Falcon's Bodyboard Shop Grand Opening, Encinitas, CA

A shop dedicated just to Bodyboards? Righteous! The idea got me so stoked I just had to plug their Grand Opening!

If you're in Encinitas, California or nearby San Diego this Saturday, April 3 2010 then be sure to check out the Grand Opening of...

Falcon's Bodyboard Shop

 1026 N. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
Website                             Get Directions

Falcon's has the Largest Selection of bodyboards in the San Diego area and is the only all bodyboard shop in town. I gave Falcon a call out of the blue and he was nice enough to answer some quick questions on bodyboarding for me and to chat about the status of bodyboarding in his area. He proved knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

That's the great thing about having a local shop to go to... when you need help picking out a board or you need other advice on bodyboarding there is someone there for you who knows what they're talking about. Sure you might save a little shopping on line, but how do you know that you're getting the board you need? And who's going to answer your questions later on... good luck with those .com shops. Not the right color... not the right board... good luck getting your money back online.

In today's down economy it's more important than ever to keep your money in the community. Support your local shops... in turn local shops push the sport locally and support local events and the sport grows in the community and the jobs stay in the community.

Make sure to support your local bodyboard shop where ever you are.

And, to Falcon, Congratulations on your shop. I hope you have an awesome grand opening!

Stay Stoked,
DH

Teaching your kids to respect the Ocean

It's good for children to have confidence in their abilities. Even overconfidence isn't bad in a lot of situations, but around the ocean it can be deadly.

One day my son was bodyboarding on his own and kept edging little by little deeper than he knew he should be. The leash on the cheep bodyboard he had consisted of little more than string with a weak Velcro wrist strap and I was worried about him getting out too far and loosing his board. I'd call him in closer and he'd move but 3 minutes later he'd edge back out again. Now my son was a fair swimmer for his age (7 at the time), but was limited to dog paddling. Were he separated from his bodyboard and caught in a rip current it's likely that his lifespan would be 4 to 10 minutes... less if he panicked. I'm painfully aware of this fact every second he is in the water, but up until that day he had been blissfully unaware of it.

For his safety I knew he needed to see how vulnerable he was. I took him out neck deep for me. I had my bodyboard and fins on. The waves were breaking between where we were and the shore. They were 3 to 4 feet and punchy and the was a little current pulling back out where the waves were breaking as the shore. I explained to him quickly that he had been going out deeper than he should and I need him to learn how hard it was to get back in if he got pulled out too far. Then I plopped him off the board and told him to swim for shore.

He immediately pleaded for me to pull him in. Half way in he swore he was going give up, to which I replied that "If you give up in the ocean you drown... you better get to swimming buddy". I talked him through the whole thing, alternating between encouragements that he was almost there and could make it, and firm insistence that I wouldn't help him and that the only way he'd make it in was if he did it himself.  He huffed and puffed and swore he was going to drowned and he even got tumbled a bit by the breaking waves on the way in but 5 minutes after I let go of him he pulled himself out of the water under his own power. I was relieved and extremely proud he'd managed to do it himself.

I was never more than arms reach away and he was never in any danger but he learned first hand how dangerous the ocean could be and he quit fighting me the rest of the summer about going out too far. If he were pulled out by a current now he'd know what to expect and I'm fairly certain that he wouldn't panic. Another day I repeated the experience with my daughter in shallower water and calmer conditions. She did fine as well, though for her it was a much needed confidence builder as she was overly afraid of the ocean before.

I worried when the idea occurred to me that it might be to much but neither of my children came out of the experience fearful or resentful and both benefited from it so I guess I handled it well.  I now have them regularly practice swimming around in water above their head on calmer days using me holding my bodyboard as a dock to launch them selves from and return to. It's important to have them continually push their limits in a safe environment where you can help them when they need it.

Note: I removed this story above from a recent post on teaching kids to bodyboard because I thought it needed separate discussion. I'd really like to know if any of you have taken similar approaches. I would not go so far as to recommend  this approach for other people's children but I do think that instilling respect for the ocean without making kids to fearful requires a difficult, delicate balancing act; this to worked for us.


Your thoughts?
DH

How to Teach Kids to Bodyboard

When I started teaching my kids to bodyboard last year it seemed to me that it should be fairly easy.

1. Start out by launching them into whitewash and letting them ride it into shore.
2. Once they're comfortable with you launching them into waves let them try it on their own in small waves (positioning themselves just in front of where the waves are breaking).
3. Gradually progress to larger waves and give them tips and encouragement along the way until they're trimming down a wave like a pro.

Those are basic steps that everyone knows.... so what's so hard about that?

Well first off I have 2 kids that are completely different. My son is cautious until he gets comfortable with something new but from that moment on theirs no holding him back. My daughter on the other hand charges head first into everything but is easily discouraged by failure.

