Hurricane Sandy: One Man's Misery Is Another Man's Opportunity

Don't get me wrong, what's going on on the East Coast, and especially in New York right now, is horrible...

But when Mother Nature sends her wrath our way, we're at her mercy, and so all we can do is stay prayerful and do the best that we can to stay safe.

But while for most people Hurricane Sandy has become an emergency situation, for others it presented a different opportunity...

SUPing At Sunset Beach, In Tarpon Springs, FL

Not on your average tourist's radar, Sunset Beach juts into the gulf at the end of Gulf Road in Tarpon Springs. It's nearly a perfect spot to sit in the shade of the palm trees gently swaying in the breeze and watch the sunset.

This is the perfect beach to go to if you want to escape the crowds. True to its name, it is a spectacular place to view sun setting into the Gulf of Mexico.

Apparently, this beach is also popular among paddleboarders, and kite surfers.  In "winter months" ( are there "winter months" in Florida ? :)), the wind is nice and steady, enough area to launch your kite, and super safe for beginner kiters ( it's shallow, so even if you get stuck, you can always just get up and walk back to the beach ).

I took my Stand Up Paddle Board /windsurfer for a short evening session. I had a lot of fun, and the sunset was breathtaking !!!

Windsurfing The WindGlider On Lake Tapps

Recently I've been obsessed with windsurfing. Nice weather, steady wind, and a few new ( recently discovered ) local spots ( Golden Garden, Magnuson Park, Browns Point ) provided with excellent opportunities for windsurfing in Washington.

As you remember, last summer I got to try my new Windglider ( now re-branded as Aquaglide ), a great multi-use watercraft that can be used as a windsurfer, a sit-on-top kayak, a performance towable, a sailboat, or a motor tender. This summer, I tried to use it as a windsurfer.

Even if you've never ever done ANY board sports, the Windglider would be an excellent way to introduce yourself to both windsurfing and paddleboarding.

Because it's so wide and stable, you'll have no problem keeping your balance. Because it's inflatable, you won't need much wind, and even a light breeze will get it going.

Not to mention how compact it is. Everything fits into a bag. . The WindGlider is compact, quick and easy to assemble, and you don't have to worry about having an expensive car rack or a trailer to transport it. It certainly beats having to transport/keep five separate water toys.

If you're ExtraHyperActive with multiple outdoor hobbies, this is a perfect multi-use watercraft for you !

Surfing, Alaskan Style

I wrote before about incredible surfing and stand up paddleboarding opportunities in Alaska. Recently, I came across a great photo site by Scott Dickerson.


Scott, raised in Alaska, has been pioneering the waterman lifestyle in the last frontier for 15 years. As a photographer, sup distributor/dealer and surf charter boat captain, he enjoys sharing the breathtaking scenery of Alaska with the world, especially from a standup perspective.

Please, check out his site, even if you're not a surfer, you'll find his pictures amazing and breathtaking !





Visiting Alaska is already on my Bucket List, and along with things like sea kayaking among icebergs, climbing Denali, heli-skiing, I'm going to add "Surfing/SUPing".

You might also like :

Surfing and SUPing In Alaska

Extreme Glacier Surfing In Alaska Video

Boretide SUP Surfing In Alaska

SUPing The Great Salt Lake

 After biking the Bonneville Salt Flats, I was on my way to the capital of Utah - Salt Lake City. I've never been to this city before, and was fascinated to visit "Mormon Capital of the World".

Salt Lake City is an attractive, well-planned, architecturally unique town. But as you know me, doing the usual "touristy stuff" is not my way of traveling.

My first stop was the Great Salt Lake, after which the capitol was named ( the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"—the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868 ).

The lake's turquoise waters attract sailors, its white sand beaches are popular with swimmers and sunbathers, and craggy outcroppings on Antelope Island and some shoreline areas draw hikers and mountain bikers.

The Great Salt Lake is one of the most asked-about tourist destinations in Utah. A remnant of the massive ancient Lake Bonneville, the lake is now landlocked and its waters are salty. It is the largest lake between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean, and is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.

At least, that's what I read about it when I was doing my research.

Great Salt Lake State Marina provides easy access to the lake from HWY 80, and that's where I came...Long story short, I was...disappointed...the Great Salt Lake was quite GROSS!

The whole place reeks of raw sewage. Decay of insects and other wildlife give the shore of the lake a distinctive odor. I could hardly launch my board, and thought that if I paddled further away from the shore, the water would be cleaner, but even away from the shore it was pretty disgusting.

At that point I wished I opted for visiting Antelope Island,the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake.

View a free-roaming herd of 500 bison, and pronghorn and bighorn sheep that share the rangelands. Hike, mountain bike or horseback ride along backcountry trails for spectacular views of Great Salt Lake and island scenery. Check in at the visitor center for maps and information on the island's unique biology, geology and history.

