Boardshorts

Tales from the wave-chasing life

Author: Stephen Hadley

Beaches reopen on Monday-sort of

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On April 25, 2020

In COVID-19, Galveston, Uncategorized, World Surf League

An empty right reels at the 91st Street Fishing Pier on Thursday, April 23, 2020.

If you love dawn patrols, you’re in luck.

The Galveston City Council voted on Thursday-in a split 4-3 decision-to reopen Galveston beaches to surfing from 6 to 9 a.m. daily starting April 27.

So, if you want to surf, set that alarm to get up at the crack of dawn and hit it.

Since the city closed beaches on the island on March 29, Galveston surfers have been heading south to catch waves. And, while Surfside is a great location that offers plenty of wide-open spaces in which to feel the glide, there’s still no place like home.

Over the past month, the waves along the Galveston beachfront have been exceptional, with likely several of the best days of the year rolling under piers and along the jetties unridden, empty waves beckoning like gleaming jewels just out of reach.

So, despite a pretty limited opening of the beach on Monday, surfers I know will be glad to again have access to the island’s waves, even for just three hours a day.

The forecast for the coming week looks promising as well. Magic Seaweed is calling for rideable surf on the island for much of the next week, with clean conditions possible on Wednesday.

Tropical water wax is the call, with temperatures now in the mid-70s in the Gulf. Happy surfing next week.

JOHN JOHN FLORENCE ON THE LINEUP PODCAST

Hawaiian phenom and two-time world champ John John Florence is the latest guest on the podcast, “The Lineup with Dave Prodan.”

Florence shares what it was like growing up on the North Shore, talks about his battles with Brazilian Gabriel Medina and his breakout performance at the 2017 Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.

In other John John news, the Hawaiian recently published a four-episode YouTube series chronicling a 2,500-nautical mile sailing and surfing voyage to explore the Northern Line Islands, a collection of coral atols that straddle the Equator south of Hawaii.

The brilliantly filmed and exquisitely produced documentary is breathtaking and captivating. If you love the ocean, either sailing or surfing, Florence’s new feature will be a hit.

Stephen Hadley is a longtime surfer who lives and works in Galveston. He can be reached by email at stephendhadley@gmail.com.

Likely no surfing in Galveston through April

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On April 18, 2020

In COVID-19, Galveston

Last week, this column–which has been published in The Galveston County Daily News print edition since July 2017–moved to online only for the foreseeable future.

The Daily News, like many newspapers across the country, has been especially hard-hit by the economic turmoil created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses that advertised in The Daily News have had to cut back on their marketing budgets and even resorted to layoffs in these uncertain economic times. Without advertisers, it’s difficult for The Daily News to keep producing a larger print edition, hence the newspaper has cut its production from seven days a week to five, starting earlier this month.

Subscribers help offset some–but not nearly all–of the losses in advertising revenue for the newspaper. So, if you value community journalism and want to see your local newspaper survive, please consider subscribing. You can do so on The Daily News website at https://www.galvnews.com/site/services/.

Now, on to our regularly scheduled program …

Empty waves pass unridden near Galveston’s Pleasure Pier on Sunday, April 12, 2020.

Despite an outcry from upper coast surfers who continue to watch the spring’s best swells pass unridden along Galveston’s beaches, the City Council this week decided it won’t vote to consider even a partial re-opening of the beaches until its next meeting on April 23.

At their meeting on Thursday, councilmembers asked City Manager Brian Maxwell to develop policies and procedures regarding a partial opening of the beaches-such as for a few hours each morning-for it to vote on next week.

Given the timeline discussed this week, even a partial re-opening of the beaches likely won’t happen until May 1.

During this week’s meeting, it appeared Councilman Jason Hardcastle was ready to bring a beach re-opening proposal to the council for a vote. But based on feedback from the other councilmembers, a vote was delayed until Maxwell could bring the proposed policies and procedures before council next week.

In the meantime, Galveston surfers have been driving south to Surfside/Quintana to try and score waves. While Beach Drive there has been closed to parking, surfers can still park at Jetty Park to access the beach.

As fate would have it, while Surfside did get a good swell last Sunday, the next day was blown out there and absolutely perfect and firing here in Galveston. Chest-high and bigger waves reeled along the beachfront as the strong offshores groomed them to perfection.

All we could do was sit on the seawall and watch the show.

While I understand that it’s important for the city to protect the public from the spread of the coronavirus, a full beach closure probably isn’t the best approach to make that happen.

