Surfing In the New Year (HMB Jetty)

There's no better way to start the day - or the year - than in the ocean. Although fireworks briefly woke me, I skipped the New Year's Eve midnight celebration to be fresh for a morning surf on the first day of 2012. I must be getting old because I'd much rather surf than party and sleep in, hungover or not.

There were only two guys out when I arrived at the Jetty, a longboarder and a shortboarder, but a handful of others of both flavors joined us later.

The waves were jumbled and mostly closed out away from the main peak, and many rides were pretty much just drops.

My best wave was a left stolen from inside of the pack on the main peak, when I found myself lined up at just the right spot and a little voice in my head shouted, "turn and go - now!" A few strokes and I had it, swooping into an almost head-high frontside drop. The wave didn't close out immediately, giving me a quick shoulder before it sectioned and I turned right, riding whitewater away from the exposed rocks and in close to the beach. Woot!

That nice left was soon followed by a right nearly as big that did close out immediately. I made the drop and almost rode it out but my new 6'2" Rocket requires a precision of more subtle movement and finer control that I haven't mastered yet. Fortunately, in less than two weeks, Scott and I - and Rocket, despite the exorbitant airline fees - will be at Holly Beck's surf retreat on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, where I'll have plenty of time to practice in 82°F (28°C) water. Yeah!

Coastside winter flowers

Happy New Year! Wishing you all good waves in 2012.

Surfline: Solid WNW (280-300) swell slowly eases as small SW (190-210) trickles in at exposed areas. Decent-sized head high+ to overhead+ surf continues, while top breaks still hit that double overhead mark on occasion. Smooth, clean conditions thanks to offshore ENE wind. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 6.9 ft at 12.9 s WNW 01 / WIND WAVE: 1.6 ft at 3.6 s ENE / WVHT: 7.2 ft / APD: 7.8 s / MWD: 292° (Met) WSPD: 4 kts / GST: 6 kts / WVHT: 7.2 ft / DPD: 13.0 s / WDIR: 140° / ATMP: 54.5° F / WTMP: 53.2° F. Tide: Less than 3' falling to 2'.