Surfing Ruined My Life

April 2023 Surf Sessions

4-30-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Point Mugu
Time in Water: 3 hrs
Waves Surfed: 44
Miles Driven: 18
Since we had so much fun yesterday Dave decided we should go back for more today. Considering the tide we got a slightly later start to the morning. The tide was too fat with only three guys out upon our arrival. There was a bit NW swell showing which caused more stretched sets and more consistency. We were borderline going to drive away when a friend of mine pulled up and put it perfectly “if you would have pulled up to anyplace else and it looked like this you know you would paddle”. He was right. The thing about Base is that if there aren’t heaving tubes it’s hard to get stoked on it. The three of us paddled. Unlike yesterday I was in the zone. Maybe I just needed a warm up day. I hadn’t surfed out there since last July and was definitely out of practice. One thing about Mugu it’s a very tricky and dangerous wave making the learning curve steep. When I haven’t surfed it in awhile it shows. I got on a froth and stayed in that mode for three hours. There were barrels, turns, airs and a few beatings. At the end of the session I was so tired I could barely climb up the rocks to the car park. I spent my afternoon setting back up the shaping room to get ready for the spring and summer season. Now we just need some orders and ding work to fill in.

4-29-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Point Mugu
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 18
My window for getting on base is basically the late afternoons Monday thru Friday and sometimes on the weekends depending on the schedule of my boy Dave in the Navy. He was going Saturday morning and invited me to come along. I never turn down a golden ticket if I can help it. We got there and it was perfectly clean, a little on the smaller side chest to occasionally head high or so and a bit inconsistent. The crowd was light and it looked more rip-able then the usual gnarly heavy barrels. We paddled and definitely got some fun ones. As the tide dropped the crowd got more heavy and with the inconsistent sets there was a bit more waiting then I would have liked. Dave was a wave magnet as every decent wave seemed to come right to him. I on the other hand was having a shocker the entire first hour, blowing drops and just completely out of sync with the ocean. Then about an hour or so into the surf I stoked into a solid head high double up that opened up wide giving me the barrel that I go to Mugu for. After that it was like a light switch turned on and I was getting fun ride after fun ride. We would have surfed longer but Dave had to bail to take his kid to a soccer match. I spent the rest of my afternoon running errands all over Ventura.

4-28-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 14
I hate watching a good swell slip through my fingers. Today there was lots of potential for somewhere in my sphere of surfing influence to turn on. Of course I was locked into a ten hour work day courtesy of catering. I had the morning which was probably the worst window due to the high tide and slowly rising nature of the swell. I looked at Hueneme but it was still pretty closed out everywhere and though a few corners it looked difficult. Over it I headed to Shores in the hopes of finding something to surf. My first stop was the south side in front of the dunes. There appeared to be some solid lines hitting the outer bars. It was very inconsistent but clean and empty. I saw enough to warrant a paddle. My expectations were low and actually I had more fun then I thought possible in such conditions. That being said Ryan and I basically floated around way outside hoping to be in position for a wave when a set came in. The waves were so shifty being in position was nearly impossible unless the waves came to you. I caught a handful of waves and made the most of them. Later on I heard it got decent just about everywhere. As for me I spent about five hours grinding away at kitchen prep then another five hours on a gig. Hey, money is money and until surfboard business picks up I guess this is what I have to do.

4-27-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 14
After yesterday I was positive we were going to score the Shores. The NW wind swell that left most sets walled l had just about dropped out less a healthy cross up, and the south still looked decent enough on the buoys. Not looking any place else I went right back to Fifth Street. What a difference a day makes cause it was borderline not surf-able out there. Ryan was on the beach thinking about forcing a paddle. Pat was at Harbor where he thought it was alright. I talked Ryan out of paddling and we bailed for Ventura Harbor. There were lots of people looking but not many takers out in the water. The tide was drained causing the waves to be mainly small and dumpy. There were some bars towards the River Mouth that looked do-able. I was out of time and had to paddle as I had to be in SB at 1pm for some kitchen prep work for Catering Connection. Ryan, Pat, Brady and myself all paddled. The three of them decided on this mushy outer bar in between the Knoll and the Mouth. I saw what looked like some slabby lefts out directly in front of the mouth opening. It sort of looked like dumpy shore break and a body board wave at best. Those types of waves have always been my bread and butter. Growing up on the Jetty wedges of central New Jersey thats all I thought waves were till I traveled to other surf locations around the world. It’s funny how as surfers we always seem to gravitate towards the style of waves that we first began surfing as groms. Just more proof of how the sport keeps you young. As it turned out the wave was a sick little slab borderline tough to even paddle into cause the water was barely knee deep on the drop. I took a few beatings before compensating for the below sea level drop. Waves like that are hard enough to surf when there is some size but even more difficult when it’s smaller and there isn’t much room for error. I managed a handful of decent tubes. The water was eerily warm right in front of the mouth and got steadily colder once out of the brown drift. It was also pretty toxic too. I would have loved to have surfed a bit longer but like I said my time was limited and considering the walk back to my car I had to cut the session short. That being said it was a fun little novelty surf. The kitchen prep gig was way more work then I expected. I cut 75 lbs of potatoes, diced 28lbs of vegetables, cleaned 60 lbs of tri tip among other jobs. My knife hand was killing me when I got home. I haven’t blown through that much prep in years. The things we must endure while shaping is slow. Tomorrow I have a ten hour day of kitchen and gig work. Back to the grind.

