Surfing Ruined My Life

February 2022 Surf Sessions

2-28-22 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Naples
Time in Water: 1.5 hr
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 114

I got a call that Naples was doing it’s thing from a reliable source.  Only getting one day up there thus far this season and the fact this is most likely the last WNW ground swell of the season I loaded up with Bizarro in tow and cruised.  My boy CC decided to cruise with.  We got there and I must admit it looked a bit underwhelming with the tide.  Seals had about ten guys on it and I wasn’t stoked.  There were mixed peaks up top.  If I was alone I might have walked on it.  CC was pumped so we paddled the Crack Peak.  Though inconsistent when a set came it was solid overhead and freight training down the reef.  After my first few waves I immediately came in and switched to a larger board feeling a bit under gunned on my 5’8.  After that it was on.  CC and I were just trading rights off with one other dude on a SUP who ironically was from Brick New Jersey, go figure.  Then he left and we had it to ourselves.  As low tide approached the swell began to get sucked out of there leaving it a bit drained.  There were still head high grinders rolling through.  We had our fill and headed in.  Naples is alway a good call. It was strange driving from so far to get there now.  

2-27-22 PM Session: 4-6+ ft, Hobson’s
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 104
After weeks of mediocre surf a solid WNW swell showed up and with it of course so did the masses.  It didn’t help that is was a Sunday either.  I got on the hunt checking everything from Hueneme to Rincon.  Everything was either too crowded, shitty, average and crowded or a combination of all three.   Over it I decided to head home and hang out with my wife and shoot for the afternoon as most Sundays one can find a slight reprieve from the crowd.  The wind decided to come up a thousand miles an hour out of the NW limiting my options. Thus I found myself staring at either really crowded junky Rincon or Hobson’s.  I chose the latter due to a light crowd.  Everyone else must have had the same idea cause by the time I parked, suited and walked all the way from Kooks Peak the place had twenty guys on it.  One thing about Hobson’s the crowd is less then expert and the take off area shifty.  I got my share of waves.  Overall it was classic wonky, burgery Hobson’s though I did manage a few choice lefts and on decent right that worth Bizarro’s time filming.

2-26-22 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 12
Talk about another day getting cheated by the Shores.  Though the blame falls entirely on my own laziness and vacillation.  I slept in to spend a little time with my wife.  By the time I woke up Bizarro and got out the door it was already 11 am.  The wind was offshore, but wasn’t forecasted to stay all day.  We looked at Shores, and were  not stoked, then went to Hollywood where it was smaller, only to head back to Shores.  We suited up and ran up the dunes only witness the wind switch right before our eyes.  In our suits we ran over to North Strand for wind shelter.  It was solid head high plus, crowded and a bit drained with the tide.  We were on it.  Right off the bat I picked off a few good lefts, even got a decent little tube that Bizarro captured a nice water sequence of.  Then the wind went more onshore and the tide went full low just about turning the whole place off.   I literally almost had to paddle in.  After the surf I took my wife to Mr.Shrimp in Oxnard so she could experience how decent the food is.  

2-25-22 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 12
Well Shores would have been the call had the wind not turn onshore right as I was suiting up. My boy Anthony and I decided to run over the North Strand where though it was going to be a bit smaller at the very least the wind would be more favorable.  It was definitely meager to say the least. Thank goodness for my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model for keeping me stoked on the grovel days.  We paddled over by Tower 1 and it was actually way more fun then it looked.  I got on a froth and went to down on the small bowly offerings.  After the surf I handled some errands then got in the shaping bey and molded some foam.  

2-24-22 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 12
We finally got a reprieve from the wind this morning with some clean wind swell/south swell mix. The wind was offshore early, but it was absolutely freezing. I had a rough night of sleep and couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to surf at seven. I had a look up the street at around nine. It was small and the tide too low. I knew the Ship had waves and cruised over there. It was a bit drained and dumpy. The sand bars on both sides of the Strand have been a bit to be desired this year. I was thinking about looking around when I began to feel a light NW breeze on my face. I figured there was about an hour before it blew out and paddled. I only got a half hour and then it turned completely off. Bizarro showed up like clock work for the wind. We still managed a few gems. I had a plenty of errands to run and other things to handle for the rest of the day.

