Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun (38th Ave)

The Hook looked really nice but awfully crowded in the late afternoon.

38th Ave was a bit less clean, but there were only a few surfers out and waves were going unridden. It was an easy choice.

I lost count after eight solid rides. My wave of the day was two-for-one, a right I pumped through a flat section into a left for an amazing fun ride. Stoked!

The crowd had swelled to more than two dozen by the time Luke and J-Bird arrived. As the sun set, they rode a wave in together. 

Surfline: 2-3 ft+ occ. 4 ft. Solid WNW swell slowly eases as small SW swell and old WNW swell continue to mix in. Good breaks see shoulder-head high+ surf, as top exposures pull in mainly 2-3' overhead surf, with some lingering plus sets. Conditions remain semi-mostly clean across the region this afternoon, with only the most exposed breaks showing some light surface bump/texture. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 7.9 ft at 12.9 s W / WIND WAVE: 1.0 ft at 3.8 s NW / WVHT: 7.9 ft / APD: 9.3 s / MWD: 277°

Third Time's the Charm (Waddell)

This morning our little surf posse formed up in Half Moon Bay and we drove in caravan down Highway 1: Luke in his big truck, just-arrived-yesterday East Coast transplants J-Bird and Jacob, me and Scott, and Nikki in her new Subaru. We checked Tres Rocas and Gazos Creek (not necessarily in that order), but neither was tempting and they had some nasty shorepound. Continuing south, Luke pulled over just before the Waddell parking lot, where some tasty waves were breaking beside the road. We suited up, clambered down the boulders armoring the highway, and hit the water on a hot sunny day at the start of Autumn.

The only crowd was us.

Nikki, Luke and J-Bird

For a change Waddell was good to me. Quite good, in fact. It was a bit lully which let me get to the outside without much difficulty. The waves were shoulder- to head-high with decent form, and I rode a bunch of nice lefts. Stokeful! A good time was had by all.

Tyler was already in the water on his orange shortboard when we paddled out. Luke swapped boards with him for a bit but didn't get much joy, and went back to his Strive. I was trying out my brand new Pentax Optio W90 waterproof camera (replacing the flooded W80), but sadly, video of one of Luke's good rides fell victim to operator error, stop/start mixup due to difficulty reading the LCD screen in sunlight. (Sorry, buddy. Next time.)

Surfline: Building new NW groundswell set up head high to overhead surf at well exposed spots, while other areas saw a smaller share of that swell along with a minor mix of NW windswell and trace SW groundswell. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 4.6 ft at 12.1 s NW / WIND WAVE: 2.3 ft at 5.3 s NW / WVHT: 5.2 ft / APD: 6.8 s / MWD: 318°

R.I.P. Pentax Optio W80

In August '09, I bought a waterproof point-and-shoot camera, a Pentax Optio W80. Most of the photos and video on this blog since then were taken with the W80, and I'm generally pleased with the quality. But it lasted barely over a year before it flooded, never to start up again.

Within a couple months of my purchase, a small leak corroded the computer connector port, forcing me to remove the SD memory card each time to transfer files. Why not have this repaired, since the warranty period was still in effect? Because waterproof cameras aren't warranted for water damage. Or damage from sand. Or from any of the other hazards a waterproof camera will experience if used in, well, water. Go figure.

Although I've been careful to rinse the camera post-surf and to clean sand from the seals, the latest leak was serious, with water fogging the inside of the LCD screen. I dried the camera out, to no avail, then surveyed the available options, and bought the latest Pentax waterproof model, the W90. A gamble? Perhaps, but most of these waterproof cameras aren't designed with surfing in NorCal in mind. (I'm not a fan of Go Pros, although supposedly they've improved.) I considered the Panasonic Lumix TS2, but the Pentax seems to have the best button design compatibility with gloves, and I'm hopeful that the redesign fixed the leakage issue I had with the W80. Pentax recommends yearly replacement of the rubber packing that forms the waterproof seals on the battery and connector compartments, and this time I'll heed that suggestion.

Having a camera with me on the water enhances my surfing experience, and, I think, that of my buddies as well, who enjoy seeing themselves in action when I manage to catch it. My priority is always on surfing first, with photography as a secondary hobby. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video, ten thousand. One day I'll get a cool wildlife shot too, although, if a shark ever charges me, I will not be taking photos.

Ride, Rinse and Repeat (HMB Jetty)

My waterproof camera wasn't this morning; it flooded. I'll try to paint a picture with words.

Standing in the dirt lot in the dim half-light before the cool crack of dawn, I knock three times on the window of Luke's big blue truck to wake him from the nap he's taking after dropping a friend at the airport for an early flight. As he stretches, I dash across the road to check the surf at the Jetty. A sideshore breeze blows my long brown hair in my face, and I push it aside, watching the empty, fun-size waves roll in. The wind is dappling a light chop on the water, and nice left is waiting just for me.

My new 4/3 Rip Curl Insulator wetsuit still feels slightly damp from Sunday's surf as I hurry into it, shivering a little in the chill breeze. The sky has lightened as we cross the road and carefully step down the worn bluff to the sand. The wind pushes against my longboard and I repoint it more parallel to the riprap wall bounding the beach. A pause to leash up, glove up, helmet up, and I'm ready to follow Luke into the cold water. The ocean is brownish with red tide and sporting clumps of loose kelp. A seabird bobs near the jetty, but there are no mammals in sight, except us. Slivers of blue sky peek between streaks of white and dark clouds above Pillar Point.