4-26-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 14
The goal today was to get the shaping room back up after finally being cleared by the town of Port Hueneme as a non-permanent structure. Before getting into that I decided to take advantage of the NW/SW combo swell. Strand was my first check, though surf-able it was substantially smaller and more weak the the previous two days. With south swell on my mind I decided to have a look at Shores. My first check was the bars on the south end. They were easily a few hundred yards outside with a deep hundred yard trough between the beach and offshore bars. There were a handful of guys on it and waves actually hitting out there. Sets were inconsistent and holding position looked very tough. I decided to have a look at the north side by Fifth Street to see how the sand was there. It was similar to the south end. At this point I didn’t know where to go, Harbor was all walled. I saw a few head high sets roll through that looked do-able. It was one of those surfs that could go either way. Hoping for the best I texted Bizarro to come film if he wanted. As soon as I got out there I realized the peak was shifting all over the place, the bar was a little more dumpy and waves were faster then I initially thought. Ryan and Bizarro showed up about twenty minutes after I had paddled. By that point I was completely flabbergasted on how difficult it was to get a decent wave. I was literally paddling in circles. Then the wind came up adding an annoying bump to it as well. There was about and twenty five minute window where the waves actually cooked before the tide got too high and completely turned the place off. As far as the shaping room rebuild went though arduous we put it her back up and ready for shaping. Now all I need are some orders and that’s where you folks come in. South swell season is here, order a custom board. Despite inflation prices are still only $585. I promise I’ll make you a rip stick. Oh and I’m always taking ding work as well. Don’t miss out cause I won’t be able to build boards at this affordable price too much longer.

4-25-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 10
Talk about a carbon copy of yesterday, though maybe just a little more inconsistent and crowded. It looked like the crowd had come early and were quickly getting over it. I saw a couple of guys leave while I was checking it. I texted Biz to come film if he wanted and paddled. My first wave I pulled into a quick little drop in tube just missing a collision with my friend Mitch. I thought that might set the tone for the rest of my surf, instead the ocean went super lully and the few decent waves that did come through I seemed to always be out of position for. Biz showed up and I knew I had to try and make something happen. I moved to the inside and started chasing whatever my arms could paddle into. At best I forced out a couple of “B” level clips before heading in for another day of moving work up in Santa Barbara. Yesterday When we were moving a rug a bunch of moths flew out leading us to believe that the storage space we were working in could be infested. Today we had to move everything out, throw away all the infested pieces and then spray and treat the container. It was quite the ordeal.

4-24-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 10
This morning while doing my pre-wake-up social media scan I came across an article on Surfline with the Headline “Worst California Spring Ever”. Since I have felt this way for weeks now I perused the article and felt a little better that every surfer in the state has been suffering as well. Shortly after I got a call from C.C. that Strand had a decent wave. Sure enough the Ship had chest to head high peaks up and down the beach with about twenty guys on it and it was glassy. Stoked I called Bizarro to come film and paddled. Once out thereI realized it was way more inconsistent then it looked and though peaky the waves were hitting all over the place making it very difficult to track down a good bowl. I went the first thirty minutes with out a decent ride. Towards the back half of the surf I managed one little tube and a few turns but overall the session was a let down. In the afternoon Bizarro had to go up to SB to help an old catering client of ours move out of her storage space. Normally I try not to take on odd jobs but the catering season has been a little bit slow to start as has the surfboard business. Money is money and beggars can’t be choosers thus I found myself up in a tiny crawl space surrounded by thousands of moths with nothing but a can of raid. If you’re looking for a head rush try being in a 4×4 space spraying bug poison with out a mask. Any brain cells I spared by quitting drinking exclusively definitely took it on the chin today. Just another random day in Lisanti Land. Please order a custom surfboard from me so I don’t have to keep doing work like this. I promise I’ll build you an amazing surfboard that will change your life forever.

4-23-23 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
Miles Driven: 12
The same junky wind swell from yesterday was still in the water with a little west in direction. I had a look at Strand. Ship was smaller than yesterday. There were some peaks in the bowl but the guys out there weren’t selling it. The north end appeared to be marginally better. I hate that wave when it’s decent let alone when it’s weak. The thought of getting in the freezing cold water for such little avail left me wanting. Over it I drove back to Hueneme to just have a look at the bars there. It was really tiny barely pushing knee high. I decided to let the surf go to spend some quality time with my wife. Between all the travel and catering season starting to get busy we haven’t had much time together. Later that evening I had to work a corporate gig at the Moxi in Santa Barbara. I need to dig down and find some motivation to surf these terrible conditions as of late. Below is a picture from Strand.

