Alaias in 22 Footers Yesterday in the Wilds

Aloha Tribe,

Yesterday in the Wilds, the surfing was utterly primal, feral, wild, untamed, and about as chaotically intense as it typically gets.

I brought three of my Alaias and my Paipo, along with my Rescue Swimmer Riverboard and all of my Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Beach Rescue gear with me for some hardcore practice and training.

The wind was gusting to about 43 mph, the rain torrentially biting like machine gun bullets, the waves were Blown Out of course as they usually are with driving Voodoo Mist, and nobody was in the water, on the beach, nor even in the entire area, except for several groups of Sea Lions, which enjoyed a rollicking game of Tag and Hide and Seek with me. Some of them were pretty good size, well over 7 foot it appeared.

It was, a perfect day for surfing at the Wilds. Dangerous, sure. Foolish, of course. But what's a girl to do when that is the Home Break? After all, I've been in much more intense than this.

The Alaias, by the way, without a Rocker or Fin as you all know, lead to interesting experiementation and improvization especially in wildy chaotic waters so you don't Pearl or Dig a Rail.

Oh, and the Line Up, had there been one, was a mile out to sea fighting mountains of raging water every step of the way to get there for unlike on the North Shore of Oahus where there Swells and Periods are perfect and you have just one wave to more or less get over slide over after easy gliding paddles between Swells, here in the Wilds, you have  hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Peaks to attack during the Paddle Out. It'll work your paddling, that's for sure.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

The Wilds, Baja, then the North Shore

Aloha Tribe,

So, Fall is here, and, that means it's time for some serious surfing training.  Depending on the night tonight, I might spend the next month in the Wilds, getting ready for Baja. Then, I'll use the size of Baja for some fine tuning and honing to hit the North Shore.

I'd like to go to the North Shore at the usual time, Halloween, and stay beyond Christmas, but it all depends on how Baja happens first. Then after Christmas, it'll be more of the North Shore probably through the Spring with Darrick Doerner. Of course, I have to get China in too and that's going to be 3 or 4 months so I"m not sure where that will fit.

Then again, seriously its all up in the air at the moment for my heart races with excitment and my soul sings of far off shores. Here it is, 2 AM, and I'm totally thinking of simply tossing my single backpack into my VW Bug in a few minutes, strapping on my feral vagabond Alaia, and simply heading South from Canada to Baja, hitting all the breaks along the way.  It's a full moon out there so it would be an adventure driving tonight.

What better the life of a soul surfer dancing to the siren of the sea. Down Baja way, I plan to do some hand spearfishing with my homemade wooden handspear, living off fresh fish, fruit, beer, and tequila with maybe a few surf articles to some of the top rags tossed in.

In addition to China, this year should be my year for Vietnam and also Gabon. A bit of a go perhaps but it has to be done.

Tonight, tomorrow, whatevers Brahs.

Bodacioiusly Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Double Overheads Party

Aloha Tribe,

This weekend arrive some utterly feral Double Overheads with 15 second Periods in the Wilds with a bit of Voodoo Mist as the  Kiwis says, so it seemed like a great time to have a weekend party Friday through Monday or Tuesday or whenevers.

Fresh grilled Fish Tacos of course. Beer. Tropical Fruit. Surfing of course. Bring an ukulele and a tent or hammock if you like or whatevers for some Stealth Camping and Night Riding.  Throwing knives rock (no blade spin 43 feet). Slacklining. If you have an Alaia, bring it, if not, come try Sliding Ass on one of mine. 56 degree water, no wetsuit needed. There'll be a Full Moon, so Night Sufing is a must, more so a moral imperative.

No pressures, no worries, just ride the glide and Slide Ass Slide.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Pope Bisect Stealth Board for Romania Surfing

Aloha Tribe,

In another month, I might if I'm lucky have the chance to go to the land of Transylvania, in the country of Romania, a land according to myth and legend, story and tale filled with werewolves, vampires, and creatures of shadow and darkness. Now, while searching for werewolf and vampire lore will occupy my long dark nights, along with lots of International Chess in pitch black castles played by candlelight until dawn, during the day if I get to go, I'll do as much surfing as I can in the Black Sea on my 8' Pope Bisect black Stealth board.  It has black fins, but I"m thinking of getting three blood red fins for it, just because, well, legends and myths, history and lore, and, you never know. And that never knowing part is what makes life an adventure, it's why, in our hearts, we are all surfers for that is what the seas sing to us each time we ride a wave or even watch dreamy eyed as the swell rolls in, life and times change, so adapt.