2-23-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 55
I was in the need of a surf this morning. The wind was still howling out of the NW and it was as cold as it gets around here. The chill of the gale was just tearing through my thermal hoodie like I had none at all. There were some sloppy waves up and down the beach about chest high or so. Jeffery was at New Jetty and said he was going to paddle. In need of a friend I decided to cruise for a surf, but it wasn’t happening for me all I saw was cold wind chop that didn’t look fun. The crew out, all competent surfers were definitely not selling it to me. I headed home to get more work done around the house when I fielded a call from a buddy of mine claiming County Line was chest to head and manageable. I stopped home to pick up Bizarro and we headed south. It was pretty torn up when we got there and looked worse then anything I saw in Ventura. My buddy was out there trying. At this point I had driven fifty plus miles and was going to surf so I paddled. It was as bad if not worse then it looked. I spent the entire session hunting for that one good wave to get some satisfaction, yet it never happened. You don’t know unless you go.

2-22-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Miles Driven: 2
The weather had predicted an artic gale to come down the coast, but I can’t remember experiencing a cold blast of air like this. It barely got above fifty and there was a terrible wind chill. Just checking the surf I was frozen to my core. As far as the swell goes it was just windy slop at the beaches and tiny at the protected points. I had a look out front just because it feels good to look at the ocean regardless. One thing I was happy about was that I didn’t have to surf. I did my tour of duty last year. The rest of my day was spent taking care of various house chores and errands.

2-21-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Miles Driven: 120
Talk about great moments in car surfing. I guess old Habits die hard. We checked everything from Port Hueneme to El Capitan to no avail. If there was size then it was to messy with the hard WNW wind. If it was small and clean there were way too many guys on it for the lack of surf or it was just clean and flat. It didn’t help that we were all not motivated and that we thought today was going to be the best day in Kevin’s surf window. Dejected we headed back to Oxnard, and had another look in the evening before throwing in the towel. Angers’ had the red eye out of LAX ending a fun trip down memory lane. Until next time my friend, when you come out in April. Looks like we are going to plagued with some terrible winds the next few days.

2-20-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 52
After looking around locally I decided that we should run up to Rincon. There was another fresh WNW that had filled in and that taste of Rincon I got from last night’s surf had me salivating for more. Pat cruised as well making it sort of a Clarks Surfboard family outing. Though not huge there were some fun looking waist to chest plus lines in the Cove. It was crowded, but manageable or so I thought. I took out my Mr. Pocket again and left my Bizzle model with Bizarro just in case. Pat took out his Bizzle, while Angers’ rode his Pop Fizz. Between all the long boarders and weekend kooks the Cove posed to be way more annoying to surf then I had initially thought. I don’t mind being burned by long boarders if they stay out in front and do their nose riding thing allowing me to rip the lip they leave behind. I do get annoyed when I get dropped in on and the person in front just sits there going slow and straight not leaving me any room to pass or ride behind him/her. This happened to me three times before I got completely fed up and took the whole Clarks gang up top. Actually it worked out in our favor cause the fuller tide and swell angle turned the River Mouth section into a skate park. Though it was equally as crowded as the Cove everyone had better manners. The fact that it was more sectiony up there helped as well. I switched to my Bizzle model and went ballistic. I don’t think I have ever pulled so many airs in a session at Rincon. That is what the Bizzle was designed for. We surfed till our legs and arms were spent. The plan was to get some food and come back. While changing in the lot Bizarro realized he forgot his other battery at home thus we headed back to Hueneme in the hopes of an evening session at one of the beaches. Considering the drained tide and odd swell angle we were left wanting. It didn’t help that we had gouged ourselves on point surf earlier. We caped off the evening with a nice dinner at Little Tony’s Italian restaurant right next to my house in Hueneme where I am never disappointed with the cuisine. Also look for an edit from Kevin’s visit on the Clarks Surfboards YouTube channel soon.

