The joy of bodysurfing & doing it dangerously in Tahiti

It’s not everyday that ESPN covers bodysurfing, here is Keith Malloy: When I was a kid, my friends and I would go down to the beach and kind of camp all day. When you’re a kid the experience of being at the beach is just as good as actually surfing. We would leave our boards …

West Coast Great White Sharks are endangered – population around 340

A group of environmentalists have petitioned the federal government to put West Coast Great White Sharks as an endangered species. From an L.A. Times article: The northeastern Pacific Ocean population of great whites is genetically distinct and in danger of extinction, according to the petition. Researchers have estimated that there are about 340 individuals in …

Pier to Pier Quest – surfers marathon, 20 miles on the beach – running, climbing, and swimming

Finally, a marathon for me. Called the Pier to Pier Quest, it is a run/swim along the coast from one pier in the south to another in the north, approximately 20 miles. You run on the sand, swim around coves, climb rocks, traverse the harbor, and finish with an ice cream on the pier. The …

Is there prize money given with olympic medals?

There’s no pay from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) when they win a medal. But many countries Olympic committees pay their athletes for winning medals. Among them, The U.S., Russia, Canada, China & Italy and many more countries. $20K-$50K per gold medal is typical in bigger countries. The smaller countries actually tend to pay more, …

The growing popularity of summer camps for building iPhone, Android apps

Here is an excerpt from a Marketplace interview on computer-focused summer camps, they’re surging in popularity:   Queena Kim: Aw…the  sounds of summer. Families getting together for barbeques. The sound of BBQ sizzling. Dogs running around. And 9-year-old Alex  is plopped down on a lounge chair totally engrossed in his favorite iPad game, which prompts this from his dad: …

Beach Report Card – iPhone app – monitor the water quality at your beach

Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card app puts the only comprehensive, weekly analysis of coastline water quality for the West Coast at your fingertips. Now, any time and anywhere, you can get access to A to F grades for the health risks of swimming, surfing or playing at more than 650 beach locations in California, …