Crappy New Year.
Doctors throughout greater Orange County, California are readying extra beds after hundreds of Bloody Mary-crazed locals headed the call of surf great Pete Townend and plunged into the Pacific even though rain had been falling for days.
“On New Year’s Day, dive into the fun with your friends and family as they make a splash in the ocean right by the iconic Huntington Beach Pier,” the Surf City Splash flyer advertised, continuing, “This beloved event has become a must-attend, 26-year tradition, attracting participants from all over Southern California and beyond.”
Townend, the Surf City Splash master of ceremonies, gamely told the Los Angeles Times, “We feel an obligation to the community, because we’ve had great publicity leading into it, that we need to do the Splash for the start of the new year. I can tell you right now, though, the water is cold. It’s in the mid-50s. That’s pretty cold. I mean, the coldest I’ve ever surfed in Huntington in my 46 years here was 49 [degrees].”
Cold don’t cause permanent liver damage, however, Townend leaving out the storm that has been drenching the region for days, overwhelming gutters and flowing all manner of ick into the ocean waters.
As every surfer with a Surfline kink knows, “the County Board of Health recommends avoiding contact during and for a period of at least 72 hours after a significant rain.”
Townend, though, uncaring, telling the weather worried to simply eat a breakfast burrito and suck down another bloody and reminding those considering sitting it out that $25 gift certificates to Duke’s will be given to those wearing “the best sea costume, oldest and youngest in costume, best hat, best 2026 New Year’s costume and a most patriotic category that is new this year.”
Unfortunately for those most patriotic, health insurance subsidies rose by 114%, overnight, after the Republican-owned House and Senate failed to advance any sort of health care bill to the Republican president, preferring to let Obama-era subsidies lapse.
Extra-expensive dysentery.
But what is your policy on surfing/swimming after significant rainfall? Do you brave the warnings and paddle or practice an abundance of caution?
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I have given up my dreams of holiday break surf strikes and have taken to snowshoeing out in the meadows and watching my kids make anatomically correct Snowmen. Winter rules…
healthy looking zone beyond the fairway, don’tcha think….
your boat was next to the Who?
On a completely different note have any of my Strayan brothers noticed just how small chicks bikinis are getting now? I was down at the beach yesty with my grom when these two absolute hotties turned up and one was wearing the tiniest bikini I have ever seen.
Deadset the top looked like she’d just stuck two tiny, round bandaids over her nips and her G Banger looked like it was made of a few shoelaces tied together that barely covered her muut and it was about pop out the side.
Now it will come as no surprise I am a massive fan of this current trend, it jugs wigs me out why I feel like such a sleazy cunt for having a cuppla cheeky peeks from behind me sunnies. Surely if chicks are up for walking around pretty much nude in public us fellas can take a few mental snap shots for the wank bank to use later at our leisure?
Agree I’m into quality not quantity
Haha same brother
Sorry mate, not sure if peak 1980s okka is the vibe you’re going for in all your comments or it’s pure sarcasm, but you sound like a mid 40s divorced dad that’s just rediscovered surfing but yet to peel the board bag from the stuck wax of his yellowing 6’2” rusty that hasn’t been used in 15 years.
Cringe
He’s auditioning for a writing spot here on the Grit.
Hahaha no I’m not thats just a joke between me and a mate on here. I haven’t written anything over comment length since I was 16
Come on… you’re like the perfect anti-Monty.
Hahaha cheers for the kind words mate but theres heaps of reasons I could never write an article. A major one is 34 years working on Strayan job sites and countless male only surf trips have left me with a kind of Tourettes where I struggle to complete a sentence without a cunt, fuck or wanker and sometimes all three haha. Think I am way more suited to short replies down here in the comments with all you other cunts
so you don’t rate Ryan Burch?
