From the Good Pirates Of the Sea
May/100
“My name is Brad Latimer, I crewed on the M/Y Steve Irwin last year. We got sent a few boxes of Surf-furs from somewhere, when we got the box it had no return address….Anyways, I would just like to thank you for the gift as they kept us warm all through winter and when we went to Antarctica they were super for going out on deck.
I left the Steve Irwin in Hobart last September and went to Mauritius and picked up the ship Bob Barker there. We took it down to Antarctica to stop the Japanese whaling fleet. We had the most successful campaign ever this year so I was stoked to be a part of that.
But, I also took my Surf-fur with me and all the Bob Barker crew were jealous. It takes at least 15 min to put a mustang suit on and the action could be over before then….”
Thanks again,
The first one is at Kerguelen Islands while we were hiding out from a storm.
The second is well down in the Southern Ocean right up the backside of the Nisshin Maru where we stopped them from whaling for weeks.
there are also a few extra in there.
All credits to Brad Latimer/Sea Shepherd
New Customer Feedback on The Surf-fur
May/100
Taken from Scuba Gadget…link below
http://blog.wetcatscuba.com/?p=842#more-842
Surf-fur for Divers
For those of you who dive the Pacific Northwest, or other cool climes, you know that even though you may be warm and cozy during the dive in your heavy undergarments and dry suits, before and after can get chilly. Also, in the cold or crowded parking lot of the dive site, you may need to don or doff garments to get ready. There might be no changing facility available or your car may be packed tight with gear making changing clothes a bit tricky. The Surf-fur™, a full length light-weight coat with “Zen Changing Pockets™” (slits inside the pockets) to enable access to the under-layers, may be your answer.
Made by a company called Heatlab, The Surf-fur™ is a mid-calf length coat. Made of two layers of soft polyester fleece with an inner membrane of Polytetrafluoroethylene, the coat is advertised as windproof, water-resistant, breathable and warm. To test these claims, I recently took a Surf-fur™ out for a spin in Egmont, British Columbia, Canada.
We had been assured that the weather at the Strong Water retreat, in Egmont, BC, would be mild and sunny during our four day stay. Instead we were greeted with cold rain and early spring temps of high 40s to low 50s. I whipped out my Surf-fur™ and put it on.
It has a row of snaps down the front. A generous hood. When all snapped up and hood in place, I was fully protected from the rain. My dive buddies suggested that we further test the water resistance of the coat by pouring water on the arm (what a bunch of kidders, these guys). We did and no water got inside. When it got windy, the coat kept the wind out. On one dive in particular, I was quite cold after I surfaced. I put the coat on and was instantly warm. It really does a great job at providing insulation.
I started to really like my Surf-fur™ and found it hard to part with it on this trip. It kept me warm and dry when walking to and from the boat. It provided warmth and protection when walking down to the hot tub at night in my swim suit. It made a soft seat at dinner. A cozy blanket at night. When it was windy, I was warm. Cold, I was cozy, Rainy, I was dry. In short, this coat does the job promised.
Although boat coats are normally used in temperate climates by wet suit divers we found that this coat would provide a great hypothermia safety net at any latitude.
A few minor issues
Here are a few minor things that I did not like about the coat: Not a fan of snaps, but I did see the value of having snaps over zippers for durability. When the hood was in place and the coat was not snapped at the top, the hood obscured my vision. Be sure to have the top snaps snapped so that you can still see. When I stuffed things in the pockets, a couple of times they fell through the Zen Changing Pockets to the ground. It is made in China so you need to inspect for defects. We found one Velcro patch that was not sewn properly on a small inner pocket and it pulled off the coat.
I’ll be trying it out on the boat going to and from the dive sites in Palau this fall. While Palau is MUCH warmer than the Pacific Northwest, a boat coat is recommended on the dive charter because divers can get cold on the moving boat in between dives. We’ll let you know how the Surf-fur™ handles the tropics. It performed beautifully in the Northwest and will get a lot of use beyond diving. We give it a 4.5 our of 5 star rating.
The White Room Episodes
Feb/100
Website that makes videos on various “boardstories.” Look for the Surf-fur in use in the snow.
Surfrider Emergency Survey!!! Due Aug. 1st
Jul/090
This is a link to the surfrider survey regarding marine life protected areas. They are helping to redefine the current boundaries. The survey has to be done by Aug 1st, so, if you could send it in asap that would be awesome!
go to link below to take the survey- it takes 5 minutes. Read on to see what it is all about.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jweijd4I8d5vtscSSwjSHw_3d_3d
The Surfrider Foundation is currently working with a wide variety of individuals and organizations on the Marine Life Protection Act — or MLPA. The MLPA is a state law that requires establishing a “network” of marine protected areas along the California coastline. This law is currently being implemented in Southern California.
Much like our National Parks protect special places on land, these Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) offer heightened protection for marine life to thrive and people to enjoy. In short, MPAs protect special places for their “intrinsic value” – preserving ecological abundance for generations to come. MPAs around the globe have become popular attractions for people to enjoy nature’s beauty and abundance.
Establishing MPAs can also help restore healthy fisheries. Studies show alarming declines in fish populations worldwide. Fishermen are now catching half of what they did in 1990 and the fish they do catch are 45 percent smaller. Some local fisheries may take 50-80 years to recover. MPAs allow marine life populations to increase and individual species to grow to full maturity—which increases the number of off-spring from protected areas. These larger populations may “spill over” the boundaries of MPAs and provide improved fishing in areas adjacent to MPAs.
The state of California adopted the MLPA in 1999 and created the opportunity for members of the public to participate in identifying special places worthy of heightened protection. Surfrider Foundation members represent a broad spectrum of people who enjoy time in the ocean: surfers, fishers, divers, kayakers, sailors and others who just love the natural beauty of our coast and ocean. Our collective knowledge from this experience can help design an effective network of MPAs.
The Surfrider Foundation is gathering information and recommendations from local communities to help formulate a regional network of MPAs. Our goal is to balance our members’ commitment to restoring and protecting our coast and ocean for generations, with our support of sustainable and accessible fishing opportunities.
Help establish successful Marine Protected Areas by completing this survey (all responses are anonymous).
To learn more about MLPA go to: www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa and www.CalOceans.org or email Stefanie at: SSekich@surfrider.org
The Depleting Coral Reefs
Jul/090
We took this directly from the Surfrider Newsletter. It goes into more facts about how we are endangering the ocean’s coral reefs. Read our article “Dude, Use Only Biodegradable Sunscreen” for more information on how you can help protect the ocean’s reefs.
This is very scary news for us Watermen. For more information and a full article, visit news at http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5654JY20090706
The guy on our brochure
Jul/090
Here is a killer surf shot of our cover waterman, Scott Young from Encinitas, California.
The Surf-fur
Jul/090
To see photos of the Surf-fur in action, please visit www.heatlabinc.com
You can view photos, download videos of a waterman using it to warm up and change under, and browse the catalog for new products.
Podcasts coming soon; surfing lesson #1 and stand-up paddle lesson #1.








