Its been awhile

Almost three years since my last post. In that time i moved to Santa Cruz, bought a bunch of boards and sold a few. Revisited some of the spots in town that don’t work often enough for a crowd to ever catch it, and surfed the spots that are always crowded. 

I don’t think I’ve discovered or surfed any new spots, but I’ll have to review my old posts to make sure.

I got an app for my AppleWatch that tracks my waves. It’s called Dawn Patrol and it works surprisingly well. I get suspicious that it shares location data with someone I don’t want to have that data, so I don’t wear it when surfing the more secret spots. I also like that the watch itself tracks my exercise so I can tell when I need to get off my couch and go get the heart pumping. 

I bought a Traveler Gun from Hess and used it a few times. Some big waves, but it also works great as a longboard for waves in the head high range. Mostly I ride smaller boards, even some standard thrusters. I ordered a 6’9” Lost… Smooth Operator that I can’t decide if I want to keep. When it arrived I had already been riding smaller boards and so it wasn’t the board I picked first for a lot of situations. I’ll keep it for another winter and see if I like it when the waves are big.

I bought used boards;

•  7’ Bing Lotus that works good for steep waves. 
• 6’6” Anderson Poacher that works great on all but the hollowest waves

• 6’4” CI Free Scrubber that I never quite clicked with
• 6’10 Downing Hennessy late 60’s single fin that goes fast if I can make the drop. Not great if I want to turn. 
• 6’7” CI Late 60’s Single fin that is easier to surf, but not easy. 
• 6’2” KG fish that goes good in soft waves. 
• 6’2” Pyzel Ghost XL that I’ve caught a few good ones but am still getting the hang of it. I want to get it into some of the hollow reefs but so far haven’t managed the drops.

Discretion is the better part of Valor

The first big winter swell (for me) of the season. I woke up an hour before my alarm to check the buoy and quickly decided to add the 8'6" Channin to the car. The buoy was in the low teens in feet, and high teens in seconds. The angle was around 305 which was good (I hoped) because it would reduce the wave size as the swell made the turn into the reefs. I made it to tres at first light. In the darkness I could only tell it was big. As it got lighter I could see it was also disorganized. It was still ridable, and luck could result in a good wave, but most of them didn't look good. With the mid-tide on the rise, I wasn't optimistic that it would get better.

JB arrived soon after and was stoked at the chance to get back into big tres waves. I wasn't, but was game to join him. We went down to the jump rock. I was hanging back stretching out my body and JB jumped in. It looked like he timed it right but I guess the light was still too low to read the ocean because he got caught by some waves clearing the channel. He ended up safely on the sand down the beach. He was worked over, but ready for more. But he also encouraged me to jump in first so he could get a small rest. I picked a different part of the rock to jump off and watched and waited. It was difficult to figure out what the best time was to go for it. I watched for 15-min before JB got tired of waiting and moved down the rock to get ready to jump. As he waited, a few waves washed over the rocks and knocked him off his feet. He was able to get back to his feet and get to higher ground, but I could see he was limping. I went over to check in. 

No joint injury, just bruises. He advocated for me to go out anyway but I explained I wasn't really that into it anyway. I decided I wanted to go look around a bit, maybe up the coast. On the way back to the car we stopped to talk to a guy who was going out at tres. He said that things were more messy to the north so I decided it wasn't a good day to recon to the north. Instead we went into town, but just barely.

It was interesting to see how much smaller, and cleaner, the waves were in town. We checked the sidewalk and although it had a handful of people on it, the waves looked fun. JB was done, and since I was still in my wetsuit he was pushing me to go get some waves. The thought of surf matting was getting me stoked this past week, so that's what I decided to do. The way I worked it out was to sit off the edge of the sidewalk and wait for the waves that swung wide or were big and missed the better section. It worked out for about half a dozen waves before the tide seemed to kill my spot. The sidewalk was still going off and there was one guy who I repeatedly thought was going to get seriously hurt on the reef, but instead he kept getting barrels and artfully bailing out on the unmakable ones.

