It wasn't yesterday. I'd probably set my expectations too high. More crowd, more wind, and the waves weren't as good (or I wasn't).
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| "Swimming Only" |
I would've liked to surf an empty peak just south of the pier, but a large section was already marked "swimming only" and two surfers were being scolded via loudspeaker to move to the other side of the pier or paddle way south. So I took a little hike on the beach to get past the yellow and black checkered flag to the surf zone. I passed a lifeguard who was placing cones and asked if anyone every swam there at this time of year. "Uh... sometimes," he muttered. I said it didn't make much sense to forbid surfing in such a wide swath for nonexistent swimmers. He merely smiled and walked on. Now I'm curious to find out who's responsible for that silly rule, and if it could be challenged.
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| Please join the crowd on the left |
I had to work for my waves today. There was a strong current pulling south and if I let it take me past the Banana Bungalow, a rip current sucked me toward the horizon. The constant paddling was tiring, but my back was up to it. I think I'm ready for the distant reefs of Sunset Cliffs again, and looking for the next swell that will make the long paddle worthwhile.
While none of my rides came close to yesterday's stokeful ones, there were fun times before the wind picked up too much. As usual, Nemo's clownfish paint scheme drew compliments. But he also left the water with a small scratch on his orange nose. I'd just finished a ride and was about to slide back onto my board when a woman surfed left toward me. She would've been fine if she'd kept going down the line, but she tried to cut back, fell, and kicked her board right at me. I put up my left arm to deflect her board which knocked the back of my hand gently, but a fin must've scraped lightly across the deck on Nemo's nose. The thin white line is smack in my field of view when paddling, so I'd like to cover it. Hmm, what's a good sticker for a clownfish?
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