California Crip!
Justin Cote
- January 21 2009
- 6,161 views
- 61 comments
After a wave-starved beginning to the year, the Pacific Ocean roars to life with back-to-back swells that focus directly on Central and Northern California. A huge photo gallery featuring Jordy Smith, the Gudauskas bros, Dusty Payne, Josh Mulcoy, Johnny Craft, Matt Rockhold, Homer Henard, Nic Lamb, and amazingly enough; chicks on the beach taking in all the action! It doesn’t get any better than this…
All photos by Dave “Nelly” Nelson and Damea Dorsey.
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January 21st, 2009 at 5:01 pm
sd sucked
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
so did yo momma
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
is shot #7 a photoshopped version of nic lamb’s cover shot. Geez, and I thought the cover was gay!! I am not trying to hate because I know the kid charges, but a barrel shot with that style should never be run again….
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Greetings from Ventura: FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
Don’t come film at our local breaks anymore Dorsey. This is how everyone here feels about that stunt you pulled last weekend.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 am
You guys really need to stay the fuck away from Oxnard and Ventura…next time we see anybody shooting/filming our breaks, we’ll fuck them up bad. No lie. Same with Santa Barbara–stay the fuck away or get your ass BEAT. we are fucking SICK of you surf media faggots exposing our spots!!!!
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
haha, i’m pretty sure surfLIE’s got aerial shots of lots of points and ‘unnamed’ breaks throughout ventura and santa barbara during the this swell. if you ask me that’s a bigger travesty to the secrecy of spots than a few photogs getting some decent action shots
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
cool shots of sandspit,rincon, and all the other” secret spots”. check it out on surfline.
Ventura has the best waves in the world next to Oxnard!If you guys dont support surf media why are you looking at this site?Did you not see any shots of yourself so your pissed?
January 24th, 2009 at 8:11 am
wow!! alot of negativity here. people know about these places, and have for 30 years.
take some of your energy and do something pro-active with it!!! you’re wasting it all whining and worrying about something that reall doesnt matter. theres alot of big problems, REAL problems with our world that deserve your attention more than this. Remember…. Its alot easier to be Negative than to stay Positive…Be different and take the tougher road
January 24th, 2009 at 10:37 am
You don’t understand the real issue here, nor do you understand the average surfer in the area. The point is that it is not at all necessary to shoot spots in such a way that very obviously exposes them to the hordes of incompetent masses that flood our breaks with their grabby and arrogant behavior. I like to look at pictures and videos UNTIL they expose what few little secrets we have left. The only thing that matters is the wave and the rider. Surfing is/was supposed to be for more intrepid souls, not for spoiled brats with limited imaginations who only go where the photos take them. If you knew the scene here at all you’d realize that on any given day the biggest, snakingest jerks are not the locals but the flailing barely capable tourists that we have the media to thank for (which is nothing these days). Looks like that “nut” in Santa Cruz was more right than wrong after all.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Here’s a little story for you Nelly. A couple of years ago I was surfing my home spot in VTA. A totally incompetent longboarder (whom I had never seen before or since) blatantly dropped in on me (or tried to - he couldn’t even get to his feet). He went cartwheeling off the back of his board which speared me hard enough in the stomach to send me flying. Had he hit my ribs instead of soft tissue I would have been headed to the hospital. He never apologized but instead gave me attitude when I confronted him. Moments later an older woman (who is quite skilled) who has been surfing the area for ages paddled up to me and thanked me for sounding the kook. She then told me how a similar incident left her with a permanent facial disfigurement that is quite prominent. This bullsh!t behavior has become the routine nearly every session now. Kooks, and the media that swells their egos with soft-serve romanticized imagery, are a very real problem nearly everywhere these days. More and more spots are looking more and more like 1st point Malibu and Lowers every year. Is that what we really want? The bottom line is that pictures don’t need to give away spots. The only thing that matters is the wave (and sometimes the rider) and that is all we need to see - NOT the location and/or name of it. IT DOES REALLY MATTER. IT IS AN ISSUE. Overcrowding anywhere leads to violence. Waves are a resource and the media needs to be protecting the resources, not exploiting it unnecessarily and shamelessly for the sake of a greasy buck and some punk’s ego trip. So, please take your hippy-dippy ignorance, pour it over a heaping slice of reality pie, and choke it down. Get real, “dude.”