I had to paddle back to the beach because I just wasn't getting any waves for the last 20-min or so. It's now a few days later and I wish I could go do it again!

Better?

 There was more swell this weekend so I was able to catch waves. We went to S reef because I thought it would be good on the high tide at 9am. It was pretty good, but I still struggled. JB did better, but also had trouble with the crowd. There were people sitting on the inside getting good waves, but then were in the way when a set came. There were also a couple people who would paddle just a little deeper as the wave came and I had to back out. Those waves I did get I kooked out on. But, the weather was beautiful and it was cool to see other good surfers ride waves.

After surfing we went to the overlooks and checked out some of the reefs just north of S. There were waves and far fewer people. So maybe next time conditions are like this we'll take our chances at one of those options.

Sunday was perfect weather for working on the canoe. I finished up all the scarf work, including adding 1.5-ft extensions to the pieces. They didn't come out perfect with some mis-aligned and others showing a gap. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong, but maybe the mistakes will blend away when I round the corners and sand it down smooth. The next step is to run the strips through the router to round over the edges. Once that's done I'll sand then down smoother before applying the first round of oil. Between coats of oil I'll take apart the old canoe decks and see if they are worth keeping. I wouldn't mind making new decks, but it will be my first time and I'm not sure what I'll do, exactly.

While waiting for the glue to dry on my scarf joints I started watching videos about surf matting and paipo riding. I kind of wish I had tried again on Saturday morning, going back out with another surf vehicle. Even bodysurfing the sizable shore-pound would have been more exercise. 

Next weekend is supposed to be camping on the coast. We'll see if that really happens because there is also rain in the forecast. I hope it doesn't make the tent area too muddy, and also hope the rain doesn't return while we're there. It's possible that I'll take just my son camping for just one day, and deal with the hassle of wet muddy gear alone. He would like that, and my wife would like the rare time alone. But it would also take away the one surfing window I have. Who knows, that one window might be terrible waves anyway so family time would be the best thing for me to do!

Not much to say

This weekend surf was not great. The weather was great. The water was clear and there were at least two different species of (non-stinging) jellyfish in the water. We tried to surf funboards, but it was a little too small for me. JB was getting the best of the waves and I was just missing waves. We walked up to S reef and surfed the left. I was awkward, but at least catching waves. JB was doing much better. We didn't end up surfing for very long, especially because of the long walks on the sand we did.

I did make some progress on Sunday on the canoe. I scarf cut and glued up some sticks, but I think I need to scarf a few more feet on those two sticks to get the length I want. I also cut down my other board of oak into sticks, but didn't get them scarfed and glued because I needed to think through my plan. I think I should try making the deck plates, because that will play into how long the gunwales need to be. Time to search images of deck plates for what looks the best of what I think I can successfully build.

Blinded by the fog

The forecast conditions didn't look that inspiring. It was especially hard to motivate for this weekend following the better than average surf we got last weekend. After mulling over the lackluster forecast for a few days it occurred to me that it might be the right combination for Alligators. I made the call and JB was game. There's also a lower quality but very consistent wave a short walk away that was the backup option. When we arrived before dawn we couldn't see anything through the fog. As the daylight filled in we still couldn't see more than the shore break and a little further. I decided that based on the tide, wind, and buoy readings I would paddle out blind to Alligators. The wave breaks pretty far from shore and waves breaking within sight through the fog only confused me as to where I could/should paddle out. JB was uncomfortable with the idea because he's never taken a closer look at it, let alone paddled out. There's rocks that stick out and rocks that show up when a wave pulls water off them. With the fog it was impossible to see shore. I had no problem with JB sitting on the beach because it really did seem like a sketchy situation for a first timer. I also wasn't confident there were even waves.

