Your Local Spot
Every surfer has a local surf spot which the frequent regularly. You may not be a local but you recognize other surfers and it is your favorite wave. You are always there when its going off and you know what conditions make the best wave. Not to mention what board to surf for any given surf conditions. But the best part about having a local spot is knowing how and where to wave breaks. Where to paddle to when a set rolls in and when to stall for the barrel section. Knowing a spot inside and out is one advantage of surfing a spot frequently.
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Photographer Profile: Kyle Sparks
Name: Kyle Sparks
Years shooting Surf Photography: Three years.
Equipment: Canon camera bodies and lens and SPL water housings.
Favorite Type of shot: A water shot of someone deep in a barrel with great light.
Favorite Spot: Fire pits in Ventura, California.
Where have you been featured: Surfline.com, Transworld Surf, Malibu Magazine, Real Cheap Sports, Wetsand.com, Surfingstoke.com, The Whole 9.
Do you shoot in the water: Yes, I really like to shoot in the water because I like to work with the surfer and be a part of the session instead of just standing on the beach shooting through a long lens.
Favorite Shooting Conditions: An overhead sand sucking beach break just as the sun is coming up.
Favorite Surfer to shoot: Tyler McEelvaney. We always end up getting great shots.
I love photography because…. it allows me to tell stories. I come from a visual journalism background so telling stories through photos is what I am most passionate about.
My inspiration comes from…. good lighting. I always look for the best light possible when I shoot photos. The better the quality of light the better the photo.
Something most people don’t know about me is….I have a massive collection of stickers. The current count is well over 1,000.
All Images Copyright Kyle Sparks – 2009
Advertise 4 Free – Christmas Promotion
As most of you know the surfing community has been hit hard with the economic down turns. Surf Shops and Shapers are struggling to get past less sales and lost revenue. I feel that as a fellow surfer and citizen that I can help your company or website. I am offering free 125 x 125 Advertisement’s for surf website/blog, surf companies or any other surf related business. No strings attached. I will guarantee their will be 7 free spots.
How to start advertising for FREE!! - No Strings Attached
1. Send Me an Email- Click Here with your HTML Code – or image and company URL
2. All ad’s must be surf related and 125 x 125
3. Placing of the ad’s will be random and will be free of charge for 3 months
4. Just tell me a little bit about your company or product
5. I will send you an email when your ad is on the site
6. The First 7 People to send there ad’s will receive free advertising as long as they follow the guidelines
Help me spread the word – Email the story, tell your friends, Tweet it etc.
See Ya at The Beach,
The Surfboard Man
What to look for in surf Conditions
A lot of things go into making good surf conditions and a memorable session. The most important is the swell and what direction the swell is. Make sure you know what the prime swell direction is for your local break. Also check the tide and wind speed/direction. Knowing the conditions which make your spot break well is essential to planning a good surf session.
Firewire Surfboards
A few years ago Firewire Surfboards emerged as one of the leading surfboard construction methods and technologies. In a world of Tuflite and Carbon Fiber surfboards, firewire surfboards is completing to create the best and most durable surfboard in the market. But there unique board technology and love for the sport of surfing has lead them to build a competitive business. With a business that was only started in 2006 many are skeptical that this is just another quick trend for the every changing surfboard shaping industry. None the less, with top ASP surfers, such as Taj Burrow, riding their boards many believe they are here to stay. I was able to recently talk to Mark Price and do a little interview which you will see below.
Name: Mark Price (co founder along with Nev Hyman and some mutual friends. Nev has over 35 years shaping experience)
Brand: Firewire
Started in: March 2006
Employees: 95, including our own factory which builds our boards exclusively.
Price Range: USD$595 – $665.00
Shaping Process: CAD designs by Nev Hyman and Dan Mann and then shaped by CNC machine.
Interesting Fact: Firewire only uses epoxy resins and EPS foam. There is no acetone in our factory, we use citrus cleaners to maintain equipment.
Firewire Surfboards…. believes there are no longer exponential performance benefits to be gained from changes in shape. The basic design dynamics of today’s high performance surfboard have been refined to the point where only incremental improvements can be made.
The quantum leaps forward in performance have to come from new materials and methods of construction, which in turn will allow for further changes in shape, and thereby push performance boundaries forward. (see attached cross sections depicting Firewire’s unique materials and construction)
Ironically many of the worlds top surfers already benefit from some of Firewire’s technological accomplishments, although only by default. For example, the average top 10 WCT surfer rides boards which are built so light that they do have a small amount of flex. But that flex comes at the price of durability – with many of those guys actually saving their best boards just for heats.
Not only does Taj enjoy controlled flex that does not fatigue over time, but he’s free riding his same competition boards. I’m not suggesting our boards are indestructible, but in the whole PU versus FW technology debate, when people take a superficial look at the equipment endorsements of pro surfers and draw conclusions about what their own experience will be, this is overlooked.
In the final analysis, its not so much that Firewire has developed a COMPLETELY new performance characteristic foreign to surfboard design, but rather that we have refined an aspect of surfboard performance that was previously only available, and to a very slight degree, in the lightest surfboards built for the worlds best surfers.
Its a very subtle distinction, but the enhanced performance of controlled, sustainable flex, with the correct rate of rebound, built into a lightweight and durable surfboard cannot be overestimated. that refinements to the shape of today’s modern surfboard can only produce incremental performance benefits. Exponential improvements in performance can only be achieved through new materials and construction methods which in turn will open up new design opportunities”
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