Lewis Samuels of Postsurf.com has, in a weird way, become the voice of surfing we all thought existed, but didn’t, until he launched his site. Yesterday Lewis went off in his typical ironic, sarcastic manner, this time in regards to localism. The moral of his story: The only break anyone should be surfing is the one they can walk to.

Agree or disagree with his take, but he is on to something here. While the main reason I haven’t been surfing much lately is because of the frigid weather and water temperature, another reason trapped in the depths of my subconscious, but starting to creep out more and more each day, is my fear and annoyance towards crowds. I’m starting to have enough. A couple of weeks ago I went off on a rant about longboarders, and how they are one of the banes of surfing. It’s to the point where surfing simply isn’t fun anymore, unless I ditch work during a weekday for a late morning session.

And Lewis is clearly on to something here. The bigger the board, the farther you have to drive to surf, the more damage you are doing both the psyches of humanity and to mother earth. Unless your longboard happens to be purchased from Entropy Sports, but that still doesn’t solve the gas situation. When I was writing for that site owned by News Corp (yes, Fuel TV is owned by Fox, deal with it suckers), my last piece was a story on how surfers should deal with the recession. Only the wisest of people knew there was a recession at the time the story was published, hence why I’m a genius. It relates to what Lewis was talking about, and will also save you a few bucks and everyone else a few headaches. Enjoy.

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A recent story about surfing’s impact on local economies revealed a startling figure: 83% of surveyed surfers at Trestles lived outside of San Clemente. And chances are that number is probably similar at most breaks up and down the coast (I drive anywhere from 5-20 miles each way, and I surf almost everyday). In these tough economic times, especially with the cost of gas continuing to sky-rocket, airlines getting stingier and stingier, and our wallets getting thinner and thinner, it’s tough to be a surfer these days.

And the hard times aren’t affecting just surfers. The surfboard industry is struggling as well, with smaller shops having to deal with selling more-expensive boards (due to rising costs of oil) that people just can’t afford. Thus putting many smaller shops at risk of closure.

It can be a little easier though. While you can’t narrow the distance to your local break, or fight the urge to jet-set to an exotic surf location, there are ways to lower your gas mileage and save money when hopping on a flight. Here are some tips on how to save a few bucks.

Ditch the Rack

While obvious to some, many don’t realize that those surf racks you place on top of your car create wind-resistance, forcing your car to push harder and, as a result, burn more fuel. If you’re a longboarding kook, try using soft racks so you can remove the racks when not driving to surf. Or, better yet, ditch the longboard and go shorter. Shortboards fit in most cars (even when you’re squeezing in more than one board), and you might actually enjoy the challenge of riding a shorter board, instead of being laughed at for doing something any old-timer can do. And they’re cheaper, too.

Pick the Right Airline

As Surfing Magazine Editor-In-Chief Evan Slater recently exposed, airlines are doing everything they can to pinch every last penny out of your pocket. In Evan’s case, it involved United Airlines charging him not for each board bag, but for each board. There are some airlines though that won’t rip you off big-time if you’re traveling with boards. Airlines like Air New Zealand, Quantas, Singapore, South African Airlines and Virgin Atlantic let you travel with boards free of charge. Others offer reasonable rates, like Aero California, Jet Blue and Southwest. Watch out for Air France, American Airlines, Delta, Lan, Lufthansa, and United. They’ll charge you an arm and a leg. Bahamas Air and British Airways don’t allow surfboards, period.

Buy a Used Board

It’s time to expand your quiver, but you’re broke. Since oil is involved in practically everything that’s made, including surfboards, the price of boards have gone up fairly relative to the increase in oil prices. So instead of purchasing a brand new stick, how about buying a used one? Most surf shops sell used boards, so you can still help out the mom-and-pops. Websites like Craigslist.com also have a wide array of surfboards listed in their sporting section.

We surf because it’s our passion, and nothing like a little money crunch is going to stop us from heading out to catch our favorite waves. Hope these few tips can help out during these tough times.