I was stoked to score some good south swell at my favorite negative low tide pre-dawn spot. However, the swell arrive more than 12 hours late. I saw it was late at 3am when my alarm went off and I checked the buoys to see exactly how epic it would be. Seeing nothing, I loaded up and drove to the beach anyway, hopeful, but also knowing anything would be better than nothing.
I headed to Scotts and in the early twilight I could see that not much was happening. I hadn't expected much because my last try out there with the negative low tide and small waves wasn't too great, but this was even smaller. I checked the buoys again (nothing) and decided a roadside nap would be just right to let the swell fill in. The nap was what I needed, but no swell filled in. I headed down the road to an overlook at WFs and although there were waves, it looked like my chances of bouncing off the reef were high. The smaller waves were breaking in very shallow water and there was a flat rock in the middle of the ride. It didn't look worth the risk. So I headed up the road at another overlook. Not much better, but definitely better. It wasn't doing its thing by any stretch of the imagination, but it was surfable. I even saw one nicely shaped one and figured I should at least try to get one like it. Anyhow anyway, it seemed like a good day to recon alternate routes to the spot.
I circled back to repark, pulled out the Pacheco, leisurely suited up, and started the long walk. Turns out the low tide made the walk pretty straightforward. I'm not sure the way would be passable if there was any swell and even a medium-low tide. Paddling out was a hassle because the reef, like many reefs along this stretch, is shaped like those zen rock gardens where there are parallel lines with ridges and troughs. The lines all point to the bowl, and I'd rather paddle around the waves, so to get out to the waves I had to climb up, down, up, down repeatedly. It got more interesting as I got further out and the waves got bigger but I was still on sections of reef that were out of water between waves. I managed, and was glad I was alone so nobody had to watch me fumble along. Once I got out the next struggle was figuring out how to surf the mixed up wind-swell. The small ones looked good, but before I could get to my feet the bottom would drop out and the shoulder would close out. Luckily I kept missing the small ones and caught a few medium sized cross-ups that made a catchable peak right at the bowl. But those disappeared before I could make my first cutback, and I decided they weren't worth the effort. The sets were better, but even those weren't all ridable. Some swung north, others south. This is very different than the clean-consistent a-frame bowl that this spot produces when it's on. Still, there were hints of that every once in awhile. I managed only one of those a-frame waves, and several other less memorable rides, by myself. At about the 2 hour mark I noticed people checking it out from the cliff, and one guy didn't hesitate to join me. Interestingly, he paddled up and approached with a mix of, "sorry to bother your solitude," mixed with, "I've been surfing here for 40+ years." I greeted him and appreciated having someone else in the water with me because the shark vibe was starting to grab hold of my imagination between waves. The next few waves were good but I completely blew all of them. I figured my day was done and headed in. Getting to shore is just as tricky as getting out, or maybe a bit easier because the waves wash me in the correct direction. But they also washed me in quicker than I could survey the spots where the reef was out of the water and I count myself lucky to have avoided hitting my fins, or worse.
I made the long walk back to the car noticing the unusual Memorial Day / heat wave crowd filling all the parking spots so early. I leisurely got back into my clothes, enjoying the warm weather and keeping an eye on the reef at Scotts to verify I hadn't missed anything. There were a few people surfing along the sand, but nobody up at the reef, so I think I made the right decision this morning.
It took a little bit of adjustment coming off riding the TreeHugger onto the Pacheco, mostly in the wave catching. Once I got to my feet is felt fine. The extra maneuverability didn't cause me to loose control, so I think that's a good thing. The TH continues to be a purchase I'm satisfied with.
Back in town I stopped to get an Epoxy repair kit because last weekend I broke through the rail on the TH with my shin while not managing a late drop going left at Scotts. I thought I would fill it with superglue because it was a shallow shatter with just one flake of glass broken through. But I'm glad I double-checked my memory because it turns out the EPS foam often used with Epoxy construction doesn't play well with cyanoacrylate (superglue). The glue melts the foam! So I'll have to do a proper repair whenever this heatwave lets up, but hopefully before next weekend.
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