My son Robin had been counting down the weeks. I’m not sure how far in advance you can actually reserve a site but, it was some time back… and the week finally came. Our annual surf and camp trip.

Last year we scored a great session. There was a small swell and we got it one day with just a couple other guys. This year there was a bigger swell and we were there on the peak day. It was crowded but there as enough surf to go around.

The last day of the swell we thought we’d get up at first light and get the place to ourselves again but we slept in a little too long. There were just a couple guys in the water which was nice but the tide had dropped to much by the time we got to the beach. We surfed for awhile but had to give it up because the kelp on the dropping tide was making things do difficult. I think I lost 3 set waves because my feet got tied up in the kelp when I turned around to take off… stuck while the wave passed me by.

So that wave time continuum thing that we all have that is filled with the memories of great rides and surf sessions has a new entry for me. The peak day of the swell we got some good surf. One wave in particular for me… probably the largest wave I’ve ever ridden at that spot. The place usually closes out when the waves have faces of 8 feet or better. The one I got I thought for sure it would close out but I turned around and stroked into it… taking my chances. I think maybe the first three or four waves of the set filled in the reef with enough water so the wave held up all the way down the beach.

So that was last Wednesday and I can still see the waves of that set. I missed a couple of them. I stroked into one looked over the edge but thought I wouldn’t make the drop. Backed off, turned around to see another one coming. Stroked out side a little farther as the wall stood up in front of me, turned around and was scooped up on one of the waves of the day. And I still remember thinking after taking the drop and turning off the bottom that I’d see, just down the line, the wave pitching over and closing out. But no, it stood right up for me all the way down the beach.

I straightened out way down the beach and cruised into to sand. Walked out of the water and said to the guy standing on the sand that was watching “ I don’t think I’ll get another like that so I’ll call it quits for now”.

D.R.

Cone Head and the Barbarian after dawn patrol and breakfast.

Wetsuits drying while I work on our lantern

If you had deep pockets…

And, you wanted to move into a market it might be best to bet against the competition when the market is in a recession.

Why? Because if there are only a couple of local stores that you would be competing with they may not be able to whether the business down turn especially if competition comes into the area and takes some of the market share that has already gotten thin because of the business climate. Having deep pockets could allow you to operate at a loss until the market turns around. If the local stores can’t keep their doors open you end up with all the market in the end.

Lets take Ventura, a smaller town known for it’s surf. A local surf community and a destination spot for inland surfers. There are retail locations very close to the beach so everyone that comes into town as well as the locals can stop by the surf store and not have to go very far from the beach… in the case of Ventura only a block or two.

The big brand companies in surfing have deep pockets. Even though they have local stores that have been faithful retailers for them for years they can and do move into a market and in the case of Ventura could quite possibly squeeze enough market share so as to make the local long established stores struggle to remain open.

It seems that it’s pretty much only a numbers game to the big brands. They want to grow, open new stores based on numbers. I read a book last year about the corporate CEO and how they have changed from seeing their companies as people and families that are loyal workers and innovators that make the company what it is that not only make a profit for their share holders but gives value to the stock that the share holders have, to just a numbers game. There was a quote from a CEO of a multi billion dollar company that said ‘it was the companies moral obligation to make money for it’s share holders”.

Personally I think that’s mess up. As well, if the big brand surf companies move into areas like Ventura with little or no consideration for the local surf community other than what it will do to their own numbers... God help us.

D.R.