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Patrick Webster is an underwater artist and marine science communicator in Monterey Bay, California. His breathtaking cold-water photography showcases the vibrant marine life of this iconic sanctuary, from lush kelp forests and delicate nudibranchs to a playful Chilean crab. Webster’s work is more than visual — it’s a heartfelt celebration of the ocean’s wonders.
Raised near Stockholm, Sweden, after being born in the French Alps, Webster’s fascination with the sea began at age 5 during a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Mesmerized by the sea otters, he resolved to immerse himself in the marine world. Today, his award-winning career and engaging social media presence demonstrate how deeply he’s fulfilled that dream.
Blending humor with storytelling, Webster has spent over a decade using his photography to educate and inspire. His work has been featured by National Geographic, BBC, and The New York Times, and he’s a proud member of National Geographic’s Lindblad Expeditions Team.
Webster’s passion extends to conservation. He highlights the alarming decline of Monterey Bay’s kelp forests, which have lost over 90% of their coverage. By documenting the efforts of divers and organizations fighting to restore these ecosystems, he illuminates solutions and resilience.

In addition to his photography, Webster runs <a href="https://divemola.com/">Dive Mola</a>, a sticker and apparel company that spreads his oceanic passion far and wide. His mission is clear: inspire a connection with the ocean and galvanize efforts to protect it. Through his lens, Webster reminds us of the beauty worth preserving and our critical role in safeguarding our planet’s blue heart.
Santa Cruz METRO is proud to partner with artists like Patrick Webster in the <a href="https://scmtd.com/en/onerideatatime">One Ride at a Time</a> campaign. The campaign aims to allow everyone in Santa Cruz County to protect our extraordinary natural resources by simply riding the bus. Watch for his “Kelp Forest” bus wrap in town! 
<a href="https://www.underwaterpat.art/">https://www.underwaterpat.art/</a>

UNDERWATER PAT

Surfers tend to be a somewhat fanatical bunch, and that’s putting it lightly. How else do you characterize someone who, in the dead of winter, wakes up before dawn, drives to a beach thirty minutes away, struggles into a cold, sandy wetsuit, and braves freezing cold, shark-patrolled waters, all just to catch handful of waves? And that’s just scratching the surface. Truly die-hard surfers, also known as “core-lords”, are prepared to go to even greater lengths in their quest for the next thrilling ride—hours spent pouring over swell maps and buoy readings, militant strength and mobility training exercises, working nights, not working at all—some salty shredders out there have even sacrificed their marriage(s) in the name of riding waves. 
Santa Cruz is home to many such surf fanatics, but few have done it with such success as Adam Replogle. From pipsqueak prodigy to established business owner, his life has been dominated by riding waves. He travelled and competed extensively for decades as a pro surfer, with his most notable achievements including qualification for, and a full season on, the ASP World Championship Tour, as well as a hometown hero victory at the 2002 Cold Water Classic at Steamer Lane.
Replogle also frequently appeared in surf media during his long career, such as the cover of Surfer Magazine, as well as feature parts in films from the likes of Tony Roberts and Josh Pomer. Surfing helped him buy a house and raise two daughters, even carrying him through life post professional surfing as co-owner of Billabong Surf Shop on 41st avenue. To this day, he spends more time surfing than most kids half his age. All those years spent eating, breathing and sleeping surfing has served Replogle, also known by “AR”, or “Rodie”, well, and will continue to do so in the future, especially considering his latest business venture, selling used surf boards at his new shop, Your Board Quality Surfboards, also located on 41st avenue. 
As one might guess, it’s likely that someone who’s career relied on their deep understanding of their equipment might know a thing or two about the tools of their trade. That’s what makes opening YB Quality Surfboards such a genius move. The friendly and witty pro has years of customer service experience from running Billabong, an indisputable expertise of surfboard mechanics and technology, and lives a mere Joe Montana football pass from the shop’s location, directly across the street from Buell Surf Shop.
Another thing that’s so cool about Replogle is his willingness to chat and open up to journalists such as myself whenever prompted. With that being said, I was stoked when the mild-mannered board slinger made time to chat with me outside of Billabong last week. Enjoy!

Congratulations on opening Your Board Quality Surfboards, Adam! What spurred this shift in your professional life?
About a year and a half ago, Billabong was acquired by a new company. At that point I went and got my real estate license. I thought I would try something a little bit different —if the wheels were gonna fall off at Billabong, I wanted to be prepared. So, I tried that out for about a year and I realized, just putting my toe into it a little bit, that it was going to take a long time to get going in that industry. 
My fiancé and I Maia, we studied really hard for it— she really helped me get through that process of studying and passing the test. And then nothing really happened with real estate or with Billabong. Billabong was here, and we were chugging along, but we weren’t doing really well. I know that we were probably breaking even so it much of a surprise that Billabong was going through a foreclosure on the retail side.

