Surfing Ruined My Life

February 2023 Surf Sessions

2-28-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 12
There was some solid NW swell in the water. I started off at Strand where it was crowded, junky and stretched on most waves. The wind was already light onshore as well. I got word that Rincon had waves and began heading that way when I got it into my head that I should check Little Sunset. Surfline was calling for south west winds which had me a little apprehensive of driving up to Rincon. Little Sunset had a solid over head wave with only two guys on it. Sets were a little inconsistent and the peak was its usual shifty self. My first thought was to walk on it and head to Rincon. I did have some ding repair to get done for Pat that he needed by the end of the day to take with him on his Nicaragua trip the next day. Sure the board had been dinged for weeks prior but no one decides to get a ding fixed till the last possible moment they need the board. Luckily I can turn most polyurethane board repairs around in less then 24 hrs if necessary. Remember that next time you need a ding fixed fast. Anyhow, I decided to paddle even though my gut told me not to and there was already onshore wind hitting me in my face. I walked up the beach just was the wind went from manageable to shitty. Thanks Surfline so much for SW winds (a more favorable wind for the spot). The wind at present was hard WNW thus trashing the break. I stood there on the beach starring at the now blown out surf and for a brief moment consider running back to my car in my suit and driving up to Rincon. Then I thought “fuck it; my suit is on, I’m committed”. Despite the shit wind there were some solid bombs to be had. I got three decent ones into the channel. Unfortunately I also managed to tweak my front knee coming down from a sizable end section hit. I put my hour in and bailed. I later heard Rincon was fun and somewhat empty all day. I guess I blew the surf but at the very least Pat got his board back by the afternoon so he could go score some fun tropical barrels while I’m here freezing my ass off surfing blown out junk. This is the reality of a surf board builder. You put your blood sweat and tears for someone else to be stoked.

2-27-23 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
The wind was on it from when I woke up this morning. Check out wasn’t till noon so we decided to enjoy a lazy morning in bed for a change, a rarity and luxury in any surfers life. My wife and I got on the road around noon and headed into pismo for lunch. The Pier had a sloppy chest high wave on the south side with one guy on it. I was freezing and not stoked on what was on offer opting to pass on the surf and head home. The drive was uneventful. Every spot we passed on the way home was small or messy or both. Over spinning my wheels looking for sub par surf I took the day off.

2-26-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pico Creek, San Simeon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 10
We were pleasantly surprised to wake up to the sun shining. The forecast was for rain and clouds all day. After checking out of our hotel we had a look at Pico where it was decidedly smaller then yesterday. The only decent waves were breaking at the creek on the northern end of the beach. Hoping for something better we drove over to Moonstone, but the bars there aren’t very good at the moment and it was just weak and dribbly with a half dozen long boarders out. I went back to Pico and paddle a bar on the north side. You know in a way Pico is sort of set up like a mini version of Silver Strand. You have the north end where there is this right hand outer reef, similar to the right off the north jetty. Then you have a handful of sand bars that run to the middle of the beach where there is another reef that makes an A-frame, like the bowl, and then you have another rock out cropping to the south side of the beach that makes a left, like their version of the The Ship. Now I understand why I always have so much fun there. The wind was blowing SSE, Side shore/offshore and there was a peaky chest high A-frame running fast but rip-able left and right. The sun disappeared as rain clouds began to move in. That plus the wind made it excruciatingly cold, especially since at the moment I don’t have a hood. I put my hour in and actually managed a few fun rides. I caught at least three rights that afforded me three to four turns. As soon as I finished changing after the surf it began to rain so my timing couldn’t have been more perfect. My wife and I cruised into Cambria for breakfast at Lynn’s. It’s a must visit for us every time we’re in town. Before heading south for Pismo to meet my wife’s family we stopped by Black Hand Winery to pick up some wine. If you are in Cambria and enjoy wine then Black Hand is a must stop for a tasting. I walked in there clueless about twelve years ago and have been hooked ever since. We had to be in Pismo at 2pm by the pier where we met up with some of my wife’s intermediate family. Though windy and cold the rain had subsided. We cruised for a walk down by the water with my wife’s sister and her husband and baby. From there my wife and I took a room for the night at the famous Madonna Inn at SLO just off the 101. It’s our fifth time there, each time we stay in a different room as they have 110 individual themed rooms. For this trip we stayed in the “What’s Left” room. We did our usual cocktails in the jacuzzi followed by dinner at their luxurious dining room. Finally ending the with a night cap at the bar. As usual the Madonna did not disappoint.

