Surf Fridays!

Greetings from a lovely land. Waikiki in 1932.

A family member gave me this postcard that belonged to their great grandparents. There is not one day that goes by that I don't think of the Hawaiian islands. I imagine we'll take the baby there next summer. Until then...

Have a wonderful weekend, filled with Aloha.

Surf Fridays!

Happy Surf Fridays!

I think you'll recognize Fort Point pretty easily...The surfers under the Golden Gate Bridge were fantastic today. It was raining and we couldn't get enough of watching them.

It was a special day for me, as it was my birthday! I took the day off and my husband Jay and his sister Melissa and I ate lunch at Outerlands Cafe. Oh man, that place is one of my all time favorites. We stopped by Mollusk and the General Store and Trouble Coffee (try the Dirty Chai) before coming to this magical surf spot under the bridge.

Much love and happiness for you. Heading to Santa Cruz for a rainy and fun weekend... PLuv

Surf Fridays!

Ryan Burch stoked and sliding

Cyrus Sutton and his leading lady, Anastasia Van Windergen

Jay and I are happy to finally meet Ryan Tatar!
Photo taken by Joanie Celi

When I saw that Stoked and Broke was coming to San Francisco, of course I bought tickets right away. Jay and I had so much fun watching the movie, if you haven't seen it yet, it's the kind of surf movie that makes you smile the whole time. I love what Cyrus does, creatively. - and he's a fabulous surfer, too! Just an A+ guy in all that he does. Great film shorts shown ahead of the main attraction, too - including the now famous tarp surfing film.

Cyrus was a gracious host and showered the audience with t-shirts, and we were treated to music by Anastasia and then The Blank Tapes, both of whose music appears in the film. We ran into Thomas Campbell and got to meet Ryan Tatar for the first time. Nice to have you in Northern California, Ryan!

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We also recently saw Patrick Trefz's film, Idiosyncrasies, at the Pedro Point Firehouse in Pacifica. They were serving tamales and beer there, yum! While the crowd was noshing, they showed some footage from the 40s and 50s of surfing all along the California coast. That was super cool to see. They showed scenes of people surfing Linda Mar with no wetsuits. I don't think they stayed out as long in those days.

Bill Mulcoy somewhere in Mexico
shot by Patrick Trefz

Idiosyncrasies is a cool film. I liked learning more about Andrew Kidman but my favorite part of the movie was about Harbor Bill and his son Josh Mulcoy. Josh was there as a special guest, along with Patrick to answer questions once the movie ended. If you haven't seen the film and would like a better description, Rebecca Godson does a great job reviewing it.

Surf Fridays!

The interview I did with Cher Pendarvis is in print!

Kurungabaa is a fantastic magazine out of Australia. This is a beautiful issue which also features an interview with Derek Hynd, thought provoking prose, poetry and eye catching artwork. The magazine is doing a second printing, so if you wanted to order but didn't, now is your chance.

Also, thank you so much for the heartfelt well wishes...I'm 20 weeks along (half-way there) as of today and feeling really good.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll catch you back here sooner than last time.

Surf Fridays!

photo by Jay Watson

Happy Surf Fridays! This is me last Sunday at the Santa Cruz Harbor, doing some stand up paddling. It's such a fun activitity on a flat day, not to mention a great workout. Cruising around the mile-long harbor, we saw sea lions, funny names on boats, a furry and polka-dotted baby seagull with her mother, cormorants, sailors, kayakers, man...just a lot of beautiful things in an afternoon.

I was a little nervous to post this photo because of my big red belly. Have I been eating a lot of pizza? Yes and no. I am excited and ready to tell you that Jay and I are having a baby! I'm just about 4 months along and I feel great.

I hope you are all feeling great today too. Tomorrow I'm doing a beach clean up at Gray Whale Cove, hosted by the Surfrider Foundation. On the way home, I'm going to drive on Skyline and look for wild blackberry bushes!

Lots of love to you...JW

Surf Fridays!

I met Ashley Moffat through blogging, about two years ago. I'll never forget that her "About Me" explained that she likes anything that starts with an 's' - surfing, sunshine, soulmates, smiling, skateboarding, suntans...and simplicity. What's not to like about this girl, I remember thinking...

I knew from reading Ashley's blog, that she lives in Hawaii with her husband Luke, and their two little girls, Velzy and Ivy. The other day, I came across a photo of Ashley surfing while 6 months pregnant. I was truly blown away.

