August 2023 Surf Sessions
8-31-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 39
Miles Driven: 10
Solar hit me up that the Ship was still fun and he was going to paddle. Though smaller then the previous day there were still some head high waves to be had and some barrels. The crowd was semi-light. I started at the Ship with Solar but was having a terrible time making anything happen. When I was on the beach I kept seeing barrels in the bowl. Over coming up short at the Ship I hit the reset button and paddle to the bowl. Over there things went even worse. I don’t even think I made a wave. It was one of those days that Bowl looks make-able but is really just super fast and shifty. By this point an hour went by and I had yet to get one decent ride. Not wanting to leave dejected I paddled back over to the Ship with Solar and hit the rest button yet again. Finally I got into the correct mid set and pulled through a decent frontside tube then backed it up with a two turn right combo. Following those two rides, a solid overhead set wave came to me. I was too deep for the left, but sort of in an alright position to take on the right. As I was paddling into it the face got gnarly steep forcing me to grab my rail and slide into the barrel. As I pulled in I saw a sick ramp setting up with backwash down the line. Instead of staying with the tube I high lined it out and went straight for the throwing lip just as the backwash hit. I boosted and immediately corked my body into the spin. Everything happened super fast and next thing I knew I was at the bottom of the wave facing back out at the beach riding out a huge full rotation backside air reverse. At first I wasn’t t sure how sick the air was till Solar paddled back out screaming. He was on the beach doing the walk around and said it was a solid three feet out and super clean rotation and landing. Another random older dude paddled out and confirmed the air as well. I haven’t landed something that big in quite awhile. As I get older pulling the more radical maneuvers has become more and more difficult as well as treacherous. One thing about joining the over forty club is that it’s so much easier to get injured going big. Lately I have been feeling old and subsequently disappointed in my overall performance. Sticking that air on that wave on a day where the entire first hour of the surf went horrible was just what I needed. I took that momentum with me the rest of the surf. It just goes to show that sometimes when you’re ready to throw in the towel you may just have to tare down a wall and change your mindset. Too bad I had decided not to film today, but I have it in my head and that’s all that matters anyway. The rest of my day was committed to ding repair.
8-30-23 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
The NW wind swell was peaking and so was the crowd. Looked like the Malibu contingent had come out enforce. There was easily thirty guys from the Ship to Tower 4. The surf was well overhead, pretty clean and consistent. I hit up Bizarro to come film and paddled. The waves were all over the place and though consistent there weren’t too many good ones. I took my time and sat outside only going for the bombs. For a change I was having a very good day. I was in rhythm for most of the good ones and ripped whatever I caught. At one point in my session I nearly had to rescue this kid who was way above his skill level out there. His leash broke and he was floundering on the inside taking a real beating. I happened to have just caught a wave and was paddling back out when I saw the kid. I paddled over to him to assess the situation. He was worked but not in trouble. I offered to help him in but he wanted to save his pride and get back to beach on his own steed. He was close enough to the shore that I figured he’d get washed in alright. After that conditions got super glassy but very inconsistent. I found myself struggling to find a decent ride. Finally I caught a decent tube and called it a day. Once on the beach I noticed at some point during the session I must have cracked my fin box. I hate having to fix my own dings. As it turned out the wind stayed down all day. Unfortunately I had gig in Santa Barbara and wasn’t able to take advantage of the rare clean afternoon.
8-29-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
The buoys were reading even stronger from the NW this morning and I got word from Solar early that it was solid head high plus at the Ship. There was a bit of onshore wind chop on it and most waves once again were rather stretched. At the very least there was size. I grabbed my bigger board since all the waves were pushing hard down the line. It was angry out there and I took my share of shitty beatings. A lot of the waves looked like they were going to be good tubes but then just ended up closing out. Add to that some heavy backwash and you have a session full of poundings. That being said I did get a few decent shacks. C.C. paddled out towards the end of my surf and I hadn’t seen that dude since Malibu last week. The rest of my day was committed to shaping.