2-25-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Pico Creek, San Simeon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 172 (from Port Hueneme)
I was torn between trying to get a surf in at Strand early or just begin the trek up north to San Simeon. It was freezing out with snow up in the mountains and a forecast for more inclimate weather as the day wore on. Rather then risking it we loaded up and began our trip north. The majority of the swell was SW wind swell. Rincon and the points had strange waves, more novelty then anything else. Not impressed I continued on north. Truthfully I was hoping to sneak a surf at El Capitan which can be pretty fun on these types of swells. When we got there the wind was blowing hard SW trashing the place. It’s too bad cause there would have been a fun wave. Around the Morro Bay area the wind was much more favorable and there was plenty of swell. I figured I might as well continue on to either Moonstone or Pico this way we would be closer to our hotel. Moonstone had some size with mixed peaks. It looked a little soft and very hard to line up. Pico was a little better shape. There is a left hand reef I like to surf on the south end of the beach and it was working. The spot is super rocky and shallow and definitely not for the faint of heart. The wave comes out of deep water, hits a dry reef shelf, stands up then rifles over a shallow uneven reef into an on coming close out section that is completely kill-able except that the landing is a bit rocky but deep enough to ride out of. Just don’t fall or you’re guaranteed to be bouncing off the reef every time. Conditions were chest to head high, pretty consistent with light side shore/offshore wind. It looked fun enough for me to paddle. I have surfed this spot three times in my life and have never seen anyone else out there. Considering how deep the water is out the back it always feels super sharky out there. The ocean temp was absolutely freezing, ice cream headaches every duck dive. I scored a few slab barrels, some decent turns and even a couple of airs. I managed to hit the reef only once damaging the nose of my board and incurred a bruised wrist. Besides that I’d say it was a successful surf and maybe even a score. From the surf we checked into our hotel right there in San Simeon and hit the hot tube before enjoying dinner and cocktails at the Mexican restaurant up the street. It was a much needed impromptu getaway as there had been some minor yet stressful occurrences that have indirectly effected Lisanti Land. It’s nothing serious, but I private family matter I am not at liberty to discuss at the moment.

2-24-23 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
The morning was freezing with rain, hail and sleet. There were some unruly waves to be had with SSE conditions. It looked miserable outside and on all the cams. I couldn’t stoke myself out to paddle. Instead my plan was to put up the doors I bought yesterday. Bizarro and I took all the old hardware off and fixed the busted up old wall. Then we hung the doors. Once up I realized I did my math incorrect as there was a 1” gap between the two doors. Apparently the old doors were 32 1/2” inches. It was a custom job. I was fucked. We took everything down and headed back to Home Depot. Ideally I needed 34” doors yet no one sells 34” doors. They do sell 36” doors and 30” doors and that combination would do the job. I only figured this out after running around to four different stores eating up all my time. It was dark by the time I finished getting the doors up. Next time I buy a house I’m going make sure it’s proximity to Home Depot is five minutes. I missed my surf and the chance at a perfect month. The surf was garbage and cold anyway. Picture provided from the Ventura Harbor Surfine Cam.

2-23-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 10
The air temp was 45F when I woke up. I got word that Strand had waves and headed over. I was freezing and of course as soon as I pulled up it started to rain. C.C. was already on the beach giving it a look. We climbed into the life guard tower to stay dry. There were some chest plus bowls coming in at the ship with only four guys on it. Normally I would have been out their without hesitation, but man was I cold. That water was definitely no warmer. The near shore buoys were reading 49F. The decision I made to sell my warm hooded 4/3 a month back to get some cash flow immediately bit me in the ass. All I had in my car was a comp 4/3 and it wasn’t going to cut it. My warmer suit was drenched having left it out in the last nights rain. The waves looked too much fun to turn our backs on so we paddled. As soon as I hit the icy water I knew it was going to be a short surf. I paddled out and managed a decent tube on my second wave. Then snagged a couple of fun combinations. The water and air were so cold I began to shiver and get dizzy. It got to the point that right around the one hour mark I wasn’t even able to think straight. At this point I knew I needed to go in before I passed out from hypothermia. I caught one more and left. I headed home to warm up before driving out to Home Depot to buy new folding doors for my laundry closet. My wife leaned a bit too hard on one side breaking the door off the track. Unfortunately the doors and track were old, bent and stripped. Upon further inspection the door she broke was actually being held together by a rolled up piece of poster board wedged between the doors and the wall. The system had been ghetto rigged for so long I figured it would be easier to just replace the doors then attempt to repair them. The thing they don’t tell you about buying a twenty year old house is that you’re right at the cusp of everything breaking. The place is literally a ticking time bomb. Once I fix one problem I know it’s only matter of time before I have to fix something else. That is home ownership. While this was going on my wife got news that she needed to be up in Pismo Sunday afternoon for a family obligation. We decided to make a weekend of it. Looks like we will be up north Saturday through Monday.

2-22-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 52
Yet another coastal gale came down upon us. The wind was howling out of the WNW and though the buoys were reading twenty feet the swell was so steep the waves were just running right by us. I had a catering event to work in Santa Barbara in the evening, with the evening temps in the low forties I wasn’t super thrilled, I resolved to just sort something out up that way in the afternoon. I got some shaping done during the interim. Around two I headed out for Santa Barbara. A giant eucalyptus tree had blown down closing Ventura Road, the only way out of Hueneme. It took me longer to get to Rincon then I would have liked. Being that the wind was more west then north the entire point even the Cove was rather blown out. Besides local wind swell from the gale there wasn’t much out there except weak waist to chest high waves. It was freezing out. I dug down deep and paddled. On these windy days I surf Rincon in drifts always starting up by the River Mouth. I did two drifts of limited avail although I did manage a five turn 300 yard wave through the Cove on my last wave. There could have been more turns but all the sand from the rains had made the Cove more racy and sectiony then ever thus the majority of my ride was spend clearing large sections in between turns. Straight from the surf I had to get up to Santa Barbara for my event. It was freezing. The organizers brought in heaters for the tent, but not for us in the kitchen. After five hours of working in the cold I was freezing. As usual the client was happy and all was well. Tomorrow could be fun at the beaches.

