Now in its third incarnation, A Great Day in the Stoke, the largest gathering of Black surfers on the planet, returned to the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday, September 14. The brainchild of Nathan Fluellen, the event first got underway in 2022 as a way to bring Black and African American surfing communities together. Today, it’s turned into a full movement that attracts hundreds of surfers and offers so much more than just a another surf contest.
Created in the aftermath of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, along with other race-based issues, A Great Day in the Stoke was intended to get people together and bring something positive to the beach. Inspired by A Great Day in Harlem in 1958 and a Great Day in Hip Hop in 1998, the initial running of A Great Day in Stoke saw over 500 people show up.

​A little bit surf contest, a little bit beach party, as well as part health and wellness festival and community gathering, there really was something for everybody going down at A Great Day in the Stoke. On the surf side, there were events for shortboard, longboard and groms.
​Hawaii’s Julian Williams was on hand to successfully defend his shortboard title, and won the longboard title. Sahara Faye won the women's longboard, edging out last year's winner, Farmata Dia and Monik Santos won the shortboard. Logan Moss won the boys grom.
There were free surf lessons for anyone looking to dip a toe in the water for the first time, beach yoga and a double dutch competition.

For more information: click here

​For almost a century, the automobile has been much more than a mere mode of transportation, but rather an extension of its owner's personality with its style and panache.  The auto makers sought to capitalize on America's thirst for style and power in providing sleek and faster cars which pandered to the public's desire to have their car reflect their own self image.  Ever changing designs, brighter colors and engine size contributed to the symbolic nature of the automobile for its owner.

​As an extension of the goal of making your car an extension of your personality or self-image is the specialty license plate.  Usually connected to a charity or state agency, the specialty license plate provides the quintessential "win win" dynamic in that the vehicle owner can both help a legitimately good cause and own a license plate make a social statement to those who see it, or maybe just look cool with its colors and design.

​In California, a new specialty plate has been approved which boldly touches all of those bases.  It is the Endless Summer specialty license plate, which incorporates the theme from Bruce Brown's iconic Endless Summer movie from the 1960's.  The exquisite design of the plate, with its bright yellow background and setting sun, evokes imagery of California's pristine beaches, beautiful sunny days and sport of surfing and embraces the California state of mind.  Because funds from the sale of this specialty license plate help fund California's Coastal Conservancy, which promotes and protects the public's access to California's beaches, anyone who purchases the plate not only gets to display the beautiful and radiant plate on their car, but also promotes the many goals of that wonderful state agency.

The legacy of Endless Summer is that it is more than a movie of youth, oceans and the pursuit of the perfect wave.  It is symbolic of an optimistic state of mind reflecting sunny days, summer breezes and beautiful vistas.  You can help preserve California's coast and project a sunny and optimistic statement for your car or motorcycle.    For more information as to how you can register for the presale, click here.

The proposed Endless Summer license plate has been awaiting final visibility testing by CHP for over 3 months.
California Code of Regulations, 13 CACode of Regs, 160.04, requires:
(4) The design must meet the following standards after testing by the Department of California Highway Patrol (CHP):
(A) The registration number must be clear and legible to a person with 20/20 vision in daylight from a distance of 75 feet, and in darkness with low-beam headlamps from 75 feet; and
(B) The registration number must be able to be accurately perceived by Automated License Plate Reader technology in use in California from a distance of 35 feet at daytime, dusk and nighttime.

​In 1966, footage of Mike Hynson walking atop his longboard debuted in theaters across the world. Alongside Robert August and filmmaker Bruce Brown, Hynson’s globe-trotting in 'The Endless Summer' helped establish a precedent of surf exploration that has lasted nearly 60 years later.

The San Diego surfer and shaper enjoyed a different kind of trek when he became inducted into Huntington Beach’s Surfing Walk of Fame, along with Surf Pioneer Bing Copeland, Surfing Champion Felipe Pomar, Local Hero Jeff Deffenbaugh, Surf Culture Doug Warbrick & Brian Singer (Rip Curl Founders), and Woman of the Year Sally Fitzgibbons.
To commemorate the induction, John van Hamersveld, who designed 'The Endless Summer' poster, was commissioned to produce a work of art.

​California beaches had excellent water quality in summer 2021, according to the thirty-second annual Beach Report Card that environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay released today. Heal the Bay assigned “A-to-F” letter grades for 500 California beaches in the 2021-2022 report, based on levels of fecal-indicator bacterial pollution in the ocean measured by County health agencies. In addition, the group ranked water quality at 35 freshwater recreation areas in Los Angeles County for summer 2021 and shared findings from the third annual River Report Card.