I paddled out and when I got past the waves I still wasn't sure where I was. I determined which side of the wave I was most likely on, so paddled in the direction that made sense. Luckily I recognized a rock and lined up off it. I've only ever surfed this spot once, so I was still trying to figure out the lineup when I saw someone paddling out through the fog. It wasn't JB, but it felt good anyway knowing I wasn't all alone. This person knew where to line-up and sat in the right spot picking off the one-wave per set that broke correctly. I was still trying to find my line between the shallow submerged rocks when two more people paddled out. At this point I felt good that at least three other people thought the conditions were right for this spot. But I was also getting frustrated that I couldn't get a wave. The same person caught all the waves, and JB was still on the beach. Even the waves that person got were not all that great looking. I decided I'd take a wave in and head to the other spot with JB. I didn't even catch a wave in and instead paddled with occasionally getting some whitewater in.

We walked to the other spot and faced the same situation: grey-out conditions. At least this spot I'm more familiar with. But I also knew based on the buoy that the waves would be pretty big. We paddled out and tried to get lined up, but got caught by a bigger set. Paddle back out, a little further, and miss a few before getting caught again. With the fog and the shifty nature of this spot, we both were not to happy with the situation. I rode two or three waves before realizing JB was not around. I wasn't worried because this wave just pushes you to the channel, but I also wasn't excited about surfing alone. I rode one in to find him on the beach. He encouraged me to keep surfing, but I had done a good amount of paddling out/around and wasn't excited for the waves I found.
We left and grabbed breakfast, which was really good. The short distance inland where the cafe is was beyond the fog and instead warm and sunny. It almost made up for the bad day of surfing.

Fall on the CA coast

Surfers and most outdoor enthusiasts in California know how special this season is on the California coast. Winter is wild and stormy, punctuated with windows of beautiful weather. Spring is cold and windy with the remnants of winter hanging on. Summer is sometimes colder than spring with the regular onshore wind that blows most of the day. 

Fall is the best season. The cooling weather mellows out the onshore wind. The sun is still high enough to warm the days, but often a chill in the air keeps it from getting to hot. The small south swells still provide waves, but the first taste of winter northwest swells start filling in, reminding me that I need to get stronger to handle the full winter swells. The Fall swells seem to come from further away and none of the storminess comes with it. There can be warm, calm wind days with overhead waves that are surfable all day long.

This weekend was one of those times. We got out Sunday morning to find overhead sets and glassy conditions. We surfed the main reef that can be seen from the road. Even before sunrise cars were parking along the shoulder of Highway 1. We decided to grab a few waves before the crowd filled in, with a backup plan to go to the more hidden reef later. As it turned out, there never was much of a crowd with good vibes and plenty of waves to go around. JB and I got a taste of winter with some 8' sets catching us. Well mostly catching me because JB was sitting on the wide peak and was able to catch waves off the occasional bigger sets. I opted for more waves, smaller waves, and not as good waves. It was a bad choice, but I got waves and some with the feeling of turns so hard my legs felt weak. Some late drops that compressed my legs and made my bad knee feel a twinge of pain. As usual, the first good NW swell after a summer of south swells and I feel like I really need to get back in shape!

The best part of the day was that I was more prepared than normal. My wetsuit is falling apart and my mail-order replacement didn't fit. I sent it back to get a better size, but also purchased some wetsuit shorts to keep me warm while I wait for the new suit. So I've got a 5mm worn out suit, but also a 1mm shirt and 1mm shorts underneath. This combination kept me plenty warm. I also drank a V8 right before paddling out. I normally drink one after getting back to the car but I've found this year that drinking one before surfing extends my endurance and avoids me feeling hungry before feeling tired. I surfed for 2-hours but felt like I could have surfed longer.

This week I need to exercise my knee, legs, arms, heart and lungs. I have images in my head of Sunday and the bigger waves, longer paddle, and multi-wave sets. So I have the goal in mind!

Skipped

I've been falling behind on my house-work/yard-work/canoe-repair. Last weekend I thought would be a good one to skip surfing and do some of the  things on my list. I thought the forecast didn't look great; but then as I was picking up rotten fruit, or trimming away dried up vegetable leaves, or sanding canoe gunwales, I would check the buoys and regret not surfing. I still got some things done, and that feels good, but I think I missed fun waves.

