Recently I caught up with Brad and was able to pick his brain about the differences and similarities of surfing in the 50’s and 60’s compared to today. I was also able to get a little history lesson on redwood and balsa boards, and I was even able to gain some insight as to how Brad makes his custom replica surfboards.

When asked to compare and contrast surfing then and now, Brad smiled and offered, “Thankfully, I have a son who’s 25, very interested in surfing, and works in a surf shop so I have a unique perspective on today’s surfing.”

He further explained, “When I started surfing, there were still crowds and I started in 1950. But there were still people who weren’t very happy to see you show up. And there were always rules. Back then, we had our surf clubs and everyone traveled together. So a surf trip was always two or three cars driving down the highway.”

“Today I see two big changes. Guys surfing by themselves – which is great and I’m glad to see that – and there are a lot of girls out there today. Back in my day, it was rare to find a Gidget, and to be honest, I think it’s fabulous.”

I just had to push the point a little further and asked Brad about his feeling on localism. Brad politely explained it in this way…

“Well, yeah. There’s certain rules you have to follow. When I was 17 and surfing in Hawaii, I was working for Greg Noll at the time. He told me to just sit in the water for at least an hour before I took off on a wave. He told me never to surf by myself and to smile, but not for too long. I mean, There were rules and you could get in trouble.”

Brad went on to explain that localism has never changed, and that it will be a factor of surfing for years to come if not forever. However, if surfers follow the unwritten code of conduct, traveling to other areas really isn’t that big of a problem. Simply put, “Show respect, and you will be respected.”

Brad also adds, “I would love to see localism change because surfing is a wonderful sport and we all have to learn. And we’re all kooks at one time. It’s just sad that some people stay that way all their lives and give our sport a bad reputation.”

Brad is a very knowledgeable surfer and an expert woodworker. His craftsmanship and dedication to creating perfect replica boards from the 1930’s to the 1960’s is evident at the first glance of one of his ridable masterpieces. For example, brad makes his boards out of hand cut balsa wood that comes from a small forest in Ecuador. He also uses Koa wood which was the same type of wood used by the kings of Hawaii.

Ask Brad any question about the history of surfboards and he has the answer. Therefore, his knowledge of the history of surfing, combined with his exceptional skill as a surfer, and his master woodworking skills, makes each board that he creates a ridable work of art.

Although most of Brad’s boards end up in museums and restaurants, every board is custom made, tailored to your style, and can actually be surfed. For more information about Brad Stevenson’s boards, you can contact him at 310-374-3736. You can also see a full length interview with Brad on

www.localsurfingnetwork.com. Just click on the “archives” tab and look for archive 28.

And they have. But being the little engine that could hasn’t always been fun – or easy. Nevertheless, there has been a large list of supporters that have stuck with us from the beginning,. With that in mind, I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to all of the people who have generously given their support, and their time to help us get started and stay afloat when things weren’t always so good.

LSN would have never gotten off to a good start without the help and initial financial investment made to us by Russ Lesser, Body Glove International, and Scott Daley. Body glove who has always been a long time supporter of local endeavors such as ours, immediately committed to providing us with valuable support and credibility. Without their support, LSN would never have made it out of the box.

Long time local and friend, Charles Stepczyk has been an outstanding supporter of LSN with both his time – initially Charles helped us find music for our shows, and kept the books and financial records for us. But Charles has also been an invaluable source linking us to internet sites containing valuable information and links that have enabled us to grow our online presence and change the face of the online surfing community.

James Lang the owner of South Bay Skates – which, by the way, is the home to one of the most amazing collections of skateboards in the world – has supported us from the beginning, originally appearing on LSN in 2005. His store – which is located in Torrance and sells everything a skateboarder needs to survive including decks, wheels, hats, T’s, shoes, and everything else – endlessly and tirelessly promotes LSN, and James has graciously allowed us to broadcast weekly from inside his legendary shop.

Need I say it? And – in fact – dare I? Yes, I’d like to thank my radical parents who have supported LocalSurfingnetwork.com from day one – even though they had no idea what I was doing. They just smiled, patted me on the back and said, “Go for it.” And it was enough inspiration to set LSN into motion.

