Del Mar CA

Sales Engineer - scientific research equipment

Surfing, Body Surfing, Ocean Kayaking, and ocean kayak fishing, RC gliders foam board scratch building and slope soaring. Anything technically innovative. Scientific instrumentation. Science in general.

I'm a San Diego native and have always had a passion for ocean activities. With surfing, wind has always been the enemy. That is until I discovered slope soaring in the fall of 2012. Now I am totally conflicted. Do I want no wind for surfing or full-on whitecaps, so I can slope soar? I have also undergone a huge epiphany that there is very little open space left anywhere in North San Diego Coastal areas that is open to the public for activities such as flying planes. It's a real shame to see gated communities or miles of fences blocking all access to mountain areas that are suitable for flying. I find myself frequently "mildly trespassing" just to gain access to safe places to fly that are away from people and homes. Regardless, I have found myself exploring areas of where I live in search of soaring spots and discovering areas and geography that I would never have known about unless I had a taken up this hobby. I've learned more about the area I live in in the last 10 months than I have in the last 20 years. I no longer just see mountains, beach cliffs, or canyon hillsides as "scenery". I now see them as great places to explore for flying and I have mapped out different locations that are ideal for different wind directions. If you have yet to try slope soaring, give it a try. - There's an extra quality to this flying experience verses powered flight that I cannot quite describe, although "Zen-like" comes close.