A Mat Meet With Halloween Costumes...WTF???

 

No telling what will transpire on 10/29...but there's donuts, and a 4gf Omni will be raffled off!

                                                 Mikey Ratt getting tuned up for the big event!

 

 Some variations on the flyer by Nick Simich...

From George S

 

                                                    Bretto on an early Lotus proto back in 2013

 

I tried my new Lotus today in 5ft+ surf and had zero issues adapting. I felt it has more maneuverability / hold / speed for me over the Standard.

I'm kind of long and skinny so the Lotus fits me better. I like having more room to paddle. I feel more planted over the mat through the torso with better feedback from the pontoons interacting with the water = hold. I had no issue with the reduced volume since I had it inflated to just under 90 degrees. Less air = less work to get out the back, and at ~145lbs (including fins and wetsuit) I could ride the 2ft mush all the way to the beach when I wanted to

Perhaps a blessing in disguise that I lost my first mat. I'm excited for more winter swell. I've grown more comfortable in bigger waves so I feel ready. It's just so fun getting LAUNCHED down the line: "3rd gear" I suppose

Cheers,

George

 

 

From Bryan

 

Hi Paul,

 

I've been having a lot of fun on my Fatty. I'm about a half dozen sessions in and getting the hang of it as a new surf mat rider. I had a really fun session last night mid-beach OBSF in what I'd normally consider unspectacular conditions. I attached a video clip of one of my better ones that the surfline cam captured.

Hope you're having a good week!

Bryan

From Hula Surf TV

 

From Joe

 

New England Mat Meet Up

From Nolan

 

 

Hey Paul,

Here’s the flyer, and quick description of us & the show. Thanks for posting!  

Possum makes stuff: magazines, photos, videos, product, phone calls, installations….half publishing house and half art department for hire. It's a concept that Hayden Brosnan and I, Nolan Hall, don’t put much time in trying to define. What Possum is depends on the project, mostly, it’s a place to make what they want with the people they want.

Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming release of their newest issue of Possum. An all San Francisco issue, guest-edited by Jeff Canham.

'Water World' is a celebration of the parking lot. Talking story about waves, boards, characters, and trips, whether on this astral plane or others. Part art installation, part yard sale In the gallery, a group show featuring original works and surf paraphernalia by some of our favorite artists and personalities within the community.Out back, a yard sale offering prints, stickers, original pieces, zines, books, and shirts by the artists featured in the show. You’ll also find boards by some of our favorite shapers, swim fins from Yucca, surf mats by Paul Gross, Tanner Gudauskas will be offloading VHS tapes, surf fins by True Ames, and Buddy from Stitchbox doing some wetsuit repairs. Drinks from Juneshine. Come hang out and talk shit.

Nolan

From The Tusked Beast

Hey Paul,

 

Hope you're well. Here's something for the blog, if you like...

After a demonstrably AWFUL year of surf, we finally got some fun waves in San Francisco! Nothing epic, but good, lined up south swell, and lo! the sandbars that were pulverized by the winter/spring rains seem to have organized- we've been getting those beautiful A-frame peaks in out little summer cove.

I've had a couple of surfs with the Lotus, and have been (as usual) impressed by how perfect the craft is for the varied wave situations, linking flat spots to set up for fast reforms, handling both steep and sloping drops with ease... squeezing every bit of speed from imperfect waves!

It feels soooo good. Looking forward to a great fall! 

From Decker Brandts

 

Surfmat Stud from Pantopia Studios on Vimeo.

From Social Media

 

From Surf Sister

Some Fun Stuff ...

 

From Jim

 

Howdy Paul,

Check this out. That's me, winter before last, all systems go. Textured surface with mat gliding half in half above the water, fin helping to hold in place, readying for bottom turn to set up for inside section. 

(Photo by LB)

From Andy

 

It appears Beach Grit has come across our recent post regarding the 4GF Omni stolen by an Otter. Not sure where they get their current surfmat price structure -- they claim Omnis run $500 -- but they do acknowledge that there is such a thing of a high performance surf mat! 

Another similar interaction between a surfer and otter in the Santa Cruz area... here.