8-28-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
I wanted to surf today, especially after sitting yesterday out. There was a little bit of fresh steep NW wind swell on the buoys, which provoked me to check Strand. Conditions were small, waist to chest high a little bit on the stretched side. Considering there was only a handful of guys out and I had some shaping to do I decided to paddle. It looked fun enough. Overall there were more close outs then I would have liked and even the runners were too stretched to do much more on then race down the line or force a quick tube. That being said I managed a few tubes and hits. Word was it got better in the afternoon, but by then I was busy shaping.
8-27-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
It’s been quite a while since I’ve worked back to back wedding and even longer since I’ve worked a mid day wedding. It was an older couple and just a small function for the immediate family at their Montecito estate. I was in charge of both the event and the prep on this one, a rarity for me these days. As a result work started at 8am in the Santa Barbara kitchen. There wasn’t t much in the way of surf anyhow. The event went down great and everyone was happy as always. I was hoping to get a surf in the afternoon but the wind was howling and all the protected spots not worth the effort. Instead my wife and I hit the golf course for a round of 9 holes. I played one of my worst games. My wife managed her best personal game yet. The photo is from Hueneme in the morning.
8-26-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 20
There was a little bit of south swell/NW wind swell combo The in the water. I cruised over to the Harbor. My time was limited as I had to work a wedding in Santa Barbara. The Harbor was absolutely terrible and the wind was on it. It was Hueneme Fest back home so I was trying to avoid surfing there like the plague. Considering that the wind was up, the tide was high and my window steadily closing I decided to just go park at Rockside and run out. Somehow I lucked into parking and when I got down to water the waves were surprisingly peaky by Hueneme standards. It was small, waist to chest but in Hueneme it’s not the size that matters but the shape. You are talking about a place that is closed out 9 waves out of ten most days. When you see corners you’re stoked. I actually had a pretty fun surf and the water was warmer then usual. I actually surfed longer then I should have making me rushed for the rest of my day. The wedding went off famously as usual.
8-25-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 18
The south was still running. Rather than burn my whole day down in LA chasing surf, especially with a full shaping load to handle I decided to cruise to the Harbor for a look. I also wanted to see how the River bar was shaping up. That bar still sucked but I did see some potential dumpy tubes just north of the mouth opening. I ran down there and gave it a go. As it turned out the waves were way heavier then they looked and barrel difficult to ride considering the actual wave size. The lines were also coming in a bit stretched as well. I did manage to make one sick little suck up tube that made the whole surf worth it, but besides that one I came up short. Sets were inconsistent and once the wind picked up it made a tough situation impossible. I floated down to the Knoll, caught a couple of more and went in. I had enough work to do and didn’t need to waste anymore time on the junky surf. The rest of my day was spent shaping and painting boards.
8-24-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 62
I had to pick up three cut blanks from my cutter in the afternoon so I could begin shaping them. Since my cutter is in Ventura my plan was to go surf the Harbor and pick up my cuts after. The surf was god awful and I couldn’t for the life of me bring myself to paddle. I headed back to have a look at Hueneme, but it was terrible there as well. The LA cams looked decent enough provoking me to drive down south. My first stop was County, which didn’t look bad but was way to crowded for what was on offer. Heavens was my next stop. Had the tide been on the way down I would have paddled. Leo was packed beyond belief and lully. As usual I found myself in the parking lot at Zeros being fooled by the view point of looking down at the line up. There were some sets and the crowd was relatively light. I jumped in and found a couple of fun lefts. The crowd kept dropping off till it was just one other guy and myself. It wasn’t the best waves I’ve surfed out there but a nice contrast to the two negative encounters from my last two sessions. Unfortunately on my third to last wave I hit my elbow on my board landing an air leaving me with a limited range of motion in my left arm. Luckily it didn’t hinder my ability to shape, cause that was how the rest of my afternoon was spent.
