Ahhh! Wooo! (Dunes)

Several bunnies hopped away into the bushes as I walked down the closed park road to check the surf at Dunes. It was clean and glassy though mixed up and inconsistent. Hey, we're stuck in the summer doldrums, so I'll take it.

J-Bird and Jacob turned up as I locked my car, having found nothing better in the northern realm. I paddled out alone and caught a few closeouts, one giving me a micro-ride, before J-Bird and later Jacob joined me. The waves were breaking shallow, and on my first wipeout, my back hit the sand bottom as I somersaulted underwater. We chased peaks to the south, and many an "Ahhh!" was heard as we missed weak waves that wouldn't pick us up. Then Jacob got a few nice rides, and "Wooo!" was the word as he zipped past.

The water was colder than Sunday - only 53°F (12°C) according to the strip thermometer on the bottom of my shortboard - and I was soon cold in my leaky 4/3 Rip Curl Insulator. It's time for that suit to go to the back of the closet as a backup, just in case my Xcel's in for repairs.

The southern peak wasn't happening for me; it had a funky shape, often breaking in a wide choppy patch. We paddled back north to the first peak, where I waited for my last wave, shivering. Jacob saw a splash in the near distance - What was that? - and then several dolphins were outside of us, the closest about 25' from J-Bird. Sweet. Plus one on the surf session for dolphins.

Where's Bunny?

At last my buddies hooted me into a nice left and I made the pop-up and drop, but my frozen legs wouldn't lift me to standing from a too-low crouch. On the beach, I felt almost numb from my knees down and my arms were slush ending in ungloved popsicle hands. Doused in hot water from my jug, dried off and wrapped in my thick Surf-fur, car seat heater on max, and it still took a little while for the shivering to stop. What month is this again?!

Surfline: Weak, crumbly/bumpy windswell is showing this morning with some onshore wind. Surf quality is generally low. NW windswell is the main source for surf so expect jumbled up waist-chest zone waves at good exposures. Standouts see some plus waves/peaks to around shoulder high+, especially in the afternoon. Minor Southern hemi swell mixes in with occasional 1-2' sets. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 2.3 ft at 14.8 s WSW 61 / WIND WAVE: 8.2 ft at 9.1 s NW / WVHT: 8.5 ft / APD: 6.3 s / MWD: 322° (Met) WSPD: 19 kn / GST: 23 kn / WVHT: 8.5 ft / DPD: 9.0 s / WDIR: 320° / ATMP: 54° F / WTMP: 56° F. Tide: Just over 3' high falling slightly.