With oil at US$145 a barrel the party of cheap energy is well and truly over. Unlike the oil shocks of the early seventies and 80’s which were supply driven this one is demand driven by massive growth in Asia. Spare production capacities for Opec producers are estimated to be less than a million barrels per day. In a world that consumes over 80 million barrels a day of petroleum products that is not enough to exert anything like downward pressure on prices.
At my petrol station the price of diesel has gone from $1.35 a litre in January to $1.83 a litre now.
This isn’t being reflected in the price of surfboards…yet…but it is having a significant effect on my surfing habits.
I wonder how else it is affecting people around the world.
95% of my surfing is now super local ie between Lennox and Ballina; a sub 10 mile stretch.
Over 75% is between Lennox and Flatrock; a 3 mile stretch.
This is because of the cost of fuel.
I don’t drive to Byron anymore even though it’s only 20 minutes up the road and the waves are sometimes better.
How are folks in california’s freeway culture getting on?
In the UK, were most seem to live in cities and drive to the beach on weekends?
This is having far more of an impact on surfing than asian made boards (even though in the broadest macro-economic sense they are related).
This is having far more of an impact on surfing than asian made boards (even though in the broadest macro-economic sense they are related). Anyone else feel like riffing on this
I totally agree. Unfortunately alternative fuels are still about a decade away before coming mainstream and I’m certainly doing a lot less surfing because of it.
The high gas prices have impacted my surfing habits. Last summer I took several trips up to San Onofre and Trestles, which is a 45 mile drive. My truck gets about 16 miles per gallon, so it works out to about $25 round trip for gas alone. I live three miles away from the beach, so it is hard to justify the extra miles for an extra foot or two in wave height.
Yup, I’m not driving around looking for surf. I surf the closest place unless I get good information and no the cost will be worth it. It’s time to park the truck and buy a fuel saver. Mike
My solution here in Perth, West Oz is a Hobie Mirage Revolution (see attached and www.hobiekayaks.com). Just using leg and wind power, it takes me about 30 minutes to make the line-up… Only annoying factors are the fumes and wakes from power boats and jet skis…
I can’t mosey around being fussy about break choices anymore…I have to make the most of a drive South.
It will affect the average surf adventurer for sure.
I’ve recently made enquiries about conversion to reclaimed vegetable oil for driving…The wisdom of a friend whose large troop-carrier 4WD cost him $5 to drive from Byron Bay to Melbourne 10 years ago, now hits me. (Approx. 2000km…)
A mail via a website selling such conversions bounced back, saying they were currently inundated with enquiries…funny that, from a Hippy alternative to potentially mainstream Instant Millionaires.
Wish I’d been onto it years ago.
Anyways, the conversion must be made to a Diesel engine…I am aware that not so many conveniently small cars run diesel and I don’t need a Land Rover.
There must be some smaller make/models with a diesel option?
Cuttlefish - The Royal Enfield engines are diesel…I fancy trying this type of conversion on a bike…
You can get a VW polo with a diesel engine. Pretty small and conventional, but not exactly a surfmobile if you ask me(tho I drive a crappy Skoda).
Another interesting option is to convert the car to run on liquid gas. Cost to do so is about $5000 here (most likely alot cheaper in AUS/US, in Thailand it’s $2000???), then you pay <$1 pr liter of compressed natural gas. Can be mounted on any car. Can be switched between CNG and gasoline with a flick of a switch. Con is the gas tanks take up storage space. Around here that will give you a pretty good saving as the gas prices are approx. $3. Savings depend on how much you drive and how much gas your car use, if you drive alot and use alot it’s definitely worth the money.
I have a handful of small poinbreak and ditto beachbreaks within 10 minutes drive. Can’t say I worry too much about the gas prices. Driving to the surf is accounted for in our household budget.
Thanks, yes, I know the Polo…I drove one around Cornwall and Devon at one point…no, its not a car to sleep in!
But gone are the days of having convenient access to the quiver from the back of the largest Wagon ever built in Australia, the battleship-large Chrysler Valiant Safari!
I know a guy who has a volkswagen trnasporter. Turbo deisel, 900 k;s to a tank. AND, he keeps 2 longboards in the ROOF, and you wouldnt even notice, theres almost a full 12’’ from your head to the board. PLUS, the back seats come out, and the floor is dead flat. You could seriously fit 30 boards in there easily ( under 7’ ). Or 10 boards and a bed. SOOOOO unreal.
A bit OT but the solution is a yet to be invented battery that recharges very quickly…like flicking a switch. If the economics are there, it will change the world overnight.
Until then, std 4 cyls is the way to go.
Funny but, a few years ago, diesel was cheaper than premium gas. Now its sig more expensive. Gaming? You bet.
Was out near the local ocean waterway…plenty of big boats sucking it up…apparently some are immune. A 35ft sportfishing boat with twin 275’s gets 1.2 MPG! Man, you really gotta love catching fish dont you?!
OT: beaches are close by, but flat. Decision making easy!
I walk to the beach, rarely use the car. Its been small for about a week but doesn’t matter, I can still get wet and slide, I see some waves in the future anyway.
to rise above fossil fuel makes me feel like a rebellious hippy soul surfer.
I bought an Xtracyle attachment that I put on a mountain bike I got from craigslist. It makes a very impressive transport bike that can haul groceries, camping gear, and surf stuff (and if you look at their confusing website, patio furniture, haybales, lumber and whatever you dare try riding with). They’re way more stable with a big load than a bike that has the bolt-on top-tube attachment. Distant surfspots require more time and dedication, but are still possible.
I met a guy at the beach a couple of weeks ago. He had purchased a plug in battery system and installed it into an old VW Golf,or something like it. I think the battery kits sell for about 5 K. Still kind of pricey, but things are moving and changing. Of course, he is still latched onto the fossil fuel tit with the plug in. Mike
Changes in my surfing habbits, definately - I always used to surf alone, now hardly ever. To make it affordable we pack the car out and split the cost.
I think more than one solution is necessary. I agree that the “Big Solution” has yet to be invented, at least in a form that can be implemented in a general and practical manner. For that to happen there will have to be major social and political adjustments. But there won’t be one magic wand.
Population and regional issues need to be taken into account. If New Zealand has roughly 4 million people the solutions there will probably be different from what will ultimately help in California, currently running somewhere between 37 and 42 million people. All we have to do is look at the recent affordable food shortages to see what increased interest in food-based fuels by the U.S. and Europe can do. In heavily populated areas decent small affordable cars are nearly unavailable on the used market. There is also a premium on convertable diesels, and now people are even asking me what engine I run on my 4 year old Tacoma truck…it’s the smallest 4 banger they offered back when I got it, dropped the next model year in favor of the “more efficient” 6 cyl engines. The bigger engines are great when hauling heavy loads…which in my case was maybe 3-5% of the time at most.
What the increased desireability of more fuel efficient vehicles has done is make the affordable ones scarce, leaving the option open mostly to those to whom money or credit is not a problem, issue, or hurdle. Which leaves the working class in a general sense the ones who once again will be most burdened. When truly good, fuel-efficient entry level vehicles are available at affordable prices…that’s when we’ll know society has really changed.
It’s too soon to tell, but my hope is that when adjustments are made that there may be fewer people in the surf zones at any one given time, and that everybody makes more of the surf time they do have, and everybody relaxes enough to start enjoying it more.
