A Fly on the Wall, by Jeremy Lynch!

"A Fly on the Wall" Jeremy Asher Lynch from Modus Films on Vimeo.

Jeremy is a local HB guy, home board builder (Foam E-Z customer), artist, and film director. He is going to be featured at an art opening this Friday night November 13th from 7-10pm. The location is LeBasse Projects, 6032 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA.

Here's what he's been up to:

"I just finished the first installment of a new videos series we are doing at Modus Films.

It is gonna be a short abstract series called, "A Fly on the Wall".
In this series we are taking a voyeuristic approach to the everyday life of people we know and are influenced by.

The first video is on me as I prepare for my show this Friday. I have 6 new pieces in the show!"

The show is open to the public, hope to see you there!

Go to www.lebasseprojects.com for more info

Feel Good Saturday!

What a day at Foam E-Z this past Saturday was! It was great having Mark Bouvier in the shop again. Even with the short notice (via blog post), Foam E-Z customers came down to say hi to Mark and catch up with him. A big thanks to Nancy (Mark's mom) for chauffeuring him down and sticking by his side to be sure all was as it should be. The buzz in the shop was unreal not to mention the shaping going on in the Shaping Box and next door at Aloha Glassing. Only shaping his fifth board, Dan tried his hand at an "Old School Pig" 9'6" Nose Rider. He got really crazy and flipped the blank nose to tail to try get more tail rocker and less nose! Mark got dusty too as he walked Dan through the beginning stages of the shape process. The day wasn't without it's legends, as Robert August showed up to shape a 7'6" Seventies Gun for his nephew and Mike Minchinton shaped a five fin bonzer out of a neat two stringer wedge blank. It was cool seeing Robert August and Minch talking shop with Mark.

We're hoping to get Mark in the shop on upcoming Saturdays. We could surely use his help and good spirits. A big benefit party for Mark Bouvier, "Give some dough to a bro", is in the works. We'll be posting the details as they come up, please keep checking back.

Thanks for your support-

Brad/Grant/Mark

A Special Appearance this Saturday November 7th!!!

Foam E-Z super employee Mark Bouvier will be hanging out at the shop tomorrow, Saturday November 7th. Just in case you don’t know the history Mark has worked for us at Foam E-Z for about three years. He became our "Saturday" Guy and nurtured his own and new clientele making them laugh with his dry sense of humor. He is a shaper and an artist, the Evolution Tee Shirt that debuted at the Foam E-Z Fifteen Year Party is his creation. If you haven't seen him lately it's because he got into a terrible car accident on Thursday July 9th, 2009 http://www.ocregister.com/articles/police-beach-huntington-2488973-head-taken. Basically he got rear ended and the car came down on top of him, crushing one side of his head! After removing a portion of his skull to drain some fluid Mark had it replaced on September 25th and has since been sent home from the hospital to rehab. He's had to relearn to speak and is rehabbing the rest of his body at this time. It's absolutely amazing how far he has come in such a short time (although to him I'm sure it seems like it's been forever). In the car with him at the time of the accident was his girlfriend Sarah who was pregnant with their first child. Thank god she walked away with barely a scratch. They have since had healthy-happy baby Jack on October 7th.

We hope many of you can come down and say hello to Mark. He would be stoked to see his Foam E-Z friends both old and new to talk shop. If he's not in the front of the shop when you arrive he will be in the "Shaping Box" coaching his Friend Dan as he shapes a new board.

We're working on plans for a benefit party for Mark in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned. In the meantime you can check out Mark's MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/cheaterfives or email him board building questions or good wishes at surfddout@yahoo.com.

Hope to see you all-

Brad

UV Catalyst …Will Make You Taller, Stronger, and More Attractive

That may not be completely true, or true at all, but it does kind of rule if you are using polyester resin. I’m a huge fan of the UV catalyst and I’ve been using it for about 3 years now, on and off, and have been getting it pretty dialed. I did a board the other day with a resin tint bottom, some additional resin tint splashes on the tail. I then did a resin tinted seal on the foam with multiple tints on the deck as well as doing glass on fins and finished it off with a two 4oz clear deck. I did the usual paste on the bottom and deck before hot coating the board and went 100% UV catalyst. After it was all said and done I only used a total of 2 ¾ quarts of resin and it only took about 3 ½ hours. Another bonus of using the UV catalyst is that the overpowering polyester resin smell doesn’t linger since the resin kicks off as soon as it hits the sun or ultra violet lights leaving less of a chance that a neighbor or family member will complain about the “smell” coming from the garage. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a strong “smell” however, it doesn’t linger as long. So there you go, if you are still hesitant to try it out, call us up and we’ll be more than happy to answer any additional questions.