My daughter is a year and a half younger than my son and about 15 pounds lighter... what this meant in practical terms was that my son had a lot more success and had success more easily than my daughter. Ideally I would have been able wait one more year to teach her but once you teach one you pretty much have to teach the other or can seem like favoritism in your kids (and your wife's) eyes.

You need to gear everything to each kids abilities and temperament. Keeping that in mind here are some tips that should help teaching your kids to bodyboard go more smoothly.

When it stops being fun you're doing something wrong.

This is one of the most important rules in bodyboarding. You bodyboard because you love it. You love it because it's fun. If it was a miserable experience you wouldn't want to do it and neither will your kids.

Remember, these are memories that will last a lifetime... make sure they're good ones.

Your board is not the right board for them

Once they start progressing from riding whitewash to riding waves they definitely need a board of their own, sized to their body -- feel free to do this as early as you'd like. They should be able to hold onto the front of the board with their hands, elbows propped up on the board with their hips on the board and their legs dangling off of the back. On boards smaller than this they will have trouble riding waves at all. On bigger boards they'll be easily turned sideways and flipped and also be likely to pearl (though hanging their legs off of the back of a larger board adds stability and directional control).

Bigger is not Better

Just because bigger waves are more fun for you doesn't mean they're fun for them. Riding white wash all the way in till they hit sand is an absolute blast for younger kids. As they get a little bigger they can learn to position themselves on their own and take off just in front of a breaking wave.

Remember even knee high peelers can give smaller kids a really good tumble. Unless your kid is an aggressive natural talent I recommend letting them stay at the whitewash stage until age 6 or 7 unless they're pushing you for more.

Confidence is Crucial

Some kids are discouraged by even the smallest tumble. Others can get plowed over and jump up smiling ready for more. If you have a child that is easily discouraged build them up with lots of small successes and praise. You know your child. Just be careful not to push them too far too fast or they could be turned off to body boarding or worse yet develop an unhealthy fear of the ocean.

Safety is Everything

The first thing you need to do is lay down some rules with your kids. The ocean demands respect and it's when you forget that that tragedy strikes.

Our family rules:

• Daddy goes in first and decides if the water is safe before anyone else goes in the water. Here are somethings I consider:
• Are there rip currents.
• Is there a strong side shore current.
• Is there a sucking current pulling under the breaking waves (happens sometimes when waves dump right on shore).
• Are the waves too big or conditions too choppy.
• Is there a drop off where the water goes from very shallow to very deep very quickly (One of our beaches has this at low tide another at high tide... know your beach).
• Is there a lifeguard on duty.
• If I'm teaching one then the other plays on shore (or in shallow water if things are calm) with my wife watching. The one in the water gets my 100% attention. It only takes a moment distraction for a kid to be out of reach and in trouble. The "one in the water at a time rule" also has the added benefit of guaranteeing that by the time the one in the water is tired the other one is dying to get in and learn.
• Orders given in the water are to be followed immediately; argue and you're out of the water immediately. I make sure my kids know that the ocean can be dangerous and that I'm responsible for their safety and that if they don't listen they can get hurt or drowned. They know that if I tell them to do something in the water I'm always serious. I will take an angry, pouting kid over a dead or hurt kid any day.

Don't rush it

Your kids have years and years ahead of them for you to coach them to pro bodyboarding status. Take your time. Enjoys your kids, especially when they're young... these days don't come back again. Remember if you're not having fun you're doing something wrong.

I'd love to hear about your experience teaching your kids and if theirs anything that you found helped.

Please drop a comment.

Thanks, Stay Stoked,
D.H.

Top 5 reasons why Jacksonville, FL is the best place in the world to Surf

If you're familiar with Jacksonville and the long lulls awaiting good surf then you might be surprised by this statement but here me out.

1. It's one of the safest places in the world to surf (see previous post).

• Surely not having a high likelihood of dying or being cripple for life is a bonus.

2. It makes you really love surfing.

• People who live in places where everyday is a great surf day really take it for granted. If you surf in Jacksonville you really love surfing and you learn to appreciate even the crappiest swell that comes your way.

3. It's a great training ground.

• Short, fast, inconsistent, unpredictable waves are the norm. Those who catch waves consistently here learn to read them well and they push hard and fast to get them.

4. You can surf and still have a life.

• In some of the more consistent spots in the world you find tons of people who give up girl friends, family, college, careers and nearly ever thing else because all they care about is the next great wave. Part of me understands the allure, the sirens call, the addictive nature of surfing but fortunately for me that's not an issue here... there aren't enough great waves to fill up your life with. In Jacksonville you're forced to fill up your life with life.

