Big Surf

How about this weather? Another heat wave hit our Surf City beaches in, yes, November, with sizzling air temps hitting the 70s-plus on the sand. Santa Ana conditions and light off-shores to glassy conditions prevailed along with a small combo swell outta the southwest and west, giving us fun, rippable surf. You gotta love it when other parts of the U.S. are already freezin'. Over in Hawaii, the action is already starting with the Assn. of Surfing Professional's first event of the winter season, the $50,000, three-star Xcel Pro presented by No Fear.

Bob "Lefty" Phillips may or may not be the oldest surfer in Huntington Beach, but according to his granddaughter Ashlee Spuhler, the title is his. At least until someone proves otherwise. Phillips turned 83 this week, and also got out in the water on his 10-foot Becker surfboard, part of a routine that has him out there two or three times a week, depending on the weather and conditions. It keeps him busy and active in his retirement, even though it's only been six months since he retired as an insurance inspector.

The winter season on the North Shore of Hawaii is theproving ground for the top pros. Big surf and ridingit seem to be where a lot of surfers earn theirrespect. The world title was on the line at SunsetBeach last week, and with the rest of the world's bestsurfers from Australia and Brazil coming on so strong lately, it was nice to see an American, C.J. Hobgood, win it. Congratulations go out to Hobgood, whosesurfing is futuristic, combining some power turns andbusting new school airs, too. It wasn't more than a few years ago that the brothers' combo of C.J. and Damien were shredders in the National Scholastic Surfing Assn.

High tides and big surf left the Balboa Peninsula slightly soggy Friday morning, and city workers spent the day guarding against flooding over the weekend. The lakes and puddles that greeted Hiram Carrington surprised him when he went for a jog early Friday. He lives on Balboa Boulevard near 12th Street. "It's kind of unusual because I've never seen the waves come that far," he said. "It's kind of scary, I guess, for people that are homeowners right on the boardwalk."

RICK FIGNETTI The world championship tour is finishing off another event, this time in Brazil. The $250,000 Nova Schin Festival was off and on last week due to some small surf, but finally a swell hit and they were able to run it down to the finals, which concluded Wednesday at Silveira Beach. Scoring two in a row was the six-time world champ from the USA Kelly Slater. He was on a mission to take another victory, this time over hot up-and-coming Aussie ripper Mick Fanning.

The Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division is having its annual lifeguard tryouts Sunday morning, but division Chief Kyle Lindo said this year’s turnout will be hard to predict. After all, it’s the only time local lifeguards have had their own TV show. The TruTV hit show “Ocean Force: Huntington Beach, OC” might bring a lot of people who wouldn’t otherwise show, Lindo said. That’s a double-edged sword, because some might not be up to the challenge, he said.

Have to start on a sad note. Surf City filmmaker, Indo traveler, ripper and all-around nice guy Timmy Turner is in serious condition in the hospital right now. Timmy contracted a severe staph infection that spread to his brain. He had brain surgery and is in a coma. All our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family in these tough times, with the hope of total recovery. There was more big action from the North Shore of Hawaii as the 2005 surfing season come to a close with the conclusion of the $270,000 Rip Curl Pipeline Masters.

Bob "Lefty" Phillips may or may not be the oldest surfer in Huntington Beach, but according to his granddaughter Ashlee Spuhler, the title is his. At least until someone proves otherwise. Phillips turned 83 this week, and also got out in the water on his 10-foot Becker surfboard, part of a routine that has him out there two or three times a week, depending on the weather and conditions. It keeps him busy and active in his retirement, even though it's only been six months since he retired as an insurance inspector.

Huntington Surf & Sport is slashing prices the day after Christmas. The doors open Sunday at 8 a.m. at all four Huntington Beach locations. Almost everything in the store (excluding surfboards and wetsuits) are reduced 20% to 50% Sunday through Tuesday. Choose from top surf brands including Billabong, Hurley, Quiksilver, Volcom, Al Merrick, Roxy, Hurley Girls, Volcom Girls, Billabong Girls, Matix, Element, Ugg boots, T. Patterson Surfboards, Dakine, Nixon, Stussy, RVCA, Quiksilver Girls and much more.

Big surf is still pounding the North Shore of Hawaii after the six-star men’s O’Neill World Cup at Sunset Beach Sunday, which finished in some heavy 15- to 20-foot surf. In a star-studded final, featuring some of the world’s best, Hawaiian power master Sunny Garcia got off to a fast start when he got a sick barrel for a 9.47 score and held the lead for quite a while. Aussie Joel Parkinson also caught some bombs, and had big carving turns and a nice barrel, to overtake Garcia in the waning minutes of the final.

The Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division is having its annual lifeguard tryouts Sunday morning, but division Chief Kyle Lindo said this year’s turnout will be hard to predict. After all, it’s the only time local lifeguards have had their own TV show. The TruTV hit show “Ocean Force: Huntington Beach, OC” might bring a lot of people who wouldn’t otherwise show, Lindo said. That’s a double-edged sword, because some might not be up to the challenge, he said.

Well, you can see winter's here by the freezin' air temps lately -- the other night it dropped down to the 30s. I even had some ice on my windshield in the morning, and it looked like glistening frost on the rooftops in the early morning hours. That ocean has been chilly-willy too, with water temps around 54 degrees -- and with those strong offshore winds, a frigid windchill factor to boot. Last Thursday, up the coast at the big wave spot called Mavericks, there were some more giant waves and swells in the 20- to 30-foot-plus range.

The New Year is coming up quickly; in fact, it's this Sunday. And to kick it off, the Huntington Beach Long Board Crew is having its annual pier paddle race. Starting time is 8:30 a.m., location is the south side of the Huntington Pier, and it's free to the public, although a $5 donation would be nice to cover expenses. There will be medals for the top six finishers. The event is limited to surfboards only -- no paddleboards. The club was founded in 1985 and has been going strong since.

Have to start on a sad note. Surf City filmmaker, Indo traveler, ripper and all-around nice guy Timmy Turner is in serious condition in the hospital right now. Timmy contracted a severe staph infection that spread to his brain. He had brain surgery and is in a coma. All our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family in these tough times, with the hope of total recovery. There was more big action from the North Shore of Hawaii as the 2005 surfing season come to a close with the conclusion of the $270,000 Rip Curl Pipeline Masters.

How about this weather? Another heat wave hit our Surf City beaches in, yes, November, with sizzling air temps hitting the 70s-plus on the sand. Santa Ana conditions and light off-shores to glassy conditions prevailed along with a small combo swell outta the southwest and west, giving us fun, rippable surf. You gotta love it when other parts of the U.S. are already freezin'. Over in Hawaii, the action is already starting with the Assn. of Surfing Professional's first event of the winter season, the $50,000, three-star Xcel Pro presented by No Fear.

High tides and big surf left the Balboa Peninsula slightly soggy Friday morning, and city workers spent the day guarding against flooding over the weekend. The lakes and puddles that greeted Hiram Carrington surprised him when he went for a jog early Friday. He lives on Balboa Boulevard near 12th Street. "It's kind of unusual because I've never seen the waves come that far," he said. "It's kind of scary, I guess, for people that are homeowners right on the boardwalk."