« May 2010 | Extempore | July 2010 »
June 30, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Regular. End-corner bowl again to stay out of everyone's way since I'm a gimp right now, although the hip is feeling much better. However, I'm still very tentative and cautious when getting to my feet.
Not too crowded. Just like yesterday, some fun ones right away then nothing, zilch, zip. Got pretty dismal for me. Sloppy and gutless at the end and actually very bad just before I went in.
Posted at 7:48 PM
June 29, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Regular with a friend. Did the end-corner bowl. My hip is improving, but standing is still difficult, and I was struggling. I was getting some fun ones for a while then it got quite bad near end of the session. Got crowded too. Waited forever for a last one in.
Posted at 11:41 PM
June 28, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
With some friends at BM's. Smaller and junk, but they were catching lots of waves and seemed to be having some fun; whereas I was hobbled and handicapped and barely snagged anything. I was thankful to be able to get in the water and ride some waves, but my hip/leg is really bothering me. Very painful and difficult to stand on the takeoff.
Posted at 6:38 PM
June 27, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Smaller but better form/conditions. Crowded. Lots of standups at Regular.
Did M's alone. Ate it on the takeoff in a bizarre mishap on the wave of the day. Got new boardshorts that are longer than the ones I usually wear. As I was going to stand, the shorts caught on the knee of my front leg binding/locking my leg in place, preventing me from getting to my feet, and I had to bail my board, tumbling and skipping head-first down the face and into the trough where the lip dutifully pummeled me into oblivion. Must've been comical.
Anyway that injured my arthritic hip, and I couldn't really continue surfing as a result of the pain. Now my hip is f'ed up. That really pisses me off.
Posted at 11:34 PM
June 26, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
M's with two friends. Slightly smaller but still fun. Some long, lined-up walls from the back-bowl.
Posted at 11:45 PM
June 25, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Started at M's solo then two friends joined. Not too good initially but the back-bowl started revving with some really nice ones. That lasted for about an hour then backed off when I was ready to head in. Overall, fun day. Best in a while.
Posted at 11:19 PM
June 24, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
Oddly it's smaller not bigger. Friend earlier in the day said it was good in the morning.
Did Regular in the afternoon after work. Windy and sloppy. Started at M's. The inside of Regular was pretty good for a while.
Posted at 7:59 PM
June 23, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Worst session in a long time. Fell on my first one, then waited forever and managed to snag the Wave of the Day and blew it on the take off by pearling.
Feeling beat. Lots of current and non-stop paddling. Strong wind just killed my eyes.
Posted at 7:47 PM
June 22, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Much bigger. Supposed to get new energy on Thursday. Is it gonna be bombing?
Did M's alone then finished at Regular. Some fun ones but not enough. Sloppy and puffy. New board works great. Love. It.
Posted at 8:12 PM
June 21, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
Frustrating time at Regular. Bigger, windy, sloppy, gutless. Groveling.
Posted at 11:29 PM
June 20, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
M's alone. Awful.
Posted at 11:43 PM
June 19, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Really dismal. Marvel (read: laugh) at this: M's, BM's, M's, BM's, finish at Regular. Talk about wandering aimlessly. And it took me at least half an hour for my last one. Argh!!!
Posted at 11:09 PM
June 18, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Started at Regular with a friend. Couldn't tolerate the crowd and kooks, so moseyed to M's first then BM's to finish in sweet solitude.
Couldn't believe we were denied that goal in the World Cup. Ref must've been on crack.
Posted at 10:16 PM
June 17, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
Quick one at M's alone before all-day meeting at work. Junk except for my last one. That ride made my day. Showed me how easily my new board can climb the whitewater. Felt good.
Posted at 7:27 PM
June 16, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Started at BM's solo then went to M's and a friend joined. We both stayed for a bit and went back to BM's. Then we both returned to M's then finished at Regular. Beautiful, sunny, warm day. Waves sucked.
Posted at 8:09 PM
June 15, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Regular with a friend. Crowded. Went solo to M's then BM's to finish.