2-21-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 30
I sent Ryan into Santa Barbara with my wife since he had a mid day flight out. Everyone said our good byes. For me it was business as usual in Lisanti Land. Another day and another surf to be tracked down. The forecast was calling for ugly winds to pick up early. I had a look at both Hueneme and Strand but wasn’t feeling either. Considering the six foot high tide Jeffery and I decided to roll the dice and walk into the south side of the River Mouth hoping for the best. We came up the dune and though a little stretched and wonky there were some chest to head high plus corners to be had out there. Overall I’d say the quality was low, but at the very least it was clean. The water was absolutely freezing between all the wind we have been dealing with plus the snow melt that runs out of the mouth. I was less than enthusiastic out there. Jeffrey on the other hand got on an absolute froth. I did manage to find a few runners as well. It didn’t take long for the wind to come up and completely trash the place. The rest of my afternoon was spent shaping.

2-20-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
With the swell still down and tide high there weren’t many options afforded to us. Brennan another friend of both Ryan and myself from our early SB days happened to be in town and met up with us for a surf. Strand was slightly bigger then yesterday but with the high tide a much lower quality. Unlike yesterday the wind was forecasted to turn hard onshore by mid day. Rather then risk it we decided to paddle. It was definitely slow with the tide and back wash riddled. Every so often a decent chest plus wave would roll in worthy of a turn or two. Mostly like yesterday it was a nostalgic surf of days past with good buds. Sometimes you don’t realize how much time in your life has passed till you meet up with people from that past. After about forty minutes the wind turned on hard out of the NW completely trashing the waves just as the tide window was beginning to open up for us. Of course as soon as the wind came up I looked back to the beach and sure enough there was Bizarro in his suit ready to swim. I swear that guy always seems to show up just when conditions completely fall apart. I surfed a few more waves for his benefit before calling it a day. After the surf we all cruised to the Golden Egg on Victoria over looking the canal for breakfast. Since it was Ryan’s final day of his trip my wife and I brought him up to the Ventura botanical gardens. It was a clear day and views up there are great. We were in luck as most of the gardens were in full bloom and was quite the site to take in. Finally we ended the night by taking Ryan out to Cabo Mexican Cantina in Downtown Oxnard, where in my opinion they do some of the better sit down Mexican Seafood around. All in all I’d say Ryan had one of the better stays in Lisanti Land.

2-19-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 33
Miles Driven: 10
Well some days surfing is more about the company then the actual wave quality. Back in ‘08 Ryan had a friend Dave who was also a photographer/surfer/Brookes student. He too was looking for a surfer to shoot. He also had access to Mugu. Ryan passed along my info to the guy and we linked up. The photos we captured in that time period were some of my best surfing. Anyhow these days Dave lives in the Valley on a horse ranch about an hour and change from Hueneme. We recently reconnected as he was nice enough to throw me a little ding work. Since Ryan was in town we decided to arrange a reunion surf at Strand. Dave got there first and said it was small but he was paddling. There was a waist to chest high wave with light onshore winds and no one out. That was good enough for us. I got on a tear and tore apart whatever came my way while Dave and Ryan caught up. Though small the waves were pretty consistent so everyone was getting rides. Ryan caught a couple of running lefts, maybe even the best lefts of the day. We were having such a fun time that despite the meager conditions the surf lasted 2 hrs. Post session my wife convinced us to get a sunset cocktail at the Rudder Room over in Hollywood Beach. This establishment is the only place in Ventura County where you can legally drink on the beach. It was a splendid way to cap off the day.

2-18-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 14
After I got done with the days shaping load I rounded up Ryan and Bizarro for an evening session. The wind was almost still at my house leading me to believe we could get lucky at Strand. The first stop was the Ship. Though clean and nice shape it was also only about thigh high and uninspiring. Considering the westerly angle of the swell we cruised over to Hollywood where it wasn’t happing at all less a little feather on the outside bars. With only about an hour of light left we hightailed it back to the North End of the Strand. There was a chest plus right coming off the Jetty with only handful of guys out. Ryan and I made some old man excuses why we shouldn’t paddle out: “if it wasn’t getting dark in an hour”; “If it were warmer”; “If the sets were more consistent”. Fed up with myself I made us paddle. Low tide at the North Jetty breaks way the heck outside so Bizarro filmed from the beach rather then swim. As he put it “I feel. like a floating seal just waiting to get eaten by a shark out there”. The surf turned out to be super fun. That says a lot considering how much I hate the North Jetty. I got in the zone and went into beast mode. Ryan had a little more trouble figuring out the wave, which isn’t an easy. Most days I barely know what’s going on out there. The moral of this story is sometimes you have to put the old man excuses aside and be a grom and just paddle.

