The Other Side of the Fence

This weekend, as the newest member of San Diego Surfrider's Executive Committee, I attended the chapter's leadership retreat. Our Chair is ex-Navy so he was able to rent cabins at Del Mar Beach on the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton.

I missed out on the first night's surf session at Trestles, and the next morning's pre-dawn surf at SanO. By the time the lunch break rolled around on Saturday, I needed to get wet. There were no other takers when I dashed across the driveway and a wide strip of sand to the big and messy surf.

It had been a while since I'd taken out my 5'4" shortboard, but I remembered my duck-diving lessons from Surf Simply and made it to the outside with little difficulty. Then it was a matter of finding a corner in the mixed-up waves. I only had half an hour, and I wanted to be able to say I'd surfed Camp Pendleton. "Feet on the the board, baby. Feet on the board," I told myself; that's what I needed to claim it.

Finally I got lucky on a right with enough face to let me land the 6-foot drop and ride a split second before the wave closed out. Yes! One and done.

Full Moon Sunrise Surf

The fun surf session with Jess and Mike was well worth enduring the early morning chill.

Great Way to Start the Day

At last night's Surfrider chapter meeting, I made tentative plans to meet Jon and Jason for a mid-morning session. Jon ended up surfing a little farther south and earlier while Jason and I paddled out at Hennemans.

Sewers

Hennemans, and Jason thinking maybe Sewers would be better

The crowd was light and a breeze put a slight chop on the water. I rode a bunch of waves on my 7'2" although most closed out. A head-high drop on a right made me hoot, and it was one of those days when I capped off the session by riding straight to the cobblestone beach. Stoked!

What Lies Beneath, Part II

After heavy rains kept me out of the water most of last week, I was jonesing. Plans to surf Crystal Pier with Mike and Steve were scuttled when I couldn't find parking – which is typically for June but unusual in January.

While I was checking conditions at Hennemans, a dude came up the path with his face covered in blood. He'd found the reef with his head after only a few waves, at high tide nonetheless. At least he was smiling about it, and a paramedic walked up to look him over.

Ouch

The longboarders weren't sharing and I was on my 6'2" since I'd planned on beachbreak, but still I rode some fun waves. I got a nice drop on an almost head-high right, and my last wave was a carvey left that took me all the way in before the tide dropped too low.

Tuesday the surf is supposed to amp up to 8-12 feet plus. Time to put on my big girl wetsuit.

What Lies Beneath

The ocean has been very clear lately, even at usually-murky Hennemans. The reef below was visible through near-glassy water. Two harbor seals cruised by on the inside, and solitary pelicans flew low with their wingtips almost touching the sea.

Mike, Jess, her friend (also Mike), and I caught a lot waves despite the crowd, which swelled as the tide dropped. Mike and I rode my last wave in together, hooting at the finish. Stoked!

Mike standing on water