Cowells Santa Cruz California = out of control!

[eskrod1]

1:26  i'd hit it

[hag55555]

most kooks in one place

[AirlayLeekoh]

isn't there a surf school that surfs on Cowells? santa cruz surf school i think. looks like a dingfest. .

[frontdesk123]

A remote controlled "large" shark fin moving across the water will clear that place out real fast.

[toyomore]

graduate at cowells and the Hook is next!! yeeeh 

[tropicchillzone]

Oh man this video makes me want to spew so much, reminds me of Ocean grove in the summer. So many spastics that no nothing about etiquette. You have captured a surfers nightmare :D

[dpspac333]

blame the assholes renting the boards to these fools, giving surf lessons and profiting from a natural resource. Cowells surf shop...hope they rot in hell

[1purelight]

Blame Club ED !!!!!

Just Kidding.................I ve seen better days ,,,,, during the week....avoid weekends.

Such energy what a blast

God Bless

[alyinsanfran]

Fred I'm with you. Up here in Pacifica they're getting sent out (primarily by NorCal surf shop) with no etiquette lessons at all. They don't look back, they just go, even when you're coming right at them from 50 yards back. I entirely blame the surf shop for it.

[fredreiss]

Again, why are you attacking the messenger? And it really has nothing to do with the ability of the surfers as much as the poor quality of their behavior. Great surfers can be real pigs and collide with other great surfers too.

[aaaaaaaaaallllgood]

dude, if these guys are in your way, that means you're competing for waves, which means you're surfing in the same area as them... I know what you're getting at but if you're that good, ther'll be a reef somewhere that is working on this swell.... put down your camera, get your board and find somewhere uncrowded to surf...

[fredreiss]

Appreciate the love. I do surf. But when it's crowded why ruin a day/ Again you're missing the point on etiquette and that these people don't just ride foam boards and they do go to spots way beyond their abilities. I'm not running for office. I won;t be able to surf for a couple months because I'm currently getting treatments for cancer.

[WaterDog619]

kookfest!



[fredreiss]

It's tough. WIth board prices at ridiculous costs between 1200 to 1800, these people buy foam boards or crap ones because they are just like their boards: disposable. They aren't going to commit to surfing, but the problem is, they replace each other like shark's teeth. You have to wonder a middle-aged person who doesn't play any sports, feels they should take up surfing and endanger everyone else so they can be cool. They've taken the cool out of it, they don't see it, they see what they want.

[3sgtepwnzr]

@fredreiss endanger everyone else? come on man, if you are afraid of getting hit by foam boards, you should just stay out of the water entirely. BTW, I went through your channel and not ONE video of you surfing. Your priorities obviously are to get your panties in a bunch, maybe it's time to just go out and enjoy the cathartic experience that is surfing and forget about the rest.

[meaneguene]

this makes me sick. all these kooks....

[chaopoiesis]

OVER 23 MILLION SURFERS SERVED (source Intl. Surfing Assoc.)

And 7 billion more who haven't learned... yet.

[fredreiss]

Has nothing to do with being experienced. It has everything to do with people without soul. These same people are also paddling out to advanced breaks and acting the same way. Myabe I'm just showing you how they hatch.

[3sgtepwnzr]

my question is, if you're such an experienced surfer, why the hell are you hanging out at a kook spot like Cowells. basic logic 101. Don't be a martyr man, what you're going to go out each day in summer and teach each and everyone of these tourists etiquette. good luck with your surfing goals 2012. You mad.

[603Sniping]

Fuckin Bics!

[PlumGaming]

@603Sniping lol hey its miccmurr



[fredreiss]

Yes, we go in as kooks and come out as kooks. But this is a different breed. They outnumber the experienced surfers in the water and they don't care about etiquette. It's about getting what they want. If they acted that way in another other sport, they'd be thrown out of the game,

[joemyersjr]

we were all kooks @ 1 time

[SkimboardGuy17]

So many dam tourists!!!!

[fredreiss]

It's not just ankle biters. It's about the demise of etiquette. These people go to surf classes and get a clue the artificial way and are only concerned about what they want: period.

[k311y5m1th]

wish all the kooks would send their costco boards to antarctica and never get back in the water

[vetelmo]

haha! People getting upset about ankle biters at Cowells.... Hilarious!!

[AirlayLeekoh]

great video. we all have to start somewhere, why not start in SC. thumbs up

[fredreiss]

Nice attitude. You must be a real joy to be in the water with. Just like your cruel and insensitive comment, there is no excuse for not having etiquette. Rude is rude. And being a bad beginner usually means you'll become a bad surfer.

