« November 2009 | Extempore | January 2010 »
December 31, 2009 (Thursday)
Post-session
M's alone, again to avoid the massive crowd gathered at all nearby spots. Sloppy but a few ride-able ones. Moved to Regular to finish. The forecast was for light/variable winds but oddly it was moderate-strong SW. Tonight's gonna be even wilder with the Blue Moon.
Posted at 10:12 PM
December 30, 2009 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Smaller. BM's alone to avoid the crowd. Some decent rights and fun lefts. Moved to M's briefly for a few then back to BM's to finish.
Posted at 7:53 PM
December 29, 2009 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Three of us started on the beach. One opted for the Right-hander and two of us hit the A-framer.
It's bigger. Smooth conditions and decent form but kinda crossed up. Challenging takeoffs. I started off okay but near the end of the session started to fall and do random stupid stuff. Face-planted a few times. Got real frustrated. It was chilly too (no sun, cold water).
My friend called it, and I paddled over to the Right-hander to finish up with my other friend (who was giving me a ride home). It was good. Pretty much going off. Super mellow crowd with everyone sitting on the inside and letting a small group of us catch anything we wanted.
Posted at 8:28 PM
December 28, 2009 (Monday)
Post-session
A-framer solo. Unexpected fun. Direction was east, which is notoriously bad for the A, but both the rights and lefts were working (but mostly the rights), which is highly unusual for the angle. Had some fun ones.
Almost didn't go out. Standing on the beach, it looked dismal. More than once I started toward the water then backed out and considered walking down to BM's. Glad I went with my initial choice.
Posted at 7:12 PM
December 27, 2009 (Sunday)
Post-session
Awful and painful. A-framer alone. Angle/direction was all wrong. Paddled to the Right-hander for a last one.
Posted at 11:41 PM
December 26, 2009 (Saturday)
Post-session
It's bigger. Did the A-framer. When I looked there was no one, but by the time I got out one guy had appeared. One irritating guy. He obviously thought he owned the place.
It was surprising because it didn't look that big at all when I watched from the car. Didn't take a leash. It was much bigger than expected. Swam once.
The form was messed up. Nice conditions but lots of cross-chop. Too much east. Kinda junk. When two others came out, I was done. Paddled to the Right-hander to catch a last one in.
Posted at 10:37 PM
December 25, 2009 (Friday)
Post-session
Merry X-mas. So now I'm hearing today is supposed to be the biggest. It's not. Significantly smaller and messy with lots of cross-swell/-chop.
Did the A-framer solo. A friend paddled over from the Right-hander, stayed for a bit, then went back. I caught some lefts and a few rights and then called it. Big difference from yesterday.
Posted at 9:11 PM
December 24, 2009 (Thursday)
Post-session
So been hearing today was supposed to be bigger. Did the A-framer. I wasn't alone.
Was kinda bummed. The angle was good, and there was a lot of potential--and it was bigger--but the sets were much too infrequent for the number of people, which was five. That probably makes you laugh but consider I usually have it to myself.
It was anchoring in the west bowl. Classic setup. However, the "crowd" and inconsistency made it boring and extremely disappointing.
Posted at 11:18 PM
December 23, 2009 (Wednesday)
Post-session
A-framer goodness. Solo. Fun. Lots of waves. West-y bowls, lowish tide, steep takeoff over the reef, lefts and rights. Moderate trades then smooth and glassy. Had one awesome backhand snap. When the wind stopped the sets died, and that's when I called it. Very relaxing, enjoyable, and satisfying session.
Posted at 8:11 PM
December 22, 2009 (Tuesday)
Post-session
A-framer with a friend. Tiny buy somewhat doable lefts. Lowish tide. Paddle to Regular to finish.
Posted at 8:29 PM
December 21, 2009 (Monday)
Post-session
A-framer alone then a friend joined. Crappy: too much east, SE wind. But biggest it's been in a week. New southern energy tomorrow?
Posted at 10:18 PM
December 20, 2009 (Sunday)
Post-session
Regular for some tiny dribblers. Might be slightly bigger. Crowded.
Posted at 11:57 PM
December 19, 2009 (Saturday)
Post-session
Looked dismal. Super small and windy. Stood on the beach and procrastinated. Finally mustered up the nerve and headed to Regular.
About 20 yards out, heard some crashing and looked to BM's just in time to see a set of lefts "barrel" across the inside reef. Immediately veered into a right-angle turn and sped over. What was I thinking? Tried to make the best of it, which meant nada, then went to Regular to finish. Awful. Foolish man, when will you learn?