Really dismal, and the only thing that made it at all tolerable and somewhat interesting was that I was using my new board. Yep, had to take it out. It's been curing long enough, which is obvious because there were no pressures on the deck afterward. Anyway, it's a K3. Same model I've been riding for several years now. The only difference is I went down to 5' 10".
Posted at 7:24 PM
June 14, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
Quite bad. Did M's then BM's alone. Regular looked best but was crowded.
So was planning to use my new board today because of what happened yesterday; but I took the damaged one to the surf shop next door as soon as I got home from the beach, and they did an awesome repair on it while I was at work. Came home in the evening and my board was waiting in my apartment, and i used it today. Ah, yes, it's definitely convenient and beneficial to have a surf shop as a neighbor.
Posted at 11:58 PM
June 13, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
M's alone. Smaller but doable. Very choppy with lowish tide rising quickly. Satisfied.
So I'm not superstitious, and I always scoff at so-called Old Wives' Tales, but it's said that bad things happen in threes. Let's see... there was the crash-into-the-humongous-completely-avoidable-rocks comedy; then there was the recent cosmetic-nose-alteration incident; and today there was the slip-on-the-simple-foot-path debacle. The same trail I take to the beach from the car and back every day. On the way up after surfing, lost my footing and took a tumble. Really cut up my foot and put a big gash into the rail of my board. In a rush to get to work and that delayed me even more.
Posted at 11:09 AM
June 12, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Much bigger with pretty much the same conditions/form. With a friend at M's (we were burnt from doing Regular all week). Overall fun but very slope-y.
Posted at 11:48 PM
June 11, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Definitely bigger. M's with a friend. Very high tide and slope-y. Just when you think it's going to jack and pitch it would just flatten and drop. Pretty meager overall.
It's exactly on such days (small, weak, boring, unchallenging) when you tend to get hurt. To wit, I was ducking under a bigger set that broke outside. Routine stuff. No problem. But as the whitewater passed over me, the turbulence slammed my board into and upward across my face. Thought I broke my nose. Kept feeling for misshapen bone, or something. Seemed fine. Whew, that was a relief.
But as I kept touching, I noticed an odd indentation, or channel, like a gouge, in my skin. There was no blood. Called my friend over. He looked at it then started laughing. Said there was a big swath of skin missing, like someone took a peeler to my nose. Apparently as the board was pressed against and moved over my nose, the wax on the board acted like an abrasive and essentially sanded off the top layer of skin. Cool. Looking freaky is surely my forte.
After my friend went in, and I was waiting for a last one, one of the regulars joined. He stayed for a bit then went to Regular. Alone again, naturally. Kept waiting and struggling and finally caved and went to Regular, caught a dribbler and called it.
Posted at 10:15 PM
June 10, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
Much bigger with the same conditions/form. Very slope-y. Surfed way inside. Had some fun ones, especially just before I went in. And that's when it got crowded (everyone's hungry).
Noticeable increase in energy. We'll definitely be getting a new swell tomorrow, as predicted.
Posted at 7:41 PM
June 9, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Smaller and super crappy. Started promising, but it quickly fell apart because of the fat high tide and strong trades. Injury to insult: belly-boarding in, I crashed into and washed up onto the big platform of rocks on the beach. Luckily my board escaped without damage; I sliced my foot in a few places.
The rocks are a very visible and obvious hazard. As I approached, I started to slowly turn my board to veer to the side, but the whitewater had me locked in. I couldn't break loose and got pushed up over the rocks due to all the water from the tide. Then, the force of the escaping water sucked me down and held me in place as it subsided. Had a difficult time getting free. The surface is not continuous or flat but is riddled with holes and pockets. Couldn't get a firm footing.
I was surprised by the strength of the water. Seriously, we're talking kiddie situation. Imagine getting in trouble on a treacherous coastline in heaving seas. I've experienced it at Spitting Cave, but that pretty much matches was you'd expect.