January 24th, 2009 at 11:09 am
jeff, you have a point too. I never name the spots i shoot, and the few secrets ARE very valuable. I personally understand about dealing with spoiled brats as well.Most Surfers are very self centered, So Imagine how hard it is trying to
1. Line up a photo shoot with a group of surfers who all have a differrent opinions about where to go.
2. Find a spot that suits everyone
3. Try not to piss off locals with a crew of pros and a photog.
4. Not expose that spot.
5.Get a shot worth looking at that doesnt look like a 1000 others weve already seen!!!!
January 24th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Translation: Ventura (and many spots up and down the coast and world wide) has been completely over run by shameless ego tripping visitors and newbie surfers that don’t show any respect at all to the local population. The media gets rich off our anger and unhappiness and we are sick of it. Yes, people from out of town have the right to surf our spots (provided they have the skill appropriate for the break - which is increasingly rare) BUT blatant disregard for the essential etiquette, by both visitors and ESPECIALLY the media, is unacceptable and is generating a lot of negative heat here. The backlash is only just beginning and it is entirely justified. Yes, you can surf here. NO, you do not get to jockey and burn the locals and regulars who have earned their place in these lineups with time, commitment, AND SKILL (which most of you really lack). Learn the rules or stay out of the game.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:17 am
You’re right and they are taking heat for it.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:28 am
whoa guy!!!!!! first of all im no hippy, secondly, there are problems with overcrowding here too. lots of em. but i dont think it has to do as much with the media, as the fact that the
1. worlds getting more crowded as the population grows.
2. We are in close proximity to San Jose and San Francisco, As you are L.A. Camarillo and a million other towns in between.
Injuries suck, and if someone gets out of hand he needs to be sounded.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:36 am
p.s. i guarantee ive had more surf and skate injuries than you jeff.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I understand and appreciate your dilemma. However, at some point (and it seems that critical mass has nearly been achieved on this one) people in the industry and media have to consider whether the impact they are having is more negative than positive. Who and what are you really supposed to be serving (and protecting)? I personally know a number of the surfers that get coverage in this area and they are as bummed on the issue as they are partly responsible. It’s not an easy fix but this dialogue is crucial. All I can say is that you are gonna have to get creative (which is part of the job after all) because your shots are really gonna suck if they all have a local burning your poster boys in them, rendering them unpublishable - and the word on the street (and in the water) is that that is exactly what will start going down. No fun for anyone, really.
1. Your job is one of privilege, not of necessity.
2. The industry owes the surfer, not the other way ’round.
3. Most committed surfers could give a sh!t about the media, who sponsors who, etc., etc. (and this is especially true of this area despite - and in some cases IN spite of - the huge talent pool here)
4. Stop taking a “crew” of pros anywhere (other than some closeout with good lighting). More than two is totally inappropriate and grossly disrespectful.
5. I want this to be as fun-for-all as possible - not a free-for-all, which is what it has become thanks to the industry’s and media’s general disregard.
Thanks for responding. Like the song says, “We can work it out” but you guys have to show more initiative on the issue.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Point being? That you missed the point? This isn’t a push-up contest.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I know your area well. I lived in it for about 5 years. The great thing about your environment is that the elements are more hostile and the waves more demanding which does much to separate the men from the boys. That “luxury” rarely exists here. The waves here are more user friendly (and kook friendly) and far less consistent with more people in the area to exploit them. This area is far more sensitive and sensitized to the issue.
Yup, the world is getting more crowded. So do you really want to be responsible for unleashing the hordes of mindless “savages” on the beauty of the ocean without properly schooling them first?
The bottom line is that the media created this mess and is taking virtually no responsibility for it. You guys keep passing the ever more sizable burden on to us. Passing the buck on the debt you’re responsible for is total chickensh!t.
The industry needs to man up.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
i was joking about the injuries obviously. trying to make light of an ongoing issue that has more dilemmas than solutions.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I only laugh when it hurts. I laugh a lot these days.
No, seriously, I appreciate the humor.
Yup, it’s like whack-a-mole; for every solution achieved five more problems pop up.
