Bittersweet (HMB Jetty)

Fun backwashy waves under crisp sunny skies this morning at the Jetty. But I couldn't help feeling a little melancholy and pre-nostalgic. This was the last surf at my home break, and the last surf with my buddies, before the big move south. And also the last surf of 2012.

Luke, J-Bird and Marcia getting ready to paddle out

Waiting for waves

KOOK

Jacob pondering the meaning of life, the universe and everything

Surfline: Overlapping WNW swells are in the water today. Surf is a little slow this morning with the new swell filling in and a rising high tide. Still, better spots are in the head high range with standouts going a couple feet+ overhead on sets. Winds are light offshore and surface conditions clean. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 5.9 ft at 19.0 s NW / WIND WAVE: 1.0 ft at 3.8 s WNW 117 / WVHT: 5.9 ft / APD: 7.9 s / MWD: 317° (Met) WSPD: 6 kn / GST: 8 kn / WVHT: 6.2 ft / DPD: 19.0 s / WDIR: 80° / ATMP: 51° F / WTMP: 53° F. Tide: 5' rising slightly to high.

Christmas Waves (Dunes/HMB Jetty)

Santa brought me a San Diego surf map and fun Christmas waves wrapped in sea foam and decorated with raindrops.

Marcia and her Christmas present

Marcia and Ian looking for waves

After seeing that there was not much going on at the Jetty, I met Marcia and Ian at Dunes. Ian had forgotten to load his surfboard but luckily Marcia had an extra one. The waves looked better from the beach - but at least we had it all to ourselves. I'd brought Nemo, not the best board choice as it turned out, so didn't bother to paddle to the outside where head-high+ waves were pitching mostly close-outs. Instead I sat inside and tried for mushy reforms that were surprisingly elusive. At last I caught the remains of an outside bomb that gave me a great ride. I hooted when I made the backside drop and swished into turns on the face as it reformed again and took me close to the beach.

In the shallows, threatening near head-high shore pound blocked my path back out. I decided to say goodbye to Dunes and return to the Jetty, which I expected would have gotten better on the falling tide. Marcia and Ian soon joined me.

There was a little crowd out the at the Jetty, from no one when I'd first checked it, but the waves had indeed improved although they were rather mixed up. We all got some fun rides there, though none of mine matched the hard-earned gem at Dunes. Stoked!

Surfline: Winds are light between storms this morning, but conditions remain a little jumbled up. Swell-wise we have fading/leftover WNW-NW swell and some modest/building new SW (200-210) groundswell on offer. Better exposed breaks are running shoulder to head high+, with some larger sets for top exposed spots running overhead+. Less tide helps. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 5.6 ft at 10.8 s W 115 / WIND WAVE: 2.0 ft at 3.2 s SE 114 / WVHT: 5.9 ft / APD: 7.2 s / MWD: 273° (Met) WSPD: 19 kn / GST: 23 kn / WVHT: 5.9 ft / DPD: 11.0 s / WDIR: 150° / ATMP: 53° F / WTMP: 55° F. Tide: 4' falling to 2'.

Venetian Church of Surf (Venice)

Good sermon this morning at the Church of Surf. J-Bird, Jacob (for the first time since his unfortunate trampoline accident in October), Chris the Red, and Marcia joined me in the otherwise empty pews. It was such a beautiful summery day, you'd think more people would've attended, but that meant plenty of waves for just us. Stoked!

Surfline: NW windswell shows this morning as small SW Southern Hemi swell blends in. Expect waves to waist-chest-shoulder high with larger sets possible as the tide continues to drop through the morning. Smooth, glassy conditions thanks to light wind. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 10.8 ft at 10.0 s NW 110 / WIND WAVE: 3.3 ft at 5.6 s NW / WVHT: 11.5 ft / APD: 8.0 s / MWD: 320 (Met) WSPD: 12 kn / GST: 14 kn / WVHT: 11.5 ft / DPD: 10.0 s / WDIR: 340° / ATMP: 57° F / WTMP: 58° F. Tide: Less that 3' falling to 1'.

Off (HMB Jetty)

It wasn't yesterday. But: I got a few decent rides. Darren said Luke and I should've won an award for synchronized paddling (neither of us got the wave). And the beautiful summerish weather continues.