4-22-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
My cats decided to wake me up extra early to feed them this morning. I can only assume that my wife must have fed them early the two mornings I had been been away causing them to want breakfast earlier. Already up and some NW wind swell on the buoys I drove over to Strand. There was a small glassy wave at the Ship, maybe chest high at best with two guys on it. It looked surf-able enough thus I paddled. The water was so cold it was like a slap in the face and completely not worth the discomfort for the conditions. I had my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model under my feet and that board can turn just about any wave fun. For about thirty minutes I had the Ship to myself. Then two other guys paddled but sat more in the bowl. Shortly after another two guys came and sat right on me. C.C. showed up with his little entourage and all of a sudden there were like ten guys on one meager peak that barely had enough waves for myself when I was alone. I got one more and left. My afternoon was spent working a wedding up in Gaviota at an incredible venue called “Tuscan Hills” just east of Dos Pueblos Ranch. It has panoramic ocean views that can’t be beat. It’s pricey but if you have the budget I highly recommend the place.

4-21-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Torrey Pines State Beach, San Diego
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 11 (Clairemont)
Bizarro and I were graced with about a three hour break before having to meet back up with Angers down by La Jolla Shores for session number two. Conditions were still glassy and chest to head high. The after work crowd was on it in full force so much so that it was nearly impossible to find a parking space and all we saw everywhere were people with boards. I don’t think I have ever seen that many surfers in one concentrated area in my life. It made a good day at Snapper Rocks in Australia look uncrowded. I’d estimate there were easily Five Hundred surfers out. Over it we bailed further north to Torrey Pines State Beach, a marginal beach break that is usually surf-able and rarely if ever crowded . We found some chest plus peaks to the north side of the slough with only a handful of guys spread out. The surf looked a little on the mushy side but the inside double ups looked kill-able and the evening light was setting up for all time filming. We got out there and found that lining up a good one was way more tricky then it looked. There was a mush burger outer bar and then a dumpy inner bar. The Key was to pick the waves that you could roll into on the edge of the outer bar to set up for the dumpy section on the inner bar. There was no way to catch a wave at the inner bar with out it dumping before getting to your feet and the outer bar was so mushy and shifty that it was impossible to catch a wave. For Angers this was basically a classic day of surfing the open beach breaks of Florida. I have always done well in such conditions also. Despite the trickery I’d say we surfed the wave alright. Towards dark this random guy paddled out and sat right on top of us. There were plenty of similar peaks up and down the beach with no one one them. Why he had to come compete with us was beyond me. Maybe he was scared of sharks or something. Just like that the sun set on yet another adventure with Kevin Angers; until we meet again my friend. Bizarro and I made record time getting home, just over three hours.

4-21-23 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Blacks Beach, San Diego
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 14 (Clairemont)
After yesterday’s debacle and with similar swell still in the water Blacks was the last place I wanted to hike all the way down to for big messy surf. Angers really wanted to give it another shot and the swell was a bit more organized. Once down at beach level the waves definitely looked way cleaner and lined up than yesterday. Conditions were still well overhead on set making the paddle out a chore. Thanks to my weakened state Kevin had already caught his first wave before I had even made it out. All it took was for me to catch a few bombs to snap out of my funk. The waves were hitting all over the place with no discernible peak anywhere. The best strategy was to just stay put and wait for one to come to you and hope it had a corner. Close outs were easily sixty percent, weird wonky waves made up twenty percent. That left ten percent for decent rides and when you caught one it was a good ride. I managed two solid barrels and some giant rail to tail turns. The nature of the wave lent itself to clean rail surfing instead of my usual above the lip approach. Angers was supposed to be back in Bonita all the way in south east San Diego for lunch with his family at 1pm. The surf was so much fun we pushed the envelope till our arms were shot. By the time we got back to the car it was 1:15pm…oops. The plan was to reconvene after Kevin’s thing was finished and get an evening session after which Bizarro and I were heading back to Port Hueneme.

4-20-23 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Scripps Pier, San Diego
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 9
After consulting all the cams we decided to have a look at Wind and Sea. On the cam it looked as though there might have been a kill-able inside corner to be had. Instead it was a completely useless burger. We watched for a bit but couldn’t get bring ourselves to paddle. The call was to go back to La Jolla Shores. Out of all the Surfline cams in the area it looked the best. We decided that the left wedge off of the north side of Scripps Pier was somewhat worthy. The crowd was actually light, a rarity at that spot. The surf was still trashy but Angers and I saw a few sections worth smashing and paddled. This was a work trip and I wanted to bank as many clips of Angers as we possibly could for the time allotted. It also helped that we lucked into a parking spot rather close to the Pier. Once out there we realized the peak was way more shifty then it looked and the actual wave face was pretty wonky. Still there were some very kill-able sections. Still under the weather I was definitely struggling with the amount of paddling it took to hold position and chase down decent waves. Angers to his credit went into beast mode and destroyed anything that moved. There was this one dude who must surf out there all the time cause he managed to be in position for every good wave that came in. The guy had the magic. I got a few but was always a bit behind the eight ball. About an hour into the session guys started showing up in packs of four unrelenting as if the waves were actually good. I don’t mind surfing bad waves, but bad crowded waves is the deal breaker. I got one more and went in. Angers stayed out a little longer before calling it quits as well. Post surf we met up with his wife and kid for some Tacos in La Jolla. If it were up to me I would have had us paddle one more session some where else but Angers was over it. Later that evening Biz and I met his Mom in La Jolla for dinner before passing out for the night.

