« September 2010 | Extempore | November 2010 »
October 31, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Been working a lot. No session previous two days.
Biggest it's been in two weeks (straight south). Did M's alone then was joined by a friend and some of the regulars. Overall inconsistent but some sets were at least head-high. Friend and I finished at BM's. Boring all the way around but glad to be in the water. Beautiful, sunny day with moderate trades.
Posted at 8:41 PM
October 28, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
No session yesterday. Worked all day (7:00-5:00). Got out 15 minutes early today, and raced home to grab my board. Definitely slightly bigger and less wind. Still pretty crappy. Happy to get in the water, though, even if for only an hour just before sunset.
Posted at 7:36 PM
October 26, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Wow, was expecting to work a 10-hour shift for my first day, but it was more like a half-day orientation.
Regular. Initially seemed better, with nicer conditions/form and a bit more size. But that didn't last, and it turned quite bad. Windy and sloppy.
Posted at 8:32 PM
October 25, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
Super, super, SUPER crappy at Regular. Small and windy.
Starting a new job tomorrow. I'm nervous. Ten weeks of training. Hours will be long. Definitely will be cutting into my surfing. Won't be able to get to the beach every day anymore.
Posted at 8:27 PM
October 24, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Super awful at Regular. One hour. Done.
Posted at 11:26 PM
October 23, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Junk at Regular. No further comments warranted.
Posted at 11:24 PM
October 22, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
M's alone. A-framer offered itself as an option, but it was already late afternoon, and I knew the after-work agro peeps would be invading soon. If the A looked anywhere decent, for sure we'd be attacked. So that wasn't viable. Instead I suffered at M's (missing all the best waves) and eventually finished at regular where it was packed and dismal.
Posted at 9:20 PM
October 21, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
M's with a friend. As we watched from the cars, Regular was small and crowded...but M's? There were five people and it was breaking and looked doable, which was a shock because of the lack of size. Usually it'd be way too small for M's to be cracking at all. We couldn't understand it. However, since there were already several irritants, we decided to tough it at Regular. But as we paddled and got closer, we just couldn't ignore M's. And two people went in by the time we hit the water, so it was an easy decision.
What we got was small but very lined-up knee- to waist-high walls that were highly rippable and fun. Much better than anything we suffered through yesterday. I had a blast and was completely satisfied by the somewhat weak dribblers that offered much opportunity for slashes and gouges.
Posted at 5:12 PM
October 20, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Regular with a friend. Seemed okay at first; but it was weak, inconsistent, slope-y, and boring. Crappy time.
Posted at 7:08 PM
October 19, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
A-framer with a friend. One of the regulars already out. Frustrating. Clean conditions/form, very west. Some okay ones. But inconsistent and small. Overall boring and unchallenging, but nice to catch the A since it's been a while.
Vid: Kiteboarder sets world speed record.
Posted at 6:03 PM
October 18, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
M's then Regular. Sucked. Weak and gutless. Sloppy.
Posted at 11:54 PM
October 17, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Super crappy. Looked better from the cars. Initially there were some sets, and it seemed okay. Then it turned into total junk. Crowded too. Big gap between outside and inside--no middle. Really bad. South winds tomorrow.
Posted at 11:52 PM
October 16, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Dismal time at Regular. Small and sloppy.
Posted at 10:47 PM
October 15, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
M's with a kook and later one of the regulars. At first angle was superb, although it was mostly all-shoulder. The deep bowl was breaking. Had a slow start and couldn't get warmed up. Did get some okay ones eventually. Then the sets died. Very disappointing, especially considering someone had called me earlier at work and reported the morning had been good with "three footers." Now? Small and sloppy.
Posted at 11:37 PM
October 14, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
Regular. Awful. What a difference. Morning sickness (small and incredibly sloppy). Morning crew was irksome to no end.
Posted at 7:34 PM
October 13, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
Wow, super good at Regular. Best session since T3DoS. Was considering heading to BM's initially, but decided on Regular. Good thing.
Started on the inside and got a few. Some of the regulars were snagging nice ones on the outside so decided to give it a go. Waited for a long, long time. A super nice one came directly to me, got hung up on the takeoff, had to bellyboard it and utterly wasted the ride. Big kook moment. Felt very embarrassed, as everyone was paddling out and watched the comedy.
After that, however, there was no looking back. I started scoring, big time. My board was working insanely, and I was in-tune and relaxed and loose. The waves were fat and slope-y, and many were all-shoulder with no wall, but if you got the right one you would get an awesome ride. The best ones were open-faced and lined up all the way to the ultimate inside. After I caught some jewels from the main, outside peak, I moved to the inside and began getting wave after wave, non-stop, and was having a blast. Couldn't stop smiling. Even my last one was killer. Fantastic day.
Posted at 8:01 PM
October 12, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Start at M's as friend opts for Regular. Long waits and then more consistent. One small insider was awesome. Board working great. Two others join. One goes to Regular. I follow soon thereafter. Winds turn north-y and form is clean. Snag a handful. Gets crowded, plenty regulars. Overall, crappy. Windy. Sloppy. Some potential; definitely bigger, new energy.