Not only was the photograph beautiful in every way, but it struck me deeply that with all of the surfing related blogs and magazines I have enjoyed in the last several years, I have never seen a photo of a pregnant woman surfing.


Ashley Moffat riding her Bing
all photos by Mark Lee


Ashley, what brought you to live in Hawaii?

I moved to Hawaii when i was 17, in 2000 to attend BYU - Hawaii. It's in a small town on the Eastside of Oahu, just 10 minutes away from the North Shore. I don't know why more surfers don't go to school there, it was so fun. I fell in love with Hawaii and a boy from here and the rest is history.

Have you ever gotten "island fever"?

Nope. Well, I do really miss my family who are all in California. But as far as "AH, get me off this rock!!!" no. I love it here - all I need is sunshine and water. And the occasional shave ice.

What are your top 3 best things about living in Hawaii?

1. living "the simple life"
2. warm water year round
3. the fact that riding in the back of trucks is still legal here
4. and mango season.



When and where did you learn to surf?

First time I went surfing was at Doheny on a friend's soft top. At the end of my first wave I didn't know what to do so I jumped off- belly flopped right onto a rock that hit my stomach and left a bruise. I was really proud of that bruise. I think I was maybe 10?

What is your favorite beach in Southern California and your favorite in Hawaii?

In California, Churches is my favorite place to surf and I grew up going to Crescent Bay in Laguna so that is my favorite place to have a beach day.

In Hawaii my favorite place to surf is Chun's Reef. And of course V-Land is super fun - but the crowds there can be a tad intense for me in my old age. :)

Can you share what is in your quiver?

We - Luke and I - share most of the boards. Usually when we go surf we have the girls with us, so we trade off riding whatever we brought that day. We have: two Dano logs - a 9'6" noseglider and 9'1" old pleasure; An 8'11" Bing silverspoon; 5'10" Junod pumpkin seed; A 5'10" Mitsven fish; A 5'5" Pavel creek fish, and a 5'11' Campbell Bros bonzer.

Luke just brought the Campbell Bros and Pavel back from California. The Pavel is a gift for me after this little one is born - I can't wait to ride it this winter!

What is currently your favorite board?

My personal favorite is the Junod. It's magic - it catches waves like a dream and is oh-so-much fun to ride. When it's small, I love the Dano old pleasure.




Did you surf while pregnant with your last 2 girls?

I surfed when I was pregnant with Velzy up until 4 1/2 months. When I was pregnant with Ivy we were living in Virginia (we lived there for 2 years) and I surfed on a few trips to California but nothing regular.

Does surfing while you're 6 mos pregnant feel very different than surfing while not pregnant?

Yeah, for sure. The first few months it just feels like you have a really full bladder and it is tad uncomfortable. Now (I am almost 30 weeks) it's like laying on a ball and paddling is not a ton of fun. Knee paddling is nice though.

I think the whole pregnant surfing thing is pretty funny and honestly, sometimes I feel weird going out- but it's so hard to watch people surf and not be in the water! Also, I have to say I am super lucky to be able to still surf and have healthy pregnancies.



Have Velzy and Ivy gotten on a surfboard yet?

They will come on little rides on our back but have not taken to surfing on their own too much. Most importantly, they both really love the water. If you ask Velzy (4) if she surfs she says "I am a body surfer" and she is a pretty good. I love it. Ivy (3) is crazy. She's getting into boogie boarding - she gets tossed around in little shore break but always comes up smiling and goes out for more. It's pretty funny to watch.

I really hope that they want to surf when they grow up, because it will be so fun as a family to surf together. BUT, I don't want to be one of those parents who pushes their kids into it and then they don't like it. So all in due time...

What is the most favorite or memorable surf session you've ever had?

There is a spot on the North Shore called Kamasugis. Luke and I don't surf it all that often but when it's good it is a really fun left and right so we get to share waves - he goes left (he's goofy) and I go right (I'm regular). We have had some good times out there.

Also, anytime I am in the water with family - especially my brothers and dad - we laugh a lot and it's so fun.

Thank you so much, Ashley - you are definitely an inspiration! May you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and being in the water as much as you can. I also want to thank Mark Lee for sharing his beautiful photos and tell you a little more about him...