4-20-23 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Blacks Beach, San Diego
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 4
Miles Driven: 14 (Clairemont)
Angers hit me up around 8am ready surf. We met up at Bizarro’s Dad’s house in Clairemont and headed for Blacks. There was plenty of NW wind swell in the water with a touch of combo swell. I thought we were going to score. Upon making the trek down the trail the ocean was a mess. There were waves braking everywhere and in every which direction. From the beach all we could see was solid lines of white water. There were a handful of guys out struggling to keep position or get a good ride. My first instinct was to walk on it. From what I could tell it was going to be a ton of work for very little reward and considering how far out the waves were breaking it wasn’t even going to be easy for Biz to film. Angers was psyched and talked me into surfing. The paddle out was horrendously unrelenting. At one point I almost was ready to give up, but preserved. Once out there I realized the waves were even more gurgled up than they looked from the beach. Getting in position for one was near to impossible. I got three duds before catching a bomb left that allowed me to do one turn before it dumped on the bar. That was enough for me. Between not feeling well and wasting precious time that we could be possibly filming something better Angers and I came in feeling some what defeated. The plan was to walk out of there, regroup and go find something better.

4-19-23 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
I woke up around 7am after a very stressful night of fitful tossing and turning worried about the safety of my poor wayward kitty Raymundo. Something was a bit off, Charles my other cat wasn’t sleeping on my head attempting to get me to feed him breakfast as he does every morning. He was no where in the vicinity. I got dressed and went down stairs. Charles was sitting by the back door staring out the window. I peered through it and the little bit of food I had left out for Raymundo was gone. Hopefully he was still with in close proximity I stepped outside shaking some cat treats and calling his name. I heard a meow and found him hiding in the lily bush adjacent to my back door. Reaching in I grabbed the cat and brought him inside. Everyone in Lisanti Land rejoiced for the prodigal cat had returned. Not long after, I got a call from C.C. that him and Raymond Joyce the photographer were going to be shooting some photos at the Ship. Being the photo slut that I am, old habits die hard, I cruised. There were definitely some chest to head high waves coming through with light off shore wind. The Three different short period wind swells that were in the water were working against one another. Even though conditions were clean the ocean was completely jumbled up. I watched it for about fifteen minutes not able to find a decent line anywhere. C.C. dead set on surfing was out there. I headed back to my car to suit up despite the fact that I still wasn’t feeling that great. Wandering around in the cold for hours on end last night searching for the cat certainly didn’t help my condition. As I was turning my suit right side out I felt the wind shift onshore. I walked back up to the beach and the surf was already all torn up. C.C. and the handful of other guys out there were struggling to make any sense of the junky conditions. Over it I decided to head home and have a look at the points later. Back home I began packing up my gear to head back down San Diego with Bizarro to get more surf footage of Kevin Angers since he was still in town for a few more days before heading back to Florida. Around 1pm I got word from Ryan that the points were small, low quality and definitely not worth risking my health for. I decided to rest and save my strength for the 3.5 hour drive to SD tonight and a full day of surfing with angers tomorrow.

4-18-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
I was still feeling a bit under the weather this morning though better than yesterday. The NW wind swell had went a bit more steep provoking me to have a look around. Hueneme had a wave with little to no shape and the wind was already on it out of the WNW. I cruised over to the North Strand to see if there was anything. It was perfectly clean but there wasn’t any waves to speak of. I saw some white water over on the Ship side and had a look. There was a fat chest high wave with three guys on it. The waves were surf-able. Considering my health I wasn’t about to brave the cold water for the junk that was on offer. Jeffery was at the Harbor where it wasn’t any better. The call was to go home get some work done and have another look after the City inspector came to a look at my now empty garage after taking down the shaping room yesterday. My garage got the green light despite the misgivings of my nosey neighbor. Next week Biz and I will put it back up. When I went back to the house to grab my surf gear I noticed the back door hadn’t shut all the way. It appeared the floor mat must have gotten caught in the door prohibiting it from closing correctly. In the fifteen minutes or so that the door was ajar my cat Raymundo decided to make a break for it. There went my surf session as the afternoon and evening were committed to searching for the cat who was no where to be found. My wife was distraught beyond consolation and had us out searching till well into the night. I put out some food and some dirty litter. I read somewhere that leaving out some dirty litter will help a lost house cat find his scent and come home. Around 1am I gave up and went to sleep. My hope was he would come back in the morning for breakfast. Either way it was definitely a worrisome sleep.