Now on Friday I'm looking forward to surfing this next weekend. The forecast includes a good west swell, which is exciting. A few weekends ago a west swell was also forecast but it didn't show up on-time and I was bummed. Hopefully this one is on time.

Frustrating times we live in at the moment. My 5-year old son had the sniffles starting Tuesday. That's on the symptoms list for COVID, so we had to keep him home. But then once we kept him home, he can't return to school without the passing PCR/Lab COVID test. We didn't figure that out until day two, and the lab takes up to 72 hours to give results, so now it's day four of being at home with him. He's fine and the cold ran its course in two days, so he got a bonus two days at home and I have to spend two extra sick days. I was hoping I could charge this to the "COVID" category on my timesheet and not use up my sick-days, but the new company that bought us doesn't do that, so I have to use my sick days. With that in mind I decided to try to get some work-from-home time in. The only way that I can concentrate is to sit him down with a movie so I can work in peace. Not great parenting, but all the other days I did a better job.

Yesterday in fact we went to the park. The park has a few skate ramps and I took my surf-skate out. I had a minute of luck not falling down after trying a few ramps. And then... I mis-read the transition on one that is steep and down I went. Falling at 45 years old means risking a permanent injury, because at this age nothing seams to heal 100% anymore. I think I got out of this lucky with only a scrape on my elbow and a jammed finger. I'm pretty sure I jammed my fingers like this a few years back when I was skating more. If I remember correctly, it took a year to feel normal again. This one might heal faster because although I feel that it is swollen, I can make a good fist and grip pretty well still. I still want to skate more because its good fun exercise. I just need to be carefull.

Not good

The conditions weren't forecast to be great, but there was potential for it to be good. The weather was right, the tide was okay, but the swell didn't arrive as forecast. I considered Scot's Reef for a bit, but the pre-dawn fog made it difficult to see anything more than just the fact that waves were breaking. I decided to go for the hike and see if FRG stretch was any good.

The walk down had some waves along the sand, so my hopes started to raise. Funboards had small waves, R reef had waves but didn't look right, and G's looked the best from the beach. We paddled out and got a few. I decided with the small waves I was going for one of the deep barrels. The current was hard to read because it was still too foggy to see the cliff very well. I ended up to far on the shoulder for the first set, then too far behind for the next set. I didn't feel like waiting another 20-min for one chance at a wave, so I paddled down the reef towards JB. He had been getting a few and let me know that they were lining up more than usual. But I waited, drifted, and never really caught a good one. I was having trouble getting to my feet under control too. I went to the beach to check R reef again. It didn't look good, I still wanted more waves, and JB always takes a long time to get his last wave, so I decided to paddle back to G's. JB took a set wave and didn't notice me paddling back out through the channel. He rode his to the beach despite me shouting at him. Oh well, I decided he would wait for me this time. But then I quickly got bored and chased a small one, then paddled back across the channel to JB. We looked again at R reed and it still wasn't much good. On the walk back we took a longer look at the waves and JB even jumped in to get one. He ended up taking a big set on the head while jumping off the beach, which meant he'd have to wait another 20-min for a set wave. He ended up catching a small one that wasn't as good as what we saw, and rode it all the way in. Oh well, not every day can be the best day.

Now I'm thinking of what I need to do to stay in shape, and improve too. Winter is coming and I'm feeling stronger, but not strong enough. My weak knee in getting stronger but gives out occasionally still. My shoulders can paddle me out through the channel without taking a rest, but I know I need more once the waves get bigger. This weekend I came in because I was bored and hungry, not tired. I need to figure out what to do about that. Maybe eat a fiber bar when putting on my wetsuit.

I almost forgot...

Surfing last weekend was so blah that I almost forgot to record it. There was a decent south swell due to arrive Saturday afternoon. JB and I debated whether we would surf both Sunday and the Monday holiday. By sundown on Saturday the swell hadn't arrived, and we realized Sunday morning probably wouldn't deliver. Monday became our best option. At around 5am on Monday, when we're each gathering ourselves to drive to the beach, I got a text from JB saying he had food poisoning. As I drove up the coast I considered what that meant. I parked at G-rock and watched the waves not deal well with the too low tide. I thought how G's might be better, but I didn't want to get so far hidden all alone. I decided to wait for the tide to fill in at the rock and go there. If anything happened to me, there's always some people around on the beach and in the parking lot. Two guys showed up to check it also and they decided to go to little rock. Close enough to see each other, but two completely different waves. I agreed that little rock looked better, but I wanted to see if the main left would get better as the tide filled in.