The good news is 94% of the California beaches assessed by Heal the Bay received an A or B grade during summer 2021, which is on par with the five-year average.
Even so, Heal the Bay scientists remain deeply concerned about ocean water quality. Polluted waters pose a significant health risk to millions of people in California. People who come in contact with water with a C grade or lower are at a greater risk of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections, and rashes. Beaches and rivers usually have high-risk water quality following a rain event. Less rain typically means that reduced amounts of pollutants, including bacteria, are flushed through storm drains and rivers into the ocean. Last year, rainfall across coastal counties in California was 24 percent lower than the historical average. Only 66% of California beaches had good or excellent grades during wet weather, which was a little above average, but still very concerning.
“A day at the beach and the river shouldn’t make anyone sick,” said Tracy Quinn, President and CEO of Heal the Bay. “It is wonderful news that most beaches in California have good water quality for swimming. But there are areas with poor water quality that need improvement and infrastructure upgrades. We can’t forget that our marine ecosystems are still threatened by the climate crisis and other pollution sources, and we need solutions to address these pressing issues as well. We expect people to increasingly seek out ocean shorelines and freshwater swimming holes to cool off as temperatures rise, so safe, clean, and healthy water is needed now more than ever.”
Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card and River Report Card provide access to the latest water quality information and are a critical part of our science-based advocacy work in support of strong environmental policies that protect public health.

The full report can be downloaded here.

A Southern California beach that had been closed since an undersea pipeline leaked crude into ocean waters last week is set to reopen Monday, officials announced Sunday night.
City and state beaches in Huntington Beach will reopen after water quality tests revealed no detectable levels of oil associated toxins in the ocean water, the city of Huntington Beach and California State Parks said in a news release. They are still urging visitors to avoid areas that smell of oil and not to touch any oiled materials that wash ashore.
That news will likely please surfers and beach-goers like Richard Beach, who returned to the waves in Huntington Beach with his bodyboard — until lifeguards jet skis chased him out on Sunday. He trekked back across the beach, passing workers in hazmat suits tasked with clearing the sand of sticky, black blobs that washed ashore after the spill.

“The water’s perfect,” said Beach, 69. “Clear all the way to the bottom.”
Huntington Beach and nearby coastal communities have been reeling from last week’s spill that officials said sent at least about 25,000 gallons (95,000 liters) and no more than 132,000 gallons (500,000 liters) of oil into the ocean. It was caused by a leak about 5 miles (8 kilometers) off the coast in a pipeline owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy that shuttles crude from offshore oil platforms to the coast.
The spill was confirmed on Oct. 2, a day after residents reported a petroleum smell in the area. The cause is under investigation and officials said they believe the pipeline was likely damaged by a ship’s anchor several months to a year before it ruptured. It remains unknown when the slender, 13-inch (33-centimeter) crack in the pipeline began leaking oil.
On Sunday, there was no smell of oil and the sand looked largely clear by the Huntington Beach pier, where workers combed the sand for tar. But local officials worry about the environmental impact of the spill on wetlands, wildlife and the economy. With the ocean off limits in the community dubbed Surf City USA, relatively few people were at the beach and shops that cater to them have been hurting.
Officials in the city of 200,000 people have been testing the water to ensure it’s safe for people to get back in and said they’ll continue the testing for at least two more weeks.
Since the spill, residents have been allowed to walk on the sand in Huntington Beach but not on the shoreline or enter the water, and parking was blocked off for nearby state beaches. Popular surfing and swimming spots in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach have also been closed.

In Huntington Beach, shops selling everything from bikinis and stars-and-stripes boogie boards to sand toys and fishing gear have been taking a hit. Marian Johnson, who owns “Let’s Go Fishing” on the pier, said sales have been halved since the spill.
Mike Ali, who owns the nearby shop Zack’s, said since the water closure he had to shut three of his four locations and slash his workers’ hours. People are coming in for bike rentals and food to his one store that remains open, but without surf lessons, event catering and beach bonfires, business has tanked 90%, he said.
“It could be a year to two years to get the tourism to come back,” Ali said, adding that a 1990 oil spill wound up diverting would-be visitors to beaches south and north of the city.
Rich Toro, 70, still took his regular 25-mile (40 kilometers) bike ride down to Huntington Beach on Sunday. But he said he wouldn’t race to get back into the water in light of the spill and worries about the impact on wildlife. Since the incident, officials have reported 38 dead birds and nine dead fish, while 27 oiled birds have been recovered and are being treated.
On Sunday morning, only a handful of people played beach volleyball in Huntington Beach while a few others did exercises or laid on the sand.
But the water closures didn’t deter everyone. While fishing is barred along the shore of virtually all of Orange County, Michael Archouletta, 29, said he came down from East Los Angeles and saw no signs on the pier preventing him from dropping a line. A school of fish swam beneath the pier nearby.
“If this was so dangerous, the fish would be dead,” Archouletta said.