[jackzuck]

If you suck at surfing so much that you have to go to Cowell's, you have no right to complain about people trying to learn there. Cowell's has always been designated for noobs.

[fredreiss]

Once you put a paycheck in the mix etiquette goes out the window.

[epurr]

How about instructors teaching wave etiquette? Not saying they don't, but we saw the same happening in whitewater kayaking: ill-equipped, poorly trained newbies making a mess on what used to be really fun rivers.

[luckyduckjoy]

im 11 and i can surf way better than that!

[superchanneljim]

Im so glad I bodyboard.

[CDMVIIXI]

jesus christ it's worse than bu

[Mrextremeo]

there like dominos LOL

[lovesurfeimy]

funny beach!!!

[natro3]

its sketchy on those days cause all these board r flying around

[clarkewi]

Cowells is a learner spot. Always has been. Work your way out to Indicator and Middle Peak as your ability increases. When you get really good, try "The Point" with the rest of the local gladiators (Hi Ruff!!!!)

[MrShirrly]

fuck da tourists

[fjordking]

they should all head out to Steamers just like Waikiki with wet suits hahahahaha

[mentalzebra1]

this same thing hapens at my skatepark all the garbage kid sit on the ramps so we just decided to ruin into them if they dont move and now there not there (:

[sproutz101]

Good place to keep all that foam in one spot! They've got to go somewhere.

[titis4life1]

so true its sad :(!

[craigmaui]

love this feel good surf vid - good times....

[MrKeepitlit650]

too many people are getting way to upset about this video haha

[fredreiss]

I agree. Nuit on those days the surf shops throw them out their on foam boards, etc. Plus, you really can't talk to them. The women are usually the worst because they see themselves as some type of new wave, when their just another clueless foul-mouthed beginner in-denial.

[deedaviddeangelo]

Beginners should not be out in waves over 3 feet at crowded spots, which is now ALL spots around SC. Beginners can't maneuver through traffic, even if they can manage to take off safely (most have no concept of what "safely" means), on a crowded day. ALL days where a swell over 4 ft is broadcast are now crowded days, even at 10am on a Monday. Serious truism: in today's conditions, beginners should not even be in the water when surf is chest high or bigger.

[deedaviddeangelo]

The comment about beginners on longboards being a problem everywhere around SC is dead on. It becomes incredibly noisome, to have to know how clueless a new face is just from how they paddle, and sit and wobble on a 10 foot board (often a Tuflite with knife-sharp FCS fins), and know that within a short period of time they're going to paddle out to the main peak (it's the only place they feel like they won't get caught inside a breaking wave), and inevitably cause a predictable list of problems.

[fredreiss]

Again, a hostile response based on ignorance and your inexperience and selfishness. SInce when are beginners supposed to tell experienced people who are familiar with the rules and behavior that the rules and their own behavior doesn't apply to them. The larger issue is people take the way they act at Cowells to other spots. My guess is you haven't surfed for more than two years, but you know everything don't you. Look in the mirror.

[Exthox]

@fredreiss Don't sweat it, let people ride a boat on a 1ft wave. If you are who you portray to be then you're good enough to be surfing a better spot. In mid winter during a swell these people wont be bothering you at the point. Let them have their moment of glory. 99 percent of these people are one timers. If they give you shit, or attitude at another break you know what to do. I feel your pain. ur right however that beginners learn to surf without etiquette.

[clarkewi]

So glad I moved away from Santa Cruz. Used to be a great place when I lived there '75-'89. Lane often MT with new swells even Westsiders hadn't seen earlier in day. All gone now except the waves. Fortunately there are other localities on the planet with more MT waves with nobody out. Go find em. Some are north of town but watch out for "Whitey".

[fredreiss]

It's not about sympathy. It's about surf classes creating entitled people on disposible boards who don;t care about anything, and defend their actions by saying they're beginners. As they get better, and improve, they will only become worse in the water.

[tanman12]

@fredreiss you are all dumb. people need to learn some where. cowells is that. yah its crazy but thats what you get when you go to cowells. go be an elitist a the hook or something.

[JRCKFSH]

They are people surfing in the ocean in surf city usa.

If there weren't 200 places you could surf alone within 45 minutes of SC I could sympathize.

[scottlhester]

Nicely done Fred!

Before surf schools you learned how to surf from your parents or friends or by just paddling out. Either way you also learned the etiquette of the lineup. I don't think surf schools teach that.