4-17-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Today there was actually some surf-able NW Wind Swell in the water. I woke up with a terrible chest and head cold. Rather then let it get worse I decided to stay in bed. If the surf was firing I would have dragged myself out of bed. From what I heard it was average at best and crowded for what was out there. In the afternoon I had to rally. Bizarro and I had to take down the shaping room in order to prove to the Town of Port Hueneme that it isn’t a permanent structure, which it isn’t. When I designed the space part of the design incorporated the ability for it to be broken down without too much effort so that if needed I could use the entire garage. Apparently one of my very nice neighbors decided to inform the town that I had a “habitable space” in my garage. Said neighbor did so because she was angry that she couldn’t find a parking space close to her home blaming me because I have four cars belonging to my residence. Ironically her family has six cars. God I love suburbia. People need to learn to mind their own damn business. Being sick I didn’t have my usual energy or strength levels so the project took longer then we had hoped. It also wiped me out making me useless to celebrate my three year wedding anniversary with my wife. Luckily she was ok with us just going to the local Chinese restaurant for some wonton soup. We will have to take a rain check for the weekend. Photo from Ventura Harbor Surfline cam

4-16-23 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
The surf was tiny on the cam. After a week long trip surfing average to below average to at times deplorable surf I couldn’t bring myself to grovel. Instead I enjoyed a leisurely morning with my wife. We walked up to the sea food spot by the Hueneme Pier to get some lunch. Enjoyed a nice stroll home before finishing the day with the usual Sunday chores necessary for the upcoming work week. Because we were away for so many days those chores were amplified. Picture from the Surfline Ventura Harbor cam.

4-15-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 18
There was a little bit of NW wind swell/SW swell combo showing on the Harbor cam. Though small conditions were clean. I drove over. New Jetty looked fun but was crowded with the usual pros and hot groms. A handful guys were spread out at the knoll chasing down various mixed peaks of limited value. I saw some lefts down by the River Mouth and decided it was a perfect day to just suit up and do some reconnaissance since the waves were shit anyway. Though lots of lefts there wasn’t really one define bar but more like a series of waves breaking along the pseudo sand point that isn’t a point at all. The water was brown and gross as the river mouth is still flowing. Ultimately I found a few corners but at the moment there is no discernible bar worth anything. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding up in Santa Barbara.

4-14-23 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, La Jolla Shores, San Diego
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 42 (Chula Vista)
Since we were still in SD it made sense to meet up with Angers for one last session. There was some solid NW windswell in the water and SW wind. That combination is ripe for La Jolla Shores. The surf was solid head to overhead with peaks up and down the beach. There must have been easily three hundred guys out but spread along the entire stretch of beach. The waves appeared to be a little stretched. I saw some worthy corners and we were out there. Parking was a nightmare. I always forget that twenty five years ago or so when I lived in La Jolla I only had a bike thus parking was never an issue. Kevin and I found a peak that looked worthy in the middle of the beach. The paddle out was pretty intense with little to no break in sets. Once out there it was a lot harder to chase down corners then it looked from the beach. The best strategy seemed to just sit and wait for a corner to come in your proximity. There were some solid bombs to be had if in the right spot. I got a handful of ok rides as did Angers. Following the surf we got some brunch right there at the shores before saying our good byes and heading back to Hueneme. The drive home was riddled with heavy traffic taking us five and a half hours. Upon arriving Bizarro had his famous smoked ribs ready for us. My wife and I collapsed from exhaustion after dinner. Talk about a busy trip. We almost needed a vacation from that vacation.

4-13-23 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, San Miguel, Baja California
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 84 (Las Gaviotas)
Today was departure day and we were faced with the decision to head back to San Diego and surf there or head back to San Miguel for one last crack at the point. I was completely over it and ready to just head back home to Oxnard. Angers really wanted to get another session at San Miguel because as he put it “we don’t have any points in Florida”. Who was I to argue. The tide was way too drained to help give any direction to the weak broken up wind swell. There was potential for the waves to improve with more water and thus we waited. Around noon some real sets started to show. Tired of waiting we jumped in. Actually there were some decent rides to be had if you waited. I got a handful of really fun waves. Another five guys paddled clogging the slow line up. I moved to the inside and chased double ups. When high tide set in sets became very lully. I had my fill and came in. Knowing we had to make our way across the boarder Kevin wasn’t far behind. The girls wanted to go eat lunch at this fancy place just north of Campo Lopez that they found on instagram. I could tell by the strings of craft lights, leather hipster aprons on all the waiters and reclaimed wood tables that I was going to pay way too much for average food. Located on the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean the view was incredible. Somehow we lucked out at the border and only waited about an hour to get across. Chalk up another successful baja trip with out getting decapitated by the cartel. My wife and decided to kick it in San Diego for one more night instead of continuing home.

