April 2024 Surf Sessions
4-30-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 52
AJ hit me up early that he was at Pitas and it looked fun enough. Considering that Strand was already borderline blown out Bizarro and I decided to head up. We did the Rincon loop before ultimately joining AJ at Pitas, which was actually rather solid for what it was. The line up was more crowded then I would have liked totaling around a dozen guys. Once out there I realized I knew almost everyone and they were all Santa Barbara guys I used to surf with back when I lived up that way. The reunion was nice, I always enjoy catching up with all friends. The waves, were chest plus tricky runners. Despite that I did managed to lock into a few really fun ones. AJ got his share too. It’s been a good week for stacking clips and it’s only Tuesday.
4-29-24 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 42
The wind swell was on the rise but unfortunately so was the wind. I looked at Strand early and it was a complete mess. Hoping for better conditions at one of the points or Emma Wood. I decided to get some ding work out of the way and head to Emma Wood in the afternoon. With a 4pm high tide I figured I could do alright. It was also my wife’s first day back to work following her surgery. Around 2pm Bizarro and I went out at Emma. It was nothing spectacular but there were some chest plus bowls coming in with decent enough shape and a light crowd. Bizarro decided to do some water stills. It’s been a while since we shot photos period let alone in the water. These days there is such a constant need for content that all we ever have the time for is video. No one seems to care about the art that once was surf photography. Now it’s all about stacking clips regardless of the composition. Publish or perish. We definitely got some decent shots and I actually pulled into and came out of a very sick little backside tube.
4-28-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 10
After days of wind it was finally clean and peaky. It might have been the best day I had seen out of the past few. Unfortunately I was forced to get an earlier start then I normally would like because I had a mid day fundraiser to work up in the Sant Ynez Valley. The surf was chest to head high, clean, fun and peaky. Since it was early the crowd was very light. I paddled the ship and actually bogged my first couple of waves. Though it looked perfect the waves were more weird and wonky making timing maneuvers very tricky. I did lock into a few runners and got one tube but overall the session was a bit of a struggle. The crowd continued to fill in as my session came to a close. I made it up to Santa Barbara at 11am where I picked up the company van then drove up to Sunstone Winery where the event was being held. It was a fairly standard Chucuterie table, passed apps and dessert menu. The client was stoked and I made it back home to Hueneme at around 6:30. My wife and I went on a little walk by the beach then got some Chinese food out.
4-27-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 10
More windswell and more onshore wind was on offer this morning. Unfortunately it was just a little too steep and small for the north points and the south swell wasn’t all that great for the LA points. The Ship had some windy but lined up lefts coming through with no one on it. I had a catering event in Ojai at 4pm. Rather than dilly dally I paddled and made the most of the junky onshore conditions. To my credit I did get a few rip-able ones. I went home, grabbed a quick lunch with my wife then headed out. The event was a birthday party way up in the hills behind Ojai. As usual the guests were happy. I got off at 10pm and then had to traverse this gnarly winding road in the pitch black for close to fifteen miles before getting to route 33. Life is always an adventure.
4-26-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 22
Indecisiveness and surfing are never a good combination, but when the surf is below average it’s hard to build up enough stoke to paddle. The ship had a wave but the wind was already on it and I couldn’t get into it. The North End was small and weak. There was still some south in the water and with the incoming tide I was hoping Hueneme might be fun. I drove back only to find that it was completely garbage. Ultimately I forced a paddle at the ship and of course the wind came up as soon as I got out in the line up. I made it happen and actually got a couple of fun rides. After the surf I came home and made my wife some lunch. After Lunch we went on a short hike on the backside of the Santa Monica Mountains. The loop was 1.2 miles which is the longest my wife has been able to walk since her surgery. She’s healing up more and more everyday.
