ticket for parking here.

This was extremely fun

Nice sign, although not really indicative of the waves on Haida Gwaii right now. Waves have been flatter than hammered shit. This snapshot was from 3 weeks ago in Tofino. Some great waves that day and got to surf with the pros for a sesh which was a great learning experience for me. These guys are just on another level with the quick snaps, and amazing arials. None the less, had some fun of my own on a new 6'1 Al Merrick which turned out to be a great purchase. Turned out to be a little too little of a board one of the days that was clearly marked as extreme as I popped my leash on my very first ride/wipeout, after too many duck dives to count and discovered quickly why I was the only one outside at cox bay. Thinking of the poor sap that got swept out by the current last fall in 10ft+, I really didn't want to be 'that guy'. I had just finished reading Pete Devries article on know before you go and how to operate within your level and knowledge of the area. That being said, after a short and scary assesment of the situation, I ended up swimming back to shore and all was well, only a few 100 feet down from where I started. It does really pay to know the areas, the tide, currents, etc, etc, etc.... so lesson be learned, be EXTREME, within your own level, and why the fuck don't they have leashes with more velcro!!! Gotta talk to FCS....

Nothing a shave and a haircut couldn't fix

Yup, same guy. Had my first Turkish shave in the big shitty last month. Full on with the straight razer and everything. Couldn't get close enough! I swear I didn't have to shave for a month after that. Well, I probably could have, but I didnt'. Well, lots of things have happened in the last month since the last post. What can I say, did tofino, and brought my lovely lady back up to Haida Gwaii for the summer. Still doing what I do best which is being happy, so I gotta say life is good. Surf has been pretty shotty as we all know it does this time of the year. Been finding myself looking at new spots and chasing wind swell which has turned out to be a great worthwhile venture. Getting to really know the weather patterns and using it to my advantage in an otherwise surf-less time. Hope the summer sun brings a few more degrees to the thermometer so I can take advantage of this new doo.