Lost Boys & Co.

Lost Boys & Co... O ur new friends with the International Surf Therapy Organization made the cover of the Easy Reader this week (#1)!  There's a good write-up on the organization and some of the difficulties the original organizers had to go through to establish their therapy groups.  Needless to say we're glad they persisted!  C lear skies this morning and 15 miles visibility.  Winds were strong offshore by 7.5kts and the sea surface was smooth, but the wind chill was bracing.  The posted air temperature was 48 (without the wind factor) and the water was 63.9.  High tide was at 7:37am +6.8' and low tide was at 3:13pm -1.1'.  There's a WSW swell out of 260º at 2.6', but they must've forgotten to tell Hermosa, because it was 3' to 5' with some pretty fat outsiders...  Swell is supposed to build during the week and an unstable air-mass is headed our way T ucker O'Shia behind the curtain (#2) in what looks like a corner at Topaz.  He manages to

Lost Boys & Co... W ater, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink...  You'd think that after all we know about water management, most of the fresh water on the planet would be safe to drink.  Nay, nay...  At Hume Lake (#1) you probably wouldn't want to drink the water, considering all of the water activities there.  A pretty little lake, but certainly not potable... G reat expectations after yesterday afternoon's brilliant conditions, including waves, offshore winds and clear skies.  We weren't disappointed for the most part.  Most spots had partly cloudy skies and 10 miles visibility.  Winds remained offshore and the sea surface was smooth.  The air seemed a bit chilly at 51.9 and the water was 63.7.  High tide was at 5:20am +5.0' and low tide followed at 11:16am +1.8'.  There's a west swell out of 265º at 5.6' and it was a consistent 4' to 7' at both secret and popular spots... G iardia, is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan paras

Lost Boys & Co... E very once-in-a-while something comes along that just throws your life sideways.  It can be a big thing or it can be a seemingly inconsequential book that someone you always thought had your best interests at heart, like Keeks Lagatree, sends your way...  "Talk Like A Pirate" (#1) is one of those tings, ahh, things...  It's been a ner a week, yar, since we been r'edin' this here tome, and we're still yarkin' like a pi-rate... A t checkout we're having 5 miles visibility under cloudy/rainy skies.  Winds were howlin' onshore at 17 to 24kts and the sea surface was wild and boisterous.  The air temperature was 61.0 and the water is 64.6.  Low tide be dredging the bilge at 10:11am +2.6' and high tide will be floating through the scuppers at 3:36pm +4.6'.  There's bein' a west swell out of 270º at 8.5'.  From the crow's nest we could see it breakin' 8 to 10 feet and it would shiver your timbers... O ur p

Lost Boys & Co... D uring the construction of Mt. Voorhees (the name given to the berm in front of the Lifeguard Headquarters, after the Captain who commissioned the initial emplacement,) this pond (#1) appeared at the base of the berm.  The high tide had filled in the low area in front of the dune and it was low enough that the water couldn't drain away.  This posed a problem, since the earth moving equipment couldn't fill it from the north or south (and obviously, from the west, where there was a lot more water) because of the tide.  They ended up pushing the top of the berm down to fill in the pond and building it back up from the east...  An engineering marvel it will insure that we will not have a swell of any size until it is removed... 10 miles visibility this morning as the clouds start to roll in.  Winds were off for the morning session, but have turned from the west and are predicted to blow to 20 to 25mph by mid-day tomorrow.  The air temperature was 58.5 and th

Lost Boys & Co... I n the South Bay we are famous for taking summer one day at a time.  So if summer happens to be on November 16th or the 17th or even on the 18th, then so be it...  So just for the record photo #1 was on Saturday at Rat Beach as the sun shined through this little two-footer... H azy sun this morning and a rapidly warming day, starting out at 61 and going to over 80 in the middle of the day.  The water is holding at 64.8 and the sea surface was smooth.  Low tide was at 6:26am +3.3' and high tide was at 12:31pm +5.0'.  We had a WSW swell out of 205º at 3.3' and as the weather begins to change the swell direction is changing to a more westerly direction.  What we really need is a kick-ass storm to dredge a few holes in the ruler edge sand bar (note photo #3).  Hard to imagine we're going to get enough rain, but we're hearing that it came down pretty hard down south in Mexico...  You know this used to be Mexico... W hile the water is down in the mi

Lost Boys & Co... #1.  What WOULDN'T Boris do?... H azy sun this morning and 10 miles visibility.  Winds were calm and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temp was 55.5 and the water is 64.6.  High tide was at 9:48am +6.0' and low tide follows at 5:17pm -0.2'.  There's a building SSW swell out of 221º at 2.6' and it was about 3', breaking pretty close to shore, but leaving enough room for a drop and almost a turn... #2.   Just before he fired up the govern-mint green truck, we yelled, "No Tarzan you can't go to the liquor store like that.  We don't care how cold it is..."   O ur own Jah Morgan (#3) slipping down a warm little knee slapper in Saladitas.  It's our own fault, we could'a gone, but you know how that goes...  (photo credit: Brendan Simmons for "Seize the Wave.) M s. Jesse Brown (#4), with her patented "Seaweed Catching Hair®"  Zoom in close and it's about 25% seaweed.  The warm water has been causing