8-23-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 70
A fresh round of south swell was peaking today. Word came to me early that Strand was flat, whatever made it have waves yesterday was gone. Jeffery said the Harbor was small as well. I had wanted to meet up with Kai, one of Clarks Surfboards team riders and get some footage of him for our next YouTube edit. If you haven’t checked I out the Clarks Surfboards YouTube channel give it a watch it’s a great supplement to this blog and you can actually see the footage from the sessions written about here. The plan was to head to Malibu. Kai was already there charging his Tesla. My car was loaded with finished dings for some of my malibu clients. I figured why not kill two boards with one stone. Biz and I met up with Kai and we walked out to Second Peak. There was a healthy crowd but there were also plenty of waves to go around and it was way more peaky then it’s been. All summer long Second and Third have been lully and very stretched, but today was very fun. The Malibu gods were shining on me as I managed to always be in position for decent waves. All was well till this idiot burned me and then proceeded to do a chop hop ally-oop kick out but instead of coming out the back he fell careening down with the lip, luckily I was able to adjust my bottom turn and came out unscathed. On the paddle back up the point while passing said offender I decided to call him out with a snide comment. “That was a sick chop hop you did in front of me, next time land it”. Obviously this provoked an angry reaction. He burned me and I was filming and didn’t want to waste time fighting so I ignored the dude and kept paddling. Low and behold the idiot followed me up the point and first attempted to take a swing at me, then when he missed, he continued to try and stab me with the nose of his board under water. Finally I pointed to Bizarro on the beach and said smile asshole you’re on camera. At which point side flipped me off, called me a kook and paddled away. Just another example of how much I love surfers. By the that time the waves had really started to deteriorate and I had already banked my share of decent clips. The rest of my day I hung out with my wife who was sick at home for the day.
8-22-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 20
There appeared to be a little more swell in the water this morning. The River Mouth had opened thanks to the rain from Hilary. I drove over to the Harbor to see what the sand was looking like. Jeffery met me. A bar did a exist just north of the where the mouth had opened. At the moment there was too much deep water around the bar causing the lefts to just burger out into deep water and the right was just a close out. The rest of the bars all the way down to the Knoll were basically straight lines forming mostly racy close outs. The water was exceptionally brown and I could smell the sewage from the bluff. I passed on it and decided to run a few errands. While picking up some resin from Fiberglass Hawaii I got a call from Solar that Strand has some chest plus waves. With that in mind I hightailed it over. The North End where Solar had paddled was definitely chest high, breaking between towers 1-3. I noticed that there were some waves on the Ship side. Sure enough once over there I couldn’t believe my eyes. The place was firing, chest to head plus with good shape and barrels. I called Bizarro to come film, tore on my suit and paddled. With the tide getting higher by the minute and wind slowly coming up onshore my widow was going to be short. My first two waves were draining little tubes. For the first thirty minutes it was on. Of course as soon as Bizarro set up the camera the tide got too high and wind came up. Still there were a couple of rip-able ones on offer. At this point the rights were better then the lefts. Towards the end of the surf Carter showed up and preceded to get in Bizarro’s face for filming. There are more cameras then surfers out there these days thus the agro behavior was laughable. I knew once he was done heckling my filmer I was next. A few moments later he paddled up to me all barking about how disrespectful I was being and that he wasn’t going to let me catch any waves out there this winter. The usual bull shit any one who films on a regular basis anywhere has to deal with. My response these days is always “if you want your clips give your email to my filmer and we’ll send them to you”. Also by that point the surf was absolutely crap anyway. I don’t think anyone would be stoked on surfing Strand from those clips. The ignorance and Facism of surfers really annoys me sometimes. Believe me I’m the not the problem, live a few miles away and your stupid intimidation tactics aren’t going to stop me from doing my thing. I caught a few more and headed home to get more ding work out of the way I did stay out until Cater left to prove the point that he wasn’t going to scare me off.
8-21-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 32
Here today, gone tomorrow, such is how hurricane swell is. These were my exact thoughts as I stood at the waters edge on the beach at Hueneme watching tiny waist high scrubby wind swell roll in. Word from Malibu was it was tiny there. Jeffery said he saw some rip-able waist plus waves at Emma and was paddling. I wanted to surf and it appeared to be my best option thus I made the drive. There was a wave albeit tiny as it was. At the very least the surf was clean and rip-able. The session was definitely a full on grovel though I did manage a few micro shacks and a couple of combinations. As Jeffery put it, few people can surf micro waves as well as me. After the surf I jumped into a full day of ding work.