Surfline: Clean, fun surf on offer as West-WNW (270-310) swell eases through the day. Better exposed breaks continue to offer chest-shoulder-head high+ surf, as top spots pull in some 1-2' overhead sets. A deep 6' high tide topping out just before report time is slowing most of the region down substantially. Look for improving conditions through the morning as the tide backs out. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 5.3 ft at 11.4 s W 107 / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 3.8 s NW / WVHT: 5.6 ft / APD: 6.8 s / MWD: 278° (Met) WSPD: 4 kn / GST: 6 kn / WVHT: 5.6 ft / DPD: 11.0 s / ATMP: 56° F / WTMP: 56° F. Tide: 3.5' falling to 2.5'.

Blue Friday (Dunes)

Much better than shopping. Luke and I had a great surf (and credit to him for the post title). Stoked!

Surfline: Clean, fun surf on offer as West-WNW (270-310) swell eases through the day. Better exposed breaks continue to offer chest-shoulder-head high+ surf, as top spots pull in some 1-2' overhead sets. Look for improving conditions through the morning as the tide backs out. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 4.9 ft at 11.4 s WNW 106 / 4.6 ft at 14.8 s SW / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 3.7 s NW / WVHT: 4.9 ft / APD: 6.5 s (Met) WSPD: 6 kn / GST: 8 kn / WVHT: 4.9 ft / DPD: 11.0 s / ATMP: 55° F / WTMP: 56° F. Tide: 4' falling to 2.5'.

Wavefest (Venice)

A veritable wavefest today! It was smaller than yesterday, about chest high, and almost windless. Although Luke and I weren't alone, the other two guys kept their distance and there were peaks for everyone. I lost track of how many waves I rode on Rocket. Best session in a long while!

My buddy and I shared a couple of waves. On a sectiony one, I was behind him going right. A few minutes later, we split a peak, each riding on our frontside. He said the right closed out on him but the left offered me a fun shoulder to play on. Between sets, we had a nice chat about dopamine, inconsistent rewards, and other aspects of being a surf addict.

This dude warmed up the waves for us, then left

Duty called and Luke went in after about an hour, but I stayed a bit longer, not wanting the fun to end although the tide was rising near a king high. We'd moved south on purpose, so he had a little walk on the beach back to the parking lot. After another right, I decided to shorten my walk by riding a left some of that distance. I caught another playful one and rode shoreward, forgetting to pull out before it reformed as shorepound. I bailed last minute and took a light board-slap to the chin, but it couldn't wipe the stoked smile off of my face. Soooo much fun!!

Stoked Surfergrrrl (photo by Luke)

Surfline: Easing WNW swell and minor/background SSW swell combine today for 2-3 occ. 4' surf at better breaks of the region. Winds are light once again and conditions clean for the dawn patrol but expect a little more onshore flow this afternoon. Big high tide has things pretty swamped out and slow through the morning though. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 2.0 ft at 10.0 s W 103 / WIND WAVE: 1.6 ft at 3.1 s E / WVHT: 2.6 ft / APD: 4.5 s / MWD: 277° (Met) WSPD: 10 kn / GST: 14 kn / WVHT: 2.6 ft / DPD: 10.0 s / ATMP: 57° F / WTMP: 55° F. Tide: 5' rising to 6'.

King Tide (Venice)

Fun short session with Luke this morning approaching a high king tide. I was pleased to make so many waves despite a strong offshore since I've had trouble with that in the past. The breeze was a bit northerly so taking off left was like a getting a garden hose to the face - the spray was blinding - so mostly I went right on Rocket. A couple of the shoulder-high+ waves offered some face, and one in particular had me zooming past Luke paddling back from the inside. Yeah!

I was so not looking at the sign when I took this! But we didn't go in the creek.

Fleeting rainbows appeared in the spray as waves crested. It was just me and my friend and a flock of birds, with not another soul in sight on the water or the beach. Can't beat starting the day like that!

Surfline: Another morning with great conditions and offshore winds. Surf pretty much remains the same as the last few days, primary WNW swell and minor SSW swell being slowed by a big mid morning high tide. Still, waist high waves are pretty common while standout spots hit the chest-shoulder high range on sets. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 3.0 ft at 12.1 s W 102 / WIND WAVE: 2.0 ft at 3.3 s E / WVHT: 3.6 ft / APD: 5.4 s / MWD: 279° (Met) WSPD: 14 kn / GST: 16 kn / WVHT: 3.6 ft / DPD: 12.0 s / ATMP: 56° F / WTMP: 54° F. Tide: 5' rising to 6.5'.

