A Rare Treat (HMB Jetty)

A power outage this morning caused my company to shut down and free us from our cubicles for the day. While I'm saddened by the cause (a nearby fatal small plane crash), I appreciated the opportunity for a rare surf session in the middle of a work day. Even better, it was sunny, warm, and almost windless, so I shed rubber down to a 4/3.

Nikki said she'd be there but I arrived a bit late and had to try to find her in the water. About a dozen surfers were clustered at the main peak near the Jetty, with a few that didn't look like her scattered farther down the beach. I got denied trying to get out at the main with my 8'3" - I almost made it to the lineup, but then a bigger outside closeout tumbled me ass-over-teakettle nearly back to the beach, exhausted and gasping from the holddown.

 

Anyway it looked better on another peak (really!), farther south and sans crowd, with the bonus of a little rip to help me out. Still, I was only successful getting through the whitewater twice. At beach breaks on shorter period, bigger swell days like today, I think I'm going to have to leave the Magic at home and take out a shorter board. It's too big to duck-dive and turtle-rolling, while mildly helpful, sends obscene amounts of water up my nose, plus I can't get back on board in time to make much headway before the next wave comes.

Still, the times I did get out were well worth the effort. I caught a couple of long, sweet lefts almost to the beach. So much better than being in the office! 

Surfline: 5-6 ft. Light and variable north winds with smooth seas. Mid-period WNW swell is mixing with a small SW swell today. Well exposed spots are mainly around head high with some overhead sets. Buoy 46012: 8.2 ft @ 12.5 sec.