Lost Boys & Co.

Lost Boys & Co... W hen we were kids and rode to the beach we would have a contest to see who could spot the ocean first.  Pretty sure a couple of times we almost caused our dad to swerve off the rode and on several occasions he offered to drown us when we got to the beach.  That being said, coming over the hill from SLO to Pismo there's this rise that you come over on the way to the beach.  Perfect spot for the sharp eyed youngster to see the ocean first.  This time it was a tie! M eanwhile, it started out being clear this morning and as the wind shifted it brought in some light fog.  Also dropped a few degrees, making it less than shorts weather.  So it began with 10 miles visibility and not much wind and calm seas.  The air temperature was 54.3º and the water is back to 57.2º.  It was in the low 50's in Morro Bay, not that it would make you feel better.  One tide for the next four days and this morning it was -0.1' at 8:38am.  It's a west swell out of 265º at 3.

Lost Boys & Co... T hose Hermosa Rams🐏 🐏 🐏 are at it again!  Yep, they finished building their micro field and they're getting ready to unleash their flock 🐏 on the beach.  They were saying 🐏 that this is the first football field on the beach, completely ignoring the fact that untold numbers of locals have been playing football on the beach for decades without the luxury of turf 🐏 , yard-lines and goalposts.  In fact if they were truly THE beach team 🐏 they'd be playing on the sand and not on some fancy artificial turf.  Yeah, like that... M eanwhile, the wind is up onshore 🐏 at 6 to 10kts and the sea surface is roughed up.  The air temp was 56.0º and the water is 58.1º.  High tide is at 11:16am +3.5' and low tide follows at 3:58pm +1.9'.  It's a SSW swell out of 202º at 3.6' and it's a blown 🐏 down 2' t 3' in the surfline...  Better luck mañana... ✠ 🐏 "When the surf breaks , we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... D on't know quite what to say this morning.  Looked like it was going to be a possibility, then slowly deteriorated before our eyes.  10miles visibility under clear skies.  Winds were out of the WSW at 4 to 6kts.  The sea surface was heavily textured.  The air temperature was 55.5º and the water is 57.9º, but everyone is predicting a rise in the temps.  High tide is at 10:34am +3.8' and low tide will be at 3:38pm +1.6'.  There's a 3.3' SSW swell out of 198º.  It's 2' to 3' in the surfline and it was looking promising until the tide pushed it put of the way. I n #1 we have a heavily colorized shot of the surf this morning in an attempt to make it look surfable.   T he sole response we got to name the Hermosa football was "Los Borrachos," which really resonates on several levels being both Hispanic in origin and characterizes the evening culture of Hermosa.  Also it offers great opportunities for classic logos.  A football w

Lost Boys & Co... Y ou know how when you're a finalist and they're calling the names of the finishers and you're not sixth and then not fifth and then not fourth.  So you know you're in the top three and then they announce number three and it's not you, so dammit it's between you and that other person for first.  Then they announce the other name for second and you know you WON!  Nope, we've never been there, but Millie and Christian have and here (#1) they are with their first place trophies!  Contest was at Church's and they both aced their lead-up heats and won the gold.  M eanwhile it was raining this morning.  Yes, rain.  3 miles visibility under cloudy skies.  Winds were on shore 8 to 10kts and the sea surface is challenged.  The air was 58.7º and the water is 59.0º.  High tide is at 9:56am +4.0' and low tide will be at 3:17pm +1.3'.  It's a full moon SSW swell out of 193º at 3.3' and the wind is blowing down three footers to a

Lost Boys & Co... W e were walking up the Strand toward the pier when these gigantic bubbles started floating our way.  We kept walking until we came to this gent creating these monstrous globules of transparent fluid.  We admired them for a minute and then continued to our perch on the pier.  Soon we saw more bubbles emanating from farther down the pier and heading south along the wind.  Sometimes when they would hit the water they wouldn't pop immediately and scud along the surface.  The guy looked like he was having a grand old time! L ater, one of our resident biologists, Anupa lead us in spotting a number of California Corbina or Menticirrhus undulatus in the surfline. There were quite a few and now she's got us all interested in snagging a couple for sport.  Yes, and letting them go afterwards... O vercast this morning with a bit of drizzle.  5 miles visibility.  No wind and smooth sea surface.  The air temperature was 56.6º and the water is 58.3º.  Even the swim lad