[fredreiss]

You embody stupid. Instead of learning, you complain about being told. Must be nice going through life being selfish and causing problems. Good luck ten years form now in your AA meeting. Take your blue foam board and go smurf's up. Read a book. Hang onto your board. And learn to BEGIN to apologize, learn to BEGIN to hold onto your board, learn to BEGIN to be nice and courteous, which you aren't and never will bel. Good luck with your limited future. Hope you get a good grill job.

[kdovalley]

your an entitled hag. stay out of the beginners spot then if you don't like it. 

[fredreiss]

They are surface people. They see the ocean as a park. They are entitled people on disposable boards. One time at a surf spot, some parents brought down a bounce house so they adults could surf and the kids would have something to do.

[gurebu75]

Resembles Kugenuma, what else to say!

[3535kevin]

Um I grew up here, Cowell's at one time really was a beginners break, But every so often when Steamers wouldn't be breaking all the better surfers would migrate over to Cowells and then the mess would begin. Back then not many guys used cords. I used to retrieve boards for the better guys, And then they every so often would give me a set of my own lol

[FubsyGaming]

im sorry if you have ever been disrespected, and next time i go there if i do something wrong i will apologize.

P.S. love the song

[FubsyGaming]

i understand your frustration and i respect your opinion, but THAT is what beginers are going to do. They are going to fall, loose their board, and take ur waves. They have no idea what they are doing. They most likely no that what they did wrong, but dont want to say anything because they are too embarassed or dont feel like saying something to a 40 year old man that is gigving the death stare. all that im trying to say is that that beach is MOSTLY for beginers, nd its what you should expect.

[fredreiss]

All valid, and I have tried that. And people defend themselves by saying that's what you're supposed to expect from beginners. The bottom line is they don't begin to apologize for not holding onto their board, dropping in on someone who clearly has the wave etc. That's not a good beginning. I have seen beginners with the same mentality go to more advanced spots and paddle right into the lineup and use the same excuses. My advice, hold onto your board and don't drop in on people.

[FubsyGaming]

I'm sorry I'm a terrible speller, I'm sorry for recklessly or selfishly sufing. I have been yelled at for getting In someones way, or rideing there wave or something, but that's what you should expect when you go to that spot. You should be aware that there are going to be beginers, and here's a thought maby help them out. Tell them what there doing wrong.

[fredreiss]

Work on your spelling. Your response perfectly embodies how those people think. You justify not knowing what you're doing because you're a beginner. But you never begin to apologize for surfing recklessly or selfishly. And some days Cowells gets 6 to 8 feet. The pictures speak for themselves. I guess if people live in a crowd and work in a crowd, they expect to play in a crowd. But my guess is you're a terrible surfer who has gotten yelled at and can't admit you ever did anything wrong.

[FubsyGaming]

This is where most of the beginers from nor cal go. The waves are long,slow, and easy to ride. If you don't like it beaing so crouded, go somewhere else. If you are experinced you don't need to be rideing these waves. If you live near here and you can't go anywhere else then stop complaning.

[fredreiss]

Don't have kids. But surfers multiply anyway!

[khillertubes]

if you don't like crowded surf than don't have more than 2 children and encourage others to do the same...humans are breeding out of control!!!!!!

[thedenguefeverfool]

what happened to cowell's ???? all this fucking surf schools .....

[fredreiss]

True, but the town also gets money from the beach-surfboard concession, which shouldn't exist because it's a business.And the schools only purpose is to make money, and have been cited numerous times about having too many people beyond their permit in the water, but never fined or disciplined.

[feerrnmarie]

If there are to be surf schools, they should just bring one or two beginners out at a time.

[rootieboy]

I used to surf Cowells on the weekends when I lived in Salinas. Now that I live out of state I only have time to go out there once a year because my friend's beach house is close by. We get up at 6am and head out to beat the surf schools. It's actually not too bad. We are usually leaving about 8:30- 9am. Even that early you are left dodging people left and right.

[fredreiss]

Yeah, it's bad. People get on a wave, and because they can't turn, collide into someone who is paddling out, and say, "Didn't you see me?"

[dumprun01]

lol. im fortunate to surf uncrowded waves.

[fredreiss]

What can I tell you? Years and years of surf classes take their toll. Thick surf tech boards--people can catch waves but can't turn. Check out my surf novels on Amazon.

[thedenguefeverfool]

@fredreiss  you think that 15 years ago this place was that ??? shit bra they wouldn't let this happend in santa cruz ... you know what im talking about .

