YONDER BREAKS

Okay, this one is a little silly... Years ago, on a small-surf but sunny day at Dockweiler State Beach , my wife took this cheesy photo of me standing with my Wavestorm : Photo by Katie and not Mitchel (though he thinks he took it) I've mentioned before that I used to write for StoreYourBoard.com, and did a piece on the Wavestorm  as a good beginner board. There's also a chapter in All Roads Lead to Dockweiler about it, also using this photo.  Well, fast forward many years and one day my friend Aaron sent me a link to a guy offering surf lessons on Facebook who was using my photo for marketing, asking if it was me.  Nope. And then a few months after that, he noticed it had popped up on Craigslist as a print: I couldn't believe it! Someone was selling my likeness as "original" art. Well, he wasn't the only one, as Aaron also found this one about a year later: Apparently, this image needs to be out in the world! And so, I am launching the first OFFICIAL Rick-a...

I mentioned a few posts ago about a book announcement and I am excited to relay that the day has finally come to launch the project! It's called All Roads Lead to Dockweiler: Devotions from the Ocean in the City of Angels , and it was one of the most fun things I've ever written.  Here is the story. I used to blog quite a bit about surfing. In fact, my first paid writing gig was to blog for StoreYourBoard.com , where my job was to make board storage interesting enough to read about. True to form, I wasn't content writing "Top 5 Surf Racks" and "Best Surfboard Rack for Shortboards" pieces (though I certainly wrote my share), so I always tried to tell stories alongside the content, incorporating truth and comedy with the important information. The exercise was fun, and at the time (2013-2014), surfing had become a full-blown passion of mine.  In fact, I was having so much fun writing about surfing and all of the stories and ideas that went along with it t...

It was the tail end of the first winter swell in Southern California. I had caught a little of the first full day, but most breaks weren't really able to handle the size, resulting in huge dumpy waves. As the swell waned, I was hoping to catch a little of the smaller stuff, but still big enough to be fun and challenging. After a couple of failed spot checks, my good friend Russell and I landed at Dockweiler with a little desperation in our decision. You see, Dockweiler isn't what it used to be, so it's a spot I don't find myself at very often. I have memories of massive waves peeling off the main jetty at the north end of the parking lot. If it wasn't working there, we would try heading farther north about half a mile to another broken down jetty, where lefts and rights would break and even barrel at times. Couple that with ample free parking on the main road, as well as firepits right on the beach, and Dockweiler had become my favorite place to surf in Los Angeles....

Years ago I wrote one of my favorite pieces on the joys of surfing tiny waves . All this time later, I'm still having new experiences that support the same thesis: it's not the size of the wave that matters, but the fun you can have on any wave. I decided to write on our calendar every time I surf this year, just to get a gauge of how much I'm surfing. Early in January, I wrote my first mark with pride -- a good start to the year -- and then didn't surf for about five months...I had an ear infection and some subsequent stubborn fluid in my head, causing several doctor visits, including an order to not surf until I figured it out. Follow that up with COVID-19 and closed beaches, and it's easy to imagine how such an atrocity could occur. First surf of the year: January 2nd In May my first session back was a scary night surf at Leo Carillo with my good friend Russell, which was instigated because I wanted to surf the bioluminescent algae phenomenon that was hi...

I realized today that I don't love surfing at El Porto . It's the most consistent spot in LA for the greater part of the year, but almost every session is harrowing in some way. Long paddle-out, powerful waves that often close out, standout sets that make your heart drop to your stomach -- it's rarely a nice, easy-going session at El Porto. But still, we keep returning, because sometimes this is the only surfable spot in Los Angeles. Today, I went and it was on the smaller side, but no exception in force and paddle-out length. Because of the size, I was riding the Wavestorm , which is almost impossible to duck dive well. And so, whenever a giant wave swamped me, I did what no surfer should ever do and ditched the board to dive under the wave. That's right: I broke one of the cardinal rules of surfing . To justify myself, I always took a good look behind me to make sure my board wouldn't hit anyone. So there. Taken after the 3-5 ft. session. If karma is y...

I used to be a pretty determined guy on a skateboard. I would try tricks for hours, endless attempts, over and over. Usually my friends would stand on, watching, often video taping the tries . As I've scanned those old clips, I've apologized for making them do that; but at the time, all I wanted was to land that trick. Even though I probably took it too far, I look back on that time as character-developing -- it's good to be persistent, and skateboarding was where I learned that. Now, an older Rick who still skateboards has chilled out a bi t. I've learned that beating my body and getting frustrated over a skateboard trick isn't as important as it used to be. It makes my sessions more relaxing, but sometimes I lament the fervor with which I used to skate. But sometimes this relaxed approach to boardsports goes a little too far. Sometimes you need  to push yourself, and today was one such day. Glove box fix for a broken toe. I broke my toe about a month ago ...

I used to really love surfing where Sunset Blvd  and the Pacific Coast Highway meet. It's a great spot with easy breaking waves, free parking and is easily accessible from town (just a mile or two past Santa Monica). You can get that marvelous Malibu rock break without driving an hour to the pier , or beyond, making it one of my favorites in years past. Though I have often championed the spot, until yesterday, I hadn't surfed there in about five years! The last time I was there was for a failed "sunrise at sunset" surf session we attempted. On that fateful morning, the waves lapped against the rocks at the monstrous height of about twelve inches, so we headed to Dockweiler instead. (I actually wrote about the whole thing in a book chronicling my seven years of falling in love with surfing in Los Angeles. I'm seeking representation/publishing, if you know anyone... wink, wink .) Yesterday I had a couple hours to try and catch a short-term Malibu swell we were g...