4-25-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 37
Some days I scour the entire coast for no other reason then prove to myself that the waves are absolutely terrible everywhere in my surf window. I should have just surfed the shitty waves right out front in Hueneme. Instead I decided to chase the south swell down the PCH to no avail. I watched Zach surf Leo on the Clarks Surfboards SPF Mid-length I shaped for him. It was stoke to see how much flow the board carried in such weak terrible waves. My design did just what I built it to do. As for myself the waves were a little too small, inconsistent and crowded for me to paddle. I headed back to County Line which seemed to have the most potential. The reef wasn’t really happening. Over on the beach break there were some broken up peaks that looked kill-able. Once out there I realized the waves were too mushy on the outside and too dumpy on the inside making it quite the frustrating experience. The water was absolutely freezing too. I forced out an hour then headed home. Upon arriving I made my wife some lunch. She was feeling a bit down due to the slow process of healing. I her took to the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks. It’s a nice collection of intertwined themed gardens. The place is also not huge so it wasn’t too strenuous a day for her. Getting out of the house was great idea and cheered her up immensely. This process has been quite the challenge and will continue to be for the next few weeks to come if not longer. One never can tell if future complications or chronic issues may stem from last week’s medical emergency. That’s marriage, “in sickness and in health, through good times and bad”. I love my wife and am glad that I have the time and flexibility of schedule to be there for her.
4-24-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 70
The south swell was still running. After a brief and fruitless Hueneme check AJ, Bizarro and I cruised south down the PCH ultimately stopping at Malibu. It was what I would call stoke worthy but there were some kill-able chest plus waves coming through between second and third. Actually some of the sections were very rampy. There were even some decent lefts to be had up around Third. It was crowded but manageable. I got on a complete tear destroying whatever waves I could stroke into. I couldn’t stick a good rotating air to save my life. It’s funny how after three years of living down south I am really starting to find my place in the line up at Malibu. I almost feel as comfortable there as I do at Rincon. We definitely stacked some solid clips. Though my wife was doing a lot better I still bailed around noon so I could spend the remainder of the day with her. We had lunch over at Seafood Fresh in Hollywood beach then went for a walk around the harbor there till my wife was tired. Once home I did a bit more weeding as for the moment my shaping cue is light. Order a custom board I promise you will be stoked and at $585 for a custom it won’t break your bank. My wife and I took a stroll around the neighborhood to keep her moving.
4-23-24 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 40
I woke up to a text message from my team rider and groomsman AJ. He was in town from South Carolina on a catering job and decided to hang for an extra week. I had completely forgotten about him due to all the commotion of the past week. I cruised up to Carpinteria to pick him up. He was briefed on the current state of my house. The wind was up and morning window shot. I took my wife for her usual morning walk then rallied AJ and Bizarro and we headed south to see what we could find along the PCH. County was drained and not doing it, Zeros had some shitty cross wind and Malibu looked way too small and drained on the cam. We were considering heading back to Hueneme when I saw a do-able set off the rock at Leo. There were only two guys on it and though a little drained the tide was on the rise provoking us to paddle. I was stoked to surf with AJ. The last time we surfed together was over a year ago at Ventura Harbor. Actually the surf was way more fun then it looked and I got on a serious froth. In classic Leo fashion it didn’t take long for it to get crowded with soft tops, mid-lengths and long boards. There wasn’t enough or it good enough for me to put up with that so I caught a few more and bailed. When I got home I took my wife for a walk along the stream at Bubbling Springs Park and we ended the night with a good old fashioned Lisanti pasta and sausage dish.
4-22-24 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 12
It was Monday by the calendar but by feel I had no understanding what day of the week it was. The past seven days have just been about getting through the fatigue and difficulties and then moving into the next ready to face whatever hurtle might come up. Today felt different. It felt like we had finally turned a corner in the right direction. I woke up to my wife sound asleep and seemingly no or very little pain. I got my usual morning chores finished then headed to Strand. There was some steep NW in the water. I checked Hueneme for good measure but south wind was on it making the waves very unappealing. The ship was ok, chest plus with some fun looking lines coming off the rocks and a light crowd. I paddled and couldn’t make sense of my first few waves. It seemed the waves were standing up then backing off, then standing up leaving little to no ride-able face. There were some decent ones to be had but you had to really get lucky. I managed a few left runners though nothing really got me jazzed. I headed home and was very pleasantly surprised that my wife was out of bed and actually doing a little bit of art work in the study. She wanted to go out to breakfast and I happily obliged. After breakfast we went for a walk around the new Port Hueneme Discount Grocery outlet market that opened while she was in the Hospital. We love that store and she was excited to do a regular everyday task even if as mundane as a grocery store run. All the excitement left her a bit exhausted so she went back to bed. Meanwhile I did a bit of weeding in the yard. All the rain recently had caused weeds to shoot up everywhere. Around six I got my wife up and took her for a sunset walk on the Hueneme Pier. The doctor said to keep her moving as much as possible. It was a beautiful sunset maybe one of the better ones I have ever witnessed if not for any other reason then the fact that my wife was getting better and there to enjoy it with me. Had things gone differently I may have been watching that same sunset in a much more somber light. This whole experience has definitely made me appreciate my life.
