Hawaiian Paipo Designs

Went out to R Cove on the HPD this weekend. Forecast showed a small south, moderate NNW wind swell, and calm winds. Add in a mid-tide, and JB and I opted for R Cove. I arrived around first light and hiked up to the overlook. It didn't look exciting, but there were waves. Another guy came to take a look and left before JB met me on the cliff. JB said he saw the guy driving away and was worried it wasn't worth surfing. But, all things considered, this seemed to be the best chance for getting a few waves. My only decision was what to ride.

In an effort to strengthen my legs I've decided to ride my "swim fins" wave vehicles. I've been out a few times on my 4GF surfmat and had fun. I've been bringing my Blade too, and this time I brought the HPD. The mat works in more longboard type waves, and the blade more like a bodyboard. The HPD is in between and a challenge to get used to. It handles the late drops if I can get my body off-center and onto the inside rail. Then if the wave flattens out I can get the whole width of the paipo into the water and make it through some flats as long as it still has a little push. Watching the waves come into the cove it looked like a freefall drop into the wave and on to a flat shoulder. Occasionally one would hit just right and reel over the reef reforming and creating steps over the shallow spots. This seemed like the perfect time for the HPD.

It turned out I was right. After dealing with the long paddle out and adjusting to the small-wave take-off zone, I was able to get a few fun waves. I was reminded of how great it feels to engage the rail at the bottom of a steep drop. I got two waves that reeled across the reef and had a long paddle back out. That, mixed with plenty of short drop and die kind of waves, and I quickly got all the exercise I could stand. JB was on the wavestorm and was also catching wave after wave, making the most of the conditions. Although we saw several people come to the overlook, nobody else came out to the waves.
Afterwards I tried the cafe at the bar and was pleased by the good food and beautiful weather.

It was another great day of surfing, and this was just another reason I appreciate having options when I surf.

Mid-week

A friend I don't get to surf with very often call and asked if I wanted to catch the Tahiti swell mid-week. I said, "Yes!" and was stoked to show him some of the new spots JB and I have been surfing. I requested the time of work, coordinated with JB, and repeatedly checked the forecast. As quickly as things came together, they started to fall apart. JB realized how narrow his window is between drop off and pick-up of his older kid. JZ called to let me know he hurt his back on a bad fall while surfing. Well, the wind forecast still looked good and I already had the day off, so I was going with or without them.

JZ got a doctors appointment so was out, but JB was still in. We stressed a bit about maximizing our surf in his window, and exchanged messages about, "Where are you going to check first?" and "What time will you arrive?" JB checked tres and David's port and I went strait to the rock. At first I didn't like what I saw, but JB said he was willing to try the outside. I saw a good wave but didn't think much of it because I'm used to being tricked by that one perfect wave that never repeats once I paddle out. But as I was trying to get enough signal to tell JB I was going to check another spot, I saw another, then another good wave on the outside. I rewrote my message to basically say, "Come here now!"

He arrived and took a look. He said David's looked good but have a handful of people. There was nobody in the water at the rock and waves kept looking good so we suited up and hit it. We opted to paddle around the rock and even though the waves break softer along that route, it's further to paddle. On top of that we rounded the corner just as a set of many waves swung wide right at us. I was happy with how far I was able to paddle without a rest, but I did have to stop once or twice to let fresh blood back into my shoulders. I was glad I had surfed it once before because I felt like I was quickly able to figure out the line-up and pick the right waves, despite the surf being 3-times larger than the small day I rode it.

I got the first one and went right as a quick test of my knee. I dropped and kicked out pretty quickly, thinking I'd take a few strokes and be back in the take-off. Instead another wide set filled in and washed me all the way down to the end of the wave, the end of the going left wave. It took about 15-min to get back to the spot!