Haha na mate I reckon he fucking rips, I just can’t stand all those gumby, hipster cunts who go out and buy a mid length and try and imitate him. The ones who also wear skin tight, tiny boardies, with beaver tail wetty tops and grow their hair long are just proper fucked, or like Turts, Bob and Negs probably say “totes cringe”.
Like ,me old boy used to love telling me “beneath every pony tail theres an arsehole mate” haha
I actually think he was one of the best technical designers on the planet….his understanding of design is second to none…..plus he fucken rips…nicest guy ever….and yeah the hipsters follow and pay big $’s…..
Interesting and cheers mate I always like to know who the good guys are in surfing I haven’t met. And before I forget again I have always meant to give you a big thank you cuz one of my favourite ever boards was one of yours
It was 6 6 and it went mental at bigger Kirra and accompanied me on trips to Indo, Fiji and Tahiti and I trusted and loved that board completely right up to its sad demise on the growers section at Deserts RIP haha
So when were you sponsored by Bing? You do the QS?
Fuck no mate I have always gone shit with a rashy on, don’t have the mentality for it haha. You should know too my sponsorship with bong was only ever low level and I never received a cent.
I got free apparel and wetties and they would help me out on trips overseas. Wherever I was heading they would get in contact with crew and team riders there so I had somewhere to stay and so on and I would put people up if they were heading over from Europe or wherever. I loved it and made sooooo many mates through it from all over.
What was really sick though is if they had team boat trips in Indo or whatever and somebody had to pull out they would often give me a call and say can you fill in? Well of course I can cunt when we leaving hahaha. A lot of it was just luck that I knew heaps of crew from the company due to living where they were based so don’t ever get the impression I nearly made the tour or something haha
so free surfer sponsored by Bong. Pic to share? Who was your favorite surfer to share a lineup with?
Mate you’re making me sound like Margo when I was just some young carpenter who went half decent and knew heaps of the local crew. Remember this was the heady days of the surf industry and anyone who could do a half decent turn and pack a pit round here was getting free gear from someone haha. Do have sooooo many epic memories though and am willing to share so fire away with any questions
Favourite surfer to share a lineup with is a tough one but more than happy to share the worst? One unpopular thing I will tell you though is I fucking hated my times on the North Shore, did two two month stints there and couldn’t wait to get home.
I love getting tubed so loved Pipe but hated the crowds and just the aggro feel of the place in general. That time of year is prime time at home as well so just hated missing it. Why any normal cunt wants to go there is just beyond me ay haha.
Not my style to post something of myself Fins but here is a ten year old clip of me best mate filmed around home in two weeks. He grew up in Snapper boardriders and used to surf with Joel in team events which takes some doing considering the quality of surfers at their disposal. Put this up a while back but it was at the end of a long thread and I think you missed it? I already know you’re going to love the spray on his board at the start haha. Enjoy brother yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew
Good wave at 2:45. Reckon your haircut didn’t thrill your parents.
dont encourage him
Hahahaha cheers wacka that gave me a good laugh and I agree. Are you from Perth as well?
I frequent the BG comments section for sharp minds and clever wit. You sir, possess neither. Put the cue in the rack eh
Unfortunately for you that is not how freedom of speech works sir but I am sure a man of a sharp mind like yourself already knew that ay cunt. If fellow surfers on here are going to ask me questions then I am going to respond so maybe do like the rest tend to do on here and simply ignore people and topics that don’t interest you or you come across as a proper condescending fuckwit
You have alrady written some article length comments already, without the spacing for advertising.
Maybe get the AI to change every “Cunt” into “Champ”, and “Poofta” into “Shit Cunt” which then changes “Fuckwit” to “Tosser”, then “Flogger” or “You are a Pincher mate” (Because it is so small)
Hahahaahahaha
You got it in you
My main motivation to write one now is cuz I know how much it would fuck off Turds, Bob and this wackoff fella. Its funny cuz nearly all the seppos on here are up for a laugh and some banter but these three fellow Strayans seems to have a large stick lodged sideways in their clacker valves?