Finally, I’d like to thank our newest fan and supporter, Heidi Maerker, the CEO / President, and Editor-in-Chief of this amazing publication. Thanks Heidi for giving the little engine that could the chance to expand from web to print.

We’ve had many guests on our shows, volunteers that have made the impossible possible, and people that have lent LSN not just one hand, but many, and all of them deserve a shout. With too many to mention, let me run down a few that have really stood out, and let me apologize to those whom I‘ve left out.

Thank you: Wayne Tuttle, Lisa Tuttle, Rob Wagner, Adam Dia, Jaylene Baker, Eric Purington, Ron – who is our biggest fan, and most of all, I’d like to thank you. Thank you for reading our articles, and watching us online. You are amazing! J

Winter SurfAs I paddled out this Saturday, I noticed what I truly love about the South Bay during winter. No crowds. There is something to be said for paddling into chest to head high surf without having to compete for a decent wave. It’s magical, and I think anyone would tell you that life is good when the waves are silky smooth and the air is cold and wet.

I like dawning my wetsuit and booties for some good old fashioned winter weather. Although I’m not big on Urban Runoff, and could easily say that it’s the lamest thing surfers have to endure, I will say that if you know where to go, winter is the best time for a surfer in Manhattan.

Last Saturday I met with a couple of friends for some early dawn patrol action off our secret – well it’s not that secret – spot in South Manhattan. Meeting at the beach with our boards, coffee, and a good spirit for adventure, we headed out into epic surf with huge smiles on our faces.

We were tired from filming our latest episode of Surf Today: Skate Tonight at the legendary South Bay Skates the night before, but there was something magical about paddling through the pounding surf and getting outside where we caught our breath and huddled in a friendly, but competitive, line waiting for the best wave of the day.

There were no crowds to contend with, just the three of us, and the vast expanse of ocean. We could see our first set steaming in from outside, and we paddled toward it with excitement – and just a touch of fear that we may not be in the right place. The first wave was too steep and we paddled over it flying down the backside with glee. One of my friends, and I’m not sure who it was, let out a loud, “Yeah!!!”

And in that second we went from being ordinary guys to a tribe of surfers. There is an instant bond that happens when you’re surfing with friends that is reminiscent of the camaraderie I felt in my Navy days. A bond, a fellowship, a band of brothers that is like no other.

I have a sixth sense about which wave to take, but my friend James beat me to the first perfect wave. He paddled into the third wave of the set – which was slightly overhead – and turned into a hollow barrel which he pushed through and popped out of on the backside. “Wooooooooo!” He shouted!

And I met his shout of joy with my own.

Surfing with friends is great, but surfing with friends in a winter swell, and in a semi-secret spot is better.

When I’m out of town, people often ask me where I’m from. When I tell them, they are generally jealous and wish they could live here too. The funny thing is, they only think about Manhattan Beach as a place to hang out in Summer where they can watch the Manhattan Open, and cruise through our friendly neighborhood bars.

But they’re missing out. The real Manhattan can be found on a cold winter day, among the small tribes of surfers that are sitting beyond the surf line waiting for the biggest, scariest, and most perfect wave.

With that in mind… here is this week’s surf report:

Today is Friday the 13th! For some of you this may be good luck, for others, it may bring an air of superstition. But for hardcore surfers, it is ushering in a great storm system that looks to bring us some awe inspiring waves.

Today you can count on a solid four foot swell with variable off-shore winds. Looking ahead to tomorrow, you’ll be waking up to six foot peaks that will trail off in the head high range. Saturday’s trail-off seems to be setting up for a big push on Sunday that will set us up perfectly for eight foot sets by mid afternoon! Those sets will hold steady through Monday where we’ll see head high swells that will continue into mid week.

If the wind cooperates, we’re looking at some of the biggest ridable surf we’ve seen all season. But, be careful out there! The waves will be pumping and pounding so remember… Safety first!

