pronoparadiso - Aus thing Oct 5

[bgreen]

I was asked if I was going to this - no idea whose idea it is.

https://www.facebook.com/pronoparadiso

[rodndtube]

I just watched the video on Prono Paradiso (https://vimeo.com/76499024) and the statement that continues to blow my mind goes something like this... with a surf mat, paipo or other prone device you don't need a perfect wave." Damn! Who said you need a perfect wave to ride a longboard or shortboard??? The flip side of the assertion as to why riding a paipo is so cool is you can ride one in any trashy wave and have a great time. Sounds more like a state of mind. To me crappy waves is when you take out the longboard or shortboard!

[Nels]

I think the video and maybe the event...espouses what I consider a disconnect from contemporary surf culture ( "surf culture" - ). Apparently the event was on the Gold Coast of OZ...it's been decades since I've been to Queensland but that has to be a pressure-cooker in the water now. It must rival California as far as competition for waves; maybe worse since they have better weather and warmer water. In most of my former haunts if you blow a wave nobody will cut you any slack for the rest of your session. The classic Ventura County internet jackass admonishes anybody who wipes out as being a kook or unfit...it's less fun to listen to those donkeys bray in the water.

Face it - in crowded conditions surfing is no longer any fun...the average douchebag starts getting angry at home, on the road, getting ready, paddling out...and then the Hate Parade starts in earnest. If you are dripping money out every orifice you leave your home breaks for foreign escapes. My guess is that a lot of nice people of all ages see riding pronecraft as a chance to cut loose from the pathetic wealth-obsessed arrogance of modern surfing and have a good time!

Hmmm...guess I need to wash the soap off my feet here...

Nels

[SJB]

Hmmm.....perhaps C Street is an attitude demarcation line between Ventura North and South. I don't do C Street or Rincon....even mid-week because of the crowd.....but I find the majority of surfers North of C Street to be of good cheer and practicing good surf etiquette. There are occasional exceptions but the majority typically calls BS on them. Maybe it is my gray hair that disarms them?
Every time I suggest Santa Barbara is Central Coast rather than South.....the geographers on this Forum call me out. Central Coast attitude then....and with over 50 years in these waters I can say that with a modicum of authority.

[Nels]

Notice I said "former haunts" ...most of the places I spent most of my earlier surfing time on are now cesspools of surf species feces, ill-bred and ill-mannered humans who from a growing distance seem intent on creating a picture of Malibu in 1954 with them being heros and legends. A laughable enterprise at best. Even the venerable Mondos has become choked with flotsam and jetsam - from Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. When grown men and women localize a playground sandbox, something is seriously amiss.

In fairness most people are alright though. It just takes one turd in the punchbowl to put me off, however. I've never developed the taste for that kind of action, and I could never see the value in stapling blinders onto my skull to keep the ugly bits out of sight. I came from a time when things were dealt with more directly and I lack the odd restraint of the contemporary hockey fans who call each other out in the stands, apparently in silent agreement that they won't actually do anything that would inhibit their return to work the next morning. So I too just avoid the stink whenever possible.

In my universe the 805 area code was Central Coast...Monterey County and Santa Cruz are so close to SF that they have always seemed removed. I can see how others may look at a map and think we're insane. I dimly recall oceanographers considering Pt. Conception as being the line between Northern and Southern California for some reason. Looking at that one on a map doesn't make sense either. The southern end of an 805 line runs roughly from County Line or Mugu inland...one can consider the northern/western terminus of the Santa Monica Mountains to be a good geographical marker. The ocean is colder and the land had traditionally been more agricultural - the vibe rural rather than urban. Everything is in flux now, of course, and the question is how it ends up.

Nels

[jbw4600]

Rod, I agree there is an idea in the surf media and world that prone surfing is for when the waves aren't good enough to standup surf or that prone surfing for "Womping" and getting quick little drops. This is what other paipo sites seem to promote. This site is great, because it all about developing the best in Paipo boards and maximizing the utilization of wave transmitted kinetic energy (getting great rides in all types of surf).

[bgreen]

I was going to let all this slide - I'm the guy showing how a short itako board could cause great injury.

I didn't read too much into the paipo small/crap wave dialogue but did feel the lack of surfing perpetuated the small wave/hipster angle. Clearly the photographer/film-maker has far greater skills than I and the guy (Neil) went out of his way to organise this has to be given some credit but the whole thing has got a lot more circulation than what it was. In the end there were a few of us on the beach talking about surfing.

Nels (good to hear from you). The Gold Coast remains crowded, but there are windows and spots where you can still get some good waves without too much crowd. Snapper at 4' on a Sunday morning or the first waves in weeks will draw out the masses. A lot of people rely on the surf forecasts and they can get it wrong, so knowledge of maps or watching conditions can give rewards. There are some spots I just don't bother with. These days most of my best surfs are elsewhere (unfortunately in cold water) but I still keep an eye out for the days when things might swing my way.

Bob

[soulglider]

i laughed when i saw that video. i always laugh at the new comers to any version of surfing or any other hobby/pastime/sport or however you refer to you thang, that trys and sound like heeshees the expert of all forms of this and that as in the movie, other "paipo" sites and self promoting morons who pretend they are the king/queen and founder of this and that, this site has those too. truth is, if these folks want to propagate that kind of idea of what paipo is, then great! less look at me fvks in the water that will get into it and we will remain the guys that truly know the richness of riding face first. i came to it just 10 years ago because my knees were blown and my back WAS bad (a lot better because of paipo/bellyboarding). no more kneeriding, no more standup. but i had this faint glint of memory, that of my brother and i sharing a broken longboard that we bellied back in the early sixties at twin lakes. that was the most fun i'd ever had in my life til then, til peer pressure took me to my feet. then after struggling with longboards for years in the late sixties/early 70's, some friends of mine loaned me a kneeboard and BAM! the positive regression began, it took 40 years but the evolution has come full circle and finally taken hold.

there are only boundary demarcations for those that care. i live in s.d. but am from s.c. i think of myself as nocal, cencal but never ever never think of myself as socal, never! s.b. cant be socal, yet. its too cool, but its starting to act like it...

p.s. being in s.d. i know i'm in a metropolis but, i do know 2 things one, I'm batman! and 2, if you ever want waves to yourself down here just walk down a few peaks from the most populated one and you'll be by yourself. if theres a parking lot at the end of the road to the beach, thats where the crowd is/will be. walk a half a mile and youre in de wilderness. aloha and MAts suck! hahahahahahahahahah

[bgreen]

Aloha - the world needs more of it.