How did you get wind of the space opening up and had you had any aspirations to get in the used board biz before this?
Zach Boon, a good friend of ours for the past 30-40 years, had been talking to Bud Freitas about getting a used surfboard shop going here, and asked if I too, wanted to get involved. At one point there were four people involved, which is a lot of heads in one kitchen, you know. Bud backed out but we were able to focus on it and find a spot on 41st avenue for it. We put the word out about what we were friends and family—Your Board Quality surfboards—a used surfboard shop, but only good quality, secondhand boards.
My motto for people looking to sell their used boards at YB is, “if it’s tanner than you or me, we’re probably not gonna take it” (laughs). But, as of today, we’ve already taken over 130 boards. Right now, it’s a relatively small space, so we’re pretty full at the moment. We have been doing pretty well so far—selling boards, getting awareness out there, letting people know what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. 
It’s nice to occupy this new space. I sold new boards for a long time at Billabong. The hardest thing about selling a new board is that they’re pretty expensive. But to me, they’re not that expensive, you know, 900 bucks for a good, artisan shaped board that has been touched by four or five people’s hands over a months at a time, to me, doesn’t sound very expensive. But, when you’re buying a secondhand board, you really start seeing the person who really benefits the most because if they bought a second hand board they probably didn’t pay the sticker price or have to convince somebody else or break the bank to get it. They’re not gonna lose that much money on that turning it over again—they might buy it for $450 or $500 bucks but if they sell it for $350 bucks it’s not the biggest risk in the world.

I do try to educate people when they come in. The best type of marketing for your board is price, you know, so when people come in, I tell them, “look the boards between $475 and $400 seem to be the fastest moving bracket of boards.” There are some unicorns out there, you know, where you see an incredible board for relatively inexpensive. You never know until you look!
Then you see some boards that are completely overpriced for what they are. We’re trying to stay away from those boards. We wanna work with people who have high quality boards for sale, it’s that simple. Three or four boards to be sold before you can buy a new one—it’s a fact.
I’m just trying to help educate people over the process and say, “if you don’t like the board after a month or so, you’d be doing a disservice to yourself by letting yourself just sit on it, you should try to get the most out of it by selling it and get another one.” Sometimes it’s wiser to cut your losses and move on.
I hear you I’ve currently got a garage full of boards that I’ve been planning to sell for years now, but if you don’t jump on it, they’re just going to collect cobwebs in your garage like mine
I look at boards like I look at women. I like to keep them! I keep my old boards around. Sometimes I like to lay on them to see if it’s good still in relation to what I think is good now— boards that I once felt where magic that I realize I’ve grown out of or the emotional value is sort of gone. I’m more into collecting somebody else’s boards and hanging onto my own (laughs).

How do you think your life has informed and prepared you up to this point to make a stab at selling used boards for a living?
For twenty years or so, I sold surfboards here at Billabong Surf Shop. Prior to that, I worked for NHS with Santa Cruz Surfboards, and that was a ton of fun, working with Novak and those guys. We had Haut, Chris Gallagher, Eric Arakawa, Cole Simler, Matt Archbold—a lot of really good people trying to take that technology to the next step.
You know, looks like Fireire sort of nailed that technology. Looking back in hindsight, they did pretty good about designing a board that was stronger than a polyester and still performed well. Something that had a pretty good balance of performance and strength. The boards we were working at at the time with Santa Cruz were really strong, but they didn’t perform that well, so there was sort of a give-and-take. You had a board that lasts forever, but that was probably sales prevention in the long run because you didn’t get that repeat customer who’s board fell apart (laughs).

What do you think somebody should look for in a good used board?
While you want to do your due diligence when buying a new board, of course, you’ll also want to be educated on what makes a good secondhand surfboard. In the secondhand board market, you should educate yourself on the integrity of boards and sort of get yourself in that mindset, so when you do see that unicorn or really good deal you can jump on it without hesitation.
Sometimes you have boards that already match someone’s physique. For example, I try not to get a lot of of these taller guys to have extremities hanging off their boards so if it’s a tall guy, I try to find a taller, leaner one. I ask people to look at the integrity of those fin boxes, really look closely to identify any type of discoloration or color on the deck, indicative of delamination or if somebody painted their board to cover up a buckle or a broken board. I do my best to try to vet the boards prior to when they come into YB to make sure that they fit the five-star qualities that we’re looking for: deck and rail integrity rail, lack of discoloration, and nice, healthy fins boxes.