2-19-22 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 52
There was still some WNW energy in the water and with the extreme low tide I thought we might be able to get a Cove session in at Rincon with a light crowd. Florida doesn’t have any point breaks so I wanted Kevin to get at least one day of point surf in on his trip. We walked down the trail and were greeted with two solid chest plus sets back to back with only a handful of guys out. Angers went running back to the lot to change. Biz and I watched it for a few more moments to suss out a plan of attack. At the moment there is a bit too much sand in the Cove, the entire point for that matter causing it too be very fast and at times sectiony, especially when its small. The wind was causing a tough bump on the face adding another difficult factor. I grabbed my Clarks Surfboards Mr.Pocket model, while Angers opted for his new Perf Twin from this morning. I don’t know where everyone came from, but in the time from checking it to changing there were thirty guys out there. I guess they all saw the same sets that stoked us out. Whatever we saw while checking it was way more inconsistent or we witnessed the final push before the low tide lull. Either way, what I thought was going to be a fun Cove sneaker session became rather frustrating to say the least. We both got a few runners, but it was certainly not what we had anticipated. I was stoked to ride some point surf. Its great living down south for the consistency, but man do I miss the long open canvas of a good long wall at Rincon. Life is always a trade off. Luckily I am still not that far away from my beloved queen.

2-19-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 12
We had a look at Hueneme first thing and saw a few kill-able bowls on the south side of the pier that had us frothing. By the time we parked, suited up and walked to the pier it had completely turned off. Between the high tide and onshore wind that picked up it was borderline not even surf-able. Already in our suits and privy for a surf we ran back to the car and bolted over to North Strand. It was smaller then last night and with the high tide a bit soft. There were some mixed peaks by Tower 1 that sparked our interest. Kevin was trying out our new Perf Twin Fin model that I actually had modified for him to better suit the weak short period wind swell of north Florida. Once again he jumped right to it and began dismantling the less then inviting surf. I got on a tear and managed a few really fun ones to my credit. After the surf Angers took us to one of his old favorite places to eat, Mr. Shrimp in Oxnard and it did not disappoint. If you are in the Oxnard area and want good cervice and deep fried sea food platters then Mr. Shrimp is totally worth a visit and the pricing to portion ration will really have you stoked.

2-18-22 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 10
There was some fresh WNW in the water with clean conditions. I got word that Rincon had a wave. Kevin Angers’ flight was getting in at LAX at 11:30 leaving not enough time to get there and from what I heard the beaches by me were average at best. My gps claimed it was only forty five minutes from my house to the airport. That turned out to be a lie as I sat on the LA parking lot known as the 405 watching snails crawl past me. Every time I am in LA my mind is always blown by how anyone freely chooses to live there. All my life it has been a city which I have never really vibed with. Luckily I left a little early and Kevin only had to wait about ten minutes for me. Getting to the terminal was gnarly. Somehow I managed to cut across four lanes of heavy traffic to scoop him up. Then cause it was a holiday weekend at like two in the afternoon we got hammered in traffic getting back. By the time we got to Port Hueneme and all set up it was almost four leaving Rincon out of the question. We ended up at very unruly drained out wind blown North Strand. Kevin was pumped since it was still an epic looking day for Florida, not to mention how hard he kills that spot. As for me I think everyone knows how I feel about that side of the Strand. We charged out there with Bizarro behind the lens hoping it was betting then it looked. It wasn’t and I left myself a tad under gunned on my 5’8 since the afternoon report I got from a buddy of mine was that it was small. There were some well overhead thumpers out there and considering all the chop plus a relentless rip I was having a less then stellar time. Angers J.O.J. (just off the jet) and on a new Pop Fizz with some custom modifications I shaped for him went absolutely ballistic. I was super stoked to watch my creation do exactly what I had designed it for and in waves I felt were a bit at its threshold. Then I got stuck in a rip that left me scratching out the back for fifteen minutes as we lost all the remaining light. Every time I caught a wave to try and get in I just kept getting dragged back out. Finally I took off on a big left close out and forced my in through the white water. Did I mention the water and air were freezing. At the very least Kevin was pumped. After the surf we cruised home where I served up seared bone in pork chops in a Port reduction with dried cherries, over rice pilaf with garlic green beans. I would say it was a nice welcome back to California feast.