2-18-23 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 6
Miles Driven: 16
They say lightning never strikes twice in the same place and these days apparently neither do surf conditions. Ryan and I walked back into the south side of the Rivermouth hoping for another score. The buoys looked a bit smaller and wind was light offshore. Wind predictions were calling for south winds by late morning. We wanted to stay ahead of the curve. When the two of us walked up the dunes to our surprise it was actually bigger then yesterday, a bit more stretched too. By the looks of things that new NW swell that was predicted to hit came a early. One thing about the River Mouth zone it always gets the swell first. There were some corners and with no other real options, the fat tide and impending devil winds I decided to paddle. Ryan wanted nothing to do with it opting to shoot some photos instead. Actually that’s how we got to be good friends. Back in 2008 I briefly worked at a small SB produce market called Mesa Produce. He did as well and was a photography student at Brookes. Being a surfer himself he had a passion for surf photography and needed a subject with plenty of time, skill and dedication. At the time I didn’t have a car and needed anyone who was able and willing to take me surfing. Anyone who has ever spent any time in Santa Barbara knows if you want to surf actual waves ninety percent of the time you have be driving either north or south of town to get them. Thus a friendship was forged. It’s a trip fifteen years later we are still good friends. I paddled and as soon as I caught my first wave, an overhead left bomb the wind went hard south. Conditions completely fell apart with in minutes. I gave it the old college try for Ryan since he had the lens out but there is something about cross shore/onshore wind blown dumpy overhead closed out beach break that just isn’t all that conducive to good surfing/photography. Thus I threw in the towel after thirty minutes. I figured rather than burn myself out I might as well wait to see if the wind might lay down and waves clean up towards the evening. Plus I had shaping to do. The photo below is what the session could have been.

2-17-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 28
I always talk of the inadvertent score. Today my friends was that. As a matter of fact I’m going to go right ahead and claim it as the best barrels I have gotten all winter and fall combined. Once again I woke up to whipping offshore winds. My first stop was Hueneme where though there were a few, it was mostly shore break as the bars have been completely trashed by the Channel Islands Harbor dredge project. Taking the tide and swell angle into consideration we decided to check Strand. The Ship was tiny, while the Bowl and North End were chest plus. I hate those waves and headed back to the south side of the River Mouth. The NW swell was slightly down from yesterday and SW a tad stronger. I figured it was our best bet for decent waves. It was that or County Line which I heard was waist to chest and fun. We walked up the dunes and were greeted by solid head high plus lines. The sets were still a bit stretched though there appeared to be more corners then yesterday. I left the choice up to Ryan since he was the guest. In his words “at least here there is a chance to get a sick barrel”. That was all I needed to hear. I gave it a forty percent make rate, lower then I usual like to paddle. Of that forty percent the majority were going to be screamers so an exception to my 65% rule was made. As soon as I paddled out I snuck into a deep right pig dog tube. On the way back I snagged a quick left in and out. This was pretty much how it went for first half hour till the tide got too low for the right. At this point the lefts started to become all time. This over head screamer came to me. I air dropped into the belly of the beast being a tad undergunned on my 5’7, got to the bottom and ran a seven second tube. After that I got about eight more just as incredible. There was some dude sitting on the next bar down and he said it was quite the show to watch when I ran into him back at the lot. Everyone agreed it was the maybe the best we have ever seen that spot. To Ryan’s credit he caught a few bombs himself. He was riding a Clarks Surfboard’s Raptor Model which I shaped for him for this trip. It was rad to see the board work for him just as I designed it to. Nothing stokes me out more as a shaper then to watch my designs work under another surfer’s feet. As the tide bottomed out it became harder to find the gems, though not impossible. I had definitely had my fill as did Ryan. We headed in to the beach feeling victorious. It’s been a very long time since I have felt so fulfilled from a surf session. I spent the afternoon shaping. I always do my best work when I’m still buzzing from an epic surf. What a day for the books.

2-16-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 28
The wind was offshore and as usual the swell was down and tide high. After checking a weak looking Strand, Ryan and I decided to hike into the south side of the River Mouth hoping with the offshores, south combo and the high tide the bars might have some shape. They did, in the shape of a close out. There were some corners but tracking them down without a ski seemed like a futile pursuit. Sure I probably would have scored one epic tube at the expense of countless beatings of epic proportions. Over it we headed back to Strand. The air was freezing with icy east winds. The water was just as cold. Ryan wasn’t feeling it and decided to chill in the car. Apparently yesterday’s adventure took a lot out of him. It’s true there are very few people that can hang at my level. I paddled the Ship and scored a few little tubes and stuck an ally-oop in the first thirty minutes. As the tide dropped the waves began to shrink, a common problem at the Strand. The sets got inconsistent and more guys showed up. I began to sit longer and longer between sets. As a result I went into a deep freeze and lost all my stoke. I caught a few more and got out of there. The rest of my day was spent shaping.

