Drivin' South

I left Santa Cruz early this morning - headed down to Orange County for a round of meetings with Billabong on Friday. It was an insanely beautiful day and I decided to take Hwy 1 south through Big Sur (rule #461: never pass up an opportunity for adventure, even if it adds a few hours to your drive). I couldn't have picked a better day for it. Today was the first spat of warm weather we've had in a few weeks and it felt as though every living creature was out to play with dreams of spring in their head. The hillsides were vibrant green and the ocean was glassy and pristine. I even scored some fun head-high waves at Sand Dollar. Life is good...


..And if any of you out there want to learn more about surfing along the Big Sur coast, check out our Big Sur Surf Retreat!

Cliff Hodges - New Discovery Host?!

Speaking of mountain lions, I have a video for you guys! I was recently contacted by the Discovery Network regarding a new show for Animal Planet. They asked me to send in an audition tape as though I was hosting a show on animal attacks. What do you think? Am I discovery material?

New Donation: Felidae Conservation Fund

As a member of the 1% For The Planet initiative, Adventure Out donates a portion of our yearly gross revenues to environmental nonprofit organizations. I truly believe that business can be one of the most powerful mechanisms of change and even though we are a small business, I think it is crucial that we do our part.

As a 1% Member, I get new donation requests all the time from amazing organizations all over the world. I love the fact that I am in a position to help these non-profits and even more, I simply love the exposure I get to all these amazing causes and charity work that people are doing in the name of our planet. The most recent organization that I have had the pleasure of learning about is the Felidae Conservation Fund. I just popped a check in the mail to them today after reading their donation request letter. Direct from their website:

"Our mission is ambitious: to protect the world’s 37 felidae species and their habitats by supporting and participating in international conservation, partnering in excellent science, and generating unrelenting outreach and powerful education programs. We believe this can be achieved collectively with utmost collaboration between scientists, educators, international communities, and lawmakers. "

I'm glad I could help. And really, how could you deny this face:

Barbados: Great Friends and Great Memories

The Adventure Out Crew - Barbados, Jan '09

Our trip has come to a close and I can truly say, Barbados is an amazing place. I've traveled around the world to surf and I've never encountered a world class wave like Soup Bowls that had such friendly locals. Everywhere we went there were friends to be made and good times to be shared. I can guarantee this will not be the last time Adventure Out visits Barbados. For anyone out there interested in the next trip, give us a shout - surfing@adventureout.com.

Off the top at South Point

Barbados: Soup Bowls is PUMPING!

After several days of constant trade-winds (as is relatively common in the Caribbean), the wind gods finally gave us a break today. And the swell is UP! It's a solid 6-8' with the occasional 10' face. Soup Bowl's is heavy and barreling. I snapped these two shots before waxing up my board and jumping in the water. No time to wait my friends. I'll write more soon...

Barbados Surf Trip

The crew arrived in Barbados yesterday and commenced with important activities:

We're staying Bathsheba on the wild East Coast of Barbados. Far from the glitz and glam of the south and west sides of the island (where all the tourist resorts are), Bathsheba is a quiet town that just happens to sit on the bluff right above the best wave in the Caribbean, Soup Bowls.


We are lucky enough to be renting the Bathsheba Beach House from David Harris.
This is the same spot the Kelly Slater stayed in for the filming of the movie Sipping Jetstreams. It's a beautiful place to stay and yes, the picture of the above rock and beach is right out the front door.

The surf was a little blown out today, so we found a protected cove to do some diving, snorkeling, and spear-fishing. There's nothing like catching your own dinner and cooking it right there on the beach!

The Return of the Owner's Blog!

Hello Fellow Adventurers-

Cliff Hodges here - owner and CEO of Adventure Out. As most of you can tell, we've really let our blog lapse. Scroll down and you'll see that it's been months since our last post. My apologies - our company has been growing by leaps and bounds in 2008 and certain things (like the blog) got put on the backburner.

About 4 years ago, this blog was controlled solely by me; it was the owner's blog. I kept weekly records of my adventures both with our students and guides as well as my own personal adventures around the world. Over time however, the blog got passed on to other staff members, interns, etc and it it slowly faded away. I am here to tell you now that THE ADVENTURE OUT OWNER'S BLOG IS BACK!

Inspired by our new President-to-be Obama and his weekly video address, I decided I WILL NOT BE OUTDONE! This blog will be updated 1-2 times per week and I promise, it will be much more exciting than anything going on in Washington.

Tomorrow I head to Barbados - STAY TUNED!

Cliff Hodges

Owner

Adventure Out LLC