I think what we need to start focusing on is PREVENTATIVE approaches. We should all work more to avoid creating the problems as much as possible to begin with.
This is an important dialogue and everyone needs to participate. Surfing is a community activity and all communities require active participation. The hermits and apathetics should move to a country where they don’t mind total government control.
January 24th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
gnarllllllllllly loc’s
January 24th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
anyone else notice the turd on rockhold’s board in pic 11?
January 24th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
jeff is a fag. stop whining on a comment box with a photog whos life kills yours. go beat some kook up or something pussy
January 25th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Yup, anonymous tough guy, I’m the whining fag pussy that is trying to create a constructive dialogue on a very real issue plaguing spots all up and down the coast. WTF are you doing other than running your punk mouth? Bitch.
January 25th, 2009 at 2:32 am
are you for real jeff you live in LA and your giving nelly a hard time stay down there. dont look at photos on here if you believe the way you do. people who look at photos but then complain about people like nelly taking photos it doesnt make sense. I really hope with all your complaining you have never bought a surf magazine.
January 25th, 2009 at 7:28 am
haha i just read that whole argument for some reason between jeff and nelly. jeff, log off this site, stop complaining, dont worry about something that is going to happen anyways, go move north of santa cruz so you can live stress free. You LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! You may live right on the beach but just imagine how many people dont live right on the beach here, dont have a chance to surf everyday, dont have time to practice, but still enjoy surfing for what it is, riding waves.
January 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am
You obviously didn’t pay very close attention to the argument or points made. You also don’t know anything at all about me or about the places I’ve lived that have given me the perspective I have - and that you don’t. Are you a part of the solution or the problem? Your fatalistic attitude about one of the biggest problems in surfing today doesn’t cut it.
You’re right, it is about riding waves. You apparently don’t comprehend that yourself.
January 25th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Tony
I do not live in L.A.
What doesn’t make sense is that you offer an opinion on an argument you didn’t pay much attention to. Typical.
I could have easily just launched into an epithet laden tirade threatening to punch out photogs and visiting surfers the way other bummed locals do. In my experience that just doesn’t work anymore. I’m attempting to create an intelligent dialogue over an increasingly problematic issue. If that’s too much for your feeble reactionary mind to handle then stay out of the argument, buy yourself a SUP, and have fun jerking yourself silly to the latest Laird surfploitation porno.
There is a fine line between making a living from what you love and pimping it out.
January 25th, 2009 at 11:11 am
yah thats a big crap
January 25th, 2009 at 11:13 am
yaaa bryce!!!!!!
January 25th, 2009 at 11:37 am
This ship of fools will run aground soon enough. You’re bringing it on yourselves. Can’t say you weren’t warned.
January 25th, 2009 at 11:50 am
so have you ever bought a surf magazine. if so think about it your buying into everything your complaining about.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
You still didn’t read the argument let alone get it. Are you really that stupid?
January 25th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Never mind. Judging from your atrocious grammar you’re either a child or you really are that stupid. Grow up, put up, or shut up.
January 25th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
why grow up it is good to be a kid, im done stay down south where u belong.
January 25th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
actually the thing you’re referring to on rockys board is a traction bar that he uses when his front foot moves up on his board. he needs these when he launches four foot stalefishes over people at
hi favorite little wedge down the street.
January 25th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Does anyone know where mike kew lives?
January 26th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
is that a threat?
January 26th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
The Ship Of Fools was ripping in peace and harmony all weekend! My advice to those whinging about crowds is to paddle harder. If they’re as big of kooks as you say they are, you should get plenty of waves. PS I heard Kew is the sole reason Rincon is crowded…it couldn’t be the staggering 33 million people who live in California.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
You don’t realize who you’re talking to, Cote. I lived in O’side for 6 years. Your boy Stone knows me well and I’m sure he can relate.
Why don’t you guys come up one weekend and see what we have to deal with here. This crap happened literally almost over night and the media exposure is directly at fault for it. This area may have great waves but they aren’t like having miles of surfable beach breaks. We don’t get swell as often as the rest of you.
Everyone on here would be singing a different tune if we all came down to your neck of the woods and choked out your line-ups with attitude and disrespect.