People are still visiting Galveston, parking on the seawall and walking along or riding their bikes along the thoroughfare. Now, they’re just doing so on an 8-foot wide strip of concrete that stretches the length of some of the island’s beachfront.

Perhaps a better approach is the one being used in Hawaii during this pandemic. On Friday, the governor’s office added to beach restrictions in the Aloha State which forbid anyone from walking, standing or running along the beachfront but do allow access to water-based activities such as surfing, swimming or paddleboarding, so long as social distancing rules are followed. You can read about Hawaii’s policy here.

Even if just for a few hours each morning or evening, Galveston should consider a similar approach.

Stephen Hadley is a longtime surfer who live and works in Galveston. He can be emailed at stephendhadley@gmail.com.

Empty lineups beckon in a time of selfless isolation

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On April 10, 2020

In Galveston, Surfing, Uncategorized

The waves weren’t big, less-than-stellar by any standard. But riding my bicycle along the Seawall on Tuesday morning, I could imagine the push from these little peelers reeling across the shore in waist-deep water.

Light offshores were freshening up what had been a choppy lineup just a few hours earlier. Clean and green and beautiful.

Before all this started, it was the type of morning where I would’ve likely grabbed the longboard and paddled out to catch a few before heading into the office for the day.

Such surfs are just the sort of palate cleanser that most of us need to get us through the normal, stress-filled days at work.

Alas, on this particular morning, such an experience wasn’t possible. The beaches, having been closed for more than a week at that point (and by extension prohibiting surfing too since most of us have to walk on the beach to enter the lineup), were empty. Wave after little wave cruised through the lineup without anyone on them, exhausting their final energies along the sand in complete anonymity.

I stopped at 61st Street and watched for a long while, closing my eyes occasionally to focus on listening to the gentle hum of the ocean’s energy caressing its sandy bottom, sending whitewater froths in uniform lines.

In my mind’s eye, I could feel the lift and the smooth glide of takeoff, speed building as my imaginary longboard began to effortlessly plane on the clean wave face.

While no substitute for the real deal, we all will need to reach into the storehouse of our surfing memory banks for a bit longer, recalling our most memorable waves ridden or a particularly thrilling session.

It seems every surfer who has been doing this for a while, has several memorable rides that have happened in their lifetimes. Some of mine have been right here on the east side of the Flagship; others are from trips to Mainland Mexico or Costa Rica or California.

Regardless of location, these memories are punctuated by the feeling of surfing, the unmistakable thrill of speeding atop a foaming wall of moving water, harnessing the vast energy of the ocean we call home, even for just a few seconds.

At this point in time, memories are all we have. Hopefully soon we’ll have the opportunity to make more. Until then, stay safe.

Stephen Hadley is a longtime surfer who lives and works in Galveston. You can reach him at stephendhadley@gmail.com.

Putting surfing on hold for the greater good

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On April 3, 2020

In Uncategorized

This column was originally published on April 3, 2020, in The Galveston County Daily News.

For surfers, this past Tuesday was the first true test of Galveston’s new beach closure order that was put in place last weekend to help prevent crowds from gathering on the island.

The day dawned with offshore winds and a clean little swell groomed to perfection, the kind of morning that usually is punctuated by crowds of surfers gliding onto waves at some of the more popular spots in Galveston.

This is a different time, however, and it was heartening to see that surfers were heeding the city’s orders to steer clear of the beaches, and by extension, avoid surfing the island’s waters.

Yes, it’s hard to watch great waves slip through unridden, especially given that we’re heading into the time of year when rideable surf is about to be much harder to come by.

But, in my estimation, if surfing is the only thing some of us lose during this pandemic, we can certainly count ourselves among the more fortunate. Many of our fellow Americans are being infected, and others have lost their jobs in the related economic implosion, which certainly puts riding waves in perspective.

In these calamitous times, surfing just doesn’t seem that important.

There will come a day, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, when we can return to the beach, congregate on the seawall with our friends and share the waves that come calling along our island’s shores. But now is not that time.

By its very nature, surfing is a solitary pursuit. On the best of days, we catch and ride the waves alone, coalescing with the ocean’s energy in a way that often defies description. For many of us, it’s a feeling as much as a physical pursuit. But by and large, it’s an individual experience.

Staying out of the water and off the beach, is a chance for surfers to be communal, to show solidarity with our local communities with an act that puts the health of our fellow island citizens above the pursuit of the next wave.

