Amazing! A very talented artist working with just sand and water created this wave scene on the back of a Toyota. We know it wont last long, the artist probably hates to drive the car away and see it all blow away.  

We wish we knew what coffee shop this was from so we could give them credit for this cool creation but we don't know where the photo is from. Nothing like an overhead wave in your Joe to start the day. 

Thanks to Michael B. who came into our shop and bought the "bumble Bee" Starto-Flex for his birthday. Michael took the time to share his story with us, were stoked that Michael likes his Strato so much. 

"Hi, I bought the Strato-Flex on my birthday last week. Had it in the water  
the next 3 days. This board worked magnificently. I was able to get up on the  
wave early and easily continually finding myself shooting down the line. This  
board is so light and maneuverable, it was simple to slalom around the many,  
many surfers who were also enjoying the latest swell. The amount of rocker is  
perfect making it almost impossible to pearl. When popping up, I can land on  
my feet just a few feet from the nose and late take offs are a breeze. Thanks  
for making this board - it is a blast. Can't wait to take it out again!"

Have a story, send to us and it just might make the blog!

The Custom Mega's are finally back in stock, Steve has been shaping away to build our inventory back up. Apologies to all of you that are frustrated that we keep selling out as do most of our dealers. We have 7'0 up to 9'6 available, check online for the exact models in stock. Thinking about a Mega don't think to long, they always sell out. Don't see the size or color you are looking for, place a custom order. For the bigger guy that needs even more Mega, we go up to 10'0 . Wan't to learn more about the Mega Magic, check out our website. Ready to buy a Mega Magic, see what is in stock here

Walden Surfboards was proud to once again be a part of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau & Longboard invitational to increase cancer awareness and to raise money for cancer research and care. Now in its 18th year, the Longboard Luau has become one of the most successful surfing fundraisers and has donated more than $5 million for the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. 

Steve Walden surfed in the event and was honored once again to donate to this years auction. Steve worked on two boards, a collaboration with artist Wade Koniakowsky and photographer Aaron Chang as well as a Wavejet board. Both boards helped raise a lot of money for a great cause. 

Check out a video from John Cocozza from the event. 

Steve Walden is known as the "Father of the modern longboard" as well as one of surfings most innovative shapers. Given Steves love of innovation and design it is no surprise that Walden enjoys partnering with creative artists for our "Artists Series" surfboards. For several years Walden Surfboards has worked with great designers creating one of a kind and limited edition surfboards. We are now excited to extend our "Artist Series" to apparel. 

Walden's first partnership is with the design team of Orange & Park. Orange & Park is a collaboration between Southern California natives and surfers David Klinker and John McCauley, whose shared interests include typography, maps, surfing and living next to the ocean. To honor Walden Surfboards California roots Orange & Park designed a custom T-shirt for Walden called " Surf Breaks". 

Orange & Park explain their design " We used Steve Walden's favorite breaks from WIndansea in the south to South beach in the north. We think its a perfect fit, there is no brand more Californian than Walden Surfboards. Shaping since 1961, Steve is a legend in the surf industry. His Magic Model is an iconic board that helped usher in a new generation of longboarders. It's an honor to have worked with him"

To see the entire "Surf Break" collection visit www.waldensurfboards.com and for more information on Orange & Park visit Orangeandpark.com

8 days

Thanks to Surfline and Mark Anders for this story...

If you've been on a surf trip recently, then you've probably been there. Standing at the ticket counter, trying to convince the airline folks that there's only one board in that double coffin bag. And then fuming when they start extracting cash from your wallet for oversized baggage fees. One hundred to $200 bucks per board--each way. I'm pissed off right now, just typing those words!

Clearly the airlines aren't about to drop their surfboard fees anytime soon, but I did have a glimmer of hope recently when I heard about the new Walden Tri-Fold Travel Board (waldensurfboards.com). A folding surfboard isn't a new idea--it's been attempted in the past with marginal success. The bisect boards I've tested worked okay but always felt clunky and never provided a very high-performance ride (not something I'd feel comfortable paddling out on in head-high Mainland Mex surf). But Ventura-based shaper Steve Walden assured me he's developed a legit surfboard that can be folded into three pieces yet still rides like a conventional board with little to no unwanted flex and minimal added weight. I was skeptical, but stoked to give the Tri-Fold a test drive. 

Seeing it packed neatly inside its suitcase, the 6'6" Walden looks like a few pieces of a broken board. But unpacked it becomes immediately obvious how the thing works. A thin, high-tensile strength steel cable is threaded from the board's tail to the nose and back again, loosely holding each of the three pieces together. The edges of the board are buttressed with cedar wood and a metal cap. Simply insert a socket wrench into the small round cavity in the tail and start tightening the 18-inch long bolt connected to the cable. As the nut tightens onto the bolt, the pieces of the board join together tighter and tighter--works on the same principle as big suspension bridges. A couple minutes later, the Walden is tight and ready to surf. 

Once in one piece, the Tri-Fold feels almost identical to a standard surfboard. The added hardware and dual stringer add just 1.5 to 2 pounds to the weight of the hand-shaped shortboard--so the extra weight isn't all that noticeable, especially not in the water. And Walden says the Tri-Fold is about 50 percent stronger than a conventional board thanks to its dual wooden stringers and the steel cable stringer.

