Monthly Archives: October 2026

Predators and Dominators and Aggressors and…

Posted on by under Uncategorized

…Sexual crimes.

To deny there’s some connection between surfing and sex… Wait. Backpedaling A step or two. That criminal abuse can exist in organized sport, that it does, and has, doesn’t ignore that the sexual predator/victim scenario is, and always has been, part of our shared history.

I have added comments on numerous Instagram sites that were covering the suspension of a World Surf League competitor after he and others engaged, allegedly, in a sexual attack on an under aged Australian girl.

While many of the comments followed the usual arguments of ‘alleged, not proven,’ and ‘why let one indiscretion ruin a man’s career,’ it was encouraging to see support for the victim, and for a ex girlfriend of the alleged perpetrator who revealed his violent acts toward her. Seeing Slater and Media and Toledo, an others, condemning the criminal acts was reassuring.

Then there are the deniers. Like, “This couldn’t be happening.” What? I have to believe that anyone who went to high school, public or private, went to summer camp, went to any dances, had any contact with others at all, has to know stories, most likely has stories of predators, frequently offering drugs, liquor being a drug, in order to achieve what they will report as a conquest. Not a relationship.

What happens to the conquered? Depends. If reputation matters, it is frequently a lot, a frequently for a long time. Perhaps the aggressor gets to be labeled a womanizer. Whether this is a good thing comes down to intent. Conquest over relationship?

I realize I at risk of appearing to be, I don’t know, old fashioned. May be true.

If I say we shouldn’t victimize others, to have respect, I must add that ignoring known sexual criminality is very close to condoning it. Still, I have never really intervened in the (several) instances where I was an an almost witness, or had knowledge of. Still, I’ve never respected anyone who bragged about their sexual conquests.

NOTE- I did want to write about this subject on Word. There will be edits and some lame excuses for my alleged wave hogging.

Oh, and China, since you’re so intent on following realsurfers, STOP. NOW!

art for “Love Songs for Cynics”

Posted on by under writings of Erwin Dence

I have the songs. essays, poems pretty much collected for the upcoming book, “Love Songs for Cynics.” JIM ALLRED has been doing the formatting. I spent quite a bit of time going through thumbdrives looking for illustrations to go with the written stuff. Almost 300 on one of them. I wanted them simple, rather than my usual overdrawn style. I selected and printed about 25. Almost done with that, I discovered I can reduce images, enabling me to have drawings done horizontally become vertical.

Who knew? Yeah, everyone. I also found my original version of collected works, mostly blues songs, copyrighted in 2007. WHAT?

I do have some songs that I sort of forgot about, didn’t include on my shuffle of songs I sing to myself and the road. Here’s a chunk from “The Place You’ve Saved in Your Heart:”

“Your heart’s hidden away from the light of the day, in a place that’s not shown in the charts; My heart’s hidden, too, but I’ve made room for you, in the place that I’ve saved in my heart.”

I have made numerous comments on numerous Instagram sites concerning the recent allegations about sexual abuse in the world of professional surfing. Shocking, but not surprising. Something that struck me was the not unexpected comments by those defending the man or men involved.

That there are predators and victims should not be a surprise to anyone. Not sure how sheltered you would have to be to not know about, witnessed, or, sadly, been any part of sexual abuse. Any role, including being the guy who believes there is some sick code that requires you to protect the perpetrators rather than the victim.

We live with our choices. Sorry, it seems to be true for most of us. To those who have no regrets, feel no remorse, particularly those who seem to brag about ‘conquests’ that are… Fuck it! You know someone with this twisted lack of morality, or, even basic humanity.

Anyway, thinking about this more than I am comfortable with. Later.

erwin@realsurfers.net. real suffered other on Instagram

I’m BIG in China and Wondering Why

Posted on by under "Swamis" the novel, gopro shots on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, northwest surfing blog,, old surfers, real surfers, surf culture, writings of Erwin Dence

FIRST- I did go surfing recently, as in, possibly, today, a Saturday, and, before you ask; yes, it was crowded. It’s a Saturday! There was a search for view parking, and no handicapped spots out in the wilds; I had to invoke Costco rules, along with a Costco smile, when, circling, I hit the turn signals, pulled as close as I could to the van whose driver either super dawn patrolled or gave up, and snagged a front row spot. Yes, I squeezed up snuggly close to some dude’s SUV, allowing almost enough room for another, similar sized rig to share the thrill of looking out, directly, at an overcrowded lineup. Weekend Warriors and never-seem-to-work thirty-somethings, some of them couples, on dates. Wow!

Wow as in I should write about the first date Trish and I had, November 10, 1969. I took her to a then 2nd tier spot, allowing her the opportunity to watch me surf uncrowded waves, on to Grandview with a view from the bluff (at least two surfers tried to ‘make time’ with her, then on to gourmet food at the new Jack in the Box.

Yes, she has, mostly, gotten over the thrill of watching me.

And then, back to today, there were the older folks, some of them there, perhaps, to coach younger rippers-to-be. I was particularly interested in the guy with the straps over his wetsuit, there to hold his camera. Go pro, man! I did see him in the lineup. Hopefully he got some good shots of more than the deck of his board.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have some of the “know before you go” stuff going on. Not Surfline, which may have predicted head high bommmbs (didn’t happen), but friend of a friend stuff (allowed if the report is mostly a negative), but I was almost there when I got the news. Two fewer surfers in the water, few waves in the mid thigh range. Mid calf.

