Los Angeles, California: County Line

This leads us to our final destination, north county Los Angeles at a surf break called County Line. It's just north of Malibu and just south of the Ventura County. This place is famous for movie shots, especially for the restaurant that's right across the street from the beach called "Neptune’s Net". One of my favorite movies was filmed there, "Point Break" with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Anyway, this surf break is predominately a right hander, so if you’re looking at the wave from the beach, it's actually breaking towards the left. We call it a right hander because the surfer is actually going right. Other than the restaurant, there aren't many homes in the area, but when the surf is good, there are hundreds of people in the water. This place is truly beautiful, it's definitely a nice getaway from the L.A. suburbs. The drive on HWY 1 up the coast is another reason why I make the adventure to County Line as much as I can.

San Clemente, California: Trestles

When I got back from Indonesia, there was a swell heading for southern California, so I decided to head down to San Clemente to surf one of the best surfing breaks in California, trestles. I usually camp out at San Clemente State Park, which is a 20 minute walk to trestles. Trestles lies in the San Onofre State Park, so there are several ways of access. If you walk, expect at least 20 minutes, but most people either ride a bike or skateboard to save some time. There are several trails that you can take as well, so it's quite an adventure. Since I was camping at the San Clemente State Park, the easiest way to trestles was to walk alongside the beach on the train tracks. It can be quite scary too, especially when the Amtrak train comes flying by every half hour or so. Trestles is an "A frame" type of wave, so when it breaks, it leaves both sides of the wave available to surfers. This is what makes this wave so popular. The only problem with trestles is the crowd, even during the work week, if the waves are good, it's going to be challenging to get one.

Bali, Indonesia: Nusa Lembongan

Hey!

After surviving the surf at scar reef, my next destination was Nusa Lembongan, a small island just off of Bali. The population is a few thousand, and most of the people that live there are seaweed farmers. When the tide is low, they take their canoes and pick their crop. They use huge baskets that probably weigh about 80 lbs each when filled, and they carry one basket on each side of a bamboo stick (which they carry behind their head) from the shore to their huts. It really is something to see. They eventually lay the seaweed out to dry, and then sell it. It will then be processed and sold for cosmetic purposes. In the end, the local people end up making about 10 dollars a month while the companies that sell it in the states make millions. Something doesn't seem right. Anyway, Nusa Lembongan is also known for its good surf breaks. While I was there with my outreach group, we decided to conduct a surf contest for the local kids at one of the surf breaks called playgrounds, hence the name. The wave is not too big or too small, it's the perfect size to have a great time with your friends. It seems as if it's machine made. I also surfed with the kids, but I was mostly a coach. I had two kids on my team, Komang and Cadek. Our team ended up in 2nd place, and at the end of the day we handed out goody bags and certificates to each kid. These kids were sooo happy! It felt rewarding because these kids are very poor, and they didn't have much at all. The surfboards they used were water logged, and some of them didn't even have shoes, so it felt good to give back. It was also gratifying because we as Americans have all the necessities to live comfortably, food, running water, clothes, a clean bathroom, etc. Many of us take these things for granted. It was just awesome to see a smile on these kids' faces.

Bali, Indonesia: Scar Reef, Lombok island

Hey everyone!
So my last post consisted of my first surf adventure in Indonesia, which was at Kuta Beach in Bali. My second adventure was on the island of Lombok at a surf destination called "scar reef". Yes, there is a reason for the name, the reef at this spot is pretty sharp, and when the waves get big, there's a lot of wipeouts. The consequences of wiping out here is not something to look forward to. This day I was pretty scared to say the least. This was the biggest surf I have ever been in in, it was a consistent 6 to 8 feet with the occasional, "oh crap" (10ft) set that came through. I survived this day, but I did get caught on the inside, which is something every surfer tries to avoid. It's basically when your paddling out to where the waves are breaking, and several waves (a set) decide to break or crash in front of you just before you can safely get over them or under them. The wave essentially crashes right on your head. The waves this day were very powerful so when that wave crushed my heart and soul, I was immediately washed onto shore, or in this case, the dry reef. Remember, this is a tropical island, so there wasn't beautiful white sandy beaches at this particular spot, it was flesh slicing reef. I paddled for dear life back out and around the channel to one of the boats, and I finally made it after 20 minutes of relentless paddling and a heart rate of 200. It was definitely an adventure of a lifetime. I'm also glad I had the opportunity to surf or attempt to surf such big and beautiful waves. If anything, it built my confidence. I will never forget the day at scar reef.

Bali, Indonesia: Kuta Beach

So I went to Indonesia this past summer with an organization called Surfing The Nations. It's a non-profit humanitarian organization based out of Honolulu, Hawaii. I found out about this organization through my good friends Kevin and Christine. It was my first international trip, so I was super excited, yet nervous at the same time. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, I was traveling with 50 Americans to a third world country where the population is 95% Muslim. Out of 50 people, I knew Kevin and Christine, so it was something I never would have imagined myself doing in my entire life. Man, am I glad I went! This trip was filled with meeting new people, building and maintaining relationships, sharing stories with each other, meeting and helping the locals who are less fortunate, and ofcourse the surfing adventures! My first adventure took place on Kuta Beach in Bali, it's the main tourist attraction in Bali. This place is worse than New York City as far as population density. The first morning a few of us woke up just before sunrise to the smell of incense, we headed for the surf boats down the beach, paid 35,000 rupia ($3.50) and headed out to Kuta Reef. It was my first time surfing in a tropical destination. The water was soooo clear and warm! I was able to see the tropical fish swimming at my feet! It was truly amazing. The only thing I had to look out for was the reef itself, if you cut your feet it could lead to staph infection if it's not cleaned out properly. However, we had a great time, the surf was 2 to 4 feet, pretty small, but fun. Couldn't ask for anything better at that moment, I was in paradise!