He also gave me a 50% referral voucher for Sasha’s Only Fans, as her/his/its number 2 fan and monetary contributor, after Derek.
Haha well you’re not going to get on with everyone in life Turds and you are close with my marital status and age cuz I’m actually just turned 50, separated and a single dad. As for the rest there is sooo much I could say but not into blowing smoke so will just say I live on the Far North Coast, surf everyday its fun and still receive cost price boards from LSD so big fail from ya there
Now judging from your comment and that fucked up ending of “cringe” let me take some guesses about you. You work a white collar job and live somewhere with shit waves and no real surf culture, maybe Melbourne or Perth? You love the weird, long shit board reviews on Stab, love the modern all inclusive surf world and froth on seeing another 8 average chicks clogging up already over saturated event windows. Is your favourite surfer Torryn Martin or Ryan Burch?
I live in SW WA, ride a lid and the last time I read stab Dion Agius did a style photo shoot in the back half of the mag (something about moonshine on the streets of LA?)
Oh, and I’ve spent my working life either on the ocean or climbing trees, and have never watched the W.S.L. in my life.
Torren Martyn, however, does rip, but then so does Jeff Hubbard
There ya go mate we do have something in common cuz I love lids and used to spend a fair bit of time surfing with Matt Lackey and Dave Winchester and they’re great fellas.
Now a few questions if I may? When you say SW WA you really mean Perth and I was right ay? If you have never watched the tour and hate the way middle age men speak then what the fuck are you doing in this comments section? And lastly the real reason you’re angry at me is you just wish that bikini I was describing was being worn by some hairy arsed bear rather than some hot as, young chick ay haha (joke)
Hi Cunt, just to clear it up, anyone claiming to be from SW is usually from Perth.
Hahahahaha yeh it’s a straight giveaway ay brother. Crew from proper surf towns over there just say I’m from Margs, Kalbarri, Yallingup or whatever but the Perth fellas just say WA. I always tell people I’m from the Far North Coast or The Northern Rivers, I would never just say the east coast hahahaha
50 and free…. dude. I know there may be pain behind the freedom….
No wonder you masturbate so much!
That’s a great age for surfing. I had no job, money and a passport.
Don’t want Negs to give me another badge…..
Haha cheers mate, the separation happened 4 years ago so all good emotionally now but it hit me hard financially. My ex now lives in our investment property so lost the rent from that and also now struggling to pay the bills on our dream house that I built myself.
Not whinging though cuz I live in paradise, still surf before work everyday its fun and have my grom stay with me 4 days a week. Just so grateful to have surfed so many pumping waves around the world in me late teens, twenties and thirties and a huge thank you to the bong for their help to do it.
Now this may come as a surprise to some but I was a bit of a selfish cunt when I was younger so when I split from my parter of 20 plus years and wife of 11 I had a real hard look at myself and realised some of my errors. My 11 year old girl is now all I really care about and my entire life now is based around her having the best life I can possibly give her. She is amazing and is completely the main focus of my life
The only thing I push back on is you live in paradise.
It’s central to your expressions. Glad you feel that way.
Well it’s paradise to me mate and could fill a page explaining why so why don’t you tell me why you disagree? I have been blessed to visit most amazing warm water zones around this amazing planet and for what I want haven’t found anywhere better that I would actually want to live. Just so ya know I am a warm blooded creature who fucking hates the cold haha
lived that story , came out roses after a few years , well worth the pain to get here
Sell the dream house mate. A lot less working for me once I did that post divorce with similar circumstances. Well less staff and dramas of the big jobs! still have to work hard!
We pay money just to go into our National Parks to admire the NATURAL beauty…
Shut the fuck up!
Are you trying to ruin it!
Do you want Burkas?
Shut up
Hahhaha
You are full of unpent ProperGander
Exactly why did you find it necessary to delete your None/Gila Kontol account to become Blowie again? Very odd behavior.
Surfing brown waves is so edgy! https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Where is that?
