The room hums with old stories and new nerve. We sit with Adam Ripogle, Chris “Bear” Green, and Craig Young—three Santa Cruz originals whose lives trace the arc from a golden era of surf and skate to sobriety, mentorship, and a creative second wind. The first act is pure place: Capitola as a melting pot, surf movies at the Civic that packed the town, river mouth bars that made heroes, and the shortboard and skate booms documented in grainy photos and backyard ramps. It’s loud, funny, and vivid; parties rolled from Day’s Market to the sand, and if you were there, you remember the nicknames.

Then the tide turns. We dig into what happens after the legend years, when the dimmer switch of substance use lowers the volume on connection and the ocean grows distant. Craig walks us through a 27-year tattoo run, world travel, and the moment he and Bear picked a date and stopped for good. No platitudes—just the quiet shock of clarity, the return of salt and sunlight, and the simple rituals that rebuild a life: daily cold dips, long bike rides, boards and art taking shape by hand. The creativity didn’t vanish; it was waiting under the noise.

We also talk identity and expression as Craig’s headdress, feathers, and handmade jewelry spark questions and conversations. What looks like provocation is actually presence: collecting, crafting, meeting strangers, and choosing love and humility while listening to concerns. The deeper thread is agency. If money, politics, and power are human-made narratives, so is the story you choose to live. Sobriety can be a fresh draft. Mentorship can be a plot twist that helps a kid paddle out—not just for waves, but for a voice. The ocean still heals. The town still breathes. And the best time isn’t only behind us; it’s wherever we start turning the dial back up.

Listen for history, stay for heart, and share it with someone who needs a nudge back to the water. If this resonated, follow the show, leave a review, and send it to a friend who could use a reset.