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Shopping for a Surf Safari?

by Bev Sanders
Surfcamp checklist

When planning your vacation from work, the last thing you want is more work. Let us help with the research by answering the most important questions when picking your surf safari. And, allow us to brag a bit in the process. Obviously, we’re proud of what we do. At Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women, [...]

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Worth sharing.

by Bev Sanders
Julie Cox Video

Having just returned from spending two wonderful weeks at Las Olas, I’m not exactly ready to be back at my desk. So, this surfing video came at precisely the right moment and I just have to share it with you. The surfer is Julie Cox, a Las Olas surf instructor and, in my opinion, the [...]

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We do it for them.

by Bev Sanders
Bev & Company

I found this ad I did in a snowboard magazine back the ’90′s. I rounded up the girls in my neighborhood and my friend Polly snapped the photo. At the time, I was the Marketing Director for Avalanche Snowboards and was considered “a pioneer woman” in the sport. Even as an owner of the company, [...]

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Secret to Great Surfing? Check the Tides.

by Julie Cox
Tides

Ever wondered how the really good surfers seem to always know when to paddle out? Bev Sanders caught up to Julie Cox last week to discuss just that. Bev at Las Olas: What are tides? Julie: Okay. Tides are basically the rise and fall of sea level. It’s when the water is even with sea [...]

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The Cross Step, Explained

by Julie Cox
Walking on water at Las Olas.

It’s not easy to catch up with surfer Julie Cox, but while she was in Carmel last week, she slowed down for a face-to-face with Bev Sanders, founder of Las Olas. The subject of the day? Cross stepping on a longboard. (No time to read? Click here for a full audio version of Julie’s interview.) [...]

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Dreams Come in Waves

by Annie Perry
Annie clears her mind for a little daydreaming.

What happens when a landlocked school teacher goes surfing at Las Olas? She becomes a student of the sea. Annie is now a surfer- she takes weekend road trips, repairs her own dings, and she’s returning to Las Olas for another warm water session this season. Can’t wait to paddle out with her again because [...]

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Movie Review: Otter 501 with Katie Pofahl

by Bev Sanders
New movie Otter 501

What better way to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week than with Katie Pofahl, star of the new movie Otter 501. (Listen to the complete interview with Bev Sanders here.) Meeting Katie this week at the Blue Ocean Film Festival was an adventure in learning. She’s an aspiring marine biologist and surfer who now lives on the Monterey Peninsula. [...]

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Night School, Surfstyle

by Bev Sanders
Baby sea turtle's journey begins.

In November, some of our best surf lessons happen at night. You may already know that our November Las Olas safaris are during the annual sea turtle hatching season in mainland Mexico. But did you also know that we can participate in helping the local sea turtle population thrive? In 1992, when Grupo Ecológico de la [...]

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Go With the Flow

by Mike McDaniel
Skip the rip. Find out how.

For new surfers, venturing out into the waves can come with a fair dose of anxiety. Consider natural hazards like submerged rocks and reefs, crowds and territorial locals, and of course, modern media loves to remind us of sharks and tsunamis. But responsible for more drama than anything else is the very real threat of [...]

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Kids Tell Mom to Go Surfing

by Kate Hayward
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My name is Kate. I am a single mom raising two sparkly and spunky little girls, and  have had one heck of a year. Last February, I got divorced. In March, I bought a house, and in April, I went back to work for the first time in a decade. There were so many changes, [...]

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Go Surf. Be Happy.

by Jackie Sanders
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Remember when you were a little girl at the playground and you’d walk right up to another kid and ask them to play? I don’t know when I stopped doing that, but pretty soon it became awkward—adolescent insecurity, competition, or shyness overtook my youthful boldness. Women come to Las Olas for many different reasons. For [...]

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Savoring the Las Olas Scholarship

by Emilie Brand Manhart
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Before I won the Las Olas Scholarship competition, I had never won anything in my life. When I found out that I had become a top ten finalist, I was so excited about the possibility, that I dared to let my imagination run wild with thoughts of learning to surf in Mexico, and went to [...]

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Surfer Girl for Life

by Jill Robinson
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When I’m not working at my kayak shop on the beach in Half Moon Bay, I’m either sitting at my desk writing travel articles, or on the road to do research for those same articles. In a given year, I travel to more than 30 destinations on assignment—mostly adventure related. While my adventures on these [...]

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Salute to Our Surf Coaches

by Bev Sanders
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I’m from a family of educators. My father had a driving school, my brother is a math teacher and ski coach, and my niece and nephew teach art and lead adventure treks. At 16, I taught skiing and later, snowboarding. Decades later, I found myself pushing newbies into their first waves. I learned from dad that regardless [...]

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Book Review: Hints to Lady Travellers

by Jackie Sanders
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If you’re like me, planning a trip has many stages of giddiness. FIrst, the should I or shouldn’t I? It’s expensive, it’s far, I don’t really have the time… but man, I really love a good adventure. I’m going to do it! Next comes the decision of where to go. The world is my oyster; [...]

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What’s Calling You on a Surf Safari?

by Bev Sanders
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¡Hola chicas! Enjoy the 2012 What’s Calling You on a Surf Safari? scholarship entries. Every one inspired me to get out in the surf and savor the adventure. Thank you so much for participating and hope to see you in the waves. Hasta luego, Bev Founder, Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women Est. 1997 _________________ [...]

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How to Read a Surf Report

by Mike McDaniel
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Farewell, Mr. Collins. On Monday, the day after Christmas, I was just starting to rough out a draft of this blog entry. At that time, the working title was ‘How To Read a Surf Report’ and it was going to be exactly that. But an unfortunate and oddly coincidental thing happened. The news that Sean [...]

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5 Tips From a Travel Pro

by Mike McDaniel
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No matter where you’re going over the holidays—to grandma’s house, or to a perfect surf break for a mid-winter surf escape—these tips and reminders might make the difference between arriving ready to surf or ready to scream. Less is More The prevalence of iPhones, iPads and their counterparts means leaving the laptop at home is [...]

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Surfing For Life film review

by Mike McDaniel
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For better or for worse, my life revolves around surfing. I often show up for work at Las Olas HQ fifteen minutes late and slightly wet. I’m more concerned about running out of surf wax than I am about running out of shampoo. The point being, I’m probably the most ‘core’ surfer in our company. Therefore, the [...]

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A Surfer Girl’s Guide to Buying a Surfboard

by Mike McDaniel
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Shopping for a surfboard? Your choices can be divided into off-the-rack or custom shaped boards. Off-the-rack boards are ready to go, standard shapes that perform for a wide variety of surfers. Custom shaped surfboards are unique, handmade watercraft made especially for you, like a tailored jacket. A good surfer girl does her homework and learns [...]

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