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April 30, 2008 (Wednesday)
Session Recap
Slightly bigger. Windy and sloppy but doable. Not crowded.
Posted at 10:27 AM
April 29, 2008 (Tuesday)
Session Recap
Solid 1-3 and west-y. Empty.
Posted at 1:10 PM
April 28, 2008 (Monday)
Session Recap
Bigger but just like wind swell: sloppy/disorganized and weak without push. Not crowded.
Posted at 1:20 PM
April 27, 2008 (Sunday)
Session Recap
Small and windy. Start the hype machine: next south swell will be huge--above advisory level?
Posted at 9:12 PM
April 26, 2008 (Saturday)
Session Recap
Might be bigger--not sure. Not too crowded. Trades are back.
Went out to Bs+Ms=Ws. Just me. Then paddled to Ms. Caught a few decent ones. By then, the wind had shifted from light E-SE to moderate ENE.
Couldn't believe the haze. It was very thick--probably the worst I've ever seen it.
Posted at 5:14 PM
April 25, 2008 (Friday)
Session Recap
Slightly bigger and packed. And I thought yesterday was crowded.
Got off work late this afternoon. The weather was gloomy. Thick haze and clouds with light rain. As I was sitting in bumber-to-bumber traffic on the freeway, I was thinking it was a good day to take a break. My back and hip were tight and sore. My feet were aching from standing and walking for ten hours. I was beat. That's when I decided there would be no surfing for me today. Eat dinner, lie down.
Of course, once I was home the clouds broke and I suddenly felt compelled to drive to the beach. Hadn't been in the apartment more than five minutes when I realized I had to go surfing.
It was really, really crowded. Practically no parking. Nice conditions and form. Paddled out and caught a handful, maybe a half dozen, then went in. I just wanted to get into the water. It didn't bother me that there were so many people because that's what I expected given all the variables and time of day. And although there were a lot of guys, everyone was mellow.
Posted at 10:59 PM
April 24, 2008 (Thursday)
Session Recap
Small and Kook City. You irritating Blue Crush girls and wannabes on longboards...i love you all. Hope to see you tomorrow. Let's all meet in the lineup and sit in a circle. Please?
Posted at 8:31 PM
April 23, 2008 (Wednesday)
Session Recap
Small and crowded so went out to Bs+Ms=Ws (don't try and figure it out).
Posted at 6:12 PM
April 22, 2008 (Tuesday)
Session Recap
Slightly bigger, lighter wind. Crowded--local pros.
Posted at 8:03 PM
April 21, 2008 (Monday)
Session Recap
Back to normal: small, windy/sloppy. But I had fun. My last one in was great.
Posted at 7:34 PM
April 20, 2008 (Sunday)
Session Recap
We did the A-framer, just to mix things up. It was junk--not enough west, and windy/sloppy.
I didn't care much: get in the water, paddle around, get some sun. I wasn't into it. Had the waves been good, sure, I would've been enthused. As it was, I was there but not there. Think everyone's feeling the same because it was empty.
Still not 100%. The last of the cold is leaving, but I still feel lethargic, and my throat/sinus isn't cleared yet.
Starting a new job Wednesday. It's been a long haul without work, and I don't know how the heck I've survived all these months without income. I'm excited. But the vacation is over. Time to earn my keep.
My schedule will vary. There will be some early morning sessions and late afternoon too. Will try to maintain my daily surf regimen. That will be the hardest part, the changing work hours.
Posted at 7:45 PM
April 19, 2008 (Saturday)
Session Recap
I'm tired: shoulders aching, eyes stinging. Mediocre waves. Lacking motivation. Boring.
There are still some decent sets. But nothing that truly piqued my interest. Tried to make the best. Yesterday was too much fun.
Posted at 6:18 PM
April 18, 2008 (Friday)
Session Recap
As I made my way to the water, I was met with divergent assessments. Some of the regulars were telling me it was smaller, some that it was bigger; others said it was dropping now, while a few said it seemed like it was building. Everyone also had their differering opinions of the best place. In the end, I opted for my regular spot, my usual peak over there alone, away from the pack.
The rip was strong. It was a constant battle to stay in position. For the first 20 minutes, or so, I kept getting sucked out and away. I could see where I needed to be, but every time I thought I was there, I wasn't.