Doheny back in the fall
’86 ish, I lived in that condo project up the channel to the left in the photo. Gave Doheny one shot and never looked again. Was hoping I had a local cause I’d never stopped before. I wonder if DP was any good before the harbor build?
Watching YouTube videos of Killer Dana before the harbor was built is fascinating and tragic. The rights coming off of harbor point park looked impressive.
Met a few guys of that era that bragged. What I enjoyed was, they were just like we were yet from a different playing field.
Should translate to today but it doesn’t
My oldest who surfs 2 or 3 days a week in the warmer months says the same thing you’re saying. The old timers I run into paint an interesting laid back picture of the beach and surfing back then, all with big smiles on their faces. And those Killer Dana videos remind of how my parents described the beach scene in the 40s and 50s.
I’m guessing that people are following surf ads wise advice and shutting the fuck for a minute? Or is everyone hung as fuck?
both
Haha onyas Rocks. Hope it was a good night and worth feeling seedy for?
too old to have bad nights, make them all count ha
So this is what caused the end of Surfline Man? Thank goddess for the rain….
fuck him, ship him back
Apparently jumping into flat… murky… yellow and brown water with the Juvey whites lends a smart start to 2026.
Used to be storm water drains at 2 favourite local beach breaks. Always good consistent sandbanks after decent rain back in the day.
Obamacare sure fucked up the healthcare system. Everything he promised was a lie. Obama wanted destruction, and that’s what he achieved.
Affordable Health Care Act was the best insurance that I ever have had, stellar
Red hats are going to go down with this bad decision
Did you have insurance before then?
Entire life
You just told Strayan that at 50 yrs old you had no job and no money.
No, I said I had money and total freedom, no job
You have a reading comprehension deficit and explains everything
Pandemic hit, both my wife and I lost our businesses. We signed up for ACA and not only did it fill the gap, it was better than our expensive plans. Miles better.
That’s why you don’t get stuff. You’re reading things with such bias that you see what you want to see.
horse shit.
worst thing that ever happened to the American Health Care system.
as an employer at the time, it took enough extra of our yearly, that we could have hired another employee.
the biggest problem with the subsidies is the “Covid” increases that never sunsetted….and the fact that it even has to have subsidies.
Frickin’ legislators and Scumbama in bed with the writers of Obama Care, (insurance and pharmacy companies) laughing all the way to the bank like a bunch of Somali’s.
so your health care now costs less and delivers more ?
or , have premiums gone thru the roof, 22m people now have no health care….and you get worst practice health care even though the USA spends twice as much per capita as those socialist Euro country’s?
“Obamacare premiums have increased by 169% since 2013
Obamacare was signed into law in 2010, but its overhaul of the individual—or non-group—health insurance market didn’t go into effect until 2014. (This is the market for people who buy coverage on their own, instead of getting it from their employers or the government.) Back then, I comprehensively analyzed what it would have cost to buy an Obamacare-like plan before the law went into effect, and found that Obamacare increased premiums by 49% in year one.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2025/11/12/how-much-have-obamacare-premiums–deductibles-increased/
22 million have not “lost” their health care.
Soz, Mo but you have no idea what your talking about. the Obama care subsidies are tax credits used by people that enroll in the ACA plans. In Hawaii, all the insurance companies were forced into the ACA system, thus prices increased dramatically, because the subsidies are government (tax payer) funded and the insurance and pharmaceutical companies that drafted the ACA baked in the costs and increases. Our family insurance went up in 2026 increasing from $1,900 per month to $2,400 per month for just my wife and two kids. This is because you can only enroll under the ACA plans.
The deductible increased to $12,000.
So, the extraordinarily clever Mrs. Camper dumped the ACA plans and enrolled her and the kids in a group insurance plan, where we pay as we go, and get better rates because it avoids the high costs of insurance companies. Doctors love it and charge us much less. in addition our family GP recently stopped accepting insurance because he felt that the regulations and excessive costs do not benefit has patients. the new Camper family plan monthly is $800, has a $2,000 deductible, and after that everything is taken care of. coolest thing is you can use the deductible for any heath related costs even including vitamins and supplements, and we can go to any doctor because we are not part of a system.