4-21-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 2 hr
Waves Surfed: 40
Miles Driven: 2
One thing about Hueneme is that when it’s good it’s one of the most fun surf spots in the area. The problem is your lucky if you get thirty days like that a year. Even when it is good the windows are short. The other 330 days are weird, wonky and stretched. This morning thanks to just the right combo and period of NW/SW swells plus mid level high tide the entire beach looked like a skate park. Stoked I cruised back to my car and quickly paddled. The tide was soon to be dropping which could turn off the surf at any point in the session. The north side of Pier looked the best and it didn’t take me long to get busy. I’d get a left off the pier then get a right back towards it. This surfing carousel went on for a solid hour and a half. Ryan showed up as the tide was beginning to drain and he still managed to get a fun 45 minutes before the whole place turned off. It was just the session I needed to clear my head after everything that has gone on this past week. From the waves I went home and cooked lunch for my wife. After lunch we went up to Hueneme and took little stroll along the beach. Her progress has been amazing so far and she is now almost ninety percent self sufficient with everyday tasks. Any day now I think I will feel comfortable to go surf further from home and longer with out stressing about her well being. Having to watch and take care of a significant other go through a serious health complication is both mentally and physically exhausting.
4-20-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 2
I thought I saw some corners over by Rockside from my usual surf check out on the pier. There were some pier wedges too but I decided to run out to Rockside hoping for more opportunity. I picked off a decent right as soon as I paddled then after that the whole place became completely closed out, backwashy and completely useless. Pretty much a standard day at Hueneme. I literally floated around for an hour paddling back and forth between the flags not catching shit. I suppose it was better the waves sucked cause I got out and back to my currently recovering wife. She was actually doing much better and we went for a walk around the yard. Like I said baby steps.
4-19-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 20
I was on wife nurse duty leaving me a small window to surf. Considering my she was sleeping comfortably and didn’t need anything from me I slipped out of the house for a quickie. Hueneme was do-able buy a little more closed out and wonky then I would have liked. Hoping River Mouth would be better I drove over to the Harbor. It wasn’t. As a matter for fact the waves were smaller and more mushy with some junk onshore wind. The tide was dropping and I didn’t want to risk heading back to Hueneme for the likelihood that it could completely be shut down. My friend Craig was running down to the mouth and I joined him. Apparently Timmy Curran, Proctor and some of his team were out there clogging the main peak. We attacked a bar just north of them. There was a drift and as a result it was very difficult to hold the bar. We got out and ran way up past the top of the River Mouth. I don’t know what got into me but I went ballistic throwing all sorts of airs and combos till I basically found myself back in front of the Knoll and called it a day. I got home and my wife was ready to eat some breakfast. After she ate we took a short walk around the yard then back upstairs to bed. Recovery is all about baby steps. I did some weeding motivated by the survey of the yard while out there. Later in the evening my wife surprised me when I came to check on her that she wanted to come eat dinner downstairs at the table with Bizarro and I. Her progress just a day out of surgery is wonderful.
4-18-24 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 2
I awoke after yet another restless night sleeping on a visitor couch in the Hospital next to my wife who post surgery was slowly coming back to the realm of the living. In the wee hours of the morning, I took a little stock in my own life. I looked over at my wife who was finally sleeping as the first rays of sunlight peaked through the window blinds illuminating her her lovely countenance. In that moment I realized just how much I actually did love and care for this woman and more then that was reminded how happy and lucky I was to call her my wife. Talk about an anniversary. The hustle and bustle of everyday life with all the stress that comes along can make couple take each other for granted. I was sorry to admit that we had fallen into that rut. My last memory of us together before she got sick was fighting about our plans for gardening the yard or something just as trivial. What a difference a week makes. Surfing was actually the furthest thing from my mind though I did have a look at all the cams. The first real south swell of the season was in full force. Normally I’d be all stressed out, running every which way up and down the PCH with Bizarro trying to get the best clips. The crowds would frustrate me and the waves as well. Yet again all of a sudden this also felt very silly in the grand scheme of things. My wife could have died last night. With that realization, how small all my prior problems compared. Shortly after this brief moment of existentialism the morning nurse came in to draw some blood and take vitals. My wife was up and very cognizant. We ordered some breakfast, stoked she was eating. Around ten the surgeon came by and was also quite pleased with her current state. She cleared my wife for discharge and about two hours later we were on our way home. I got her in the house and into bed where she immediately fell asleep. It had been a very long week. I took the opportunity to run some quick errands picking up some of the suggested supplies to best suit her recovery. Once back home I found my wife was awake and resting comfortably. I aided her in whatever she needed then got her back into bed where it didn’t take long for her to fall back to sleep. It seemed like the perfect moment to try and squeeze in a quick surf up the street. Bizarro was home if there was any emergency. I jumped in at Rockside by the second set of flags. The waves were solid chest to head and bowly. My first right was a bomb I scored three decent hits on. Then in classic Hueneme fashion it got very stretched, backwashy and weird. I grinded out a few more before calling it a day. I didn’t want to be away too long, just wanted to get wet and wash off the hospital filth from my persona. It was just what the surf doctor ordered. I went home, made my wife some chicken soup for dinner and then we both passed out. It was finally the end of very long day.
