Faith Integration

Many times in the Bible Jesus would go out to secluded places in nature to pray and going out in nature is what surfing is all about. I find myself bonding with God's creation whenever I go out and surf or go camp and surf. I feel like I become one with nature and it is one of the coolest experiences. I believe God created man to be with nature and that is why Jesus enjoyed it so much. I find it very refreshing to spend time away from distractions and let all my worries go. If you think about it, when you are paddling into a wave there is nothing going through your mind other than how you are going to ride this wave. I don't think I have ever had another thought aside from surfing when I have been on a wave. Surfing is just another way for me to enjoy life and God's creation while forming long lasting friendships. There is no one like your surfing buddies!

95/100

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."


C.S Lewis “Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?”

Fitness For Surfing

Any weekend warrior can go out and surf 5-6 ft waves in California but when the waves reach the size of consequence 10ft+ surfing isn't for everyone. The importance of breath holding can become life or death. That is why it is important to practice breath holding exercises and underwater training. Pete Dougherty and I have been doing underwater training by taking 30-40lb rocks and walking underwater in the pool with them. This is known as hypoxic training because you are teaching your body how to work at peak performance with lower oxygen levels. By doing these types of exercises it gives you more confidence when the waves are big because you know you can survive and stay calm during a big wipe out. I plan on training really hard this summer for my time in Fiji and Australia because I know the waves are going to be HEAVY!!!!

94/100

Arctic Foam

After visiting Mark Wisdoms I headed down the street to a place called Arctic Foam. They are a main supplier of surfboard blanks to the local shaper. I went over there to buy a blank because I am going to be shaping my own board shortly. When I went in they had a huge selection of blanks and it was pretty hard to make a decision but someone was helping me the whole time. Since I am shaping my first board I figured I might as well buy a blank with a slight defect in it for 30% off. Any defect can either be shaped out of filled with light weight spackle so it didn't matter to much to me. I am very excited to shape my own board and ride a board I made with my hands.

93/100

Wisdom Surf Shop

Every time I head over to Mark Wisdom's I learn so much about surfing and he is always showing me what he is working on. He shapes boards all day every day and makes some of the best boards around so it is great to learn from him. There is something to be said in understanding how surfboards are made and how they work. The average person generally has no idea how on earth a surfboard is made and I would say a lot of surfers don't know in detail how they are made. Some day I would like to watch him make boards for a whole day. By doing that I will gain an even deeper understanding and appreciation of surfboards. It's also cool how he explains all the dynamics of the board and how they are tailored to each individual.

92/100

Surfing Rivieria

Yesterday I surfed Riviera with 5 of my friends and it was awesome....not necessarily the waves but the people sure are!

Bus Driver 91/100

Who is J.O.B

Who is J.O.B is a web series shot by red bull and takes us through the life of Jamie O'Brien. The life of the pro surfer looks like way too much fun. I could not imagine living on the north shore surfing perfect waves every day. By being right next to the ocean and especially with good waves helps improve your surfing so much. These web series just get me super stoked on surfing and trying to progress. When you're watching guys surf at the top of their game it makes me want to get to the top of my potential...which still isn't even close to theirs but it's still fun. I watched all 7 episodes.

90/100

http://youtu.be/UNa1cJEApWU

Skateboarding

The skatepark down in Duarte is a hidden gem. I never knew about it until recently and it is super fun. I feel like it is a great way to keep your surfing skills sharp when its flat. Bowl riding definitely transfers over a little bit to surfing. It makes you rotate your head and shoulders around which is exactly what you need to do in surfing to do big turns.

89/100