Mark Holladay Lee is a photographer on the North Shore of Oahu who specializes in unique water photography from surfing to weddings, and basically just having fun in the water.

Mark has been in Hawaii since 1996 but inbetween, spent a couple of years in New York working with a fashion photographer, and a couple of years in California as well. His inspiration comes from surf and fashion and he'd rather spend more time in the water than out. A fascinating little tidbit - a long time ago, Mark used to manage the famous Long Board Grotto! (Where Surfy Surfy is now).

When it came time to photograph Ashley, Mark told me, "I have photographed quite a few underwater maternity sessions here in Hawaii, and was so excited when Ashley told me she wanted to get some shots of her surfing. It is not very often that I come across such a graceful surfer that can still paddle while being 6 months pregnant. I would have to say as a surfer I am a little jealous - I wish my mom would have taken me surfing."



Happy Surf Fridays and Happy Aloha Fridays to everyone in Hawaii!


update: check out this beautiful momma surfing while 5 months pregnant!

Surf Fridays!

Contest 66 by Norm Daniels

Blue Green Surf Girl by David Lloyd

After the Storm, San Onofre by Larry Iwerks


Liquid Jollies by Spencer Reynolds

Heading Home by Ron Croci

Hang Ten by Vincenzo Ganadu

Descent Into the Abyss by Ken Auster

Blue Lip by Wade Koniakowsky

Secret Spot #2 by Victor Kerpel

These are my favorite paintings from The Art of Surfing 2008 - Longboard Magazine. The mag folded the next year, but their art issues were so cool because they dedicated tons of pages to it.

Surf Fridays!

Summer is here. Let's say you want to do something different. Something wild and beautiful. How about a road trip to Big Sur, California?


There is so much beauty in Big Sur, it is nearly overwhelming, in a good way. Do you like the sound of staying in a rustic (yet spotless) cabin along the Big Sur river? Ripplewood is where Jay and I stay every time. We recently took Jay's parents here too, and they loved it.


Andrew Molera (Big Sur Rivermouth) is no secret spot. It's a nice point/beach break and it takes a mile to hike in with your surfboard. This helps keep the crowds away.

A generous local showed us how to avoid making that mile hike for a 6 inch wave. Simply turn off the Highway onto Coast Road. You'll need to go pretty slowly as this dirt road has got a lot of huge bumps and holes in it.


Once you get up there, it will look just like this. This is your perch spot with a view to the south.


And from the same spot is the view of Andrew Molera. (There is a campground here, too). This is when you'll need to take out your binoculars.


With binoculars, you'll get a much better view than this. But you can tell that you'd be able to get a pretty good idea of what's going on that day so you can decide on whether to make the hike in or not.

Happy surfing and happy summer adventures to you!

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I am super excited because a high school swimming pool near my house opens to the public next Monday and I can work on my paddle fitness during my lunch break. I love swimming so much! I also love shave ice and have serious cravings every summer - can you believe they don't have any around where I live? I am seriously considering getting a shave ice machine. But first, I'll need to spend about a week in Hawaii, learning how to make the best ones from a local who will let me apprentice, and then I can surf in Waikiki every morning and afternoon as my reward. That's what I told Jay this morning. He laughed but somewhere inside, he knows I am serious.

Lots of love...JW

Surf Fridays!

Excerpts from Peppo's Pidgin To Da Max. Many years ago I bought this book - probably in an ABC store. I love it, yeah?

Surf Fridays!

Cy's Sunrise Lefts

Happy Surf Fridays to one and all. Cy sent over this beautiful video of he made while surfing with his girlfriend in Chile. It's so beautiful, isn't it? There's more great stuff at Korduroy, so please check it out.

Surf Fridays!

I subscribe to Hana Hou!, the magazine of Hawaiian Airlines. It is a quality publication and I always find beautiful photographs and several interesting stories. When this one came in the mail, I knew I'd want to share it with you on a Surf Fridays. Here are some of the most interesting facts about making the IMAX 3-D film, The Ultimate Wave Tahiti...

Story by Michael Shapiro & Photos by Dana Edmunds.

Teahupo'o has naturally become one of the world's most filmed waves, but for all the sublime and hair-raising footage shot here, director Stephen Low is the first to take on the challenge of filming it in IMAX 3-D. Low has a track record of pushing the limits of IMAX technology; In 1992 he descended 12,500 feet in a submersible to shoot Titanica.