Here’s an example of how this works. Young Camper got very sick the other day. I took him to the clinic.
Since we do not have an insurance company that is in the system, the visit ends up costing $300, which will be reimbursed by our group provider. Usually this visit would have billed the insurance company over $500 because of the fixed prices and mandatory administrative costs. When we went to the pharmacy to pick up the meds, the pharmacist told me that the meds would cost $125.
However, because of our plan I requested what is called Good RX pricey, which decreases my med costs because same reasons above.
I ended up paying $32 for the meds. problem with Gov run health care in the US is the regulations and admin fees which are legislated by legislators on behalf of the medical, insurance. and pharmaceutical lobbyists.
The media is lying to you because the media works for the government….and the government is lying.
Interesting to say the least….just so you know I have a Govt medicare card…which is given to all Australians.
We don’t pay for GP’s its free…….just had all my cancer stuff dealt with…cost 0.
Had a heart bypass 2 years ago…..2 weeks in private hospital…cost 0…..
For Pharmaceuticals about 70% off……..it seems the USA is a basket case compared to other western country’s……my understanding is under trump , it will even get more expensive with less coverage.
How much do you have to pay a mth for your non in the system insurance Co?
yeah, i get my health care free as well, as well as free Gym membership, massage and other perks.
I do not disagree with the system, but we’ve had this discussion perviously. it would work if you could scale from 28 million people (AUS) to 350 million (U.S). problem in U.S is amount of working people (approx. 30 %) v. non-working people. income earners in Aus. pay 2% of their income into their heath care system.
let me break down for you:
total income of US earners = approximately $17 trillion.
2% of 17 trillion = $340 Billion
annual estimated cost of health care in the U.S.
The annual estimated cost of healthcare in the U.S. reached approximately $4.9 trillion in 2023, equating to about $14,570 per person, and represents nearly 18% of the nation’s GDP, with projections showing continued growth toward $8.6 trillion by 2033. This significant spending covers hospitals, physician services, prescriptions, and more, making the U.S. the highest spender per capita globally. ~ AI search on google
how’s your math?
….and this is on top of all the other shit the U.S. taxpayers spend on fraud and waste, social welfare programs, foreign aide, stupid wars and all sorts of other meaningless shit.
it didn’t start under Trump as you’d like to blame.
it is decades of corrupt politicians, lobbyists, unions, fraudulent 501 organizations, progressive programs, illegal immigrants and anyone who wants to rip off the American taxpayer…..because our government is in on it and legislators, governors, federal, State and City employees, banks and a fuck load of attorneys make huge money off it.
I have a feeling i know what’s happening. I’ll let you know if it does.
New year, same Otto.
I’m surprised you took time away from jerkin the gherkin while watching Mamdani’s inauguration to comment here
Who says I can’t multitask?
Mamdani
Must burn your MAGA soul to have a socialist in power. Wonder if he was good buddies with Epstein, too?
Not at all. While socialism looks great on paper, and in theory, it’s practical application has never worked. Never. It’s about time the dumb fuckers voting in New York get a real good, bitter taste of how destructive socialism is. Better they feel the hurt now on the local level, before they think that stupid shit would work for America on a Federal level.
I’m thinking Mamdani will usher in Republican governance in New York.
Did you see how he herded supporters in prisoner barricades, providing no food, no music, no bathrooms while psycho Bernie and Ayy-Ohhh-See she’s a fatty socialist while no food for the citizens.
Its going to be great.
You sure delight in seeing others in pain, and as a “learning” tool to get them to see the world as you do. Which sayings from Jesus inspire this in you?
Your new jesus, Mamdani.
“We’ll replace rugged individualism with collectivism.”