2-17-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 15
This morning I woke up to the Santa Ana wind blasting my house. Today was definitely the strongest Santa Ana wind event I have experienced since living in Hueneme. Its been a real trip experiencing the wind down here. I now get why my friends down here always referred to it as “windtura”. I had a look a Hueneme and almost got blown off the pier it was whipping so hard offshore. The wind was way too hard for the size and fat tide. I went home and waited for the tide to drop a bit. Around eleven I cruised over to Hollywood hoping for some tubes. There were decent line coming through, but overall it was still too high leaving most waves rather mushy. I decided to have a look at the Strand. The North End had plenty of size thanks to the new long period NW swell in the water, unfortunately it was also mostly closed out. Over it I had a quick look at the ship. It was much smaller maybe waist to chest with clean little tubing peaks almost too stretched for their meager size. There were a handful of spongers in the south bowl giving it their best effort. I was going to walk on it when I saw a solid chest high wedge break off the ship that sent me running back to my car. I figured even if I just get a few like that I would be stoked. I jumped in and the swell began to rise while I was out there and I managed more then my share of tubes. The last half hour it really started to cook out there and sure enough the wind switched onshore thus ending a fun surf. Not before Bizarro and I got some gold.

2-16-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 22
I had high hopes of some solid wind swell at the Ship today. As usual I always start my morning with a Hueneme check. It was junk so I headed over to Strand. The ship had some small scrubby wind swell coming in chest high plus that was a bit fat and wonky with the high tide. Jeffery was on it. I decided to wait two hours and get it on the the out going tide. This was a mistake since the wind decided to go onshore right when I got back to the beach and the wave quality was not any better with less water. Knowing there was not going to be too many options with the wind I paddled. There were some nuggets. I have been riding this Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy modification I shaped for myself two years ago and didn’t really care for. I broke a few boards the past couple of swells and decided to pull it off my racks and give it another go. Actually, I am digging how it feels so far. Its always interesting when you revisit a board that you maybe were not feeling and then take it out after keeping it on ice a while. The thing is I made the board for Strand style wedgey beach break, but I didn’t get it back from the glasser till the summer and never got to ride it at Strand. Maybe that had a factor into why I did not care for it. So far I am liking it again. As a shaper it is always good to revisit a design that you thought didn’t work. The rest of my day was spent running Clarks Surfboards errands and getting ready for Kevin Angers’ visit on Friday. I am pumped to get to surf with my boy again and see what he can do on the Clarks Surfboards new performance twin fish we are about to release.

2-15-22 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 6
The wind was howling from the NW pretty much from first light this morning. It was the first time I have experienced this type of coastal gale down south. Normally, living in SB, up the beach from Sand Spit I would just sit around all day waiting for some local wind swell to build and then just go paddle out there, Rincon or one of the other south facing nooks and crannies that area is famous for. That was still my plan except that I would have to drive forty round trip miles just to Rincon. I checked Hueneme in the morning. There were waves but it was pretty torn up and not very inviting. I heard Rincon was small and decided to keep an eye on things and shoot for the afternoon. Bizarro had spent the night at our old neighbor’s place in SB and was heading back around three. His report came back that ‘Con was small and weak looking. At this point I was about ready to bag it for the day. After all I already did my year of consecutive surfing and don’t have to surf junky waves if I do not wish. Around 4 pm I was cutting up some cardboard in my back yard and noticed the wind was sort of blowing side shore/offshore. Hueneme does face south on this most northern end, which is where I live. Considering Rockside is just a mile up the street from my house I drove up for a look. Sure enough with the extreme low tide and wind swell there were waves coming off the port jetty and it was fairly clean. The only draw back was that it was freezing out and the current pushing south looked gnarly, not to mention the thirty knot winds. Luckily I had just acquired a hooded 4/3 Isurus hand me down from a buddy of mine. I ran down to the Jetty and paddled out. Right off the bat I picked off a runner down the beach for five turns. The current wasn’t too bad as long as I stayed near the rocks. Stoked I got a bunch more. There were a lot of duds out there too. I had to be really choosy to get the right one. That suit even, second had kept me really warm. Kudos to Isurus for making a very decent suit. If you are in the market I highly recommend checking them out. Since it was getting dark I just surfed the current all the way back to my car. What a score. All those Hueneme guys who gave me shit on instagram, where are you? I surf out here by myself more days then not.