You know this tune rings true so what’s with the denial?
Paddle harder? That’s pretty obtuse.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
You win, Jeff. No more photos of anywhere in Ventura County. I’m sure that’ll alleviate the crowds we ALL suffer from.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
It’s a prophecy - one that you guys are making self-fulfilling.
You’re still not hearing the argument, Cote.
I have friends in the industry (some of whom you know), I buy product, I have this and other sites bookmarked. There is a place for all things but all things need to be mindful of their place - neither you nor I am exempt.
The issue is one of balance and respect - of finding the happy medium.
It isn’t necessary to expose sensitive locations. In one season most of this area’s breaks went from usually uncrowded and enjoyable to radically overcrowded and miserable and the media is directly responsible.
I moved to California from Oahu (a place none of you would dare piss on so why is it cool to do so here?) many years ago, have lived from O’side to S.F. and places in between (I have lived a couple of years inland as well and relate to that frustration). Through all of this I have watched line-ups in all of these places take a pounding from unnecessary over-exposure.
You guys bear the brunt of the responsibility.
The playground is ours, not yours alone to mindlessly and selfishly profit from.
I’m not into butting heads, I’m into solution-oriented dialogue. I’m getting the feeling I may be among the few.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
This isn’t a contest. What are you, ten?!? Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that the guys who threatened you over the same issue and threw out epithets are taking no heat at all while I, in an attempt to generate thoughtful dialogue, am getting attacked on all sides?
Everyone talks about taking the high road but who here is actually doing it?
You guys still live in Plato’s cave. Crawl out already and start using the brains you’ve been given.
Enough with the infantile knee-jerk responses.
Manning up doesn’t mean just charging hard, it means growing up and acting like a man.
There is a win/win. What’s with the reluctance? You’re still gonna get a paycheck.
BTW, the crowds in your area (with few exceptions) are nothing like what we’ve been dealing with here these days. I know ’cause I still get down there enough to see it.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
jeff thanks for the entertainment
January 26th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
You’re starting to get it, Tony.
January 26th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
jeff is my friend on facebook
he;s kind of like the new Charles Bear
January 26th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Great. You found out how to get rid of me. Have fun looking at my snake wake next time you pass through town.
Later.
January 27th, 2009 at 5:17 am
surfing SUCKS. DON’T DO IT!!!!!!
January 27th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
ha ha. keep up the good commentary, you rule BEAR, but that’s funny that you know who he is.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Good Work Damea and Nelly You guys kill it keep up the good work.-Ryan
January 28th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
wow this whole conversation is amusing and entertaining to say the least. Jeff you may have made some valid points, but trying to save the world on the TWS photo feature response is pretty moranic (despite the big and fancy words you use). Born in Santa Cruz in 1985 and bobbing in the lineup by 1993, I missed the pristine and legendary days of crowd free surf, which grizzled and eggy carps will remind me of everytime I paddle out with anyone besides myself. Santa Cruz, as a figure in the surf industry, has been blown out, so I have never had to really worry about it. A picture of Rat doing a nose pick at the Lane doesn’t prompt me to email Transworld Surf and rave about how they’re ruining my life. Santa Cruz is such a hotbed of talent and creativity that there’s no way to avoid it’s prominence in pretty much every mainland surf mag. The one thing i’d like to mention here is that I understand where the negativity comes in. I happen to know quite a bit of talented surfer’s in the highly photographed “secret” spots south of Santa Cruz, and they are getting really pissed off. It’s not the fact that their breaks are being over-run with donkey’s who saw the break in a surf mag, its the fact that they themselves are never invited to be a part of such said shoots. I can understand both sides. For guys like Nelly, these underexposed and unsponsored surfer’s offer little incentive to shoot. For the surfers, this is a bit of a slap in the face, coming down to their surf habitat and not letting its regulars in on the action. This is not always the case, but these are the frustrations that I have been hearing from my personal friends. Nelly is also my good friend, and i understand why he does what he does as well. I also know that Nelly uses a respectful and professional approach when he goes out to scout out locations, and he’s aware of the risks he takes when shooting “secret” spots. However, the whole situation is touchy and people are bound to get pissed off. No one here has the right to claim any surf spot, not me, not Transworld, not Nelly, and especially not “Jeff”. When the sun is out in Jan, the waves are firing, and girls are loosing clothes, why bitch about crowds? Be stoked that your alive and able to enjoy the ocean!
