Surfing Ruined My Life

August 2024 Surf Sessions

8-31-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
This morning although smaller was a similar version of yesterday maybe even with a tad better shape.  Being Saturday and a holiday weekend even  Hueneme was crowded with easily thirty guys on rockside,  a handful of guys spread out on the north side of the pier and a handful of guys down by the slough.  I paddled the south side where there was just one other guy out.  Despite the size it was a blast.  My wife came and filmed.  After the surf I had to work a wedding in Santa Barbara and because of the holiday it took me an hour and half to get there.  I hate special occasions all it means to be is more hassle.

8-30-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 32
Miles Driven: 2
Conditions were especially glassy this morning and thanks to the NW wind swell/SW combo there were some fun peaks rolling in off the south side of the pier.  The right bowl  was actually working and very rip-able.  I got into a solid froth and smashed everything that came my way.  I think it was one of the better Pier sessions I’ve had in a while.  After surf I went home and did a bit of shaping.  Later that evening my wife and I went out for a romantic dinner at Little Tony’s Italian Restaurant.  Unfortunately when we got home I began to feel a bit ill.  I think I’m coming down with a summer cold. 

8-29-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 70
After yesterday CC and I decided to head back to the ‘bu.  I saw a few solid sets on the cam that had me pumped.  Of course when we got there whatever was happening completely creased to exist. Instead we found ourselves groveling knee to waist high weak lefts up at third.  There was the occasional right but it was so small that your fins were scraping the rocks the whole way.  I think it might have been the worst day that I have ever surfed Malibu and that’s saying quite a lot.  I’m not sure if I even caught one decent wave.  After the surf I went home to take care of a bunch of random house chores I’ve been putting off for weeks. Just another action packed day in Lisanti Land.

8-28-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 70
There was some south in the water.  Hueneme had a wave that was temping though a bit stretched with below average shape and a few too many guys on it.  Add to it the dropping tide and conditions were only set to get worse.  Since I had the day free and noticed that there were some runners on the Malibu cam I hit up CC and we decided to cruise.  Though inconsistent there were some decent waist to chest high waves to be had from third through second peaks.  The crowd was fairly light too.  As the tide dropped the waves steadily became more and more stretched till it was borderline too fast.  Over it we bailed stoked on the few waves we got.  I was just happy to surf a wave with a bit more substance then I’ve been surfing at home the past two weeks.  It’s always nice to surf with CC.  The rest of my afternoon was spent in front of my computer getting lots of backlogged paper work filed. 

8-27-24 No Surfing: 1-2+ ft
Miles Driven: 18
After not surfing yesterday I really wanted to get wet today.  Jeffery had surfed the Harbor mid day yesterday and said at the very least he managed a few turns.  Once again Hueneme was terrible.  I had to work over in Ventura and cruised to the harbor for a look.  It was about as pathetic as pathetic can look. Even Jeffrey who is constantly more stoked then I, could not bring himself to paddle.  I cruised over to my glassing facility and finally finished this huge batch I have been working on. After two weeks of hard work it was nice to finally be finished.  Now it all begins again.  Photo from New Jetty.

8-26-24 No Surfing: 1-2+ ft
Miles Driven: 2
It was just another barely surf-able day that I have unfortunately become way too accustomed to this summer, maybe even this entire year.  I had a look at Hueneme and it was super small.  Though surf-able I just couldn’t bring myself to grovel it.  I had plenty of surfboard work to do anyway.  It’s looking like another lackluster week of surf ahead. Photo from tiny closed out Hueneme.

8-25-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 14
Somehow there was still a little bit of tropical swell left in the water combined with some leftovers of yesterday’s west swell.  Hueneme was all mixed up and didn’t look all that fun. Strand was substantially smaller as well.  On a lark I decided to check the Shores, where there happened to be a waist plus somewhat peaky wave to surf.  I paddled over on the north side a few blocks from Fifth Street.  The waves were a little too dumpy for their size.  It was one of those days where it was too small for barrels but too fast for turns.  As always I made the most of it. A serious case of last wave syndrome kept me in the water way longer then I needed to be.  After the surf it was my usual Sunday brunch with the wife followed by and afternoon of golf.  For the third straight week in a row I shot a 63. 

8-24-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 12
There were all sorts of small grade swells in the water from just about every direction we receive swell from.  Unfortunately nothing was over six feet and the periods were bogus.  I looked out front at Hueneme but it was small and the shape was shit. I got word that the north side of Strand had a waist high wave and drove over.  Sure enough there was a stretched surf-able left in the bowl around Towers 2 and 3.  I ran down and I don’t know if I lucked into a special window or what but for a little over a half hour there were some pretty fun chest to head high waves rolling through that I completely frothed on.  The crowd was a bit busy around twenty five guys but there were waves all over the place and I had no issues getting any thing I wanted. The session was without a doubt a very pleasant surprise in quite a month of surfing doldrums.  After the surf I had to drive up to Santa Barbara to work a wedding at the Moxi.