Then you wanna do an overall inspection of the board, looking at its curb appeal. How well does this board look? Could I flip it without hassle should I not enjoy the performance? These are the questions you be asking yourself.
The beauty of a second hand board store is that you can take more risks with trying different boards. Take a risk! You won’t lost that much- just chew off a couple hundred bucks when you sell it again, versus $400-500 for one that’s brand new.
The majority of the people that we see are coming off 80 liter soft boards, so, that’s pretty challenging task when it comes to educating that customer. 80 liters is a lot of board. I like to be truthful about what I do. The task for that person is going to be a little harder than someone with years of experience. Even when someone’s set on a board, but then tells me their ability level and the types of waves they’re looking for and it doesn’t match their experience level, I’m gonna say, “wrong board”, every time.

With that kind of integrity it’s going to create a lot of legitimacy, and return customers for your operation. People really appreciate a straight shooter. Looks like to me you might be able to change a lot of people’s minds about the value of a quality used board!
I have five boards in my quiver that have someone else’s name on them. I got a board that says, “Sebastian Zietz” on it, that I bought for a pretty penny on Craig’s List. I’m a firm believer that your favorite board could potentially have someone else’s name on it. I always like trying other people’s boards. If you go surf with other people, you want to ride other people’s boards. You might think it’s a hideous shape, but then after a few laps on it, you might realize that you were blinded by your bias. It could be your magic board, you just didn’t know it yet.
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For more from Adam and Your Board Quality Surfboards visit their Instagram page <a href="http://www.instagram.com/yourboardsc">@yourboardsc</a>

Your Board Quality Surfboards

Seattle-based R&B powerhouse The Dip is set to bring their signature blend of soul, funk, and jazz to The Catalyst in Santa Cruz on February 21st.

Seattle-based R&amp;B powerhouse The Dip is set to bring their signature blend of soul, funk, and jazz to The Catalyst in Santa Cruz on February 21st. With their latest album, Love Direction, the seven-piece band continues to evolve while staying true to the vintage-inspired sound that has earned them a loyal following.
At the heart of The Dip’s music is lead singer and guitarist Tom Eddy, backed by a powerful horn section featuring Brennan Carter (trumpet), Evan Smith (saxophone), and Levi Gillis (saxophone). The rhythm section—bassist Mark Hunter and drummer Jarred Katz—creates grooves that shift between tight, punchy rhythms and free-flowing beats, keeping each live performance fresh and unpredictable.
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Their latest album, Love Direction, marks a big step forward. Following the success of their 2022 release, Sticking With It, which topped the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-and-b-albums/">Billboard Current R&amp;B Albums Chart</a>, this new record explores the complexities of love and relationships. “As you get further along in a relationship, sometimes you lose your way,” says Eddy. “The love is still there, but people and life are complicated.” Love Direction takes a deeper look at the middle stages of love—communication, growth, and understanding each other’s needs.
Check out the new album right here, and I&#8217;m betting you will see these dudes show up on your &#8220;2025 Wrapped&#8221; in December&#8230;

<h2>EXTRA DIP</h2>
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<h3>The VIBES Interview with Levi Gillis</h3>
Ahead of the Santa Cruz show, <a href="https://www.scvibesmagazine.com/">Vibes Magazine</a> sat down with saxophonist <a href="https://levigillis.com/">Levi Gillis</a> to talk about the band’s evolution, the new album, and what fans can expect from their live performances.
VIBES: I did a little homework, Levi. You’ve been vocal and active in the past about your passion for elevating culture and diversity in music. How does that influence your work with The Dip?
LG: It’s something I’ve always prioritized. Back in Seattle, I was involved with an organization called Table and Chairs, a record label and concert promoter. I helped curate a monthly series focused on diverse lineups, avoiding the usual all-white, all-male bands. Not that they weren’t great musicians, but there’s so much more to showcase. That same mindset carries over into The Dip—we’re intentional about who we bring on tour and book as openers.