2-14-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
With high tide and minimal swell there were not too many options afforded to us this morning. The onshore wind was already up. I saw a few coming through over by Rockside of Hueneme and rather then waste gas on the hunt Jeffrey and I decided to paddle. As per usual the wind increased as soon as we got out there and with the fat tide whatever we thought we saw turned off fast. I managed a few, but it was with out a doubt one of the worst surfs I have had in a while. I suppose it was a good thing that the surf wasn’t decent since I had to get ready for my Valentines Day festivities with my wife. Those of you who read this blog regularly know my feelings on what a stupid day V-day is. Click this for a fun blog I wrote long ago that actuate my feelings perfectly. I absolutely will not dine out on Valentines day. Being an industry insider I can tell you that the restaurants get beyond swamped by all the two tops and usually the quality of the food and service suffer under the pressure. I always try to do something unique and romantic that does not involve the standard flowers, candy, dinner out. I have been with my wife eight years and she has seen most of my best stuff. Couple this with the fact that we just moved and are still setting up our home I must say that I was not on my best game. That being said I did buy her flowers and candy and I cooked Carbonara, which is her favorite pasta dish. Now that I have a gas stove my home cooking has come up to my usual professional cooking standards. I’d say it was a decent Valentines Day even if it wasn’t as unique and romantic as other years, though one could say enjoying it in our home, which we own and worked very hard to get made it quite unique. I will have to come up with a real show stopper next year.

2-13-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 14
The swell has really dropped leaving just some SW/NW combo. The winds were light and thanks to the 80 degrees weather the crowds were out in full force. Over it my wife, Bizarro and I decided to just go hike way south down the beach at Hueneme. We found a fast but surf-able left just past the power plant with no one insight but some fishermen. The surf was chest plus but very inconsistent and the current was gnarly pushing north. Pretty much I had to paddle the entire session just to hold position. The majority of waves were stretched close outs. I managed a few, but really it was just nice to get away from the weekend crowds and do my own thing. Actually the water shots that Bizarro got of me where pretty good. Check my or Bizarro’s Instagram to see the shots. The rest of my afternoon was spent finishing the last of my furniture shopping. It is a trip to go from getting all your stuff off Craigslist and free hand me downs to actually picking out new stuff. I wouldn’t call me a material guy but sometimes in life I think its ok to spoil yourself.

2-12-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
I was pleasantly surprised with another morning of offshore conditions. Though the waves were smaller then the last few days it was still very fun. Pat and Brady were paddling the Hotel and I was about to join them, when my wife decided she had to use the restroom. The closest one was at Hollywood. While there I noticed some fun looking peaks down just a tad north of Little Sunset. As bad as yesterday’s surf was that was how good today’s was. I got in the zone and stayed there the entire surf. Not to mention it was eighty degrees in February and the most splendid beach day one ever saw. No complaints here that is for sure. It may not be the best winter ever, but there has still been plenty of fun days.

2-11-22 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 52
The wind was onshore as of nine this morning. There was a new small NW swell in the water and hoping for some small but fun point surf I headed up to do the Rincon loop. It was the first time coming from south and boy did it feel weird. I was in the mood to surf a point. All this beach break is great, but I have been missing the larger canvas given by our right points. ‘Con was small inconsistent and very crowded for what was on offer. Little ‘Con and Pitas we not really doing it either. I ended up at North Strand just across the harbor from my home. I guess I wanted to refresh my memory of what a day in the life of living in Santa Barbara was all about. North Strand was inconsistent but every so often a set of over head bombs would come through. It looked fun from the lot. I paddled near Tower 1 but couldn’t get a decent one for all the money in the world. Then I decided to stupidly go try and surf the Jetty Bowl. In the twenty years I have been surfing Strand I have never got a good one on that section. I ate up thirty minutes fighting the rip and catching the wrong ones. Then I paddled back over to Tower 1 got a few more close outs, stuck a shitty ally-oop then called it a day. For the afternoon I made an attempt at organizing the mess that is currently my garage then spent the evening shaping Clarks surfboards.

2-10-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, The Hotel
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 32
Miles Driven: 10
Bizarro wanted to try and shoot some wide angle barrel stuff from the water, not an easy task, especially at a beach break. The winds were offshore again. We checked Shores first but it was a bit crowded and closed out. Biz wanted to have a look back where we were yesterday and it was on again though a bit smaller. Thanks to the slight rise in the south swell and drop in the WNW there were way more make-able waves out there. Right off the bat I came out of a few deep cavernous ones. Unfortunately the key to getting those cool wide angle stuff is to pull into close outs and line up with the photographer. This lead to some serious beatings for the both of us. After an two hours of that we had both had enough. I’d say it was a solid day of tubes. Living down here in Oxnard does have its privileges. Did we get the shot? You will have to check both mine and Bizarro’s Instagram accounts to find out. I almost forgot the real excitement of the morning was that our new couches came right as I was about to go surf. We had the movers put them in the garage to be dealt with after the surf. Biz and I got back, enjoyed a quick repast then spent the afternoon moving couches around. I must say the new pieces really tie in the room. I’ll post a blog with a virtual tour once I’m all set up.