Grizzley

Board Building in Prison!!!

One of my favorite things about being involved in the surf industry/working at Foam E-Z is meeting and getting to know new people, all kinds of people, from all different walks of life. Recently we have been selling board building supplies to an inmate at Pilot Rock State Prison in Crestline, California named Tony “Neptune” Stearns. This guy has gone through some rough times and made some poor decisions and has been in prison since 2001. One good decision he made was to turn his life around and do something positive with his time in prison and try to actively get involved in his rehabilitation. I have spoken to Tony a few times on the phone and the guy sounds amped about board building and his rehabilitation. I’m looking forward to more updates from “Neptune” and even meeting him soon in person to discuss his boards and board building in general. If anyone would like to contact him I know he would be stoked. You can send letters to him at:

Tony Stearns T-43417
P.O. Box 10
Crestline, CA 92325

This isn't the first time Foam E-Z has supplied prisoners with the supplies to build the board of their dreams. In the mid-nineties we were contacted by three Hawaiian inmates that were doing hard time in a Federal Penitentiary in Minnesota. We have pics and letters from them which we will elaborate on in a future post.

Keep up the good work Neptune. We're here for you!

Grizzley

Japanese Curved Planers are BACK!!!

Back by popular demand!!! The Japanese Curved Planer has not been around since Clark Foam went down in Dec 2005, but we've got them back in stock. Get them while they last!

Shapers love these little guys as they make it easy to cut the stringer in tight curved nose rockers. This plane fits perfect in the shapers hand and in the curve of the rocker. Extremely hard wood base with a high quality blade that can be sharpened many times. 1-1/8” X 3-3/4”; Imported from Japan.

Foam E-Z does Sacred Craft 2009!

If you missed Sacred Craft this year then you missed out. This years tribute was to legendary shaper Dick Brewer who also released his shaping DVD and the buzz was huge. His DVD covers template making, wood board shaping as well as standard blank shaping and yeah, we got ‘em!! He even gives Foam E-Z a shout out in the video. Back to Sacred Craft, it was only 5 bucks to get in and check out the latest shapes and designs from the big guys like Rusty and Merrick to the gurus like Karl Ekstrom and some throwback shapes from the hipsters at Gato Heroi. There were boards made out of all kinds of materials from epoxy to poly, Alaias, carbon fiber, you name it and it was there.

Not only are there cutting edge shapes and designs but at the show the shapers themselves are there to talk shop with the consumers and sign autographs. Check out some of the pics and you’ll see that everyone was in good spirits and really feeding off of the energy of the show.

We also participated in an epoxy glassing demo with Dave Daum from Kings stand up paddle and raffled off some shirts, hats, and even a single board epoxy kit and 10 yards of cloth! I was honored to be involved with such a great guy as Dave who has 30 + years of experience in the industry. We laminated the deck and bottom of an EPS blank to a packed room and it was a great lesson from a seasoned pro.

After that we cruised around to schmooze with some other dudes like Jeff Clark, the dudes at Marko, and even Dick Brewer. Brewer made several appearances in the two shape rooms while other shapers such as Gary Linden, Pat Rawson, and Dennis Murphy exhibited their shaping wizardry to large crowds packed around the clear shaping booths.

It was awesome to see the way a master craftsman like these guys move around the board and turn a blank into magic in only one hour.

Two days of talking shop and soaking up knowledge from an elite crew of legendary shapers, and looking at thousands of new shapes is enough to get anyone amped on shaping and frothing to get back in a shape room. Happy shaping.

Grizzley

SACRED CRAFT Coming Up This Weekend!!!

