Two down.

What are your most favorite things to see on vacation? Electric blue boozy drinks in shapely glasses covered with miniature parasols? A pig roasting slowly on a spit suspended over a roaring fire, fat sizzling when it drips onto the embers? Statues of Confederate war heroes broken in pieces on the sidewalk?

Well, a young couple, 22 and 21, from Kentucky saw maybe one or two of the above on a recent vacation to Panama City, Florida, but also saw something much more memorable.

A “more than 10-foot long hoss daddy” shark.

What is a hoss daddy shark?

“At first we thought it was a dolphin, but it was way too big to be a dolphin,” said the girl, who described the shark as a more than 10-foot-long “hoss-daddy.”

“As soon as it passed us, it went under, and we kinda just froze up because we didn’t know if it was going to turn around and come toward us or not,” the boy added.

After making it back to the beach, alive with all limbs attached, the two decided to never go in the water again.

“It definitely snuck up on us,” the boy said. “We didn’t hear or see it coming.”

Usually the way those dastardly apex predators work.

But also, two down, a billion to go, give or take.

Do your part.

Good for what ails you!

But you clearly recall the terror, just months ago, injected into our normally peaceful surfing community by Kim Prather, an atmospheric scientist in San Diego, who postulated that surfing could help spread the novel Coronavirus as it gets floated on the misty spray from all our sick wraps, carves and whacks.

Oh the troubles, the tribulations.

Ms. Prather backed slightly away from the assertion, days later, claiming she was partially misquoted but the damage had been done. Surfing banned. Surfing outlawed. Eating Asian-fusion cuisine near the beach banned too.

Well, as it turns out, a new study from Edinburgh, Scotland suggests that not only is saltwater not a virus super spreader it may, in fact, be part of the cure.

Gargling salt water, specifically.

The original study, discussed here, tested the salt water gargling theory on people with common colds, not novel Coronaviruses, but found such promise that it will now be tested on the latter.

Does is excite or did you already know, in your heart, that our surfing always holds the keys to health and happiness?

Though not announced as part of the trial, there has also been some curiosity as to the effect of saltwater on erectile dysfunction.

More as the story develops.

Championship time?

You…… you are a grown woman. You have fallen in love and fallen out of love and fallen back in love then rudely shifted your eyes around wondering if you should be back in love or maybe there is something better.

Conner Coffin, sweet Santa Barbara boy, is currently in the throes of a very public breakup with hometown surfboard maker Channel Islands.

We, of course, remember Channel Islands surfboards via Tom Curren and his Black Beauty, Kelly Slater and the only boards he ever won on (a huge shame that he left in retrospect), Dane Reynolds and… Conner Coffin, I suppose.

Conner was never a household name but did make it on to the Championship Tour with a beautiful turn and gorgeous personality.

Now he is gone, from Channel Islands, but will the only American with an actual shot at the title fill his slot?

Maybe.

Kolohe Andino is the greatest surfer dyed red, white and blue of the last decade. A proper star even today but with so much left in the tank.

And rumor has it that Kolohe wants to fill that tank with Channel Islands boards. An undeniable pedigree, impossible to beat pedigree, if we’re honest.

Also what meaningful has Matt Biolos won?

Think hard.

If Kolohe does indeed jump to CI then will a championship follow?

Much to ponder.