Years ago I had a memorable session on Black Friday. It was an unexpected huge day at Dockweiler, with offshore winds that blew back white caps like snow flurries. The water was glassy and it rained, the gentle rolling clouds only adding to the epic waves we were riding. I faced fears that day, though unfortunately, I caved when the big ones came. That session has always stuck out in my mind, and every Black Friday , I find myself wondering if it will ever return. Another epic session, another chance at redemption. Well, this must be the year, because yesterday, I had one such session. Los Angeles has been mostly flat the last several weeks, but like a Thanksgiving gift, we are receiving a nice little swell, directly hitting the Angelino shores. My brother-in-law was in town, and he is always down for a surf, so I know I had an extra reason to paddle out. (A couple springs ago, while we were in Charleston, SC, he came down to visit and got me out in very  cold, sloppy surf for t...

I used to write about surfing  often, because I think there are so many life lessons buried within the sport. The ocean is so big and you are just a small speck, trying to enjoy and appreciate its bounty -- it's ripe for existential thought. (I'm actually writing a book on it. If you'd like to take a look at the current draft, let me know.) But sometimes these lessons are things you may rather not know about yourself. They say marriage is a mirror , revealing both the good and the bad, and even a choppy ocean can reflect just as well sometimes. Since moving back to California, my surf days have increased four-fold, and on a recent trip to a Malibu break, I was having a pretty decent day with a couple friends. The waves were 4-6 feet, but the swell was weak, and so the waves were only mediocre. I had caught a few, and a little set was rolling in. As the wall built and darkened, it looked to me like a closeout. "Take it, Mitchell," I told my friend, in what coul...

Kind of the whole purpose of this blog is to try to be a really good dad, while also pursuing the passions that drove me before fatherhood entered my life. I remember when Ellie was first born I had a friend who marveled at the fact that I still was able to surf every couple weeks. "When I had my kid I didn't do anything ," he said. It made me feel good, of course, and hopefully not in a vain way; but I hope this whole blog relays that message well, and inspires some dads out there to do the same. But one thing I haven't mentioned enough is where this whole drive came from: my own dad . My dad is really remarkable, and the older he gets, he still never ceases to amaze and inspire me. He taught me to surf, bringing me out when I was probably only 7 or 8 years old. I have a memory of the 80s-style heavy glassed board flying up in the air and hitting me in the head, causing me to run to the beach in tears and essentially putting a major pause on my surfing "career...

Maybe you've noticed (or maybe not), but my blogging has been rather light this summer. Part of it is because of a  tumultuous move , but another part is that I've lost part of my inspiration. What is that inspiration, you might ask...surfing! (big surprise?) This is the surf report I've seen far too often this summer, and unfortunately, when I'm not surfing, I'm not writing. Maybe that doesn't make much sense, because you'd think if I'm not surfing, I'm doing something inside  like  writing. Not the case, particularity when I aim to write about surfing! This isn't the first time this has happened to me. Years ago I wrote for  StoreYourBoard.com  and was loving it. Then we had our first child and life became about the baby. I surfed when I could, and wrote when I got ideas. But without the former, the ideas were infrequent and therefore so was my writing. They didn't fire me so much as I resigned, but I  do  miss getting paid to wr...

I just had an awesome surf session -- pretty big waves, a couple great left-handers with probably the best snaps I've ever done. As I showered off after, it struck me just how good I felt, and I was reminded of how much I love surfing. You might be saying, "Of course you love surfing, Rick, you bought a website and devote hours of your life to writing about it." You're right. But sometimes you forget what you love, don't you? For instance, you love your wife, right? But how often do you take her out on a date or buy her a gift? You love your kids, but how much time did you spend on your phone the last time you took them to the park? Not to sound judgmental, but often times our actions don't back up our decisions. Sometimes we just need a reminder. It was kind of cold today and I didn't really feel like surfing. I couldn't find any friends to come and I have a hurt rib. There were plenty of reasons not to surf, but afterwards, I'm sure gl...

A few weeks ago, all I wanted to do was surf. It had been a while, but a friend invited me out and so the prospect was there. A couple contingencies blocked my path though: my oldest daughter needed to be napping and my youngest needed to stay quiet while she was napping. As my wife and I rocked our youngest to sleep, watching another episode of  Fixer Upper , I kept a keen eye on the clock, knowing my friend was paddling out at 4pm and that it was already past 3. Unfortunately, the television could not drown out the sound of  both  my daughters crying as the sweet possibility of surfing was slipping away before my eyes. I tried hard to not let my hopes get up for a surf session. When that was becoming less possible, I tried hard to let go of those hopes. But I found myself doing anything but. Downright anxious, all I wanted was for the kids to be quiet so I had a good excuse to go surfing. It was consuming me, making me angry, ir...

We've all been there: waiting for a set to come when a  standout  approaches,  waaayyy  past the break. Everyone paddles frantically to beat the looming destruction, but sometimes it's just too far and you find yourself going backwards over the falls, taking a behemoth on the head, or trying to duck dive six feet of whitewater. Either way, it's a losing battle. The next thing you know you're in the washing machine, tumbling around underwater as if Triton's chariots are stampeding over you, hoping you have enough breath and wondering which way is up. The good news is that you  can  survive the blows of surfing! And here's how: Don't panic:  Surfing is dangerous and waves can be unpredictable. Still, staying calm will allow you to assess each situation with a clear mind, and prepare to escape accordingly. You will also save energy you would otherwise waste trying to fight a losing battle against the power of the sea...energy better used f...