4-12-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Las Gaviotas , Baja California
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 40 (Las Gaviotas)
Talk about making bad calls. Two years ago I scored this amazing jetty left in La Salina that reminded me of a Mexican version of the Ship at Silver Strand. I have been on three trips since then and have never gotten the spot to work again. Maybe it was just plain dumb luck that I scored it at all. Today was the largest amount of swell we had seen. There were arguably very decent looking waves out front. Instead of taking the bird in the hand we decided to chase it south to that Jetty at Salina in the hope of a score. When we arrived it was almost doing its thing. I just don’t think the sand was where it needed to be to make the outside connect to the inside. Rather than being a wedge to a congruent line the wave was a wedge to a deep spot. Bummed we were at a loss on what to do. The wind had turned SW making San Miguel not an option. The call was to head back to Las Gaviotas and try and surf the left reef that was in front of our house. We got back there and though some wind was on it there were head high waves out the back that looked very surf-able. Once out there we soon realized that the waves were very weak and shifty hitting up and down the reef in a fifty yard zone making positioning impossible. Once on the wave the faces barely stood up along the reef. Add to that a bit of south wind chop and we were in a surfing nightmare. I couldn’t catch a decent wave to save my life. Angers charged anything he could paddle into with limited success. I threw one of my famous Lisanti tantrums in the water. Oh, and did I mention the water was the coldest it had been the entire trip as well. After an hour of misery I was over it. Nearly having to paddle in the waves were so bad I managed to force a terrible left to the beach. Back at the house the weather was cold, damp and miserable. My wife and I went to the store and brought back tamales for everyone for lunch. The consensus from the group was to just commit the afternoon to drinking. For dinner I cooked up a yummy shrimp pasta. We ended the evening with the Godfather 3. Everyone was talking flak about the film and besides myself and Adela no one had ever actually watched it all the way through. I’m my opinion if you watch the Godfather 3 as it’s own stand alone film it’s marvelous. I don’t know if I changed anyone’s mind but definitely got them to appreciate the movie for wave it was.

4-11-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, San Miguel, Baja California
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 84 (Las Gaviotas)
There was a bit more NW swell in the water. Out front had a wave but it was crowded and underwhelming. The call was to head back south to San Miguel. We got there and the waves were definitely bigger then yesterday though the tide was just a bit too low for it to be really decent. We decided to hang out a”and let the tide fill in. After about an hour or so the shape had really improved with solid chest to occasional head high runners down the reef. No one was out and we didn’t hesitate to get on it. A complete rip fest ensued with Angers and I just destroying any waves that came our way. I bounced off the inside rocks a few times on failed air attempts as did Angers. Unscathed we put in a solid two hours. After the surf we cruised back to the Las Gaviotas for some lunch, hot tub and cocktails. Unfortunately the hot tub was barely 90 degrees making it more like a warm tub. The air was barely in the low 60’s with a thick marine layer and cold onshore wind. Over it we conceded to just cocktails back at the house. I had considered an evening session but the reef was crowded and wind junky. Instead I watched the God Father Part 2 on Netflix.

4-10-23 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Las Gaviotas, Baja California
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 0
Around 4pm we checked into our rental. This was our third time renting in Las Gaviotas so we knew what to expect. Considering the size of our group, 5 adults and one toddler we rented a four bedroom house right on the ocean. By far it was the largest place we have ever stayed. We got settled and then went to grocery store for provisions. Upon our return it appeared that some fresh swell was getting into the main reef break within the compound. Conditions were clean and chest plus with only about a dozen or so guys out. Stoked, we decided to do an evening session. I have surfed the reef out at Las Gaviotas a handful of times in my option it’s almost a decent wave. From the beach and in pictures it looks amazing. Once out there you realize the waves hit up and down the hundred yard reef with no rhyme or reason. Then there are mysterious flat spots that are hard to drive through and fast sections that don’t barrel or are any good for hits and getting around them is nearly impossible. I find the wave more frustrating then fun. Add the fact that it is almost always got a handful of beginner to average level guys on it who always get in the way and you can understand how I regularly pass on surfing that wave. This evening considering how wave starved I have been and the need to get more surfing footage of Kevin we paddled. Just like earlier for what it was we had fun. The water was absolutely freezing making me stoked I brought my warmest 4/3. Though a struggle out there I managed a couple of solid connections that stoked me out. That night we cooked up a tri tip with a spaghetti olio side because Angers forgot the bag of potatoes he intended on doing for a side back in San Diego.

4-10-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, San Miguel, Baja California
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 114 (Chula Vista)
We had two options today, stay in San Diego and surf somewhere in the morning or head into Baja and attempt to find waves there. Since SD was still deplorable we opted to head into Mexico. Our first stop was Baja Malibu, but upon parking we were informed that the beach was closed due to high bacteria levels in the water. Now the water has been pretty heinous in Ventura so I can’t imagine how dirty it must have to be for Mexico to close a beach. With that in mind we continued south. There was a chest plus wave at La Fonda that we considered. Hoping for a point the decision was made to continue on to San Miguel. Normally it’s not a big deal only being about thirty minutes south or so. We soon discovered that the south bound bridge had washed out causing the entire highway for a span of fifteen miles or so to be one lane in each direction. That route is a major shipping road for container tractor trailer trucks between the port at Ensanada and Tijuana. Those big trucks can’t haul ass up and down the grade like a car keeping the traveling speed under 40 mph. When we finally did get to San Miguel it was pretty tiny out there. Maybe chest high on the best sets. No one was out and to be honest it was the best waves I had seen in a week. Kevin lives in Florida so it was a pretty fun looking session by his standards. We needed to kill a couple hours till we could take possession of our vacation rental so why not paddle. One thing about San Miguel the wave does stand up making a waist plus wave somewhat rip-able. Angers went ballistic paddling for anything that remotely resembled a wave. I decided to be a bit more selective and hung out the back waiting for the occasional chest high runner that would come through. For what it was the waves were fun, plus how often can you have a point break for just yourself and a buddy this day in age. If it were Ventura there would easily be twenty plus guys out there fighting for a piece of the action. After the surf we loaded back up and headed north to Las Gaviotas, just south of K38 where we had rented a house for the duration of our stay.

