Gazos?

Last Sunday had a tide near 0.5' at dawn with a small <1'> NW windswell of about 13sec. I had work to do on Gazos Creek and figured I'd bring my gear in case I could find some waves. I also slept in, thinking I wouldn't find any waves.

I checked San Greg to lower Gazos and didn't see much more than floppy mushy waves. I decided to take one last look at Gazos in front of the lot and was shocked! There were 3' waves throwing over a lip. These weren't peeling perfection, mostly closeouts on the sandbar. But every once in a long while one would peak in front of the rock and break before hitting the sandbar. This to me looked like a do-able wave and I figured if I could get up to speed before the wave hit the bar I could at least make a run at clearing the edge of the bar.

When I paddled out to the partially submerged rock that I was going to use as my takeoff marker I discovered that there were other rocks that were slightly underwater, but shallow enough to catch fins on a bottom turn. Or worse, punish a blown takeoff. I spent about an hour dancing around the rocks and getting short rides into the sandbar closeout. Fun enough to keep me chasing waves for awhile. I moved off the rocks to where headhigh waves were breaking and looked like they were makable around the sandbar. Then came the one I was waiting for, a head high peak right into the rocks with no wall that would close out. After getting closed on by so many of the wide swinging waves I stayed out of the critical and figured I'd shoulder hope the wave. Mistake, cause that one didn't have much shoulder, which was the WHOLE POINT. I missed it and watched it grind along the sandbar, makeable, all the way to the beach.

It had been and hour and that was the only one I saw break that way since first pulling into the lot and getting stoked by the other wave that broke that way. I rode a few more but could feel the tide rising and the waves rolling further, more of them not breaking until hitting the sandbar for a closeout. I went in.

Once back at my car I talked to two beginning (4 days total) surfers who had surfed before I got there. One of them said I would have liked it earlier because the tide was lower and the waves were breaking further out. I'm not sure if I trust his opinion of what makes a good wave, but nevertheless, I'm bummed to think I missed good waves.

Anyway, that's a new spot for me. I understand it a bit more and I think I will check it more often.

One last thing. There's a spot that a friend and I surfed with a sit on top kayak many years ago. That spot looked good too, but the trail to the beach was overgrown completely with blackberries and poison oak, to the point that there was no trail. I'm gonna GEarth it to see if there's another way in.