The swell didn't really fill in as the tide was rising. There were occasional sets of a few waves and within that sometimes one of them would line-up correctly. I was only able to get a few waves after an hour because the peaks were shifty, or maybe the water was swirling and moving me around. I couldn't tell because there was just enough fog that I couldn't see my line-ups off the cliff. I ended up getting frustrated and going in before I got tired. I felt like the spot needs more swell because on this day only the biggest broke how I like.

When I decided to go in I paddled around the rock and rode a right on my belly. It wasn't half bad, so I walked out onto the rock to do it again. I found I could stand on the rock watching the sets come in. When a wave looked good I would jump off the rock and a few strokes to the peak. I rode a few that way, but because I was on my TH (instead of a longboard) all I could do was nurse the wave trying to stay with it. It wasn't quite good enough for me to hike up and get my surfmat out of the car.

So I had a bad session, but afterwards I felt I had learned something. On days like this, it's probably better at G's than at G-rock. So next time, I'll go to G's without hesitation. Once I'm there, I won't wonder if it's better at the rock!

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.

Surf mat

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on my surf mat. I still check the surfmatters.blogspot.com website almost daily, and I still look at waves through the surf mat lens. The left I’ve been riding so much would probably be good on a mat. I also want the full body workout of surfing with swim fins. So, I dug out the fins and got ready. This weekend is family camping so no surf. Luckily there was a mixup and I took Friday off work even though camping was Saturday. I used the opportunity to surf!

My plan was to go to the left, but I had low expectations because there was almost zero north waves and only a 2’@15 from 180. I thought it would be a good idea to check the big rock to get a reference data point. When I got there it looked pretty good. Both the inside right and outside left looked like fun. Soon another person came and checked the waves and as she was walking away I asked if she was going to surf, so I didn’t have to risk it all alone. She said no, but her friends were on the way and they would. We chatted a bit more and good waves kept coming about 10-min between sets. The friends showed up abs seemed friendly and full of good vibes. I get my gear and took the walk down the steep hill, figuring they would be out soon. I got a couple not great waves on the right as the others paddled out on their longboards. In just a few waves I could tell they knew what they were doing and I thought I would be happier trying my luck on the outside left. It took a minute for me to get it figured out but my first wave I made was a long speedy shoulder. I continued to get waves, sometimes two in a set, and the sets kept coming. I had fun, and was exhausted in about an hour. I was using muscles I forgot I had, and I’m glad I did because it makes me want to do it more and get stronger.

So, new spot, good vibes, surf mat, and waves exceeding expectations. A great day in small waves!

Learning from failure

I had field work on the north coast on Friday, and so woke up early to sneak in some surfing at a new spot before starting work. I arrived before dawn and hiked the mile down to the spot. There's no way to check it that I know of except to take the hike down to it. When I got there I must have seen the best set because one or two waves were almost ridable, but those were the biggest and best I would see that day.

It's a rocky spot and I wanted to take a minute to see where the problem rocks were before suiting up and paddling out alone. I waited, but only tiny waves were filling in. Too small to catch and breaking through the rocky piles. I waiting longer, not having anything else to do with my time while I waited for the designated meeting time with my co-worker. It's a nice hidden pocket beach, and probably protected from some of the wind, but hard to get to for sure. After awhile of not a single ridable wave, I decided to run up the coast and reconnoiter another hidden spot. Even if I didn't have time to surf, I could get eyes on it and find the path down, etc. I ran into trouble with my phone not getting enough signal for the maps to work. I did my best to pick the right cove (there are so many coves and headlands!) but I missed it by one and checked out the wrong cove. By the time I figured out my mistake I was out of time to continue exploring and had to head to the work-site.

