Author: Tracey

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Shortboard Dawn Patrol at Ocean Beach

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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.

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Post Bonk Outing

Soft top at Linda Mar

Surf: 2-4 ft. Mushy and Disorganized.

I managed to fit in an early morning outing before some big meetings in the city. I didn’t want to wait too long after getting konked to get back in the water. My board was in the shop so I got a soft top for the day. A soft top is a pretty good board for getting back into the swing of things. I had a nice soft board, nice soft waves, and a good morning to practice not being scared.

The soft top was pretty slow, but I did manage to get in one clean ride, a few mushy rides, and a really fun boogie board ride into the shore. I had to cut things short to jet to my meeting, but all and all a nice morning out.

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>BONK<

Battle Damage

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

PM REGIONAL OVERVIEW: Semi-clean surf prevails this afternoon as our mix of NW wind/groundswell and SW swell continues. Better breaks have knee-waist high+ surf, with set to chest/shoulder high for standouts. There are a few workable corners and sections to be had if you have the time.

This morning’s dawn patrol: Foggy…expect clean semi-peaky lines with some workable corners.

Oww.

I dinged up my board pretty good today. I wiped out on a wave in such a way that the board pearled, was pulled under, then shot out the back of the wave before coming down rails first on my head. It hurt pretty good and it took a chunk out of my rails, but my head is fine. I was able to make it to shore okay and with a little ice I was right in no time.

I did get once nice little ride out of the day before hurting myself.
There was an awesome moment when I was paddling out over a wave and as the face started to steepen I could see hundreds of blue and green fish lit up in the sunlight. Totally beautiful.

Can’t wait to get back out (but hoping for fewer bumps and bruises).

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Half Moon Bay

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Surf: Waves were about 1-3ft, inconsistent, breaking pretty steeply, little wind so the conditions seemed pretty clean.

Finally got out to try a different break. Surfergrrrl took me out at Kelly Ave in Half Moon Bay. Everything that could go wrong getting out there did so I wound up a good 30-45 min late. When I got there Surfergrrrl had the beach all to herself with some pelicans and sea lions for company.

I’m definitely not completely over this cough and cold thing, I was huffing and puffing trying to catch anything. I pearled on most waves and a couple I just couldn’t paddle fast enough without wheezing. I did get one ride, so I’m happy. Nothing especially clean and pretty much straight in to shore, but after a week locked up in an office and another week laid up in bed I was super happy to be in the water!

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Watching from the Beach

Ride

Surf: 3-5 ft. waist to head high and fair-good conditions.

PM REGIONAL OVERVIEW: Mix of old Southern Hemi swell and new/building NW swell on offer this afternoon. Better breaks have waist-chest-shoulder high+ surf, while top exposures are pulling in head head high+ sets at times. Conditions are still clean, with most spots seeing scattered peaks, with lined-up, workable walls. Surf if you can.

I’m currently living in the Inner Sunset. Ocean Beach is a quick MUNI ride away. I headed over that way, snapped a few pics and watched the surfers.

The surf looked rougher than I like, but people seemed to be having fun. A few dolphins were catching waves, what a trip to watch. I think one snaked a dude’s wave tho. Who has the right away? Surfer near the peak, or dolphin anywhere anytime? Hmm…

Check out the rest of the photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracey_t/3866424640/

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Surfing away the sniffles.

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SURF:
2-3 ft.+ knee to chest high and fair conditions. This morning’s dawn patrol: Glassy, mostly walled up lines, with a few workable corners through the inside.

I’ve been laid up in bed sick most of the week, the rest of the week I’ve been battling potential clients for contracts and “Sure thing” gigs that have fallen through.

Today the sun was out and, uncooperative lungs or not, I was going out.

Most of the waves were closed out, it was kinda crowded, but man, the sun was out and got some fresh air to heal my sad little lungs. Didn’t catch a single wave all day. I was huffing and puffing with every paddle and pearled the few waves I did catch. Ah well, at least I’m feeling better!

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Back on the West Coast

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

This morning’s dawn patrol: Clean, peaky lines with a few mushy, but workable little corners through the inside. Occasional little plus peaks.

Back on the West coast after 2 weeks back home. Waves at Pacifica were okay, got in a few nice long fun rides and did a lot of paddling. I’m totally exhausted, not sure how that happened but it’s good to be back.

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More Small Waves on the Great Lakes

Nice little ride

Conditions: 1.5-2.5ft. Peaky beach breaks with occasional hollow and/or peeling waves. Swell period: 4 seconds or less!

20 knot winds blowing all night really got the lake moving. Waves were still under 3ft but had much more energy than yesterday. Faster waves gave me some smoother rides, but wow the short wave interval was exhausting! Lots of paddling and no time to rest.

I wound up taking rides in to shore, resting on the beach, then paddling back out.

Water was still warm, waves had a decent shape of breaking on a shifting sand bar.
Another great day on the lake!

Waves

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Surfing the Unsalted Sea

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Conditions: 1-2ft waves. Low energy, but with some nice peaks, occasional 2.5ft standouts and some peeling waves.

I’m back in the midwest for my cousin’s wedding, my high school reunion, and my grandmother’s birthday. It’s nice to have some downtime. We’ve been kayaking on the lake, it’s been good to catch up with friends and family, but MAN. Two weeks is a LONG time to be without a surf sesh.

Back in January I read about surfers in Hammond: http://surf.transworld.net/2009/01/28/indiana-iceberg-session/?show=gallery

Hammond is just a few miles from my parent’s house. After a little searching I found the Third Coast Surf Shop in New Buffalo. The rent boards, keep an eye on the forecast, and seem like all around nice folk.

The surf spot in New Buffalo is at the South Jetty. To get to the South Jetty you walk out on the North Jetty, jump off, swim across the channel and hit the surf:

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I walked out on the North Jetty to check conditions. Flat. Headed back to the surf shop, grabbed a board, got recommendations of other sports to check, and headed out.

Miller Beach had some small, mellow, waves breaking on the sandbar. I assumed I’d be lucky to even catch a wave, let alone stand up on such little waves. The water was warm and I’d really wanted to get out, so I jumped in and paddled out.

I had way too much fun. The rides were short and a little wobbly, but the waves were really easy to catch. and I got in ride after ride. Nothing fancy for sure, only picked off a few rights, but as the day went on the waves developed a better shape and built up in size. Good shoulders, some peeling waves, all around fun. It’s exhausting chasing peaks around or I would have stayed out even longer to get the bigger ones.

I highly recommend checking out the Lake Michigan surf spots if you’re in the area. The waves are bigger and cleaner in the winter (hope you’ve got a 7mm wetsuit!) but summer can be fun if you like your rides little and sweet.

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Back in Pacifica

Jamie

Conditions: 1-3ft. Glassy, peaky lines with soft/mushy corners looking semi-workable to the beach.

The mellow little waves followed me home!

Sure it looked pretty flat out there, but I got in some nice long rides on little waves. Jamie and I found a nice spot that, with a LOT of patience, set us up for a few 2-3 ft waves with both lefts and rights. High tide and an unwillingness to let go of the wave meant most of the rides ended abruptly at the beach. Jamie got a few rolling dismounts into the sand. I didn’t get anything that graceful.

El Niño has been forcing Anchovies and Sea Lions up north making the bay area waters extremely active. We had dive bombing pelicans and probably about a dozen or so sea lions around us. It’s a little spooky! Unfriendly fin sightings have been up in Ocean Beach and with Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, everyone’s a bit jumpy.

I snapped this pic of a sea lion near my board:

MRAAAaaaaah

Not very friendly looking…