Coastline Pilot #2.

Photo: Zach Williams, Oceanside Pier. S.B.N.

Under sunny skies and light offshore winds, a group of young Laguna surfers ventured south this weekend for a day of surf competition and shenanigans.

The south side of the Oceanside pier was the scene, which I liken to a melting pot of California culture. Tattoo aficionados, street peddlers, military folks and many others are all looking for fun in the surf and sun.

Our Soul team consisted of Porter Hogan, Zack Williams, Adam Mejia and myself as board caddy and coach.

Hogan at 19 is the oldest and the clear-cut alpha male among the teenage crew. His dedicated work ethic over the years coupled with his natural surfing talent has led to numerous contest victories throughout California, including several at Laguna's prestigious Brooks Street Classic.

He has also earned the respect of the younger guys. He uses his sway in a positive way, encouraging the groms to stay on solid ground while pursuing their goals, mainly by avoiding drugs and alcohol.

Watching Hogan surf is like watching other highly skilled athletes perform: Everything seems to flow perfectly, with nary a drop of water out of place.

All of the early round heats went well for our squad, and by the afternoon each had booked a spot in the division finals.

Zach was first up and paddled out into the hotly contested juniors division finals, looking to vanquish the other young shredders.

These 17-year-olds are all about futuristic maneuvers and pushing the limits with what's possible on a surfboard. From huge aerials above the wave to lip slides across it, these big groms are re-inventing radical with seemingly every session.

When the dust settled, Zach nabbed a respectable fifth place.

Next up was Adam and Hogan's final: the men's open division. Adam flew out of the gates quick with a clean left-hander that allowed for several razor sharp snaps into the pier. With a good score in the books, Adam would be on the prowl for a backup score, which proved elusive.

Meanwhile, Hogan was busy battling with Team USA star Trevor Thornton from San Clemente. The two were furiously trading waves like prize fighters exchanging blows late in a fight. Trevor has every trick in the book and executes them with power and flow.

Hogan was game and the final had the peanut gallery on the edge of our collective sandy seats, hooting and hollering with every radical blast of the guys' boards.

When it was over, the boys made their way to the stage for the awards presentation and just before stepping up we all huddled together and took a moment to shoot up a prayer of thankfulness for a wonderful day.

Adam locked in fifth place, Hogan got second and Trevor came in first by a hair.

CHRIS WILLIAMS is a surfing coach and Laguna Beach resident, and father of four surf-crazy sons. He can be reached through souladventuresinc.blogspot.com.

GoldDustWildChild

I love blogging, and I love blogs. They are something you can look at with the intention of putting 2 minutes into it.. and then you find yourself lost in page after page of images you love. Every time you click back or next is like entering into a new realm of imagination.

I just got lost in this one for a while... Lauren Kemp's blog, GoldDustWildChild.

Amped on it. Check it out. Get lost.

Flipper!

We had to go to the grocery store and zack was barefoot.. they denied him entry. He went back to the car, found one nike shoe and one flipper. hehe. Good style zach!

Zach Williams flippin out and Porter Hogan baby sitting us. It is good to know that a flipper will get you into a grocery store so you can get food! Score!

Good times in Laguna Beach.

Almost good.

Waves in between White Man's and Strands. Sloppy, but cool looking.

Another good looking barrel. There were a few of these going through, but they were pretty impossible to be at in the right time. Over all a rough day of surfing at Creek.

Surf Laguna!

Surfer: Porter Hogan.

Frontside punt in Laguna Beach, CA.

Some of the scenery in Laguna. I am blessed to be here!

Willy Hogan^ and Porter Hogan> Brothers Surfing.

Willy pulling a quick floater^ And Porter pulling the big brother punt. >

Willy was kicked off his board by some nasty back wash. Sadly he cut his heal pretty bad.. I think he'll be ok though. Go willy!

I'm just feeling super thankful for all the rad opportunity's I've had this year already. It's pretty much mind blowing on a daily basis. So thank you Porter and Willy, Chris and Karen, and Brandon and Patricia! All my good friends that help make life awesome. I've been getting a ton of support from you all and I wouldn't be here without.

Hmm.. Also, shout out to Lauren Kemp! She's this rad girl I know who talks me through blog posts. Killin it!

-nh.

Mt. Baldy!

Cruising to Baldy in the 32 van! Stylish.

Brandon Phillips took me up to Mt. Baldy yesterday. It was my first time going up there and I loved it! The resort is a super melo hours drive from the beach... not bad. I was surprised to find how steep the slopes are and how secluded the area is. I felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere, yet only a short drive to LA.

We were supposed to go up there to compete in the banked slalom.. but that turned out to be a race course with no banks. Instead we took super fast turns and ollied a few hips and jumps. Freeriding always wins.

Thanks to Madison, Patricia, and Brandon for the awesome day!

love you guys.

-nh

Eli Viszolay.

A few more from last evening.. Surfer Eli Viszolay at Oak St.

Surfing Laguna.

Laguna Beach, CA. And Adam Mejia surfing Oak St.