8-23-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 14
I was pleasantly surprised by a text from a friend showing some fun looking waves at Shores.  Pumped I woke up Biz and cruised over there.  I don’t know if the swell had just completely died out, which can be the case with tropical swells, but when I got there less then an hour later it was barely chest high.  To add injury to insult the wind went south.  There were still some peaky kill-able ones thus I paddled.  As it turned out the peaks were moving super fast down the beach and with the diminutive size it was difficult to grab onto a good one.  Ryan, Evan and Jeffrey showed up and we basically grinded out a surf.  I did put down a few clips but overall the session was laughable at best.  That being said it was also the longest surf I’ve had in over a week and I’m not sure if the time was warranted.  The rest of my day was still spent in the glass shop sanding away. 

8-22-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 2
There was supposed to be a small amount tropical swell filling in through out the day though the morning was hardly showing.  I was going to walk away from it when I ran into a friend of mine at the pier who was pretty pumped on surfing.  I did see a few waves down by the creek that looked at the very least surf-able.  We walked there and actually for about thirty minutes or so the NW wind was blowing open the lefts allowing for some rip-able peaks.  I ended having a somewhat decent time.  Then in classic Hueneme fashion the surf got so bad I was left wondering if I was even going to be able to get a wave in. The remainder of my day was spent sanding surfboards. 

8-21-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
The surf was a tad larger this morning or I have become so desensitized to small surf that I just thought it was.  The south side of the pier had a waist high right wedge coming off it.  I hadn’t surfed in two days and was eager to get wet.  Jeffery joined me and we picked off a couple of fun ones.  The session was short lived as the impending five and half foot high tide quickly turned it off, though it’s had to say it was ever really on.  The rest of my day was spent sanding surfboards.

8-20-24 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
Miles Driven: 2
Today was actually smaller than yesterday if that was even possible.  I had a full day of laminating to do at my glass shop and rather then muck around in the sub, sub, sub, par conditions I decided to just get an early start.  August is by far the worst month of the year for surfing around here parts. Photo from Hueneme Pier.

8-19-24 No Surfing: 1-2+ ft
Miles Driven: 2
There was a small rise in the south swell making Hueneme somewhat enticing but the wind was also blowing at like 20 knots out of the NW, coupled with a six foot high tide it was making all the waves look flat.  The wind was up and i had boards to sand.  Maybe if I had absolutely nothing to do I would have groveled it.  Jeffrey surfed the south side of the pier later in the morning and caught a few on the tide drop. Looks like another dismal week of surfing.  That’s fine cause I have plenty of work to do. 

8-18-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
The surf was about as small as it could get and still be somewhat enticing.  I saw a few waves by the life guard tower just north of the Pier and paddled.  Though small there were some inconsistent waist plus lefts and rights to be had.  It was a nice sunny beach day thus my wife decided to join me.  After the surf we headed out to the Camarillo Airport for the Air Show.  I missed the Mugu Air Show last year and really wanted to see one.  My wife obliged.  It was quite the production.  We saw all sorts of planes of every walk of aviation.  For the finale they sent up a bunch of WW2 fighters and had them drop bombs in the middle of the air field.  There’s nothing more fun then good Pyrotechnics to end on a high note.  We concluded the day with our regular Sunday golf game.  I shot 63 for the second week in a row.

8-17-24 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 2
The surf was overall pretty tiny but I saw a few kill-able peaks on the south side of the Pier and went for it.  Despite the meager size I actually caught a few fun ones.  My wife was filming and I definitely think we got a few clips.  I had the place to myself for like a half hour till all the life guards decided to come out and surf while on duty. I don’t get these guys they always decide to mob wherever I’m surfing.  There is over two miles of beach front they can surf but these jerks whom my tax dollars pay always sit on me. I don’t get it. The rest of my afternoon was spent working a wedding in Santa Barbara.

8-16-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 2
Today was just another morning of small subpar surf.  Luckily there was little bowl coming off the north side of the Pier that looked kill-able enough.  When I first got out there I managed a few decent lefts off the pier bowl.  This is by far my favorite wave Hueneme has to offer when it’s on.  The impending high tide quickly put a stop to my fun.  I was left grappling for weird shore breaky rights about a hundred yards off the pier and definitely was left wanting.  The rest of my day was spent laminating surf boards. 