I so hope that the trip works out. And even if all I can do is sit on my board and paddle around a flat sea, so be it for such is surfing. Surfing, real Soul Surfing that is to say, is simply about being a surfer.  So, hanging with my board in open water, having a fish taco or two in an exotic ancient land filled with magical wonder, and of course strumming my ukulele to the sounds of the children of the night (as Bram Stoker called wolves in his novel Dracula), what could be better!!!

One small ultra light camouflage backpack (holding my Russian chess set, an ukulele,  a gray siltarp, bare minimal travel gear). One take-apart two piece surfboard in a black shoulder strap carry case. And, adventure into the primal wilds awaits.

Alohas,

Bodaciously Stoked

Lily of the Valley

Triple Overheads: Preparation - 100/200/500

Aloha Tribe,

We have some great Triple Overheads coming, in the 20 to 21 foot range at the end of this weekend and early next week. In preparation, yesterday and today as well as for the rest of the week, I've been doing a fun exercise for kicking endurance for medium waves.

1. You do 25 Pull Ups, then, 25 Jumping Jacks, then run a quarter mile (or paddle your surfboard this distance), then do 25 Jumping Jacks.

You do this 4 times for a total of 100 Pull Ups, 200 Jumping Jacks, and 1 mile run or 1 mile paddle.

Immediately next...

2. You do 25 Wide Armed Push Ups, instantly followed by 25 Jumping Jacks, run a quarter mile or paddle your surfboard, then 25 Jumping Jacks.

You do this 8 times for a total for this phase of 200 Push Ups, 400 Jumping Jacks,  and 2 miles run.

Then...

3. You do 25 Sit Ups or stomach exercises of any type, followed by 25 Jumping Jacks, run a quarter mile, then 25 more Jumping Jacks.

You do this for a total of 500 Sit Ups or stomach exercises, 600 Jumping Jacks, and run 3 miles.

The grand total for all of the above...

100 Pull Ups

200 Wide Armed Push Ups

500 Sit Ups

1200 Jumping Jacks

6 miles of Running or 6 miles of lay down paddling on your surfboard if you want to stay sports specific.

Try to truly push yourself and do all of the above somewhere  between 1 and 2 hours if you can. If you really want to make it fun, add an additional 5 hours of swimming (mostly in sprint intervals) in the roughest seas possible with fins (personally, I prefer Aqua Lung Rocket Fins - they're often favored by Rescue Swimmers - be sure to get some Fin Savers if you're swimming in gnarly seas so you don't lose them, they don't float).

I've found that exercises like these help me to get the grit to push through challenging surf. If you happen to be at the beach, instead of running, simply get on your board and paddle the required miles as quickly as you can for each section.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Leandro's Brazil Butt Lift DVD Exercises for a perfectly shaped butt and maximum Surfing Skill

Aloha Tribe,

As many of you know, I love working small muscles in my body to enhance my surfing. Because of my Chi Gung Training, my body is extremely sensitive to the subtlest of movements and balance shifts, thus, honing and developing even tiny muscles, I have found, has a major impact with what I can do with a surfboard on the waves. Along this idea, a few days ago I got an absolutely incredibly fun and useful set of dvds of Leandro Carvalo's Deluxe Package for his Brazilian Butt Lift dvds. With it, I also just ordered today an extra dvd of his called Brazil Butt Lift Secret Weapon. I love all of the dvds and saw their immediate direct application to surfing.

I must say, having a tight butt  or buns or bum bum as Leandro calls them in Brazil, rocks when surfing. And, the fun thing is, both guys and girls can not only greatly benefit from honing and sculpting a perfectly shaped set of buns but also in the process, you can gain  perfect control over those muscles too and that's where the direct application to surfing comes in. And with that, comes the fun on your board. If you want to truly shred on your shortboard with greater power, or, to glide with a soft kind of subtle smoothness and beauty you've never had on your longboard, I so highly recommend working your buns until you truly master them. Besides, an extra benefit is that they'll fill out the backside of your boardies or string bikini bottoms pretty hotly too and what's wrong with that!!!

The reason that sculpting these generally unused or unnoticed surfing muscles is that for  most of us, we typically use large, dynamic movements when we surf that involve our entire bodies, and, while such movements can truly be beautiful, such as the graceful  Drop Knee Cutback to name but one,  there's something about being able to control your board with utterly minimal movement that fascinates me. Thnk Gerry Lopez and you have the image of cool calm, relaxed style with little body movement in even the gnarliest of situations.

