My Backyard

Today there are waves! This video shows Pacific Beach, from Tourmaline Surfing Park nestled next to La Jolla all the way down to Crystal Pier at the center of town. I took it while standing on the grassy bluff near Law Street.

I waited for the tide to drop from high before paddling out at Tourmaline, this time with a more appropriate fish. Sad to say, I'm not fit to charge the bigger breaks at the moment* and had to turn down a tempting offer of Swami's from Ian. Serendipitously, Allison texted that she would be at Tourmo a bit later, riding her 10-foot "beluga" longboard. The breaks were packed despite it being the middle of a workday (don't these people have jobs?!) and we never did find each other, a task made more difficult by a strong current sucking south. Back issues kept my session under an hour, but I got into a few fun waves. The last was best, with a fast shoulder-high drop and short left shoulder before I turned against the section and rode the whitewater in. Stoked!

*Long-time readers will remember that I hurt my back in a bad wipeout in July '06, and have never fully recovered. After yet another futile round of physical therapy, I put my trust in one more specialist last month. He injected cortisone into my facet joints which, contrary to expectations, made my back pain worse. Fortunately, the effects are temporary, and - fingers crossed - I'll return to my old normal within a few months. For now, my back feels weak at times, and I can't endure paddling for long. I overdid it last week at Del Mar with a 2-hour session and have been paying the price.