2-15-23 AM Session: 4-7+ ft, Razors
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 146
I don’t hike into the Ranch all that often. To be honest most of the time that I do the waves are hardly worth the effort. It truly is an arduous mission. First off now that I live in Hueneme it’s a solid hour plus drive north. Then you have to scale down a twelve foot cliff with all your gear and the only assistance is a sketchy at best knotted nylon rope. If you’re to fall there is nothing but gnarly jagged rocks waiting to break your fall or body. If no one comes to your aid (there’s little to no cell reception) you will drown on the high tide. Oh yeah the only window to make this trek is on an extremely low tide. Once down at the beach there is a headland you have to get around that these days with the rise in sea level is impossible to get around with out wading through waist to stomach deep water on even the lowest of tides, while waves are constantly smashing you up against the cliff and more jagged rocks. After that it’s about a mile and half walk or so to the break over rocky terrain that looks more like the surface of mars than the beach. So when you finally arrive at Razors, the closest decent wave (for you will pass some temping, yet junky reefs) you’re already cold and fatigued. The spot itself is no surfer’s picnic. Remember those jagged rocks I keep mentioning? Well they also line the entire bottom of the shallow breaking wave. Add to that urchins, sharks and the occasional aggro seal, plus Ranch Owners who don’t want you there and a splendid time awaits. The wave itself is a very shifty reef point with multiple take off zones and depending on the swell angle can be hard to line up. Whenever I get to Razors I always see a plethora of sets that completely stoke me out. Today was no exception as soon as Ryan and I walked up we saw a bomb set pushing eight foot that screamed down the reef followed by a smaller more inviting six foot peeler. No one was out less one other guy changing to paddle whom also walked in. The wind was light south causing a bit of bump on the face. Not the best wind but very manageable. We paddled and were greeted by an absolute bomb set out the back. I scratched over the first two then dropped into the third which closed out on me as soon as I got to the bottom. Whatever the swell angle was for the larger sets they were coming in a bit too stretched for the reef to give them any shape. There was a secondary smaller swell in the water that afforded us smaller peeling ones. They were also hard to line up. I caught a few ok waves, my best leaving me completely on dry reef cause I got greedy and rode it too far inside. After an hour or so the wind switched hard WNW and completely blew the spot out. Ryan and I moved further down the reef to find minimal wind protection. The tide was also getting higher and rather then have a shitty walk back we decided to catch a few more and call it a day. It was a cold long walk home in our wetsuits and thanks to the now higher tide an even harder trip around the aforementioned head land. Ryan was stoked cause he had never been there and it was an adventure. The highlight of the surf for me was seeing a mother sea otter and her cub surface rather close to me, check me out and then bail. We had a brief moment that really made my day. It’s really rare to see otters in this area. The surfing was rubbish. I probably could have gotten better or comparable waves closer to home with way less effort. Like I always say, you can’t score unless you take the risk.

2-14-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, El Capitan
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 120
Another coastal gale made itself prevalent on the coast. Considering all the beaches were trash Ryan and I headed up to Rincon. It was a bit weak in the Cove and very messy up top. Jeffery paddled El Capitan and said it was waist to chest. We decided to roll the dice and head up. As soon as we checked it I saw a handful of good waves with only about a dozen or so guys out, though there wasn’t much parking. As it turned out the park was closed for renovations which helped keep the crowd lighter than usual while exhausting the free street parking. That being said there were still about two dozen guys out when we got down to the point. The swell was a bit smaller than I had hoped and a bit more broken up. I got in the zone and found some really decent runners through the lower half of the point. Ryan opted to surf the mid section and had less luck. Like I always say even small El Cap is better than head high waves any place else.

2-13-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
Today the first half of my day was completely booked up with obligations. I had a lunch for four hundred female athletes in Santa Barbara to work that encapsulated my morning and then had to pick up my old fried Ryan from the Santa Barbara airport at two. He used to live here in SB when I first moved out west years ago. Now Ryan lives in Texas. My wife and I have visited him out in Corpus Christi and he flew over to SB at the height of the pandemic to shoot our illegal wedding in April of 2020. We were stoked for his visit. Of course whenever I’m busy one can on the fact that the surf is going to be decent. The morning window at the Ship was one of the better sessions of the past few weeks. Such is life, don’t cry for me cause as you know I get plenty of waves on the daily. The event went fine as did the airport pick up. The points were all small on the way back down south. I got word Strand still had waves and the wind wasn’t all that bad. We stopped home, picked up Bizarro and cruised. The ship had chest plus waves, though a little tidy and some cross shore wind the conditions looked fun enough. We paddle and Biz shot water, the results of which came out great and can be viewed on mine and his Instagram accounts. The surf itself was rather weak, all over the place and hard to really get a good one. I can count on one had the amount of fun ones I caught. We surfed till dark then grabbed some dinner. Day one of Ryan’s stay in Lisanti Land was a success. Let’s see how well he can hang the rest of the week.

