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birds surf shed

BIRDS SECRET STASH: 1981 Town & Country Twin Fin Part 1

December 30, 2021 by ADMIN Leave a Comment

Birds Surf Shed Presents: Birds Secret Stash

In this new series called “Birds Secret Stash” Bird shows us a classic Town and Country Twin fin that found its way into the Shed this past month but sometimes boards aren’t meant to be sold. Theres one true cornerstone of “The Shed” and thats if someone finds an old board of theirs in the stash, they can have it back.

Well this one shaped by Dennis Pang in the mid 1970’s is one of those boards that needed to return to Oahu to the sacred halls of Town and Country.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon.

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: birds secret stash, birds surf shed, dane kealoha, dennis pang, T&C surfboards, town and country, video

From The Vault: Bird Huffman Interview 2013

December 8, 2021 by ADMIN Leave a Comment

From Episode 39 http://www.korduroy.tv

For those who know him, Bird Huffman has become synonymous with surf culture and the surfboard in San Diego. Growing up on the beaches of La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Sunset Cliffs, Bird’s knowledge and connections to the legends in the southern San Diego area like Skip Frye, Steve Lis, Bill Caster, and more are undeniable. He has also amassed one of the most incredible collections of surfboards, which hang from the rafters at his surf shop “Bird’s Surf Shed.”

Each board has it’s own unique story behind it, which Bird will happily share with you as you stare in awe at the various pieces of our sport’s history. Also, as host of 91X Authentic Surf Report, you may recognize Bird’s voice as he shares what he feels is a surf report similar to what one of your buddies would share with you, rather than an embellished, over-promising report that we so often receive from various other surf reports. In this episode of Innerviews, Bird candidly shares what it was like growing up in southern San Diego, and how he views the state of surfing right now. http://birdssurfshed.com/

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: bird huffman, birds surf shed, inerview, korduroy, san diego, video

SURF LESSON: Surfing Etiquette 101

August 3, 2021 by ADMIN Leave a Comment

Surf Etiquette 101: How to Maximize Your Learning Experience

Learn proper surf etiquette and the unwritten rules of the waves.

In 2020, the surfing world experienced a boom that hasn’t been seen in decades. Millions of new surfers flocked to the beaches during a global pandemic that stopped us all in our tracks. Pair that up with Stimulus checks and months of boredom and it was the perfect recipe for crowded line-ups with little or no surfing knowledge of the rules.
When I was a kid, you could only buy a board from a surf shop, and those were always staffed with the best local surfers who were more than happy to share the rules with you before you paddled out.
In the line up, people were quickly sorted out by locals for any violation of these unwritten rules. Painfully so at times. Besides verbal abuse, there was more than one punch thrown at people who burned the wrong local. Things have definitely changed in that regard, but the rules need to be shared so we can all have a good experience in the ocean. So I’m going to give a breakdown of all you need to know.
Bird-used-surfboard-how-to-buy-a-board

STEP ONE: THE SURFBOARD

Choosing the right board used to be a grinding search through surf shop racks looking for the right board at the right price. Let’s be honest; In todays world most people are entering the surf on a Costco Wave Storm soft board. The shape, width and thickness paired with the soft user-friendly foam has made it the best selling board in the world. The downside is there is nobody at Costco to tell the buyer the basics of what to do next. Also read our post on choosing a good first board.

 

WHERE TO GO

When choosing a beach to learn how to surf at, make sure you find a spot with a “soft” wave with a sand bottom. You’ll be riding the “soup” or white wash at first very close to the beach, so no need to rush to the outside and try to catch open-faced waves. DO NOT go to places that are overly crowded or have rocks or reefs. The reason for this is your safety. You don’t go to the public pool and try to do a gainer off of the high dive…crawl before you walk.

 

Crowd-softboard-surfers-learn-rules

LEARN THE BASICS

We encourage you to go into your local surf shop after you’ve made your surfboard purchase (hopefully you bought a board from a surf shop) and find the owner or manager so you can ask them for some pointers. If you go to a surf lesson these should be covered right off the bat.

    • How to paddle your board
    • How to navigate through an incoming wave
    • How to lift up to go over waves
    • How to go from prone to sitting
    • How to sit and turn your board around to catch a wave
    • How to enter a wave with out pearling (nose diving)
    • How to stand up
    • How to avoid collisions and being aware of those around you

 

  • PADDLE OUT

    Avoid crowds, surfers and swimmers. This means DO NOT paddle to the outside. Stay in waist deep water and get a feel for the power of the waves and learn the basics of controlling your board. NEVER throw your board when a wave comes…ever. This is a huge cause of injuries to surfers and swimmers. Be in control of your board at all times. Learn this before you try to even catch a wave. There will be no faster way to conflict with experienced surfers if you get in their way or hit them with your board because you bailed it.
    When paddling out look for calm water but be aware of rip currents. Always learn near a lifeguard tower if possible. If you’re going it alone, feel free to ask an experienced surf you see for some tips. Most are happy to help.