When I got home I dug into the buoy and wind data from the first time I checked the spot and the conditions of my failed attempt. The two days were very similar, so I'm going to assume the one difference was the critical difference, swell angle. It wasn't even the difference between a N and S, more like the angle of the swell was 10-deg different. So, now I know one more detail about this spot.

Then Saturday JB and I returned to the usual G. It wasn't great, but it was good enough. The weather was good and it was just the two of us. After more than a year of surfing this spot almost weekly during the smaller swells, we have only ever shared it with one other person. The adjacent spot occasionally has some people, but we've surfed that a few times too with nobody, or just one or two people out. Pretty great that we found this spot, even if it's not a great wave very often.

It's been awhile since

The spots we've been frequenting don't handle the onshores we had Saturday morning. On top of that, there was a lot of choppy junk in the water and that area looked a mess. I made the call to go to tres-mile because I'd seen it look good when the north coast looked like it did Saturday. Despite not liking 3s when its small and south swell, JB was still game. When we got to the beach there were only 4 guys out with shoulder high sets and it looked like fun! By the time we paddled to the reef there were 6 surfers, and then when I counted again, 12. Still, most people choose the end of the reef and with good reason. The waves there are always make-able and have a longer ride as the wave wraps around the edge of the reef. I prefer the less crowded middle reef which has an exciting drop and section before catching up to the lower peak and closing out. I got a handful of good waves, sharing the lonely peak with JB. As the tide filled the magic hour started and JB make the connection through the lower peak all the way to the beach. I knew it was now do-able, but people were starting to congregate at the peak we were at, and filling in the between-section in an "in-the-way" way. It all got too crowded for me, and then my calf cramped. It's an ongoing situation that when I get tired my calf will cramp and at best I can get a few more waves before it cramps so bad I can't get it to relax. Anyway, I took waves in and checked some novelties down at the sandy cove. There's potential there, but I didn't have the patience to wait for one. Someday I'll stumble across it when it's better and ride another novelty for the first time. Overall a good day when familiarity with the area paid off.

New Spot!

I motivated and got myself up at 2:30am for the drive north on Saturday. It was a long drive, but I was rewarded with a longboard wave with only one other person out. There was a light onshore wind blowing, but it was better than it looked from the beach. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to longboard without a crowd. Even so, I could tell where I surfed was no secret. It's also easy enough to get to that I imagine most people check it as routine.

After surfing I hiked to the next point south checking to see if it was surfable. Not at that time. Then I drove up and hiked to another point to see if it was surfable. Not at that time, and looked like it had less potential. After all that I went up to the well known spot and watched the fishermen and the left. The left looked really shifty and difficult. It looks like there are good rides to be had, but it would take some study to know where to sit and which ones to catch. The outside left looks challenging, and was too far away to really tell what was going on. The fact that nobody was surfing it was also a little worrisome. I didn't explore any further north.

On the drive back home I made a stop at one well-known beach. It looked like a sand-bottom beachbreak, so could be surfed. There appears to be some cover from the NW wind on the sandy beach, making it a good spot to bring the family. Then, much further south, I noticed some surfboards and wetsuits parked on a small pull-out near the "secret" spot I found last time I was in this area. In my opinion, this spot remains a secret because there is no easy way to check it. The only way I can figure is to take the 1-mile hike. Although this pull-out might make it a 1/2 mile hike. Still, I won't divulge any more about it because I like secrets.

Sunday morning I got up early again to go back to the same old spots with JB. When we arrived the conditions were perfect and we had high hopes. When we made the walk and got close enough to see the left, we were unimpressed. However, the old-man's spot looked better. So we went there. The right wasn't good and many of the lefts were also just a peak and no shoulder. However, once in awhile a bigger left would come in and roll into the sandy stretch. The sand was arranged for a nice long and fast ride. Although I never got one of them, JB got several and was smiling. It was the best he'd ever surfed at this spot. I surfed until hunger made me need to leave. JB stayed and got a few more before returning to his car. 