2-12-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 14
The Coastal gale blew for a solid 24 hours bringing swell and clean morning conditions. Hueneme was smaller so I drove over to Strand. It was decent over head with fun looking lines that were a bit on the stretched side. I would have paddled but the crowd was heavy for what was coming through. It was manageable for sure I just wasn’t in the mood. Brady was over at Hollywood and said there was potential. I met him at Little Sunset. There was a head high plus wave coming in, a little soft and inconsistent with three guys on it. Brady and his friend made five and myself and Gabe made seven. That was about max capacity today. Gabe had come into town Friday night to pick up some boards and we hadn’t got a chance to surf. This morning was our last opportunity. We paddled and there were some decent waves to be had. It was classic mediocre Little Sunset, waves hitting all over the bar and hard to line up. When I did luck into a runner I was stoked. The rising tide and increasing onshore wind began to take its toll. For me it worked out cause I needed to be in Santa Barbara at 1pm to work some billionaire’s Super Bowl party, so the deteriorating conditions allowed me to bail and not feel like I missed anything. On the way up to SB all the points were working and somewhat empty. Super Bowl Sunday afternoon is always the best time to score fun surf with little to no crowds. Money is money and I still am unable to support myself on shaping alone. The gig went fine. How about that Rihanna halftime show? I didn’t understand what was going on. Maybe I’m just getting old.

2-11-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 2
My window was very short due to the aforementioned Quincenera I had to attend in Santa’s Barbara around noon. The wind was light and I was going to just head to Strand when Pat hit me up to see if I could check Hueneme. He had a feeling it was good. Pat used to live in Hueneme for years and knows it better than I do. I had a look. There were chest plus right hand freight trains running down the beach borderline shore break and too fast. I wasn’t super into it. Brady showed up and convinced me to paddle, not that I had a choice since my time had run out. We jumped in at the top of Rockside. The way the bar is currently set up as a result of the Harbor dredge project is that the wave basically comes out of deep water right up to the sand, doubles up and goes completely square below sea level. This makes for a very sick looking wave, also a very hard and dangerous wave to surf. Brady opened up with a heaving triple up below sea level barrel that although he didn’t make looked sick from my angle. It pumped me up to go on the next one, which doubled up. I pulled in only to get stuffed and thrown hard into the very shallow bank on my back. As of press time I am really feeling it. After that I got into a rhythm and found some good ones, including a decent tube and an air. I didn’t want to leave. The wind started to blow making the already difficult waves nearly impossible. Of course my greed forced a struggle to get a good one, but finally I lucked into a drainer to quit on. That being said I was still about fifteen minutes late with a very angry wife waiting for me at home. You would think after all these years a surf wife should expect to be constantly fucked over for surf. I love you baby but I need those waves. We still made it to the Quincenera on time so I don’t even know what the big deal was. The party was fun except that the venue left all the doors open and it was freezing in the space. As a result I drank too much coffee and got sick putting a bit of a damper on the evening. Besides that we had a fun time. I wore a champagne floral embroidered tuxedo with a gold lapel and buttons that stole the show as usual. Look for pictures on my Instagram in the next day or so.

2-10-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 18
Once again I was starring at tiny Strand. Over that I cruised over to the Harbor. There was a high tide left sort of working south of the Knoll. The wind was already up. I wasn’t in the mood to go on a goose chase and paddled. In the time it took me to suit up the tide completely killed the bar I was intending on surfing. With my suit already on I was committed. I ran down to the south side of the River Mouth where I had been surfing last week all the way past McGrath. It was definitely a little stretched but at the very least breaking. Unfortunately to random hipster type guys on mid lengths followed me over. They clueless, sat too deep and were on the complete wrong boards for the conditions, so they ended up causing me no harm and were entertaining to watch go over the falls on every wave. I ended up getting on a tare lining up some decent two to five turn combos. I don’t know if I was hearing things or want but I swear there was some really loud bass and drums blasting back towards the beach. It went on for half an hour. After a solid hour of fun waves the wind finally came up hard enough to trash it. I snagged a few more then headed back. On the walk to my car I found more Sea Glass then I could carry. The rest of my day was spent running errands for my wife to get ready for her cousins Quincinera on Saturday. My wife is the Madrina and I guess that’s a big deal. So far it’s just been a lot of headache and inconvenience for me.

2-9-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 20
Another day of clean offshore winds and micro conditions. I had a look at Strand. The tide was way too high for how small it was. Over it I went home to finish my ding repair queue then look again on the lower tide. Around two Bizarro and I headed over to Strand. It was small but there were a kill-able one and at the very least the surf was clean and the weather 78F and sunny. One could say it would almost be a crime not to surf. I paddled and Biz shot water. We hadn’t done an water stuff since December so it was nice to get back on that horse. As soon as my toes touched the water the wind switched onshore, which is just about how the majority of my sessions have went this winter. Luckily after about ten minutes of puffing that thankfully cleared the line up the wind laid down and conditions glassed offed. That being said it was still tiny and weak. There were a couple young guys out there way more spry and frothy then myself. To my credit we definitely laid down a few clips. That’s the sad thing about getting older it gets harder to keep the stoke. At the moment I’m still carrying the torch.

2-8-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 20
The swell had decreased a fair amount from year and once again the morning tide was not my friend. I cruised to Strand first to see where things were at. The wind was light offshore and though small there were some high tide kill-able bowls. I got word that the wind was already up at the Harbor and decided to just paddle. The window was short lived as the high tide shut it down with in thirty minutes. I floated around catching basically nothing for another half hour. I forced an air on a close out and decided to bail. I had plenty of ding repair to do. New swell was supposedly going to fill in for the evening. Bizarro and I went back for another look around 4:30 to get some of that golden hour light. The surf was still tiny and thus we opted out.

