Surfing Laguna: Second Reef Surf Shop rides again

The Second Reef Surf Shop has reopened at Thalia Street and South Coast Highway, former home of Thalia Street Surf Shop. After spending considerable time in the shop recently, I can attest to it being packed with tons of great gear, including wetsuits, flannels and, of course, cool T-shirts. Word on the street is Laguna locals get a 10% discount.

Local shredder, Laguna High surf team member and super nice guy Sean Kimball is now riding for Emnty surfboards out of Newport Beach. When asked about how it felt when inking the new deal, Sean said: “These guys are making some really great boards so I’m excited and thankful for the opportunity.”

The Hurley Pro at Trestles is set to crown an event champion. Still in the running (as of Thursday morning) and in fine form is nine-time world champ Kelly Slater who’s looking to make a late season charge at title No. 10. Slater, who’s currently sitting at No. 8 in the world tour rankings, could make things interesting for current tour leader Joel Parkinson if he were to get hot and win Trestles. Also still alive is Ventura’s Dane Reynolds and Cardiff’s Rob Machado, both amazingly gifted surfers with cult-like followings.

Laguna locals retake the beaches

With the tourist season subsiding and young folks back in school there has been a increased level of smiling locals across many Laguna shorelines this week.

One local, Ryan Ghere, when asked to describe how it feels to enjoy the serene beach setting replied, “Simply heaven. I live for September and October here in town, the beautiful sunsets. We certainly need busy summers for our local merchants, but it’s great when we can slow down the pace and collectively decompress as a community.”

CHRIS WILLIAMS is a surfing coach and Laguna Beach resident, and father of four surf-crazy sons. He can be reached at [email protected] or (949) 497-5918.