Story published by AP - click here for full article

From Carlsbad-based documentary filmmaker Brooks Venters comes the film "Finding a Way". It's a biographical documentary exploring the life of Pete Gustin, a world-renowned blind voiceover artist, surfer, and Youtuber. The 26 minute documentary follows Gustin's life from childhood to present, and documents the major challenges he's faced due to his blindness.
"Finding a Way" premiered on January 26 on Pete Gustin's self-run "Blind Surfer" Youtube channel. It's the only channel produced, shot, and edited by a blind person. 
The documentary release comes on the heels of an exceptional year for Gustin. He won two Voice Arts Awards from The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences: Outstanding Movie Trailer of the Year for the film "Unhinged", and Outstanding TV Promo of the year for the TV show "Archer". His new Youtube channel has reached over 10,000 subscribers. He also got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Maggie Carpenter. Gustin boasts a storied voiceover career and has been heard on ESPN, Fox, Fox News, CBS, ABC, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, FXX and many major movie trailers. The documentary is both a documentation and a celebration of Pete's journey and accomplishments.
"Blind Surfer" Pete Gustin said: "I'm super excited about this documentary. It captures the full extent of the challenges I've faced due to my blindness. I've had other media outlets cover my voiceover career and my surfing separately, but this is the first piece that covers it all. It captures the true message that I'm trying to get across, that I've been able to find a way to do what I want through hard work and never giving up."
Brooks Venters produced, directed, shot and edited the documentary. Venters is a North Carolina native and Digital Marketing professional. He moved to Southern California 7 years ago. Venters met Gustin through Instagram in August of 2020. He's been shooting drone footage of Gustin for the "Blind Surfer" Youtube channel since. After learning Gustin's story, Venters saw the potential for a great piece. He has produced several other documentaries covering subjects like homelessness, the life of Bill Walton, and solar-powered homes.

Finding a Way" is now available to watch in full 4k on the "Blind Surfer" Youtube channel here: https://youtu.be/8pD_9Ym6k70. Brooks Venters is a Documentary Filmmaker and Digital Marketing Professional. Contact him at 289979@email4pr.com, on his website at www.dronesesh.com, or @dronesesh on Instagram. ​Pete Gustin is a world-renowned voiceover artist and runs the "Blind Surfer" Youtube channel. He can be found at www.petegustin.com, @realpetegustin on Instagram, and in weekly Vlog episodes on the "Blind Surfer" Youtube channel.

Surf fans will have to wait longer to cheer for their favorite pro surfer, with upcoming contests in Hawaii and Northern California affected by coronavirus concerns.
The World Surf League announced it has cancelled the Sunset Open and is postponing for now a new event in Santa Cruz.
The news follows a short, but shaky, start of the pro surfing season with the Billabong Pipe Masters having to be paused following staff members testing positive for coronavirus. The event was allowed to eventually finish.
The women’s event, the Maui Pro, had to change venues after a shark attack on a recreational surfer near the contest site.
Hawaii suspended all surfing competitions until further notice, the WSL, which is based in Santa Monica, announced. The Sunset Open was supposed to happen between Jan. 19 and 28. The Big Wave Jaws Championship Pe’ahi has also been canceled.

With the ongoing surge in California cases, the WSL has postponed the Santa Cruz Pro, which would have run Feb. 2 through 12.
“The decision to postpone the Santa Cruz Pro, the last planned event of the US leg of the Championship Tour, is based primarily on the surge of COVID-19 cases in California,” league officials said. “The postponement is also heavily influenced by the length of time our athletes have been away from home, and by the complexities of global travel during this pandemic, which would have caused significant logistical challenges for athletes and staff to travel home and return to California for the event.”
The Sunset Open in Hawaii would have been the first time a men and women’s championship title was held there since 1991. It has also been about three decades since the world’s best competed at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz.
“It is a testament to our surfers, staff and the local community of Hawaii that we were able to successfully complete both the men’s and women’s opening (competition tour) events of the 2021 season, and we would like to thank the communities in both Maui and Oahu for their support,” the announcement said.
Still on the schedule is the Australian leg, kicking off with the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach contest in April.

The World Surf League previously announced many changes to this year’s tour, including bringing professional surfing back to Lower Trestles, one of the mainland’s best spots for waves, for the first time in three years since the Hurley Pro was last held there. It swapped for an event at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave pool in Lemoore, near Fresno.
The Lower Trestles event is still planned, though it will depend on the state of the pandemic. The event south of San Clemente will bring together the top five men and top five women for the new surf-off format at the high-performance wave. The WSL Finals will have a window from Sept. 8 to 17, with the contest to run on the day with the best surf conditions.

