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Travel Report: Hossegor, France

Biarritz, France

Biarritz, France

Surf: 3.5/5 = Above Average
Price: 1/5 = Expensive!
Party: 4/5 = Great bars and crazy people.
Localism: 3/5 = They’re pretty friendly, especially if you speak French. (Go Quebec!)
Thieves: 2/5 = Pick pockets and car break-ins are common.

Time Frame: August 2008

I flew into Paris from Munich, Germany to meet up with my brother and girlfriend, who flew in from Calgary and Hamburg, respectively.

We got our hands on a diesel rental car – first bit of advice: always rent a diesel, more bang for your buck, especially in Europe where everything is expensive (e.g. gasoline was $2.10 CDN per liter). Diesel is about 0.25 cents per liter cheaper and you get more mileage from it. Read More…

How to bribe a police officer

Map of NicaraguaAfter being to Nicaragua for three months and having to bribe my way out of a little sticky situation (It wasn’t mine…..I swear!), I found an even more interesting article.

This feature story is by NicaraguaSurfReport.com. Below is an excerpt from the article. For the full article, and many more, click here.

We all dread being pulled over by a police officer – especially in a foreign country and especially if you aren’t fluent in the native tongue.

The time, the money, the fear and worst of all, the general aggravation will inevitably tax even the most seasoned traveler.

Traveling surfers with pick-up trucks loaded to the hilt with big board bags stand out like pepperoni pizza in a homeless shelter. These days, it’s getting more difficult to drive from the airport out to the beaches without getting pulled over for a meaningless infraction and getting hit up like an ATM machine.

Here are some things that I’ve compiled to increase your odds against receiving an infraction, reduce the dollar amount you pay, and take away your fear of getting stopped by the police. Read More…

Review: Mountain Equipment Co-op neoprene surf socks

Mountain Equipment Co-op neoprene socksFirst off, most things that cost $7.50 don’t even deserve a review but these socks worked so well this past winter that I’ve been compelled to give them some credit.

As with most Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) water sports gear these are designed for paddling but are amazing for surfing come winter time when you need some additional insulation while you’re surfing.

I have 7mm Xcel booties, but my feet are always the first thing to freeze up on me.  Trying to stand up on my board after being in the water for two hours gets rather difficult when your feet are numb and you feel like a pirate with peg legs popping up.

Last fall I met this French surfer at my local break and he was sporting a pair of these 3mm MEC socks. I went and picked them up to give them a try.  Since then they have added at least another 30 minutes to how long I can stay out in the water. Read More…

Review: XCEL Infiniti 7mm Mitten (Drylock)

Xcel 7mm mittenThe 7mm INFINITI is a lightweight flexible high-performance mitten with the backhand panel made of 300% PLUS stretch Ultraspan Superlight neoprene engineered to fit your hands.

It is quadruple glued and blindstitched with Synergy seams. Just by looking at the seams and how they are fused together with rubber, you can tell they will remain in tact a lot longer than your basic stitched and neoprene taped glove.

My first pair of gloves were 5mm Rip Curl five-fingers. After four months of use they developed holes along the fingers. So I bought a 5mm pair of three finger gloves; they suffered the same fate after about six months of surfing.

Read More…

New SBC Surf mag on shelves

surf001_cover_for_proof-11The spring issue of Canada’s SBC Surf Magazine includes features on Africa, Portugal and, of course, Canada.

Nova Scotia photographer Yassine Ouhilal and his new work are also profiled in the latest issue.

Pick it up before it’s gone! To visit the SBC Surf website, click here

How to custom paint your board for under $20

Custom Surfboard

Click to enlarge

Materials you’ll need:

  • Spray paint (two different colors at least)
  • Running water (hose works great)
  • Liquid dish soap
  • Clear acrylic sealant
  • Masking tape

1. Strip all wax off board and then use paint thinner or acetone to wipe it clean. If you want to be environmentally friendly, Pedro’s makes a bio citrus wax remover or my preference, a heat gun. This is the most important step because if the board is dirty or has wax on it the paint will not stick at all or it will just peel off shortly after. Read More…

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

met-hangten220

From all of us here at ScotiaSurfer.com, we hope you have a great St. Patrick’s Day! 

Hopefully this unusually intoxicated green celebration will bring the luck of the Irish across the pond, and some surf with it!

Cheers!

Filmmaker searching for Icy barrel near Tofino

as_surf_tt_jk_hesquiat_576Filmmaker Timmy Turner will be spending quite a bit of time on Canada’s West Coast, hoping to film some of the best and remote waves in Canada.

Tofino, Canada’s westernmost surf town, sits halfway up the inlet- and island-pocked Western Coast of Vancouver Island, on the tip of a small peninsula. South of town are a handful of beach breaks that serve up consistent juice from the same massive storms that send swell to the sport’s Southern California epicenter.

The tortured pieces of driftwood that dot the beaches and the stony-eyed look of Tofino’s surfers prove that those storms aren’t some abstraction on a forecasting website. They’re right overhead. Click for more