NOW, I got to go spend time surfing because TRISH is, finally, getting better. Better is relative, but part of what I take for truth is that she now realizes how close she was to (I hesitate to type this, and I’ve been equally hesitant to admit it) dying. SO, Yay! and Fuck Cancer!

I should note that, out of the water for several months, my first concern was that I would suck. I didn’t rip; didn’t suck; so, success! I did have two ugly attempts at getting back to shore. Normal. I’m kinda old, my knees seem older. 3.5 for the landing. 3.75 from the Canadian judge.

POST SURF REVIEW- I spoke with several friends about my adventure (and every session is), and the argument of crowds ruining sessions came up. The counter is surfers retelling tales of surfing quality waves alone, or with a few friends. Yeah; hang onto those. I do. OH, I did ask a woman parked near me if she got enough waves. She held up one finger. No, different finger. “Hope it was a good one.” “Wave of the day!” “Yay!

I did ask another woman, thinking I recognized her as the one who claims to have once grabbed my leash, if her oversized sprinter van was big enough. I didn’t hear what she responded with, but she may have raised one finger. ” Yeah, wave of the day!”

CHINA ISSUE- WORDPRESS keeps track, and I get a lot of hits, too many, from China. I can’t help but imagine that their Commie AI wants to decipher my writing style, possibly to duplicate it to infiltrate America, and then world surf literature. Joke’s on them. I could explain, but, meanwhile, I’m not unhappy to get semi-successful numbers.

Yes, I’m totally exaggerating, though I did have a guy in the lineup tell me he reads realsurfers. “Oh, you’re the one. Thanks. I’m popular in China.” “Cool. You had a lot of drop-ins.” “Yeah. People recognize a decent wave when I’m on it.” “China, huh?”

MEANWHILE, enjoy whatever surf adventure you’re on. If some old cruster gets a parking spot or a wave you wanted, well, part of your story. Costco rules apply.

JIM ALLRED is helping me put together a book of my work, “Love Songs for Cynics.” I have to come up with artwork (I have lots). I’ll keep you, and China, updated.

“SWAMIS,” my novel, is… still… almost… totally… done.

erwin@realsurfers.net realsurfersdotnet on Instagram

NOTE- I almost posted a photo that showed a part of the coastline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Lovely sunset, no waves, but, still, if it fell into the wrong hands…

There’s Always Westport

Posted on by under Competitive surfing,, northwest surfing blog,, oregon surfing, real surfers, surf contests, surf culture, writings of Erwin Dence

The contest season in the West-Northwest is over. Sort of. Maybe. Big wave stuff might be coming up, but what’s always happening is the day-to-day session stuff, surfers waiting, searching, ready to test ourselves against the conditions, the crowds, and our own desires to score.

Scoring, of course, means different things to different people. While some are looking to score, to dominate, even, some are content to be on a scene, part of the people hanging in the parking lot, on the bluff, on the beach, or in the lineup. There is, then, always Westport.

Wind-whipped and/or out of control huge, semi-lined up and groomed peaks, Westport is rarely flat, flat, flat. Along with Seaside, it’s a destination semi-surf town. When all the wave energy is from the south, it’s a choice.

No, though I often tell surf fans checking out the potential on the Strait to go to Westport, I’m not trying to sound like the tourist bureau. However, there is a tradition of Olympic Peninsula surfers heading down when it’s flat and/or if there was an unavoidably alluring southy. Surfers made friends with Seaside and Westport locals. Homes were opened for visits. There was some reciprocity.

I’m also not saying this aloha-esc sharing is over. Recently, my friend Keith Darrock headed down to hang with a friend in Westport the weekend of the longboard contest. Another trip had Keith hitting Oregon, hanging and surfing with friends he grew up with in Yachats. I asked him to send some photos.

Yeah; Westport. Dreamy, huh?

Keith’s crock in Seaside. I did hear some stories and saw some photos of surf in deeper Oregon, but was instructed not to publish them. Keith’s friends wouldn’t appreciate it. His friends. Keith did call me from the parking lot at Seaside Point on his way back. A local running out, gave him the kind of look regulars at any localized spot give interlopers.

Not aloha-esc. I don’t have any friends, exactly, in Seaside, but my father lived iin Chinook, Washington, close enough to be within an acceptable range (based on my being vibed, in the past, by a dude from Astoria), and my brother now owns tharinghe house. I keep telling my friends that we could cruise down, hit the Point. Could. Everyone appreciates sharing.

Sorry. Sarcasm; but, on one visit to my dad’s, after three days, actual locals were kind of, almost, friendly. Cove’s one thing; Point’s another.

Images of Seaside; one by me, one of me, one by my nephew, Fergus, who was threatened, then asked if he caught the surfer’s last ride, then allowed to leave. I must be thinking too much about Seaside. No, go to Westport, even if you’re from Seattle or, even, Canada.

MEANWHILE, I did watch some of a Challenger Series contest from Brazil. Still rooting for Sally Fiitzgibbons. She got into the semi-finals. Stephanie Gilmore wasn’t competing there, so we’ll see how the season ends for the holdovers from their generation. Interestingly, the contest on the women’s side ended with a sixteen-year-old winning over a, like, nineteen-year-old. Brutal. Or fun, depending onb your perspective.

Meanwhile, I am reciting or reading an excerpt from an original poem at an event in Port Townsend. It’s kind of an honor to be included. There are so many ways I can fuck this up. I’ll let you know.

erwin@realsurfers.net realsurfersdotnet on Instagram.

I do plan on writing about Instagram addction. Later. Thanks for checking out my site. Get some waves.