Sounds to me like I missed out on a whole lot of cool stuff :(

Well, may be next time ...

Surfing Neah Bay : Part II

Skiing and surfing on the same day can be a rare experience. While there are some locations across the world where you could ski and surf on the same day like Chile and New Zealand, I wanted to put our state on the map of " World's Best Adventure Travel Destinations" by exploring the Olympic Peninsula.

The Olympic Peninsula is a place where surfing and skiing can be just a few hours from one another. You can start out early morning on the snow-capped mountains of the Hurricane Ridge, and finish the day off taking on waves along the coast.

For my surfing part of the trip I went to Neah Bay, a small town on the Makah Indian Reservation located in the north-westernmost point of the continental United States. It was my first time visiting this corner of our state, and the experience was amazing !

Driving along State Route 122 ( named the Strait of Juan de Fuca Highway ) was like driving along Big Sur ( in California )- beautiful views, amazing pieces of history and unique places to visit !

While in town, I couldn't resist the temptation to have my picture taken at the north-westernmost point of the contiguous United States ( with Tatoosh Island in the background ). A land of dramatic headlands, sea stacks, and deep narrow coves, Cape Flattery exhibits sheer rugged beauty.

After a short hike and a few pictures, I headed down to Hobuck Beach, an exposed beach break that has small, but quite consistent surf and can work ( mostly ) at any time of the year. The access to the beach ( that I found ) was through "gated" Hobuck Beach Resort. Though a day pass is $15, I was happily waived the fee ( you still have to pay $10 for your recreation pass to park anywhere on the reservation ). There are a few cabins and a dozen or so tent and RV spaces ( $20 a night ).

Just like La Push, Hobuck Beach is an average beachbreak that has some good days and a lot of bad days. It's a beautiful spot, however, and the drive here is well worth it, even if the surf sucks.


That day I was blessed with beautiful spring weather, light breeze, and lots of sunshine. But the slopes of Hurricane Ridge were waiting for me, and I still had 2 hour drive ahead of me.

Ski and Surf the Olympic Peninsula: Part I

How many places in the WORLD do you know where you can surf and ski in the same day ?

Skiing magazine knows 6. I can add 2 more : Iceland and ....Washington !

I've always thought of our state as one of the world's premier adventure travel destinations, and if you've been following my blog, you know we have it all : from world class mountaineering to the best cold water scuba diving, easily accessible hiking trails to one of the finest mountain biking playgrounds in the world. 

So when Ski Magazine failed to mention Washington state as one of the world's best places to ski and surf in the same day, I decided to go on an adventure of my own. 

The Spectacular Olympic Peninsula is known as one of the most photographed, and one of the most desired places to visit in our state. People from all across the globe come to experience the thrill of this Natures' Paradise.

This wasn't my first time visiting this corner of our state, but this time I had more time to actually do something fun !

I've already surfed at one of the popular spots on the Olympic Peninsula - La Push.

This time, I decided to explore another popular surf location and surf at  Hobuck Beach at the Makah Indian Reservation.

After spending half of the day surfing, I headed back towards Port Angeles to ski at the Hurricane Ridge.

What was suppose to be a day trip of surfing and skiing, turned into a weekend of unforgettable fun !

....to be continued...

Ski and Surf Iceland

Ski and surf Iceland ?! Why not ?!


I already wrote about great heli-skiing opportunities that Troll’s Peninsula in Iceland offers.

But not many people know Iceland as a great surfing destination.

With its serrated coast and miles of cobblestone-lined beaches,you’d be hard-pressed to find a more uniquely hard-core surfing destination, one that receives swell from all angles most of the year, and one that offers waves for surfers of all abilities.


Iceland - Stand Up Paddle from Blueline - Santa Barbara on Vimeo.


Check out Go There: Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland for more information on surfing in Iceland.

Liberia smiling : SUP and surf in West Africa

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east.

In 1980, a military coup overthrew the Americo-Liberian establishment marking the beginning of political and economic instability and two successive civil wars that left approximately 250,000 people dead and devastated the country's economy.

Today, Liberia is recovering from the lingering effects of the civil war and related economic dislocation, with about 85% of the population living below the international poverty line.

For now though, most of country's cultural wealth remains inaccessible to visitors, and independent travel outside of the country's capital Monrovia is not considered safe.

Though, Liberia is known around the world mostly for its brutal civil war, now people are discovering its potential in an unlikely area - surf tourism.

Liberia smiling from Fresh & Ready on Vimeo.

Morning Workout : SUPing Lake Tapps

Paddling Lake Tapps with Mt Rainier in the background...

SUPing The Windglider

Last year I wrote about the WindGlider -a great multi-use watercraft that can be used as a windsurfer, a sit-on-top kayak, a performance towable, a sailboat, or a motor tender.

