Are you a beach person?

[Dinner]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&address=6542+Sabado+Tarde+Rd&city=Isla+Vista&state=CA&zipcode=

I used to live right at the corner of Sabado Tarde and Embarcadero. It was one block from campus and a half block from the ocean with a great view of the ocean and Channel Islands National Park off the coast.

[child of Thor]

I sadly am a uk based surfer - that means i do most of mine in the winter when the waves get bigger than 2 feet sadly it means i get to surf in freezing and wild conditions.
Still i did start on a particular summer and as you know, once you have the bug - nothing keeps you away from the surf
I only get in the water twice a year these days - my brother inherited my board as he goes out quite regular, and now i rent a board and suit for my fix.

I have surfed in png(avatar flag), so i have had some pacific fun - just got to remember to watch those reef breaks, they can mash you pretty nasty!(then the sharks get excited!).

Its safer in the uk

The Ocean has a special thing about it - i love the life around it.

[chequita guevara]

I wanted to live in Santa Barbara. I almost got a job there seven years ago, but then the position was canceled.

[jsorense]

I live in Santa Barbara, just 2 miles from Hendry's Beach.
Ver, very nice indeed.

[Sikander]

Everything from Santa Barbara to British Columbia is pretty nice really. I'd be happy living almost anywhere along that stretch, but the water is too cold for swimming.

[Dinner]

Even in Santa Barbara you had to wear at least a summer wet suit all the time other then summer. Because of the warming effect of the Santa Barbara channel (meaning the shallow channel water didn't mix as efficently with the larger Pacific) the water would warm up to 75 or so in the summer so you wouldn't need a wet suit then but the rest of the year the water was in the upper 50's. Brrrr.

Here in San Diego I've seent he water as warm as 80 degrees during El Nino years but mostly it's also in the 50's to 60's so at least summer west suites are needed if your going to surf for more then 15 minutes. Cold water just sucks the energy right out of you. Another thing about surfing in Santa Barbara was the Islands blocked many of the best waves and natural oil or tar seeps produced alot of crap which would get in your hair. You could normally tell who the surfers were because they had shaved heads because natural tar had gotten into their hair and the only way to get rid of it was to shave it all off.

Santa Barbara is also located at the southern edge of the Great White Shark's zone. There were some very big animals in that water and in the winter time (Great Whites prefer cold water) it wasn't uncommon to see 15-25 foot sharks hunting for seals. They avoided people but you'd hear stories about how sharks would mistake men in wet suits as seals. Luckily there were never any attacks when I lived there but there was once when I was surfing and a seal jumped out of the water on to my board in order to escape a shark. I didn't want to kick him off to certain death but his extra weight made it hard to steer and I didn't want to fall into the water with the shark.

Luckily the wave was an easy one and we both made it though ok.

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by Oerdin
edit......

Luckily there were never any attacks when I lived there but there was once when I was surfing and a seal jumped out of the water on to my board in order to escape a shark. I didn't want to kick him off to certain death but his extra weight made it hard to steer and I didn't want to fall into the water with the shark.

Luckily the wave was an easy one and we both made it though ok.

wow! awsome story

my tale of the time i was chilling watching the sun set on my board + had my toes nibbled by a seal doesn't come close to yours

[Dinner]

Originally posted by jsorense
I live in Santa Barbara, just 2 miles from Hendry's Beach.
Ver, very nice indeed.

Coolness man! I know exactly where Arroyo Burro is and I used to go there all the time. I also like to go to the Hollister Ranch/Goleta Shores area to go surfing since it was entirely undeveloped coastline with great south facing breakers. El Capitan, Gaviota, and Refugio State Beaches aren't far away (a few miles) plus because I was military I could legally get on to Vandenberg Air Force Base in order to surf there as well. There were great waves on perfect south facing beaches without another person in sight. That was totally like how California must have been like in the 40's and 50's.

It's to bad it's so hard to find a decent job there and that housing costs so much (your average 1960's vintage crap-tacular suburban home goes for $900,000) or else I would never have left. San Diego is one of my favorite places but Santa Barbara still has that small town feel which San Diego had 20 years ago. Of course the small town feel comes and lots of preserved open spaces comes at the price of unbelievable housing costs.

It is as close as I've seen to paradise on Earth though. Great mountains with in 30 minutes drive, a national park with in a 15 minute flight, numerous state beaches & a national forest with in 30 minutes drive, lots & lots of regulations protecting open spaces and public parklands, great dining since it is an international tourist destination, cool Spanish Mission architecture, plenty of fishing opportunities including salmon runs and ocean fishing, seismic heated hot springs you can swim in, beautiful mountain scenery, great wineries, and hot Danish girls in Solvang. What more could you ask for?

[Frankychan]

How's the surf in the UK? 2-ft waves? Damn, sorry man...but that's pretty small. I'm used to HI waves....lol, Continental US used to measure them differently from us so when Hawaii forecasters used to say 2 feet, it would actually be 4 plus. Excellent. We had to change most of our forecasts cause too many tourists were getting their a**es handed to them.


I can handle HI-7 footers....but I guess that means its around 14-17 foot faces. HI measures from the back...although I can't surf Jaws or Mavericks on the West Coast...that's just friggin ridiculous.

[TCO]

I love the beach. Voltaire parking lot or by the pier in OB. Tourmaline in the winter. South mission beach jetty. Del Mar where the grass is. Waves are all good in the winter. Like to smell it and just be in it too...

[TCO]

I'm kind of a long boarder though. If they get too big, then I just swim in them. I'll swim in anything. (if it's not rocky). OB pier in the winter closes out sometimes and noone surfs, but I love to swim there.

[TCO]

Love seafood and the feel of the beach too. East coast beaches way more wild and peaceful than Sand Dog. Love Nags Head.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Even in Santa Barbara you had to wear at least a summer wet suit all the time other then summer.
Santa Barbara is also located at the southern edge of the Great White Shark's zone. There were some very big animals in that water and in the winter time (Great Whites prefer cold water) it wasn't uncommon to see 15-25 foot sharks hunting for seals. They avoided people but you'd hear stories about how sharks would mistake men in wet suits as seals. Luckily there were never any attacks when I lived there but there was once when I was surfing and a seal jumped out of the water on to my board in order to escape a shark. I didn't want to kick him off to certain death but his extra weight made it hard to steer and I didn't want to fall into the water with the shark.

Luckily the wave was an easy one and we both made it though ok.

Awesome story. Don't beleive it for a second, but awesome story. Heck, I get freaked out when their little heads pop up next to me and you can see those sharp teeth and all.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Frankychan
I can handle HI-7 footers....but I guess that means its around 14-17 foot faces. HI measures from the back...although I can't surf Jaws or Mavericks on the West Coast...that's just friggin ridiculous.

Merverick's is just crazy. I've never surfed that and I don't think I will ever have the balls to surf it.

[chequita guevara]

Maverick's is for surfers with a death wish.

Dude, how far did that seal ride with you? And you're a better man than I. I woulda kicked that seal back in if I felt I coulda stayed on the board. If the shark was following him, that means he's homing on you now.

Personally, I like it when the water is 80+. Cali is just too cold.