Posted at 7:54 PM
October 11, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
Weird. Bigger with fat, rolling, slope-y sets. Had one good ride.
Posted at 11:54 PM
October 10, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Another bad one. Slightly bigger, more wave action; but otherwise, same as yesterday. Didn't have a good ride. Progressively more crowded until quite packed considering volume of waves.
Posted at 11:51 PM
October 9, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Phew, super crappy. Worst in a while. Nothing worth catching, really. Sat on the inside, end-corner and tried to make the best of it. Rip was strong.
Posted at 10:50 PM
October 8, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Again it looked bigger. There was more wave action and slightly more size, for sure, but it was essentially just like yesterday: sloppy and gutless. I got some okay ones but didn't really have a good ride. Got super crowded. My last one in was pretty good. Heard there were 100 people yesterday evening. Sheesh.
Posted at 11:37 PM
October 7, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
Looked bigger but it sucked. Windy, sloppy, gutless.
The only people, really, who were able to catch and ride the micro slop were the longies. Sat on the end-corner and didn't get squat. Moved to the outside peak and got two "decent" dribblers, the last being my final in. And it got really crowded.
Posted at 6:44 PM
October 6, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
It looked better with more size, wave action. But in actuality, it was worse.
Started at BM's and idled there for several minutes and then saw some sets at M's and went there before catching anything. Some good ones came, but I missed all because I was out of position. Lost my patience and went to Regular.
Scored two good rides that made me happy. Had to really grovel for a last one. Kinda crowded but no one had staying power (or enough tolerance). Beautiful, hot/sunny afternoon. Water felt wonderful.
Posted at 5:42 PM
October 5, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Regular. It sure looked worse. At least it wasn't crowded.
Did the inside, end-corner. There were some fun ones. Had two awesome rides and many mediocre ones. I was surfing quite well, and my board was working insanely. It was turning fast and super smoothly on the rail. I was amazed.
It got crowded. But by then I was totally satisfied. Overall, it was better with more wave action than yesterday. New swell Fri/Sat?
Posted at 6:30 PM
October 4, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
Whoa, simply awful. Regular with a friend. Someone by the cars said it was okay. It looked doable. Best thing: two people in the water. But you know that changed. By the time we got to the beach, there were already six; when I went home, there were twenty.
But the worst part was the surf (natch). It was probably a mix of wind-driven and residual, but it seemed like pure, localized wind-swell. Haphazard, disorganized, extremely sloppy. A mishmash of random chop. If something by chance came together and formed into a double, then you might be able to ride it. After T3DoS, this was total bunk.
Posted at 11:29 PM
October 3, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Regular with a friend. End-corner on the inside looks very doable. It's empty as we get ready by the cars. Only two people out. Wow. By the time we get to the beach, there are six in the water.
It's weak and sloppy. Windy. We lose interest quickly and my friend doesn't stay long. It gets crowded, but I score some good ones before I go in. Most everyone is agreeing that The Three Days of September (T3DoS) were the best of the year, so far.
Posted at 11:21 PM
October 2, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Didn't look good. Planned on BM's but saw some sets at M's as paddling out, so I went there directly instead. First two waves were awesome. Very lined up, super long wall, good push with square-ish floor. Wow, is it better? Seemed like it. Then there were long lulls, but it was good when it came in.
Lulls got longer. Got crowded. Then some great sets came in that anchored at the back-bowl. Solid ones that barreled top-to-bottom and peeled all the way across.
A stand-up guy comes out and snags two of the best waves. His last is The Wave of the Day: big, thick peak at the back-bowl. One of the regulars is in good position, but the SUP has the right of way. Will he drop in? I think he'll do it, but at the last moment he pulls back and gives it to the SUP. The SUP barely makes the drop and tries to race the lip as it plunges, peels, and dredges behind him. The wave is perfect. Long wall that is tubing and hollow. At least four feet, Hawaii-style. The SUP is limited by the trim speed of his board, whereas a shortboarder would've been doing accelerative mini-pumps to generate velocity. The SUP falls back as the curtaining lip chews and grinds him up, blasting him off his board and out into the flats, to oblivion. What a f'ing waste. I shake my head in disgust. Quite sure everyone else feels the same. The SUP leaves. He blew it, big time.
The lulls continue, and by now I'm satisfied and bored, so I head to Regular to finish. I sit on the end-corner on the inside and catch a set-wave. A longboarder drops in on me and ruins my ride. No surprise there. Just another kook-filled weekend session.
Posted at 11:15 PM
October 1, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
M's alone then others join including a group of kook longies and girls. Still some decent sets, but it seems like two different directions, two different swells.
Try to make the best of it at my usual peak, but it's breaking all over the place and difficult to be in the right spot. Finally, one of the regulars and I dial in on the wide-bowl a bit inside, and we start scoring. Super fun. Everyone else is packed at the main back-bowl peak where there are some killer sets hitting, and that keeps them occupied and distracted enough not to come over to ruin our fun. Then it gets real crowded, but by then I'm satisfied and head in. Another awesome session.
Posted at 11:55 PM
The Three Days of September
That's what I'm calling it. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The best south swell of the year up to now and probably in recent years. One that warrants superlatives.
Posted at 5:46 PM