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Author: Rowan Grant

  • Dawn Patrol: Chasing Perfect Waves at Malibu (Vol. 20)

    Dawn Patrol: Chasing Perfect Waves at Malibu (Vol. 20)

    An update on something we’ve talked about before, with new context.

    The alarm rings at 4:30am. Before the marine layer burns off, the most dedicated surfers are already waxing their boards at the Malibu pier. There is something spiritual about paddling out before the world wakes up — just you, the cold Pacific, and the first light spilling over the Santa Monica Mountains.

    Dawn patrol is not just about avoiding crowds, though it helps. The early morning offshore winds groom the swell into something pristine. Glassy faces, clean lines, and the occasional dolphin pod riding the same wave you are. This is California surfing at its purest.

    We spoke to local legend Kai Nakamura about his morning routine. He has not missed a dawn patrol session in three years. “The ocean tells you something different every morning,” he says, pulling on his 4/3mm wetsuit. “You just have to show up to hear it.”

  • Surfboard Shaping: The Craft Behind Every Ride (Vol. 9)

    Surfboard Shaping: The Craft Behind Every Ride (Vol. 9)

    A few things have changed since we first covered this, so here’s a fresh pass.

    Inside a dusty Encinitas workshop, master shaper Rick Martinez runs his hands along a foam blank, eyes closed, reading the curve like braille. He has shaped over twelve thousand boards in thirty years. Each one is different. Each one is a conversation between the shaper, the surfer, and the wave.

    Modern surfboard shaping has split into two worlds: machine-assisted production shaping, which uses computer-controlled routers to cut foam to precise dimensions, and traditional hand shaping, where the entire board is created by hand with planers, sanding blocks, and decades of accumulated intuition.

    The best boards often combine both — a machine cut that gets the blank close to the final shape, then a shaper’s hands to finish the rails, refine the concave, and add the subtle asymmetries that make a board come alive under a specific surfer’s feet. Come visit our shop to see the process firsthand.