4-9-23 PM Session: 1-3 ft, Pacific Beach, San Diego
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 36 (Chula Vista)
There was about the same if maybe a little less swell in the water from the previous day. All of us just weren’t feeling another walk down the hill to Blacks. I saw a few wedges on the Pacific Beach cam coming off the north side of Crystal Pier and made it the call for the days grovel. Of course by the time we loaded up and got our act together the wind turned onshore. Angers and I still saw a few boost-able close outs and not really having a better option made the paddle. Once again when we first got out there I snagged a handful of alright waves considering the conditions. Then the place just completely turned off. There wasn’t even that big of a tide change. The surf literally became not surf-able. Kevin and I almost had to paddle in it got so bad. My other sister in law, her husband and child decided to make the drive down from SB for Easter. I cooked up NY Strip Streaks, mash potatoes and vegetables. It was a nice little gathering.

4-8-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Blacks Beach, San Diego
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 48 (Chula Vista)
This morning there was a bit more NW wind swell showing. Since Blacks does the best to amplify any NW swell we headed there. Though still a bit gutless there were some chest high waves to be had with a boost-able close out. The crowd was only about twenty guys or so, which wasn’t bad considering it was a Saturday. The first thirty minutes of the surf was almost fun, but as the tide began to drop it just seemed to get more and more gutless. I couldn’t stick anything to save my life. Then the wind came up onshore putting the final nail in the coffin for me. Angers decided to stay out and beat a dead horse for another forty minutes or so. I suppose if I was from Florida I’d be the same way. Following the surf we attended a party at some dockside community out on Coronado island before retiring back to Chula Vista for the evening.

4-7-23 PM Session: 1-3 ft, Ocean Beach, San Diego
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 178
The Initial plan was to head on down to San Diego after dinner around 7pm to beat traffic. The surf was basically flat in Ventura and my wife was game to leave early. I figured at the very least I could find something to grovel in SD, plus I’d get a bonus session with Kevin Angers who was set arrive in the afternoon from Florida. We hit the road and besides traffic in the usual spots the drive wasn’t too bad and uneventful which is all one can hope for from a road trip. Considering that we were staying at my sister in law’s home in Chula Vista and the Angers were staying in Bonita it made the most sense to meet at the Ocean Beach Pier. We got there and the waves were definitely tiny, maybe pushing waist high and weak. Normally I would have passed on such a session but I had not had a surf with my boy in almost a year. The water was shockingly cold for how far south we were. I’d say it wasn’t any warmer then home and definitely made the grovely surf even harder to get into. Then a bunch of tiny groms paddled out to warm up for a contest that was happening the next day zooming by us on any ripple that moved. To my credit I did find a few tiny micro runners but before an hour was through I had my fill. For dinner I served up some chicken cordeon blue with a rice pilaf. One thing about having me as a house guest at the very least you will eat well.

4-6-23 PM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 20
Today was even smaller then yesterday. Taking that into consideration I headed straight for Ventura Harbor. Though small there were some micro peaks up and down the beach that were at the very least serviceable. Before I could even walk back down the dunes to my car the wind picked up stiff WNW completely trashing the meager waves. If I wasn’t too stoked on it when the surf was clean you can bet I was completely over it now that it was sloppy. On the way back home I noticed the wind was straight off shore still in Oxnard and had a look at Strand. The Ship actually had a slightly smaller version of the shore break wave I rode yesterday except with less size and offshore wind it looked even more treacherous. I knew if I paddled out I was sure to get hurt or break a board, especially with my trip twenty four hours away. Of course being the addict that I am I had to paddle. It was rip-able out there with the bank vault section right on the shore. My first few waves were all close calls on the sand. Then I stroked into a two turn backside right hander and beached myself on a big inverted tail free snap. I must have hit the bottom on the recovery cause my nose was creased in two places. The board in question was my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model, a key board in my quiver, one I definitely wanted to take to Mexico with me. Just a week ago I sold my spare in need of some cash to get a batch of boards glassed. Luckily for me I’m a ding repair wizard and was painstakingly able to get the board finished, painted and ready to rip before my departure.

