Surfing in Los Angeles: Places to Go

I posted a list on Citysearch of my go-to places for the surfing in Los Angeles experience.--Stef McDonald

She's Back: Gidget!

Here she comes again... Gidget!

Bethany Hamilton in Bali

Check out Bethany Hamilton's adventures in Bali on Surfline. I am always impressed by her graciousness, super sick surfing, and how grown up she looks! Read more about Bali and my surf adventure here.--Rebecca Heller

Teen Read Week: Read Gidget

Just learned that this is Teen Read Week. First thing I thought? Gidget. You've probably seen the movie with Sandra Dee or the TV show with Sally Field. I liked both, but the book is best.--Stef McDonald

More Shark Sightings: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

This morning as I took a friend for a surf lesson at Ocean Park in Santa Monica, California, all the surfers were abuzz about the leopard sharks along the shore. I laughed it off until we headed down towards the waves. I am not exaggerating when I say hundreds of fins were flipping in and out of the shore break. As we approached the water we could see schools of leopard sharks swimming along the shore where the ocean meets the sand. The sharks ranged in size from about a foot to about three feet. All we could do was laugh. They didn't seem to be bother the other surfers out in the water, and, well, it was the perfect day for a lesson, so I walked out shuffling my feet, yelling, and splashing to scare them away. My ever brave protégé tagged along behind me. They were only very close to shore so there weren't any sharks to bother us at the break, but let's just say my student never fell off her board as she rode it in. She told me her horoscope this morning said, " you will have great stories to tell." No kidding.--Rebecca Heller

P.S. If anyone has any photos, please share them with us.

Ride My Board: Demo in Oceanside

Two of my kick-ass surf camp instructors from Las Olas, Julie Cox and Kristy Murphy, are hosting a board demo and BBQ -- "Ride My Board Day" -- on October 3 in Oceanside Harbor. Julie designs the Jule Collection and Kristy is behind the Siren line of stand-up paddle boards. Email julecollection@gmail.com for more info.--Stef McDonald

Cute Baby Onesie: Stoked To Be Here

With baby showers looming, I was searching the web for some surf inspired items. This one made my day. Get it here at Surf Shack Baby. --Rebecca Heller

Here Comes October, Here Comes the Sunn

This bit of entertainment news jumped out at us: Tia Carrere is reportedly going to produce and star in a movie on a trail-blazing surfer girl from Hawaii, the late Rell Sunn (aka the Queen of Makaha); find out more about Sunn on her official website. We'll be there with popcorn in hand when it makes it to the big screen. Sunn lost her life to breast cancer several years ago, but her legacy lives on, just as the fight against the disease continues. Next week marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness month and we're sending a shout-out to the Keep A Breast Foundation for doing its part to spread the good word--with art and with the help of surfer girls everywhere. Right on.--Stef McDonald

2009 Surfer Poll Awards

We're super stoked that Tiffany Campbell and Andria Lessler won the award for Breakthrough Filmmaker for the Roxy sponsored all-female surf film Dear and Yonder.

The top five women to take home Surfer Poll awards are Stephanie Gilmore, Sophia Mulanovich, Carissa Moore, Coco Ho and Alana Blanchard.

Girls rule!

--Rebecca Heller

Project Runway meets the Surfer Girl

Episode 3 of Season 6 of Project Runway had the contestants creating surf inspired looks. Loved the idea, not convinced about the execution. Definitely want Irinia's macrame; didn't love Ra'mon's winning neoprene look. --Rebecca Heller

Layne Beachley: Dancing!

Read Layne's blog posts (with photos!) on her experiences on Australia's "Dancing with the Stars."

Daily Beast Post on Surfer Girls

Interesting new post on The Daily Beast, "Surf Girls: The Next Wave." Good quotes from legendary Layne Beachley (with a good bit of trivia: she's appearing on the Australian version of "Dancing with the Stars").

Big Wave Surfer Girl: Maya Gabeira

I'm happy with a small wave I can catch with my long board, thank you very much. But big wave surfing is still impressive to me. Wowee, those waves are big! Lately, some surfer girls have grabbed attention for riding some serious monsters. Check out the photo of Maya Gabeira at Dungeons, South Africa from earlier this month. Repeat after me: Wow.--Stef McDonald

Surf Chick Flick : Women and Waves

We haven't seen "The Women and the Waves" yet, but we want to!

Super-Duper: Supergirl Pro Junior Surf Finals

Find more videos like this on BFD.com


We dare you not to be impressed with the highlights of the Supergirl Pro Junior finals. And winner Courtney Conlogue? She's sixteen. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

Good Luck Dolphins

I went out surfing last week in Venice with a new surfer girl. Jillian is the niece of a friend and was visiting from the East Coast. She's a teen and had taken some surf lessons, popping up on her soft board in the white water for a few days. The water was pretty flat on the morning we met for our surf and she was sleepy-eyed and quiet, saying only that she wanted to chill on the beach for a while. I convinced her that we should paddle out past the breakers and see what we might catch. The waves were few and far between, but the water was warm and it was a pretty morning. Then, up popped the head of a sea lion within feet of us--and this woke Jillian up fast. Shortly after that, we spotted dolphins and and she was all smiles. Me, too; I never tire of seeing dolphins out in the water. I told her that I believe it's good luck when you see dolphins swim by. Is that true? she asked. I told her I made it up but believed it. "Well, I'll bet it's good luck somewhere," she said. Good answer. I agreed and told her that it was good luck in California if you saw a dolphin in the water. . . The photo above comes from Lisa Denning, whose gallery of dolphins can be found here. --Stef McDonald

I Want It!

I am a sucker for cute packaging, so what could be better than new Surfer Girl line of skin and lip essentials? Buff, shimmer and shine with this trio from Philosophy. You want it, too? Get it here.--Rebecca Heller

U.S. Open: Go, Courtney Conlogue

Sweet sixteen, indeed: Courtney Conlogue is only 16 years old and took the top prize at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. A $10,000 prize for a day of surfing--yes, definitely sweet.--Stef McDonald





And, just for fun, here's Kelly Slater's perfect 10 wave from the competition: