Surfing Ruined My Life

August 2022 Surf Sessions

8-31-22 No surfing: 1-2+ ft
This morning was the first really tiny morning in two weeks. I could have groveled somewhere but decided to opt out and not further aggravate my knee. That was fine cause I had plenty more ding repair work to get done. Looks like there should be a decent combo push for the weekend.

8-30-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 13
Miles Driven: 42
“Windtura lived up to its reputation once again as it was howling out of the WNW from first light. I cruised south hoping for more favorable winds in LA. The wind followed along leaving Leo as the only real option considering the swell. It was shit house packed and very inconsistent. The water was freezing. Luckily for me I had forgot my 3/2 at home and happened to have an old 4/3 in my trunk. Sometimes we do fall into shit and come out smelling like roses. I saw a few peaks coming through over at the Boneyard and decided to give it a go solo while the massive Leo crowd dealt with itself. To its credit Boneyards had a few funs till a tweaked my already tweaked knee on a wonky end section hit. After that I decided not to push it any further and paddled into the Leo pack. I waited out a set before joining the rotation or lack there of odd the rock. I managed a few fun waves but between the crowd, the tide and the dropping swell it was a real wait between waves. After a solid hour of sitting I called it quits. Not before this idiot trying to surf or do something strange on a wooden kick board managed to get in my way mid wave and ruined what would have been a screamer down the entire point. Damn kooks. The rest of day was spent doing ding repairs. I am fully set up and banging out ding work every day for very affordable prices. Feel free to reach out if you need some work done.

8-29-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Point Dume
Time in Water: 3 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 56
After a long weekend of work I just wanted to surf some fun waves. Of course the wind was on it in Ventura since 8:30 am as per the norm this summer. I cruised to LA figuring after over a week of decent surf and the kids starting school the line ups would be less busy. I was wrong. Leo and County were so packed it was stupid. I was going to paddle Heavens but the tide and wind were on the verge of killing it. On a wing and a prayer I drove to Dume, parked and walked in hoping for something to surf. I got down there and it was the usual inconsistent though chest to head when it came in with about a dozen guys on it. I paddle and joined the rotation. With my knee injury it was just the right amount of waves. I ran into this Dude Ryan whom Angers Biz and I had a mysto solo session with last summer at the same spot. Loren Bird paddled as well on his Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model. The session was a slow burn, but the water was warm, the sun was shining and everyone was getting waves. I’d say it was just the surf session I was looking for.

8-28-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Ormond Beach
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 4
Well the waves were absolutely firing when I got to the beach and the entire time I was changing. I even had my good wave shortboard as to not be caught literally short like yesterday. As soon as I hit the water I ate shit on my first wave, got washed three hundred yards down the beach and then basically was stuck in a giant hole and had to paddle in. By the time I walked back to the bar I originally wanted to surf the wind had come up out of the NW hard trashing the place. Bizarro was filming so I forced out a few clips for good measure. Don’t believe the photo cause the picture I posted looked nothing like what I actually surfed and from what I gathered from another guy who was out there the current was so tough that catching a decent wave was nearly impossible. I guess I should have just surfed the Shores with Pat. The rest of my day was spent shopping and prepping for a private dinner in Montecito.

8-27-22 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Ormond Beach
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 4
I hate when the swell decides to peak on the weekends. I was even more bummed that Hueneme was having some big beach festival making parking up by the surf a hassle. Over the weekend grind I decided cruise over to Ormond, risk getting my car broken into and hike a good half mile to the beach to surf walled, racy corners all to beat the crowd. Such is the plight of the hardcore surfer just trying to feel the stoke of surfing in the post Covid age of the masses. Pat joined me. I only brought my step down short board and as soon as I paddled into my first wave realized I was way under gunned. Having a bad knee and being under gunned in what had steadily become pulsing high tide push over head south swell surf is a bad combination. The gnarly south current didn’t help either causing us to have to continuously paddle to hold position. I did manage a few decent rides, but wished I had my Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw model short board so I could cut through the fast sections like butter. Really I wished it was a Tuesday so I could go surf a better spot with out the heavy weekend crowds. After the surf I had to be in SB at one for a wedding.

8-26-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 13
Miles Driven: 2
I have been attempting to catch a few more waves each surf. This morning was my first time back in beach break and the scene of the crime. Jeffery and I paddled Rockside in front of tower 3 where there was an alright left coming through. He is currently dealing with a pinched nerve in his upper back. If you put out good parts together you almost have a complete surfer. That’s old age I guess. Your always dealing with some body issue and trying your best to surf despite it. I was very cautious out there and did get a few fun ones. The rest of my day was spent prepping for and then catering a wedding in SB. The bulk of my weekend will be spent on the event chef grind.

8-25-22 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 38
The south swell was at its peak. I headed back to Leo. The conditions were cleaner, bigger and more consistent then the previous day. The crowd though heavy seemed more manageable. I paddled my Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy Model and began picking off the double ups and stretched ones. With the push of a larger wave there was less stress on my knees allowing me a bit more freedom. I caught nine amazing waves and decided to call it quits there rather then get greedy. Later that evening I met my wife up in Santa Barbara so we could attend the 35th anniversary screening of 80’s Hollywood surf movie The North Shore. I grew up watching this movie as a kid and is one of my all time favorites. Since the film came out in 1987 I never had the opportunity to watch it on the big screen. To sweeten the deal Matt Adler, John Phillipin Gregory Harrison, Mia Peoples and Shaun Thompson all were on had to do a round table discussion after the showing. It was quite a treat and I may try and write a full scale blog about the entire event soon. Look for photos on my Instagram account.

8-24-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 38
There was definitely more south in the water today. Leo looked decent on the cam and I figured that would be the perfect wave to try and rehabilitate my knee on. It’s a soft wave that runs very predictable with a lack of heavy sections. With the crowd it limits the number of waves I can take. It was solid chest plus with clean high tide lines. The crowd was tough considering the size and the inconsistency of sets. I paddled and just sat on the rock waiting for my turn. I caught my first wave and was amazed that I was able to stand up and make a few turns. The hardest part is just getting up and sick diving as I hurt my right knee and that is my primary duck diving leg. I suppose it’s good that I get to learn it lefty. I got a few more waves and performance wise felt better with each one I rode. My last wave I hit like eight times and closed with a mellow end section tap. I decided that was as good as a wave to call it on as any. After the surf I went home and iced my knee for a bit. Then I had to run over to my Glasser’s shop to pick up and drop off some boards followed a trip to fiberglass Hawaii to pick up some blanks. That’s how the wheels of Clarks Surfboards stays in motion. I think I’ll probably head back to Leo again tomorrow.

8-23-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
There was a bit more wind swell in the water with a favorable Harbor report I almost went for a surf. Luckily Ryan reached out and said it wasn’t really worth hurting myself for. Thus I decided to just do a bit more shaping along with other things I needed to take care of. Looks like there is supposed to be a bit more south tomorrow. I think I may try and surf

8-22-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Day one on the injury list. The first day is never all that bad. It feels strange to not be able to surf but to be honest I had not taken a day off in almost a month so it was also kind of nice. Though my knee is limited my ability to surf it’s not for me couch ridden. I can walk around and do most of my regular everyday task. I just have a limited range of motion and can’t make any fast directional or stop and start motions. You know, the most important ones for surfing. I have minimal amount of pain as well. I have been icing, stretching, and doing reasonable strengthening of the injured area. As I said this is not uncommon ground. I heard there were some surf-able waves out front and at the Harbor. I know C.C. got some fun ones at Old Joes. I committed the day to shaping up my fall quiver for myself and minted a very nice Hacksaw and Fly Guy Model for myself. The thought process being that if I can’t surf at least I can get stoked making some sick new boards for when I do heal up. Looks like the swell is supposed to pick up towards the end of the week so that is when I’ll try and get back in the water.

8-21-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 2
Pat called me around 8:30 that he was paddling the north side of the Pier and it looked fun. I was just waking up and didn’t get on it till almost ten to join him. The wind swell had just about completely dropped out leaving just the south, which although had some decent sets was very inconsistent. On my third wave I took off on a solid right going back towards the pier. There was a throaty left bowl coming at me and I launched into an air reverse. I landed backwards in the flats with backwash. Then as I attempted to finish the rotation I felt a pop in my right knee and lost it. I have struggled with knee injuries my entire surfing career. A torn MCL in my left knee ended my WQS run back in 2001. Over the years there have been on and off knee issues for both. If you recall I had been dealing with some issues with this knee a week ago or so. I guess I must have pushed it a little too hard. After taking the hit I decided to paddle back out and take a few waves to get a handle on how bad I was hurt. My knee was mess up, but I could stand and do turns. I just had a limited range of motion and some difficulty standing up fast. At the very least it looks like I am side lined for the next few days. I will probably sit out till the next swell. When I do surf it’s back to the KT Tape for a bit and I’ll have to be cautious. Thus I’d the plight of the aging athlete. Later that afternoon my wife and I spent some time cleaning a bunch of Turban Shells I have been collecting around the area for years as I want to use them in a gardening project I’m working on.

8-20-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
Thanks to a wind swell/south swell combo Hueneme was on. It was also packed with easily fifty plus guys spread from Rockside to the power plant. That being said there were plenty of waves for everyone. Pat and I paddled the north side of the Pier and had a blast. The place was a skate park. I got on a roll and hit a few solid airs and turns. It got a little busy at one point though still consistent enough for every one to be stoked. Then the wind came up a bit as did the tide and it got a bit backwashy and hard to surf. This happened right as Ryan and his boys showed up. By then Pat and I had got out fill anyway. The rest of our day was spent just kicking it around the house enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon.

8-19-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 2
There was a solid right bowl coming off the south side of the pier and the sun was out. Not having the opportunity to shoot water in a while I hit up Bizarro. He actually showed up rather steadily unfortunately so did the fog. There was an off shore fog bank that I thought had moved out, but with the slight wind change to onshore the fog bank moved right over me ruining any chances we had of shooting. That was too bad cause I there were some screamers coming in off the pier, some heavy beatings on the shallow bottom as well. Then in classic Hueneme style after about a half hour it completely turned off leaving me out the back scrapping. At the very least I had a handful of fun tubes and managed a three turn right on my last wave. After the surf I watched some of finals day before having to go to SB to work a fifty year anniversary party at the Moxi. If my wife and I make it to fifty years I’ll be 90. No thanks unless they come up with some type of rejuvenation drug so I can keep ripping.

8-18-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
Some days you just have to listen to that voice in your head that says “don’t paddle out, look somewhere else”. Instead I listened to the other voice that says “there’s a few, it might get better with the tide”. There were a few decent corners when I checked it but it was way less consistent with only the south sets showing and those that were coming through were pretty stretched. Then the surf didn’t get better as the tide filled in. The water was freezing as was the air. I wore my heavy 4/3 not wanting to be cold, but it was the first time I had put the suit on since the spring and it was quite stiff. Add to this the fact that I was completely exhausted from yesterday and you can guess the kind session I had. I beat a dead horse for almost two hours before throwing in the towel. There was a bunch of things I needed to get done today. When I got home the Tahiti comp was on so there went the rest of my day.

8-17-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 2
I was supposed to be in Santa Barbara by noon, but the ocean had a different plan for me. Though it was supposed to be an off day of swell for whatever reason Hueneme decided to shine on the meager background combo. I got up to the sea walk on rockside was was looking at spitting corners up and down the beach with light side shore/offshore wind. With all that being said there were still plenty of stretched sets. Let me rephrase, the conditions were Hueneme good. Anyone who surfs here regularly knows exactly what I mean by that. I jumped in on rockside and for forty minutes could do no wrong. I somehow managed to find my way onto every decent wave that came my way and was surfing decent enough. Then the wind switched a little more west adding a bit of the chop and the rising tide began forcing the waves to dump on the inner bar rather then peel from the outside in. I got a serious case of last wave syndrome wanting to get something phenomenal in. Meanwhile my clock to get out and get to work was running. After way too many attempts I finally quit on a smaller inside right I a bashed four times to the beach. From there it was a scramble to get into Santa Barbara as close to 12:00 as I could. I had a private dinner in Montecito to prep and serve. There was a heavy ten hour day ahead of me, one I haven’t seen the likes of since pre-Pandemic when that was the norm for me. It’s funny how Post pandemic your priorities really changes. These days I have all my energies focused on shaping surfboards for Clarks Surfboards and getting the brand to take off rather then pushing food.

8-16-22 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
Today was a very different day for me. Thanks to my very impressive wife and her super cool career as a museum professional I was allowed the opportunity to tour both FIDM (The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) and The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. My wife had official museum business at both locations and was nice enough to allow me to come along for the ride. Since the surf was less then stellar I knew I wasn’t missing anything out in the water. FIDM was our first stop where we got invited to have a sneak peak of a show they are opening this Saturday featuring popular movie and television costumes. Being a movie buff I was more then stoked. From there we made a quick stop in Korea Town for some authentic Korean BBQ followed by a behind the scenes tour of the Natural History Museum. Before I get into my thoughts on the Natural History Museum let me state that being from New York I regularly got to your the NYC Museum of Natural History, which is a pretty impressive Museum to say the least. For me the museum was alright, though I was more impressed with the architecture of the building than the exhibits. That being said for $15, the cost of an adult admission I would say it is well worth the money. Somehow we got lucky and didn’t get any traffic on the ten on the way to the PCH. Since that was the case we got back to Hueneme with just enough light for me to grab a few waves before dark. Though a bit drained with the low tide there were a few corners to be had the wind had enough north in it that the waves weren’t completely blown out. As the sun went down the wind just got more and more northerly cleaning the waves up even more. I was pretty tired from the long day so wasn’t on my A game. That being said I had a few decent ones and even a fun tube or two.

8-15-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 38
The wind swell had increased a bit more from the previous days. Since I had yet to take advantage of any of over the weekend I was keen on cruising to the north points. I checked out front quick just to make sure it wasn’t good. There were waves but the wind was junky and the tide too low. I got word that Little Rincon had a waist to chest wave and headed that way. The tide was on the rise. Emma looked small. I stopped and looked at Pitas. There was one longboarder out sitting a few houses in. It wasn’t anything phenomenal. I was about to walk on it when I saw a solid three wave chest high set peel from the top through. The tide was definitely getting detrimentally high. It looked like I could at the very least get an hour in before it turned off. I jumped in and immediately got busy. I knew whatever was breaking wasn’t going to last for long with the tide and got on a real froth. I always forget how much more I like our points better than the LA ones. By the end of the hour the tide had all but turned it off. I took a few more skirting rocks all over the place before calling it a day. After the surf I ran a few errands then committed the rest of the day to ding repair.

8-14-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 42
I had high hopes of scoring out front at Hueneme again. Also in the back of mind was the idea of chasing the wind swell up to Rincon or one of those north spots. It is weird calling them “north spots”. I guess I’m an Oxnard guy now. Hueneme was sadly smaller, weaker with worse wind then yesterday. After checking both the Pier and Rockside Dave and I decided to head south to LA. Our first stop was Leo. It was packed and rather mushy. I suggested we have a look at Zeros as less people surf on the high tide and there a usually more peaks to pick off. We happened to show up as the set of the day rolled in and peeled from the Life Guard Tower to the beach. That sent us running back to our cars to paddle. I guess a handful of other guys saw the same set cause the crowd doubled from when we checked it to when we paddled. The tide also got more fat and the onshore head wind picked up too. As you can infer it has all the makings of the worlds most frustrating session and that is exactly what ensued. I had at least six waves ruined by people who got in the way. I yelled at some completely clueless kook that tried to burn me. At one point I lost it and just yelled at a whole random group of kooks who all got in my way as I was free falling down the face of an overhead bomb. As a result of their kookery I had to go straight. AWESOME!!! Luckily I did manage a few decent waves among the bull shit. The rest is my day was spent doing the usual Sunday chores. While I still have your attention check out my latest surf YouTube edit on the Clarks Surfboards channel. It’s like the surflog come to life. Most of the footage is from the late spring.

8-13-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 2
The wind was already up at 8:30 this morning. Mark this down as the windiest summer ever in Ventura. My boy Dave wanted to go surf Leo. On a Saturday I just wasn’t sure I was up to entertain that crowd. We decided to have a look at Hueneme on Rockside where we were pleasantly surprised with chest plus south pulses. There was also enough wind swell in the water to cross it up turning the place into a skate park. For whatever reason the wind had enough north in it to keep conditions side shore/offshore. We were out there. I called Bizarro to come film as it was the best day of surf in over a week plus it looked as though we might be able to stack a few clips. The weekend crowd was on it with thirty plus guys spread out. I got on a froth and was picking off lefts and rights up and down the beach. My knee was still feeling a bit tender although it was in much better shape then it had been the past few days. As the tide got higher the surf began to turn off. I spent close to a half hour just trying to get one in. I actually got drilled from top to bottom on my second last wave. It was one of the heaviest wipe outs I had experienced in a while. Dave stayed out for another half hour after I left and said it got a little cleaner but not much better. I suppose we lucked into a classic forty five minute magic Hueneme window. If you surf here a lot then you definitely understand it hat I mean. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding in Santa Barbara.

8-12-22 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 2
The swell had picked up a bit more as did the crowds. Rockside has close to thirty guys on it, the Northside of the Pier had another eight and the New Jetty kids plus a handful of other randoms were on the south side. I suited up not sure which side of the pier I was going to surf. As it turned out the New Jetty kids had bailed leaving no one right off the south side. The surf was way more rip-able thanks to the NW wind swell combo making the Pier right wedge work a bit. I frothed on this for a solid hour before my knee told me it was time to call it. My afternoon was spent on ding repair. Later that evening my wife and I decided to check out the Ventura County Fair. Neither of us had ever been there and we though it would be interesting to see what it was all about. The place was packed and we couldn’t even get into the rodeo. What was cool was all the 4H farm animals on display. The gardening exhibition was inspiring. I think I’m going to enter the succulent contest as I have some rather impressive specimens in my collection that were as good if not better then the prize winners and honorable mentions. After that we got some food, which was over priced and under whelming. Then the crowd go gnarly heavy and we decided to head home.

8-11-22 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 2
There was a very tiny bit of tropical surf in the water, just enough to add a little more push behind the waves. I decided to actual ride a short board. The waves were supposed to just build over the next few days and I wanted to see how my knee was going to fare on a short board. Once again the south side of the Pier looked the best. The surf was way more weak then it looked making it a bit of a struggle groveling on my short board with a bum knee. That being said I did manage a few decent turns. My knee was spent after about a half hour thus I got a few more waves and called it a day. The rest of my day was spent grinding on ding repair. Just in case anyone is wondering I am back servicing all dings for great prices with a fast turn around and I’ll even to pick up and delivery in Santa Barbara. If need some repairs please reach out.

8-10-22 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
I woke up feeling much better this morning. Whatever had me taken ill yesterday must have passed. I’d say it was something I ate but all I had eaten was my own food that both my wife and Bizarro had too and neither of them got sick. The human body is an intriguing thing at times. I wasn’t really thinking about surfing but I decided to just have a look. The south side of the pier looked fun with only one other guy on it. It was still on the smaller side thus I rode my fish. The one other guy was this dude whom also shapes surf boards. We had a fun enough time for how small the waves were. Then these six Ventura groms showed up. Maybe they got lost on the way to New Jetty or something, I don’t know. To bring six guys to any break is a travesty. It’s even worse when you paddle out and sit on a peak with just two guys on it. I was at the end of my session and what my knee could handle anyway and bailed. The rest of my day was shaping to meet a dead line. I’m pretty stoked on how all the boards are coming out lately. See for yourself and order your Clarks Surfboard today.

8-9-22 AM Session: 1-2 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 2
If there ever was a day to skip today was it. The waves were by far the smallest I have seen in a while. I saw a few lines on Rockside that looked fun for my fish. As it turned out the waves were way more weak then I had thought and could barely push me on my fish. The water was still cold and I was feeling rather drained. After the surf I was very weak. So much so that I had to come home and lay down the rest of the day. By the afternoon I had come down with a fever and was forced to cancel a private pizza party I was catering in Montecito. Luckily another chef friend of mine was able to cover. I was very nervous that Covid might have decided to pay me another visit.

8-8-22 AM Session: 1-2+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 2
The flat spell continued this morning with more meager surf and cold water. South side of the pier had a little bump and I decided to revisit the SPF fish from Clarks Surfboards this time in the closed out wedgey beach break of Hueneme. It worked rather well all things considered though I am beginning to think that I made the board just a hair too small. Might make another one in 5’3. It was a solid grovel for sure. The rest of my day was spent shaping.

8-7-22 AM Session: 1-2+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 2
Today the surf was god awful. It was barely waist high, the wind was already on it, the waves were gutless and the water was freezing. I only paddled cause my wife was being annoying and decided I’d punish her by making her sit there and film my pathetic ass pumping and forcing half turns on my fish. The waves were definitely as bad as they looked. That being said I set up my Clarks Surfboards Mr. Pocket Model as a Tri fin and managed a few fun ones. My knee was still bothering me from yesterdays little arial mishap. After the surf we got some brunch then spent the afternoon exploring the Channel Islands Maritime Museum at Hollywood Beach. It’s a fun little museum totally worth a visit.

8-6-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 2
I got a call from Pat that he was paddling in front of my house and it looked the best out of anyplace in Ventura. One rule I always have is that if one of my boys is surfing my beach then Im for sure paddling. He was out on the north side of the Pier. The wind was up but it was still more side shore then on shore and very peaky. The water was absolutely freezing. I’m talking upper 50’s. I tweaked my knee attempting to land an air on my second wave and my back foot fell off the tail of my board. This always a very dangerous way to fall and the cause of some of the worst surf injuries. I took it easy for the remainder of the session. The rest of my day was spent in the shaping room mowing some foam.

8-5-22 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 38
Considering the smaller swell I had high hopes for the VTA beaches. The had another plan for me, which decided to come up by early in the morning. I grabbed Bizarro and we headed to Leo to get some clips of me riding the new Clark’s Surfboards SPF Fish performance twin fin. I have been messing around with this model for over a year now and finally have it to the point where I’m ready to officially sell it as a model, though I have built quite a few for customers already that have requested it. It’s a really fun board to ride. The crowd was busy for what it was though somewhat accessible. I got into my LA savage mode and found a bunch of fun. The surf was a bit on the weaker side. Thanks the the SPF Fish I had no issue. After the surf I headed up to SB with my wife to attend the Santa Barbara Fiesta Rodeo. I had never been to a rodeo before and was quite interested in the experience. What an experience it was too. I don’t know if I found the events or the crowd more entertaining. My favorite was the Mutton Busters. They put these tiny children on the backs of sheep and the kids hold on for dear life while the sheep runs along the arena. It was fun stuff. I’m not sure I’ll ever go to another rodeo but it was fun and definitely worth a visit if you have never been to one.

8-4-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 70
It was to quite the busy day. I wanted to score some south well left overs, my had to find a dress for the Santa Barbara Zoo’s Fiesta Party and we had to attend said party later that evening. Of course Ventura was windy as it’s been this entire swell. My wife likes to shop at the Thousand Oaks Mall thus I used that opportunity to have her come down to Malibu with me and then hit up the mall after. Bu was on with solid head plus surf, glassy and pretty consistent for waves to crowd ratio. That being said there were still around a hundred or so guys out. As usual in an LA crowd I go into what I like call savage mode where I just paddle for anything and everything and at times burn guys who most likely wouldn’t have made it. Kook entitlement doesn’t fly with me. When it’s firing and crowded you have to earn your spot in the line-up. Shelling out $900 for a Pyzel or Channel Islands after barely surfing two years isn’t going to get you a set wave. Maybe if you bought a Clarks Surfboard it might, just kidding, you still have to earn that spot. I managed a bunch of fun ones and surfed well for a change. From the surf we headed to the mall and found the perfect dress for my wife at the second store we went to in under two hours. I’d say that was a success. As for Zoo party that was a whole shit show in itself. First off post pandemic the crowd was the largest I had ever seen there and it was my fifth party there. It was also the first year they served hard liquor which translated to lots of sloppy people all night long. Did I mention it was an open bar. Kudos to the Rosewood Miramar for having the best food. Though all the vendors really did go above and beyond this year. I’d say it was the best opening Fiesta party I have attended.

8-3-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 38
With Frank winding down and the long period south still showing I was in high hopes that the beaches might be the ticket. There was a funk on it and the waves were still coming in stretched on the Nard and VTA beaches. I got word the Sea Cliffs zone was significantly smaller. The 2nd Peak cam looked decent enough so I cruised to LA. The wind had turned stiff south when I got to Leo and the Malibu cam wasn’t looking so great. I had noticed that the backside of County Line was trying to do it’s left point break imitation. I cruised back for a look and the wave was clean and peeling left albeit a little fast. There were only a few guys on it thus I paddled. As it turned out it was one of those rare times where that wave was very fun. I got on a tear. Towards the end of my surf this dude burned me on a decent one and proceeded to keep cruising. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction and decided to just stay right under him so he was unable to get anything off. Then he has the nerve of accusing me of back paddling. I told him he could either cry about it or meet me on the beach. Instead he just paddled away. I surfed a little longer till the incoming tide killed it. The rest of my day was spent running errands. I had a look at Hueneme again in the evening. There was wind on it and the waves were still a bit too stretched. Maybe tomorrow morning the beaches will be fun.

8-2-22 AM Session: 3-4+ft, Father Johns
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 38
Day 2 of the Tropical Storm Frank swell was once again disappointing. Bizarro and I started out checking Hueneme. It was macking, maybe some of the biggest Hueneme I had ever seen. The waves were all over the place, current gnarly and there were lots of close outs. There were two challengers on it and I did see one get shacked completely off his ass. I just didn’t have it in me to take that kind of punishment to maybe get one or two if I was lucky. Instead we cruised north. Shores was fat and junky. The wind was on it at the Harbor. I got a call from Ryan that he saw some alright waves along Sea Cliffs with light crowds. After looking around Father Johns on the backside of Pitas proved to be the best wave I had seen all morning. To its credit it was about as good as it gets at that spot on a south swell. There was a little bit of a WNW cross wind on it. I had feeling it would hold down for at least and hour. Ryan, his son Evan and I paddled while Biz filmed. The waves were pretty fast and down the line. When I did connect with a runner there were some sections to be had. Ryan and Even bailed after a few waves for Hobson’s. I was getting on a roll and surfed another hour and change. I just got in the zone and brought down a few different technical airs. More the. Anything it just felt good to not be sitting in a stupid crowd, although still with only a handful of guys out there were a couple of kooks who still managed to blow a few waves on me. Later that evening I met up with Dave and we cruised to the Base. It was solid but the tide just a little too high. There were a few and in hindsight I should have given it a paddle, but between the backwash and weird wonk I think it would have been more trouble then it was worth thus we opted not to paddle.

8-1-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 56
The tropical swell from Frank final got here this morning. Of course it was also a let down. In Ventura the wind was on it by 9am and the swell was smaller then hoped and stretched at most of the beaches. Over that Bizarro and I cruised to LA hoping to find something to film that wasn’t stupid crowded. That wasn’t a possibility as all the decent spots were packed. Had it not been for an epic overhead six wave set I witnessed at Zeros I may not have even surfed. By this point in the morning my frustration levels were pretty high. But this particular set had me frothing. Zeros actually looked like a left point. I tore on my suit and was out there. That set never came again. Instead I was battling a cut throat kooky crowd for stretched close outs, mushy lefts and wonky insiders. I only rode three waves that I wasn’t burned on and that was because I picked those off so far on the inside no one could get them. On wave I burned some dude and then three other guys burned us. At first I was rather pissed off. Then I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and began just doing stupid things behind the guys that were in front of me. The highlights were an ally-oop, a big carving 360, a blow tail and an air reverse that got away from me with end result being my board completely took out the guy in front. After an hour the wind had began to get on it. Dealing with the crowd was one thing. Dealing with the wind and the crowd, forget it. I threw in the towel. Biz and I picked up some ribs and threw them in the smoker. At the very least we can eat well. I spent my afternoon tinkering around in my shaping room.