    PAY ATTENTION

    Be aware of your surroundings. Learn who has the right of way on the wave. Not sure what that means? Heres a few options to help clarify.

     

    WAVE PRIORITY

    Closest to the peak: the surfer that is furthest out or nearest the breaking past of the wave. This person has the right of wave if they have been waiting their turn.Never paddle around a person to get to that spot. Thats called “Paddling around” a person and is very frowned upon. Wait your turn and slowly approach that take off area for your turn to be closest to the peak. One person goes and the crowd moves up a spot close to that zone.

     

    DO NOT DROP IN ON ANYONE

    “Dropping in” or “cutting off” is one of the huge insults and violations in surfing that can result in a bad confrontation. If you see someone already up and riding, STOP PADDLING FOR THE WAVE. It’s not yours. Observe the right of way and you will avoid conflict. Repeatedly paddling around others to get into the inside position on a wave is a huge problem. Observe the flow of the crowd and do not cut off or paddle around others if they are waiting.

    Dont-drop-in-crowded-surf-line-up

  • DON’T BE A WAVE HOG

    Share the waves. Don’t think because you can catch every wave coming in that you should. This will start to offend experienced surfers real fast.  Even if you can paddle furthest outside and catch the waves first every time you reach the lineup, don’t do it. The punishment for this is loss of respect and better surfers will start to cut you off in protest of your ignorance.

     

    IF YOU BLOW IT -SAY YOU’RE SORRY

    If you drop in on someone, hit someone or bail your board and ruin someones wave, make sure you say you’re sorry. Like anything in this life, good manners are important. Be cool, don’t be a jerk. We’ve all been there and saying sorry goes a long way to make it right.

     

    Most of all, be safe, smart and be a good steward of the beach. Theres so many people who litter, trash and make the beach not as nice as it should be. Don’t be one of them. Please come into the shop anytime to discuss the rules of surfing so we can help you have a better experience in the ocean.

    Cheers!

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: birds surf shed, how to surf, lessons, rules of surifing, surf lessons, Surfing etiquette

The Temple Of Surf Podcast: Bird Huffman

July 28, 2021 by ADMIN Leave a Comment

Temple Of Surf Podcast: Featuring Bird Huffman

Aloha Everyone and welcome to a new episode of The Temple of Surf – The Podcast. We will give you full access to the best surfers, skaters, shapers, surfboards collectors, shop owners in the world!

Discover with me their stories, their greatest successes, amazing behind the scenes and much more!

Today with us the legendary Bird Huffman, owner of the iconic shop Bird’s Surf Shed in San Diego

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: bird huffman, birds surf shed, eric huffman, podcast, temple of surf, video

Eric “Bird” Huffman: How The Bird Got His Wings

July 19, 2021 by ADMIN 3 Comments

HOW THE BIRD GOT HIS WINGS

Words By Eric “Bird” Huffman

I was born in San Diego, California on April 17th, 1957. I was the fourth child of Robert & Marion Huffman. By the time my folks stopped having kids there were nine of us in total. I have five sisters and three brothers. My folks loaded up the old Studebaker, hitched on a wooden trailer, and headed west to check out California, leaving the cold and snow of Minnesota.  After their car broke down at Mission Bay, they planted their roots and decided to call San Diego home.

My mom was into the beach and La Jolla Cove was her SPOT. She would load the kids into our old Plymouth and hit The Cove as many times a week as possible. As the family grew, a Volkswagen van became the preferred mode of transportation. For as long as I can remember the beaches of San Diego have been like a home to me. We all grew up with the ocean being in our lives, so wave riding of some sort was pretty much a given. Styrofoam boards, hard rental rafts, skim boards, belly boards, etc… everything was part of the quiver. Whatever we could get our hands on we would ride… and let’s not forget about the many hours spent bodysurfing. The ocean was everything to us as a family.

Growing up in Mission Hills (which is about 3 miles from the beach), the winter beach days were far less frequent. It was a bummer, but we had no wetsuits to keep us warm so we just had to deal with it. As my two brothers grew older they both started to ride kneeboards. Kneeboards are shorter and easier to transport which is a good thing when you’re peddling on a bike 3 or 4 miles each way to the beach. At that point in time they cost a whole lot less that a surfboard so it just made sense. The boards we rode were basically like belly boards that could be ridden on your knees. Mark and Rex started to get into it and were able to infiltrate a group of young kneeboarders who surfed at Sunset Cliffs and some of the La Jolla areas that most stand up surfers feared to tread. Being the little brother I was constantly under-foot looking for rides to the beach and, more importantly, my own equipment.