And it’s the right thing to do at this most uncertain of times. Stay home, keep calm and dream of a future spent with toes in the sand and plenty of sun-drenched days playing in the surf.

There will be better days ahead.

Surf media to help keep the stoke

By

On March 28, 2020

In Galveston, Surf Media

This column was originally published in the March 28, 2020, issue of The Galveston County Daily News.

For a surfer, nothing can replace actual water time.

But, with the county in lockdown and everyone being asked to stay home, it’s a good idea to find a few gems online to sate the appetite for stoke. Here are a few YouTube channels and a surfing movie I’ve enjoyed recently that might help do just that:

• This Is Livin’

Koa Rothman comes from a long lineage of surfing royalty on the North Shore of Hawaii, and his “This is Livin’” YouTube channel is a no-frills, highly entertaining view into what it’s like to be one of the best surfers growing up in wave-riding’s mecca. His footage is full of the best days at the Pipeline and includes him and his friends surfing the North Shore’s many other famed breaks too. You can check out Rothman’s latest episode at this link: https://youtu.be/YDeD0wdeGMk.

• Beefs T.V.

This YouTube channel, which prominently features former World Championship Tour competitor Kalani Robb, features the best surfing from the beaches of Southern California, including tons of crazy footage from the Wedge in Newport Beach. You can check out the latest Beefs T.V. episode at this link: https://youtu.be/Uznn2LLtZCM.

• And Two If By Sea

This recently released film features the story of former WSL competitors and identical twin brothers CJ and Damien Hobgood and traces their meteoric rise from Florida groms to the pinnacle of surfing. The film is an entertaining look at how their sibling rivalry helped fuel their careers but also wreaked havoc on their relationship. The film is available for rent or purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Two-If-Sea-CJ-Hobgood/dp/B082RLVS6S

NOTES FROM THE LOCAL SURFING SCENE

While the focus has been on doing everything we collectively can to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, that hasn’t stopped good surf from pulsing along our island shores over the last week or so.

Last week, it was great to see Brett Hopkins, who had shoulder surgery late last year, back in the water and ripping like his normal self again. Hopkins and his longtime friend Claude Stephens caught numerous waves to the beach while surfing the 43rd Street jetty.

And shoutout to Nick Stout, who in one afternoon this week while surfing the 91st Street Fishing Pier, was bit on the shoulder by a shark and broke one of his boards.

Finally, it’s always a hoot surfing with some of the Pleasure Pier crew, including Bernard Rojano and Brandon Bills. Looks like more waves on tap for the weekend, so long as everyone continues to be responsible and practice social distancing.

BSR CLOSED UNTIL APRIL 6

This week, BSR Surf Resort in Waco announced it is closing until April 6 to comply with McLennan County’s shelter-in-place order related to the coronavirus. For more information, check out https://www.bsrcablepark.com/bsr-surf-resort/.

Surfing not immune to cancellations and closures

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On March 21, 2020

In Galveston, Surfing, TGSA

This column was originally published in the March 21, 2020, edition of The Galveston County Daily News.

As the spread of the coronavirus continues to grip the United States and alter the landscape of professional and amateur sports, surfing competitions are among the latest to be put on hold.

This week, the Texas Gulf Surfing Association announced it is postponing its 2020 Texas State Surfing Championships, which were scheduled for March 28-29, until a later date. Check www.surftgsa.org for updates on when the events might be rescheduled.

In addition, the World Surf League this week officially postponed or canceled all events at every level of competition through the end of May. That includes the three World Championship Tour events of the Australian leg at Snapper Rocks, Bells Beach and Margaret River. The much anticipated G-Land event at Grajagan in Indonesia, which was set to take place in June, is being removed from the schedule as well.

“We have every intention of commencing the 2020 championship tour season and all of our tours as soon as possible,” WSL CEO Erik Logan said. “We are already hard at work doing scenario planning for what a re-imagined 2020 tour might look like.”

Aside from the postponement of the competitive season, there also have been communities up and down the Texas coast that are considering closing beaches to public access, effectively limiting surfers’ access to the waves. This week, Cameron County, which includes South Padre Island, closed its beach access points and beach parks to the public until further notice. Surfside also has limited visitor access to its beaches and parking areas, and Galveston is discussing whether to close its beach access locations.

While it might be a hard pill for many local surfers to swallow, discouraging tourists from visiting the beaches in large numbers by closing access points is one tool cities and counties have used to try and prevent the spread of this virus.

