Tears Into the Sea (HMB Jetty)

Today friends and family of Beth came together to remember her at the Jetty in Half Moon Bay, the first and last place she ever surfed.

The Jetty is also where she caught her best wave ever, a happy memory Jacob recounted with me and J-Bird when we were all gathered in front of her purple Petty surfboard. After sharing stories of Beth on the beach with those who wished to remain dry, twenty of us paddled out past the small waves to honor her in traditional surfer style. 

It was difficult to maintain our circle as rollers swept through the chop, unbalancing several who had minimal or no previous experience at sitting on a sufboard. A few more memories were shared, and John read a Hawaiian farewell. We all splashed the ocean and tossed our leis and loose flowers into the center, calling "Aloha, Beth!"

Invoking her favorite word, Luke exhorted us to go catch an epic wave for Beth. That seemed a tall order given the marginal conditions, with a light onshore breeze and small choppy waves, but surf coaching is continuing to pay off. I noticed for the first time that while many of the others were largely stationary, I was actively moving around as I tried to predict the best entry point on incoming shifty waves at the beach break. My judgment wasn't always correct and sometimes I couldn't get to where I wanted to be, but it paid off with a few nice rides, including a good left I called in honor of Beth. And Dugen claimed an epic pearl!

Aloha nui loa, Beth.

Surfline: Continued onshore flow out of the WSW keeps most spots textured this afternoon, although select protected areas stay cleaner. Waves run knee-chest high thanks to S and SW Southern Hemi energy and some holding NW windswell. A 5'+ high tide tops out just before 4pm. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 3.9 ft at 7.7 s NW 67 / WIND WAVE: 1.0 ft at 3.6 s WNW / WVHT: 4.3 ft / APD: 6.4 s / MWD: 326° (Met) WSPD: 4 kts / GST: 4 kts / WVHT: 4.3 ft / DPD: 8.0 s / WDIR: 180° / ATMP: 56.5° F / WTMP: 55.8° F. Tide: 4.5' falling to 4'.