Normally to big

 I arrived in the pre-dawn light as was happy to feel the calm air. It's also wasn't all that cold for a mid-January dawn session. The buoys read 10-ft, so I went to the spot that should be at its limit with long head+ walls. What I found instead was waves smaller than expected. I really wanted to ride a particular board, so I went up the coast where the waves should be bigger.

The next stop found the "small wave" situation was spreading. Also, the morning sea surface had more junk on it that expected since the wind hasn't been blowing all that hard lately. I continued north to a spot I have been avoiding because it's normally to big and crowded. What I found was some waves in the size range I wanted to ride. It didn't look great with the tide in the wrong range and the sea sickness here to, but there was nobody out and the breeze was offshore. I drank more coffee and convinced myself I really needed the exercise and to ride this board before selling it. I went out to see if I was wrong about the board.

The waves were pretty shifty, hitting several different parts of the reef. Some breaking and rolling along with such a short shoulder I couldn't hop it to get in. Others bowling and throwing the lip before I could get down the face. I honed in on waves that were swinging wide, bowling, but kind of rolling awhile before breaking. Even with this user friendly take off I was struggling to catch waves. Those I caught I was so late in I struggled to make the drop. I ended up with one ride and a lot of frustration before paddling in to the inside and letting the waves wash me to shore.

I wasn't done and I swapped boards to try the Channin. I had a good time on it last week and tried it out to see how well I could get it to work in different conditions. The waves had cleaned up and gotten better, and with it the crowd had increased. It wasn't crowded, but I no longer had my pick of the waves. I got one good wave that I rode conservatively. I didn't make turns or push myself, and I was excited to catch another and try to get a better ride. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. It was partially because I was sitting far out to avoid getting hit by the occasional bigger set, and partially because the right spot to catch waves had a handful of people. I continued to try to find a wave that missed the group, but I never got another ride. Again I paddled to where the waves could wash me to the beach and called it a day after a solid 2 and a half hours.

It felt good to surf somewhere else, it felt good to try different boards, and if felt good to be in big waves without to many people around so I could push myself and make mistakes without feeling like I was at risk of hurting anyone else. I'm now convinced I want to sell the board and I've lowered the price and added more photos. I also have another session on the old Channin and know how it feels a little bit better. So even though I didn't feel like I surfed very well, I feel good about the day.