4-5-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 10
Another day of sub par surf with few options was on tap. There was still a little bit of steep NW wind swell in the water so I headed to Strand. Though high tide there was some kill-able shore break that I just couldn’t pass up. It was the worst kind of shore break, breaking perfectly ride-able right up to the beach. Nothing says bodily injury or broken boards like that. Bizarro showed up to shoot a bit of water since it was clean with good light and so close in. Somehow I managed to have fun, not get hurt or break my board and Biz got a few decent shots to boot. I’d say it was a successful junk surf if I ever saw one. After the session I went home to shape my last board before heading down south for my San Diego/Mexico trip.

4-4-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 22
Sadly today was supposed to be the best day of the week, with that being said it was still only about chest high at best. Hueneme had a small wave though nothing I was interested in surfing. On the way out I managed to get a flat tire picking up a 2 inch long framing bolt in my tire. Luckily I was only a block from home. Rather then lose the morning I woke up Biz and had him take me around for a look. Strand was our first check where the wind was already onshore and waves all broken up and terrible. I got word from Jeffery that the Harbor wasn’t all that good either. Rather than running around chasing the endless bad wave I decided to get my car over to the tire place and get it taken care of. Biz met me over there so we could go get some waves or a lack there of. We checked the Harbor but it was a mess with little to no shape. I decided to go back to Strand where at the very least there were some corners. Between the onshore wind and dropping tide it was mushy, wonky and all around terrible. That being said I paddled anyway in an attempt to make something out of the messy gutless conditions. I put in a frustrating hour before coming in and picking up my car. The rest of my afternoon was spent shaping up a Clarks Surfboards finless surf board prototype.

4-3-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 52
A strong NW gale that began sometime in the night put a damper on my morning surf hopes. I got word that all the protected points were tiny and barely breaking, while all the beaches were trash. I devoted the morning to getting some clerical work done among other tasks I have been brushing under the rug. Around 2pm I got a call from Jeffrey on his second surf check of the day. By this time Rincon though still small was surf-able. He decided to surf Little Rincon where it was a little bit larger. I wrapped up what I was doing and headed to Rincon. I got there around 3:30 pm and Jeffrey was right it was definitely on the weaker side, about chest plus with about two dozen guys on it. Not that crowd was an issue with how bad the drift was down the point. I suited up and jumped in at the Rivermouth section. On hard NW wind days I just float with the current and get as many waves as I can until I get to the Freeway. The current was fierce that just to catch a wave I had to paddle with all my steed. My best waves I caught were at the Rivermouth where it was the largest. I did catch a few runners through the length of the Cove as well. Those were a bit weak. After four drifts I was completely spent. I went home feeling my age. Ten years ago I would have had no problem out there. We can’t be Father Time, all we can do is our best to keep him from aging us too fast.

4-2-23 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 42
On Friday I’m heading down to San Diego to meet up with Kevin Angers and his family. Then on Monday we are all heading into north Baja for a few days. Kevin and I are definitely looking to stack some clips for the Clarks Surfboards YouTube Channel. Of course whenever I’m about to leave on a trip whatever can go wrong will. A week ago while shooting at Strand my lens decided to take give up on me. Luckily Bizarro and I were able procure a suitable replacement on eBay, which had arrived yesterday. My wife and I headed out determined to shoot something in order to test out the new rigging. Our first check was Hueneme, which was once again a do-able grovel maybe slightly larger than yesterday. The shape was a little to be desired. Banking on the south energy we headed to LA. County was weak and crowded as was Leo. On the way to Malibu I decided to give Zeros a look. Though small there were some rip-able crossed up waist plus corners. The tide was a bit fat for the reef but there was an appealing sand bar down the beach that I gave a go. For as bad as it was I actually had a fun time. Somehow I found a classic Lisanti micro tube and stuck a few fin whaffs. In my usual Zeros form I also managed to almost maim some dude who decided to attempt to go right on a left that I was flying down the line on. I thought he was going to pull out and came off the bottom to hit it, but dude didn’t pull out and I nearly took his head off. Unfortunately when I got out of the water my lovely wife informed me that the lens we had just bought wasn’t working properly, which was very frustrating news considering that there wasn’t enough time to return it and buy another before the trip. On the way home we stopped off at this waterfall that recently appeared off the PCH at Deer Creek courtesy of all the recent rains. In the twenty something years I have been driving that route I have never seen such a sight. We splashed around in the water before getting on with our lazy Sunday day.

4-1-23 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
Miles Driven: 12
The waves were deplorable and the wind was already up. I probably could have surfed Hueneme but it was rather small and a grovel at best. The wind coming off the water definitely had a chill to it indicating that the water must be cold. I couldn’t get into it. I was going to head over to the Harbor when I got word it was also tiny and onshore. Rather then futz around looking for a knee high wave I decided to get a bunch of Clarks Surfboards errands done. There were blanks to pick up, blanks to drop off and a few finished boards to pick up from the glasser as well. It was early afternoon by the time I got all of that done. I heard Zeros had some fun waves in the morning, but I couldn’t get an afternoon report and the cams down in LA has wind on it harder then I would have liked for that spot. Instead I saved my gas and got a bunch of chores done around my house. Hopefully I can find some tiny south swell to grovel tomorrow.