Reluctant Rocket (HMB Jetty)

Rocket was reluctant to leave the board bag this morning. Very reluctant. After tugging and shaking, twisting and pulling for several minutes, I'd only dislodged my board a few inches. The bag is a tight fit, and I assume the warm weather melted the wax just enough to get Rocket stuck inside. I gave up and asked a nearby surfer boy to help out. With him pulling the board and me hanging onto the bag, we finally got Rocket free to surf.

Perhaps I should have taken Rocket's reluctance as a sign. The warbly waves were mostly closed out, head-high to a bit over on the sets and punchy. I spent an unfortunate amount of time getting rolled. I'd told the friend of Rocket-Freer where the submerged rocks are before we paddled out, and I found one of them with my knee during a particularly thorough thrashing. For my trouble I got one decent bouncy left. It was a smaller wave, about chest high, but I was happy to have a shoulder to play on, however briefly. When I was ready to come in, I caught another left that sectioned right away but let me ride a little before dropping me in the heavy slosh near the riprap wall.

Still, the weather was beautiful! So no complaints. Any day surfing is a good day.

Late fall bloom

Surfline: Strong, reinforcing pulse of WNW (270-310) swell joins continued/solid NW-WNW (290-310) energy this morning. Better breaks are running head high+ to double overhead range while standout exposures pull in some solidly double overhead+ sets. Challenging but good surf. Setting up to be another classic Fall day. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 6.9 ft at 13.8 s WNW 99 / WIND WAVE: 1.0 ft at 3.1 s ENE / WVHT: 6.9 ft / APD: 9.2 s / MWD: 288° (Met) WSPD: 8 kn / GST: 10 kn / WVHT: 7.6 ft / DPD: 14.0 s / ATMP: 62° F / WTMP: 58° F. Tide: 3' low rising slowly to over 3.5'.

Don't forget to vote!

Joie de Vivre (HMB Jetty)

The pews at the Jetty were packed for Church of Surf with a few friends (Luke, Heather, Manabu and Steve) and a lot of strangers - my uncrowded midday, midweek session spoiled me - but I got a handful of fun CH-HH rights and lefts on Rocket in a short time nevertheless. Some of the waves were quite bouncy on the higher tide.

I drove home with a stoked smile and the sun on my face, warm wind in my wet hair from the open windows and sunroof, sand in my ears, and the stereo blasting good tunes: Happy!

Surfline: WNW (260-290) swell builds further and mixes with small, inconsistent SW swell with head high to overhead surf at exposed areas initially. Top breaks see larger sets. Light offshore flow early is good for smooth surface conditions, and the tide drops to a 3.59' low just before 8am. Size picks up further into the afternoon as a new, longer-period NW-WNW(290-310) groundswell shows. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 6.2 ft at 11.4 s WNW 97 / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 3.8 s W / WVHT: 6.6 ft / APD: 8.9 s / MWD: 288° (Met) WSPD: 4 kn / GST: 6 kn / WVHT: 6.6 ft / DPD: 11.0 s / ATMP: 57° F / WTMP: 58° F. Tide: Under 3.5' rising to almost 4'.

Rocket Sings (HMB Jetty)

Ooo la la, that was a fun session at the Jetty! My first wave was the best, a right that I think was a little over my head. I dropped in perfectly and turned mid-face for a good fast ride, dropping off near shore in front of one of the two other shortboarders in the water. Rocket really sings in the bigger stuff.

After those guys left I had the break all to myself for a while, until a janitor showed up, but there was plenty of room and waves for everyone. The Jetty was doing its shifty, backwashy thing, so it was kind of right time, right place. It was my best session in a while and I got a batch of other rides, mostly smaller rights, pretty fun although none topped the first. The last wave came close, bringing me to the beach with a big smile on my face. Stoked!

Surfline: Mid period WNW swell continues this afternoon while minor SW swell lingers. Good exposures are running in the chest-head high range while standout winter breaks go overhead+ on the best sets. Winds are light/variable for clean conditions. Look for improving conditions through the afternoon as the tide backs out. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 6.2 ft at 10.0 s WNW 96 / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 3.6 s SW / WVHT: 6.2 ft / APD: 7.6 s / MWD: 285° (Met) WSPD: 4 kn / GST: 6 kn / WVHT: 5.9 ft / DPD: 9.0 s / ATMP: 56° F / WTMP: 58° F. Tide: 4' falling to 2.5'.

