On Friday, the Museum of Art & History hosts an in-person discussion on how far surf culture has come in the realm of inclusiveness, with particular focus on Santa Cruz culture, and how far it has yet to go. “It’s a time to explore these things,” one panelist says. “It’s a time to ask what may be uncomfortable questions.”
Surfing
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Skimboarding might be surfing’s little brother in Santa Cruz, but it’s given me family across the world
Santa Cruz’s skimboarding community “might be relatively small,” writes Evan Quarnstrom, “but our small town plays an outsized role in the history and culture of the sport.” Quarnstrom grew up skimboarding in Santa Cruz and he’s used his passion and skill to meet fellow skimmers across the world. He explains how, and offers a primer on why skimming is harder than surfing.
Posted inCoast Life
Riders on the storm: Santa Cruz surfers’ yin-yang relationship with historic megaswell events
There is much cleanup and rebuilding to be done after the storms battering Santa Cruz County, damage that hadn’t been seen for decades. There is also an epic sandbar building up off the San Lorenzo rivermouth. It’s a complex equation for those who live their best Santa Cruz lives tapping into the ocean’s energy and often risking their own personal safety for reasons few others could understand.
Posted inCoast Life
How a blind surfer got over his fear of wiping out (and you can too)
Pete Gustin proudly wears a “blind surfer” rash guard. His YouTube fans embrace his adventurous spirit, but he’s still sometimes hounded by haters in the water.
Posted inCoast Life
‘These guys are legit’: Could the best Santa Cruz-centric surf film ever made be quietly in the works?
Ten years after Hollywood gave us “Chasing Mavericks,” based on an iconic young Santa Cruz surfer, Jay Moriarity, who overcame odds and died too soon, there is another Santa Cruz-based surf film percolating. Because of the star power involved in its conception by the acclaimed filmmakers of “Nomadland,” and the fact that filming could begin soon, the anticipation is palpable.
Posted inCoast Life
‘Firing’ waves grace Cold Water’s return: Six good reasons to train your eyes on Steamer Lane this week
The Cold Water Classic gets the reboot along West Cliff Drive on Tuesday after a seven-year respite. In the limelight will be one of the crown jewels of Santa Cruz’s rich surfing resources: Steamer Lane. Also: solid surf, local talent, a women’s division and hope for a sustainable CWC future. Oh, yeah, and a beer garden.
Posted inCoast Life
Kevin Reed’s radical ride: Legendary anti-hero of Santa Cruz surf, skate scene getting his belated due
Born into a troubled home life, the Santa Cruz legend dubbed ‘Mr. Radical’ threw himself full speed into the natural playgrounds that surrounded him in the 1970s and 80s. His acumen and fearlessness gave him early notoriety, but he says that fame, fortune and accolades were never what he sought. Nonetheless, he was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame on Thursday night. He and his wife drove to the ceremony in the van they live in near Steamer Lane.
Posted inCoast Life
Return of a Classic: The Cold Water, a longtime Santa Cruz surf tradition, is back from a seven-year slumber
O’Neill and the World Surf League are dusting off the cobwebs on one of surfing’s top contest venues, Steamer Lane. For many years Santa Cruz was a regular stop for surfing’s elite-level competition, and it built a reputation as the quintessential surfing amphitheater.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I failed at surfing, but Elkhorn Slough’s otters changed my life
Marisa Messina, an MBA student at Stanford, wanted to be a surfer, but could never quite get vertical on her board. She stumbled into kayaking and fell in love with the harmony she observed among the creatures at Moss Landing’s Elkhorn Slough. Here, she takes us on her journey and urges us to imitate and learn from the animals, plants and algae that surround us.
Posted inLatest News
Surfing in the desert? A developer’s plan for a surf lagoon sparks outrage
A developer plans to build a large surfing pool in La Quinta. Critics argue it would require too much water as California grapples with drought.