8-20-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Thornhill Broome Beach
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 32
Today was supposed to be the day, Hurricane Hilary was on the way and forecasted to wreak havoc on Southern California and with it maybe some swell. All the storm tracks showed her making landfall just below San Diego. There was going to be a swell window though short as it may be. Weather models were calling for hard offshore winds starting around noon. I went for a look around early just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. From the looks of all the spots I checked, cams and reports the only waves that were on offer were extremely crowded and subpar. Rather than beat my heat against the wall driving around aimlessly all morning my wife and I got some breakfast after which I regrouped. Around 11:30 the wind went off shore at Zuma. The cam was definitely showing barrels. I began hitting up all my surf buds to see if anyone wanted to go with me. No one was interested, not even Bizarro. Around noon after a brief motivational conversation with Jeffrey I decided to head south. Somehow I just didn’t think Ventura was going to get any good. On the way to Zuma as I was passing Thornhill Beach I saw some solid left screamers running down the beach spitting and barreling. There were about twenty guys out and after watching it for a few sets I had to paddle. The waves were chest to head high plus and some of the prettiest aqua blue barrels I have seen in a very long time. I jumped in at the mid point of the beach. There were a group of spongers out I recognized from surfing Mugu. That reinforced the fact that I was in the right spot, cause if those guys were there it must have been one of the better tubes around. Once out I realized it was way faster then it looked. Since the waves weren’t particularly gigantic it was difficult to pump through the elongated cylinders. Most tubes I made were quick in and outs doggy door, though I did manage three really decent barrels and one double barrel that had me stoked. I also took some really shitty beatings as the bottom was extremely shallow and there was a bit of backwash to contend with. In hindsight I wish I would have pushed the session longer. Who knows when the next time I’m going to see waves like that will be. The last time I saw decent waves at Thornhill was Hurricane Marie and that was almost ten years ago now.
8-19-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
There was some decent south swell in the water and the tropical swell from Hilary was just beginning to show. My time was limited as I had to be in SB for a gig at 2pm. With that being the case I opted to just run down to Rockside and get a few. The crowd was solid maybe fifteen strong, though most guys were leaving as I was walking. Just like yesterday it was another day of close outs and few corners. My best waves were all lefts yet again. The first half of the surf I was on and stuck some decent airs and hits. As the session wore on I found myself struggling to make anything happen. Then I contracted a terrible case of last wave syndrome, ending up surfing an extra thirty minutes or so then I wanted. As a result my wife was pissed cause I had not time to spent with her before work and I had to race up north to make it to work on time. By the luck of the gods there was no traffic. The gig was an eightieth birthday party and though a bit hectic it went down with out a hitch.
8-18-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 2
This morning was just another morning of lackluster surf. I saw a few at Hueneme, Jeffery was back from his trip to Costa Rica and wanted to surf. He came and met me here at Hueneme and we walked down to Rockside. There were actually a few decent sized south sets. Too bad ninety five percent of them were closed out and backwash riddled. There were a few corners but they were few and far between, while the closeouts were too dumpy to be worth anything. We fought the good fight in the cold water and both got a few wiggles in. My best rides were all lefts. Usually the better waves are the rights. I did my hour and headed home to get more ding work done. Hurricane Hilary’s track is beginning to look interested, though maybe more for severe weather then surf. California hasn’t got hit with a full scale Hurricane since the 30’s and I don’t think any of these west coasters fully understand the damage such a storm can do. As an east coaster I’m beginning to get a little nervous. My house in Hueneme is at Sea level and there is water in close proximity all around it. Time will tell.
8-17-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
All that was in the water was a tiny bit of south swell. One could say an underwhelming beginning to what is supposed to shape up to be a big tropical swell for the weekend. I’m skeptical but time will tell. All the cams looked terrible, I’m sure I could have gotten a wave or two at Malibu but wasn’t in the mood to drive. Hueneme had a small crossed up waist to stomach wave on the south side of the pier that looked palatable. I jumped in and the water was freezing, a 3/2 was a bad choice. The ocean had to be just hovering around 60 F with no sun. I was freezing so to stay warm I basically to a stab at everything that came my way. The waves were definitely a lot to be desired out there but I made the most out of it. I did my hour and was frozen to my core when I got out. As usual I picked up three handfuls of trash on my walk up the beach back to my car. If everyone picked up a few pieces of trash on the way back to the car the beaches would be a much cleaner place. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings. Anyone out there that needs ding repair hit me up and tell your friends, I’m working nearly everyday with a 48 hr turn around on most jobs. I can do rush jobs too.
8-16-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 32
I completely underestimated the amount of paint I needed to cover an entire board. This sent me to Fiberglass Hawaii over in Ventura. Luckily I got the last bit of the color I needed. From there I had a look at the Harbor. River Mouth and Knoll looked terrible, while New Jetty looked dreadful and crowded. I decided to give Emma a look, but it was the worst of the bunch. On the way home I stopped and looked once more at New Jetty. The crowd had died down but the waves were still crap. While considering the paddle my friend Solar was getting out and his feedback put the nail in the coffin for me and I bailed. That was fine cause I had a full day of painting and ding repair work to do. What a shit summer. Here’s a photo of lousy Hueneme which may have been the best of the lot.
8-15-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 70
The only cam that had any hint of a decent wave this morning was Malibu. I didn’t really want to drive that far since I still had more shaping and some board painting to do. I checked Hueneme first, but the bars on Rockside are pretty junky at the moment offering little to no shape. County Line was my first stop but as I was pulling over on the PCH the NW wind began to blow. Now with the wind up my next available option was Leo. Right when I pulled up I saw a sick little three wave set. There were also about ten guys out and no in between waves. After about fifteen minutes of watching I still had yet to see another set. Meanwhile on the Malibu cam I kept seeing waves. It was settled, I was driving to the ‘bu. Once there I just suited up and went for it. The crowd was somewhat light with only about twenty or so guys spread among Third and Second. I jumped in at Third and did my usual float around the point taking whatever I could get into. The big sets were pretty walled but there were plenty of smaller inside waves that were good for three plus turns. Still it was rather lully. Towards the end of my surf some random kook somehow managed to duck dive into me as I was attempting to paddle into a wave and inadvertently put a decent size hole in the bottom of my board. He comically offered to fix it claiming he was good at ding repair. All I was thinking was this dude has no idea. C.C. and Guy paddled as I was hunting my last wave. I got home around 3pm leaving me way less time then I had wanted but still managed to get all of my work done in time to cook dinner for when my wife before she got home from work.
8-14-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 18
There was still a little bit of south left in the water and the wind was light. The best bet would have just been to go to Malibu but after yesterdays debacle at Zeros I needed a break from the LA scene. The wind was south at Hueneme thus I cruised to the Harbor. There were chest high sets albeit a bit inconsistent and stretched. I saw a few corners up at the River Mouth and decided to run down for a quick session. I had lots of shaping to do so I couldn’t waste my whole day on junky surf. This older sponger I surf with at Hueneme on the regular was checking it as well and decided to join me. We had the place to ourselves but what appeared to be a down the line left from the parking lot turned out to be a ledgey angry shore dump. If in the right spot there were some shore break barrels to be had. I pulled into a bunch but only made two. Besides that most of the waves were too fast or dumpy to be worth much. The water was warm and as it turned out it was my sponger friend’s birthday and had I not stoked him out on the beach he wouldn’t have paddled. I always believe strongly that one should always surf on his birthday. The rest of my day was committed to shaping. Not just shaping, shaping and filming for an upcoming project that Clarks Surfboards is collaborating with. I can’t give any details as of yet but some cool stuff is in the works.
8-13-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 42
I was determined to surf today. My buddy Matt was passing through from SLO and was finally picking up his new Clarks Surfboards Pop Fizz Model I shaped for him about a month ago. He has been traveling through the Yosemite area for weeks and just got back. He wanted to surf. Hueneme had its usual dumpy close out thing happening and we almost just gave that a go. Matt actually had to meet some friends in Malibu later in the afternoon and I had some clients I needed to pick up some ding work from at Zeros. We loaded up, grabbed Bizarro and headed south. Zeros definitely looked a little bit underwhelming and the crowd annoying. The only other option was Malibu and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with that on a Sunday. We paddled and once out there in classic Zeros fashion the waves were even softer than they looked. Decent sets were few and far between with not much else on offer. My first wave found me in perfect position for a chest high runner. I dropped in and watched this kook on soft top floating over the wave on the shoulder in front of me. Immediately I went into a steep bottom turn to come straight back up and hit the lip. As I squared up at the top fins free I hit something and fell forward over the falls. Upon resurfacing I saw that dude on the soft top yelping in pain and grabbing his foot. Could it be that I clocked him coming over the top? I paddled over all apologetic. He was cool, but there was a lot of blood. I sliced his foot open pretty good. There’s nothing worse then when someone gets cut. My advice to him was to go have the life guard assess the injury, but it appeared he might need a few stitches. I felt pretty bad about it. After I got out of the water I consulted with Bizarro and he said the dude was a total kook and shouldn’t have been out there. Apparently the guy got to the lip on that wave and then got washed back down with it at the exact moment I hit the lip. Still the whole thing was a bummer and put a dark cloud on the surf. I started getting into a rhythm till this idiot on a longboard and his son paddled out. The dude on the log proceeded to back paddle and take every decent set wave he came in contact with and if he wasn’t on one then he was pushing his son into it. The absolute rudeness and disregard for everyone else out there was absurd. At the end of the day all incidents aside Matt and I both got a few fun waves and I banked a handful of B clips.
8-12-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Today was another day of absolutely subpar surf. The cams all looked terrible and I still wasn’t feeling all that great. As a matter of fact by this point I just about had no hearing in my left ear. This hasn’t been the first time having such a sensation. For any hardcore surfer such ailments are par for the course. I had a wedding to work in Carpinteria in the afternoon and needed to be my best despite my health. Though physically and mentally trying I got through the gig and as usual the customer was satisfied. Hers a photo from Hueneme.
8-11-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 32
The wind was on it at first light this morning. I headed straight for the Harbor hoping for something. It was small and junky. On a whim I drove up to Emma, which was probably the best option I saw today, though not by much. I couldn’t get into it and decided to take one last look at New Jetty. My boy Solar was getting out as I was standing on the dunes. He confirmed how bad it was out there and that was enough for me to call it a day. Plus I’ve had this terrible sinus infection since yesterday that has been plaguing me. I cruised home and got some work done in the shaping room instead followed by a relaxing evening at home with my wife.
8-10-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 18
The surf was on its way down and I should have went to LA but instead I stupidly decided to go have a look at the Harbor. The wind was already on it when I got there and the waves were a bit more stretched then I would have liked. I saw a few that looked do-able and ran down to the mouth. Overall it was tiny and junky. There were some air sections to be had and I was having one of those rare sessions where I was actually pulling them. The forty year old air club is real when everything is going your way. As the tide filled in and wind picked up conditions really began to deteriorate thus surfed my way back to my car. The rest of my day was spent shaping.
8-9-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 18
After missing out on yesterdays’ tubes I was determined to find at least one honey hole this morning. Bizarro and I set out early and cruised straight to the Harbor. Sure enough there were still some barrels on offer despite the onshore wind slowly coming up. We chanced it and ran down to Rivermouth. Right off the bat I packed four tubes in a row. It was crazy hallow. Some of the waves were stretched but when in the right spot there were some heaving barrels to be had. As the session wore on the wind began to put a damper on the tube fest, though there were still some pits. Ryan and Evan paddled. I hadn’t surfed with Ryan in a while and was stoked to catch up. Eventually the wind completely trashed it which was fine cause I had already banked a handful of clips. The rest of my afternoon was consumed with surfboard repair. Later that evening my wife and I went to the Ventura County Fair. It wasn’t too crowded since it was a week day night. We rode the Ferris Wheel, ate some greasy food, perused the awards and played some carnival games. Good times.