What gave me the idea to work my buns was my devotion to slacklining, tightwire walking, tightrope walking, and loose rope walking. In those, with a moving rope or wire, one tends to use the knees and hips to control balance. And, if the wire or rope is extremely taut under high tension, then, the balance is more upper body. So, for surfing, a slackline and a soft rope offer the greatest body awareness of the proper muscles if you want to really feel connected to your board and not separate from it. So, I had been working the three primary muscles of the buns, the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus with my own sets of exercises. Then one day, I happened upon Leandro's Brazilian Butt Lift dvds and they looked so fun and colorful and alive with energy, I just had to try them. After all, I could see how beautifully he moved and the image sprang to my mind of my surfboard. The thought came to me that as a specific form of exercise, to sculpt t not only a perfect butt but also one with incredible muscular control and power,  it would be possible to shift balance based on butt muscular tension. And so, the experiment and quest began.

So, since I am so dedicated to surfing, I decided I'd really work Leandro's dvds hard, thus, I'm doing all three of the dvds that came with the regular program, and, his  two additional  dvds from his Deluxe program, as well as the additonal Secret Weapon dvd for a total of 6 dvds. I do all of this disks of each program every day, and sure, that's probably more than most of us would do, after all, just one of the dvds is a great workout let alone doing all of them throughout the day, but, going to the extremes is the only way I ever train in any sport. Push until you drop, then get up and push again and on and on and on. If you truly want to do the best you can, in whatever you do, you have to truly try your hardest.

I'm so totally stoked to see what my intense training in this program of Leandro's Brazilian Butt Lift will do for my buns and my surfing. In fact,  I've already noticed the dramatic effects almost instantly in my butt awareness.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Dawn Patrol Now, First Light in 2 1/2 Hours, Perfect Swell

Aloha Tribe,

In another 2 hours 47 minutes, first light will arrive. So that gives most locals time to head out now for a night drive to greet the Pre-Dawn on the Water. Sunrise 30 minutes later at 6:47.

It'll be a morning surf on some 6 Footers with a small 6 second Swell and a slight Cross-Breeze. We'll surf a bit, then gather for Fish Tacos fresh of the grill and bananas for anybody who wants either.

As the day progresses for our after Breakfast surf, the waves will rise about a foot more. Basically, it'll be a mild day with low winds, easy relaxed surf under warm overcast skies.

If you have an Alaia, bring it, the day will be fun for them.

Anybody up for a night jaunt, let's form a caravan. See you on the road in two minutes or out on the water before First Light.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Alaias I Made

Aloha Tribe,

Here are a few Alaias and Paipos that I made over Christmas for myself and my friends.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

27 Footers in the Wilds: Awesome!!!

Aloha Tribe,

This morning, at Dawn Patrol, there were and still are 27 footers out in the Wilds. Voodoo Mist so strong it'll nearly knock you off your stick, Blown Out, Gnarly, Choppy, Intense, seemingly Impossible, Feral, just like I love it. It's Alaia time!!! Fresh grilled Fish Tacos for a late breakfast for anyone interested. Surf first, breakfast later - if not dead, waves this Radical will make you puke on a full stomach.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Big Wave Wipeout Survival Training: Conditioning for Aerial Beatings

Aloha Tribe,

Yesterday in the Wilds, the waves were Triple Overhead (around 24 foot or so), thus, it was a perfect day for Big Wave Wipeout Survival Training.

DD (Darrick Doerner - famous big wave surfer - my surfing coach and Watergirl mentor)  taught me a wildly fun and fascinatingly practical, yet paradoxically extraordinary training method for learning to be comfortable during big wave wipeouts.

You get one of those yoga balls, you know the type, they are typically about 3 foot in diameter or so. That is a good size, by the way, because the size makes the training tougher.

Then, you simply swim the ball (once it is fully inflated of course), out into the swells, and, the game is, you have to hold onto the ball no matter what and, if you let go, you lose. A seemingly simple game regarding the rules, yet challenging beyond challenging depending upon the conditions and your skill.

What the purpose is, of course, is to teach you to be comfortable not only in turbulent water, but also while falling and even flying sky high through the air. You see, as you hold onto the ball,  because of its bouyancy, you sort of are like a bouncing cork out in the waves, and you fly all over the place. This type of training gives you a true beating, and, in the process, gives you loads of experience, wisdom, and confidence under extreme type situations.

You see, you are deliberately, intentionally, with full will, paddling this silly ball out in to truly gnarly water and then, playing the game. It's great fun. So, forget how silly you look and simply go for it.