Porter Hogan.

Good waves in laguna beach! I'm so amped to be back on the beach shooting with these cool guys again. Porter and Adz kill it. Also out surfing was Brandon Phillips, Zach Williams and Willy Hogan, porters lil bro.

I ended up taking a few pics and then just watched waves. I missed it, I'm stoked to be back.

Baja, Calif.

Surf trips to Baja were a rite of passage for many a surfer growing up in Southern California.

The promise of clean, uncrowded waves being all the incentive any young surfer needed to make the trip south of the border — a brief, yet glorious respite from the crowded line-ups of our local breaks.

With Spanish being spoken and roads signs being few, the three-hour trip to San Miguel (from inside Mexico) was one always filled with plenty of excitement along with a measure of anxiety for the typical gringo.

Successfully navigating the Tijuana area without incident was always the first order of business. A wrong turn or fender bender were pitfalls that required all the focus a pack of 16-year-olds could muster.

Once through the downtown area, the road south quickly offered the first heavenly glimpses of surf from high above.

This week, Soul photographer Nate Harrington returned to Laguna after 10 days and 1,000 miles in old Mexico.

His partners in crime were a crew of young pro surfers, including Laguna standout surfer/lifeguard Porter Hogan.

Neither Nate nor Porter had been to Baja before. Hearing their stories and viewing the photos had memories rushing in from 20 years deep.

Epic uncrowded waves, fresh fish tacos, accommodating locals at every stop — I was in a trance as they recounted their stories while scrolling through hundreds of beautiful surf shots.

Absent on Nate and Porter's trip was any incidents of crime or debauchery that have filled news reports.

With the young Laguna surf crew clamoring for adventure, the debate on whether to revisit Baja had officially been reopened.

-CHRIS WILLIAMS is a surfing coach and Laguna Beach resident, and father of four surf-crazy sons. He can be reached through his blog, souladventuresinc.blogspot.com.

Original story can be found on the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilots Page Here.

Sean Herman in Mexico!

Video from the trip! awesome times. Make sure to check out coffee with toast!

Coffee with Toast is Sean's web/blog site which he puts a lot of work into. I'd say its worth checking out for sure!

thanks for peepin.

-nh

A few more...

The guy with the camera is Chris. He recently took me on a trip deep into mexico with a few other awesome surfers. Porter Hogan, Blake Berns, Sean Herman, Chris and Myself.

We had a few days of really good waves and weather. Everyday something worked out so we were super amped on that! Days going by with a few shots of each rider seems like really good days to me. I've heard of surf trips not turning out right, showing up to a beach and seeing it flat is a brutal reality of surf trips, that was not the case last week. Stories and images from the week are being put together and put to good use. I'll keep you posted on where the money shots go.

Here are a few shots of one of the locals who really killed it!

Surfer: Raffa Murillo Arcee

I'll post more as I go through folders and folders..

Life is sweet!

-nh

Back from Mexico..

The Town Point.

We had an awesome trip down to Mexico this past week! We were blessed with grate surf, warm weather, and the experience of our lives so far!

There are tons and tons of photos for me to be working on the next few days and probably weeks.. I'm hoping to be bale to get busy here in Southern California though and put some fresh surf shots up on the blog soon.

Surfing is making my arms tired and they want to fall off now. Shoveling snow still can't compare to paddling around for a while.

Good waves coming into Laguna now! can't wait to show some photos..

break time!

So, sorry for not posting any photos lately... I've been taking a break and getting back into the feel of things here in Southern California. I've been able to surf a lot again, which feels great, and also bask in the warm sun, which feels amazing!

I am leaving on a trip to Mexico tomorrow for a little bit here.. really excited about this! It will be my first time really leaving the US. Canada doesn't count... I'm so stoked! The forecast is looking great, so I am hoping for some really good waves and awesome surf conditions.

I'll be posting photos once I get home.

Till then,

-nh

FLP's Second Shift.

The 2nd shift annual snow comp was killer last night! Super fun setup at Trollhaugen!

Every year for troll's end of the season late night riding the FL Project, along with troll, sets up the 2nd shift comp. It is the final comp out of a series held at troll every friday night throughout the year.

Thanks to Don and Jeffy with the FL Project; Jamie and Adam with Troll.

Also thanks to DC and Monster for sponsoring the event! Kids were all jacked up on energy drinks last night.

With warm temperatures, it was a perfect evening to sit in front of the fire in-between hot laps through the park. Also, thanks to all the riders who signed up for the event, came out, and had a blast!

Had a lil photo sesh on the spine...

Jake was getting super TechNine!! >

^Scott Kulzer was out showing some style!

Colin Wilson was riding so hard last night. >

He shot out of frame twice and almost again in this photo. Catching me off guard with huge airs. Must be the Monument!! oooohh!!! that was for tran...

This almost worked... Jake, Boody, and Brandon. Triples!!!

Had a ton of fun last night! If one of these pics is yours and you want it, you'll have to get ahold of me and I'll send it over.

Thanks for supporting FLP and Troll!

-nh