From Steiny

 

Dr. Dave had his 4GF Omni stolen on Saturday in Santa Cruz ... by an otter.

Apparently, the otter has been behaving aggressively towards surfers in the lineup, and authorities are looked to relocate the spirited fellow.

Dave wasn't able to retrieve his mat. If any locals have found a stray Omni along the coastline, let us know.

From Mr. Hughes

 

Good morning,

Well, I’m packing my bags for my taxi ride to Huatulco.  This is the last day of my surf trip to Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and I’m afraid there will not be one of my patented sleep aids (videos) this time around.  For one thing, the surf wasn’t all that pumpin.  Secondly, my guide was no photog, and preferred to hang in the shade as much as possible.  That shows his superior intelligence, as it is feckin hot.  Far more intense heat than Pavones, which I find strange, since it’s far further north. 

I brought the GoPro, but the waves didn’t really merit its use.  Not that I didn’t have fun, mind you.  I surfed every day, three days a double session.  That’s a lot for me!  This area is famous for its sand-bottom barreling point breaks, which was naturally quite appealing for me.  If you look up, hmm, perhaps Punta Chivo or Escondido you’ll see some scary looking stuff and some square tubes with very thick lips!  I was hoping for something a little more tame and got it.  There wasn’t enough swell for the points to really turn on, but the tweener spots were super fun.  Oddly, my best two back to back days were at Punta San Diego!!

How’s that for an odd coincidence?

Being out of practice and my knee still throbbin like a mo fo, I’m really satisfied with my trip.  I would like to return on a surgical strike type mission some time, though, and see it really smokin.  OK, well, there was yesterday afternoon, when the wind switched offshore. I had a fantastic late PM go out at Punta Conejo in little 2’-3’ zippers.  Everyone was sitting outside where it was just blobbin.  I was inside all alone and lovin life. 

Hey Paul, are you still lean n mean?  I still think quite fondly of our incredibly serendipitous chance meeting at Campus!  Me, I was hoping to shed a few pounds on this adventure, but Mexican cuisine is not conducive to that.  I certainly burned calories, but chilaquiles for lunch balanced all out!

I hope this update finds you both well

Ciao fa niao

Kenny

From Julie

 

Hey Paul,

We finally held the Mat Surfing 101 for the Wahine Kai Women's Surf club at La Jolla Shores yesterday! We all had a great time and I think I've got some converts I will send your way down the line. I brought a plethora of mats, two were yours, one was a G-mat and the others were Redbacks and a Maddog from Australia. Those aren't great mats at all, but they have handles and are nice for teaching on. Those who are serious and want to gear up themselves, I am promoting 4th Gear all the way! 

I hope things are going well for you, Paul. We were going to do this event back in November, but I got hit by a stingray that landed me in hospital because of infection. Unfortunately, one of our ladies got stung yesterday too. Same spot I did. In fact, this was the 3rd time she'd been stung at the Shores! She still enjoyed the mat experience and said she'd love to do it again, just at a different beach!! 

Let me know your thoughts. And thank you so much for encouraging me especially in the beginning when I was getting frustrated. You told me to stick with the process and not give up. I'm very glad for that! 

Take care, Paul.

Julie Benn

From Nolan

 

From Pack Ratt Records

 

Hi Paul hope all is well . 

 

I've been M.I.A. for while a I spent the last month helping my mom get ready for a big move to Texas.. there just last week she moved to Houston so  I got to go to Galveston.. out on micro day and the whole beach like stopped and was watching me. I got so many questions it was hilarious people were stoked…

 

Here’s a really bad photo of me in Galveston you had a kick board. Those waves were so small, but it made such a big crowd. It was hilarious. The guy from Ohana Surf Shop came up to me and asked me where I get these things and I gave them your information also anyways have a good evening. 

Mikey

Noosa Nude Beach Crackdown

 

When Queensland police fined people for taking their clothes off at a well-known nude beach last month, they “poked the bear” that is the naturist community, Scott Rider says.

“That’s b.e.a.r.,” the Queensland Naturist Association vice-president spells. “And we’re all riled up now.”