VIBES: It sounds like that philosophy is also carried into your other projects.
LG: Definitely. It’s something we talk about within The Dip a lot. These conversations aren’t always easy, but they’re necessary. The more voices and perspectives in music, the stronger and more interesting everything becomes.
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VIBES: Outside of The Dip, you have other musical projects. How do you balance everything?
LG: I split my time between free improvisation jazz, songwriting, and The Dip. I don’t think of it as juggling multiple bands anymore—it’s more of a collaborative community where we all support each other’s work. But The Dip remains a huge part of my life.
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VIBES: The Dip live shows are electric, but I stumbled across a song called Knowing from your first solo EP, and it felt much more intimate. What was the inspiration behind that?
LG: The Dip is high-energy, almost party music, but I have a more introspective side. Some of my favorite musical experiences have been sitting in a room with a guitar, just messing around. I need that balance. Every member of The Dip has their creative world, and when we come together, we try to find a middle ground that brings out the best in all of us.
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VIBES: That creative space must help keep the band fresh. Some groups burn out because members don’t get that freedom.
LG: Exactly. We encourage everyone to have their projects. It keeps things exciting and prevents burnout. The Dip is a massive part of our lives, but it doesn’t have to be the only part.

VIBES: Let’s talk about the saxophone. How did you first get into it?
LG: It wasn’t a big, planned thing. My parents encouraged me to play an instrument, so I picked the sax. At first, I didn’t care much, but I had a great teacher, Kevin Stewart, who encouraged me. He made me feel like a sax player, not just a kid with a saxophone. In high school, I started a band with friends, and we were all discovering music together. That’s when it clicked. I remember driving around, listening to Sonny Rollins’ Saxophone Colossus on repeat. That was a game-changer for me.
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VIBES: Do you remember The Dip’s first-ever show?
LG: Yeah, it was sold out at Barbosa in Seattle—250 people. It felt huge for us at the time.
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VIBES: And now you’re playing <a href="https://www.redrocksonline.com/">Red Rocks</a> this fall. That’s quite the journey.
LG: It’s surreal. I never thought we’d get here. I remember our first West Coast tour—we played a Monday night at Bocce’s Cellar in Santa Cruz. It was trivia night, and nobody showed up. At one point, the sound system caught on fire. It&#8217;s just us playing to the bartender. One of those moments where you&#8217;re like, What are we doing?
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VIBES: That’s an all-time excellent tour story. So, tell us about the new album.
LG: Love Direction is our most ambitious record yet. The production is bigger, but there are also many intimate moments and different arrangements that feel special.
VIBES: Any advice for young musicians?
LG: Believe in yourself. The commitment has to come from within—you have to be the one to go all in. No one else can do it for you.
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With Love Direction, The Dip continues to expand their sound while staying rooted in the classic influences that fans love. Santa Cruz is in for a night of unforgettable music if their February 21st show at The Catalyst is anything like their past performances.
<a href="https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/40964607/the-diplove-direction-tour-part-ii-santa-cruz-the-catalyst?partner_id=100&amp;_gl=1*a3o1f6*_ga*MTExMTEyNDI2NC4xNzM5NTczNjQ5*_ga_81NEYGEKWH*MTczOTU3MzY0OC4xLjAuMTczOTU3MzY0OC42MC4wLjA.&amp;_ga=2.189311400.242977671.1739573649-1111124264.1739573649">🎟 Tickets are on sale now—don’t miss it!</a>

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<h3>The Dip Team</h3>
<a href="mailto:info@brilliantcorners.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CONTACT MANAGEMENT</a>
BOOKING
USA/WORLD ex-EU:
<a href="mailto:BRIAN@HIGHROADTOURING.COM">Brian Jonas at High Road</a>
Europe:
<a href="mailto:SINAN@ATC-LIVE.COM">Sinan Ors at ATC Live</a>
LABEL
<a href="https://www.dualtone.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dualtone Records</a>
PUBLICITY
<a href="mailto:gmelchiorre@mnrk.com?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giovanna Melchiorre at MNRK Music Group</a>
RADIO
<a href="mailto:JMuncy@dualtone.com?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julie Muncy at Dualtone Records</a>
<a href="mailto:DMurray@dualtone.com?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana Murray at Dualtone Records</a>
FILM / TV LICENSING
<a href="mailto:DHigbee@dualtone.com?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Higbee at Dualtone Records</a>
<a href="mailto:trina@megustamusicadmin.com?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trina Smith-Dort at Me Gusta Music Admin</a>
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ENCORE! ENCORE! 
<h1 class="style-scope ytd-watch-metadata">A Super 8mm Tour Diary</h1>

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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Final Dip: After the Trailer Bonus Scene</h2>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">THE DIP vs. BLACK SABBATH</h1>

UNDERWATER PAT

Santa Cruz METRO Artist Spotlight Issue #007