Surf Update

Summer has to be my favorite season in Laguna. Aside from taking a couple trips to get some good waves I would rather be no were else in the world during the summer months then here in my hometown.

For as long as I can remember, summer has been the highlight of my year. When I was a grom, summer was better than Christmas: the start of a sun, water, and beach wonderland for all my buddies and me. The excitement would build beginning in early June: for two and a half months I would be free of homework and could go to the beach everyday and not have to worry about anything. That was the best feeling in the world.

I remember getting out of bed everyday somewhat early, eating a quick breakfast, grabbing my skimboard, surfboard, sometimes a boogieboard, and some change for lunch at Taco Bell, and splitting out my door and down to Thalia as quick as possible. Didn't matter if it was cloudy, foggy, sunny, cold, flat or pumping, I was down there as well as the majority of all my friends for a day of all-out beach madness. I can't even describe how fun those days were: all my friends, all day, everyday, pushing each other at the beach to go bigger and better.

We would rotate between skimming and surfing, only stopping to go eat lunch. When I was done skimming, I would go surfing. If it was flat, we would run down to Pearl Street beach and jump in the blowhole.

Every now and then, though, we would get bored if the waves were small. If the older guys were there, they would draw a circle in the sand. The "Circle of Death" we called it. Everyone would stand around the circle, and the older guys would choose the two groms who would go at it first. You had to wrestle, trying to push, shove, or somehow knock your buddy out of the circle to win. That feeling of accomplishment didn't last long. An older guy would come and throw you out of the ring as well. It's just another thing I miss about being a grom in the summer.

Now I'm the one telling the groms to get in the circle.

Today at Thalia, I know everyone from the all families that chill at Hakama, the section of the sand to the left of the beach access. They call themselves the "haka-moms." All the groms and all my friends still go to Thalia all summer long.

As long as I am here during the summer months, everything is great and I don't know what could be better than Laguna in summer. The only thing that could improve the town is a stand up barreling right pointbreak, but that's a different story.

So enjoy what's left of summer and get down to the beach because fall weather and cold water is right around the corner.

Surf pro Ryah Arthur spent some of his summer competing in local surf contests.