So-Cal's old-timey surfing community rejoices after beloved San Onofre saved from erasure at last second! (2024)

Moondiggity-dog!

Alarm had transitioned to sheer panic inSouthern California’s old-timey surfing community in recent weeks.San Onofre, you see, the iconic longerboard wave just south of SanClemente was set to be shuttered from their cross-stepping ways.That land is owned by the United States Navy and the Marine Corpbase of Camp Pendelton, who had leased it to California’s StateParks for many years. As happens with rents, leases, etc., though,they can expire and this one was set to do just that.

No more hanging ten.

Nor even five.

Well, just as the executioner’s blade was set to drop, a new20-odd year lease was signed which will kick hysteria down the roaduntil 2049.

Moondiggity-dog.

California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot gushed,“San Onofre State Beach is a gem within our state parks system, abeloved beach with world-class surf breaks. We’re very glad thatthis new lease with the Navy ensures that the state beach continuesfor everyone’s enjoyment in decades to come. We’re thankful to theNavy and Marine Corps for their close partnership making thispossible and are proud to support Camp Pendleton and militaryinstallations across California as they advance our vital nationaldefense mission.”

Winking at the shoutout, ,” Brig. Gen. Nick I. Brown, commandinggeneral of Marine Corps Installations West at Marine Corps BaseCamp Pendleton, responded, “The renewal of the lease for the SanOnofre State Beach represents our continued commitment to ourcommunity and to the preservation of natural beauty and culturalheritage of the region. Our partnership with California State Parksenhances recreational opportunities for our community andstrengthens our shared dedication to environmental stewardship andresponsible land management.”

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point, wanting to get some shine, added,“I’m elated that we’ve reached a new long-term lease agreement thatensures Orange and San Diego County residents can continue toaccess and enjoy this beach and surf spot for years to come. Thisnew lease agreement is a win for the millions of annual visitors,for our military, for our environment, and for our community.”

And for old-timey surfers.

"He was rushed to hospital and was in the operatingroom for 11 hours reconstructing his leg and both arms."

The Narrabeen-born surfer, Jesse Faen, magazine editor,WSL broadcaster, peer and best friends with Ozzie Wrightand Vaughan Blakey, has beencritically injured in a motorcycle accident on the morningof his fiftieth birthday.

In a message posted to Instagram by the mama of his kid Gypsy,Jessie Samedi, she wrote:

Jesse was hit on his motorcycle by a car doing an illegalU-turn on Lincoln Boulevard last Saturday the morning of his 50thbirthday party. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and soonafter in the operating room for 11 hours reconstructing his leg andboth arms. It went well as he had an amazing team of doctors andseems there will be more operations and procedures in his nearfuture.

So far the goal has been keeping him comfortable and tryingto get as much rest as possible. He’s currently at UCLA Westwoodand will be for the foreseeable future and then transferred to askilled nursing facility where he’ll start his rehabilitation. Thiswill absolutely be a marathon for Jesse. We so grateful to say theleast as we are lucky he’s he with us still.

Because Jesse has been essentially training his whole lifeas an athlete – we have faith in his bodies ability to heal, thetenacity and discipline of his mind and comradery and love of hiscommunity to get him through this difficult journey. We appreciateall the love and we will soon send out some information on how youcan help and contribute support and start visits. For now – sendinglove, encouragement, insight or any sort of resources that you maythink could be useful for his healing would be inspiring andhelpful.

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Jesse Faen is one of those wildly rare men who was blessed withthe good looks of a model and the surfing ability of a pro, whichis usually a cold recipe for disaster but ol Jess balanced his yinwith plenty of yang, writing, broadcaster etc.

More on his situation as it comes.

An absolute mess.

Surfers are many things, including but notlimited to grouchy, possessive, generally incoherent but, aboveall, we are travelers. Few surfers are fortunate enough to livenear world-class waves and so we pack board bags, drive to theairport and fly to surf-rich destinations. The worse the waves athome, the more surfers fly and so it should come as no surprisethat Britain has an extremely large contingent of travelingsurfers.

It might come as one, though, that they are the drunkest fliersin the world.

A damning new study has found that the top five airlines in theworld disrupted by boozers are all Jolly England-based.