Posted at 11:31 PM
December 18, 2009 (Friday)
Post-session
North winds created clean and groomed form. Might be slightly bigger. Definitely more crowded.
Made an attempt at Regular but it was just too small and inconsistent with kooks on longies battling for every tidbit, crumb, and scrap. Paddled down to the A-framer and scored barrel-y nuggets feeling the reef and offering a somewhat vertical drop. Fun because it was sort of straight south so not all were anchoring in the west bowl, which made positioning and takeoffs interesting and challenging.
Posted at 10:38 PM
December 17, 2009 (Thursday)
Post-session
It's winter in Town. Super tiny. Did the Right-hander because it was empty. Didn't take long before there were five others clogging the joint. Pathetic.
Posted at 7:57 PM
December 16, 2009 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Really crappy. Nice conditions but tiny and crowded. Started at BM's with a friend then we ended at Regular.
Posted at 7:23 PM
December 15, 2009 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Big surprise. Did Country this morning with a friend. Nice conditions, about 1-3 with 4s, but crossed up. And crowded. Didn't have fun. Can't say I had a single good ride. Saw lots of friends from Town.
Posted at 7:37 PM
December 14, 2009 (Monday)
Post-session
Much smaller but nice conditions/form. Soft. I opted for BM's because it was empty.
As soon as I got to the beach, I saw four guys getting ready to hit the water. Was hoping they were going elsewhere, but sure enough we all headed to the same little patch of reef, which made me really bummed. So here I was enduring tiny, inconsistent waves that would've been barely tolerable with one other person.
I spied some stuff at M's, so I ambled over for a bit. It sucked, so I went back to BM's to finish. Overall boring and unchallenging. But beautiful, sunny morning.
Posted at 10:51 PM
December 13, 2009 (Sunday)
Post-session
Marathon Sunday. Road was closed at DH, so took the opportunity to ride my bike and perhaps score un-crowded surf. That's my MO every Marathon. Each of the previous several years has been good. This year was no exception.
The RH was going off: four guys, lined-up, barreling. It looked good everywhere. Definitely bigger, so the forecasted new swell is here?
Did a small reef break. It was consistent but a bit soft. Rights/lefts. Decent enough. A friend joined later just as I was heading in for work. Later, I heard that the nearby spot was the "best it's been in a few years."
Posted at 7:25 PM
December 12, 2009 (Saturday)
Post-session
Biggest it's been in a week. A-framer. Smooth conditions and form but too much east meant all-shoulder. Was able nonetheless to snag some rights/lefts. Crappy session but beautiful, sunny morning.
Posted at 10:18 PM
December 11, 2009 (Friday)
Post-session
Long story shorter: Three of us at BM's; I snagged several so-so fun rights while the other two surfed the lefts; then we all moved to Regular briefly to finish. Small and windy and sloppy.
Posted at 10:46 PM
December 10, 2009 (Thursday)
Post-session
Had to work late. Solo at the A-framer. It was awful: windy/choppy, tiny, unrideable. Caught two waves and called it.
Posted at 8:08 PM
December 9, 2009 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Back to A-framer. Solo and then a friend on a stand-up board joined. It was tiny and boring.
Then another friend came out, and we got a nice surge of consistent sets that lasted almost an hour. Small but rippable bowls, rights and lefts. Did some good bashes that had me smiling. Surprisingly satisfying session.
Posted at 6:47 PM
December 8, 2009 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Looked quite bad from the cars. The choices were dismal or more-dismal. While waiting for my friend, one of the regulars and I decided we'd go with the A-framer. Then when my friend arrived and we got to the beach, we changed our minds and opted for the Regular. My other friend stayed committed to the A.
Well, it didn't take long for me to realize I had made the wrong call. I paddled downcurrent to the A. My other friend was still there. Alone.
The tide was low and it was windy and choppy. But it was fun because it was interesting, and what made it so was the takeoff: one second of sheer exhilaration and intensity. But I was thankful for it. It was easy to blow it, and the consequences would be a bounce on the shallow and sharp/jagged reef. Good motivation to focus.
Posted at 7:31 PM
December 7, 2009 (Monday)
Post-session
Clean with light north winds. M's was lined up and near-perfect, but it didn't last. Had it solo and snagged two good ones, and then the invasion (must've seen me scoring) followed by excruciating lulls. Like yesterday, had to hightail it to work and couldn't loiter. Should've hit it earlier.