We all continued to grow and so did kneeboarding as a sport. Special shapes were being built by some of our fellow kneeboarders as well as a few regular surfboard shapers. Most our boards were built out of garages of friends and surfers we met at the beach At that time, a 3rd-quality blank from Mitch’s Surf Shop in La Jolla was only $5.  Resin, fiberglass, fins, buckets etc only cost a few dollars more. Add in $10 for the shaper fee and you were in the water. Sounds cheap, right? Not so fast. Paper routes paid poorly back then and doing yard work took away from your time in the water, not-to-mention that a boards lifespan was short, as the quality of construction was poor and NO leashes were even thought of at that time.

 

SELECT SURF SHOP

At that point in my life all I wanted was good equipment and that was pretty how I got into the Surf Biz in the first place. There were very few surf shops in San Diego at the time and boards were not cheap. By sheer luck, a neighbor up the street owned the coolest surf shop in town. Select Surf Shop and its owner Phil Castagnola were everything that was cool about surfing at the time. They had the best boards and the heaviest locals. On any given day at the Select there was hot chicks and cold beers, plenty of smokes and other sorts of contraband. It was for sure where I wanted to be.

Select-surf-shop-phil-castagnola
Big Phil Castagnola Owner of Select Surf Shop and Olympic Surfboards

 

Phil knew EVERYONE and the shop was like a Mecca that drew all the core faithful through its doors. Enter a surf-stoked 13 year-old Catholic school kid and the game was on. I would work for nothing; cleaning, running errands etc… just for a chance to hang out and get a ride home. Over time, I became a payable employee but not a coin was exchanged as all funds I acquired were invested back into the best equipment I could get my hands on.

At first it was just some better quality used stuff, then as I started getting new gear at TEAM pricing, it got better and better. I soaked up all the information and made all the connections I could. As time went on I was lucky enough to know and work with countless first-rate board builders and world-class surfers.

Shapers like Bill Caster, Skip Frye, Hank Warner, Stevie Lis, and Gary Goodrum all became friends and mentors to me. Surfers like Chris O’Rourke, Dale Dobson, Tim Lynch, Gary Keating, etc… would talk story and share surf tips with me regularly. Over the 10-year period that I worked and managed Select Surf Shop there was never a dull moment. There were times that Big Phil owed so much money to people that I was afraid that somebody would come in and beat it out of him.

On more than a few occasions when it looked like that was going to happen Phil would work his magic, calm the person down AND then borrow even more money from them! Such was Phil’s way. The ultimate conman/salesman/hero and friend that always had a smile on his face. I learned and saw things at Select that sent me down the road of life well prepared for what lay ahead.

 

LA JOLLA SURF SYSTEMS

At the very end of 1979..maybe early 1980, I was approached by Jeff Junkins to manage a great shop at La Jolla Shores called La Jolla Surf Systems. At first I was hesitant to make the move. Surf Systems was everything that Select wasn’t. It was well funded, well stocked, and very commercial and big brand oriented. Not only would my paycheck triple from what I was making at Select, I would actually get the money. After a bit of soul searching I made the move and “sold out” as I was often reminded by some of the older crew who I looked up to.

I soon settled in to a rocky few years at Surf Systems. It was made quite complicated by a co-owner who was often hammered or was high as a kite on any one or several illegal substances. I did manage to learn quite a bit about buying and stocking a full-service surf shop and I also continued to meet all the major players in this fast-growing industry. At around the two-year mark at Surf Systems I couldn’t take any more of the drama that was going on between the owners and I up and quit. It was the first and only time that I was not working in the surf industry in my entire life. But that wouldn’t last for long.

La Jolla Surf Systems and one of the most famous ads ever. Proofs in the Pudding. Shawn Stussy, Bill Caster, Bird, JLJ, Tim Bessell and Gary McNabb.

 

WINDANSEA BEACH AN SURF

After a few months of planning and scraping some money together, I partnered with Bill Caster and Ernie Higgins (who was Bill’s Glasser at the time and a former manager at Select.). We opened up Windansea Beach an’ Surf in 1983 on the corner of Bonair street and La Jolla boulevard, just a block up the street from the legendary surf break Windansea. Rent was only $125/month with all the waves you could catch within walking distance. It was tight from the get-go. We were vastly under-capitalized and trying hard to compete with a growing number of well-established surf shops in the area. It was a hard fought battle to survive.

All that I had learned from the past years from Phil at Select and from JLJ  at Surf Systems was not enough to make success a sure thing. Now I needed to meet and deal with the upper management of the surf industry. Most everybody is your friend when you work at a surf shop, but it’s a whole different story when you own one. Even after knowing quite a few of the major players from throughout the industry, I had to pay my dues. It would be years before I could become a dealer for a lot of the key brands.