Anyway if you knew the location where this happened, you'd be laughing by now. The beach is long and the rocks are prominent and easily avoided. And to be jostled and tossed about by the action of the water washing up on the beach...well that's just stupid.
Posted at 7:29 PM
June 8, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
As we watched from the cars, one of the regulars, a former local pro, was catching wave after wave on the inside, end-corner at Regular, which is where my friend and I love to park on days like this (small, windy, sloppy, high tide). It looked fun.
Of course when we gave it a shot, we weren't so fortunate. It was okay initially; but soon it disintegrated and deteriorated. We couldn't find anything. And I'd say we're well versed and seasoned at finding our way under precisely these kinds of conditions/form at this exact location. Very, very frustrating.
My friend gave up after less than an hour. I stayed and persevered. Didn't fare any better and had nothing to show except sore and burning eyes and tired shoulders. Lots of paddling and exercise, not much surfing.
Posted at 8:01 PM
June 7, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
BM's alone. About the same. Small but somewhat doable.
Sitting and waiting quietly between sets, in solitude. Truly a time for reflection. A chance to look back, be appreciative, be thankful. It's been said that at least you know you're alive when you feel genuinely human, that is, vulnerable. A question that constantly presents itself is, "If life is what you make of it, then what shall i?"
Posted at 11:14 PM
June 6, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
BM's looked pretty good. Consistent and doable. But there were some guys there already, so I'd have to "share," or rather intrude on their party.
Right off caught a fun one. Then it just worsened with the conditions/form and frequency degrading gradually. After a short time, the others went in and it was just me. Didn't stay long, though. Beautiful day and the water felt great.
In the afternoon, we did a hike to the top of Diamond Head. Our final activity before my son returns home. We all had fun. Then a nice big dinner, and this evening off to the airport for a sad farewell.
Posted at 10:48 PM
June 5, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
BM's alone in the morning then Regular with my son. Earlier was promising, and so we had positive expectations, but instead the afternoon was dismal (packed and small).
Posted at 10:27 PM
June 4, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Worse. Really, really bad. Caught one wave right away, and then waited half an hour bobbing around. Went flat, super long lull. Light to moderate trades. Not crowded. Heard it got better (but packed) after I left (natch).
I found this extremely interesting (guess why): "Happiness May Come With Age, Study Says."
Posted at 9:25 PM
June 3, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
New energy? Negative. Smaller? Yes. Crowded. Check. Fun? Nope.
Posted at 9:14 PM
June 2, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Overall, not bad at all. The high tide and gusty trades were making it mushy and fat with some rolling swells that were frequently difficult to catch because they were so slope-y. But if you got one that combined optimally with another to create a double over the reef, then you had something, indeed.
Did Regular and it was crowded. Stayed on the inside, end-corner and snagged what I could. Seemed to be getting more consistent with bigger sets just before I went in. It's definitely been about the same size all week in the aftermath of the supposed swell we had during the weekend. Steady energy (read: height) without much loss or decline, which is good. Today, though, had to be some fresh stuff showing itself.
Posted at 8:07 PM
June 1, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Solo fun -- again -- at M's. I could tell from the car that M's was good. The waves were smaller generally, and although it was breaking primarily on the inside, I could see that most were carrying far all the way through to the coral heads near the channel, which is unusual, especially given the increased volume of water over the reef due to the higher tide level. The smallish bowls were forming up and making rippable sections in areas where almost always under similar conditions they'd flatten and die. The rides, I was imagining, were long and sustainable.
My friend wouldn't have it. Nope. So we started at Regular. I didn't give it much of a chance. When some local pros materialized, I knew it was time to escape. Headed to M's where it was empty. The reward was worth it, and I had some very satisfying romps in the mush and windy/choppy/sloppy pockets. I started slow, but once I dialed in it was a semi-consistent, stress-free experience.
Eventually the tide made it too sloppy and soft. One guy joined, and I was done. Good time, for sure, and completely satisfying. Unexpected and pleasant.
Posted at 8:27 PM