CLASS ACTIVITIES Archive: Previous to Fall 2010

FRIDAY, December 12, 2008. Final Exam online.

FRIDAY, December 5, 2008 at 9AM: Meet at MONDOS. Things are looking quite good for surf this Friday. The WNW swell should fill in with around 3-5 ft faces at Mondos and larger sets (overhead) at other local breaks. The tide should be perfect and the wind and weather is looking very favorable for the session. This is our last class in the water so everybody be sure to show up. You will have your final exam – online next week and will receive a study guide via blackboard over the weekend. I will also have the T-Shirts on hand for you to pick up. See you then and please on time.

FRIDAY, November 27, 2008. Thanksgiving Break - No Class.

FRIDAY, November 21, 2008 at 9AM: Meet at "C Street" Ventura Point in the cove at the bottom of the stairs just below the brown condos where the rocks end. Today, Thursday it is pretty flat but there is a new NW swell due to arrive Friday afternoon.The tide should be right so hopefully we'll be able to catch early signs of the swell Friday morning. As of now, it's clear Mondos will be basically flat on Friday.

FRIDAY, November 14, 2008 at 9AM: Meet at Mondos. After meeting at Mondos during an extremely high tide, we could see some swells but it was too deep for them to break. We relocated to the cove at “C Street” Ventura Point and found a nice NW swell peeling off the point and into the cove. It was an excellent session for everyone with the sets running about shoulder high and sometimes bigger as the tide dropped.

FRIDAY, November 7, 2008 at 9AM: This week we tried something different and class met at Oxnard Shores. See Map . The surf was very small and the offshore wing was howling so hard it was like a desert sandstorm on the beach. After contemplating riding the tiny blown out waves, we went to Ventura Point "middles" and played around in the small south swell.

FRIDAY, October 31, 2008 - Class Cancelled. Due to some very important University business that Jack has to take care of this Friday, class is cancelled and we will not be having a Zen surfing session on this day. If some of you decide to get together and surf, there will be no lifeguards available and you will be on your own.

FRIDAY, October 24, 2008 at 9AM: The met at Mondos. There was a new south swell predicted to arrive Friday but it was running late so the surf was pretty small for the class session. The weather was perfect, sunny and awesome so we had small waves but a classic Southern California, glassy surfin' session. Saturday, the swell hit with excellent overhead sets at Ventura Point and other local breaks south.

FRIDAY, October 17, 2008 at 9AM: The outlook for surfable waves looks very grim for Friday. Due to the combination of an extremely high tide with very tiny waves, I can assure you that there will absolutely be no surf at Mondos. If there are any waves at all, they will be at the top of Ventura Point “pipe/stables” with a few "aggros" crushed together and fighting it out for a few second ride on a weak, dinky wave. Sorry, but when it comes to surf, nature dictates our destiny. It hurts me as much as it does you, to announce that we will have class on campus and meet in Topanga Hall 1976. We will learn to speak some official “surf lingo” and do a bit of “Digital Zen.” We will also watch an amazing PBS surf documentary, “Condition Black.” Content covered in the class will be included in your final exam that will be given at the semester’s end.

FRIDAY, October 10, 2008 at 9AM: The class met at Mondos. Due to weak surf conditions at Mondos, the class relocated at Surfers Point, C Street, Ventura. The surf was pretty good with 3-4 ft faces and an occasional bigger set, perfectly glassy, sunny and warm. The more advanced surfers surfed the point off of the free parking lot while the beginners were encouraged to stay more in the "cove" area, away from the crowd. it was a beautiful day for a Zen surf session except for one longboarder who shouted at Jack, bitching and complaining about bringing the class group there. Jack tried to help the angry, self-indulged surfer understand that the ocean is for everyone and that the beginning Zen Surfers know to stay out of the crowded area and yield to more experienced surfers.

FRIDAY, October 3, 2008 at 9AM: Class met at Mondos again after last week’s thrashing the Zen Surfers endured from small but juicy close-out waves at “Summer Beach” (just north of Emma Wood). As the seasons are changing, we are seeing more NW and WNW ground swells. Thursday, the new swell was showing with shoulder high to some rare overhead sets at the top of Ventura point. Friday at Mondos Mondos there were 3-4ft. faces on the outside set waves. A couple of days later, Sunday the swell really built with sets running well overhead Ventura Point and even some solid overhead sets at Mondos.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 at 9AM. Class met and signed in at Mondos. After checking conditions, we relocated a bit south to "Summer Beach." There was more surf there but it was walled up and closing out. Nonetheless we went for it and the students gained a bit more experience trying to take off on very fast and steep faces. Pearling was the order of the day. The tide was quite high when we arrived but it dropped quickly during our session making things even a bit crunchier.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 at 9AM. Class met at Mondos.The wave faces were about 3-4 ft. during the sets but extremely inconsistent. Beginners practiced paddling and catching waves and work on their pop-ups to the standing position. The tide was getting quite high during our class which had a negative and softening effect on the break as the class progressed.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 at 9AM. Class will meet again at Mondos. It will be high tide early during the class period and tide will slowly drop during the session. Expect the surf to be around 2-3 ft faces. We will check the conditions at Mondos and possibly relocate, after everybody signs in, about 1/4 mile north of Emma Wood beach if conditions dictate. Please be on time.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 at 9AM. The first surfing class meeting was held at Mondos. Workout and swim test was held prior to surfing activities. Everybody passed the swim test. The surf was 2-4 ft wave faces for the session. Perfect for the first day of class. The Zen Surfers all gave it their best effort with many already standing.

Friday, August 29, 2008. The first class of the semester met on campus in Topanga Hall 1978. Discussion took place on course procedures. Students signed liability forms and some surfboards were distributed to students who needed surfboards.