2-9-22 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, The Hotel
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 9
I woke up and the wind was howling offshore. These Santa Ana winds are definitely going to take some getting used to. I decided to cruise to Hollywood first. It was surf-able but over all the shape was poor. I ran into my friend Andy and he said he had been scoring some bars at the Hotel the past few swells. We went over and sure enough it was solid chest to head high plus with peaks up and down the beach. It was a little walled and corners were fast but I saw enough to go for it. Before paddling I hit up Biz to grab his camera and come film. Once out there I realized it was really hit or miss to be in the right spot. It was definitely one of those days where you see more epic waves then you catch. I was patient and got my share of tubes. I got my share of beatings too. After two hours I was absolutely spent. The rest of my afternoon was taken up putting quarter round down along my walls downstairs. This damn house has rounded corners so it took quite the ordeal before I learned that I had to make all my cuts around said corners at a 22.5 degree angle. After that my wife and I went dinning room table shopping, round 3. Exciting stuff, at least I got barreled.

2-8-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 10
The wind turned onshore early and I got word Rincon was small. I saw a few waves come through at North Jetty that looked fun enough with an alright crowd. I jumped in and some how couldn’t catch anything but close outs the entire first half. Then this chick paddled out 100 yards north of me and started picking off decent rights. I pulled a dick move and went and sat on and picked off a few decent ones myself. I blew the wave of the day overthrowing my first turn and eating it on the re-entry. After the surf I went home and finally finished unpacking 85% of my kitchen. It was a monumental task.

2-7-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 12
The wind was offshore at my house thus I headed to Strand. The ship was flat, north end average, crowded and I have never been a fan of that wave. I decided to have a look at Hollywood, but the wind was onshore there. I heard Rincon had waves but was crowded for what was there. I paddled North Strand. Besides the jetty bowl it was way more closed out then it looked and from the jetty to tower 2 there has to be eighty guys. I drifted into the North bowl and found a few corners. My third wave I managed a deep dry hair tube that I made. I should have quit there cause that was the highlight of the session. It was better then not surfing. The rest of my day was spent building shelves for my hall closet then followed by an evening shopping for dining room tables. House life…

2-6-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 18
I woke up and the wind was offshore and predicted to be as such well past noon. Being lazy and a Sunday my wife and I stayed in bed a tad longer then usual. We went for a look around ten, starting at Shores since it was fun yesterday. It was more closed out and more crowded then yesterday. The shape just overall wasn’t there for me. From there I had a look at Hollywood, which had good shape but of course as soon as I walked up the beach the wind switched onshore. I gave a last desperation check at both Strand and Hueneme before throwing in the towel for the morning. My wife and I had to go do some furniture shopping, more joys of home ownership is that your 20 year old dingy furniture from the old place just doesn’t quite cut it anymore. I thought I could grab an evening session, but apparently shopping for couches takes hours!!! Oh well.

2-5-22 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 18
There was minimal swell in the water and the winds were light offshore at my house. I cruised straight to the Harbor figuring it was the only option. Of course as soon as I got there the wind turned stiff on shore. Knowing the wind was still offshore in Oxnard I bolted to the Shores hoping to beat the wind for at the very least a few waves. There were mixed peaks up and down the beach with only a few guys out. I jumped in and found a fun left to myself. The wind kept swirling between offshore and on shore for over an hour before finally switching. It was way more fun the. I had expected. After the surf my wife and I had to go shopping for house items such as towels, floor mats etc. Everything does have to match after all. Finally we celebrated Bizarro’s birthday with a feast from Katz’s Delicatessen in NYC, which his mother had shipped from the restaurant to us. They sent the pastrami, the kinishes, even the pickles. All we had to do was reheat. It was amazing.

