Jeff Gollong Rips

I love featuring locals who rip. They go down to the same spot day after day, big or small and kill it. Jeff is one of those guys. He was born and raised in Leucadia and you will find him out in our local waters every day. 

If you surf Grandview you know you've seen him. He's the one that you see from the stairs killing it on any day and he makes you want to paddle out.

This shot was taken a week ago by Dona Wettstien. She is another GV local and caught this one while shooting her 4 yr old catch some waves.  The only thing better then the local ripper is the local ripper shot by the local photographer. Do we have some talent around here or what? Enjoy.

Paul's New Kies 7'2" Geezer Whale

My friend Paul sent me this email.  I had to laugh at his photo with the broom. He fell in love with this board and has been catching A LOT of waves. Good for you Paul!

Ed, This is my new geezer board.Years ago I figured if I could not ride a high performance board I would hang up my wet suit. I have since determined that not being in the water is not an option. Old age, compounded by 25yrs. of baseball have taken a toll to the point where I could not affectively get to my feet on the boards of my preference.Hence the geezer-whale. It's 7'2" and allows me the extra 2 seconds needed to hobble to my feet. I suppose every surfer that lives long enough will endure a certain amount of frustration that phisical limitations bring,however I'm stoked with this move.This board rides well, however the turns require alot more muscle....................pauly t. a.s.l. por vida 

Knox at North Leucadia

Here are a couple of shots by David of Knox at north Leucadia yesterday.  Apparently as usually he was killing it. These are the B shots. The A's went off to Surfline so keep an eye out for them.

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 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.

More Shots from David

Here are a few that David sent over this morning from the last swell. As he combs through the thousand plus images he took over the weekend he finds these gems and passes them along. Just happy to stoke people out. 

David is a genuine guy. I can honestly say that he is down shooting pictures of his friends and people he has never met for the pure enjoyment of it. In every shot I see the passion and stoke he has for surfing. 

He has been surfing Leucadia for over 30 years now and gets the same stoke out of shooting waves as he does surfing. He often explains that getting these shots gives him the same feeling that he had when he was a kid, hanging on the beach, surfing all day. It is just a pure and fun experience.  

If you have ever been shot by David then you, like me, are stoked he enjoys it. His shots make your year and that makes David happy.  Stay happy David.  This site wouldn't be the same without your contribution. Thanks and keep on shooting!

 

Great Shots of Black's

Here are a bunch David took at Black's over the weekend. You might have noticed that he got a bunch of images on Surfline. If not, take a look.  There are a lot of great shots of San Diego.  

A Successful Weekend In Leucadia

Unknown enjoying the view.

Kirk dropping into a clean green wall.

Erik grabbing rail with composure while the rest of us sit and stare.

Perfect ending to a perfect day.

What started out as a disappointment to many who dusted off their rounded pin tails in anticipation for a huge swell ended up to be a very clean and fun swell with the most beautiful weather. The sunsets over the weekend were second to none and the waves, although they weren't huge like predicted, more than made up for it with clean and glassy conditions.  These shots give you a feeling of what it was like in the evening.  If you were out you know how good it was.

Photos courtesy of David Gray

Keeping The Fire Stoked

Here is a set to keep you going on a blown out day.  The first shot reminds me of Tom Carrol. That top turn is classic power surfing. Photos David Gray

Clean Little Left

Here is one of Joe in the pocket of a clean little left. It wasn't big that day, as you can see, but I'd take it on a day like today. 

Photo by Davis Gray

Safety Dude

Here are a few of Corey Messer a.k.a the Safety Dude.  Corey does safety training to support his surfing habit.  A side note, last winter he broke his neck surfing when his board hit him in the head. After that he decided that he would set a goal. Surf Bali in 6 months. With a lot of help from his friends and neighbors he did just that.  That is why I love this place.  We take care of each other. Photos courtesy of David Gray.