Lost Boys & Co... T his (#1) is what can happen if you don't properly moisturize!  The two feet on the left have suffered the rigors of lack of moisturization.  YES!  There are numerous products available that can keep your footsies supple and looking young.  Of course the best way to make your feet look young is to be 27 years old as opposed to the 70+ years old feet on the left...  Bottom line, you don't have a chance... S o the tide was dropping, there was a peak at Annaland and it looked like it was getting more consistent.  But...  There was five miles visibility under thinly overcast skies.  Winds were light offshore at 1 to 3kts and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temp was 57.8º and the water is 58.3º.  The valella haven't let us down.  High tide was at 6:46am +4.3' and low tide follows at 1:27pm +0.2'.  It's a SSW swell out of 200º at 3.6' and it was 3' when it decided to break, which was good at first and then disappeared... A ll Star

Lost Boys & Co... H ere (#1) we have Daisy Mae working on her five toes over the nose move.  She will be on the 2036 Redondo team and be the star goofy-foot longboarder.  It's a long way to the nose when you're not quite two feet tall... F og rolled in early this morning with some light onshore wind.  The air was a damp 51.4º and the water is 57.4º.  High tide was at 5:48am +4.2' and low tide will be at 12":53pm +0.1'.  There's a lot of south in this swell out of 200º SSW at 3.9'.  With the tide it formed up to about 3' breaking on those new outside sandbars.  If you got stuck in the middle you sat there contemplating your navel... G otta hand it to the Costa team this morning as they beat Redondo 83 to 64.  Redondo did manage to snag a couple of firsts with Tyler Anderson early in the contest and Shane Murphy in Men's Longboard.  Dylan Morrisroe was the sole 2nd place recipient and there were five thirds:  Jackson Owens, Keani Honda-Snow, Bridg

Lost Boys & Co... Lost photo... "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... O k, we're going to take some credit for this morning's news.  They're replacing the plastic railing shit on the pier with real wood!  Take a look (#1)!!  You might recall our impassioned letter to the city about what a mistake that Trex™ composite was for the railing on the pier.  It almost immediately started to warp and come apart at the brackets.   Nice to see some response from the city... H azy sun this morning starting out at 50.9º and warming pretty quickly.  The water is mired in the mid 50' at 56.5º, but there's a glimmer of hope!  We noted some "By-the-Wind Sailors" or Valella Valella as we paddled through some muck.  They typically portend warmer waters, so we're hoping they're not just pulling our collective chains.  Basically one tide today at 12:08pm +0.1'.  It's a west swell out of 278º at 3.9' and it was a slogging go at 3' to 4'.  Hoping there are some good waves for the contest tomorrow!

Lost Boys & Co... I s it really colder or is it just us?  According to NOAA, 2023 was the warmest year since they've been keeping records (since 1880.)  The ocean temps rose 2.12º above the 20th Century average of 57.0º.  That doesn't seem like a hell of a whole lot until you realize how big the oceans are and how much additional heat it must take to make them rise by that much.  But somehow that rise in temperature doesn't have seemed to impact the South Bay in ways we've noticed.  In fact, in discussions with our peers on the pier, they've suggested that this was the coldest winter/spring we've had in a while.   Oddly enough the water temp this morning (Sunday) is 57.0º, the former world average.  Two years ago, 2022, on this date it was 61.0º.  Last year 2023, it was 57.2º.  Temps in April bounced around the high 50's in both years, suggesting that our memories tend to warm things up a bit.  And actually that 61.0º was pretty much an anomaly as the te

Lost Boys & Co... #1)   Here we have a "Crayfish Castle."  The crayfish build these mounds out of the mud in which they live and live in the bottom of these towers.  We had no idea.  We thought they lived in rocks, along the bottom of creeks and in places where they could feast on your toes if you got too close.  Everything we knew was wrong.  What we did know was that this was a bad year for crayfish.  For whatever reason, the catch was at an all time low.  The prices have risen and many restaurants are taking them off the menu for the time being.  The fact that Jetski and Clarke eat several pounds a year couldn't possibly have any impact... O vercast this morning in the South Bay with 5 miles visibility.  Winds were out of the west by 1 to 2 kts and the surface was lightly textured.  The air was 55.2º and the water is an uninspiring 56.8º.  Low tide is at 8:17am -0.2' and high tide will follow at 3:57pm +2.9'.  There's a SW swell out of 226º at 2.3'

