Santa Cruz

Before we arrived in Santa Cruz, Tom's parents sent me a list of all of his favorite hangouts..It was like having a cool local showing us around, everything we did and everywhere we went was totally awesome!! It was great to see where my friend grew up and what environment helped make him the awesome person he was. I kept getting the sense that he was totally stoked we were there. I had heard a million stories from Tom about surfing and his life in Santa Cruz; it was so great to experience it for myself. It was also awesome sharing these experiences with Dan, we had a great time, and I really appreciated having him along.




Santa Cruz Surfing School and Spa (2 blocks from Cowl's Beach where we made our grand debut).

Dan, proud to be sporten the pink. "smile"

Our Awesome Instructor: Dylan

Cowl's Beach (Santa Cruz's Longboarding Surf Spot)

Kirsten and Dan surfing it up "smile". What style and grace.


The best breakfast place in Santa Cruz. One of Tom's favorites.





Pleasure Point, Beatty's favorite surf spot. A little too advanced for Dan and I (these were the black diamond runs)..maybe next time.




Took a 3 hour "intense" sailing lesson (in Montaray Bay) 45 min. after our surfing lesson ened. It was awesome! Both Dan and I took the helm while our instructor deflected all the waves for us. We forgot the camera at the surf shop. Had to come back post sailing lessons for the prof. I know it looks like I am standing next to some obscure boat, but we really did take sailing lessons here, really.


These boats are used for the program's week long classes that are taught. I'm hoping to come back to get my Advanced Coastal Sailing Certification in the near future.


Crow's Nest, located at the mouth of the Santa Cruz Harbor. Great place to have some dinner, a few beers (and listen to live music) after a day of surfing and sailing. Another Beatty Hot Spot.