8-15-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 2
There was still a bit of south swell in the water though a bit smaller and more stretched.  I paddled Rockside and I couldn’t find a decent wave to save my life.  Conditions were backwashy and weird.  Then my friend Mitch paddled out towards the end of my session and it actually started to get more peaky.  Of course by then I had to leave to get to work at the glass shop. Looks like I missed the window by about an hour.  Such is life on the Hueneme grind. 

8-14-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 2
Today was a pleasant surprise.  Maybe one of the better days I’ve had at Hueneme all summer.  I paddled Rockside where there were peaky chest to head high plus peaks up and down the beach with some barrels.  There were about fifteen guys out but everyone was spread out and I pretty much had a peak to myself.  Somehow I managed to get what could be the best tube I have caught all summer.  I only had an hour to surf before glassing boot camp but I made it count.  What a super fun morning.  The rest of my day was spend from 11am-8pm sanding and glassing surfboards.

8-13-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 2
There was a tad more south in the water.  Sets seemed a bit stretched but I saw a few corners and decided to paddle for a quickie on Rockside.  Besides a couple of head dips I really couldn’t get much going on.  The rest of my day was spent in glassing boot camp.  It’s one thing to mess around on a few boards for yourself but to actually learn the trade takes a lot of work.

8-12-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 2
My time was limited this morning as it will be the entire week.  The last two weeks I have been apprenticing with my glasser. Him and I had a conversation a while back about me learning the trade and I finally took him up on the offer. I have been putting eight plus hour days learning this l craft and am almost ready to fly solo.  There was a small wave off the south side of the pier that looked kill-able enough.  I jumped in and tore the crap out of the meager offerings.  When I got out of the water I found out that my glasser had decided to cancel on me for the day.  I went home and took care of some yard work and errands that have been backing up since I started this fellowship thing.

8-11-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
Considering the swell mix and morning tide I was hoping Hueneme was going to shine.  Sure enough there were fun looking chest high peaks up and down the beach.  I cruised over to Rockside which was busier then usual with easily twenty guys out.  There were peaks up and down the beach so I just walked further up the beach till I found my own spot.  As soon as I paddled out I stroked into a solid head high right. I was deep and just got a little pocket ride before getting left behind the section.  It seemed that the waves were getting more stretched by the minute. I knew I missed the window by like twenty minutes. There were a few corners abound but overall it was not the epic skate park Hueneme I had expected.  At the very the least the water was warmer then it has been.  After the surf my wife and I went to brunch over by Hollywood Beach.  We concluded the day with our regular Sunday round of golf on base.  We both shot our best games ever, a 63 for me and a 65 for her. 

8-10-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
My time was limited this morning as I had to be in Santa Barbara for my catering job at 1:30 and needed to pack up all the food before leaving Hueneme at noon.  There was still a fair amount of Hurricane swell in the water.  Only having enough time to check one spot I rolled the dice and went back to Strand.  Though smaller then yesterday there were still some chest high waves we to be had in the bowl with possibly better shape then the previous morning thanks to a bit of NW wind swell mixing in.  Only having an hour I scratched into any bump that came my way.  After the surf Bizarro, CC and I packed up all the food and equipment and headed out.  We were one man short because a  Clarks Surfboards team rider who will remain nameless decided to flake last minute screwing me.  To add injury to insult I had already paid him in surfboards a month ago.  He is no longer on my team.  There is nothing I hate more then when someone takes advantage of my kindness.  We managed fine with out him.  My catering team are professionals and we all picked up the extra slack.  With one less person on the crew everyone got a larger share of tips. The client was stoked as were the guests. I’d say it was a success. 

8-9-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 16
Hurricane swells are usually very fickle things but also very special if you luck into the right spot in the right window.  Today was not that day for me.  My first stop was Hollywood where there were some waist to chest high peaks with clean conditions and no one out.  On any other day I’d probably be all over it, but I had stars in my eyes hoping for something magical.  I drove over to Shores where it was even worse.  Word from Ventura Harbor was that it was pretty stretched.  On a whim I had a look at the Ship.  There was a chest plus wave in the bowl with only about three guys out.  It was the best wave I had seen thus far and over the search I decided to paddle.  Overall it was either too peaky or too stretched.  Most waves were running down the beach which is indicative of any south swell that manages to get into Strand but especially when it’s a SE tropical swell. I did manage a few tubes and a couple of runners.  You couldn’t beat the crowd, just three guys sharing glassy chest to head high peaks.  The incoming tide killed it.  The rest of my day was spent in the kitchen with Bizarro prepping for Saturdays catering job.

8-8-24 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 2
There was promise of a tropical swell on the horizon.  Unfortunately for me my short morning window was barren of the swell.  Just like yesterday I had to be in the glass shop by eleven.  I got word the surf really began to fill in by noon and was solid by the evening.  The wind was also up leaving most spots rather blown out.  I heard the Base was pretty good, yet also crowded.  My hands were getting sticky learning the surf board lamination process and technique.  I’ll definitely get a few tomorrow.  Photo courtesy of my friend Ryan from Pitas.