Finally, after much effort, I was able to park and start snagging some doubled-up nuggets in the middle and inside zones. That's when the fun started. My friend (who paddled out about half an hour after) and I were getting everything.
There were a handful of people near us, but they were clueless. In fact, some were caught in the predicament I had been in earlier. They were sitting on the outside. A nice, lined-up wall would show and begin to form, and it would look like they were in the perfect place. I would be farther in. They would stroke, and then it became obvious they were too far out as the water from the rip would mix with the chop and they would spin their arms like sideways propellers, but the wave would simply flatten and pass under them--right to me. I'd turn, stroke, and drop in.
It stayed like that for about an hour. Consistent, juicy, doubled, long walls from the middle all the way across to the inside. Eventually the rising tide began to have a negative impact on the form, the wind got stronger, and it got crowded. By then, I was tired and completely satisfied. We had enjoyed playful, uncongested summertime waves uninterrupted and unchallenged. I'd say that was two hours well spent.
Posted at 10:04 PM
April 17, 2008 (Thursday)
Session Recap
Bigger, for sure, but messy and section-y. Good conditions with light onshore breeze. Crowded everywhere.
I had only a few decent rides. The balance of my time was spent trying to get ideal positioning. You had to be in the right place, otherwise you'd be too deep or inside. I missed a lot of good ones because I was sitting too far in the bowl, and the wall would shift and swing wide, forcing me to duck and then watch the wave from behind as its feathered lip raced across the reef.
I caught a fun over-header and rode it all the way to the next break. When I kicked out, there were about five guys paddling out through the inside. That's when the set of the day came in and proceeded to pummel us mercilessly. I'm not exaggerating, and I wish I'd been counting, but there had to have been at least 25 waves. Luckily, I was just shy of the impact zone, so when the whitewater reached me it was a bit softened and dissipated, and I didn't need to take any on the head or absorb freight-train, full-force head-on blasting. Nonetheless, it was tiring.
After that, I decided to call it a day. I went back out, caught a last good one, then surfed the inside for a bit. Town-swell mania is in full swing.
Posted at 6:21 PM
Now
Friend checked it and said it's bigger. Clean but form is kinda warbly with cross-swell. About 25 people at the Right-hander.
I'm still sick. It's all upstairs--congested sinuses. Feel weak and lightheaded. I noticed, too, that yesterday I had a slight shortness of breath. Definitely wasn't paddling with my usual gusto or vigor.
But the immense fun we were having distracted me from my health issues. The rising tide made for some killable slabs. That's because before that, the waves were a bit unforgiving. But with additional water came softer edges, rounder angles, slower sections, and mushier lips, which all added up to blast-o-rama-thon.
Posted at 11:24 AM
April 16, 2008 (Wednesday)
Session Recap
Yes. Yes. And yes.
Posted at 4:12 PM
April 15, 2008 (Tuesday)
Session Recap
Bigger. Very windy, sloppy. Fun at first then lost my rhythm and couldn't get back into The Zone.
Posted at 10:51 PM
April 14, 2008 (Monday)
Session Recap
Same size or slightly bigger. Not as windy but still blowing hard. Not crowded. CRAPPY.
Felt better this morning and even after I got home from surfing. But now I feel sick again. Think I have a cold.
You know, it's said all humor contains some truth--that's what makes a joke funny: This isn't me quite yet.
Posted at 7:24 PM
April 13, 2008 (Sunday)
Session Recap
You know I don't mind the wind. In fact, as I've said many, many times: The wind is my friend. But today it's simply out of control. It's all blown to bits. Pretty much undoable.
And I'm feeling sick--got a head cold. I was freezing (even with the blazing sun) and the wind was stinging my eyes something awful. Anyway, at least I got to clear my sinuses. It's always better to paddle out than to "take it easy."
Posted at 5:14 PM
April 12, 2008 (Saturday)
Session Recap
Smaller. Another bad one. Windy, sloppy, etc. But it didn't look that awful as we watched from the cars. When we got out, though, we found it to be really soft and puffy--difficult to stroke into it. Long waits. Frustrating.
Posted at 8:53 PM
April 11, 2008 (Friday)
Session Recap
Frickin' disappointing (please, hold the laughter). I know one shouldn't come to expect much, but the great disparity between the earlier report and what we found caused me to have a psychological/emotional meltdown that required hospitalization. Yep, I know: it's funny.
