Luis Barbosa

The Triple Corona de Surfing, International Surf Contest is a series of three surf competitions held at quality surf spots in Northern Baja, Mexico. In 2009, the first year this international surf series was held, Mex Uno team rider Jose “Chuy” Velazquez was crowned the overall winner after a heated, series-long battle with Baja local Jaime Noia.

2010 Triple Corona Starts Off with a Bang

The first event of the 2010 Triple Corona de Surfing was held on March 27th at Playa San Miguel, and it couldn’t have started off any better. The conditions were great, shoulder-high waves throughout the day and warm weather made for a great day of competition. At the end of the day Mex Uno riders would represent in full force, with Gibran Garcia making the Men’s Open and Senior’s final, Jose Velazquez in the Men’s Open final, and Cynara Kidwell in the Women’s final. Check out the video to see some of the action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Results from San Miguel Surf Contest

Men’s Open

Kevin Meza

1. Jesus Velazquez
2. Martin Medina
3. Gibran Garcia
4. Miguel Arroyo

Juniors

1. Charbell Azzi
2. Lucas D`Acosta
3. Kevin Meza
4. Ivan Torres

Seniors

1. Gibran Garcia
2. Baltazar Macias
3. Martin Medina
4. Luis Barbosa

Masters

Mex Uno Surf

1. Juan Valdivia
2. Prospero Ochoa
3. Chacho Anaya
4. Alex Morales

Longboard

1. Miguel Arroyo
2. Ignacio Felix
3. Moises Valdez
4. Vicente Yazbek

Women’s Open

1. Paola Olachea
2. Paloma Lencionni
3. Cynara Kidwell
4. Naara Nuñez

The second stop of this international surf series competition is scheduled for June at Playa Chivos, located at Km. 51 on the Rosarito-Ensenada toll road.

Now a San Miguel Local

While the violence and instability that has come to be associated with Baja, and the rest of Mexico for that matter, has kept many of us from crossing our southern border, it has not deterred one Mex Uno team rider. Jose, has been spending much of the 2010 winter in Baja, Mexico, surfing spots like San Miguel, and he’s been scoring!

Check out the videos below, if you haven’t seen Jose surf just look for the guy on a custom Mex Uno surfboard ripping.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

With this post I hope to shed some light on what a surfboard shaper truly is and recognize some of the custom surfboard shapers that live and work in San Diego.

Surfboard Shapers Fight Against Chinese Pop Outs

Ever since the fall of Clark Foam a few years back, local shapers have been fighting to keep the art of handcrafted surfboards alive, some because their livelihood depends on it and others because of what they believe surfing is and should be.

The shortage and lack of quality foam gave the opportunity for Chinese surfboard “pop outs” to compete, if only for an instant, with the traditional and widely accepted polyurethane foam surfboards. While these foreign-made surfboards presented another option they truly were never a viable option for surfers who knew or understood the benefits of having a custom surfboard.

Surfboard Making is a Craft

Anyone that has ever watched a surfboard shaper work (if you haven’t then check out this shaping video) understands that shaping a surfboard is a craft, or even an art form. Like a pottery maker or an artist, a surfboard shaper starts with an idea, takes a surfboard blank which is really just a rectangular piece of foam, and with his tools begins to mold and shape that piece of foam into what we recognize as a surfboard.

Shapers must be creative to make surfboards work for each individual surfer. Matching surfer size and weight, with ability level, riding style and wave conditions is a challenge. Once a shaper has the “idea” of what could work best for a particular rider, he or she must be precise in the shaping of the board. Not only is the length, width, and thickness of any given point on the board important, but angles, curves, and edges are also critical factors in the way a surfboard rides.

As with any craftsman, being able to transform an idea into an actual product is quite a feat, and surfboard shaping is no exception. Next time you’re thinking about buying a new surfboard take a minute to think about how a surfboard is made, where that board was made, and what would work best for you.

Local San Diego Surfboard Shapers

The following is a list of some notable custom surfboard shapers in the San Diego area:

Tom Nesbit – Nezzy Surfboards

Jeff Batisti – Rat Surfbords

Larry Mabile – Third World Exotic Surfboards

Mike Richardson – Electric Duck Surfboards

Tim Townsley – TNT Surfboards

Gary Linden – Linden Surfboards

George Gall – Plus One Surfboards

Steve Boysen – Boysen Surfboards

San Diego has a huge number of surfboard shapers, this is obviously a short list but please feel free to mention other shapers in the San Diego area who you would like to recognize for their efforts and contributions to all us surfers.

Surfing is a highly mental sport, which means that if you are stoked to go surf you will have fun; if you are comfortable and confident in the equipment you are riding then you will surf with full commitment and your surfing will progress. This is why it is important to know in your mind that you are riding the best possible surfboard for YOU.

However, a custom surfboard is not for everyone. If you are asking yourself, “Do I need a custom surfboard?”, hopefully the following will shed some light on why (and when) you should take that next step and get a custom-made board.

Surfboards for Beginners

Many would-be surfers are lured into learning how to surf because of the perception of the surfing lifestyle: hanging out at the beach all day with girls in bikinis, ditching school or work when the surf is up. However, if you’re a beginner and just starting to familiarize yourself with the sport of surfing there are probably some things you want to take into account.

First of all, surfing is not as easy as it looks (especially the older you get). The process of paddling out towards the open ocean against oncoming waves, positioning yourself, getting into a wave, and riding it actually takes a lot of conditioning, knowledge of the ocean, agility, and balance. Oh yes, and lets not forget, if the waves have any size you also need courage.

Note: While there may be resistance from individual surfers towards promoting the growth of surfing and inviting more people to learn how to surf, this post is in no way intended to discourage any beginners from trying, these are just some of the facts about surfing.

From a strictly financial perspective, it is not recommended that beginners purchase a custom surfboard, this includes new surfboards in general, for the following reasons:

• the board will get dinged within the first week (which means more cash out of pocket)
• you will want to try a number of boards in order to gain knowledge about feel and response of a surfboard
• there is a high probability that surfing will not be for you (don’t let this discourage you, it’s just the way it is)

The best bet for beginners is to find a used surfboard that is appropriate for learning, that can take a beating, and that will not take too much cash out of your pocket.

Custom Surfboards for Intermediate and Advanced Surfers:

Intermediate

Surfers that have the ability to catch waves consistently, stand-up and carve are probably the ones that can benefit the most from having a custom board. A surfer of this ability would benefit greatly from a board that takes into account the types of waves the surfer is riding, his or her riding style and body type. At this point a surfer would have the knowledge to be able to describe what he or she is looking for in a board, in what areas they need improvement, what deficiencies their current board has, and how they would like their board to respond in given situations.

With this knowledge that the surfer is able to transmit, the shaper is able to make suggestions or modifications to a surfer’s standard board to help give the surfer the desired response. This communication between surfer and surfboard shaper is the biggest benefit of having a custom surfboard made. Instead of using a template that was made for someone else’s surfing style, body type, and wave conditions, you get a board that is appropriate for what you want and need.

Advanced

Nearly all surfers of advanced ability level ride custom surfboards. They typically have a very good idea of what works for them and can be finicky about the boards they ride, so they tend to stick with what they know works for them. Once a surfer starts riding custom boards he or she is highly unlikely to ever go back to riding boards straight out of the surf shop.