One of my ( generous ! ) readers, who happened to come across my blog, generously donated this watercraft to use it to its fullest potential.

Last summer I was extremely disappointed with windsurfing opportunities in/around Seattle area, and after a few attempts gave up and sold my sailboard.

As you might know , recently, I got my first SUP ( stand up paddleboard ), and now I'm absolutely obsessed with it !

When I assembled my WindGlider, I realized that it would work just fine to use it as a SUP as well.

The middle of the WindGlider has pockets to insert two planks that you can stand on, and a 3 section paddle can be used as a SUP paddle as well. Two inserted fins allow to keep the Windlider in straight line, an added strap and multiple D-rings will keep your dry bag and water bottle in place, and it's wide enough for two ( who knows, may be three ? ) people to sit on.

Other advantages ( comparing to SUP or a windsurfer ) - it's very light to carry around, load on and off your car roof rack, or you can just deflate it to transport in your trunk and store in your garage/closet.

Performance wise...well, let's not forget we are still talking about a cheap inflatable. So you definitely wouldn't want to enter a SUP race on it...

But it's so stable and easy to paddle that even a 4 y.o can do it...

My First SUP !

"A dream is a goal with a deadline"

"Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass."

"What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve"

— Napoleon Hill

I learned a lot about goals and how to achieve them form Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success

When it comes to goals you absolutely MUST know what EXACTLY you want. It was in my 2010 post when I told you that I was going to buy a SUP....

One thing you should know about me...I always achieve my goals...

Finally, paddling my own SUP ! 

I wasn't looking for just any SUP. I knew exactly what I wanted. After having a great time surfing and paddle surfing at Cocoa Beach in Florida, I started looking for a SUP that I could use for paddling, surfing, and windsurfing. Soon enough I found 11'3'' Amundson Aquaglide - extremely versatile all-around board.

Not only did I know what type of board I was looking for, I also knew how much I was willing to pay. With these brand new boards going over $1000 ( and a bag for about $200 ), I paid...$500 for both.

Another reason to buy a SUP was to introduce my 4 y.o to the sport. I have to admit, he wasn't as stoked as  me...

If you've been thinking about buying a SUP, choose wisely

Nowadays, there are a lot to choose from, from cheap plastic boards ( Pelican Flow 106 ) to the top of the line racing boards...


I just hope I won't be one of those people who take their boards out once-twice a year...

Epic SUPing: Paddling Iceland

Iceland...The Land of Fire and Ice, geo-thermal pools, glaciers, active volcanoes, northern lights in winter and 24 hours of daylight in summer,...and now a popular surfing and SUPing destination...

The crew from Blueline Paddle Surf and talented filmmaker Peter Trow show you epic SUPing deep in the Arctic Circle, surfing’s last frontiers :


Iceland - Stand Up Paddle from Blueline - Santa Barbara on Vimeo.
If you find yourself in Iceland some day ( I know I will ), check out Arctic Surfers, the country’s first surf-tour operator. Their "Surf & Snow" trip is the board riders dream; surf, ride and explore new turf with great guides in spectacular surroundings !

Surfing and Ocean SUPing Cocoa Beach, FL

Just because it's Florida, you can't automatically assume that one of the most popular outdoor activities here is surfing. Florida's west coast/Gulf of Mexico is never going to be a world class surf-producing machine. The continental shelf saps power and the limited fetch reduces the swell period.

However Florida's Atlantic coastline is home to some quality surf spots, but unfortunately the swells it gets are pretty small and inconsistent.

One of the most epic surf spots here is Cocoa Beach, home to six-time World Champion Kelley Slater and Ron Jons. The latter is the founder of the world famous Ron Jons Surf Shop with their Cocoa Beach location being the largest surfing shop in the world !




That's where I was planning to rent a longboard. But since I've never had a chance to surf a SUP, I went with a 11'6 South Point Dave Kalama Model SUP.

And I didn't regret....

The waves at Cocoa Beach are pretty...mellow...which makes it a good choice for longboarders.... and even better for paddleboaders !

If you've never surfed in your life, make your first time surfing on a SUP instead of a longboard. Highly recommended !

Comparing to a longboard, popping up and keeping your balance on a SUP while riding a wave is extremely easy.



On the downside, paddling while trying to catch a wave was...very frustrating....

It took me a while to realize that you can't surf a wave facing forward. You need to change to a sideways surfing stance. Also, unlike surfers who can catch waves late on their short boards, you need to catch the wave before it breaks.

Catching waves on a SUP will take a few sessions and a lot of wipeouts to get the hang of, and a lifetime to truly master, but wave-riding is one of the best experiences you can have on your SUP.

It is hard to explain why catching a wave on a 10-11' board is such a buzz and the only way to find out is to do it! Though, the swell here is no better than at our local Westport, still, there is something about surfing/paddling in Florida - they don't call it the Sunshine State for nothing!