Really, though, it wasn't simply so-so bad. It sucked, Big Time. Windy, sloppy, weak, slope-y, and excruciatingly inconsistent. F***!
Posted at 8:41 PM
Prologue
Heard it's "going off" right now, "solid three feet," "lots of waves." Friend surfed the Right-hander alone this morning for two hours. Nearby spots are good. Direction: S-SE.
Posted at 9:48 AM
April 10, 2008 (Thursday)
Session Recap
The Right-hander. We scored.
When my friend and I got to the beach, there was one guy just entering the water ahead of us. Five guys (four regulars) already out. By the time we reached the spot, everyone had gone in, and it was only the three of us.
Fairly consistent 1-2 with 2.5s and excellent conditions and form. East angle (although true direction was SW), smooth/glassy, lined up, barrel-y over the middle shelf.
I caught some awesome waves. My first one was better than anything I've snagged in over a week.
My board was working extremely well. This was the best stuff I've surfed on my new board so far. Because of the cleanness of the water's surface and the decent push of the waves, I could really feel the action of the tail: very slice-y and with flawless release.
Guess I had the mana, because most of the good ones were coming to me, frequently when I was alone on the outside. I let go the wave of the day because I thought there was a bigger one behind it, which was not the case. After half an hour, I was completely satisfied.
For the final 20-30 minutes, the trades got stronger and the sets died. Five people invaded, and my friend and I were done. From the car, it looked like it was building. Tomorrow might be bigger. Today was a gift.
Posted at 5:13 PM
April 9, 2008 (Wednesday)
Session Recap
Slightly bigger (about shin- to knee- with rare waist-high) with excellent conditions. I wasn't gonna do it, but my friend went out so I followed. I caught probably two of the bigger waves, and I could barely execute a few bottom-top turn combos before the energy would disappear and my board stall.
There were four longies and a stand-up, and three of the longs were acting like we all were in a contest heat. I just couldn't bear to participate in the competitiveness. It would've been humorous had it not been so pathetic.
I simply sat and waited. Patiently. Humbly. Snagged my quota and promptly went in. Seemed like my friend was having fun.
Posted at 3:47 PM
April 8, 2008 (Tuesday)
Session Recap
Even worse. Couldn't believe it. My friend warned me. Should've listened. Flat to shin-high with calm to light onshore breeze.
But it was a beautiful day. Perfect for diving--the water clarity was impressive.
A beginner on a longboard paddled out toward me as I was heading in. He asked about the crowd and "localism." The question and the way he asked it--naïvely, honestly, innocently--made me pause for reflection, although I didn't reveal it in my countenance or demeanor. I had a pang of guilt because I realized that frequently I can be part of the problem, especially at my home-break.
I responded: Naw, everyone's cool, don't worry. He smiled broadly, "Thanks, man." And he paddled away assured and happy.
Posted at 11:51 PM
April 7, 2008 (Monday)
Session Recap
Smaller and pathetic.
Posted at 6:15 PM
April 6, 2008 (Sunday)
Session Recap
Slightly bigger. Been surfing an obscure reef on the inside between two main breaks. It was the biggest of the previous several days. Just me. Fun--but small.
Posted at 5:58 PM
April 5, 2008 (Saturday)
Session Recap
Perhaps slightly bigger but still tiny. Surfed two spots. Moderate/gusty trades.
Posted at 4:09 PM
April 4, 2008 (Friday)
Session Recap
Super clean and micro.
Posted at 6:35 PM
April 3, 2008 (Thursday)
Session Recap
Very clean with nice form but small and crowded.
So the Right-hander was "all-time" yesterday? That's what I heard. It looked good.
Posted at 4:52 PM
April 2, 2008 (Wednesday)
Session Recap
Slightly smaller. Surprisingly clean conditions with north-y wind but form was suffering from some cross-chop. Didn't catch many waves, but I'm satisfied. Surfed Ms with a friend. Just a relaxing time on a beautiful day--can't complain.
Posted at 4:22 PM
April 1, 2008 (Tuesday)
Session Recap
Slightly bigger. Blowing hard. Surfed two spots. Satisfied.
Posted at 4:42 PM