Air temps will reach the mid 50′s so it will definitely be cold. Additionally, Rain is forecasted all weekend so make sure that you check for beach closures due to that dreaded urban runoff. And on a final note, the water temperatures will be dipping into the 56-58 degree range so it’s really going to be a mix of stormy, cold, and wet weather that can either set up for perfect surf, or a completely disastrous mix of violent winter conditions.

Remember that you can stay up to date with the latest weather and conditions by visiting

www.LocalSurfingNetwork.com where the surf report is always free!

Sponge

I don’t know about you, but, I started riding sponge well before I road fiberglass. Not only that, I’ll bet that if you’re anything like me, you were up on one knee before you were seven years old. I’ll bet that around eight or nine you were already up on two feet and angling for the barrel on that sponge too. And, of course, we eventually graduated to hard nosed surfboards at around 10 years old. Not only that you were probably suffering many bruises and lots of skin gashes that played havoc on the fear of our parents.

Nevertheless, when all was said and done, we grew up to become adults. But, we still remember those summers on our sponge boards as we learned to become surfers. How much fun was that? Surfing on harmless foam?

I had this memory handed to me as I sat in 57 degree water with a dreary 2 foot swell last Monday. A friend of mine paddled up to me screaming my name saying, “Jarrett check out my new sponge!”

And I’ll admit that at first I laughed at him because when he paddled up to me he was riding what – those of us who spent every summer of our youth in Junior Lifeguards refer to as – a Doyle. “Nice!” I said, “Where’d you get that? Costco?”

To my surprise he looked at me sternly and said, “Yes, yes I did.”

I was shocked but couldn’t help notice the killer paint job on what must have been a lifeless blue nine foot beginner sponge board. I thought, “Well, if it works… It works.” And I watched as he effortlessly paddled into a perfect little two foot wave.

He nailed it too. Riding it for almost two blocks, he caved perfect little turns that reminded me of how a snowboard moves under your feet in thick powder.

I couldn’t help but admire the board and reminisce at how surfing Doyle’s in JG’s helped shape my appetite for surfing. So I borrowed it. J

Let me describe the feeling of my first ride in 20 years on a Doyle.

Silky,

Smooth,

Velvet,

Curling,

Turning,

Churning,

Perfect…

No… Perfection.

It was like riding a wave back into time. Like a time warp. Like a massive reflective sense memory experience that thrust me into a past that I had nearly forgotten. A past that helped me remember why I love surfing. It helped me remember why I brave freezing water in search of a perfect wave. And that visibly lame sponge board helped me to remember why I brave shark infested water for a chance to drop into a 15 foot tsunami.

It’s because of that sponge! That visibly unimpressive, blue nine foot Doyle that I surfed in Junior Lifeguards. My friend did me a great service on Monday by helping me to remember the great times I had with my friends as we ventured from foam to hard nosed, perfectly shaped professional boards. In a split second as I saddled up on that foam I thought, “All at once, I have remembered why I do this.”

Isn’t it funny? That a nine foot spray painted wholesale board can help us to remember the reason we surf? Funny how little things like that can change your life forever, because on Tuesday (the day after this experience) I went out and bought one. So, if you see me out there sitting on an ugly spray painted Doyle, you’ll know what I’m doing. I’m remembering where I came from, where I belong, and what is really important to me.

It is my wish that you remember where you started, where you came from, and where you can truly be.

As always, I wish you peace and good waves!

~JG / LSN

Wishing you peace and good waves, LSN wants you to remember that we can all play a role in making the world a better place. Each person leaves a mark on the world, our footprints in the sand, don’t leave that trash unattended – even if it isn’t yours. That means politically, figuratively, and literally.

Get off your couch, and surf toward a greater day. Get with the program and join the team that is working toward the greater good of mankind. You are part of a special group – the human race! Don’t let separatism stand in between you and what we can accomplish as a team. Standing alone and fighting new ideas in favor of old ones is not the way to reach a brighter future.

Therefore, join LSN in helping to create a brighter tomorrow, and a better day for us all. Localism is dead. And although we are the Local Surfing Network, we are linking your small group of locals together to represent our greater unity as a world of locals. And you are a part of that.