​Surfer magazine, which helped legitimize wave-riding as a global sport through its lush photography and California-cool stories, printed its final edition and suspended operations this month, to the dismay of the legions of baby boomers who once lingered at newsstands waiting for the latest issue.
Founded in 1960 and beloved by pre-internet-age surfers from Mission Beach to Biarritz, the magazine furloughed staff Friday and ceased further print and online content offerings. Though founded in Orange County, the magazine was based in recent years in Carlsbad.
“The whole staff got let go yesterday (no, nothing to do with the heat from the Biden endorsement, just the COVID economy), but I feel like we’re ending on a high note with this one,” Editor in Chief Todd Prodanovich said in an Instagram post about the final issue.
“Funny how you can work a job like this for 10 years and each issue is a completely new and different journey. I’ll really miss that part, and the mag in general, which ends on this issue after 60 years of publication.”
Though many in the surfing community say they saw the end coming, the demise of Surfer still stings for aging surfers who couldn’t wait for the monthly magazine to arrive.
“I have watched many great publications go out of business over the past few years, but this one hit me really hard,” said Steve Hawk, who edited the magazine for eight years in the 1990s. “It was so much more than just a magazine for a lot of surfers of a certain generation. It was a cultural touchstone and groundbreaking in a lot of ways.”
Surfer was among the first niche sports magazines of any kind to be successful, with a pedigree akin to Hot Rod and Field & Stream, Hawk said.

In an emailed response to questions, a spokesman for A360 Media said that “due to pandemic’s economic impact on the industry and the cancellation of live events, staff furloughs and the suspension of operations for some brands are necessary for the time being.” 
Bass, executive director of the Boardroom surfboard show in Del Mar and a longtime industry executive, recalled that the first issue of the magazine contained a photo of a surfer paddling out toward a glassy pristine wave. It became a signature of what the magazine was about. 
“That kind of set the bar for this ideal of going out and finding your own little slice of heaven,” Bass said. “Searching for that, this idea of adventure, of freedom, of individuality, of being different, a little bit of counterculture, all of those things. That is what Surfer magazine was draped in. It was very important.” 
John Severson, an art teacher, photographer, writer and cartoonist, founded Surfer magazine to promote a new surf film, said Steve Pezman, who worked at the magazine for 20 years before founding the Surfer’s Journal. The artistry of the magazine captured readers’ imaginations, he said.

The surfing industry is seeing a boom in business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One place where business has boomed is at Drill Malibu Surf and Skate.
Craig Clunies-Ross said he and his staff will be riding the surf frenzy wave as long as they can. "It's exploding," Clunies-Ross said. The shop owner said surf lessons and board and wetsuit sales have quadrupled.
"People are chasing the delivery truck to our shop and there's a line before we can even get them off the delivery truck," employee Christian Pflaum said.
After losing both his homes to the Woolsey Fire in 2018, the Malibu business owner thought his luck was turning around in the spring.
"We felt like we'd really righted the ship and got things back to normal and then the pandemic hit this spring," Clunies-Ross said.
Clunies-Ross was forced to shut his doors for a few months, but with the pandemic pushing most outdoors, people want to hit the water.
"I was just stuck in my apartment all day. I'm a musician. I've been working from home and I just wasn't getting outside, so I'd always been thinking about it and just decided to teach myself," surfer Sam Saunders said.
"During COVID, there's not as many ways to be social or be in a community and so for me, surfing has kind of become that way to just connect and just to be around people," surfer Mattie Peña said.
"As stores started to open up and down the California coast, the demand got crazy and companies like O'Neill wetsuits, Catch Surf, Storm Blade, Rip Curl - they started running out of product because stores like mine were seeing elevated business," Clunies-Ross said.
"Before, we would do one-time lessons for first-time tourists who just want to get the California scene. Now, it's more like surf coaching and surf training with people that are renting the beach houses in this area, so we'll have clients that'll stick around for months with us," Pflaum said.
Clunies-Ross said sales have been record-breaking in September. He's on his way to his best year since opening his shop in 2009.

Taking the Drive in Movie Theater experience to the next level, the Newport Beach Film Festival is screening the world premiere of 'A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Story'. The film features a look back at the famous filmmaker, his career, his friends, family, and the art of surf film-making.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, August 13, 2020, 8:00 PM PDT. Doors open at 6:00 PM, showtime is approximately 8.00PM (sunset). The event will be held at  Fashion Island, 401 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA - on top of the parking structure at THE LOT Fashion Island.
The audio for the movie is broadcast through a Professional Grade FM transmitter (radio), so make sure you have a good sound system in your vehicle. If you don't have an FM transmitter in your car you can bring a battery-operated stereo with speakers to hear the movie. Tickets must be purchased online, in advance. Tickets will be scanned through car window when entering.
For ticket information, click here.