As the years passed by and business would come in and go and by 1990 the economy was once again in a bad way and my partners wanted out of the business. Recessions and trends would come and go and running a surf shop never got any easier. I was still meeting and working with all of the best people involved in the surf biz and new things were learned everyday but still I knew things could be better. I liquidated whatever I could and borrowed a chunk of money so that I could buy out the partners and struggle on as a surf shop owner. Those were some rough but wonderful years spent in our Pacific Beach location at the foot of Crystal Pier. Skip Frye shared a door on the side of my shop and a great community evolved over the years.

 

Windansea Beach an Surf
Tom Curren in front of Windansea Beach an surf 1990

 

LOOKING FOR A CHANGE

In late ’91 I struck up a conversation with Rob Ard who owned one of best surf shops in OB called South Coast. He was closing down his inland store and wanted to concentrate his interest back at the beach areas. We struck up a test market plan where I would market and sell South Coast Surfboards and clothing in my Pacific Beach location  to see if there was a market for his product. After a trial period time of approximately a year a plan was made to partner up with one of Rob’s old managers, Erich Tramonti, and turn Windansea Beach an’ Surf into South Coast-Windansea. While That venture was another pivotal step in my growth as a business owner, It was difficult to unlearn all I had up until that point. I was and always will be a surfboard lover and my focus will always be loyal to that first and foremost. By the time 2011 rolled around, I was ready to go solo and go “Back to the Future.”  I turned my old quonset hut where i used to store my collection of boards into Bird’s Surf Shed.It was a leap of faith, but I knew in my heart that it needed to happen, for my own sanity and for my love of what started it all…The Surfboard.

So now, after almost 50 years working in the surf industry, I have my own store and I continue to make sure that I always have the best equipment available. My commitment to surfing has never been stronger and I couldn’t be more thankful to be where I am today.  I continue to meet new people on a daily basis and learn more about how to cater the business to what my customers want, and most of all, I enjoy giving back to the surf community which has given me so much.

Thank you all and Best Regards,

Bird

 

 

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: about, Bill Caster, Bird, bird huffman, birds surf shed, gary keating, Jeff Junkins, la jolla surf system, larry gordon, origin story, Phil castagnola, select surf shop, skip frye, surfing, windansea beach an surf

BIRDWELL PRESENTS: Hang Ten With Birdie

July 13, 2021 by ADMIN Leave a Comment

 

Welcome back to Hang 10 with Birdie, where we catch up with friends Birdwell has made along the way, in and out of the water. Today we’re taking a visit to Bird’s Surf Shed, the 1800 square foot surf shop opened by San Diego legend Eric “Bird” Huffman in 2011. Packed with almost 1000 famous (and not-so-famous) boards, from Kelly Slater’s iconic shortboards, to balsa planks from the 1930s, and the many eclectic craft in between, Bird’s is more of a library than a museum—locals and pros are welcome to stop by and test out a board or two, any time. Between manning the shop, film premieres, and parties at the warehouse, Huffman still finds plenty of time to hit the water and share tips with surfers of all ages and levels. Here’s hoping some of his wisdom sinks in on our next go-out!

1) If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

Tavarua, Fiji surfing Restaurants.

2) If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your days, which one would it be?

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon.

3) What posters did you have on your walls when you were growing up?

None. I shared a room with two older brothers and they always had wall priority.



4) Best compliment you ever received?

That I’ve made a positive difference in someone’s life.

5) What’s in your car trunk (or van or wagon) right now?

About 2000 old Surfer and Surfing magazines that I need to sort through and add to the other 50,000 I already have.  My kids are begging me to stop accepting them.

6) Coolest animal you’ve bumped into out in the water?

Great White Shark.

 

7) Favorite wave?

Any part of the Jeffrey’s Bay line up.

8) Last product you recommended (including the specific brand and make)?

A custom Jim Ellington surfboard.

9) Favorite book?

I don’t read as much as I’d like to.  But I think I make up for it when I’m on vacation and I can read about a dozen books in two weeks.  I really like historical stuff- fiction & non-fiction.

10) Best memory in Birdwells?

I found a pair of size 34 Birdwells lying in the street in OB when I was like 12 years old and wearing a size 28 in jeans.  My mom darted them in around 6” so they wouldn’t fall off my boney little butt. Each summer she would let them out a quarter of an inch or so.  I kept them until I was about 25 and wearing size 30s. I think my girlfriend Amy (now my wife of 40 years) secretly ditched them cuz one day they were just GONE!

 

From Birdwell Beach Britches

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: bird huffman, birds surf shed, birdwell beach britches, surf

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