Surf: 3-5 ft. waist to head high and poor-fair conditions.
This morning’s dawn patrol: Slightly jumbled, crossed-up peaks on offer this morning. Looking a bit more disorganized than yesterday, with a few rideable corners still making it through at times.
I have never surfed on a shortboard and I have never surfed at Ocean Beach. Shortboards are harder to paddle, harder to catch waves with, but when you’ve got them you can tear up waves. You can also duck dive with a shortboard (swim under an oncoming wave with the board instead of paddling over). Duck diving comes in very handy at a place like Ocean Beach where the waves are bigger, more powerful, and take a lot more paddling to get through.
I’m on a smaller, harder to paddle board facing bigger, more powerful waves. Fantastic idea right there in the works!
Cryptomail gave me some pointers on duck diving and waited patiently as I failed at it over and over. I didn’t manage to paddle out past the breaking waves. I did catch one wave boogie board style, but spent most of the morning under water or falling off the board. I need a lot of practice before I stop looking like a flailing wet mess and look more like a surfer. Ha.
I know how you feel. Every time I drop board size, it feels like I’m starting all over again. Paddling is tougher, getting into the wave is tougher and the board is always so squirrely when I stand up. The good news is that when the wave puts me into the spin cycle (which is often) it is a much lighter board coming down on my head.
Lighter, but pointier!
I went over the falls on a wave and had a death grip on that little board. I did not want a pointy bit washing-machining it with me out of control. It wasn’t too big of a wave so I didn’t get knocked around by the board. Whew.
Today was a lot easier, smaller waves, bigger board.
Yeah, the spin cycle can be a doozy. I actually got hooked by my fin last Friday in a tumble. Not sure how I even ended up near that end of the board, but I have a bully of a bruise to show for it.