A Personal Shortboard Revolution While many people are under the impression that longboards are only for beginners, those of us who have dedicated ourselves to the log know that it can be as technically impressive to ride as a high-performance shredstick.   From traditional noseriding to barrel rides and vertical snaps on a performance longboard, shapes over 9'0" look as good as they feel when they are under the feet of an accomplished surfer, and riding them is more often a matter of choice than necessity. But a time comes for many dedicated longboarders when they find that they want to add more variety and options to their quivers. Whether this means trying out mid-length single fins, retro fish, or high-performance boards, the transition to shorter boards takes a bit of getting used to. Surfer: @bettylou.sakura.johnson While it may seem pretty obvious, it’s worth mentioning that shorter boards typically paddle slower and ride faster and more responsive (or twitchy) than longboards. This is due to the decreased volume in the boards. Thus, when adding a shorter board to your quiver, be sure to take volume into account, since this will be the most noticeable change for you. Depending on your...

A note from HSS owner, David Kelly... In our Oct 2017 newsletter, Spencer Chang said that the MR Super Twin is by far the best board he's ridden—and that says a lot, because he's purchased a number of boards from us over the years. He said he liked the way the swallow tail felt. That reminded me of the Hayden Untitled I once rode. It was a friend's board, and I remember it actually had way too much float for me. The first wave I took off on was overhead, and I thought I was going to get pitched. But I remember the board just grabbed the wave and I was able to control the descent, and it had tons of drive down the line. I think part of the reason was that, just like Spencer said, the tail gives it lots of control. I found a lot of varying information online, but I ran into a few YouTube videos… and one that I thought was legit was how Michael Baron, a shaper at Quiksilver surfboards, explained the swallow tail. It was so good, I have decided to get an MR Super Twin or the Lost Sub Scorcher II!  For this...

Too often our obsession with surf can cause us to become myopic, and dare I saw a little selfish. We paddle out and want to make sure we get our waves, even if its at the expense of others in the lineup. And our fixation on waves can lead to deprioritizing relationships, responsibilities, and all sorts of other things that can end up suffering at the hands of our surf addiction. Fortunately, surfing also has a lot of good to offer, which is why we keep coming back to it day after day, year after year. And every once in awhile, we get the opportunity to let our surf obsession really make a difference. Right now is one of those opportunities. Many of us have probably dreamt of doing a surf trip to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, and Kandui Resorts is one of the most exclusive, expensive, luxurious resorts out there. Sadly, one of their former employees, Adek, recently gave birth to her baby nearly three months premature. The child has been interned in the neonatal unit at Rumah Sakit Ida dan Anak Bunda Hospital in Jakarta, where it has been on oxygen since birth. Early births such as...

  I’m on a surf trip in Iceland at the moment—that’s 66 degrees north, just a hair shy of the arctic circle. In other words, it’s cold. At the moment, the water is around 48 degrees, the air is a bit less, and the wind is ripping at a solid 40 knots. But it’s ripping offshore, which means that I’m doing multiple sessions per day. After all, the wind could turn tomorrow and it could be onshore for weeks—gotta get it while it’s good! Having grown up in Hawaii and spent 15 years on an island in the south Pacific, these temperatures are not exactly familiar to me. To say I am out of my element when completely inundated by the elements is an understatement. But if you want to see and surf the world, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. Fortunately, wetsuits are so good these days that it makes frigid surf zones much more hospitable. But sometimes thick rubber isn’t enough—especially if you are an island boy who isn’t used to traveling with neoprene. Here are a few extra tips that can come in handy in the colder latitudes—and that I’ve been...

Globetrotting surf legend Kanoa Dahlin had only one problem – his fins weren’t giving him the drive he knew that he was capable of. A North Shore native, Kanoa entered the pro surfing arena at just 21 years old. Although he has shredded the waters of over half the earth, he could not find a fin that fit both the riding condition and his style. So with the help of a few of his pro surfer friends, he took over the fin design scene himself. “I’ve been really lucky to have all my peers surf my fins because it helped with the production and development. Everyone is different sizes, heights, surfs differently and uses different kinds of boards. With their help, we were able to create designs for these fins that work well for all these different surfers regardless of where we went in the world.” – Kanoa Dahlin Imagine sitting front of the lineup with your friends on dawn patrol some beautiful Saturday. The perfect wave comes, you pop up with stoke, but the ride is just mediocre. Maybe you couldn’t get the right stability for the turns or the drive wasn’t quite strong enough. Maybe your skills have...