Sunday Jumble (Dunes)

The congregation was small for today's midday Church of Surf, and that suited me just fine. Luke, Perrin, J-Bird and I enjoyed Dunes all to ourselves. And we even had our own surf photographer, Beanstalk, who's been beached for a knee injury that occurred when he was hit by a car saving nuns, or slaying a dragon, or fell wrong on trampoline, depending on which version of the story they're telling. He hobbled on crutches over to the edge of the bluff to watch us surf and take pictures (full set here).

Luke and J-Bird heading to services at the beautiful Half Moon Bay Church of Surf

The waves were around shoulder high+ with steep drops, many of them closeouts, and jumbled on a swell mix. I was on Rocket, and had trouble keeping the nose up as the waves pitched. I badly positioned for my first wave and flipped nose over tail while still clinging to my board.

Wipeout! (photo by Jacob)

At last I got a nice left with a couple of turns, which earned me a raised crutch salute from Beanstalk. Yeah! That was my best wave of the day.

My left (photos by "Beanstalk" Jacob)

Current kept pushing us south, so we were paddling back frequently to stay in sight of out photog. My wipeouts continued until I caught a short right, popping up and making the drop only to trip at the bottom. Arrgh! A larger set wave came through and I paddled toward the outside, not quite making it over the top; sucked over the falls backward, I took a hard fin hit to my elbow as the wave threw my shortboard down on me. Ouch.

Beanstalk, taking photos from the bluff top

Perrin had no success on Luke's 8'3" and had gone inside to play in the whitewater. Soon after, Luke and J-Bird rode to the beach, leaving me alone in the choppy surf and wondering how long it would take me to catch a wave in. Fortunately I didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes, as the ocean delivered me a smaller right that got me mostly there, and then whitewater for a belly ride to the sand in front of my friends.

J-Bird, Luke and Perrin sporting stoked smiles

Luke said he got a few decent rides with a couple of turns, and he'd also landed an air drop on a big closeout that slammed down with a loud boom, after I'd pulled back when I intuited its intentions. I saw J-Bird making some waves on her new board too. Conditions were advanced for Perrin but she found joy in the whitewater after abandoning attempts in the lineup. And I tried hard and got a couple nuggets.

Beanstalk said he saw me have perfect takeoffs but then fall or nose dive, which is funny since I didn't feel like I was in the right place - I seemed too late, too deep much of the time. He suggested starting to turn sooner, halfway down the face, and digging in my rail - something my surf coach told me a while back that I needed to hear again. I think it comes down to that I need to be quicker and more confident and in control.

Luke commented that I was definitely surfing more aggressively today. You know that saying, "It is better to have surfed and wiped out than to have never surfed at all." I'll just keep on trying until I make it more often.

Post-surf lunch at Gherkins (photo by Luke)

Surfline: Slow start for most of the region as a blend of old/fading SW swell and slow building West-WNW was swamped out by a deep morning high tide. Fairly clean surf prevails across the region throughout the afternoon, though, and with the dropping tide and rising new West-WNW swell fun surf prevails for better exposed breaks running waist-chest-shoulder high. The most open exposures through SF are slightly better with some head high to slightly larger peaks. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 3.3 ft at 6.7 s WNW 94 / WIND WAVE: 3.0 ft at 5.0 s WNW / WVHT: 4.6 ft / APD: 5.7 s / MWD: 303° (Met) WSPD: 14 kn / GST: 17 kn / WVHT: 4.6 ft / DPD: 7.0 s / ATMP: 53° F / WTMP: 57° F. Tide: 4.5' falling to 2.5'.

And Then There Were None (HMB Jetty)

A buddy told me there were waves at the Jetty yesterday from the current swell, so I dashed over there during my window of surf opportunity late this morning. I struggled into my cold wet wetsuit, and shivered in the light breeze that chopped the water's surface.

I have a feeling conditions were better earlier, because there were eight other surfers out when I arrived, then five, then two, and at the end it was just me alone, bobbing in the ocean.

Long lulls were punctuated by closeout sets, the peaks were shifty and the backwash unpredictable, which made it all the more satisfying when I was able to catch an elusive rideable wave. A few of those otherwise unremarkable rides put a smile on my face.