5.When it's on it's on.

• Those few days a year when it's going off the waves are breaking great all up and down the coast. In fact the traditional surf spots are the last place you want to be on those days; they're over crowded with kooks and locals who don't know any better.  Pick a spot nearly anywhere else, paddle out and be prepared for a killer 3 hour drift session that keep you stoked for at least another year. Feast or famine... that's Jacksonville. Learn to love it.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Top 5 reasons why Jacksonville, FL is the safest place in the world to Surf

1. Fewer Sharks

• Only 19 Shark Attacks ever 
• Last fatal Shark Attack was 34 years ago

2. No Killer Critters

• No Deadly Jellyfish (our local variety is barely an irritation)
• No Crocodiles or other man eating animals
• No poisonous octopus or sea snakes
• No Sting Rays
• No Poisonous Fish
• No Urchins

3. Sandy breaks (beach or sandbar)

• No Coral
• No Rocks
• No Reefs

4. No Nasty Rips

• Yes I've seen dumping shore breaks and a handful of rips (some of which have met with tragic results to  those who don't know how to swim), but nothing that I'd considered dangerous to surfers.

5. Fewer surfers

• Yes those 3-5 days a year when a big swell comes in you could toss a baseball from surfer to surfer from the Poles the way to Ponte Vedra but most days the most crowded spots have less than 25 surfers. Fewer surfers means less localism and violence and fewer kooks dropping in on you. In many places this is your biggest danger.

Stay Stoked,
DH

Bodyboarding, Surfing and Sharks

The water is dark, more so now because the sky has clouded over and a late afternoon storm is rolling in. Some fish jump. You glance over and ignore it. It always makes you a bit nervous when the bait fish are out, but the waves are really good today.

OK, not they're not that good, but they're a lot better than they have been lately and it's been weeks since you've had a good session. You've been out about two hours and managed to catch a handful of decent waves. You're glad you paddled out.

Out the corner of your eye you see a gray fin flash the surface.

You turn but it's gone. "Shark?" you think to yourself.  You look around nervously.  It could have been a dolphin, you've seen lone dolphins out before. You wait but no dolphins surface. "Was it really a fin?", you wonder. It was probably nothing... just your imagination.

Yeah, it was nothing.

You look around again just in case.

So here's the question...

Do you paddle in or do you stick it out?

And what are the risks anyway? You're more likely to get struck by lightning than bit by a shark. Everyone knows that... and you're fairly certain it's true.

But what are the risks?

For those who want to know the statistics there's tons of information available through the International Shark attack file which is "a compilation of all known shark attacks that is administered by the the American Elasmobranch Society and the Florida Museum of Natural History".

It's a little disorganized but I was able to confirm that among other things yes you are more likely to be struck by lightning or, surprisingly killed by a dog or an alligator,  than to be attacked by a shark. If you want to know the number of attacks in your area you can find that out too. For instance according to the stats for Florida my county has only had 19 shark attacks in the past 108 years and only 2 of them were fatal (the last fatal attack was over 30 years ago).

About 40% - 50% of attacks worldwide are on surfers (I assume they lump in bodyboarders with surfers). Divers and swimmers make up the rest of attacks.  I haven't found any numbers comparing the numbers of surfing vs bodyboarding attacks worldwide but from recent memory I'd say there are more attacks on surfers and that's probably because there are more surfers in the water.

Of course, just as walking around in a thunderstorm with a lightning rod increases your chances of being struck by lightning , there are things that can make a shark attack more likely.

Contributing Factors to Shark Attack:

• Low visibility in water (greater chance for mistaken attacks)
• Bait fish running (greater chance for mistaken attacks)
• Early morning and late evening sessions (sharks are more active)
• Inlets, sandbars and drop-offs (more sharks around / more shark food around)
• Shiny jewelry and watches (resembles shiny fish scales, greater chance for mistaken attacks)
• Bleeding / fresh open wounds (Duh! don't chum the water)
• Surfing alone (Less help, more of a target) 
• Splashing and horseplay (may attract sharks) 

Of course even if you play everything safe sometimes your number is just up. In 2003 Bethany Hamilton was surfing with friend in clear waters on a beautiful day at a break that had never before had a shark attack and lost her arm for it. Though she no longer surfs that break she still surfs professionally and is out-surfing some of the best women surfers in the world with just one arm. I'm not sure if the words like bad-ass and cahones can be politely applied to women, but those are definitely the words that come to mind. Bethany was able to look past the horror of her experience and see that attacks are not very likely and that while you should be careful you shouldn't let caution keep you from living your life.

It's been said that “Properly experienced, life is a very risky behavior”. I for one refuse to live life cowering in the shadows of what-ifs.

Stay Stoked,
DH