The water is still warm...3/2's and no boots or gloves. Unless you have Ebola, you should be out surfing

I don't see the USA on this map, nor do I see the map of New England. So you had better have been surfing today. Don't let Ebola keep you from surfing. Hell don't let Ebola keep you from doing anything you love. It's not going to kill you. (Not yet anyway).

I'm kidding. Yes it's a threat, but it's more of a threat in Africa.

I have to say watching the waves today at the Wall was an amusing time for me. There were so many surfers of all ages and skill levels that it was a smörgåsbord of visual treats. There were groms, kooks, long boarders, short boarders, boogie boarders, and yes SUPS. Two in particular who had absolutely no clue as to what etiquette in the water was all about.

You knew they were clueless when they ( man and a woman) walked by with their leashes already attached. I looked over at Jon Gozzo who I was chatting with and said "Why not put your leash on at home?" I mean it's pretty silly to put your leash on at your vehicle. For anyone I mean. SUP or not. You (we) should all attach our leashes at the water's edge. It's not rocket science people.

Any way these two SUP'rs proceeded to paddle directly out into the crowded line-up at 10th Street. The beach is open and free to
anyone, I get that. But why would you put yourself into that crowd when there was plenty of room to either side of you? There is no reason on earth that would make any sense as to why they did that.



Except that they were both CLUELESS. Without a Clue.

So I stood and watched them both. The man took off on his first wave and dropped in on my friend Duffy McCarthy. The woman took off on her first wave and dropped in on some other surfer. Both of them had no idea what to do on the wave once they caught it.

They went straight in. It was mildly amusing.

Though a part of me felt so frustrated for my friends who were playing by the rules and trying to get a wave of their own. I watched as they continued to catch wave after wave without a single thought of letting anyone else get one. And each wave they caught they rode straight in. Now I am not saying that they have no right to be out there, I am simply pointing out the facts.

We used to police our own out there. And back in the day at 10th Street we would enforce that unwritten code of honor and backed it up with action. This is what is missing in today's surf culture. It's almost as if the surfers (not all) but a great deal of them, have thrown up their arms in defeat and have accepted this fate. The ocean is big enough that we can all share.

There's no need to sit on top of each other out there.

The influx of ocean minded people flocking to the ocean on every conceivable craft to ride a wave and sit on top of the world is at an all time high. We all just need some breathing room. There does need to be room for learning and acknowledging the code of surfing. And this goes for everyone.

Gidget does not live here. The Beach Boys are not on your IPODS.

I do know this. That surfing at it's true core of small wave contemporary surfing will never die. There are too many young athletes out there who love the sensation of real surfing.

And there are those who truly love longboarding that will never give up riding them. Long boarding is the pure essence of surfing. Nothing nicer than to see them gliding on their finely tuned crafts. Real surfers will always surf. It's the others that worry me.

The moderately talented surfers who want and need more waves.

They see the SUP as a way to get more waves. Because let's face it, just about anyone can catch a wave on a SUP. Makes no difference how much you weigh or what shape you are in. The SUP was designed for anyone on the planet to catch a wave. So why not? The problem is the congested line-ups. I think there needs to be a give and take and some acknowledgement of respect.

Just ask Aretha Franklin. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.




See my life long friend Jay Hammer surfing at 10th Street today.
He is one of the most stylish surfers that ever came out of these waters. He is a retired Army Colonel. He is deeply embedded in
the soul of surfing.



Same with Duffy McCarthy. Another old school surfer. Sure they would both rather be riding shortboards. Catching a wave under your own power. There is no greater feeling. This is surfing.



Again, Jay Hammer off the bottom and projecting down the line.
Pure surfing on a warm October afternoon.



That stance of Jay's is the same as it was in the early 70's when I would shoot super 8mm movies of all of us.



Same here. Duffy again, surfing in the sea of misfit toys.



This is some unknown I shot this morning. Just a clean line and
a pure stoke.

"Surfing Heals All Wounds"