8-8-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 54
This morning it was finally here, the first tropical SE swell of the season. I woke up Bizarro and we headed straight to the Harbor. Word was there were tubes to be had. That may have been the case except we got there an hour too late just as the south wind came up mushing out any barreling potential. The waves were too stretched for anything else. Since tube time never happened we were on the hunt for something rip-able. My friend Guy hit me up that he was going to paddle the left off the backside of County Line. County Line is made up basically four surf zones. The beach break to the south that is mostly backwashy and walled. The beach break to the north that can be peaky and fun if conditions permit. The right hand reef/point that on its day can be as good any place around but usually is just wonky and fast or wonky and slow. And then on the northern side of the point there is a left reef/point that when the right tide and swell angle work together is one of my favorite lefts around, though it’s not like there are all that many to choose from. With that info and a lack of a better option Bizarro and I headed south. Upon pulling up we were greeted with a solid head plus four wave set of lefts that peeled down the reef. Stoked I suited up while Bizarro got his camera gear squared away. I jumped in and realized that there was lots of kelp growing in the take off zone. Normally by this point in the summer it would all have been ripped out. Considering how shitty the surf has been the kelp was still very prevalent. I sat a little shallower to avoid getting tangled and overall the strategy worked. The good ones were few and far between and with the rising tide it was quick to deteriorate. About the only thing the place had going for it was the fact that it wasn’t crowded and there was a left. The majority of the session I was trading off waves with one other older guy and all was well, till this idiot father sun duo showed up on SUPs from the tract of expensive houses at the waters edge. They proceeded to paddle around us and pick off every set wave from way outside ignoring any etiquette what so ever. It was absurd to say the least. We actually tried and heckle them but it made no use. The tide had just about turned the spot off anyhow so I bailed. I had a full day of ding work ahead of me to get on.
8-7-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 12
I had a short morning window having a meeting with a new surfboard client at 11am. Considering this time constraint I had a quick look at Strand where there was limited weak wind swell at best. The models showed some fast rising SE swell all day. I had my meeting, shaped a board then at around 5pm cruised up to Hueneme for a look. There was definitely plenty of swell in the water. Though a little walled there were some corners with plenty of size. Unfortunately there was some light south wind on it, not enough to trash the waves but enough to crumble what could have been sick lips or even barrels. I ran down to Rockside and surfed with one other guy. It wasn’t great but I managed a few decent corners. I think tomorrow is going to be on.
8-6-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 10
The wind swell had jumped up a foot and Strand was definitely showing it. The ship was solid chest to head plus and thumping. So was the crowd, but I knew just about everyone out and there were plenty of waves coming through, even some tubes though most weren’t make-able. I couldn’t make a tube to save my skin. There were peaks from the Ship into the bowl, something I haven’t seen in months. I stuck to the Ship where the crowd was the least. It turned out that I was a little bit under gunned on my 5’7 and also was trying out a new set of FCS2 AM fins, which ended up a bad combination. It didn’t help also that with the incoming tide the waves got more dumpy and walled. Every section was pretty critical as was every wipeout. I had some moments of brilliance out there and more than my share of beatings. Board selection was my real enemy in the end. Had I pulled my 5’10 Hacksaw I may have been a little over gunned but at least I would have had the extra board when I needed it. Later in the afternoon my wife and I hit links for a round of golf of which we played miserably but practice makes perfect thus we will keep at it.
8-5-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Surfer’s Knoll
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 20
The wind swell/south swell continued today. My first stop was Strand where there was a fun looking chest high wave coming in at the Ship. The crowd was super intense with thirty guys on just a handful of peaks with another ten changing in the lot. I wasn’t about to deal with any of that. My next stop was Shores, which I know was pure wishful thinking but looked anyway. It was just about as not surf-able as has been the benchmark the entire season. My next stop was Harbor. NJ was packed. I did see an alright looking group of peaks on the south end of the Knoll. The wind was light onshore making the faces a bit burgery but there were some sections and it was not like there was anyplace else to go. I jumped in and made what I could out of the meager offerings. The highlight of the surf was I ran into a dude surfing one of my Long Boards I made. I don’t build too many long boards and have never seen one in action. I was stoked on how it went. The board definitely carried both speed and control. It’s owner said he liked it overall but the nose could have been a little wider for his taste. Feed back is always welcomed. I can’t get better if no tells me what’s not working. I was planning on shaping the rest of the day thinking my wife was going to enjoy another full day of Fiesta in SB. When I got home I was pleasantly surprised that she decided to end the day with the children’s parade leaving us the entire afternoon to enjoy together at home. These days with both of our busy schedules I look forward to whatever time we get together.
