Stepping Back (Dunes)

Sometimes I get discouraged that I'm not making progress as a surfer (or lately, that I'm going backwards). Then I remember the advice of my old surfing buddy, to step back to a longer board, on which to get more waves and replenish stoke.

And so it was today when I left 6'2" Rocket at home and took out 7'0" Emm, hoping for a high-wave count session. That didn't happen, but I got a couple good rides to bookend a batch of nothing-to-write-abouts, and enjoyed a beautiful warm sunny morning on the water with my buddy Luke.

My first wave was the best, a nice shoulder-high right with a face that held up for a bit and took me downshore.

My last wave was next best, a chest-high right I rode in with Luke behind me. It was a great way to close out the session.

Surfline: Offshore flow and leftover NW (280-320) wind and groundswell mix prevails this morning. Better breaks are in the waist-chest high range, while top spots pull in a few sets running shoulder-head high. Shape is a bit fat for a lot of spots as the tide comes off a deep high tide that peaked just before sunrise. Look for some improvement with the dropping tide. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 6.2 ft at 9.1 s NW 21 / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 3.7 s WNW / WVHT: 6.2 ft / APD: 7.3 s / MWD: 321° (Met) WSPD: 8 kn / GST: 10 kn / WVHT: 6.2 ft / DPD: 9.0 s / WDIR: 330° / ATMP: 50° F / WTMP: 49° F. Tide: 3.5' falling to 1.'