Hey everybody. Just checking in to give you all a heads up on Sacred Craft this weekend, we are going to be down at the expo on October 10^th and 11^th so come on down and see us, therefore Foam E-Z will be closed on Saturday. There will also be legendary shapers Pat Rawson, Gary Linden, Dennis Murphy, Ricky Carroll, and Reno Abellira shaping and showing some legendary skill as well as a tribute to Dick Brewer. We are going to have our products down there as well as some coupons that can be used back at the shop. You can find us snuggled up next to US Blanks or just look for the air borne blank with our name on it. Besides the regular booth deal we will also be taking part in an awesome Resin Research Epoxy hand glassing demo with craftsman Dave Daum at 1:30pm on Saturday and 10am Sunday in the Bubble Gum Surf Wax room. I know a lot of people are hesitant to use epoxy for one reason or another so this will be a great demo to check out and get those questions answered by a true pro. Besides that, did I mention we will have giveaways all weekend? Yeah, so cruise on down and hang with us this weekend while we check out some cutting edge technology and pay tribute to some of the original fellas.

Noises From the Shed, board building by Glass Tiger Surfboards

A brief insight into how Mark Roberts from Glass Tiger makes his unique wooden surfboards. Glass Tiger is a small company based in Falmouth, Cornwall, making hand crafted wooden surfboards with a lightweight foam core. He has developed a construction method that produces an exceptionally strong, yet light and responsive surfboard, that if looked after will last for years, maybe even a life time. All the processes and materials Mark uses are carefully considered to reduce their environmental impact.


Glass Tiger Surfboards

78 Pengarth rise,
Falmouth,
Cornwall,
TR11 2RR

Phone-07977147425
email-info@glass-tiger.com
Web- www.glass-tiger.com

Surfers Take Different Paths During the Vietnam War!

Between the Lines explores the choice that most draft age surfers faced during the Vietnam War era: either go to war or evade the draft. It was one or the other. Between the Lines delves into the lives of two surfers who choose opposite paths, Pat Farley and Brant Page.

Many of the film's personalities are expected to be in attendance and the theater lobby will be filled with a variety of Vietnam photos and memorabilia. CSM member Bruce Blandy will display the surfboard he crafted in Vietnam. DVDs of the film will be available for sale, as well as the companion book honoring the movie and the first-ever Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Paddleout (which was held in Oceanside in 2007).

"Keeping your daughter off the poll!" Grizzley attends the 2009 Surfer Poll

If you are a fan of surfing like I am then the 2009 Surfer Poll and Video Awards is one of the highlights of the year. I was fortunate enough to attend the event and it did not disappoint. Red carpet entry bright lights, video cameras, and pros as far as the eye could see. There were video pros, top 44 pros, a mean looking group of Hawaiian pros, Aussies and South African getting crazy. The event was hosted by a rotating cast consisting of Benji Weatherly, Fred Patacchia, and Sal Masekela of E! and X Games fame. None of the action was off limits, pros and regular fellas were shoulder to shoulder to catch all of the awards and to check out the ladies.

The ladies were definitely one of the standouts of the evening. It became a theme throughout the night that the ladies were ripping harder than ever and there was plenty of film to support it. Stephanie Gilmore took home top honors for the ladies with a solid field of ladies such as Coco Ho, Carissa Moore, and Alana Blanchard not far behind the rankings. All of them dressed to impress and ripping harder than most of us guys that were in attendance, seriously.
When it came to the men’s category Slater took home the number one spot, of course, but there were other highlights that were great to see like Ken Collins getting annihilated on a 50 foot wave that was projected onto 3 15’X15’ screens with an earth shattering sound system. Taj Burrows best trick which really got the crowd going and Standout Surfer of the Year Bret Simpson who had hometown backing and a great video clip to back the award.

The event went off without a hitch and it was a great honor to get to be in a room that small with that many of the industries elite from the behind the scenes guys, to the corporate suits, to the many different slathering of pros. I can’t wait to see what surfing will bring for the remainder of ’09 through 2010. If it continues on then the Surfer Poll and Video Awards for 2010 will not disappoint.

NEW SUP Board Building Kits!!!

For those of you that want to build your own SUP we have created complete board building kits. There are three sizes available in two different models, Surf and Flat Water. The Surf Series come in 9’, 9’6”, 10’ and the Flat Water Series comes in 10’, 10’6”, 11’. These sizes and shapes cover the range for most people and conditions.