The latest iteration of IMAX 3-D camera technology is a comparatively featherweight sixty-pound box about the size of a microwave oven - manageable enough maybe, to take into the maw of a creature like Teahupo'o. To do it, he assembled some of the most talented watermen around, and these are the big-wave surfers he chose:

Shane Dorian, whose sickening ride at Teahupo'o in 2006 earned him Billabong's Biggest Tube Award; Raimana van Bastolaer, a.k.a. "The Mayor of Teahupo'o," who's spent as much time inside the blue room as anyone; Kelly Slater, arguably the greatest surfer who's ever lived.

The story centers around Tahitian surfer Raimana van Bastolaer. Executive Producer Jeff Cutler calls Raimana "the most genuine dude you've ever met in your life." Director Stephen Low said, "Here's a guy who can surf the biggest waves out there, who could be a world-class competitor. But he didn't want to compete, didn't want to travel. He's found his perfect wave right here, and he lives very simply on the beach, helps people out and just enjoys life. Now he shepherds guys who come from around the world to surf this wave."

Raimaina told the interviewer, "I'm not a star...I didn't make Teahupo'o; Teahupo'o made me. I just want to give back; if I can share, that's the best."

A little side note - when Jay and I met Buttons last November, Buttons told us that Raimaina is his wife's brother, and he has been teaching Buttons how to tow in, which Buttons was super excited about.

As the crew is filming, Teahupo'o is offering up solid ten-plus-footers (expressed in "Hawaiian scale", which measures the back of a wave; the face could easily be twice that height). Even on small days, filming in 3-D poses daunting technical challenges. You need a short lens for 3-D, which means taking bigger risks. "You've got to get up close," says Low, "otherwise there's no point. Teahupo'o is unusual in that even at its most feral, it's possible to take a boat right up to its shoulder, making it uniquely filmable".

In midsize surf though, a boat won't be close enough, since the aim is to take audiences into the wave. Low and his crew did things with the IMAX camera that have never been tried: mounting it on the back of a jet-ski and dropping in ahead of the surfers, bolting it to the nose of a stand up paddler, even swimming it into the pit. That choice assignment went to cinematographer Mike Prickett (known for Billabong Odyssey & Step Into Liquid).

Prickett swam the camera into six-to eight-foot surf. With a 2-D camera, this might be all in a day's work, but the IMAX camera "is the hardest camera anyone's ever tried in the water," he said. In it's waterproof "splashbox", it's both cumbersome (130 pounds) and buoyant as a chunk of Styrofoam; there's no diving to escape a bomb. Prickett said he used to complain about 30-pound cameras, and he'll never do that again.

Also, a 2-D camera tracks a subject automatically - all the operator has to do is aim and shoot. 3-D required Prickett to pull focus manually, which means he had to keep his eye glued to the viewfinder. "I get the shot as Kelly goes by, but I can't see anything to the side, so when the wave comes...I'm going over the falls." Prickett can't bear the thought of turning a million dollar camera into a $2 piece of junk, so he must shield the camera with his body.

"Teahupo'o is a technically unforgiving wave," says Slater. "You have to find that median place where you have enough speed and you're not too deep in the barrel. There are a lot of calculations, and they take years to understand."

Two days from now, what could be the biggest swell of the season is projected to hit Teahupo'o. Up to thirty-foot faces possible. If the weather holds, it'll be classic Chopes at its heaviest, with Slater, Dorian and Raimana towing in to huge barrels.

"No one's going to want to shoot from the water if it's as big as they predict," Slater says. "I don't know if I want to be in the water. I've never surfed it half as big as what we're going to get. It's such a violent wave. Realistically, in waves that size, you have to be prepared to die. If you wipe out, there's no deep water to escape to. It goes to dry or shallow reef everywhere that you can wipe out.

But it's so exciting; you don't know if you're going to get the wave of your life or if you're going to die. You have all these people on the boats hooting, whistling, screaming. Sometimes the wave comes, and you just don't know if you can ride it. But, you don't want to let people down. When people come to the theater, they don't want to see a four-foot wave on an eighty-foot screen."




The Ultimate Wave Tahiti opened in IMAX theatres in February but it's still playing or coming soon. Check here to see if it's in your area. Have you seen it? I'd really like to, so I'll probably take a trip to Monterey soon.

Happy Surf Fridays!!