It could be argued surfing is a great way for a segment of the local population to stay fit and active while diminishing stress, key factors in improving health generally. Being able to paddle out and immerse ourselves in the ocean’s natural bounty is akin to a religious experience for many of us.

But if large numbers of people continue to crowd the local beaches, the city might not be left with much of a choice. I’m hopeful it won’t come to that but, if it does, we should all remember this too shall pass.

Here’s to healthier and happier days ahead.

The Dream Tour

By

On July 22, 2017

In Jeffreys Bay, Milby Shannon, South Africa, Surfing, TGSA, World Surf League

Galveston native Milby Shannon chases waves around the globe as part of his job with the World Surf League

Shannon surfing at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, on Thursday, July 13, 2017. Photo by Sacha Specker. (Instagram @sachaspex)

This column was first published in The Galveston County Daily News on July 22, 2017.

For most surfers, venturing to South Africa and riding the famed right-hand point break at Jeffreys Bay would be a dream come true.

But for Galveston native Milby Shannon, it’s just one stop he’ll make this year as he follows professional surfing’s championship tour around the globe.

Shannon, an associate producer of the live website broadcasts for the World Surf League, travels for 10 months of the year to the most iconic surf locations in the world—including Tahiti, California, Hawaii and Portugal—so that viewers can watch the world’s best surfers competing in the best waves.

On days when the contests are on hold because the waves aren’t optimal at one of these pristine locations, Shannon gets to break away for a surf. Last week, in the days leading up to the South African competition, Jeffreys Bay was doing its thing, reeling with ruler-like precision down the point for hundreds of yards. Shannon was there, snagging a few nuggets with the other WSL crew members who were trying to get wet before the pros took over the lineup.

Shannon in Western Australia, 2017. Photo taken by Dan Shetron (Instagram @stanley_shetron)

Riding waves has been one of the true constants in Shannon’s life. His father, the retired former Frost Bank President Albert Shannon, is a longtime Texas surfer and so is his mother and his three sisters and brother.

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you when I started surfing in Texas,” he says. “I remember before I could even swim fully, my dad would take me out to the T-head of the Flagship with a lifejacket on and he’d tandem surf with me to the beach. I hated every second of it, and constantly screamed until we were standing up and riding a wave. Then, I would go silent and soak in every moment of the ride.”

Shannon, 27, was a standout in the Texas Gulf Surfing Association when he was a grommet (a younger surfer), and he credits that experience with enabling him to grasp competitive surfing from an early age and to realize the importance of grass-roots event organizers to the sport. Nearly all of the best professional surfers celebrated today had their start in similar organizations and worked their way through the ranks.

Out of all the places Shannon works and surfs each year as part of his WSL duties, he ranks Teahupo’o in Tahiti as his favorite. Because the village of Teahupo’o is so rural, crew members and pro surfers stay with local families year after year and develop deep relationships that make it seem like a home away from home for those on the road.

“Tahiti is an absolutely beautiful location, with lush green mountains jutting into the deep blue Pacific Ocean while also creating amazing world-class waves for surfing,” he says. “Over the two-week competition window (in mid-August), life moves slowly with surfing, fishing and hiking the main pastimes for us when we’re not working. It’s a great bonding experience for the staff members and has produced some of my best memories on the tour.”

While Shannon lives in California when he’s not on the road, Galveston is still considered “home” in many ways.

He says growing up on the island left him with two, indelible lessons in life. The first, whether it’s waves or experiences, you should welcome all challenges as opportunities. And second, everyone you encounter throughout life has led a unique path and each should be individually appreciated.

“Growing up surfing and skating in Texas, I never would have dreamed of this life path,” Shannon says. “The world is truly smaller than it seems, and I’m eternally grateful to those who have coached, mentored and opened doors for me along the way.”

To check out Shannon’s work and see the best surfers in the world compete on the championship tour, visit https://www.worldsurfleague.com.

Boardshorts

Dog-gone winners

The annual Ohana Surf Dog Competition last Sunday attracted 30 entrants, one from as far away as Oceanside, California, said William “Boog” Cram, the man at Ohana Surf & Skate.

The winners from this year’s competition were:

  • First place—Deborah Markwardt and Riptide
  • Second place—Erin Simmons and Hank
  • Third place—Ashley Stringer and Atticus
  • Fourth place—Liz Johnson and Emma

Memorial paddle-out

A memorial paddle-out for Larry LeGros, a.k.a. “Wave Hog,” will be held today at 7:30 p.m. at the 37th Street jetty in Galveston.

