The cost of oil is totally bogus for surfers  

AP has a report on the pummeling the rising price of oil is giving to the surfing community - Cost of oil, gas is totally bogus for surfers.

For years, Chris Mauro took a 10-mile detour on his way to work each morning to check out the swells at his favorite surf break and plot the best location for his afterwork wave-riding. But with gas now approaching $5 a gallon, Mauro recently cut out his daily ritual in favor of the savings.

He isn't alone.

The surging cost of oil has been a dose of reality for many surfers who have long thought of their sport, with all its sun-kissed lore, as a counterculture niche shielded from the pressures of mainstream America.

The industry depends on petroleum-based products to build and ship its boards. And surfers in search of the biggest waves have to dig deeper into the pockets to fill their gas tanks or book flights to the best breaks around the world, including far-flung places like South Africa and Tahiti.

"We all think about oil in our cars, but very few of us really consider the fact that every little piece of manmade equipment around you is oil-based, and surfing's no different," said Mauro, who's seen the price of some surfboards double to $750 or higher. "The price of a surfboard, it used to be something where it was pretty digestible. Now, it's like, whoa, OK, I've got to put some serious thought into this." ...

U.S. bookings to exotic surf spots in Asia have dropped 20 percent as airfares soar as high as $2,500 to places such as Sumatra, said Sean Dunlap, sales manager at Wave Hunters, a specialty surf travel agency in San Diego. Many airlines have added or increased excess luggage fees that can add hundreds of dollars to a plane ticket for surfers with board bags.