Did you know there is a species of dolphin in the Monterey Bay that grows up to 12 feet long?
And that orca have different "ecotypes" which are the same species, but with different habits and variations in body size/shape? Although they typically live further north than the Monterey Bay, they do occasionally make visits.
How do I know this? Last week we ended our session short after one of the surfers saw a "fin too large to be a dolphin." This weekend we were at the same spot and didn't see anything. But when we got back to our car, another guy who had already changed back into his clothes said he was out at the reef and saw a very large fin. Unlike last week, this guy saw enough to know for sure it wasn't a shark. He said it came to the surface more like a dolphin but was very big. He even suggested it was an orca, and I described how dolphin fins are swept back, orca fins are tall and narrow at the base, and shark fins are closer to an equilateral triangle in shape. He couldn't fit what he saw with what I was describing, so went back to his car to do some google searches. He came back with a diagram of various types of orca. The fins I was describing were "typical" of what we see in the area, but with sea temperature rising, and exceptions always existing, I guess I should say "typical" next time I'm describing fins to someone who says they saw a shark. So the guy was convinced he saw an orca, but I think it's a little more likely he saw a Risso's Dolphin. In any case, it is a rare thing, especially to have a sighting twice! And neither is known as a man-eater. In fact, sharks typically avoid orca and dolphin, so seeing one should be reassuring.
And as for the surfing...Saturday dawn I walked down the beach in the first light and dense fog. I could tell there were waves and it was smaller than last weekend. I walked down to the left to see how it handles the swell/tide combo we had. I couldn't see the take-off from the shore so I paddled out to take an up-close look. What I found wasn't great. Some set waves were closing out. Not all at once, but enough to ruin the ride. Others were grinding in an intimidating but exciting way with less shoulder but a hollow bowl. I struggled to work things out after deciding I didn't want to shoulder hop the biggest waves because the were fading as they rolled into the channel. Instead I wanted one of those grinders. What I needed to do (and failed at) was take off deeper where there is a narrow gap between the suck-out and the shoulder where a wave can be caught. If I could have done that, I would have headed into the next section with speed enough to navigate it. I couldn't take-off in the section because it was rolling soft then sucking out. I failed several tries, struggling to judge the waves coming out of the fog, and only able to use the kelp heads to line up on. I ended up just going in to see what the other reef was doing.
From the beach I couldn't see the take off spot here either. I hesitated for awhile before deciding to go out anyway. I'm glad I did because there was one other guy out, and the waves were pretty good. Head+ on the take-off and bowling up nicely. Not classic for this spot, but showing signs of it. I struggled to get waves which I figured was due to being a little scared from the beating I got at the left. I caught a few, but not enough and as the tide filled in the waves got fewer and fewer. I went in feeling better than last weekend, but not ideal.
Then Sunday dawn I met up with JB for the same spot. The buoy report from 4am made it look like a good repeat of the day before. Once we started walking along the sand I knew the waves were bigger. We stopped to look at the reef and it didn't look that good, so we opted for the left. It was bigger, and something new was happening that made it really challenging. All the water was flowing off the other reef and out the channel at the left. By the time we paddled out the fog filled in and we were again out of sight of the cliff. The waves were bigger meaning the take off spot I was working on Saturday was the impact zone for the set waves. The set waves weren't great either, and it was frustrating because the current would push us out and deep, and with the fog we couldn't tell it was happening until a set came and we couldn't catch it. We over corrected and got hit by the next set. When one of us caught a wave it was awhile before we could see each other again. We decided to take the next wave in, and I rolled the dice sitting on the inside. It paid off and I finally slid into the wave and made a run at the suck-out section. It wasn't a great ride, but it was fast and I made it through several sections by dropping down and around. I washed into shore and waited for JB. He took awhile to get a wave and I couldn't see anything, and started wondering if he somehow made it to the beach before me and was walking back. I started in that direction when I finally saw him riding a wave through the fog.
We looked at the reef but couldn't see anything. We talked about how good it might be and he decided to wait and see while I paddled out. What I found was a little bigger and a little messier than Saturday, but still good enough. I was tired, but more confident. However, the dense fog made it hard to stay in the bowl and I only caught a few before calling it a day. I came in and told JB how it was and offered to paddle out for a few more if he wanted. He didn't, so we walked back to the cars.
After JB left I went to the other overlook to see. There were ridable waves, probably similar size to the reef I just left, and the tide had this reef covered in about a foot of water. The paddle out was from the other rock and looked like a bit of fight to make it to deep water. Nobody was out, it wasn't great, but it was surfable. The rocky spot looked maybe surfable too. Scott looked good in the way that it looks mushy, but it's actually pretty fun and a longer wave than any of the other spots along this area. The thing is it's perfectly visible from the road and therefore always the most crowded. It also doesn't make much of a section so it looks boring. If I had more energy I should have paddled out for one or two waves there also!
Next time I'll be able to surf multiple days in a week is Thanksgiving. So I hope the weather is good and there is a medium-small swell so I can surf without getting exhausted after one day.
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