Surfers, stars send a message

The second annual Surfrider Foundation Celebrity Surf Jam was a huge success Saturday as lots of spectators showed up to see their favorite surfers, celebrities, activists and band members compete and promote the protection and enhancement of our coastal beaches.

“The Game” format was used, with the top pro surfers and stars divided into separate teams. The surf was pumping in the 3- to 5-foot range, so there were definitely some sets rolling in.

Former world-tour great and “Endless Summer” movie star, Pat O’Connell, teamed up with Huntington Beach’s former tour ripper Jeff Deffenbaugh, top-10 world standout Taylor Knox, the “Air Bustin’” Timmy Curran, Incubus’s lead singer Brandon Boyd and Switchfoot’s Chad Butler for the big win.

Other top-notch surfers who competed were U.S. champ Rob Machado, Florida’s Damien Hobgood, Hawaii’s Danny Fulller, TV stars Andrew Keegan and David Chokachi, and Academy Award winner Minnie Driver, to name a few.

And it was all for the worthy cause of bringing some attention to our coastal environment.

ESPN host Sal Masekela and paraplegic surfer Jessie Billauer did the emcee honors.

The Surfrider Foundation started in 1984 with a few hard-core surfers and now boasts more than 50,000 members worldwide. Right now, one of their big battles is to stop the toll road that’s being proposed to go over the San Mateo Creek and through San Onofre State Park, right by the pristine southwest point break Trestles. More power to them; save the Yosemite of the surf breaks, please.

Last week, local surfer filmmaker Timmy Turner made his way back into the surf after about a nine-month layoff. Turner caught a staph infection last year that went to his brain and caused swelling. He had to be induced into a coma for a couple months and was on the edge of life itself.

He battled back even when the chips were down, never giving up the hope of surfing again.

Well, things have changed. He’s back, wearing a helmet from the operation, and last Wednesday he charged it at the pier with his brother Ryan in gnarly 4- to 6-foot plus surf. The boys were saying he was ripping it up, and TV crews were down there filming.

Speaking of filming, I hear his next movie ? and this is top secret info, by the way ? is about searching for waves in Alaska. We all knew he was an Indo traveler, but it looks like he’s going the cold, up north way next.

More surf in the Gulf of Mexico, on the inside panhandle of Florida. The first hurricane of the season, Alberto, hit the first part of the week. Good size surf first, then lots of rain as it hit the coast. They say with the warm water, this could be another heavy season for hurricanes, so batten down the hatches.

The heat wave is coming, and it looks like the high-pressure system is moving in. Expect highs along the coast to be in the 80s this weekend. Shake and bake on the sands ? that’s great for all you sun worshippers.

Don’t forget the sunscreen. Fig over and out.