[deshram]

HOLY FUCK! man im not an aggressive guy and i surf a crowded break with beginners anyway in nor cal, but i would fucking FFFLLLIIIIPPP! at this, especially since i only shortboard, looks like a really really fun fish day, but man something would blow in my brain dealing with this.

[jd92109]

Since Surfer ™ magazine declared, all of the ocean (and especially you're local break) is owned by no one and everyone's right to surf there, respect for any hierarchy went out the window. Take it back by riding a 12' 2" and just mowing every one of the bouys out of the way. Disrespect must be met with superior disregard of their "right" to YOUR piece of ocean.

[wordup714]

ant hill

[fredreiss]

Thanks for the compliment. It's just gotten so stupid out there. I paddle out and just try to stay in shape. 9 out of 14 are women who can catch waves but stand stiffly, and angle to shore; or they're guys on floaty, stupid, corky surf tech boards who do the same thing. And that's 80 percent of the people out there.

[toyomore]

this video is fucking awesome, I love the song! great job Fred!

[fredreiss]

Thanks for your comment on Cowells. What amazes me about the beginners is they don't seem to fear hitting someone with their boards, getting inured themselves, or creating a situation where they can knock either themselves or someone else unconscious who can drown, They think it's like Great America.

[sake408]

Can totally relate with this video. Surfing out there when school in in session is like navigating an obstacle course.

[fredreiss]

Surf schools don't care if they create a crowd in the water. Their defense is: it's crowded anyway. But, you know what crowd they don;t want in the water? ANother surf class! Why? Because that means they'll be making less money.

[TeenagedIpodDude]

i love cowells in the winter but its impossible to get a wave there in the summer with all of the god damn surf schools!

[fredreiss]

too far--Hey, the people causing problems in the water aren't the locals. I'll bet seventy percent of the people in the water have just taken up surfing within the last five years. The overwhelming a majority of them are rude and define the place by how they see it in relation to them. Sure, there are jerk locals. But they're not the problem. If you take the time to learn the rules, you will meet better people. This new crowd only wants what they can get for themselves.

[fredreiss]

Can't argue. But what a great longboard dessert wave to lose to a horde of wet fire ants. It's basically a dumping ground for surf class sludge--even the seafood caught there has mercury levels from kooks!

[crzyninja77]

this is why us locs don't surfing cowells.. this is a valley spot….

[fredreiss]

Sometimes the surf classes have over 100 people out at Cowells. Think about it. Even at $40 a head they're killing it! Why should they even exist at that level? Maybe the town should have a moratorium? But these guys will scream, but I don;t see how enabling them to pull down money like like is serving the good of a recreational area. Hell, even at the town;s public golf course only the pro is allowed to give lessons for money. Why should the ocean be any different?

[manlymage7]

yeah thats true

[fredreiss]

I got the $65 figure from a surf class pamphlet. And when you charge someone to surf, they have to get on a wave, and usually a picture is taken. If it's all about soul, then don't charge them. But it's all about getting the money and for the people getting what they paid for. Getting along with the other surfers isn't in the curriculum. Learn by getting along with people in a spot, give and you will be given, take and you will get taken.

[toofarfromjune]

@fredreiss Santa Cruz: the clickiest place on earth and all you idiots like to speak as if you were born there while 90% of you were not. I'll make sure I teach beginners at the Lane from now on, I wouldn't want to contribute to the "valley" crowd at cowells. For the record, the last time I was out at Pleasure, some female "seasoned local" dropped in on me hard, as if it was the last crappy 3ft wave in the world, what a pro!

[fredreiss]

AGreed, if they stayed on the inside, But most people use the beginner's excuse to burn people and continue rude behavior. I have heard, "I'm only a beginner" to many times. The one phrase I rarely hear is "I'm sorry, I'm a beginner, could you tell me what I did wrong."

[manlymage7]

and its not 65$ a piece lol

[manlymage7]

one of the best surf spots for begginers in the world lol

[ridedariddimz]

Thank god for sharks!

[fredreiss]

They don't eat vegetables.

[fredreiss]

Some beginners let their boards go, and think turning means yelling "Look out" then plowing in you, and not apologizing and swearing at you--the women do this even more than the guys! And instead of staying on the inside on big days, they go right into the peak and think it's ok to burn people because they say, "I'm a Beginner." It's used more as an excuse to get in someone's way. They are beginners in the sense they are beginning to be a problem at EVERY surf spot.

[itomatik]

very true. it's almost always extremely crowded on a good day in Cowell's. It's one the best spots for beginners in Santa Cruz :)