Save the date

Planning is underway for the annual Endless Summer Galveston Reunion, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9, with proceeds benefitting the Galveston Island Beach Patrol. Stay tuned to this column for more information about the event in the coming weeks.

TGSA Grom Roundup

The Texas Gulf Surfing Association will hold its annual Grom Roundups, sponsored by Texas Surf Camps, on Aug. 19 at Galveston Island State Park and Sept. 2 at Horace Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas. Both events start at 8 a.m. The events are open to kids 12 and under and entrants can register for the Roundups through private message on the TGSA’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/texasgulfsurfingassociation/, by providing the competitor’s name and birthdate. The first 36 groms who enter will receive a T-shirt and medal.

If you’ve got a suggestion for a surfing-related topic you’d like to see covered in this column, email Stephen Hadley at stephendhadley@gmail.com.

The right-sized surfboard makes all the difference

By

On July 15, 2017

In Galveston, Longboard, Surfing

This column was first published in The Galveston County Daily News on July 15, 2017.

It was the summer of 1985 when my friend and I resolved that we would learn to surf.

There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to our decision. I just remember us thumbing through the pages of the surfing magazines, thinking how easy it looked when the pro surfers featured in  the photos turned on a dime, sending fans of spray in their wakes. We can do that, I thought.

Our main issue was that neither of us had a surfboard. That changed when my friend’s mom found a delaminated, used one sitting in the corner at a garage sale. Once he had the tiny, weather-beaten board in his grasp, my friend promptly set about refinishing it with fresh cans of red and white automotive paint to make it look more like the boards we saw the pros riding.

The first day taking turns riding that little board in the waves at Galveston County Pocket Park No. 2 was a disaster. For starters, we didn’t know much about how to wax the deck so we kept slipping off every time we tried to lay on it and paddle. Second, we had no clue how to get from our stomachs to our feet. It seemed impossible.

Of course, that didn’t stop us from trying. And we’ve kept trying over and over again for these past three decades. Fortunately, as we got older and stronger, we figured out how to ride waves at many locations around the world.

The real issue, I would learn later, was that our first surfboard was just too darn short for either of us. When it comes to learning how to surf, choosing the right-sized board is critical.

If there’s one piece of advice I can give to the surfer that’s just starting out, it would be this: Get yourself a longboard rather than one of the wafer-thin shortboards you’ll see ridden by the pros on the world tour.

A longboard, preferably one at least nine feet long and thicker than your arm is wide, will be easier to paddle, make it somewhat likely that you’ll stand up at some point during your first day in the water and be a whole heck of a lot more enjoyable when your figuring this wave-riding thing out.

The key with surfing—as with life—is to never give up. Your next ride could be your best yet.

Board Shorts

Goodbye to “Wave Hog”

Condolences to the friends and family of Larry “Wave Hog” LeGros, who died June 15 at the age of 63. LeGros, a longtime surfer from the Upper Texas Coast, developed his own line of surfboards under the “Wave Hog” label, which he promoted from coast to coast for many years. He was considered a friend and mentor to many up and coming surfers from this region through the years and always had a smile on his face both in and out of the water.

Southern Comforts

In late May, a group of Texas surfers headed to southern Mexico to log some water time at a famous Pacific Ocean point break. Scoring fun waves (and dodging the season’s first Pacific tropical storm during the trip) were Steve Hill, G. Scott Ellwood, Lauren Kenney, Bronson Hilliard, Lee Hughes, James Fulbright, D. Kenney, Melvin Kottwitz, Andre Leeder, Tim Moriarity, Mark Zwahr, Mick McDonald and Mike Meyers.

Salty Dogs

Don’t miss the 5th annual Ohana Surf Dog Competition on Sunday on the beach at 28th Street and Seawall Boulevard. Registration for the competition, which benefits the Galveston Island Humane Society, begins at 8 a.m. with competition starting at 9 a.m. Activities for this year’s event include the surfing dog competition, a puppy sandbox complete with toys and a hydration area and an adoption tent to learn more about rescuing your own canine. Registration for the competition is $25 but otherwise it’s free to attend.

This is a new column about surfers and surfing-related topics here in Galveston and across the Upper Texas Coast. It is written by Stephen Hadley, a former journalist and longtime Texas surfer who lives and works in Galveston. To submit ideas for this column, please email stephen@boardshortscolumn.com.

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