Here Be Waves (Kelly Ave)

It was supposed to be nearly flat today. From the forecasts and reports, I was expecting weak knee- to waist-high waves. Still, since the winds were light, I thought I'd check some of the exposed beaches. In fact, Kelly was offering punchy and not quite head-high waves periodically.

Sadly, there was this backwashy thing going on; probably the tide was too high (3' rising to 4') for the available swell. Far too often, I'd see a wave start to wall up nicely, but then a fast-moving backwash would run past me from the shore to meet up with the wave and sap its form and energy. Or I'd catch a wave, pop up and then watch it merge with the backwash into an unsurfable mound.

I did get one nice left though - it was fast and fun! And for my last wave in, I caught a right, popped up and wiped out spectacularly, tumbling ass-over-teakettle nearly to the beach. I exited the shorepound coated in sand, like a cold wet serving of shake-n-bake, but with a smile.

Surfline: Small again this morning as NW windswell combines with weak S/SW energy. Most areas see inconsistent knee-waist high surf, while top breaks occasionally go bigger. It's generally rideable out there, just not all that great. Light wind, overcast skies. Buoy 46012: S 3.9 ft @ 11.4 sec, NNW 3.9 ft @ 7.7 sec.