We tested it in overhead beachbreak waves in North County San Diego with good results. In the water, we felt almost zero abnormal flex to the board while surfing. Only when duck diving larger waves did we feel the front third of the board flex slightly. It paddled easily and configured as a quad (our demo board has five fin boxes) the Tri-Fold was responsive and rode nearly as well as a one-piece board. The only real negative we found was that some water collects inside the cavity where the cable runs adding to the weight of the board. After a surf we could hear it sloshing around inside but we just loosened the pieces, the water poured out and it was good to go again.

The Tri-Fold option will be offered in a variety of Walden shapes from 6' shortboards to 12' longboards and will add an extra $300 to $500 bucks (depending on size) onto the cost of a traditional board. A custom suitcase-style travel bag will run you an extra $125 and can fit your board, a wetsuit, trunks and a couple leashes. Best of all, boards from 6' to 7'6" will fit inside the suitcase which falls below most airlines' standard checked baggage regulations (62 inches total combined length, width and height) which means you'll skip out on the exorbitant oversized baggage fees. The Tri-Fold will also be handy for flying on those smaller, inter-island puddle jumper flights that often can't (or won't) accommodate boards over 6 feet long; and for getting your board into a taxi at the airport. One guy in the Surfline office mentioned that he thought this board would be perfect for bringing along on a "non-surfing vacation" with your girlfriend or spouse somewhere there might also happen to be waves. 

While we're still testing the board for long-term durability, our initial evaluation shows that the Walden Tri-Fold works surprisingly well. The folding tech is ingenious, and equipped in the right shape it would make a handy addition to any traveling surfer's quiver. Bottom line: The Tri-Fold rides much like a regular board, and you'll likely save the equivalent of the added cost for the board in baggage fees on your first two trip

From the Ventura Country Star, May 1st,2011

At first glance, the board that Steve Walden was punching through the thigh-high waves at Ventura's C Street looked like just another surfboard.

Then you notice that as he's moving out through breaking surf, he's not paddling. There is a low-grade hum coming from the board like a submerged blender. And he's moving twice as fast as anyone around him.

It's all because Walden has a motor built into his board.

The founder of Ventura's Walden Surfboards is a consultant on a project that could fundamentally change the way some people surf — and ruffle the feathers of those who prefer using old-fashioned manpower to catch a wave.

The board, called a WaveJet, has a motor built into the bottom that works much like a Jet Ski, sucking water through a propulsion device that drives the board forward. The entire motor fits into a carved-out section of the board, so it still acts like a regular surfboard, albeit it 13 pounds heavier.

Surfers can turn the motor on and off with a remote strapped to their arm in a wristwatch-like device. Though it only goes about twice as fast as someone can paddle, that extra push is enough to help surfers paddle out in the surf as well as catch waves that may otherwise evade them. It runs off a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts about 45 minutes.

The boards, which will retail for about $4,500, are expected to be in Walden's store this summer.

"I've been surfing for almost 50 years and I just want to have fun and this, to me, creates something different, and a different way to approach it," he said.

He expects older surfers who have trouble catching waves or paddling out will be interested in the boards, as well as anyone who always dreamed of riding 20 waves in a 45-minute session.

While the board works especially well on sloppy days when waves are harder to catch or on small waves that lack power, they also have been tested on quadruple-overhead waves in Hawaii.

The idea was the brainchild of Mike Railey, a San Diego mortgage broker who had been toying with the idea for about 10 years. There were lots of bumps along the way. One of the toughest challenges was keeping salt water out of the guts of the motor. The remote control started with Bluetooth technology, but it doesn't work in salt water. A recent invention called Seatooth has been able to overcome the salt water problem.

Railey was at a surf show in 2005 when Walden approached him and said he wanted to get involved in the project.

"He's helping us break into the surf industry," Railey said. "It's great to have Steve Walden behind it."

Walden, who has been shaping boards for decades, has been making sure the board still feels and rides like a regular board. Though the board has to be 3 inches thick where the motor is located — under where a surfer would plant his or her back foot — the rest of it is just like a normal board. Walden said he'll have boards from 7 feet and up for sale.

Railey said they will give some to lifeguard units so they can test them out on the long, rescue boards used to pull people from the water. If surfers wanted to buy a few different boards, they could just pop out the motor, the most expensive part, and switch it from one to another. All the boards, at least at first, will be made by Walden.

But how the board will be received in the surfing community is still undetermined. Surfers can be a harsh lot when it comes to new toys in the water.

As stand-up paddle boards have become more popular in recent years, the tension between those who lay down to paddle and those standing up with a paddle has increased. Paddle-boarders can catch more waves than surfers and can get on them earlier. Someone recently spray-painted "No SUP" — short for stand-up paddleboards — on a concrete wall at C Street. Fights have broken out.

When Walden and assistant store manager Jarrod Poirot were out surfing the WaveJet boards last week, an older surfer yelled at Poirot to get that thing out of the water.

"There is always going to be one or two guys who are going to look at it and they are not going to like it, but they don't like stand-ups and they don't like longboards," Walden said. "It's just a question of attitude and acceptance in the water."

There were many more marveling at the WaveJet board than there were critiquing it. Every time Poirot or Walden cruised by other surfers without paddling, heads were turning and people were asking questions.

When Walden was on the beach explaining how it worked, Kevin Kumler was riding by on his bike but had to turn around to take another look.

"This is the dream," Kumler said as he ogled the board. "I can't afford one, but this would be a fantasy, to not have to paddle."

On the Net: http://wavejet.com