4-17-24 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
Miles Driven: 14
Today was my fourth wedding anniversary and what an anniversary it was. Upon waking up my wife was still in agonizing pain. We called doctors till someone would see her. Nothing was going to happen till the afternoon. I went for a look around to clear my head. I was going to paddle Strand but called my wife first to see what was going on. She said the doctor said that if we wanted to expedite the process we should go to the emergency room. As it turned out she needed surgery. After another 6 hours of hanging out, two hours of surgery and another hour or so of recovery I found myself sleeping in a hospital room visitors chair. Ironically last week my wife wanted to get a very expensive hotel room for our anniversary tonight and I denied her not able to justify the costs. Looks like we will be sleeping in the most expensive room around. Hello medical debt. At least we finally got to the root of her extreme pain and hopefully have remedied it.
4-16-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Sliver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
I woke up at 7:30am after not really getting to sleep till 4am. My wife was still suffering but finally seemed to resting thanks to the pain meds. Besides myself with stress I decided to sneak out for a quickie at the Ship where there was a somewhat fun chest plus wave coming in. Between sleep exhaustion and my stress level I couldn’t really focus on surfing. At the very least it was nice to get a brief escape from my current situation at home. I kept it short and got back to find my wife feeling slightly better. We spent the afternoon trying to sort out seeing a specialist to little avail. The best we could do was someone would call us in the morning. Infuriated I went into my shaping room and did a little bit of ding work to calm my nerves. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this soon cause it’s killing me to watch her on so much pain.
4-15-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 70
The sun was finally out this morning. There was still a bit NW/SW combo in the water. At some point in the day I needed to get down to Hermosa Beach to pick up a batch of boards from the glasser and drop off another. I definitely took a bit of flak from the Ventura board building community when I made the decision to send my glass work down to LA. My regular guy in Ventura has been laid up with knee surgery and everyone else around here was unable to work me into their schedules for a reasonable price. Hopefully by May my boy will be healthy and we will back doing 100% of production in the VTA. Reports from the Ventura and Oxnard beaches came in lacking. The call was to head south and either surf something on the way down or back along the PCH. Nothing looked very inspiring west of Zuma. CC called and said he was paddling up at 3rd at Malibu. The weather was nice and wind light so Bizarro and I decided to join him. Though smaller then I would have liked I got in the zone and tore apart the waist to chest high peaks. The rides were only good for two or three turns but 3rd was a skate park with no one out but us. You know if it were July there would have been fifty ding dongs out there. Not today. Today it was just CC, the birds and I. I even spotted a whale before paddling out. Time was not our friend today and we had to be on our way. The pickup/drop off was a success. My day wasn’t over. As I got back into Hueneme I got a call from my wife that she was feeling extremely ill and was unable to drive any further then Carpinteria. Without even stopping home Bizarro and I raced up to grab her. Then I drove her straight to the ER. Finally at of 2:30 am five hours later they sent her home with some pain meds and no answers. The state of modern medicine is sad. Insurance companies have really ruined our quality of life when we get sick.
