Economy Down, Surf(line) Up

Is a rise in traffic to Huntington Beach-based surf camera Web site Surfline.com a leading economic indicator -- of a down economy?

Ventura County Star's Alexandra Wilcox makes that case in a Sunday business report. Surfer Ozzie Osborn, no relation to the bat-head decapitating rocker, says in the story that high fuel prices have him checking out surf conditions online rather than driving out to eyeball the waves himself, as the 57-year-old used to do.

It's apparently a trend. As Wilcox reports, Surfline, with cameras at 135 surfing locations worldwide, has reported a 10 percent jump in traffic to the site as oil prices have soared, according to marketing veep Mike Matey.