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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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12/2016
Michael I remain true to my passion for surfing and often make a quick trip to our nearest beach. I quickly pack the surfboard into the elevator, go down to the garage, out onto Highway 280 and within 18 minutes arrive at the so-called "Linda Mar" beach. But will the waves be worth the drive today? That's often the question, because when the wind is blowing strongly towards the beach, the Pacific Ocean turns into churning unsurfable white foam there, and that's bad for surfing.
Now a company called "Surfline" has set out to install cameras at every surfable beach in America and provides surfers like me with videos of the current wave conditions via the internet. Tuning in you can also see how many surfers are currently in the water, which is an even better indication of whether the trip will be worthwhile. Recently, I've even set up an alarm that sends me a message on my cell phone if the waves reach a preset height and minimum swell!
The service is free if you just take a quick look and don't let advertising videos deter you, for a Premier account you will be charged $14.95 per month. I'll have to conced though that the company Surfline is run by idiots who have no idea on how to run a business, just like the German internet sheep farmer operator Sauspiel, who also leaves half of its potential profits on the table. If Surfline would only charge $5 per month, they would have a lot more subscribers, but the people there probably work only in short breaks between a dozen surf sessions per day. Hey, money is not important to me, man!
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