January 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I know I said I was done but this one begged for it.
1) If you’re gonna call me “moranic” you have to make sure you spell the insult (especially when it’s one directed at intelligence) correctly, moron.
2) You seem to have missed the basic tenets of my argument almost entirely - meaning you really didn’t get it.
3) Saving the world? WTF is that?
4) I’m not claiming anything, your reading comprehension sucks. Clearly I expect too much from surfers (which isn’t much to begin with) on the whole.
5) I’m stoked to be alive but with every passing season “enjoying the ocean” is becoming exponentially more difficult - if not down right impossible. How long before it is just plain impossible? From what I’m seeing, not long. “Enjoying” and “surfing” are on the fast track to becoming oxymorons. What are YOU gonna do about that? How bad will it have to get before you grow the balls to take a meaningful and constructive stand?
6) “jeff” is my real name. I don’t hide.
7) Taking the path of least resistance (and persistence) is not working for surfers (or Americans). Apathy is not what made this country a better place to live - but it is what is wrecking it.
Surfers (and this argument is applicable to most Americans) are pissing away the greatest thing in the history of the world.
Like the song says: “Are you part of the problem or part of the solution/ What’s your contribution to life?”
F%$ing fence sitters.
[(And the words I use are the ones that occur naturally to me because I do what most surfers have a mortal terror of - It's called R-E-A-D-I-N-G). Books and dictionaries are your friend, folks. Give them a shot.]
January 29th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
first of all, my response wasn’t directed entirely to you “jeff”. i just used your name because I noticed that you were the one person who couldn’t just leave the damn argument alone. And as far as my grammar, gimme a fuckin break dude. I have a bachelor’s degree in history from UCSC and have written quite a bit during my studies, so I don’t need you to lecture me on that one. furthermore, i don’t edit or think twice about Spulling on dis hur sight maan. You keep talking about solutions and calling everyone fence sitter’s, yet you haven’t proposed a single plausible idea in which our surf breaks can become more uncrowded. Are you suggesting banning all surf related media which may entice beginners to paddle out? do you suggest photog’s using paint shop to get rid of recognizable back drops? should nelly start taking pictures of ants or birds or something? all i know is yah, the crowds are getting out of hand, and you do make a number of extremely good points, but I don’t understand your endless tirade. Like you said, the crazy guy from santa cruz might have had a point, so what are you gonna do about it? whinge on TWS surf forum’s? since your so well read and learned i suggest you write a book or create a documentary on the subject, it might get your point across better.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
you didn’t get the humor.
January 30th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Im just gonna keep doing what I do, and try to have fun doin it. Whether its surf, skate golf, shoot photos of pro surfers. shoot photos of my daughter riding her new bike, shoot photos of whatever i want. Im just a normal dude. Im not trying to fuck anyone over or ruin the world. Im not trying to exclude anyone either. I got a funny email the other day wondering why i never shot this guy or that guy from down south of here. Well, Not only have i never met these guys, but they’ve never called to introduce themselves either. how am i supposed to shoot them??? Im pretty open to helping people out but its impossible to shoot something ya cant see. Im over the drama and politics. I just love surfing, and the ocean!!!!!!
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Atta Boi nelly! That’s the way to look at it! FUCK THE DRAMA. HATERS WILL HATE, LEGENDS WILL DEMONSTRATE!
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:32 am
Ur not hating? you are a maggot and that cover was legit! those 3 shots arent great on here but i dont think you have gotten any mag play jbone? lick a big fat westside dick!
February 4th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
spoken like a legend in his own mind
February 6th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
You PRICKS need to play golf everyone sucks! Everyone sucks at golf, and yet they love it! thats how surfing should be .
You ever see yourself on video swearing you were fucking shredding the hell out of the surf ,only to realize that you look like a kook, or ya got tubed but really just lip to da head!
yep reality suck what can you do!
What does timmy,dane, chris or tom have to say about the problem?
February 13th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Anonymous again??? You are a goon who cant even claim your own comments cause theyre so lame