I took the second wave and went left. It was a steep bowl but I did okay. By this time JB was pushing himself deeper to where I was and he got some waves too. I think in all I got the biggest, but he got the longest wave by far. A few people came out and it felt a little complicated. I got a cramp in a weird part of my leg, and JB was getting worried about the time. I agreed to go in, but by way of the inside right because I thought I could handle one or two more waves there. The inside ended up being like a treadmill in a washing machine. And to top it off, I didn't even see a good wave roll through. I took whitewater to the beach just as JB was walking over from coming in after a left on the outside. We hiked up the long hill and got back to the cars early enough for JB to get home and pick up his kid on-time (instead of a little late like he thought would happen.) 

Overall it was a worthwhile trip, despite the stressors that come with being a father, employee, and husband trying to go surfing mid-week. If it had been during summer break we both could have gone super early because our wives work at schools and are home with the kids all summer. So, maybe next time, now that we know the wave a little better. And maybe next time I'll have a better board for handling the wave. I did alright on the TH, but it's not the kind of wave that board is made for.

Utilize the options

 The forecast for the past weekend was back to the great conditions we've had most of the summer. Calm morning winds, a small north wind swell, and a medium-small south swell. JB and I knew what we had to do, back to the usual!The sand at the rock was too low for us to climb over, so we had to paddle around. I brought both my TH and my mat&fins, so paddling around meant looping my leash through the swimfin straps, and putting the unrolled mat between myself and the board. It worked as well as could be expected with the fins acting like small anchors and the mat trying it's best to get away at every duck-dive. In my awkwardness I barely made it around the rock before waves started washing me back to shore. No problem, but it left JB paddling over to R's on his own. I walked up to R's and looked at G's but couldn't make much out through the fog. JB hung at R's, and I saw a wave that had potential, so I ditched the mat gear above the high tide line and paddled out. After 20-min of waiting for a good wave to come in, we each caught a set wave. Neither was any good, so we went in to walk down to G's.

I decided to start on the mat. I sat deeper over the reef and JB took up his usual spot catching the bigger ones that swing wide and roll into the cove. I managed a few steep drops but wasn't getting any connections, so all my waves were short. So short that I kept ending up over the reef as other waves came behind the ones I caught. After an hour or so of matting, my knee started to complain. The waves were still good with the dropping tide so I went to the beach and switched to the TH.

Back in the line-up I had to give myself a moment to adjust to the board. I was lower on the reef and ended up watching a few of JB's best rides of the day. I was flopping around at first, but ended up managing a few rides before my energy faded and I went in. On the walk back to the car JB and I talked about the upcoming "Tahiti" swell and trying to surf some of it Thursday. We both have kids to drop at school, so it would be a mid-morning speed session with JB rushing home after to pick-up kids after the school half-day.

Then on Sunday JZ texted and asked about surfing down where we've been scoring all summer. Yeah? JZ willing to drive? I can't pass up this opportunity, so today one of the first things I did at work was request Thursday off. It actually looks like it will get better later in the day, so if JB doesn't manage to get the morning off, JZ and I can still score some good waves around mid-day. If the wind cooperates I could get two sessions and really wear myself out!

Lowered expectations

Forecast was for good weather, but almost zero swell. We lowered our expectations, packed up the longboards, and agreed to not meet so dang early this time. Of course I couldn't sleep and woke up early enough to arrive before dawn, even after sipping a coffee before leaving home. We decided to shoot for puppy pools as the first choice, and when I arrived at first light the tide was still too low. But, it seemed like waves were there and in time it would be good. JB showed  up a bit later and we chatted and watched the sets break and tide rise. Before to long another car parked and two guys started suiting up. This, of course, got us antsy and we also suited up. The tide was just starting to get okay, so it wasn't too early to start.

We were worried about sharing the limited resource of the few waves that hit the inside just right. As it turned out, they were riding the bigger waves that swung outside and leaving the insiders to us. JB was getting plenty of waves and I was struggling with the small weak waves, even on my longboard. Still, I got a few and had some rides. When we switched boards I caught a bunch and JB caught fewer, but was stoked on how different the two boards ride. We swapped back and continued to ride waves, making the most of what was there. 

Driving back to town we didn't see any waves, and if felt like we did pretty good with our choice of where to surf that morning. Breakfast burritos at La Cabana, and back into the car for the long drive home.