That’s the kind of crap that inspires me.
Mamdani wants to emulate Bernie Sanders.
“Thank you to the man whose leadership I seek most to emulate, Senator Bernie Sanders.”
Emulate a piece of shit who got kicked out of a commune for refusing to work. A piece of shit who went from communist activist to Senator with no discernable job between, suckling off the government teat his entire fucking life, and emerging as a millionaire with multiple homes, and a shitty haircut.
That’s your F’n jesus. You worship demons.
Otto, you are responding to yourself?
Nah, I’m expanding on prior responses
How many young girls did BS rape?
Clearly reading The Sermon on the Mount, the miracles of Jesus, how he condemned rugged individualism with collectivism, and that the earliest church in the Book of Acts was a collective, don’t inspire you. Best to not claim being a follower of Jesus anymore, Otto, or that the West is based on Jesus’s teachings, if you don’t want to be a hypocrite.
Scripture endorses a collectivist attitude in some matters, but that attitude is meant to be expressed on an individual, personal, and voluntary level.
Nice dodge. Again, the incarnate God, the only time he speaks in the New Testament, is as a democratic socialist. His actions as depicted in the NT, are as a democratic socialist. He is offered by Satan directly three powers that equate to the rugged individualism you espouse, and God turns them down EACH TIME. The very first church built by his followers who knew him, is a democratic socialist body.
Hippy is right, about your lack of reading comprehension.
You’re flat out wrong.
The Kingdom economy operates on generosity, stewardship, and servant leadership, not coercion.
Socialism interprets society primarily through material conditions—who owns what—while Scripture interprets it through moral choices—who obeys God.
Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) rewards diligence and condemns laziness; outcomes differ according to faithfulness, not imposed sameness. Democratic socialism seeks uniform results through regulation; the Kingdom honors diversity through responsibility. Biblical justice lifts the oppressed without punishing initiative.
What did Jesus himself say and do, Otto? It’s pretty easy to figure out.
The early Church in Acts shared all things in common—not because of government mandate, but through the voluntary work of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35). When Ananias and Sapphira lied about their giving, Peter reminded them that their property belonged to them until they chose to give it (Acts 5:4). That’s not socialism. That’s Spirit-led generosity.
So we shouldn’t base how we live today on a series of scrolls written 1,900 or so years ago…?
Was your boy Trump led by the spirit when he celebrated Rob Reiner being murdered?
How many millions was Trump given? How many people has he not paid? Weren’t he and his kids banned from running their ‘charity” in NY? The spirit is strong in the lying rapist….
the sermon on the Mount , by Jesus was the new covenant between man and God, which encompasses our life here on earth and life after death in Heaven……so politics is just another tool of mankind , and always open to interpretation…….the Gospels are clear!
I don’t think democratic socialist is true….as God is our spiritual King……being a Christian , we praise and glorify God as our father and King…..there’s nothing democratic in Christianity?
in some matters??
Where does it say it’s about attitudes…Jesus was pretty clear…….” the only way to the father was through him and he was establishing churches/communities of Christians?”
yes but capitalism has taken us to the most debt and now the last remaining resources being used to maintain our current destructive lifestyles that capitalism promised…..but there’s a catch……man has never been in so much debt , and still 1/2 the planet barely survive…..so socialism at least trys to help all people , capitalism works only for those on the inside!
25$ for Dukes? That doesn’t even cover parking.
Not good either
Now we know that clown’s location, send in ICE and kick that fairy the fuck out.
Are you okay? That post is outside your typical.
I loathe PT
Why? Doesn’t smoke enough weed?
Why won’t you answer my question?
What question?
There. You’re welcome
He and the other clown homogenized American competitive surfing. Almost like he was an Australian plant to neuter American competitors. That was our running joke.
Our National team mid 80’s would have been completely different had those two fucking clowns never infiltrated. Talent had no interest in their hamster trail.
Definition of safe surfing for points, like his career.