From Surf Sister ...

Surf Sister denies stalking photog Dave Weldon in hopes of making it to Surfline's Local Photo El Porto section ... but Weldon and South Bay law enforcement are not amused!

From Jeremy ...

Hello Paul,

I wanna glide on the Lotus above and to the right of surfer. Position '2pm' high line!


Jeremy

From Geoffrey ...

Hey Paul!

FINALLY BEEN RIDING THE ️MAT!

holy shit! It go real fast!! Like speeds I've never felt before laying down.

I took it out on a 3ft day.. It was ok..
But when i took it out 4-6ft that when I felt 3rd flyer!

still learning and reading the pdf file you gave me.. My first instinct is too lift the nose up abit but after a few waves I really found momentum when my head was right down.
The lower the better.

it's also hard to find a line, I was doing the angle line down an drawing out the bottom turns.

Still I've never had so much fun going straight on 6ft sets.

Here's a Picture, ill send more when my friend emails me them!

Cheers

Geoffrey.

From Chris ...

 

Hi Paul,

I've been having alot of fun with the Fatty over the last few months; I usually bring a variety of boards depending on the day, but I always bring the mat out. Regardless of the conditions, the mat is a blast! My wave count has certainly increased, and I'm getting a full body work out since using my legs quite a bit more.

I also have a whole new appreciation for mat surfers - there is no where to hide with a bag of air when waves are closing out on top of you!

Attached a few pics of Rob P on some dawn patrol slop...

Regards,

Chris

More From the Jacksonville Flash ...

Paul,

I'm loving these winter waves, my face hurts from smiling! Keep spreading the Stoke!

Shot by Chris Falzone.

Rob

Two Fistfuls Of Fabric: Part Deux ...

The mat riding footage in Crystal Voyager -- which was pinched from Greenough's 16mm inflatable opus, Rubber Duck Riders -- features some great riding not only by George, but from Mike Cundith as well.

Above is a classic image shot in 1970 at Rincon. Mike's body is loading up the inside rail, and he has a firm grip on the front rails...pulling the nose up to help initiate a quick, squirting bottom turn. The result of his technique is an incredibly small amount of wetted surface area...just a few square inches touching the water.

The fun starts at 7:10 ...

From Rob ...

Paul,

I can’t tell you how much joy these mats have brought me, its hard to put into words. Since the storm season started I have been blessed with some clean 2-4ft waves and both mats have been amazing! I now skip beer at parties because Dawn Patrol waits for no man. These mats have changed me for the better and I can’t help but want to share that with other people. Chris and I have been catching some really fun party waves and I hope to get you some video soon. Keep spreading the Stoke Paul, your work has changed my life!

On another note, I was wondering if you ever organize any mat meets. I would love to meet more mat surfers, and I would definitely travel if I had enough time to plan the trip. I am thinking about starting a meet up group in Jax FL to expose people to mat surfing. I feel like there are people out there that have never experience the joy of wave riding, and mats are a way to bring this to them without the intimidation of a hard surf craft tethered to their body. I wouldn’t charge anything for it, the joy that I would get filling those people with Stoke would be more than enough. There are thousands of Veterans out there who deal with some of the same issues I was dealing with, and I if I can help just one of them the way your mats have helped me, it will be worth it. The idea is still in its infancy but you will be the first to know when I need some more mats ;-)!

Super Stoked,
Rob P