The SUP Surf Series blanks are professionally computer designed and cut on a CNC machine out of White Hot EPS Foam. These SUP Surf blanks/boards are progressive and made to surf on, therefore they won't paddle as well as the Flat Water SUP's. All designs are proprietary Foam E-Z designs with the help of established shapers to make sure these "cut blanks" are truly original and legitimate. The blank is cut close to the finished product thus your shaping process has been simplified to blending the nose/ tail, sanding the blank smooth, and a few minor details. The blanks are designed so the customer can adjust the tail shape and certain dimensions if necessary.
SUP Board Building Kits come with all the highest quality materials/supplies to build your very own SUP. Includes: Professionally computer cut EPS blank, Resin Research CE Epoxy 3 gal Kit, 6ozx38" Fiberglass Cloth, Future EA Vector II or FCS M-5 Sidebite Production Set , 10.5" White Fin Box, 8.5" Future SUP Surf Fin, White Leash Cup, Vent Plug, Logo Paper, SUP Leash, and SUP Deck Traction. TOOLS OR INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED!



The SUP Flat Water Series blanks are professionally computer designed and cut on a CNC machine out of White Hot EPS Foam. These SUP Flat Water blanks/boards are thicker and wider making them float and paddle better than the Surf Series Sup's. All designs are proprietary Foam E-Z designs with the help of established shapers to make sure these "cut blanks" are truly original and legitimate. The blank is cut close to the finished product thus your shaping process has been simplified to blending the nose/ tail, sanding the blank smooth, and a few minor details. The blanks are designed so the customer can adjust the tail shape and certain dimensions if necessary.
SUP Board Building Kits come with all the highest quality materials/supplies to build your very own SUP. Includes: Professionally computer cut EPS blank, Resin Research CE Epoxy 3 gal Kit, 6ozx38" Fiberglass Cloth, 10.5" White Fin Box, 10" Future SUP Flat Water Single Fin, White Leash Cup, Vent Plug, Logo Paper, and SUP Deck Traction. TOOLS OR INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED!

Prices for complete kits range from $855 to $875. Each kit has a lead time of two weeks. Upgrade Kit with a C-4 One Piece Fiberglass Paddle 8.5" Blade for additional $217.00! To place an order or for any other questions please email Sales@FoamEZ.com or call the shop at 714.896.8233.

Dane Reynolds and Dan Malloy ride some interesting boards!!!

TSJ | POV - "Dan Malloy & Dane Reynolds Board Swap" from The Surfers Journal on Vimeo.

Ride shotgun with Dan Malloy and Dane Reynolds as they cruise from their Ventura homes to Emma Wood State Beach for a quiver swap. This insider look at their modes of surfing comes to a head as they trade—and ride—everything from homemade hunks to foiled Fryes.

SURFRIDER EXPRESSION SESSION

Surfrider Foundation Celebrity Expression and Malibu Surfing Association MSA Classic

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION CELEBRITY EXPRESSION SESSION AND

MALIBU SURFING ASSOCIATION MSA CLASSIC

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2009

WHAT: The 4th Annual Surfrider Foundation Celebrity Expression Session will bring celebrities together to raise awareness and funds for the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Part of Malibu Surfing Association’s MSA Classic, the Celebrity Expression Session is a great opportunity to watch top-tier celebrities show off their surfing skills while demonstrating their commitment to coastal environmentalism.

On-site, media will be given the opportunity to interview the celebrity surfers about their participation in the event, as well as their involvement with the Surfrider Foundation.

The MSA Classic, presented by the Malibu Surfing Association, is the premiere contest in the Coalition of Surfing Clubs annual series. This two-day event, was first held in 1962, and now has over 275 athletes representing elite surfing clubs from around the world.

WHO: The Surfrider Foundation Celebrity Expression Session will feature celebrity surfers such as FLEA, JASON MRAZ, SAL MASEKELA, ERIC BALFOUR, DAVID CHOKACHI, ERIC AVERY, PETER DISTEFANO, BRANDON CRUZ, and ERIK SANDIN.

