Tag: sloat

Surf: 2.3 ft at 13.8 s from the SW at 229°. High tide.

The tide was a little too high this morning for the lack of swell. Most places were seeing shin high shorebreak, if that. After a little driving around, we settled on somewhere with a bit of a wave shaped blob and lots of wind. Upside, very few people out. There were a few waves that worked here and there. I blew what was probably the wave of the day, but managed to squeeze lemonade out of a few other barely-wave waves.

Surf: 5.6 ft at 12.9 s from the WNW at 290°. Low tide.

I came prepared for small waves at Lindy, but with the low tide there wasn’t much to surf. Heading back north the waves were looking better, but much bigger. I just wasn’t up for it. I was up for getting in some bodysurfing time so I threw on the fins and swam out.

We only had an hour, but yeeheew that was fun. I got a couple really long one with the handplane. Fun fun.

Surf: 3.3 ft at 12.9 s from the WNW at 287°

The sunrise was extra beautiful this morning, but man, was I ever frustrated. I thought I had a plan: keep paddling. Sadly I flipped down the face of a few waves before retreating back to my usual “not paddling enough” strategy.” After that it was blown wave after blown wave. I got a little something, but was mostly miserably frustrated. Uff.

Surf: 3.3 ft at 9.1 s from the WNW at 291°

While I did get a few rides in, this morning’s surf was plenty lousy. The wind was up, the swell was mixed, everything was pretty closed out. I took out my 7′ quad and did managed so sneak in a nice long one. I always forget how hard it is to duck that board and sure enough, I smacked myself in the head with it…again. I also managed to bruise the crap out of my hand. No idea how that one happened.

In the lot a guy said “Is it as bad out there as it looks?” and I said “Yes, yes it is” but he paddled out anyway. Nice to know I’m not the only desperado foolish enough to try it.

Surf: 3.3 ft at 16.0 s from the S at 184°

I *almost* got into a lot of waves today. I’m having trouble and I’m missing em. I felt like I was getting lined up right, but I was missing that last elements I needed to get up and go.

I still got a few. They were mostly scraps that felt mushy and slow. I left the set waves for people who wouldn’t totally blow it, so there wasn’t much to work with.

One wave I felt like I was set up right, I paddled, I almost got it, and then I get swept over the falls kicking and screaming. The whole way down I could hear Sticker and Josh howling from the cliffs. The orange board makes me easy to spot. I still think orange was a good color choice. As I’d mentioned to Sticker: Nothing says AAaAAAAAAAA LOOK OUT like international orange.

The surf got better as the tide changed. I didn’t want to leave but I’d gone from getting waves here and there to not getting into anything at all. I figured it was office time before embarrassing myself further. 😉

Surf: 3.6 ft at 14.8 s from the SW at 214°

The session started out glassy. It also looked small from the cliff, which it wasn’t (it never is! never!) I struggled on my fish and drifted around with the current. Eventually the wind came up. Once things were junky, I managed to get waves. I’m guessing that’s some sort of Linda Mar skill. I can get waves when it’s junky and not when it’s clean.

Ran into Mark, Goose, and Jonas on the beach for the first time in the entire time I’ve been surfing. Little Jonas is too dang cute.

Surf: 4.3 ft at 12.1 s from the WNW at 4.3 ft at 12.1 s. Incoming tide. Minimal winds.

Of course I get a cold right before the start of a smooth friendly week at Ocean Beach.

Standing in the lot in the dark, the only sound louder than the waves was my coughing and sniffling. Ugh. I started to feel better on the paddle out, but every other duckdive ended with me barking and carrying on. Once outside, I caught my breath watching folks drop into some very lovely waves. Things swung between soft waist high waves to shoulder high with a few just barely overhead waves here and there.

I struggled a bit on the softer outside waves. I finally set up right for something steeper and flipped right over the falls. Unlike most days, it was a pretty forgiving flip. Most of the waves today were forgiving, which I was grateful for as I was in the wrong spot almost ever time.

After finally getting something, I found a great little spot on the inside for some very fun zippy smooth waves. I drifted past Parkside on my way to catching a few more. Nice little morning.

Wrapped it up with some Trouble Coffee hot chocolate. 🙂

Surf: 4.6 ft at 10.0 s from W at 274° Shoulder to head high. Clean.

There’s a certain set of conditions I wait for. I look for a small forecast and light winds at Ocean Beach with things falling into place nice and early in the morning. Typically it’s just on the edge between sounding like it’s going to be terrible and sounding like it’s going to be awesome.

I’m not exactly confident on the shorter board. After yesterday’s disappointment, I was hoping for clean little cruising waves. In the dark I could hear it wasn’t little. As the sun started to rise, I could see that it wasn’t little. It was clean, but with some good size. I gulped and suited up.

Whenever I surf ocean beach, I’m anxious the night before, I’m anxious on the drive over, anxious suiting up, paddling out, waiting for waves. There’s a quote I heard recently “‘If you’re nervous, you’re afraid you’re going to fail. If you’re anxious, you can’t wait to get out there and succeed.’ -Robert Griffin III”

I think I’m somewhere in the middle.

Paddled out to find some really beautiful waves. So great to watch other folks zipping by on clean head high waves holding up. And that’s mostly what I did. Watch. Watch and chicken out.

Josh kept yelling GOOOOOOOO!!!! and I kept…not going. Or I’d paddle, feel like I was already too late and pull out when I should have gritted and put a little more paddle into it.

I still got a few and they were still really really fun, but I’m struggling. Thankfully the weather was amazing and the folks I was surfing with were stoked enough to keep me stoked. Gotta get back out there and gooooooooooo!!!!