Fall Back

Sadly, Daylight Savings Time, and his sexy seemingly longer days, are coming to end tonight. The bad news is the days will seem shorter because the sun will set one hour earlier. The good news is we get to set our clocks back one hour, gaining an extra hour of sleep tonight, assuming "we" go to bed at a decent hour.

Another benefit is the sun will also rise one hour earlier, which is great for working surfers wanting to dawn patrol before heading to the office. Even non-surfers will appreciate going to work when it's light outside, instead of in the dark.

"Daylight Savings, puhleeeeeeeease don't go!" I plead.

"Sorry I have to, darling," says Daylight Savings Time. "But don't worry I'll be back next year from March 11, 2012 through November 4th 2012, except in Arizona and Hawaii.

"Yipeeeee!" I cheer.

Kelly Slater Wins 11th World Surfing Title Not

Kelly Slater has not won his 11th World Surfing Title, yet. In an unsurprising turn of the tide, Kelly Slater needs to win one more heat at the Rip Curl Pro Search at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, to claim his 11th world surfing title.

In the words of Homer Simpson, "Doh!"

Apparently a calculation error was made by the Association of Surfing Professionals. This is what happens when surfers are left to do the math.

Ironically, Kelly Slater himself is the one who discovered the mistake last night.


From Kelly Slater's Twitter Feed:

Can you read this comment from Mark? The calculator at @aspworldtour must be broken. I'm not the world champ yet!

I'm not joking. I have not won the world title yet. I still have to win another heat! Give those shirts and hats back!

Hang on to that KS10 gear if you have some...just in case. Haha.

“@_Cod: @kellyslater sweet, my KS10 shirt is still in style then.” Yes it is, buddy.

@onphyr If I get 9th here, 13th or less at pipe and @RealOwenWright wins both and we drop 2 results we're dead tied both carrying a 13th.


@aspworldtour isn't gonna be happy with me or this but realized last night and confirmed just now with them. Only honest thing to do.

In all seriousness, there may be an honest mistake or computer glitch and we're getting to the bottom of it now.

@aspworldtour thank you. We all make errors. Maybe I made one going public but on the bright side it will create bigger interest.

We11, at least Ke11y Slater has a sense of humor.

Kelly Slater Wins 11th World Surfing Title

Wrap up of Ke11y Slater's 11th World Title.

Don't yourself ask, "Will Ke11y Slater win 12 world titles?"

Ask yourself, "How many world titles will Kelly Slater win?"

It's like my friend texted me yesterday, "Kelly Slayer again? Geez he's some kind of alien. Not human."

Pretty much.

Kelly Slater Wins 11th World Title

Minutes ago, Kelly Slater, 39, won his 11th World Surfing Title at the Rip Curl Pro Search in San Francisco at Ocean Beach. Slater clinched his historic 11th world surfing title on the one year anniversary of surfing legend Andy Irons' death.

Slater trailed Daniel Ross in most of their Round 3 heat. With four minutes left in the heat, Slater plucked a head high right-hander garnishing a 7.6 after seven turns, including finishing with a layback in the shore pound.

Ross attempted to answer back pulling into the barrel of an overhead left hander, but the wave shut down on him, and Ross was unable to make it out of the tube.

"How does Slater do it?" wonders Hubby. "How can someone win eleven world titles?"

"He's got to be pretty anal retentive," I say.

That and Kelly Slater is the greatest surfer to enter the ocean, ever.

I almost went to the Rip Curl Pro at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, today, but I surfed instead. Sure, it would have been AWESOME to be on the beach when Ke11y Slater won his 11th World Surfing Title.

But the waves were so fun. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't go. I'm a surfer first, spectator second.

Congratulations King Ke11y!

Shark Attack Aftershocks

The aftershocks following an earthquake are similar to the terror that strikes fear in the hearts of surfers after a shark attacks one of our kind. I call this Shark Attack Tremors, though I'm sure there's an official psychological diagnosis for this such as, post traumatic stress disorder, or something.

Regular surfers, such as myself suffer from Shark Attack Tremors. And if I were the only surfer suffering from Shark Attack Tremors, the anxiety wouldn't be so bad.

Yesterday, while surfing, an alarmed surfer next to me says, "What was that?!"

I look up, and about 150 feet out to sea, I see a large grey fish swimming towards us in a wave.

"Uh, that thing looked big and wide," I say nervously, getting ready to paddle for the shore. "What was it?"

"It was probably a dolphin," says the Surfer.

"Are you sure?" I ask in disbelief, wanting desperately for him to be right.

But he didn't answer me because he caught the next wave. About fifty feet away from me a dorsal fin pops out of the water.

Then I see four or five more dorsal fins, and I say, "Phew, dolphins," to myself.

But just because there are dolphins around, doesn't mean the "landlord," isn't lurking in the nearby watery depths. I sit on the inside of the surf, duck diving wave after wave, for a minute or two debating between going in or catching one last wave.

The waves weren't very good, and no waves are worth being bitten by a shark or worse so I turn around and ride the white water wall of shame in on my belly.

Unfortunately, today wasn't any better.

First I got a text message, saying "I hear it's foggy, sounds sharky to me."

"Stop," I text. I was planning on surfing.

Then right before I paddle out another surfer says, "I can't believe you're going out there by yourself after that shark attack."

There are two other people out there," I say.

"Oh, but still, you're crazy," says the Surfer.

"Thanks," I say sarcastically.

Turns out foggy, wind jumbled surf is lonely with only two other surfers. Especially when one of the other surfers is a shark attack survivor himself.

Internet, those are not good odds.

But it isn't just us regular Surfer Joes who are on hyper shark alert. Professional surfers suffer from Shark Attack Tremors, as well. Today, during a professional world tour surfing event at Ocean Beach in San Francisco a competitor paddled in with approximately five minutes left in his heat.

"I was just sitting there, and I was waiting for a wave," says Pro Surfer Dusty Payne. "It was the biggest fin I've ever seen in my life coming straight at me. The waves are terrible. I wasn't going to stay out there and get bit by a shark."

Some people on twitter seemed to think Payne saw a dolphin. But trust me it's a lot easier to say, "Oh it's just a dolphin," when standing on dry land.

"I've seen dolphins," answers Payne. "It wasn't a dolphin.".

I'm not saying it wasn't a dolphin, but I'm not saying it was. Fear plays tricks on the mind, but fear also keeps us safe. I'm with Payne. I'd rather impotently ride in on my belly than pay rent to the "landlord."