As we learned in Swells 101, waves are created by the action of wind across the surface of water. Once created, these waves travel through the water until they eventually decay and dissipate. But while they travel through the water, something interesting happens. Because raw, recently created waves are chaotic and disorganized, they tend to move at different speeds and in slightly different directions. Over long distances and long periods of time, the faster-moving waves catch up with the slower-moving waves, and these waves join together. After many hundreds and even thousands of miles of travel, these waves tend to group themselves into what we call “sets,” or groups of waves that are close together. Collectively, these sets of waves make up a swell, which is the total wave event created by a specific storm. photo credit: stormsurf.com This joining together of waves is quite interesting to surfers, sailors, and oceanographers alike. You see, as these waves join together, they become stronger and more organized—and the farther they travel, the more chance they have to catch up with other waves and join with them. So while a wave might decay and become “smaller” the farther it travels, it also becomes...

Dear bodysurfers, friends, family and Point Panic enthusiasts! With assistance from VISSLA, DaFin, Hawaiian South Shore & Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, we are proud to announce the annual POINT PANIC CLEAN UP will take place on Saturday, May 20th from 8:30am till 11:30am. See flyer for details.  Please Share via email, facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. This annual effort has proven to be the MOST significant community contribution to this location known for being the best bodysurfing wave in the world!  We will continue this effort to remove discarded plastics, styrofoam, cigarette butts, bottle caps, and other type of litter from this beautiful scenic location so that ALL people can enjoy this special place in Kaka'ako. This year, we will attempt to do our very best in removing the invasive "khaki" weeks also known as the evil KUKU weeds that are very painful to step on bare-footed (if you've lived in Hawaii for a while, you know EXACTLY what weed I'm talking about!).  Please bring with you a weeder or old screwdriver from home and gloves so that we, together, can remove ALL of these hazardous weeds in the area between the point panic shower and the Hawaiian garden area and possibly...

…LOST Carbon Wrap Technology …LOST surfboards have long been at the forefront of progress, but now they have taken an even bigger step into the future. The carbon wrap technology available on most boards is a patented surfboard technology that improves flex and performance, making boards snappier and more responsive. The idea originated with Gold Coast designer Dan MacDonald, and leads to lightweight boards that don’t sacrifice strength. It eliminates the need for a wooden stringer, and leads to advanced flex characteristics that make the board feel more alive. The carbon wraps from the bottom, along the rails onto the deck, and creates a rear foot power point. The carbon strips are strategically placed for optimum strength and drive, but avoid crossing the deck under the front foot, thereby allowing the deck to cave slightly and provide that familiar front foot indention. Because the carbon is tapered into long, narrow ends, the flex bends out naturally towards the tail and the nose, giving the board more snap. Flex has always been the holy grail of surfboards, and figuring out how to configure it properly is the difference between a magic board and a normal one. …Lost has cracked the code...

How to Repair Your Surfboard.. We recently ran into a blog post by Hayden Shapes and we thought you'd like to check it out which we posted below. We carry the SolarRez for EPS and Poly. It's really easy to work with. One very cool thing with the SolarRez is if you place it out in the sun for half the cure time and bring it back into an area without any UV light it will stop curing and it becomes like a rubber material. What's useful about this is you can use a razor blade to shape it, then stick it back out in the sun and let the UV finish hardening the SolarRez....We hope that small tip will help with nose and tail dings. Well below is the post from Hayden Surf. December 21 2016   Guide: Quick Board Repair On The Run   Words by Beau Flemister with contributions from Hayden Cox. A Quick Guide to Ding Repair on the Run No one likes board dings and this time of the year, holiday season, is the worst for it.  And they can happen in a number of ways whether they're your fault or not. Like letting your niece...

WHO IS BRINK SURFBOARDS Donald Brink, 34, was born and raised in South Africa. He started surfing at the age of 15 after his family relocated to the coast, and quickly developed a fascination for surfboard design and dynamics. After a few years of observing in the shaping room, Donald gained the confidence in 2005 to wield a planer for the first time. Today he continues to hone his craft, while taking the art of shaping down some unconventional paths. Donald looks at each board as an extension of the rider’s feet, building each custom board according the surfer’s stance. His asymmetric concepts promote a more free and forgiving functionality — with careful consideration given to the interactivity and limitations of the foot, ankle pivot and weight distribution.  “Asymmetry for me makes for accurate and enjoyable surfing with ease on the smallest of canvases. Every shape is infused with careful attention to detail in all functional elements. Water flows in a simple way; so should the hydrodynamic concepts in your board’s shape. My goal is to achieve harmony between design and function rather than having elements oppose one another.” A staunch believer in hand shaping, Donald strives to empower a...