4-14-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 12
I can’t believe it’s still raining this late in the season, not to mention cold. Last night was in the forties and this morning not much warmer. As I was about to walk out the door the rain came back with a serious vengeance. I decided to slow roll taking my time getting out of the house and loading up. After about ten minutes the rain subsided and with it some light offshore winds. I drove straight for Hollywood. With a negative low tide SW and W combo swell plus offshore winds I was sure it would pump. Once on the beach I was a bit let down with the size and shape, only being about head high and a little bit stretched. I saw enough to warrant a paddle and call Bizarro to come film. The sun had come out and for all evidentiary purposes I assumed the storm had passed. I was even considering getting on the golf course later in the afternoon if things dried up a bit. My first three waves were fun lefts. I even packed an ok right tube. Bizarro showed up and of course the wind began to switch out of the south. The beautiful clean ocean I was hoping to get on film became just another bout of me battling the elements to get a few clips on junky waves. Then a big dark rain cloud showed up. Luckily Bizarro was able to pack up and escape before the torrential downpour started. I on the other hand got stuck out in the ocean in the perfect storm as the wind picked up atomic out of the WSW. Between the wind and the rain I could barely see a thing. Getting a wave in became nearly impossible as well. Eventually I quit on a three turn left. On the way home I had to negotiate my low to the ground sports car through the now flooded streets of Hollywood Beach. I made it home unscathed as did my car. Considering it was rainy and miserable out I stayed home and accomplished a bunch of errands around the house before capping the night off watching the pros slog it out in really tiny Margret River.
4-13-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 21
I woke up to light ESE winds. The sky was grey and it was freezing out. Winds were predicted to go hard SW by mid day. Rather than waste time I got moving. Strand was tiny so I cruised back to Ventura Harbor. The surf was substantially smaller from yesterday. There was some minor south swell making it peaky from the Rivermouth to the Knoll. The waves were chest high at best but fun looking enough. There was a crowd about 30 strong with the concentration on the bar directly in front of the mouth. I headed that way but stopped at a bar fifty yards closer that was producing a similar wave with no one on it. I grabbed a handful of adequately fun lefts. There was a solid drift pulling north forcing me to get out and run back down the beach. In this time the wind went a bit more south though still very manageable. I surfed the drift back to the Knoll thinking I’d get quit at the parking lot. As it turned out there were some sick little tubes to be had at the Knoll so I stayed out a bit longer. Eventually my arms got burned out from the constant paddling and I called it day. As soon as I changed out of my suit it started pouring. Timing is everything in life. Later that evening I had to work a VIP post show event at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara.
4-12-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Dredge
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 22
There was a small uptick in the WNW swell this morning. I headed to the Ship since the wind was SE. It was tiny and the wind extremely adverse for the North End. Zach and I cruised over to the Harbor where it takes south wind a bit better. I was shocked at how much swell was actually getting in. Sets were well overhead. Unfortunately it was completely walled. Zach decided he was going to take his chances and join the handful or so other guys out at New Jetty. The waves had a little more shape but still were very stretched. More so then I was looking to deal with. I cruised to Dredge and was pleasantly surprised as there were fun looking chest to head high lines running into the jetty knuckle with only about five guys out. It was a little backwashy but by far the best wave I had seen today. Stoked I paddled and picked off a couple of three to four turn freight trains. Jeffery showed up shortly after and was also stoked. As the tide got higher the backwash got worse. Everyone got out but Jeffrey and I. We fought the good fight till the wind went more out of the south west adding too much chop on the face to make the waves worth anything. Looks like we are in for another weekend of rain as if we haven’t had enough already this year. The remainder of my day was spent shaping. I finally finished this weeks batch of rip sticks. Get your board in a batch reach out and order your Clarks Surfboard today. Customs are still starting at the very affordable price of $585. What are waiting for? They won’t stay this low forever.
4-11-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 10
I wasn’t sure what to expect from today. There has been talk of a south swell and I was hoping to chase that down the PCH, but it had yet to really show itself. Ship was tiny but there was still a bit of WNW swell getting into the North Strand. I had a feeling Rincon probably had a wave but I didn’t want to drive all the way up there on a whim when there were perfectly surf-able waves at home. Actually the lines were way cleaner then yesterday though a bit more inconsistent. Zach showed up and we paddled the right bowl off the Jetty. I definitely found a few fun rights and the left was working too. The time between sets was long and with all the sitting I got very cold. I still surfed my fill. The remainder of my day was spent shaping away.
