Bowls, of course. 
When it's raining by the ocean in California, chances are it's snowing in someplace higher. Those that can, try their luck in water's alternate medium. Here, Pam boosts a big one in the background.
Name: Damon Schmidt
While in dental school, we used to frequent Baja Mex quite a bit. It was fun with friends. It was cheap. It was shady. I also never knew that they put cinammon in the Coke.
This appears to be a floater attempt, one I probably did not land. The board was a 9'2" Dewey Weber Pintail Stylist that weighed a good 20+ lbs. Photo: John Lyman
Ivan Harada is a quasi-legend at Waikiki. He has some game. I met him on my first trip to New Zealand at the Wainui Beach Break. He has a nice wife and 2 funny sons that I see performing in Chinese lion dance costumes all over town. They surf pretty good, too. Mr. H has a break named after him, an occasional fun right that ropes off of Canoes into the left channel at Queen's.
One of the more amusing pictures I think I've taken was of this guy sitting on top of the wall at the Venice Breakwater parking lot. His buddy is dropping into big post-storm waves, while he is basically a cheerleader. He is unknowingly sitting on top of a "Team Pussy" that my friend Jamie graffitied into the wall with some of her surf wax. The wave in the distance is a triple overhead set, pretty rare for Venice!
This is Manu Bay, literally just around the corner from Whale Bay. if you are into perfect lefts, this is for you. I would trade the entire South Shore of Oahu, except for Threes and maybe Diamond Head on a good day for this break. This was a double overhead day at the point. I didn't surf it- I bee-lined it to Whale Bay and almost got killed there instead (read previous entry).
Whale Bay is a hot dogging left in New Zealand that I surfed a few years ago. I recommend you study the wave before you actually surf it. I almost killed myself on that submerged rock you see (right by the open section in front of the curl of that breaking wave).
Dan was my little brother in dental school. He was a year below me in school, but decades ahead of everyone in surfing ability. He works as a general dentist in Laguna and shapes all the shortboards for his family's surfboard label, Infinity.
JP has 2 big toes that are the size of an ape's. He wraps those things around the nose of the board and doesn't let go. In my opinion, he is one of the best noseriders I know. His bag of tricks is endless. Why I was taking pictures this day and not surfing is beyond me.
When I was at UCLA, I quickly realized that surf was better in San Diego than LA. North County was especially good. We were driving back from Pacific Beach and decided to stop off at Encinitas and check Swamis. There was a clean overhead swell, and I just picked off the smaller ones. This remains one of my top 5 longboard sessions of all time.
Topanga isn't the most conducive point to incoming swells since it faces south. But a good 270 NW gives it some nice form with long walls that won't close. Waves off the point are usually a fraction of the size you would find off the point in Ventura.
Todd Pinder makes some good boards. This one is not one of them- it's too slow. Fortunately, the waves were good that day.
This is Jeremy. He's one of my best friends, and he surfs pretty, pretty good. His nickname is Papaya. I can think of several nicknames that are much tougher.