The worst is EasyJet followed by Ryanair, British Airways, TUIand Jet 2.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary, speaking to the Independent’s travelpodcast, declared, “We are seeing record numbers. Weand most of the airlines around Europe are seeing a spike upwards,particularly this summer, of disgruntled passengers on board. Ithink the real challenge is: flight delays are up at a record highthis summer, so people are spending time in airports drinkingbefore they board the aircraft.”

Especially surfers.

British surfers.

Sitting at Heathrow’s airport bar, staring at photos of Canggu,drinking a double Hendricks and soda, watching the dreaded“delayed” marker flash next to flight, ordering another doubleHendricks and soda.

An absolute mess when finally boarding.

But have you had experience with a drunken British surf flierrecently?

Describe please.

"It's principally wrong to charge people to go tothe beach," says Tulsi Gabbard. "The ocean belongs toeveryone."

Amid the thickened air of a hot New Jersey summer lastweek, where the smells of dust and cooking oil and horse manurehang in the air, a surfer, correction:longboarder, was given hell by cops for not carrying his“beach badge”, a state sanctioned permission to hang on thebeach.

Liam Mahoney, 28, from Junction City, California, was hip-tossedto the ground and choked for not immediately presenting his permitto a fleet of beach cops, a video of his ordeal quickly runningviral.

A beach badge in New Jersey is a permit required by coastaltowns for individuals to access their public beaches during thesummer season. This system helps manage beach access, ensuresafety, and fund beach maintenance and lifeguard services.

At Belmar, where Liam Mahoney’s carotids were squeezed, a daybadge costs twelve bucks or eighty bucks for the season.

Outrage followed his arrest and, as reported earlier today,“a second surfer has now beenarrested, in protest, and a petition is circulating onlinedemanding the whole ‘beach badge’ business be dropped. The bravedissident sits at the high tide line and just waits for the law tocome down upon him. They do, carrying up the sand like a largeBuddha figurine to a somewhat embarrassing miniature beachvehicle.”

Now, greatest surfer ever Kelly Slater and “one-time leftist darling” TulsiGabbard have joined the chorus calling for an end tothe hated beach pass.
“What do you guys think about having to pay to go on the beach NJ?”writes Kelly Slater. “This should be criminal. I expected this tohave been struck down years ago I saw a guy getting arrested onInstagram the other day for not having his pass.”

Tulsi Gabbard was blunt:

“The thing about New Jersey that I couldn’t swallow is, I thinkit’s principally wrong to charge people to go to the beach. Theocean belongs to everyone. I couldn’t stomach paying money to goand jump in the ocean.”

Communist, yes?

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"I had done ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and there was a lotof conversation around this scene in a bikini..."

The early 2000s were certainly a high watermark for surfing and surf culture. Andy Irons at his verypeak, rattling off three straight Association of SurfingProfessionals championships in a row thereby forcing Kelly Slaterto return from his second of twenty-seven (and counting)retirements. Surf Magazines were relevant and staffed by real boysand girl. Surf brands were worth money, Hurley selling to shoegiant Nike for 95 million actual US dollars (160 mil in today’snumbers). And surf featured lovingly in films like Charlie’sAngels: Full Throttle starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz andLucy Liu with guest appearance from the legendary Demi Moore.

Look at Diaz barrel.

Moore, reflecting on the times in a recent interview, declaresthat walking up the beach in a black bikini, apparently sponsoredby Volcom, forced her to struggle with her identity.

“I had done ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and there was a lot ofconversation around this scene in a bikini,” she told InterviewMagazine, “and it was all very heightened, a lot oftalk about how I looked. I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong,” thenow 61-year-old clarified. “It’s more like I felt that feeling of,I’m not 20, I’m not 30, but I wasn’t yet what they perceived as amother.”

Rude the containers women are put into, no? Pierce Brosnan neverhad to struggle with his identity while playing James Bond norClint Eastwood a variety of grumpy men.

Well, Moore seems to have landed on her feet, starring in a newsci-fi film that “follows Hollywood star Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore)as she takes an experimental drug advertised to create a youngerversion of herself — a clone Sue (Margaret Qualley).”

There for it.