Category Archives: surf trips

ADAM’S FAMILY big island VACATION

Posted on by under real surfers, surf addiction, surf adventures, surf stories, surf trips, surfing blogs, surfing stories, surfing the strait of juan de fuca

If you rely on the waves on the Strait of Juan de Fuca to provide you with all the surfing satisfaction you can reasonably handle… well… There is a reason surfers who can go elsewhere do… go elsewhere. Of the loosely bundled group that might or might not be considered the Jefferson County CREW (as differentiated from if not opposed to the Clallam County or, heavens, the crews from King or Thurston or any other county) one is in New Zealand, another in Mexico, and two local rippers are planning a brief escape to, perhaps, Panama.

So, ADAM JAMES, who does actually live in Mason County, but, by virtue of his wide travels pushing HAMA HAMA OYSTERS to the known world, and who seems to be welcomed everywhere he goes, figured out a way to get to the BIG ISLAND, AND, AND, and to include his family: Andrea and their two sons, EMMETT and CALVIN (aka BOOMER), whose names I include because I keep having to ask Adam, AND because it is important to know more about our surf friends than whether or not they are goofy foot. Adam- no; regular foot but known to use a parallel stance on occasion.

OKAY, and I know it’s annoying, here is, after some further babbling, the photo array:

YOU DON’T get the full ADAM WIPOUT storytelling advantage here. I did. It was great. Next time Adam is backpaddling you, ask him about shooting the boar, or who this guy is, or pretty much anything. IT does look like this board was pretty far along before this Big Island breakage. I don’t believe this surfer was identified by name.

That’s Mikel “SQUINTZ” Cumiskey in the second shot. He seems to move, frequently, from Florida to Port Townsend to the Big Island. Mike and Adam met up, hit some of the spots. YES, Adam dropped names (Pine Trees, Banyons, secret spots with names I already forgot), had to include that the locals welcomed him graciously, AND that, by luck, he discovered a spot by the hotel they were staying at.

NOW, I have done some work for the Hama Hama Oyster Company, so I should include that the one photo is of Nate, the hatchery manager for JAMESTOWN SEAFOOD. The hatchery is owned by the Jamestown/s’klallam tribe. Nate is holding a few thousand 2-3 mm Kumamoto Oyster seed. They are sent from the hatchery to East Sequim Bay to grow to 12mm, at which point they are shipped to farms such as the Hama Hama tideflats on the Hood Canal. Nate is based out of Kona and, with his wife, Melissa, took Adam and Emmett out on their boat.

THERE WERE other photos, more waves, but I should also mention the boar was shot, by Adam. The way Adam told me, “So, Brian tells me, ‘the boar’s gonna charge you, but he’ll stop short. When he does, you have to shoot him right between the eyes. One shot. These guys eat twenty-two bullets like candy.’ It did… stop. I shot. Boom.”

BRIAN works for HAWAIIAN SHELLFISH on the Hilo side. Hama Hama also buys seed from them.

If I got any of this wrong, sorry.

MEANWHILE, look for waves when you can, and, if you find them, surf them. I am totally planning on restoring my HOBIE, which I did purchase from Adam Wipeout, like six or seven years ago, and, no Adam, I did pay it off.

Here’s something I got as a comment from someone who identified as FRANK LEE DARLING: “Those Cristians (sic) who can’t seem to not follow the sunburned turd should realize there not part of the flock, they’re part of the mob. Hope you get what I’m saying, Dude.” Not political, Frank, not sure if you’re talking about ALEX KNOST. No need to write back to explain.

IF YOU’RE CRUISING up or down SURF ROUTE 101, you might as well check out HAMA HAMA OYSTERS. If you have access to the internet, might as well check realsurfers.net on Sundays and Wednesdays. Not, like, dawn patrol.

Oh, yeah…maybe… WHAT?! REALLY? NOOO!

Posted on by under surf trips

With summer comes a more than usual lack of swell, everywhere. Usually. The season Ialso brings road construction, No, I don’t really have to surf-splain that to you. We all check the same forecasts, dream the same dreams of wave after wave after… yes, and then something like traffic, and traffic accidents, and road closures for construction and mowing and cleaning road signs.

SO, we alter our plans.

Not that we want to. I check the forecasts, Trish checks road conditions. It isn’t like she tries everything she can to dissuade me from surfing, always mentioning how the next swell isn’t the last one, that it just seems like it. The argument has never, for me, held water.

SO, while I’m altering and readjusting and trying not to buy in to the ‘next time’ dealio, particularly because I made promises to myself that ‘next time,’ I’m going, let me clue you in to what some of my surf friends are up to:

TRAVELING, Yes. Mexico, New Zealand, Oregon (even California), the far West End, surfers are hitting the road and the air to get into the water. I did manage to get invited on a road/hike/camp trip with some local Peninsula rippers; the invitation contingent on my not actually going (it’s the hiking/camping part, mostly, but sharing more waves with hungry, competitive, and aggressive surfers did play into the decision- plus, as always, work).

It’s not as if they wanted to wait for me on the trail or worry about whether a helicopter might be needed for getting me out… so, yeah, save yourselves, Rippers. But thanks for the sort of invite.

However, I can report that TOM BURNS, contemporary of mine, is on surfari in South Africa. Yeah, Jordy Smith territory, Cape Saint Francis land, Jeffry’s Bay. He did text that he was hoping to surf Cape Town. I did ask him to send photos.

While Tom texted that the elephants raised his adrenalin level, he wrote that the lion(ess, I have watched some ‘Wild Kingdom’) “came a little too close.” Now, I am trying to imagine Tom in the requisite safari gear; hat, jacket with way too many pockets, reeling back from the window on the bus.

Part of the imagery comes from having recently seen a video of the Florences in the bush, or outback, or game park/reserve, whichever is appropriate. John was, if I remember correctly, Ivan was barfing, Nathan was laughing. I just stuck Tom in there with them. Still, I’m imagining him soul arching away from the window.

I’M KIND OF THINKING I might see way too many friends the next time I find some waves. MAYBE you are frothed out. ME? Definitely.

THANKS for checking out “Swamis” on Wednesdays. I am going to try to set up a second page just for the manuscript. If I’m not mistaken, I think Chulo gets killed in the next installment.