2-4-22 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 18
Another day of stiff Santa Anna winds and small surf had me on the hunt. There was a six foot high tide around eleven that wasn’t helping the cause. It was my birthday and I always make it a point to surf on my birthday. I cruised to the Harbor and had a look. There were waist to chest high waves coming in up and down the beach. The Knoll had a bar and I started there. I don’t know if the tide got too high or what but after my first wave it completely stopped breaking. I saw a few guys getting rides down at the River Mouth and ran down. Sure enough there was a crazy little shore break barrel coming in. Even though it was only three feet or so the barrel was throwing really tide allowing for sick little birthday tube rides. The offshore winds were blowing at around 30 mph and after an hour of getting blasted I had my fill. My surprised me at the front door with a Dairy Queen Blizzard cake. She had come home early and knocked at the front door totally throwing me off guard. Later that evening my wife, Biz and I went out to this Italian Restaurant just down the street from us in Hueneme called Little Tony’s. I walked in not knowing what to expect but was completely blown away by the cuisine. The pizza was spot on as were the pastas. It was as good as anything I could find in New York or New Jersey. Definitely worth checking out if you like traditional Neapolitan cuisine and it’s very affordable. We got a pizza, three entrees and a bottle of wind for just over a hundred bucks with tip. I highly recommend.

2-3-22 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
Biz and I headed to the North Jetty to meet my boy Anthony who’s new Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy Model was ready. We decided it would be cool to surf and film his inaugural surf on the new board. I wasn’t expecting much from the surf and the meager offerings out there were far from inspiring. The three of us went out and actually with the incoming push there were some decent waves. I got on a froth and turned the surf into an air show on my Bizzle model. Loren and Matt showed up. The sunset was beautiful and Bizarro nailed some seriously sick water shots one of which is below. You can look on his and my Instagram for more from this surf. Also if you order a Clarks Surfboard we will be more then stoked to come surf and film a session with you on your new board.

2-3-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
The tide was high early which left me some time to do a little more unpacking. I have been desperately attempting to get my kitchen set up, a daunting task. Around 11am I cruised over to the Ship. It was looking pretty average and a bit on the dumpy side. I had an evening session lined up with a customer and was not that motivated to surf what was a front. There were only a few guys out, all dudes I know. I was going to walk on it when my boy Jon showed up ready to paddle. He had been injured for the past week or so and before that I had Covid so I hadn’t surfed with him since December. He motivated me for a quick paddle. The tide dropped fast making the waves even more dumpy. I forced a few corners but overall it was pretty terrible out there. After the surf I had to run a bunch of errands.

2-2-22 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 12
“Wake up campers, it’s ground hog day” for a long time my life as almost as if I was living the same day over again. This ground hog day found me living in a new home in a whole new community. How slow life can seem and then in a blink of an eye it changes drastically. The Santa Ana’s were blowing in full force. It was actually the first time I have experienced them at my actual residence instead of driving into them from Santa Barbara. The tide was a seven foot high at 9am swamping everything. I decided to wait for it to drop and head to Strand since the swell had gotten a bit steeper and shorter period. It was chest to head at the ship with a light crowd. There were mostly stretched sets and the only guys making tubes were the body boarders. Hollywood has been decent as of late so I decided to just cruise over for a look. It was a bit bigger but more closed out and difficult to find a good spot. I went back to Strand, called Biz to come film and paddled. The crowd has tripled since I had looked at it barely fifteen minutes ago. Everyone was focused in the south bowl. I saw some wedges off the ship. Right off the bat I got nine sick ones in a row. It was nine too many cause six guys paddled over and sat right on me. As the tide dropped the swell got smaller and shape worse. Biz and I definitely scored a few clips and called it a day. The rest of my afternoon was spent trying to set up my kitchen, which has posed to be quite the task.

2-1-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 2
I had the morning free and decided to have a look out front. It was a little walled but fun enough looking. The better peaks seemed to be closer to the north side of the beach. Jeffery showed up and was on it. We paddled and of course the wind sent south west as soon as we hit the water adding a bit of chop. It was far from good but we made the most of it. I was about to call it when Bizarro showed up with his water housing. I pushed through another thirty minutes till he was satisfied he had got a few shots. After the surf Biz and I got some lunch then headed to SB to finally finish up at the apartment. Good bye for now SB it has been good run.