8-7-24 No Surfing: 1-2+ ft,
Miles Driven: 2
I was about to paddle the meager surf this morning.  Though small the pier had some rip-able wedges.  By the time I parked my car the wind had went south.  My window was short being that I had to be at my Glasser’s shop for training at 11am.  He has been nice enough to teach me the art of surfboard glassing so that I won’t have to rely on anyone but myself in the future.  Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for his life time.  I get tons of waves and wanted to be at my best to learn.  The day was long and tiring but definitely a means to an end. The wave looks perfect but it was barely waist high and the wind trashed it ten minutes later.

8-6-24 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 2
There were some little waves at the pier with actual decent Hueneme shape.  When the north side of the pier is doing it’s thing I think it is the closest ocean comparison to a skate park.  There are wedgey lefts off the pier that run into a wedgey right.  What I do is catch a left then catch a right back and basically repeat it for the entire session.  There are even tubes.  Today was only waist plus so barrels were out but there were certainly plenty of boost sections to be had and I was completely by myself.  As the tide filled in conditions got a little soft but still very rip-able.  The surf stayed glassy too. I had to keep my session short cause I had a small wedding to work at a cool private residence up in the hills above Goleta.  The view was phenomenal and the wedding a cute shindig that went off beautifully.  Later that evening my wife and I went to the Ventura County Fair.  Usually a weekday night on the second week of the fair is somewhat manageable crowd wise.  On this night Ludicrous was playing so the fair was moved.  We still had a blast at the petting zoo and the pig judging event plus there was a cool Elvis impersonator doing his thing.  We spent so much time enjoying the entertainment that the fair closed before we could get on any of the rides. Oh, well, there’s always next year. 

8-5-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
Whatever wave action was happening yesterday all but disappeared this morning.  Rockside was at the very least surf-able. I paddled and smashed a few lips on the road to my prerequisite twenty waves.  After the surf Bizarro and I went shopping for provisions for an upcoming catering gig I have this weekend. I don’t take too many personal events, but when I do you can be sure the money is right and it’s important.

8-4-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 2
There was a small rise in the surf thanks to some fresh South swell and with the NW wind swell combo in the water Hueneme was sort of peaky.  My friend Mitch was paddling and seemed pumped on it.  I saw enough to stoke me out.  All ten of the usual old guy regulars were out where I usually like to sit.  The beauty of Hueneme at the moment is that all the bars are terrible so there’s not one area of the beach all that better then the next.  I walked to the second set of flags and had a peak all to myself.  The surf was fun for what it was though it could have been a bit bigger.  The water was freezing.  I gave it my all for way too long mostly cause I suffered from a serious case of last wave syndrome. After my surf I met up with my wife for lunch.  We ended our Sunday with our usual afternoon golf game and I shot a half way decent round.

8-3-24 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 2
The tiny surf that is so indicative of summer time continues.  Luckily the tides been high in the morning allowing me to just stay home and surf out front.  Rockside had some waist high peaks to surf.  I got my daily exercise in before heading home to shape for the rest of my afternoon. 

8-2-24 No Surfing: 1-2 ft,
Once again the surf was tiny.  My wife wanted to go up to Santa Barbara to watch the Fiesta parade.  I had a wedding to work in the afternoon and decided to just tag along.  She was attending the Rodeo in the evening, which ended around the same time as my event.  We met up with her sisters family, her mom and a few of her other extended aunts and cousins at the parade site on Cabrillo Blvd.  All I have to say is that for the Centennial Fiesta Parade it was weak display compared to those of years past.   As far as the wedding went it was an easy menu and everyone was stoked.  Someone in attendance showed up driving a McClaren.  That might have been the highlight of my entire day.  At least tomorrow all I have to do is shape and surf.  Photo from Ventura Point cam.

8-1-24 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
Today was just another day of tiny barely surf-able surf.  When such conditions are abound I never try to stray to far from home.  After all bad waves are bad waves.  I ran out front at Rockside and smashed my twenty waves for exercise.  Then I went home and knocked out a little bit of ding repair.  That evening was the Santa Barbara Fiesta’s Digs party at the Santa Barbara Zoo.  This year was the centennial of the celebration and therefore we expected a very crazy time. My wife and I have attended the last five in a row and always come out in our most flashy and fabulous outfits.  This year was no different except that we have learned to party quite responsible and neither one of us got drunk instead only indulging in a little wine, some food and lots of dancing.  It was a good time as usual.  365 days till next year.  For pictures check out my Instagram.