A Guide to the South Bay Surf and Action Sports Scene
05/06/13Shane Dorian wins Billabong XXL Ride of the YearWe’ve been tracking the Billabong XXL here on Catching Air, so it’s great to finally report that former-ASP pro Shane Dorian has claimed the XXL Ride of the Year award (and $50,000) for his 58-foot wave at Jaws last October. Shawn Dollar won the biggest paddle award for his 61-footer at Cortes, along with a $20,000 cash prize. If you’d like to find out more, head on over to Surfline.com. |
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04/23/13Gerald B. Derloshon: The Expert on Dewey WeberFor this month’s issue of Southbay magazine, I wrote a piece on the life of Dewey Weber, one of the original founders of the modern surfing scene here in the South Bay. Back in February, when I started my research, I put in an order for a biography about Dewey titled “The Little Man on Wheels,” by Gerald B. Derloshon. Shortly thereafter, Gerald reached out to me to thank me for buying his book. I told him what I was working on, and after finding out he was also an LMU grad (Go Lions!), I asked if we could meet up so I could run a few ideas by him. He offered a lot of advice, and helped me formulate my final concept for the article. (He’s a big western fan too; if you ever want to know anything about the Lone Ranger, he’s the... |
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04/12/13Wipeout of the YearWho doesn’t love watching a cringe-worthy wipeout? Sure, it might seem a bit cruel to revel in someone else’s pain, and yes, it’s a bit medieval to cheer on as you watch some poor soul take a soul-crunching body slam from the always merciless Poseidon. But to counter that point I say: Come on! Face-plant! I know that’s not a very strong argument in defense of watching wipeouts, but that’s about all I got. Sorry. Anyway, it’s that special time once again when the Billabong XXL judges look to the surfing masses to vote on the XXL Wipeouts of the year. Surfline has a video list (Enjoy!) of the top candidates, and Surfline members can help the judges decide who’s going to go home with the coveted wipeout of the year prize. (I guess... |
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04/05/13Surfer's Walk of FameBeach party this weekend! Well, sort of—it’s more of a pier party. Anyway, as you can see in the South Bay Calendar, the City of Hermosa Beach will induct Mike Doyle to the Surfer's Walk of Fame on the Hermosa Pier. Previous inductees include notable surf legends Greg Noll, Bing Copeland, Hap Jacobs, Dewey Weber and Dale Velzy. Feel free to also check out the Spyder Surf Fest, which will be held right in the heart of Hermosa over the weekend. The Beach Reporter has a list of all the festival’s activities, including a screening of John John Florence’s new film, “Done,” and a silent auction. Mike Doyle was considered one of the best all-around surfers of the ‘60s, and he’s best known for creating the prototype for... |
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03/26/13Surfing Robots! Kind of...This Wednesday, a robot will be filming the 52nd Rip Curl Pro. Yep, you heard that right: Fox Sports’ eight-propeller “octocopter” drone will provide live, extremely up-close, aerial coverage of the surfing competition. Outside Magazine quoted FUEL TV’s Adam Howarth as saying, "Never before has a surfing broadcaster been able to provide live vision so close to the heart of the battle.” Sounds downright intense. This isn’t the first time a drone has been used to cover a surf event: In 2011, an Extreme Aerials quadrocopter was used to cover a contest at Bells Beach in Australia. Outside also noted that Fox used the octocopter to cover a Big Bash League cricket match last December (not to sound like a Sarcastic Sally,... |
03/24/13The DominatorI’m in the midst of doing a bit of surf research, and I came across an interesting little fact about a spot called “Dominator’s.” Locals are already probably familiar with this history lesson, but since I originally hail from the north end of Los Angeles (born in suburbia, I’m afraid to say), it was new stuff for me. Dominator’s, a surf spot near the Palos Verdes Peninsula, is named after The Dominator, a World War II Liberty ship that sank in the area. This info is courtesy of “Surfer Magazine’s Guide to Southern California Surf Spots”: The 441-foot, 7,100-ton cargo vessel was carrying a load of wheat and beef from Vancouver to Los Angeles when she ran aground off Rocky Point on March 13, 1961. According to... |
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03/13/13Kelly Slater wins Quiksilver ProKelly Slater nabbed his 52nd ASP tour victory yesterday at the 2013 Quiksilver Pro on Australia’s Gold Coast. The 41-year-old champ defeated Mick Fanning in the semifinal heat, and Joel Parkinson in the final. According to Surfer mag, Slater is starting down the road towards a potential 12th world title. To commemorate his victory (and because, come one, who doesn’t love Kelly), I thought I’d throw out a few fun facts about the King, courtesy of Spin.com. · Delves deep into conspiracy theories, enjoys “whistle-blowing” films like The Truth and Lies of 9/11. · Ms. Pac-Man fanatic, loved arcade games as a kid. ... |
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03/06/13Garrett McNamara Pulls Ride from XXLWell, remember when I briefly recapped that Garrett McNamara rode that massive, possibly 100-foot wave near Nazare, Portugal, last January? There was talk that this wave was a guaranteed shoo-in for the Billabong XXL awards, easily claiming the Biggest Wave Award for 2012-2013. According to Surfermag.com, McNamara announced that he has decided to pull his ride from the Billabong XXL. During an interview with Surfer, McNamara cited his reasoning for withdrawing was due to his opposition to the event being sponsored by Pacifico Beer. “I decided to pull my ride from the event because I’m opposed to the event having an alcohol sponsor. I’ve been thinking a lot about what we really contribute to this world, and at the end of the day you’ve got to make... |
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02/28/13I saw that in a movie?It’s tough to go anywhere in LA and not stumble across Hollywood’s muddy foodprints. And by that I mean that almost everything in this city has been used for some TV show or film set. You know that light pole outside your house? That sucker’s starred in five feature films, three TV show pilots and one car insurance commercial. And do you think it whines about not receiving any recognition or awards? Nope. Why’s that? Well, that’s probably because it’s inanimate object. Case in point: The South Bay. Here are a few of the movies and shows that featured some notable South Bay landmarks, courtesy of IMDB.com: In Point Break, Keanu Reeve’s character bought his surfboard from a shop on the Manhattan Beach Pier, and then hung out and... |
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02/21/13Update: Skatepark PVLast November, I wrote a piece for Southbay on the skate history of the South Bay. In the beginning of the piece, I mentioned the ongoing project to build a skate park in Palos Verdes, led by the non-profit organization Skatepark PV. In June 2012, the Rolling Hills Estates City Council unanimously voted to allocate a portion of Ernie Howlett Park for a skate park. According to the Peninsula News, however, DiaGeo Engineering was hired to conduct a soil test in the portion of the park set aside for the plaza, which is required before construction, and the firm discovered high levels of methane in the soil. Ernie Howlett Park sits on a portion of the former Palos Verdes Landfill. Coupled with the steadily decomposing waste buried below, the ground in that... |
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My name is Stefan Slater, and I’ll be your guide to the South Bay surf and action sports scene. My blog, Catching Air, features all of the info you need to know about this engaging (and sometimes eccentric) sports community. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the water. 
