North Side Iquique, Chile

The Rogers family moved to Leucaida in 1996, the same year I did. Leucadia was still a sleepy town and there where at least 2 empty lots on Jupiter at the time! Even though we lived very close it took about 3 years for me to actually start hanging out with them. Bob Rogers and his two son's Jesse and Randy all surfed, and so, in classic Leucadia style we all met first in the water and then discovered that we had a lot in common on land as well.  

Jesse, who was an avid surfer/traveler started to take notice on surf trips that there were a lot of Americans around the world who taught English for a living, and most importantly,  in countries that had great surf. After returning from a trip a light went off.  Armed with his BA in Communication and fluent in Spanish he decided to research countries with great surf that he could teach English as well.

The top of his list was Chile.  Three years ago Jesse packed his boards and headed for Chile. Alone in a foreign land he quickly made friends and started his 3 year long adventure, which ultimately lead him to his lovely Chilean wife Carolina.

Above are some of the rewards for spreading the English language abroad. While in Chile, Jesse had some amazing days. The experience was great and has since returned with Carolina to seek US employment. If anyone out there knows of a job you can email him here. 

You will be seeing more of Jesse and his travels.  For some reason he is one of those lucky guys who out of the blue makes friends on trips with guys with cameras. 

The photos above are taken by Sergio Peña, the owner of the Vertical Surf Shop. The best shop in the area according to Jesse.  It was complete with a Sushi bar and half pipe!

The walk.

The one thing that David does really well and that I appreciate about his work is his ability to tell the story.  He does it over and over and I think that is what stands him out from the rest. Yes, we all like to see that snap or tube. But for David it isn't just about the action, it is more about showing the emotion and the situation that makes it interesting for him.  He instinctively looks for and tells the bigger story.  To me this shot sums up his ability to do just that. It shows the emotion of what we go through as surfers. The loss of a loved board and the feeling of defeat as we walk back to our cars.

Great Little Sequence

Here is a sequence from David. It looks like such a fun little wave. I dig the color as well. 

Click on the image to see the large view.

More Shots from David

Nice little A-Frame.

Nice off the Top.

I love the combo of La Jolla in the background, a nice fan and some good hand.

Nothing like taking a mid carve look at where you came from.

Nice form, good spray what else could you ask for?

Here are more shots left over from that last swell from David.  All shots where taken at Black's 1/19/2009. If you were out that day, good chance that David has shots of you. 

Mystery Spot

Here are some shots sent in from Justin Rhodes who works for a water testing company. While on the job at an undisclosed location he discovered a right hand barrel and a local eating his lunch.  The spot, which I can only mention is one of our neighboring islands is unsurfed 365 days a year. Justin shot these without a board in site while waiting for a storm to roll through. He was forced to sit by and watch as the perfect right hander peeled.

Personally I had never thought about what lies on the other side of our island chain. After seeing these it opened my mind to the posibilites. Surely there are more pictures out there that show what we are missing. If you have any please send them in.

One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fish, Lis Fish

Here is a quiver of fish from our friend Rick Scott. He is a local knee boarder and has been riding and collecting fish for many years. The board on the left is a 5'5" original Steve Lis. Rick just had her fixed up and it is ready to ride again.  Look for future posts of her in the water. Also we haven't seen it yet but a member of his family who lives in Oregon has an early period Skip Frye fish in his garage.  We are hoping to get confirmation. We'll keep you posted.

The Punk Rock Nightmare Fin by Chris “The Avocado Godfather” McOmber

Here is a fin by Chris McOmber titled "The Punk Rock Nightmare Fin". Chris is 38 and is still the biggest kid at heart. He surfs every day he can, and rides every wave like a skate park. Here is to you Chris, Avo's wouldn't be the same without you.

What I'm Watching- Again - Glass Love

In 2004 Chris Miller was the first guy I knew to buy Glass Love direct from Andrew Kidman's website. I'm not even sure how he knew about it but when he ordered it he got an email from Andrew's dad personally thanking Chris for supporting his son's work.  I remember thinking about how rare that was that his dad took the time to thank him. It was then that I realized what made the Australian filmmakers different, it was the willingness to come from the heart and connect with their audience. 

When we sat down to watch it for the first time we all sat in silence and obsorbed what was to be burned into our minds as an all time great surf film. One that set the standard for films we will seek and buy in the future.  

Since I wasn't the one who bought the film I hadn't watched it for 5 years.  Although it was burned into my mind, the Daize scene, Neal Purchase's back hand barrels, the Curren's green board and the fish scenes. It was all in my mind as I played it over and over again.

Two days ago, after 5 years, I finally got my own copy from www.thesurfnetwork.com.  As I waited for it to download I was almost nervous at whether or not it would be as good as when I remembered it. Would it live up to my memories? Would it let me down? 

As I hit play and sat back to watch I was again inspired like it was the first time I watched it. The images and the energy of the film flowed through me and I was again transported to a place of inspiration and enjoyment.

Believe it of not there are actually people today who I run into that have not seen this film. If you are one of them, buy it today and watch it. It is a part of surf film history that you need to be a part of.

Scenic Shots

David sent me over some shots that I thought were great. The last two I was actually on the phone with him while he shot them. With bluetooth in ear he stopped his car, got out and shot these off.  He was talking to me one minute and then the other he was talking to himself as he looked for the perfect frame.  

The first shot is actually taken by his daughter Jessica. He was so proud when he sent it over. Like father like daughter. He liked it because she takes a unique point of view from his.  She took his camera and got real low to get that angle. Great photo. I feel like I am hanging on the beach getting ready to go out on a summer day.

One of My Favorite Shots

Here is a shot David got posted on SurfLine. It is one of my favorites. It tells a great story.

The Whole Story

About 50,000 people saw the second shot on Surfline. What they didn't see was the sequence. David was cool enough to send it my way to share. Enjoy.

Nice Sequence Of Erik

These shots were sent in by Erik. I thought they were really cool. I love the second shot. I like how the first wave's spray hides Erik as he pumps down the line. The photo's were taken by Lauren, one of the coolest girlfriends I know. Erik is lucky to have a girl who not only surfs but can shoot as well.

DON'T FORGET! Support Our Local Artists

This Saturday, Jan 24 there is the opening to the LOWBROWart: Nine San Diego Pop Surrealists art show at the Oceanside Museum of Art. This show will feature art by Scott Saw,  Mary Fleener, Charles Glaubitz, Pamela Jaeger, Tim McCormick, Scrojo, Jason Sherry, Jen Trute, Ron Whorton. Opening is from 5-7 pm, $10. The show will be up Jan 24 - May 24. Info: oma-online.org

Fin a GoGo - Everything But The Kitsch In Synch... The allegory of a surfing clown

Here is a fin piece that will blow your mind. Miss Anne took this project to a whole other level with her Fin a GoGo creation. When she called to tell me her piece was done I had no idea what to expect. She said she had been working on it for a long time, it had a lot going on and that if I didn't get over there quickly she would just keep adding to it. When I walked through the door I was blown away.  This was by far the most amazing and time consuming Fin set to date.

This fin set in all it's glory is a snap shot into the mind of Miss Anne.  Every piece laid down is special to her and has meaning. I hung out for a while shooting it and taking it in with a big smile on my face. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that a rainy day drawing with my daughter would result in this and all the art that has come to us from around the world.

Thank you Miss Anne, and thank you everyone who has participated. I really appreciate the hard work.

Hope, Change... and The Leucadia Project

Here is some art David sent over. It cracked me up. Very clever. I see the Obama stickers everywhere and now we have our own. If you want o create you own go to www.obamiconme.pastemagazine.com