Nobody came to surf and I realized that some of the best surfing to be had on the coast (balancing quality, consistency, and crowds) might just be here. It really calmed my excitement about the spots to the north I had been researching. Although there's surf up there, it's not that much better than what I've been surfing lately.

New Waves?

My wife was out of town and so I was solo with my young son. He's too little to leave on the beach while I surf, but he loves the beach too. We went to a beach I've only ever been to once near HMB. South of town is rocky and I've never done much work trying to find waves. I'll call this beach Green Ravine, and it has rocks and reefs typical of the area. As my son and I dug a sand castle I stole moments to watch for surfable waves as the low tide filled in over the rocks. I didn't find anything obvious, but I found waves that could be fun on a foamy with low expectations. There's several more points of beach access in the area, and I'm optimistic I'll someday find something to surf.

It would be great if I could go surf known waves and then on the drive home scout out a few of these spots. The difficulty is that many of these beaches have small parking lots that fill up by the time I am finished surfing. In summer I've seen long rows of cars parked along the highway overflowing the parking lots. So maybe I just have to toughen up and accept that I'll have to walk a little extra to check some waves.

Making it work

I didn't get to surf last weekend, and won't get to surf next weekend, so I really had to make this weekend count. I started with the normal long drive down to Scott. The south wind made it look bad, and the swell was too small to allow us to go find somewhere in town to hide from the wind. I figured our best option was to go north of the pigeon lighthouse. As we convoyed north there were some tempting waves out the window. But every time we stopped, we didn't see another wave do the same thing. JB showed me where to check for a spot I've never looked at before, but it wasn't working. We ended up at the cove and it was surfable with only one person out. I knew if we kept looking, chances were good we wouldn't surf at all. JB agreed that this was our best bet and we went for it.

To make things more interesting, we rode JB's wavestorm and Vernor mini-simmons. The 8-ft foamy was pretty fun because it allowed me to catch more waves and catch them earlier, which allowed me to sit deeper over the reef. Mid-session we swapped boards and although I could still catch waves, I couldn't catch as many, and when I did I struggled to deal with the difficult wave on the different board. Still, I got exercise.

My knee is still not right and I'm raising the issue with my doctor.

Longing for adventure

It's been more than a year now since I bought a longboard and returned to surfing the reefs north of town. It rekindled my stoke when I rode tiny waves at formile with few to nobody else around. One day when there was a decent swell that spot was crowded enough that I shifted to the outside peak which was doing it's typical mixed-up thing. I took a bad drop and twisted my knee after less than an hour in the water. When I got dressed back at my car I wasn't satisfied, but couldn't surf. Instead I drove around to look at waves at other spots. That's when I was reminded of how good and relatively uncrowded some of the other reefs can be. I reasoned if that was the crowd when it was good (8 people) then it was likely less crowded when it wasn't good. So I started checking it and decided it was worth surfing even when not perfect like I'd seen it. It's a bit off the map and not easy to get to, but I realized it was worth the extra effort for me. I took that same mind-set and applied it to other spots in the area, further north, and way further north. And so began a renaissance in my surfing.

But lately I've been traveling in the same circle a little too much. I'm ready for the next "discovery" and to surf somewhere for the first time. My sights are set on Mendocino. It's 3-hours away, and I have only ever surfed one spot in that county. There must be more, but it's a schlep to get there and back. I found a campground and got reservations for the earliest weekend available, November 3rd. I don't want to wait that long, so I'm keeping my mind open to an opportunity to go up before that time.

But I haven't forgotten about SLO, which is about an hour further away, but to the south which is away from the wind. I can't imagine that being a day trip, so camping is the way to go. I should probably make reservations now, since it's likely to be booked for many weekends as well.

And what about the canoe across a lagoon to a surf-spot idea? SLO has that, Salinas River, Humbolt has those wonderful huge lagoons and empty beaches. Even Mendocino has some options (one of which is where I'll be camping.)

So I've got the adventure itch and plenty of options. The only thing is, adventure implies difficulty, and I'm kinda lazy lately :D