2-7-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 44
The wind was offshore and of course the tide was high making my usual go to beaches impossible. I was torn between heading north to the points or south to County Line. In my indecision I fielded a call from C.C. that county looked fun. Bizarro and I cruised down and were pleasantly surprised at the chest plus off shore lines running down the point with only two guys out. I was out there as C.C. pulled up also stoked. My first wave was a six turn screamer down the point then between the impending high tide and the stiff offshore wind it became very difficult to surf. There were still some good ones but one had to be crafty to not get blown out the back or hung up. We definitely made it look too much fun cause the crowd began to build as well. That being said I managed a bunch of fun waves. The rest of my day was consumed with ding repairs.

2-6-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 54
If I have anything thing scheduled for months ahead of time the Ocean never fails to send good waves in the window of that appointment. I had thing in Oxnard at 11am. Leaving me either the early morning or the afternoon. Strand was pretty much the only place I could surf before eleven and it would have to be pretty darn good at that. The surf was sold eight foot bombers. The faces were clean, but it was still very raw from the coastal gale that blew over the past twenty four hours. I saw a few do-able ones sparking my interest. I also saw more beatings then good rides. Considering my short time window I passed hoping for an afternoon session at one of the points. The word was Rincon had waves. North was the call. While driving up the 101 towards Rincon I noticed that Pitas had a fair amount of white water on it and decided to give it a look. The lines were stretched and somewhat disorganized up top. Some wrap into the Faria section was prevalent. The crowd was light and I was running out of time thus I paddled hoping for the best. I would have had more time to surf except I lost a half hour on the phone in the parking lot reporting fraudulent use of my debit card. Turns out some degenerate ordered $200 worth of CBD on my card. Though sloppy and broken up there were some runners out there. I even tucked into a barrel though I wasn’t able to come out. As it got later in the afternoon the crowd grew larger. The current sweeping down the point was stiff enough to cycle out the pack allowing for plenty of opportunity to catch waves. I wouldn’t call it good Pitas, but I had fun. On the walk back to my car up the point I found lots of sea glass.

2-5-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 2
Talk about absolute trash out there today. Maybe I should have waited for the potential of an afternoon window at Rincon. I just really wanted to get wet. Pat had gotten eyes on Rincon early and found it to be tiny and weak with little potential. Taking that intelligence into consideration I checked Hueneme to see if the Jetty was giving any wind protection. Things were rather sloppy. There were some east coast style wind chop waist to chest high waves coming through. I wasn’t super frothy but told Pat if he cruised over I’d paddle it with him. Bizarro decided to join us and film the chaos. The surf was about as bad as I had I initially thought. There was an occasional wedge. The water was cold and the strong onshore icy wind didn’t help. We fought the good fight for an hour before throwing in the towel. Poor Biz got sand blasted on the beach. Later that night my wife and I took Bizarro out for his birthday to Cabo this decent Mexican seafood spot in Oxnard. Thus the run of Aquarius birthdays came to end till next year.

2-4-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 16
Sometimes we roll the dice and loose. One thing about taking the surf path less trodden upon people don’t tell you is the fact that one gets skunked a lot. For every real score there are twenty sessions that were a bit to be desired. When you do score perfect empty waves to yourself all the sacrifice is worth it. This morning it was my birthday and I really just wanted to surf some fun waves with out a crowd. Considering it was Saturday I knew this may be a tough feat. There was just the right amount of combo swell, plus an early morning high tide that I thought I might be able score the south end of the Santa Clara River Bar. A decent right hander had formed at the northern most boarder of McGrath State Beach. The bar was completely impossible to check from the Ventura Harbor side of the mouth because you first had to cross the River then walk a couple of hundred yards down the beach. Meanwhile the State Beach is closed denying access that way. The only way to really get to the wave is to walk from Fruits Stands which is easily a quarter mile trek. My lovely wife humored me since it was my birthday and agreed to the mission. I could tell that there was definitely a right peeling even from far away. When we got in front of the bar the lineup was a little more shifty then I would have liked. Still there were some clean rip-able runners. The wind was light onshore though the surf stayed somewhat clean. My first few waves were runners good for three to five turns. As the tide dropped the waves began closing out more or feathering too far out. It also felt like there was more swell filling in as large overhead clean up sets would wash through periodically making it tough to hold position. Add a stiff drift south and the fact that I was out all by myself and positioning was nearly impossible. I got a few decent rides but overall it was not what I had hoped. Then I got word from Ryan that Pitas was fun and I got a bit frustrated and threw one of my famous Lisanti beach tantrums. If you are one of my close surf friends then you have definitely witnessed at least one of these over the years. Bizarro and my wife have seen so many they have lost count. It was my birthday and I decided if cry if I wanted to. On the walk back I picked up a few cool pieces of sea glass which calmed me down. My wife and I got some breakfast after which I decided to have a look at Strand. From the looks of things I should have looked there cause I think there must have been a decent mid tide window. As it stood the wind was on it, and tide a bit drained. It was surf-able but I wasn’t that desperate or frothy. Tomorrow is another day and another let down. For dinner my wife took to this fine dining Brazilian spot in Channel Islands Harbor on the Hollywood side called Moqueca. The atmosphere was nice and the food pretty unique and authentic. I’d say it is definitely worth a visit.