Posted at 11:56 PM
December 6, 2009 (Sunday)
Post-session
Still some remnants. Lefts at BM's. Inconsistent but rippable when they came. Then moved to M's to finish. Soft with nice conditions. Had to work so couldn't stay.
Posted at 11:58 PM
December 5, 2009 (Saturday)
Post-session
M's again. Smaller? Onshore wind. Frickin' kooks. Argh!!! I hate all 84 of you.
Posted at 7:11 PM
December 4, 2009 (Friday)
Post-session
It's no exaggeration to say it's going off. Spots that respond well to a SW should be getting some nice stuff. The Regular and all places nearby were working.
Actually, the Regular is made up of three main peaks. The one farthest west was bombing. Extremely consistent and lined up. Crowded with many skilled shortboarders and longboarders tearing it up. I saw some big moves on some critical sections. Saw some cover-ups too. Overall impressive surfing action.
As for me, I went into self-exile again. Did M's while my friend hung on the lefts at BM's. I had fun, although initially it was soft and puffy and then improved. As the quality--the rideability--increased, so, too, did the crowd. In no time it was Kook City with knuckleheads and dumb-asses battling for every little scrap. I stayed on the inside and managed to keep scoring fun west-y bowls until I opted to call it a day.
Posted at 9:12 PM
December 3, 2009 (Thursday)
Post-session
Wow! SUPER fun time at M's. Me and a friend then one guy joined. My friend paddled out just ahead and was going to BM's, and as I stood on the beach I saw some "big" sets at M's. I headed there and yelled to him to come over.
It was bumpy with a light to moderate onshore breeze that was making it messy and choppy. It took some time for us to get our bearings and for a decent set to come in, but once we dialed it we had a blast. The waves were coming as long, rolling, slope-y, west-y, v-shaped walls that were doubling over the reef. Worbly and heaving but oh-so rippable.
It took me a few rides to get loose and warmed up. Initially I was stiff and my hip was bothering me. But that didn't last. I was snagging small and medium-size in-betweeners all the way to the inside of BM's (that's more than a hundred yards). Long, long rides with five or six slashes/bashes. Was having a blast. Felt like summer--the surf, that is, not the water/air temp.
I was loving it. No crowd and pretty much wave after wave.
My friend had to go in early. I stayed with the other guy. Actually he's my friend too. Soon thereafter he said he got stung by something with tentacles. I asked if it was really sore. He said no, but he's kind of a macho guy, so I wasn't sure if he just didn't want to admit. I told him if the pain was just irritating, like an itch, then it was probably a man-o-war; but if the pain was intense, like it was on fire, then it was probably a box jellyfish. He had the tentacles draped over his upper arm to his forearm. Yuck. Ouch.
So we kept surfing for another ten minutes, and he caught a wave. Next thing I know he's telling me he's going in before his "...arm stops working." Box jellyfish. No doubt. I've had friends go to the ER after getting stung by box. One had difficulty breathing after getting stung across the chest; another had a paralyzed arm. Nasty.
Tomorrow might be big. That's what I'm thinking because the swell wasn't supposed to hit until then, and we're already getting some significant size.
Posted at 7:58 PM
December 2, 2009 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Clean and smooth. Tiny. Crowded.
Exiled myself to BM's to escape the throngs. There was one other guy who had the same idea. He was on the rights, so I settled on the lefts. It was fun. Rippable knee- to waist-high bowls.
I was really awkward but I did better as the session progressed. Then everything fell apart, and I started to kook out. Very demoralizing. Shook my confidence and made me extremely frustrated.
Anyway, session ended thusly on a sour note. I'm such a kook.
Posted at 7:37 PM
December 1, 2009 (Tuesday)
Post-session
It's been dismal the previous few days. But today was fun at Regular.
Initially quite empty, and I had my usual peak to myself and scored a few good ones from the get-go. Light wind and kinda lined up and rippable but small. Then it got crowded with regulars. A tough crowd: experienced/knowledgeable, wave-savvy veterans who have good positioning and strong paddling skills. Group of eight in a tight pack. Not an easy bunch. And on the periphery, a loose collection of boogers and longie/shortie kooks.
I kept shuttling between the outside and middle areas and was having a good ol' time. Lots of slash-able creases, folds, seams, and divots. For some odd reason, the walls were longish and even the tiniest, dribble-y mush was feeling the reef nicely.
Very surprising. Beautiful, sunny day. Great day off. The TV news weather report said "string of south swells" this week. Where?
Posted at 7:56 PM