8-4-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 10
I was definitely a little behind the eight ball this morning after last nights festivities. No, I wasn’t hung over. After the desert party that went horribly awry last year I made a promise to myself that I would be more responsible if not for my own safety then for the safety of my wife. I volunteered to be the DD. Face it Im getting older making it harder for me to recover even from just a lack of sleep. The wind swell had increased enough for Strand to be surf-able. I paddled the Ship where it was waist to stomach (a common wave height these days). No one was out but Craig, who actually sold it to me. The water was slightly warmer then yesterday but waves just as weak. There were some decent lines to be had but you had to work for them. I managed to find couple of alright ones though didn’t deem it worth more than an hour. The rest of my afternoon was spent shaping.
8-3-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45m
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 20
The wind swell was still hanging around like a barnacle, but there was the tiniest bit of south in the water as well. I did my usual Strand check where it was small and not worth it. I got to the Harbor around nine and it was all blown out already and looked more weak than yesterday. The tide was at two and half feet and rising leading me to believe that Hueneme could be alright. The wind was all over it there too. I thought I saw a few bowls on Rockside and resolved to just suit up and go for it. The waves were about waist to stomach but extremely weak. The South swell was all but a trickle and the wind swell too short period to be of any service. Oh and the water temperature dipped back down again as well. Taking into account all of these factors I decided to grab a few waves and call it a day. I had good deal of ding work to do. My wife and I had tickets for the annual Fiesta DIGs party at the Santa Barbara Zoo later in the evening. We have been attending for the last four years and it has by far become one of our favorite parties of the year and without a doubt my favorite Fiesta event. My wife adorned this exquisite authentic flamenco dancing dress that was actually used by a dancer at Fiesta from years past. The dress had a black sequined velvet top and a frilly green skirt. I with lack of a better outfit had to dress in a rerun wearing the red and gold tuxedo I wore for New Years this past year. It was a wonderful night to say the least.
8-2-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 32
There was just some weak scrubby wind swell in the water. I checked Strand first but it was tiny. The Harbor had a wave but the wind was already on it. The Knoll and River Mouth had no shape and New Jetty had thirty guys on it with no one was getting decent rides. Not even the super groms and pros were selling it. I ended up talking shop with Robert. That guy has forgotten more about the surfboard business then I could hope to know so any chance I get to pick his brain I do. He kindly obliged, which is rare in the cut throat world of surfboard shapers. I was about to head home when I ran into this older dude Craig who mentioned Emma Wood might be worth a look. I feel like I really have been ignoring my old faithful these days. Mostly just due to proximity. When I lived in SB Emma was always my fail safe if I couldn’t find anything down in Ventura or Oxnard. At the very least I could stop at Emma, get a marginal surf in and not go home empty handed. For me now considering the fact that Hueneme is always marginal if all else fails I’ll usually just paddle at home now. I drove up to Emma and had a look. There were a handful of groms out on a few bowly waist to stomach high peaks. I saw a few rip-able ones and deep down I knew if I left and went home I wasn’t surfing today. I paddled and it was with out a doubt more weak then it looked. I’m scrappy and made an hour out of it. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.
8-1-23 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
I hate not getting a surf in on the first of the month. Basically then I have no chance of matriculating a perfect month. From what I heard the waves were smaller than yesterday and the wind came up hard by nine. At the very least I didn’t miss anything. I was offered some lucrative last minute chef work I just couldn’t pass up, especially with the season being so slow. There were two jobs both today, an upscale lunch at UCSB for the physics department and then a corporate party on the Channel Cat. The Lunch was poached salmon over a mixed green salad with segmented citrus slices in a champagne vinaigrette. As always it went down without a hitch. The second job I was not informed before hand that it was on a boat and the Channel Cat for that matter. Pre pandemic I used to work on that boat almost weekly. The place is a nightmare. It has a tiny galley below the deck and is nearly impossible not to get seasick working out of. It’s always the same drill every time. I have no problem on the first half of the journey, get all the food out, but then they anchor the boat parallel to the horizon so the guests can watch the sunset. If the seas are rough, which it was today it gets gnarly down in the galley. I can’t go topside cause of the guests and inadvertently I always get sick till we get back to the dock. On a service point of view it’s fine. Everyone gets their food and is happy. Meanwhile I’m curled up on the kitchen floor trying not to die for the next forty minutes. Once back at the dock I collect myself, clean up and load out. I hate working on the Channel Cat and definitely won’t do it again no matter how good the money is. Below is a picture of blown out Ventura Point.