I asked the most knowledgeable surfer I know about the name Grimace Rock. Skip Frye told me it comes from a picture taken when a surfer realized he was about to hit the rock. Grimace …

Paddle around the peak or get out of the lineup!

On Friday afternoon, September 11, 2015, there was a cliff collapse inside the cove at Tourmaline Surfing Park. Normally this type of landslide is a clear reminder to the locals to not sit up close …

The off-limits fishing area in P.B. isn’t as big as it seems.

Late Thursday afternoon (July 23) Deco Bike Racks were installed in two prime locations on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach. Recommendations by the Pacific Beach Town Council and the Pacific Beach Planning Group were apparently …

Ten years ago, most of the housing on the boardwalk in Mission Beach was old apartment complexes filled with college students. When the locals took a bike ride on the boardwalk we would stop along …

It has been said that any day you go into the ocean is a good day. Getting down to the beach, putting on a wetsuit, and watching all of the surfers in the parking lot …

At Tourmaline in Pacific Beach there is a trench about 100 yards offshore that runs parallel to the beach. This trench has a major effect on how a wave approaches the shore. Based on a …

My neighborhood in North Pacific Beach is pretty much free of graffiti. When I drive into other parts of San Diego, or in Pacific Beach, there are more stickers, old garage-sale and lost-dog signs, and …

The news weather people love to talk about high surf advisories. They always throw in “strong rip currents” and warn that only “advanced” surfers should enter the ocean. Sometimes they are right, but more often …

The waves have to be fast and be breaking to catch them on a shortboard. While sitting on a shortboard, the surfer is very low down in the water. Shortboard surfers get upset with longboarders …

Last week I spent some time talking with John, one of the local surfers who also is a kite-surfer. He was lamenting about the probable outcome of the meeting between surfers and kite-surfers that was …

If you live anywhere north of Santa Barbara, you always wear a wetsuit. When you get up to Oregon and Washington it does not matter what the season might be — you will be in …

While Southern California is full of great surf spots, there still are not enough, considering the size of the surfing population. This can cause a lot of stress in the lineup. Most (if not all) …

We have visitors from Norway in our condo complex in Pacific Beach. The first thing they asked was where they could find a beginner’s beach for surfing. They picked the right place to live, as …

This was the best summer for surfing in San Diego… ever. There was no May Gray, June Gloom, or July Cry. It was perfect weather at the beach almost every day, and that clear weather …

The boat that Waterhorse Charters owns is named the Humboldt. It is 45 feet long and designed for scuba diving. This dive to the wrecked HMCS Yukon will be the second time on the boat …

Greg Hatem, owner of Waterhorse Charters, was firm with me when I tried to sign up for one of his charter dives to the HMCS Yukon aboard his dive boat. He said before he would …

The diving wreck HMCS Yukon is located about two miles off the coast of Mission Beach and about 107 feet down (depending on the tide). The Yukon sank 1.8 miles off Mission Beach on July …

One of the common sense rules that are told to visitors to our beaches is that you should only go into the ocean in front of a lifeguard station. Starting about three years ago, the …

On August 28th, a female surfer, after finishing a surf session at Tourmaline Surfing Park made the mistake of going back into the water for a swim. Not only is this not legal in a …

Las Gaviotas is an oceanfront gated community located about 30 miles south of the San Ysidro border crossing. It is ten minutes south of Rosarito. There are close to 300 homes, and many are available …

My surf buddy Jason McLachlan stopped by my house last night, fuming mad. He had just finished a short sunset session, so he should have been a happy guy. Here is his story: “I just …

Hello, state Assembly member Toni Atkins and state senator Marty Block. I am writing this letter to ask you to submit legislation to modify the Marine Life Preservation Act of 1999, as it concerns shore …

Staci Johnson, a 26-year-old Marine , recently became the fifth diver to die while diving the Yukon, a Canadian escort ship sunk off of Mission Beach in 2000. Because the vessel is on its side, it is disorienting.

During the Summer Longboard Classic finals last year at Tourmaline Surfing Park, an unusual event occurred. A kite surfer, apparently oblivious to the tournament, flew full speed into the contestants. Either the intruder could not …

Am I the only one who can see them? All over my neighborhood are plastic bags filled with newspaper advertising. The circulars are everywhere. I live in Pacific Beach and first noticed them in December. …

Chris Manning normally went surfboard fishing in the early morning with the other regulars — Roy and Vicky, Steve, Russell, and the other Roy. But with the ocean as flat as a lake and the …

This story begins ten years ago in the year 2000. My transition from Northern California to San Diego, specifically Pacific Beach, specifically one block up from a great surfing beach, was complete. The beach is …