Month: July 2009

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Morning surf in Lahaina

Maui Morning

Me in Maui

Wes at Lahaina

Conditions: 1-3ft. Clean, light offshore flow.

We were so stoked after Tuesday’s sesh we just HAD to snag a few more waves before the flight. I managed to get a 9’6 softop, still slow, but a little better.

The morning was much less crowded. Waves were still sweet, easy to catch, and fun to ride. This was Wes’s first time trying to catch a wave on his own. He did a great job. He caught almost all the waves he went for, got clean rides in, and did a good job respecting other surfers by taking turns on the waves. Sounds like a solid start to a surf career right there. 😀

All and all, great day. Wonderful waves, friendly people, beautiful scenery, WARM water, blue skies…
I can’t wait to go back!

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Maui!

Maul

Wes Learning

Conditions: 1-3ft. Clean, light offshore flow.

My brother and I managed to wrangle tickets to Maui on miles. 😀
4 days to surf, snorkel, hike and cruise around.

The rental shop near the Lahaina breakwall wouldn’t rent to us unless Wes took a class so I grabbed a 10ft soft top and he went out with an instructor. He did pretty well! The instructor pushed him into the waves and he was standing up pretty cleanly. I got a couple of compliments on my form too 😀

It turned out to be a great little sunset session. The waves were super easy to catch. Very clean, very mellow. Turning on a 10ft soft top after a few months with my board was hard. I stomped, I learned hard, nothing would get that board to turn any faster. The break was crowded, but the waves were mellow enough that even with the slow turning I managed to dodge the kiddos.

Reef surfing is a whole different animal from beach breaks. In one spot the tips of my fingers grazed the reef as I was paddling. Wow is that shallow! For the most part, no problems. It’s pretty easy to remember to land flat when the alternative is hurting the poor reef (and yourself). I did take a few waves to the face admiring all the fish while I was paddling out.

Beautiful stuff!

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Good rides!

Great Day!

SURF: 1-3 ft ankle to waist high and poor+ conditions.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Weak, scattered peaks, with soft, semi-workable little corners on offer.

Wow. Today was a small, clean little day. It looked pretty unassuming from the beach, but man did I have fun. The waves were pretty easy to catch and gave some long mellow rides.

I caught two good waves for my first clean rides on the new board. I got a nice long right and another wave that gave me a few good turns including a left turn. That’s actually the first time I’ve ever turned left. I also made a few clean exits from the wave instead of just falling. Marked improvement is a big win for the confidence.

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More practice

Pacifica

SURF:
2-3 ft.+ knee to chest high and fair conditions.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Glassy, with peaky lines rolling through. Corners are a little soft, but workable

Right back out there for another day in the surf. I got some sloppy rides in, but I am starting to catch more waves with the new board. That’s definitely an improvement. 😀

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Sea lions!

Dawn Patrol at Pacifica

SURF:
2-3 ft.+ knee to chest high with occasional 4 ft. and fair conditions.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Mostly walled up lines with inside shoulders that are open and workable, but a little soft and crumbly. Clean conditions.

Headed out early for another dawn patrol. Short swell period made a tough paddle out. Weather was beautiful. I got spooked pretty good by a tricky sea lion who decided to catch the same wave I did.

Nothing like seeing a 4ft long black shadow coming at you in a wave :p
I wussed out and sat on the beach for a good 20 minutes trying to get the nerve back up to charge out in the waves. Still didn’t really get any rides, but a nice day to be out.

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Small waves, slow surf, more practice

photo(2)

SURF:
1-2 ft ankle to knee high with occasional 3 ft. and poor-fair conditions.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Mostly peaky lines with soft/weak shoulders that are workable (mainly for a bigger board). Clean.

Friday’s surf was so mellow it was near impossible to get a wave. I’m happy to have more time in with the new board, happy to practice paddling on it, but it would have been nice to get one wave 😉

Happy 4th!

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Dawn Patrol with the New Board!

Washing the boards off after a great morning out!

Conditions:
2-3 ft.+ knee to chest high and fair – conditions.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Mostly peaky lines with soft/crumbly shoulders that are workable (mainly for a bigger board). Slight texture to the surface.

Gear:
First day out on my 9’4″ Stewart Hydro Hull!

Took the new board out today! We did an early morning surf session. Got down to to beach around 6:45 and surfed till 9. Conditions were great, slow, clean, some bigger waves. Dolphins, whales, and sea lions were all hanging out in the cove, checking us surfers out.

The new board is wonderful. It paddles really fast. I caught a few waves, got one almost clean ride in. It will take some getting used to, but I’m so excited to have a board! <3