Lost Boys & Co... H ere we are (#1) in Gruene, Texas.  That's pronounced "Green" as in the color pardner.  More specifically we're in the Dance Hall that's been in operation since something like 1878.  On the wall of the saloon are pics of the acts who have played there and there's not a country or western band or solo artist that hasn't been on that stage.  The stage is all set up for chicken wire.  If they don't like you, they throw bottles - if they do like you, they throw bottles.  Honestly, one of the highlights of our Texas trip.  T exas towns sport their own peculiar pronunciations.  Gruene is green, Boerne is Bernie and Blanco is blank-o.  Folks there can tell immediately when you're from out of town.  Especially in a place like Gruene that has 3,000 full-time residents... D ense fog this morning with about a hundred yards at best.  Winds were light offshore and we're betting the sea surface was smooth.  The air was 54.3º and the wa

Lost Boys & Co... So here is the intrepid group (#1) getting a bead on the eclipse.  Everyone heeded the instructions and had donned their protective eyewear.  However it appears that Boomfwappa was ogling an entirely different arial phenomenon.  At least in a different quadrant of the sky.  In this part of Texas the totality lasted for a little longer than three minutes and it got really dark.  The birds stopped singing, it got cooler and visibility was down to maybe a tenth of a mile.  When the sun came back out the roosters started to crow and it was like we had to start a new day!  We were the guests of Leslie Hooks on her ranch near Blanco, Texas.  Horses and rolling hills in this part of Texas. Okay the next eclipse will touch the corner of Portugal!  Whaddya say we dance in the dark in northern Portugal! Surf in the South Bay is small.  Winds are off by 4 to 6th and the sea surface is smooth.  Swell is out of the west (264 deg) at 2.3' and it's 1' to 2'.  The

Lost Boys & Co... Starting to organize for the eclipse.  Back from the beach and back in Pearland, Texas.  We're in a state of constant amazement here in Texas.  Didn't even think "beach" was a thing in Texas.  But here (#1) it is, AND you can drive on it.  A lot of vacation rentals and it looks a lot like the Outer Banks in North Carolina.   A lot of fishing going on as well and one of the big catches is "red fish" and also red snapper (huachinango to you Doc.).  A front had passed through the day before, the wind changed and suddenly it was glassy and half the size it had been before.  Surfing here is all about the weather moving through, the tides and always the wind.  Surfers here are on constant alert because conditions can change in a matter of hours.  It's funny, because on a beach where there is no one, suddenly the wind changes and there are twenty people.  Even though (to our inexperienced eye) there are peaks up and down the beach, they al

