Do-Over (Sharks and East)

This morning was a do-over of Monday's miserable session. With winds tearing up the San Mateo County coast, I headed south to sheltered Santa Cruz as I should've done earlier in the week, reaching the beach just before dawn and shivering in 37°F/2.8°C air. I'd debated whether to bring my 7'0" Emm or even 8'3" Magic, but if I don't keep working on 6'2" Rocket, I won't progress as a shortboarder. And from the forecast, it looks like it'll be a longboard weekend anyway.

No matter how early I arrive, I can never beat the surfers who paddle out in the dark, and there was already a tight six-pack of them at the Hook. I had Sharks to myself for a time, but alas, it had been so long since I'd ridden a wave that I was kooking it up. When a couple other shortboarders paddled to my spot, I headed east a bit to knock the rust off out of anyone's way.

The wave on the next peak over was soft and smaller, but I had better luck there. Most of the rides were whitewatery and short as the waves petered out over deeper water, but I got my mojo back. A few weeks ago I bought the 110% Surfing Techniques Volume 1 DVD, and it had a good tip for maintaining speed on a wave: move the back foot forward, then the front foot. I had an "oh, duh!" moment when I heard that because it seems so obvious in hindsight, but that's not what I'd been doing. Today gave me a good chance to practice, and I was pleasantly surprised when it paid off with crossing the flats and riding a wave into a reform. Small victory, but woot!

Paddling back toward the stairs to head for work, I detoured slightly to pass by a sea otter, hoping for a photo of the shy creature. A small bundle of matted fur, like a medium-sized teddy bear, was floating nearby. As I got close, mama otter popped up from foraging on the reef, grabbed the dead baby to her chest, and back-paddled a distance away from me. Sad.

Inside of the little crowd at Sharks, I caught a small green wave to shore. Out of the (relatively) warm water and into the cold air, I smiled and shivered as I walked back on the beach. Well worth getting up at 4:30 for another beautiful morning surf in Santa Cruz!

Surfline: A primary/easing NW groundswell/windswell mix is joined by a secondary/easing SSW swell. Surf continues to hang mainly within the 2-4' zone throughout the region, while the standout spots produce occasional shoulder-head high waves/peaks. Conditions are clean with calm/light wind. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 8.5 ft at 13.8 s NW 29 / WIND WAVE: 6.6 ft at 8.3 s NW / WVHT: 10.8 ft / APD: 7.6 s / MWD: 306° (Met) WSPD: 19 kn / GST: 25 kn / WVHT: 10.8 ft / DPD: 14.0 s / WDIR: 330° / ATMP: 48° F / WTMP: 51° F . Tide: 2' rising to 3.5'.