Today was also Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate than by jumping in the ocean? I intended to surf at 38th Ave...
...but I didn't like the look of the bottom of the stairs, which are covered in slippery algae and were being smashed by waves already with the tide still rising on its way to a 4' high around 7pm. I went down the Hook stairs instead, and walked east on the beach a bit to go out at Sharks.
Unlike the Hook, the crowd at Sharks was light, and populated by surfers who, for whatever reason (inexperience? busy chatting with a buddy?) were letting good waves go unridden. Ah, well, more for me! I was paddling back up to the lineup after a long ride when I saw one of those waves incoming, thought "why isn't anyone going for this?!" and turned around quickly to catch it myself. I got a lot of fun, and often long, rides. Stoked!
I wish I'd strapped on my waterproof camera, because the local wildlife was out in force on Earth Day. I was able to get within 6 feet of an otter for several minutes, and watch as she floated on her back, crunching on her dinner. Later I paddled near a young seal or seal lion (darn, forgot to check for ears), who turned a wide suspicious eye to look at me before diving out of sight.
Surfline: WNW-NW wind and groundswell mix slowly eases this afternoon as minor SSW swell continues to mix in. Better breaks are good for waist-shoulder high surf as well exposed NW spots pull in some head high to overhead+ sets. Light WSW winds are putting some bump/texture to the surface at most breaks but aren't affecting overall conditions too much. Buoy 46012: 14.4 ft @ 12.5 sec.
How great. Otters are so cute the way they eat their dinner. Can't believe the difference in the crowd either - but sometimes you can get lucky with a laid back crew and it makes all the difference.
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