4-10-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
As good as yesterday was it was like a forgotten event when faced with what was on offer this morning. The ship had a chest high wave but was all over the place and weak looking. It appeared the waves were finding all the holes and deep spots on the bars. There was white water and guys on the North Side so I drove over for a look. The lines were substantially better though still weak. About twenty guys were out but spread among multiple peaks. While I was deliberating on if I should paddle or not Zach and Chase showed up ready to surf. Feeding off their stoke We paddled the Wood House peak all representing Clarks Surfboards. These days I have just as much fun watching guys rip the board I shape as I do riding them. Especially yesterday watching Zach push the limits of my Freeloader Model in a 5’5 two plus one at solid overhead ship. I couldn’t believe how well he was managing to hold a line. Then today Chase was destroying the smaller mushy rights of the North Strand going tail free on my Bizzle Model. Its blast to surf with guys who took a chance on my shapes and were stoked and aren’t so big brand conscious like majority of the surf population. We made the most of the mushy gutless conditions. I had to paint and shape boards today and therefore couldn’t surf all day. After I got a few fun ones it was home to get to work for me.
4-9-24 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 10
This morning may have been the best Ship I have seen since early fall. It was a proper Ship swell angle and period, plus the wind was offshore. I’m not calling it epic it or all time, mainly because the bars still suck, the good ones were very inconsistent and it was pretty wonky. That being said there were also some really phenomenal rides to be had. Some of the bombs were pushing eight foot. To my credit I managed a two ok barrels and caught one of the larger waves of the day off the Shit Pipe. Besides that I struggled to find any other real memorable rides though Bizzaro did get some keepers. Stay tuned to instagram and the Clarks YouTube Channel for those. The crowd was fairly manageable for how good it was. Unfortunately the water was still freezing but I stayed out till I was borderline hypothermic. Strider showed up and was pushing his kid into bombs on the outside. I was looking for his microphone set up to practice for his WSL commentary. After the surf the rest of my day was spent shaping as I currently have a solid batch of spring orders to fill.
4-8-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 8
Miles Driven: 24
This morning I decided tto do a bit of car surfing. Hueneme was almost do-able. It had perfect shape except the waves were a little on the small side. I drove over to the Ship where it was substantially larger but weird and wonky with the high tide. CC called and said he was thinking of paddling over on Rockside at Hueneme. Jeffery, Mitch and I cruised over only to find that whatever was out there had completely disappeared with only a knee high trace of a wave left. Back to Strand we went and paddled the Ship. The water was as cold as I’ve ever felt it out there. Later I’d find out that the temperature was 49F! I was so miserably cold that despite the fact that there were some fun waves coming in I couldn’t last for more then eight waves. From what I heard the wind came up and wrecked it shortly after I left anyways. I hate spring. The waves are always terrible and the ocean is colder then winter. The rest of my day after I thawed out was spent shaping.
4-7-24 No Surfing: 1-3 ft
Miles Driven: 12
Another near flat day with a 5.5 foot high tide was on offer. I wasn’t in the mood for a grovel especially with how frigid the water has been. On the plus side my wife finally decided to forgive me for Friday’s surf indiscretion. We enjoyed the day together. I think sometimes women cause extra drama just to make their lives more exciting. We decided to play a twilight round over at River Ridge on the Vineyard course and I actually played one of my better games. Photo is from pathetic Strand.
4-6-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 20
I woke up this morning to a continuation of the cold shoulder from my wife because I ditched her to go surf yesterday. We didn’t score one decent clip and my wife is mad at me. I never have been a great decision maker. I cruised over to Strand and though a little high and wonky there were some solid chest to head high peaks coming in on the Ship side. My friend Mitch was checking at the same time and we concurred it was worth a paddle. The water was freezing from yesterday’s winds and sets were a bit inconsistent. Add to that a the high tide wonk and conditions were challenging to say the least. Since it was Saturday the crowd was out in full force. There was a strong group of locals with a handful of LA guys mixed in. With conditions being so tricky it was mostly us locals getting the better waves. When that is case sometimes the weekend warrior LA guys can get a little aggressive. One guy decided to paddle battle Mitch and then proceed to drop in on him. The two collided and had a few words. That should have been the end of it, but the LA guy paddled back out and continued to bark at Mitch. Finally I chimed in and told him he was starting trouble with the wrong guy. Mitch is one of the nicest dudes out there and is a local if not California surfing legend. The angry guy then began yelling at me and accusing me of coming to Zeros and other LA spots and not showing respect. I laughed at him and paddled away. Thinking whatever was happening was over I went back to my surf. Dude decided to keep following me around the lineup till finally I told him if he really had a problem we should take it to the beach. He paddled in thus I followed. He barked and stepped at me twice. I noticed more then one camera on the beach turned towards us. Rather than end up on someone’s YouTube or Instagram I decided fighting with video proof for the authorities was not the smartest of ideas. I talked some reason into the guy and we went our separate ways. Also I think he realized that basically the entire line up had my back if anything were to go down. I don’t know if Karma shined on me or what but right after that incident I caught my best waves. Conditions got a bit better as the tide began to drop but by that point I was too cold to hang and bailed. I had a look again later but the wind had trashed the Ship side and the North End was tiny. Yes my wife was still angry at me for the remainder of the day.