The two-day MSA Classic will feature more than 275 athletes from California’s elite surfing clubs from around the world.

WHEN: Saturday, September 12
Media Check-in- 10:00 AM
Celebrity Expression Session 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
MSA Classic – ALL DAY

Sunday, September 13
MSA Classic – ALL DAY

WHERE: First Point, Surfrider Beach – Malibu Pier and Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA.

THESE ARE FREE EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO RSVP, PLEASE CONTACT ALEXIS HENRY AT SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

949.732.6413 OR AHENRY@SURFRIDER.ORG

Fluorescent Surfboard Paint, jsut like the 80's!

The Eighties are back with the same Fluorescent Paints we used to paint the boards from that era! You can mix these paints with the standard colors to make brighter colors or use them on their own. The colors are brilliant and don't fade (unless you leave directly in sun for prolonged time). We stock the full array of Fluorescent colors: Fluorescent Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, and Green. One pint each. Check em out at http://www.foamez.com/graphicstools-surfboard-paint-c-5_41.html

We'd be stoked if you would send us pics of your awesome color jobs. We'll post them on our blog for the world to see!

Have Fun!

Brad

FLEXPAD INTRODUCES NEW SANDING PAD FOR 2009!

FLEXPAD INTRODUCES NEW SANDING PAD FOR 2009!
POWERS, OR (July 27, 2009) –FLEXPAD INTRODUCES NEWSANDING PAD FOR 2009!

With the introduction of this new FLEXPAD comes a change in surfboard sanding tools for 2009. If you've
sanded using a FLEXPAD in the past, you know how true they run. The challenge has been to make them last longer
under heavier workloads and varying RPM levels.



Last winter, I developed a multi-layer foam combination. Using high pressure molding and a new hard shell
foam that I formulated, to solve that issue. The hard shell white foam on top of the Orange Hard and the
Red Medium FLEXPAD transfers the cutting edge and the flex point more towards the outside of the pad.
This results in less stress on the center area and it extends the life of the pad. After 7 months of testing in
all kinds of applications, it's ready to go! With very positive feedback, I guarantee you won't be disappointed
with it's performance.

“As with all my FLEXPAD products they are tested with experience and constructed with quality. KEEP SANDING.”-
Jerry Mowe.

All FlexPad products are available exclusively here at Foam E-Z http://www.foamez.com/glassing-surfboards-sanding-pads-c-3_74.html

Santa Barbara Oil Proposal gets Denied - Surfrider

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY DENIES PXP SANTA BARBARA OIL PROPOSAL BUDGET ITEM

Surfrider Activists Make Their Voices Heard


San Clemente, CA (July 28, 2009) – On Friday, the California State Assembly prevented an attempt to override the State Land Commission’s denial of the Tranquillon Oil & Gas Project off the coast of Santa Barbara. They stopped legislation added to the budget that would have allowed the project to move forward. The Assembly’s decision stresses the importance of California’s system of independent boards and commissions to take action, and also highlights the grassroots efforts of the Surfrider Foundation and other environmental organizations to prevent Governor Schwarzenegger from circumventing the State Lands Commission’s decision making process regarding the project.

“This was an important victory for us,” says Chad Nelsen, Environmental Director for the Surfrider Foundation. “Regardless of the project, allowing the Administration to use special legislation to skirt established decision making processes would set a dangerous precedent, jeopardizing the state’s ability to enforce existing environmental law.”

In January, the California State Lands Commission denied the Tranquillon Oil & Gas project in a 2-1 vote. At that time, Commission attorneys, in consultation with the Attorney General’s office, concluded that the agreement could not be reliably enforced. In an effort to move forward on the project, special budget legislation was proposed that would have allowed the Director of Finance to effectively override the State Lands Commission’s decision.

Within days, Surfrider Foundation and numerous other environmental organizations banded together to express their opposition to the special legislation that would overturn the State Lands Commission’s decision. Through action alerts, letter writing campaigns, and countless phone calls to local representatives in Sacramento, activists urged that this special legislation be left off the budget because the efforts was contrary to the principle of independence of California’s system of independent boards, would weaken the Commission, and establish a precedent that controversial decisions of the agency could potentially be reversed through legislative tricks.

