Sole Surfer (38th Ave)

Yes, that's right: I surfed an in-town Santa Cruz break all by myself.

If I'd paid more attention to the tide, I would probably have gone to Cowells instead of 38th Avenue this morning for dawn patrol, since the water level was very low when I arrived. And maybe that's where everyone else went. But I didn't have time to waste driving to the Westside.

Morning glass

Although another woman joined me for about fifteen minutes and a couple guys showed up just before my last wave in, I was otherwise alone. Just me, an otter and a shy but curious sea lion. The lulls between inconsistent sets were long, but then a series of chest-high rollers were mine for the taking. Sometimes I could catch the first set wave and make it back out in time to get another before the next lull began. When the sea wall construction paused briefly, I closed my eyes and enjoyed a peaceful moment, bobbing gently on a glassy ocean, a faint breeze brushing my cheeks.

Surfline: Glassy, inconsistent lines working through this morning. SW (200-215) groundswell holds early, then begins to ease, with the largest surf on tap early. Better breaks are good for knee-waist-chest high waves, as top spots pull in some occasional shoulder-head high sets. Conditions remain fairly clean early on thanks to light wind. Buoy 46012: NW 4.3 ft @ 8.3 sec.