4-5-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, C Street
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 6
Miles Driven: 52
This morning was very disappointing. I woke up to what looked to be a solid morning of NW swell. Enough to cause me to cancel plans I made with my wife to go to LA with her, a decision for which I paid dearly for. At press time I’m still getting the silent treatment. Bizarro and I set out to get some decent footage. Strand was solid but a bit too unruly for my liking. I got word that Rincon was “pumping”. That report was a stretch. There was some size but it was breaking all over the place and messy. The crowd was easily 100 guys fighting over the terrible waves. Ultimately I ended up a Ventura Point at Pipes, which was mushy and also terrible. Shortly after I paddled the wind came up atomic out of the WNW making the waves completely un-surf-able. I went to home with my tail between my legs to an angry wife and not one decent clip to show for it. This why the sport is surfing is a masochist’s game. The rest of my day was spent getting the cold shoulder from wife. Good times.
4-4-24 No Surfing: 1-2+ ft
Miles Driven: 12
The surf was about as small as it gets around these parts this morning. I checked Hueneme first but it was completely flat. Strand had a wave that I may have been able to grovel on my fish but I just couldn’t find the motivation to enter the freezing cold water for such putrid little waves. I decided to wait till Jeffery showed up before driving away. If he wanted to surf I would paddle, but even he couldn’t muster up the stoke to surf the meager offerings. Over it I went home and devoted the day to finishing the new Clarks Surfboards YouTube edit. Feel free to click the link to give it watch
4-3-24 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
I didn’t even know if I was going to surf today when I woke up the buoys looked very small. Salar wanted to surf so I met him over at the Ship. It was tiny and not inviting. He claimed the North End had more surf getting in. Sure enough I saw a few weak waist high lines over at the Wood House Peak. We paddled and as the tide dropped it kept getting bigger. Granted most waves were a bit stretched there was the occasional decent section to be had. We gave it our all for an hour before throwing in the towel. I couldn’t have surf too much longer anyway since today was my catering gig up in SB. The numbers increased about fifteen guests. I always prepare extra food and since it is a regular client I didn’t up charge. As usual the event went off with out any real issues.
4-2-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 30m
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 10
Small was the call today, borderline why bother. I really feel like Florida conditions have followed me back to California except that the water and weather have been terrible. Anyone else tired of this horrible weather. I’m ready to go back sunny 70 F climate again. There were some small knee to waist high waves at the Ship. I was considering driving over to Ventura Harbor till I got a call from Jeffery who’s description of such seemed no better then Strand. Why waste gas, which is steadily creeping back up to $5 a gallon. I decided to just jump in for a few. Luckily my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model rips the tiny stuff like a hot knife through butter. I got on a tear till the tide got too low and the wind came up. Instead of cutting my losses I decided to have a case of last wave syndrome which lasted an extra half hour and I never got that last wave I was searching for. The rest of my afternoon was spent prepping food for tomorrow night’s catering job. Don’t let the below photo fool you. There’s no scale. That wave is barely waist high.
4-1-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 30m
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
There was still a bit of left over NW swell from the weekend in the water. By 9am the wind was already up. I got word that Rincon had a chest high wave but was a little busy. I wanted to head up there but I have an independent catering gig on Wednesday for forty people and needed to shop and plan for it. If I went to Rincon I wouldn’t get home till after 2pm. That’s just how it works out up there. The place is a time suck. North Strand had some fun looking peaks coming through. Salar was stoked on it and we paddled. I hate the north Strand but for whatever reason the surf gods decided to shine on me. I found myself in position for just about every good left that came in. Then again I was surfing the Wood House peak where I always seem to thrive off that left. It helped that I was surfing well too. I got my twenty waves and bailed. There was too much to do to waste a lot of time on less than stellar waves. All my shopping was taken care, my menu, staff and prep schedule as well as event protocol also got handled. Looks like it’s going to be a bit of a lackluster week of surfing. What can one expect from spring time anyway?