The waves are mixed up on crossing swells, doubling up, shifty. Luke catches one and rides off to the right, leaving me floating patiently, searching the near horizon for a sufficiently walled wave, hoping for a left. I paddle for a few, but they are too mushy. Or I am too far outside, passed by; too far inside, rolled by whitewater. Then a shoulder-high wave rises behind me, wanting to break left. I turn and stroke for it, feel it lift me, pop to my feet and ride down the face, bottom turning with the sizzle of whitewater at my back. I turn near the top and ride down again, enjoying the rhythm of being with the wave, feeling where it wants to take me and moving in response. Too soon the wave breaks fully, bubbles hissing at my tail, but I ride it a little farther, finally falling flat to the side as the rock-studded shallows approach. I splash down and cool water hits my face, trickling into my wetsuit. I plant my feet on the sand, collect my board and point it seaward once again. Ride, rinse and repeat.

Surfline: WNW (295-310) swell peaks, as some NW windswell, and fading SSW swell mix in. Most good exposures across the region are good for waist-chest-shoulder high surf, as top spots are good for some occasional head high+ sets. Winds are moderate out of the WNW, putting some pretty heavy bump/texture to the surf in most areas. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 3.0 ft at 13.8 s WSW / WIND WAVE: 5.2 ft at 5.9 s WNW / WVHT: 5.9 ft / APD: 5.3 s / MWD: 303°

Feels Like Flying (Tres Rocas)

Update: Now with pix taken from the beach by Danielle. View them all here.

Chased by overhead whitewater

Holding the handrail

Luke polishing his backside

~ ~ ~

I posited to my buddies that today we surf someplace uncrowded on the south swell, and after checking another spot that was blowing more onshore, Luke's goofy-foot friend Austin took us to a great place on the Lonely Coast. I will pseudonymously call it "Tres Rocas," a name intended to give no clue whatsoever as to its location, although there are indeed three rocks there. I'm afraid it was that good, and that empty on a day that saw most other local breaks either packed or sloppy with southwest wind, that I don't want to risk exposing it. Luke, Austin and I were joined by Austin's buddy Mark, and his wife Danielle took pix from the beach (photographic evidence of my OH rides may be coming).

The shorepound getting out to the left point break was gnarly. I got denied a couple of times before moving farther down the beach and paddling like hell during a lull to get past it. Once there, the first half hour was a dismal exercise in frustration, as promising waves would mound up unrideably or I'd catch them only to fail getting over the lip as they crossed a deeper section and mushed out. The key, as Luke pointed out, was to be right on the peak as the wave broke. But unlike at Rachel's Point, where the waves jacked up steep at the peak, these waves offered a gradual drop; they were not out to kill me, despite being overhead. After half an hour of nothing, I looked at the spot where the waves were first breaking, clearly indicated by the lingering surface bubbles, and told myself to Get. Over. There. Now.

 Luke rides one in

The first wave I rode was tandem with Luke, taking the drop on my belly when he was already riding to my left, but I popped up at the bottom and hooted; it was FAST. The next was similar but solo, and then I really committed. I took one that Luke said was a foot-and-a-half over my head, riding it into a reform, and then too far into the shore break, falling the wrong way (beachward) as it sucked up sand, the wave bouncing me off the bottom and pushing Magic (not too hard) into my ribs. I got another wave with probably my biggest drop yet, riding frontside and flying down the line just past a hooting Austin - with me again joyously calling WOO HOO! - but this time not taking it all the way in. Paddling back for a couple more, I asked him how high the wave had been, and he first said, "Dunno, 10 feet?" but then backed off to a couple feet over my head. No matter, it was big and awesome and soooo much fun!

I truly hope there is another south swell before the season ends. I know where I want to surf it!

Surfline: Good SSW swell held strong this morning with chest-head high+ waves with some modest WNW windswell mixing in. Standout spots were still producing some 1-2' overhead sets. That swell mix is starting to fade this afternoon. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 4.9 ft at 16.0 s SSW / WIND WAVE: 2.3 ft at 5.3 s WSW / WVHT: 5.6 ft / APD: 6.8 s / MWD: 213°

South Swell Stoke (HMB Jetty)

"Surf session this morning brought to you by the color grey and the letter S for South Swell." -Luke

Too long without any good waves, I really needed to find some on Magic this morning. At the Jetty, the combo swell with a nice portion of south did not disappoint. Luke and I arrived at first light and were the second and third surfers in the water, although the crowd built to a dozen with the brightening day. Manabu was suiting up when we left the beach, and he shot this video just before my last ride.

In the short hour I had to surf between dawn and work, I got a handful of nice lefts off of the A-framing chest- to head-high waves, with some fun and challenging backwash moguls. South swell stoke!

Surfline: 2-3 ft (not!). Long period SSW (190-205) swell continues to build in this morning, mixing with a decent shot of WNW windswell. Most breaks see surf running in the waist-chest-shoulder high+ zone, as top exposures are getting up into the head high zone on some of the sets. Winds are light onshore out of the WNW, putting some decent bump/texture to the surface in most areas. Buoy 46012: (Wave) SWELL: 4.3 ft at 17.4 s WSW / WIND WAVE: 1.3 ft at 3.8 s NW / WVHT: 4.6 ft / APD: 6.9 s / MWD: 245°