Surfline: Light to moderate west wind is putting some bump and crumble on the water for most breaks this morning. Long period NW swell (290-300+) continues this morning with head high+ surf at many exposed breaks and sets to a couple feet+ overhead at standouts. Buoy 46026: WVHT 5.6 ft DPD 16 sec APD 7.3 sec MWD W 88 WSPD 9.7 kts ATMP 55.4°F WTMP 57.0 °F. Tide: 4' falling to just above 3'.

Half Moon Bay is ready for this weekend's Pumpkin Festival

Double Bof (Montara/HMB Jetty)

Manabu surf-checked the Jetty ahead of the appointed meet time, and said it was mostly flat with a surf school on the only peak. He drove north and reported that Montara looked better with more waves, so Luke and I planned to meet him in the water. Manabu said he'd be in his hard to miss (and seldom worn) yellow wetsuit.

Walking the golden sands of Montara with my shortboard under my arm, I searched the sea in vain for a yellow-clad surfer. Luke and I paddled out on a crowded mid-beach peak, both of us having to wait for a lull to get through the head-high surf. The waves were clean but sadly closing out a lot, and there was too much competition; I had no joy. Caught inside again, I took a whitewatery wave just to ride something. Then I walked northward and tried to go out near an empty peak, but closeouts kept crashing down in front of me in waist-high water, and I was spending too much time tossing my board and diving under them. Not fun. As I walked back on the beach to tell Luke I was going to the Jetty, I saw him ride a closeout that was slightly over his head. He said it was one of his biggest waves yet, but he was ready to go too.

As it turned out, Manabu had also decided to retreat to the south, and I passed him leaving the Jetty after surfing with Steve. The waves at there were shifty and messy with the occasional shoulder. It would seem I've overcorrected from being too cautious in wave selection to being too indiscriminate; mostly I just wiped out and put myself out of position for better waves that followed. Somehow, I need to find the balance. My best ride, and that's not saying much, was a short-shouldered right I caught in at the end. Earlier, I'd taken off on a better right, but turned too sharply up the face and dug my inside rail. Bah! This is why my turns are tentative; I have such a fear of "wasting" a wave by screwing up a more agressive move.

As I changed in the parking lot, two guys approached with wetsuits half on, and one asked with a distinct French accent if this was the Jetty dirt lot and "how were the waves?" I told him yes and meh, which in hindsight was probably not a word he learned in school. Rebecca tells me the analogous French word is "bof." Double session, double bof.

Surfline: A new WNW groundswell fills in further and tops out, becoming the primary swell, while the SSW groundswell eases some. Breaks that are better exposed to either swell will offer surf mainly in the 2-4' zone. Standout winter spots will produce occasional WNW sets up to shoulder-head high. Good combo spots will also see occasional waves/peaks up to shoulder-head high. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 3.6 ft at 14.8 s W 86 / WIND WAVE: 0.7 ft at 3.7 s NW 85 / WVHT: 3.6 ft / APD: 9.5 s / MWD: 278° (Met) WSPD: 4 kn / GST: 6 kn / WVHT: 3.3 ft / DPD: 16.0 s / ATMP: 55° F / WTMP: 57° F. Tide: 3' rising near 4'.

Rocket on Top and Fish Inside (HMB Jetty)

My MINI Cooper was loaded for possibilities today, with my 6'2" shortboard Rocket strapped to the roof and my 5'3" fish Nemo tucked inside. Luke surf-checked the Jetty before me and on his advice I took out the fish, though the waves looked a bit steep when I paddled out. I've only surfed Nemo on Lindamush and softer waves at Capitola, but thought I'd see how it went. I rode a nice right straight away, which set expectations too high for the session.

When I asked Luke if he wanted to try Nemo, he said yes. He's a big guy and totally sank the board. It took him a wave or two before he stood and rode whitewash, and he said it was like surfing on a McDonald's tray. Hah! Meanwhile I tried for a few on Luke's 6'8" custom Coffey. I caught a couple but pearled - too much unaccustomed extra length, at almost a foot and a half longer than Nemo. I think the 3rd time would've been a charm but he wanted his board back. 

View from the fish

Luke and his Coffey

Luke introduced me to a guy he knew, and later I got to chatting with a dude who recognized me from a local Meetup group. Unfortunately conditions deteriorated as time passed. I'm not sure exactly why, since the tide was coming up slowly and there was little wind. The waves were lully and shifty, and I had trouble being in position and making the walled-up drops. Although I thought about going back to the car for Rocket, I didn't want to cut into my surf time since I had a deadline to meet up with Scott. Maybe the shortboard would've been a better choice, but I'll have to find out another day.