2-3-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 54
With both NW and SW west swell in the water I was on the fence about whether to drive north to Rincon or south to LA. One thing was certain, Ventura was plagued with junk WNW wind. I got a call from C.C. that Zuma was head high and fun and he was paddling. His report tipped the scale and southbound I went. Zuma was clean, but far from stoking me out. Head high was definitely a stretch, maybe on the best waves. It was glassy and I wanted to surf with my boy. I decided to turn my suit right side in, get my board ready and wait and see what was on offer. After watching C.C. milk three very weak waves to the beach WQS style I decided to head back towards county line. On the way Zeros looked like it had potential and was empty. The tide was a little high, but dropping fast. I paddled and picked off a handful of fun lefts and even a small tube. One of the other guys out paddled over and said I was making it look too much fun and sure to bring the crowd. Truth be told thirty minutes later there were twenty five guys littered up and down the peak. As usual everyone was extra scrappy. I got burned a few times, back paddled a few more, yet still managed a couple of more fun ones before the wind came up. The water was freezing and I never was able to get my core body temperature up the rest of the day. Later that night Bizarro and I prepared a surf and turf dinner in honor of our birthdays with fresh Maine lobster and a tomahawk steak. What a feast it was.

2-2-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 74
Car surfing days are for me some of the most annoying. They are always caused by a combination of indecision coupled with a case of “the grass is always greener” syndrome. Strand was substantially smaller then yesterday thus I found myself at Ventura Harbor staring at the River Mouth, which is where I should have just paddled. I had heard Rincon was fun and empty yesterday. Hoping for a repeat and chance to get my share I stupidly left perfectly surf-able waves to chase the rainbow. As soon as I walked down the trail at the Cove I could feel south wind on my face. It was still very surf-able and had the crowd not been heavy for the lack of sets and quality I would have paddled. Instead I decided to head back to Ventura Harbor. By this time the south wind and dropping tide had made the line up look rather uninviting. Then I saw Dane and his Chapter 11 crew show up and that was the final straw that broke my stoke. Before I drove off I had quick look at the Bounce Peak cause I have been seeing it break recently and the crowd was light. That is almost never the cast at that wave. Between the wind and the drained tide I just couldn’t get into it. I decided to go home and get some ding repair done with the plan to check again before dark. Around 3:30 I set back out with my first stop at Strand. Being that the tide was so low I had an inkling that just maybe the ship would have a wave. It was just too small to entertain. With time running out I ran back to the Harbor. The wind had lightened and though drained the River Mouth had a decent left running with a dozen guys out. That was more then I would have liked. Taking into consideration how shifty that peak is and all the current and rips off the bar I figured I could finagle few waves and paddled. Sets were very inconsistent and when they did come in were hard to line up. On top of that some dick kept sitting on me like I had priority in a WSL man on man heat. There is nothing I love more then having to constantly fight for position. I managed two decent barrels and a few turns before it got too dark. I really need to find my inner stoke to stay motivated lately. If anyone out there thinks they have what it takes to keep pace with and be more stoked and motivated then I am and wants to surf please reach out. I promise together we can push each others surfing to new levels. Also I film most sessions thus you will get clips.

2-1-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 10
I absolutely despise North Strand. Every so often the sand and swell are just right and I have a magic session there, but it’s rare. I used to avoid the place like the plague. Now that I live so close I seem to surf it more and more. Nine times out of ten I leave frustrated. Today was one of those days. I was torn between North Strand, Ventura Point or gambling on Rincon. The wind was offshore, I had shaping to do and it looked like there were some corners to be had. Of course those corners I speak of were any where from Tower 3 all the way to North Jetty. We are talking hundreds of yards of surf-able beach with inconsistent sets and only one or two good waves in a set. Add to that a crowd of about ten guys on each respective peak, plus bone chilling cold water and you have a nightmarish session in the making. Though I knew all this I still stupidly paddled out. I started at the Wood House peak, where I usually find my best waves on the north end. As soon as I got out to the line up I lucked into a left barrel. Then on my way back out I picked off a hundred yard four critical turn right. I was beaming thinking I might have lucked into one of those rare days where I have fun out there. Those would be the last two decent waves I caught for the next hour and a half. I don’t know if the dropping tide was the issue or I just got into a funk, but I literally paddled all the way to Tower 3 then to the Jetty and finally back to Tower 3 again. In those travels I couldn’t pick off anything worth while. I saw plenty of good waves everywhere except where I was sitting. In my utter frustration I ran into a friend of mine whom I was complaining to about how if I could just manage one barrel I could leave. Literally moments after the statement was made a set appeared on the Horizon. The first few waves I was sitting too shallow for. The next two were taken by guys sitting deeper then I was. After all my waiting a left came right to me and I was in the perfect position. A couple of strokes and a quick stall and I was careening through the tube. The wave was one of those rare ones at Strand that come parallel to the beach. As a result I had a decent tube ride finishing strong with a clean end section hit. At the very least it was enough to get me through my afternoon of shaping.