Swell Saturday

Teresa and Tim were drinking coffee while they checked the surf when I arrived at Calumet Park half an hour past first light. In response to my query, they said it didn't look that good so they might check the beaches. No one was out and I saw a decent enough set roll through, so I grabbed my 6'2" from my Mazda3 and headed across the grass to the cliff path. They'd changed their minds and were suiting up, as were three guys who'd rolled in together.

I was first in the water and had already ridden a couple of fun waves before two of the triplets paddled out. They were all wearing similar shorty wetsuits with wide white bands around one thigh and I thought about asking if they'd robbed a Hurley store on their way to the coast. When I told Teresa I was getting cold just looking at them and that I was still wearing a 4/3 wetsuit, she said she was still in a 5/4. The guys didn't last long.

It was surprisingly uncrowded for a Saturday, peaking at seven: me, Tim, Teresa, Misa (the older Asian woman I've also been surfing with all week), and the Hurley triplets. About the time the bare-armed boys left, another local and a couple of other guys paddled out. The camaraderie infused the break with an aloha vibe. There were plenty of chest-high waves for all, although with lulls. I had to take off late on most of them because they were soft, but often made it past the whitewater and onto the clean face. Stoked!

On the way home, I turned down Felspar to check the surf at Crystal Pier. Sponger David had just come up the stairs and I called him over for a report: crowded and mediocre but cleaner than recent days. Glad I hit the reef instead.