Lost Boys & Co... " L ook, one more Kewpie and you're out of the bed!"  (#1 on the occasion of trying to put a sleep resistant great-granddaughter to bed)  (photo credit: Rebecca Burke and the Texas Tornadoes) T he members of the ISTO (International Surf Therapy Organization) literally and figuratively put their heads together for this pic (#2).  If you look closely you can find Ben, Marieke and Demi...  We're thinking that this might be something Marco and Zoé would find more than interesting!  A s we flew in this morning it looked like your typical Southern California fall morning, with 10 miles visibility under hazy skies.  Light winds and smooth seas with the air at 61.7 and the water at 64.8.  High tide is at 9:14am +6.1' and low tide follows at 4:28pm -0.3' for some sea glass re-con. We have a WSW swell out of 253º at 3.0' and you could find some even bigger ones the farther you slinked north... S o life isn't fair.  That's just the way i

Lost Boys & Co... W e had the distinct honor and pleasure to meet and surf with Ben Brondsema this morning!  Ben is the founder of "Surfivor" , a Dutch foundation dedicated to helping those with PTSD...  Take a minute and read their mission statement below... Living without fear and with a purpose is our mission Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is a disease that has a huge impact on the lives of the person suffering from it, but also on that of the family, relatives and friends. Social isolation, depression, panic attacks, re-experiences, aggression and even (attempts at) suicide. PTSD is a common problem among veterans and police, fire and ambulance personnel. The Surfivor Foundation programs help these men and women to come out of this negative spiral. To get meaning in life again, to face challenges and to go for it. We do this through surf therapy, also known as ocean therapy. Our ingredients: a surfboard, some good waves, fresh air, professional and en

Lost Boys & Co... N ot to be confused with James McNeil Whistler and his mother, this is a study in black and white (#1).  Actually, we thought it was an excellent vehicle to demonstrate the flukiness of the wind this morning.  Under an overcast sky winds were mainly calm, but quickly turned late in the morning.  The air temperature was 53.5 and the water is 64.9.  High tide was at 6:07am +4.7' and low tide will be at 11:58am +2.3'.  Tides are starting to move a bit with greater swings as we approach the full moon on the 12th.  We have a west swell out of 260º at 2.6' and it was about that throughout the morning... H ere (#2) we have our international contingent in the corner table at Brother's.  From L. to R. we have Demi, Marieke and Jade.  Demi and Marieke are from Holland and are here to take part in an international conference on surf therapy.  Marieke joined us in the water this morning and she picked off some nice little lefts.  The Professor had just whistle

Lost Boys & Co... L ooked a lot like this (#1) this morning.  Mr. Christian and the Professor caught a few close ones to make good on their "Sliff Surf Challenge."  A ctually the wind was turning a bit at 7:30am and it was onshore by about 2kts with a slight wind ripple.  10 miles visibility and that hazy fall air.  The3 air temperature was 52 and the water is 64.9.  High tide was at 5:41am +4.4' and we have an a.m. low tide at 10:02 +3.2'.  We have a WSW swell out of 254º at 2' and there were some fun little grovelers to make things interesting... S toady and Albert (#2) have a discussion about relativity...  Turns out Mr. Stoady is Albert's nephew... " B oys At The Buoy" (#3) a study in blue and gray by Doc Scale.  So how many times have we paddled around that buoy?  Did you know that there's a thermometer attached to it?  Well, there is!  It was 67º and Tarzan and the Professor wondered how deep the water is at that point, since they imagi

Lost Boys & Co... T he ambient temps were in the low 50's this morning and there was just enough humidity in the low spots to create some great ground fog (#1).  Even the seagulls were grounded.  Too bad we wasted it on this morning, it would've made for some spooky Halloween atmosphere... W inds were calm and the sea surface was smooth to glassy for our paddle out to the buoy.  We discovered that someone put a thermometer on the marker and it registered 67.5.  It sits at about a foot and a half below the water line, so it's the ambient surface temperature.  The temperature at the Santa Monica Buoy #46221 was 65.3, but it's in the middle of the bay.  High tide was at 5:04am +4.1' and low tide was at 10:02am +3.3' for a minimal tide swing.  There's a SW swell out of 232º at 1.3' and it's almost that big, but not quite surfable in the traditional sense.  We're considering changing our sign-off line to:  "When the Surf Breaks, We Can't

Lost Boys & Co... I n a hurry to get to the Halloween party at Laurel Tavern last evening, the Professor FaceTimed® LoLa to tell her that the throttle on his electric velocipede was stuck and he was flying through Hermosa on his way to points north.  She caught this screen grab (#1) in the middle of his attempts to deploy his parachute... S till kinda smokey out there, so the sun is hazy and we have about 10 miles visibility.  Winds are fluky out of the NE by 9kts and the sea surface has a bit of ripple to it.  The air temp was a chilly 47.8 and the water is 64.8.  Low tide was at 5:54am +2.8' and high tide follows at 12:13pm +5.5'.  We have a SW swell out of 232º at 2.0' and it's, for all intents and purposes, flat... H ere (#2) we have Dairy Larry and Jetski toasting the evening at North End where Jetski volunteered to tend bar for the evening...  No, no, no...  Actually, Jetski's costume was a bartender from North End.  It was so clever, that about a third of