This isnt much of a board related question so if you are one of those guys claiming that sways is headed down a path away from board shaping and building, just ignore it haha. but i my three top choice colleges that i got accepted into were UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. I know there is alot of surfing at these schools, but does anybody know about the shaping opportunities in these areas? locals speak up. board building is one of the things i love and college isnt going to stop me from doing it. anybody in the la jolla or santa barbara or santa cruz area got any ideas? what are getting supplies like in these areas too? i have it lucky now, i live 3 minutes walking distance from bashams in san clemente so i have never had to worry about not having materials.
Speak up and give me some thoughts... this is the one thing that college statistics and information pages dont give out
Lot's of Swaylock's members in California....Most are in San Diego County.....We've got foam ,resin and fiberglass....We do trades and deals and networking.....Bar-B-Que's too!!!
...and...
Bashams is less than an hour drive north if you must.................Ha Ha .....
Mitch's is in Solona Beach and La Jolla.....Diversified Materials is in la Mesa.......
Don't come to San Diego...It's too close to home,,,,too easy....
I vote for UCSB but I am a bit biased… Dave Johnson (Progressive Surfboards) shapes about two miles from campus, just on the other side of the airport, and has an extra bay that he rents out. Dave is a super nice guy, and has decades of experience, im sure that you would find yourself very happy working in his extra space. Dave isnt the only shaper in the area whose willing to share space and great to have a conversation or surf with, but you cant beat the location. You wont have issues getting supplies here…
Unless you’re doing it commercially I’d pick the school based on education and life style. I live in San Diego and my friends who attend UCSD are getting great educations, but from what I hear the social scene isn’t as full. Most of them joined frats.
UCSB is all party and education happens. You have to want to learn or you’ll burn up quick. Great surf but the flat spells can last a while but the girls will keep you entertained! SC is cold but the surf is phenominal. The student life is diverse to say the least. Visit before you commit to one. I would go SC personaly, but you have to live with it, so I recommend a road trip. You’ll find materials and a place to shape if you want it. You can look for glassing shops that rent out bays if you live on campus, or just find a friend with a garage. Every one of those cities have local shapers who I’m sure will be happy to style you out.
What up scboy?? I currently go to UCSB. I love it and couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. I can go a month without turning my car on (with the exception of running to jalama). Most of the houses here have garages, And after your freshman year I’m sure you will be able to find some roomates to rent one out wit… Shape in the garage. As far as the surf, it isn’t as consistent as the other schools, but is epic when there are wAves ( sAndspit? Yeah!). I love UCSB… It gets a bad rep. You don’t have to party every night, it’s just an option… A benefit of that is surfing breaks to yourself cause it’s morning and everyone else is too hungover to surf. I highly recommend UCSB, you can walk to surf and everywhere…
Congrats on getting accepted at 3 good schools. But as Keith said, the boardbuilding opportunities may not be the most important criteria in making your choice. Everyone knows what the most important thing is - the GIRLS.
Thanks guys. This thread got resurrected from a long time ago. I am actually a student at UC Berkeley now. There obviously is not as big of a surfing scene as at Santa Cruz or Santa Barbara or San Diego, but I really like it for what it does offer. I have found an opportunity to shape up here, but I havent gotten to work yet. There is a surf club on campus and we make trips down to Santa Cruz about once a month.
I picked the university for every other benefit that it offered me, and obviously one of the drawbacks was not being able to surf as much, but every university has drawbacks. But it makes surfing and shaping that much more special for me when I am back in San Clemente or on a trip down to Santa Cruz. It was a hard thing for me to accept, but for the next four years of my life I just will not be surfing as often as I was during high school. I have found lots of other things I like up here, but like I said, when I am back down in San Clemente, all I think about is surfing and shaping.
You should have seen me on my first trip back home, I surfed horribly, but my three buddies and I had as much fun as we ever had. We were having as much fun goofing around in lulls as we were surfing.
Ill look into that. Once I get a into living situation that allows me to store surfboards and park a car I will be a lot better off too. Right now I am limited to places accessible by public transportation (which isnt bad at all, just a little weird with a surfboard) or anywhere where I can mooch a ride off of friends
In my opinion your there to study. Don’t waste your time and money by not giving your education everything you can give it. Unless your brilliant. You will be too busy to get much surf except for an occasional weekend and holidays. There will be other times in your life when you can start charging the surf on a regular basis. Plan your career around that goal if that’s what you want. Mike
Two things you can do in Bezerkley that are a don't miss or should be at least an occasional visit are; The Brazil Cafe and the races on friday night at Golden Gate Field. The guy that owns the Cafe is reallly cool and the food is great. Try a tri-tip sandwich or the tri-tip salad. The races on Friday night are a safe, close place to enjoy the evening out and they offer discounts on food etc on Fridays.
