Santa Cruz Magic Seaweed (SCMS) is a popular website and mobile application that provides surfers and ocean enthusiasts with real-time and forecasted data about wave conditions around the world. With a user-friendly interface and access to a comprehensive database of surf spots, SCMS has become a go-to resource for surfers seeking information about upcoming swells, tides, wind direction, and other factors that affect wave quality. The website features interactive surf forecasts that allow users to explore different surf spots and view detailed information such as wave height, period, and direction. Users can also access live buoy data and webcam images to get an even more accurate understanding of current conditions. SCMS also offers a range of tools and features to help surfers plan their sessions effectively. The Spot Check feature allows users to browse through photos and videos of surf spots, giving them a better idea of what to expect before paddling out.
The Spot Check feature allows users to browse through photos and videos of surf spots, giving them a better idea of what to expect before paddling out. The Surf Report feature provides a daily overview of surf conditions, including an analysis of the swell, wind, and tide. What sets SCMS apart from other surf forecasting websites is its emphasis on community.
THE AMULET IN THE HEART OF THE ICICLE
JEANETTE WINTERSON'S remarkable new book is part historical novel, part fable, part gothic tale. Its mere 160 pages contain more narrative invention and sensuous detail than one usually finds in novels of three times this length. Winterson has been called a "magic realist" and has been compared to Garcia Ma'rquez, but if there is a Latin American novel that The Passion resembles it is surely Alejo Carpentier's spare and concentrated The Kingdom of This World.
Like Carpentier (whose novel is also set in the time of the Napoleonic wars) Winterson has the ability to fuse seamlessly the historical and the imaginary. This is history as dreamed, and Winterson rarely wastes a word. Not for her the conventional historical novelist's laborious accretion of "period detail." She moves with startling speed and grace. Her very first paragraph -- which is characteristically brief -- plunges us straight into a world of sights, sounds, odors and obsessions,
"It was Napoleon who had such a passion for chicken that he kept his chefs working around the clock. What a kitchen that was, with birds in every state of undress; some still cold and slung over hooks, some turning slowly on the spit, but most in wasted piles because the Emperor was busy."
This is poetic prose in the best sense of that much abused term -- which is to say, not empurpled and overwritten, but intense, resonant and sharply rhythmic. It is this absolute certainty of tone and rhythm that does much to establish the reality of Winterson's world. The novel's refrain is "I'm telling you stories. Trust me." And we do trust Winterson, so we accept that the real world of Napoleon's doomed Russian campaign is also a world in which people have webbed feet and can walk on water, where hearts can be stolen literally, and hidden in jars under heaps of discarded finery, where an icicle brought from Russia and containing a gold amulet will remain frozen, even in Venice, until such time as the original owner of the amulet dies.
One other reason we trust Winterson is that she is a marvelous storyteller, at once sophisticated and instinctive. It is this that distinguishes her from Angela Carter, whom she otherwise resembles in many ways. Carter, for all her brillance, has difficulty sustaining narrative structures; her novels tend to lapse into a series of increasingly hectic, picaresque episodes. Winterson's mind is just as fertile as Carter's and her inventions can sometimes be as overwrought. She cannot stop telling stories but she knows how to weave all of them into a single concise narrative.
The scheme of The Passion is almost mathematically precise. There are two narrators -- Henri, innocent and the son of a peasant, and Villanelle, worldly-wise, a gambler and a Venetian. Henri narrates part one, Villanelle part two. In part three Henri's narrative frames Villanelle's. In part four the two voices alternate. Both voices are completely convincing (though Villanelle can be a touch too sententious), and their interweaving gives the novel a rich, contrapuntal quality.
Nor is Winterson afraid to let her narrators digress. The novel is punctuated with concise, self-contained tales of a folkloristic or dream-like simplicity and vividness. For example, in part one Henri tells us of a man in his village who liked to invent things -- "devices that could raise a cow or . . . pipes to bring the river water right into the house." His inventions always failed but he remained perpetually optimistic, and relied on his uncomplaining wife to support him and his family:
"You can tell I liked this man, and I'd be a fool to say he didn't work, that we didn't need his optimistic ways. But when she died, suddenly, at noon, the light went out of his voice and his pipes filled with mud and he could hardly harvest his land let alone bring up six children.
"She had made him possible. In that sense she was his god.
"Like God, she was neglected."
IT IS a tribute to Winterson's skill that these intensely memorable asides never obstruct the forward movement of her central narrative. The passions of the two narrators remain the focus. Henri adulates Napoleon and goes to join his army in Boulogne. Meanwhile in Venice, Villanelle loses her heart to a mysterious, unnamed woman but marries a man who repels her. The two meet in the Russian winter and escape from Napoleon's army, walking across Europe to Venice. Here it becomes apparent that although Villanelle loves Henri like a brother she cannot return his passion, and an encounter with her odious husband impels the tale to its tragic outcome. Henri, unhinged by the one violent act of his life, ends his days in the madhouse of San Servelo. The novel's final pages are among the most poignant in recent fiction. From his cell window Henri can see Villanelle pass by in her boat,
"It's easier not to see her. I don't always wave to her, I have a mirror and I stand slightly to one side of the window when she passes and if the sun is shining I can catch the reflection of her hair. It lights up the straw on the floor and I think the holy stable must have looked this way; glorious and humble and unlikely."
He reviews his past in the light of his love for her: "It is as though I wrote in a foreign language that I am suddenly able to read. Wordlessly she explains me to myself; like genius she is ignorant of what she does." As he reviews his past he is visited by the ghosts of his mother, of Napoleon and of his friend Patrick, an Irish priest gifted with preternatural sight that enabled him to see in minute detail events occuring many miles away. Winterson's vision has comparable clarity and depth. Her lyrical prose penetrates to the heart of things without apparent effort. She knows how to speak plain truth and at the same time satisfy our longing for the fabulous. She's telling you stories. Trust her. :: John Ash's most recent book is a collection of poems, "Disbelief."
Just bought a giant club to smack people around with.
Users can create an account, join discussions on the forum, add surf sessions to their personal logbook, and even create personalized surf forecasts based on their preferred spots and conditions. Overall, Santa Cruz Magic Seaweed is a valuable tool for surfers and ocean enthusiasts looking to stay informed about upcoming swells and make the most of their time in the water. Its user-friendly interface, comprehensive data, and interactive features make it an essential resource for anyone passionate about riding the waves..
Reviews for "Santa Cruz's Seaweed: From Folklore to Reality"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with Santa Cruz Magic Seaweed. The waves were much smaller than advertised and it felt more like a beginner surf spot rather than a challenging break. The lineup was crowded with beginners and it was difficult to catch any decent waves. The onshore wind also made the conditions pretty choppy. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this spot to experienced surfers looking for a good challenge.
2. Jake - 1 star - Santa Cruz Magic Seaweed was a complete letdown. The forecast was way off, and instead of the clean, glassy waves I was expecting, I was greeted with messy, inconsistent waves. The crowd was overwhelming, and it seemed like everyone had the same idea to surf this spot. It was impossible to find any space in the water and I ended up spending more time paddling than actually catching waves. This spot is seriously overhyped and not worth the hassle.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I was excited to surf Santa Cruz Magic Seaweed based on its reputation, but I left feeling underwhelmed. The waves were too slow and mushy for my liking, making it difficult to generate any speed. The lineup was crowded and the vibe was not friendly at all. I witnessed multiple instances of localism and hostility in the water, which made for an unpleasant surfing experience. I didn't feel the magic at this spot and would recommend exploring other breaks in the area instead.