Lost Boys & Co... Well, here we are in Freeport Texas in what looks to be a fabulous sunny day.  Texas is a bit chillier than we imagined, almost like the South Bay at this time of year.   #1) is the break at Freeport and as you can see it stacks up for quite a ways out to sea.  Sapphire is a ten paddle, paddle out.  Hermosa can be a 25.  Freeport isn't measured in paddles, but in the time it takes you to get out.  A ten or fifteen minute struggle would not be unusual.  Lots of sandbars, sideshore winds and mysto currents.  Fun none the less and we're having a great time with the Larkins as we explore the coast. More as we head to the hill country! "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... Out on the Gulf of Mexico riding some interesting three footers in Freeport.  So here we are with the Maharishi after riding the outside at the "Octagon" jetty.  South wind is blowing at 10kts and it's bit textured, but it was fun and a great workout! More as we explore the area! Hope you all had a Happy Easter! "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... Taking a moment to wish you all a Happy Easter!  Nothing like finding an undiscovered egg sometime in June.  We're traveling through Texas down to South Padre Island, but first we're going to divert for a bit of birthday celebration for Bruddah Tim Larkin.   Hoping to do a remote report throughout the trip! "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... With the rain it looks like a good day to stay inside and rearrange the sock drawer.  But our thoughts drifted to sunny Mexico and we thought we'd share this happy hour gathering (#1) on the shores of the Lago Zapotilito.  A lot going on here, but you can see who's holding all of the cards.  This was one of the few afternoons when there wasn't a rollicking game of Mexican Train on the boards.  You know what they call Mexican Train in Mexico!   ...Train.  Then there were the "Special" Margaritas, whose special ingredient shall remain a secret.  Finally, Capitan Donaldo's margarita was in a glass and his beer was in a coozy.  Air 82º, water 82º, margaritas 35º... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... H ere we go again, it's alright.  On the tarmac at LAX (#1) waiting for our gate to open up.  The areas between the runways are covered with California poppies!  It's an amazing sight.  Coming in it looks like they've painted the inter-runway spaces gold.  And yes, we're taking off on Saturday for the wild west.  Texas that is.  So we have to go east to get to the wild west - sorta.  The stated objectives include, hanging out with the Maharishi Larkin, surfing on South Padre Island and viewing the total eclipse of the sunny in the Tejas Hill Country.  We are prepared with our modified welders goggles, shorty wetsuit and meditation robes to center ourselves. Y ou know it was one of those mornings that if there hadn't been a contest almost no one would have gone out.  It was a chilly 54.0º and the water was 54.9º.  Winds were onshore from the start of the morning, starting at 4 to 7kts and forecast to ramp up during the day.  Low tide was at 5:48

Lost Boys & Co... W hen's the last time Roger Federer asked to sign YOUR shoes?  Here's (#1) Jetski allowing Rog, to sign his treads.  Turns out that Oliver Peoples sponsored a line of glasses that features Roger Federer.  Jetski, of course being the number-one salesperson in the known galaxy was invited to listen to Rog (we call him "Rog" now) describe the salient attributes of his specs.  Oh yeah, those were Roger Federer shoes as well.  When you got a brand you ride the hell out of it... S urf dropped a bit and there was 10 miles visibility under a hazy sun.  Winds were light offshore and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temperature was 47.7º and the water was 54.9º.  Low tide was at 5:09am +0.2' and high tide was at 11:11am +3.9'.  It's a west swell out of 269º at 3.3' and it was 3' to 4' and there were some long-ish rolling lefts.. . C ontest tomorrow at Hermosa Pier.  Where the Seahawks will be surfing against the Eagles of El Seg

Lost Boys & Co... I t was with some trepidation that we learned that the Surf & Culture Report could be being beamed to galaxies far beyond our own.  Honestly we had a much smaller readership in mind.  But you know how that goes, suddenly you're faced with addressing a larger audience and you just go for it.  There are a lot of planets out there that have water and we're ready to check'em out and share some waves.  M eanwhile, here on planet Earth, we have 10 miles visibility under hazy sun and partly cloudy conditions.  Wind were offshore by 2 to 3kts and the sea surface was smooth.  The air temperature was 49.4º and the water at the buoy is 55.2º.  It didn't feel like 55.2º in the surf zone, but hey, that's what the buoy said.  High tide at 10:36am +4.3' and low tide will be at 4:23pm +0.8'.  It's a WSW swell we're having out of 252º at 3.9' and it was 3' to 5' and we elected to surf the Mysto-Ruby shorebreak.  Things were going

Lost Boys & Co... T he sun is shining brightly as the "Brother's Burritos Ski & Hockey Team" hits the slopes.  Awaiting his turn on the Giant Slalom course the Professor (#1) assesses the mountain before him.  A great day of Spring skiing, The Professor, LoLa, Bruddahs Miloe and Mason, Anaconda Burke and Julia attacked Brundage Mountain with characteristic enthusiasm.  The weather ended up being downright warm and soon jackets and gloves were cast aside and the team began working on their tans... W inds during the weekend finally subsided, but left us with some morning sick conditions.  Although winds were light the bumps continued.  The air was a chilly 47.3º, but the real shocker was the water temperature out at the buoy which registered a record low of 54.7º for the day.  All that wind created a nasty upwelling that brought all that cold bottom water to the surface.  High tide was at 10:03am +4.7' and low tide will be at 4:05pm +0.5'.  It's a west s