Another yoga ball type exercise, by the way, to be used on calmer days or flat days even, is to use the same Swiss Ball (what they are sometimes called), and to have a smaller one or less inflated a bit, and you try to stand on it in the water. It's great balance practice.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Ultimate Surfing Chi Gung

Aloha Tribe,

Many surfers today, especially Pros, are interested in High Performance Progressive Surfing, and the most elite development of this, Ultimate Surfing Chi Gung offers specific concrete training methods for pushing totally beyond all competition in every element of surfing including coordination, endurance, speed, adaptability, creativity, flexibility, healing from injury, strength, mental strength, spiritual strength, as well as and most incredibly of all are methods of getting in tune with the sea, your board, and your body in ways never before done by anyone anywhere anytime.

The secret, oddly enough, is not some futuristic method of training, but instead, comes from the past, with over 3000 years of practice, study, and exploration in the ancient Chinese field of the exploration of the energy of our bodies and all that is around us.

Using such methods allow a surfer to do things they have never dreamed of before in ways never imagined. This, of course, then lifts us into whole new ways of exploring our surfing, where we no longer have to search the world for the perfect wave, but instead, can find the perfect harmony with any wave within ourselves in how we surf. Interestingly enough, this leads the frantic external quest for surfing perfection of boards, breaks, and maneuvers into an internal quest never before explored, thus, virgin territory on a blank map.

It is with these methods that I find myself facing the sea each day in my beloved Wilds, alone in the Winter Swells in the wild feral seas of ice, snow, and unimagined winds. Such offers a playground of personal exploration seeking an ever detailed quest for internal pefection in harmony with the sea through surf.

The secret to surfing at such a level, comes not from without, as I mentioned above, but from within, in depths always pushed beyond one's grasp, on an eternal quest for internal or Chi awareness. This, of course, leads to ever increasing levels of sensitivity to your body, your board, and the sea, which, then leads to further exploration in a harmonious cyclical dive into the depths.

If you literally want to be the best of the best of the best, then there is but one way. And that, is within yourself. All you need to do is to know how to find it. And to do that, you simply need to look within. That, is the secret. Of course, if such words seem cryptic, and they might to some, then formal training of course helps, for a guide (Coach, Trainer,  Teacher, whatevers) along the way can tremendously speed up the process of learning, yet, the truth of the matter is, your highest level of surfing is and always has been within yourself all along.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Ulitimate Chaos Surfing: A New Feel and Look

Aloha Tribe,

Imagine if everything you new about surfing, everything you'd ever seen in the movies, from your friends, anywhere, anytime, anyplace, was suddenly, in a single day of the wildest most feral surf you'd ever danced with tore your body loose from the old surfer you were, reshaping you in boiling oceanic pulsations into a totally new surfer. That was yesterday.

You see, yesterday in the Wilds, the sea was alive, it was as if it were boiling water, every inch of pulsing movement exploding in new directions of unlimited skyrocketing swells, waves, boards, and, ideas.

Oddly enough, I've never seen the ocean quite like this. Now, from a normal surfing expression, one would look upon such a scene and say it either sucked or it was terrrifying beyond all measure. Then again, by surrendering ones soul to the sea in such conditions, a whole new way of feeling surfing and my body swept through every fluid fiber of my being.

The swells seemed to come from five primary directions all at once, for example, a wave would come from the SW and 8 seconds beind it would be one coming in from the NW, followed 2 seconds behind that by one from the W, the then 6 seconds later for a Period from the SNW. Interestingly enough, the waves would come in at not only different angles but also dramatically different speeds, thus, there could, with any given wave, be a crashing explosive assimilation of countless waves hitting each other, thus Jacking Up and Doubling Up even upon themselves, leading to total chaotic swirling and bursting expressions of water geysers, with currents pulling from every direction at once at both the same levels of depth and different depths.

Now, when I got there for all of this, there was no one anywhere. No cars, nobody watching the beach, and most certainly nobody in the water. To get to a decent Line Up, you had to swim out for roughly 3/4 of a mile if you truly wanted to get beyond the churning Lines of wild oceanic dancing. Alone in such a sea, with nobody in sight anywhere, leads to interesting insight and thus, new surfing feelings, expressions, and ideas.

Yesterday boiled my body, mind, and soul into a new artistic expression of surfing looseness, giving me unimagininable and countless new moves to yearn for with full passion.

I feel today, different. A new girl alive with a depth of a love of movement I have never know before, a level beyond levels calling my heart and soul, singing to my muscles, beckoning me to the swells today.

In darkness, I await the rising of the next Dawn Patrol sun, my heart pumping beyond burst, my muscles aquiver, my soul aflame, my mind dancing free, my Alaia patiently waiting with the explosive anticipation of a Champion racehorse seconds before the dropping of the Gate for our harmonious union.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley