And Then I Lost My Hat

Wow, that was fun! The southern hemi delivered a nice swell, served in a warm sea under a sunny sky with just a breath of wind.

A lot of folks must have off on Fridays - or they're playing hooky - because there were already half a dozen surfers at Hennemans when I arrived mid-morning. I eyed empty Sewers to the north, but hesitated to try it for the first time given the falling tide. Perhaps no one was out because it got too shallow?

Unfortunately the crowd kept growing at Hennemans, and though I rode a couple of lefts that had just broken, I had to back off frequently for traffic. Now there were a couple people out at Sewers - a little company but not too much - so I rode left and paddled the rest of the way over.

From Sewers, I could set bigger waves rolling through at Bird Rock. The lucky few from the thick crowd were splitting A-frames that broke a foot or so overhead. On my peaks, the waves were closer to head-high, but still a lot of fun. It reminded me of Santa Cruz, sitting at Indicators or 38th Ave while watching the show over at the main peak at Steamer Lane or Pleasure Point.

I rode my first wave, a right, through two reforms and close to shore. Too close - the reef came up under my board suddenly, just a foot below, and I quickly ended the ride. The water was shallow, with boils all around. I'd have to kick out earlier next time.

More surfers kept coming, and soon there were four others at Sewers. Still I got my share of tasty waves, riding with my back to smooth green faces. Woot!

After a particularly fine wave with a sizable drop, I bobbed next to my 6'2" on the inside while the rest of the set rolled through, ducking under whitewater, before paddling back out. It was only then that I noticed my surf hat was gone. I moved toward the beach, scanning the surface, but didn't see it floating anywhere. Back in the lineup, I said, "Hey, everybody! If you happen to see a blue hat in there," pointing toward shore, "please grab it for me. I lost mine." It's telling that the three guys ignored me completely, while the girl smiled and replied, "Sure thing."

Alas, no one found it. After a while, I rode a wave straight in, searching, and walked painfully across the boulders and cobblestones that underlined the cliffs, hoping it had washed up. No luck. Ah, well, small price to pay for such a fine surf session!