This morning I was going for more waves, trying to subscribe to BD's philosophy:

My new motto is "fuck it".  I have this new attitude where I'm going to paddle for a wave even if I'm late and not be pissed if I make it or not.  A quarter of the time I get hammered, and the other third has been straight up fun!  

That approach meant more wipeouts, including one that spun me 360° lengthwise. The rest of my waves were closeouts or whitewatery, nothing matching the first ride or the past two sessions, although I got a semi-decent wave in. Still looking for that straight-up fun!

For now, I'm content with my one good ride, sharing a surf with friends old and new, and spending time in the ocean on another lovely fall day.

One of my whitewatery rides, photo by Luke

Surfline: A mix of primary/holding SSW groundswell and secondary/easing short-mid period NW swell continues this afternoon. Many of the better breaks of the region offer surf within the 3-4' zone, while standout summer spots and combo spots produce occasional waves/peaks up to head high. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 3.9 ft at 16.0 s SSW 84 / WIND WAVE: 1.0 ft at 4.0 s W / WVHT: 4.3 ft / APD: 7.9 s / MWD: 208° (Met) WSPD: 6 kn / GST: 8 kn / WVHT: 4.3 ft / DPD: 16.0 s / ATMP: 56° F / WTMP: 56° F. Tide: Less than 3.5' rising over 3.5'.

Summer Lovin' (HMB Jetty)

Had me a blast! I wanted to charge the main peak at the Jetty on this gorgeous warm weekday afternoon. And I was excited to see only three people out when I arrived, and that the swell hadn't dropped a whole lot from yesterday. Too bad a bunch of other folks had the same idea, and it crowded up fast as the tide dropped from high. So I sat on the edge with Luke, and luckily the waves were shifty so some came our way.

Today is expected to break heat records for this date, as well as come in as hottest of the year despite being the first of October. Although it was 95°F/35°C when I left home, the coast was comfortably in the 70s. Luke went with his sleeveless wetsuit and did not want to hear about the jellyfish I paddled past in a patch of mucky water, or the one at the bottom of a wave I didn't make. He'd already snagged a few rides when we caught a right together. The wave was head-high on me, shoulder-high on him, and as he overtook me he dropped off to let me have it. (Nice thing about surfing with friends!) It was a frickin' awesome ride with three drops as it reformed twice. I raced along the face doing my tentative little turns to keep the fun going all the way to the shallows. Yee-haw!

Luke caught a bunch more waves than me, and I think one reason is because he goes for more of them while I let the funky mutants and closeouts roll on past. I stopped paddling for a wave when I saw it converging from two sides, but Luke continued on and they smashed together as he popped up at the intersection yet somehow stayed upright and rode a little. He pays a price for boldness though, getting hurled into the bottom when another wave broke on his back.

The growing main peak crowd pushed me away to the second peak, where I caught a nice left but sadly fell as I tried not to run over Luke paddling back on the inside. A swarm of shortboarders was forming on the second peak too, everyone jockeying for position. Then another right came my way and I took it, angling the drop down the big face and getting another fast fun ride. Woot! I wish I could do this every day.

Note on photos/video: As yesterday, the pre-surf shots were taken with my smartphone, an HTC One S, and the post-surf shots were with my new (refurbished) waterproof Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4, which is the warranty replacement for my TS3 that was having trouble staying focused. I've been trying out the burst mode, which yielded the sequence above. When the waves are smaller, I'll get it wet. On days like today, I just want surf!

Surfline: Fun size mix of old NW swell and peaking SSW groundswell on tap today. Shape is fairly peaky and crossed up with waves running chest-head high+ pretty regularly while standouts go 2-3'+ overhead on sets. Winds are light and conditions clean but watch for the mid day high tide to slow some spots down a little. Buoy 46026: (Wave) SWELL: 4.6 ft at 10.8 s WNW 83 / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 5.0 s WNW / WVHT: 4.9 ft / APD: 8.5 s / MWD: 290° (Met) WSPD: 12 kn / GST: 14 kn / WVHT: 4.9 ft / DPD: 11.0 s / ATMP: 58° F / WTMP: 56° F. Tide: Above 4' falling to 3.5'.