“As we saw last year in our successful effort to Save Trestles and then again with this decision, when people stand up and make themselves be heard it can make a difference,” says Nelsen.

For more information, visit www.nottheanswer.org .

About Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Now in its 25th year, the Surfrider Foundation has grown from a small group of dedicated surfers in Malibu, California to a global movement made up of over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide. For more information visit us at www.surfrider.org .

Sacred Craft Shaping Demo at the Hurley US Open

There is nothing better than hanging out with 125,000 of your closest friends at the U.S. Open presented by Hurley. Major props goes out to Hurley for putting this whole thing together and bringing back all-stars like Slater, Fanning, Machado, and Irons. This event dwarfed past years in action, size, half-naked girls, entertainment value, skate/bike/shaping demos, and….half naked girls. Everyone was rallying behind local boy Brett Simpson in the final vs. Mick Fanning. The energy was positive and people were hooting and cheering at every wave whether it was Fanning or Simpo. When it was all over Simpson prevailed in his hometown to the tune of $100K in prize money.

That wasn’t the only action though. There were the usual raffles, and giveaways as well as retail buildings they erected with full on air conditioning. The stand out this year was the Sacred Craft Shaping Demo. Scott Bass and the boys set up a shaping booth inside an air conditioned tent for the shapers to do shaping demos on the sand right in the middle of all the craziness. Along with the help of U.S. Blanks and us (Foam E-Z) they were able to work through and explain the shaping process to onlookers. I was able to catch John Carper doing his thing and it was really to cool to not only see what he was doing but to also hear him explain his movements. It was very special since the inside of a shaper’s bay is a very private place. This is where secrets are kept and ideas are formed, therefore to be able to see a real pro going at it was a great treat for everyone. Carper really wowed the crowd when he broke out a chainsaw to cut out the outline. Other legendary shapers on hand for the demo were; Bill Stewart, Maurice Cole, Doc Lausch, Darren Handley, Pat Rawson, and local HB legend surfer/shaper Robert August. So as you can see this was quite a display of history, skill, and craftsmanship.

Not sure if I mentioned it but there were Half Naked Girls everywhere!! By the end of the event people were ready for more. The pros and spectators agreed that they can’t wait to see what will happen next year.

Reported by Grant Ramey
Pics by Jeff Holtby

Foam E-Z hits the Surfline US Open Party.

Wow!! You got to love summer in Huntington Beach, especially when the U.S. Open is in full swing. On Thursday July 23rd Surfline hosted their VIP party at their Huntington Beach offices overlooking the sprawling contest spread on the south side. Monster Energy drink and Corona were also their providing the beverages and the Monster Girls provided the hospitality and added to the scenery. The night started off with a good mellow vibe and escalated to a full on dance party courtesy of some rowdy pros in town and some awesome R&B from the early 90’s. Everyone had a great time mingling, checking out the luxurious Surfline office, and drinking…..a lot. All and all it was a great night out and a super fun crowd of surfers and surf fans from all over the world just letting loose.

Giant Squid in the House!

Reader Irena Guilmette sends us this picture of her husband John in the water today at Bolsa Chica State Beach Tower 18 with a Humboldt Squid found in the surf line. This squid was estimated to be about three feet in length and weighed about 15 to 20 pounds.

“My husband was surfing … when he noticed all the kids on the beach gathered around the squid. The squid was washing to shore, but still alive, my husband grabbed it to take to back to sea,” Irena writes.

These powerful and sometimes aggressive “jumbo” squid usually dwell in deep water (600-2,300 feet), but they’ve been making an appearance recently along the OC and San Diego County coasts. In a story on the phenomenon this week, the Orange County Register’s Pat Brennan noted that scientists who study the Humboldt squid say they appear periodically in large numbers off Southern California for reasons that still aren’t clear.

Beach Blogger Laylan Connelly reminds us that in 2005, about 1500 of these squid washed ashore on OC beaches in January of 2005.

Some attribute the Humboldts’ current near-shore activity to a recent earthquake, others say the squids’ appetite for grunion causes the creatures to be so close to shore. Whatever the cause, the big squid — with their barbed suckers, sharp beaks and aggressive ways — are back in the neighborhood.