Lost Boys & Co... We don't know what kind of delegate he wants to be, but Dudenhefer (#1) has our support.  Hey, his bumper sticker is red, white and blue AND he's got DUDE in his name.  Then again he's also got HEFER in his name so he must have the Holstein vote.  100,000 Holsteins couldn't be wrong!  There are probably more Holsteins in Idaho than Democrats!   You could want the surf to be better.  Slightly windy offshore this morning and the sea surface was smooth.  The water temp is 58.3, not designed to make us incredibly happy.  High tide was at 8:32am +4.9' and low tide follows at 3:10pm -0.2'.  It's a WSW swell out of 251 degrees at 2.3'.  The surf is likewise2' to 3' and supposed to get more consistent throughout the day. Back in California manana!  Surf check on Sunday.  See you there for the weekend re-cap. "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... O ut here in the great wilderness we spent most of a week with Brother Miloe and Billie Bob Mason skidding down the various slopes of Brundage Mountain near McCall, Idaho.  Conditions varied, but for the most part it was spring skiing and the last couple of days were downright hot!  Temps were in the 50's and when you're skiing that tends to warm things up a bit.  We were down to bare knuckles and T-shirts under our nylon shells.  No crowds! (#1) A good time was had by all until Julia got stuck in some gooey snow and pulled a hip bone.  Nothing serious, but they wrapped her burrito style and the Ski Patrol slid her down the mountain where she began to come around fairly quickly...  This is what happens when you go slow! W e have no idea what's going on with the buoys!  The 46221 Buoy had the water temp this morning at 56.8° which is the coldest we've recorded this year!  Brrr!  High tide was at 7:23am +4.7' and low tide is at 2:24pm -0.4'.

Lost Boys & Co... O kay, we've spent enough time in Mexico and it's time to catch the boat home (#1). Until next time we'll say "Adios" until we come back again. L ooking bumpy this morning from last night's winds.  10 miles visibility and some clouds scooting around.  Not that windy this morning with a light breeze out of the east at 2 to 5kts.  The air temperature was a chilly 49.0º and the water is stuck at 59.0º.  High tide is at 10:36am +5.6' and low tide will be at 4:50pm -0.4'.  It's a building WSW swell out of 238º at 4.3' and it's about 4' but not very organized. S upposed to be better mañana and we'll take a look and see just how much better we can make it... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!

Lost Boys & Co... N o, it wasn't merely surfing and eating and sleeping in perfect hammocks.  Of course not! There was a lot of hard drinking and carousing.  Here (#1) we see the Professor behind the bar at "Rigoberto's Garden of Eden."  They were here for breakfast, but at breakfast they serve everyone one-at-a-time.  Breakfast is a marathon here and not a sprint.  This morning took TWO HOURS until everyone was served.  We ate in rounds.  So by the time Doc and the Professor got served it was noon.  Doc had developed quite a thirst and the Professor found the keys to the bar.  If you've never had a piña colada with your huevos rancheros, you don't know what you're missing... L ots of visibility this morning with clouds out there on the horizontal.  Winds are onshore, blustery at 7 to 15kts.  The sea surface is appropriately choppy.  The air was 55.0º and the water is 59.7º.  High tide was at 6:29am +6.0' and low tide follows at 1:38pm -1.3' fo

Lost Boys & Co... H ere (#1) we have the Professor and Millie about to split this little peak.  Millie was the youngest surfer we had and the Professor was on the other end of the age spectrum.  Millie rode this wave as good as you can imagine with excellent footwork and great wave selection.  She was also fun to travel with and had a great attitude about everything... M eanwhile here in LaLa Land we're gearing up for a little afternoon sprinklation.  It was a partly cloudy morning with 10miles visibility.  Winds were off by 5 to 8kts and the sea surface was smooth.  Air temperature was 50.0º and the water is 59.7º.  High tide was at 5:34am +5.5' and low tide will be at 1:02pm -0.1'.  It's still a SSW swell out of 212º at 2.6' and we'll be generous and say it was 2' to 3'.  Steve-O and the Professor had a good time anyway... ✠ "When the surf breaks, we'll fix it" The Professor!!