Surfing Ruined My Life

January 2023 Surf Sessions

1-31-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 18
There was even less swell in the water today. The wind was still offshore, coupled with a dropping tide all day I figured I could find something at the Harbor mid morning. I wasn’t the only one with this idea cause when I pulled up the lot was packed. Guys were on just about every peak in sight and sets were inconsistent. Bizarro was with me and he wanted to film. I was just going to paddle the south side of New Jetty when I overheard someone talking about how there were some decent peaks on the south side of the mouth. We drove over to Fruit Stands and made the walk. It appeared that the river had made this long bar with peaks breaking up and down it. I paddled the southern most end of the bar since it was closest to where we walked from. Two guys were out, both happened to be friends of mine. I got a handful of fun rights and lefts, though it was rather lully. There was this adolescent seal that became rather aggressive with us. The creature was chasing us around the line up, following me on my waves then chasing me back out the back. At one point I felt something tug my leash and then the back of my board began to sink. When I turned around the little guy was sitting on the tail of my board. I have had some close encounters with seals before but nothing like this. These shenanigans went on for almost 45 minutes of the surf. Then the offshore winds really picked up and the seal bailed. The wave quality completely crapped out also as the wind was way too hard for the small waves coming through. I got a few more, one of which was a deep long left tube and called it a day. The rest of my afternoon was spent shaping.

1-30-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 18
After avoiding the Santa Clara River Mouth and Ventura Harbor on the whole,!since all the rains and opening of the mouth, due to a lack of swell I found myself in the freezing cold pouring rain up on the bluff in front of the Knoll checking the surf. I wasn’t in the dark. Lots of intelligence came my way from friends the past few weeks on how the bars were working. There was a left coming off the River Mouth and then another left in between the Mouth and the Knoll. Three guys were on it and I saw enough waves to warrant a paddle. The wave was a little fast, but with the offshore wind holding it up it was very doable. Man was it cold. If I didn’t have to wait for my cutter to show up so I could pick up my blanks I probably would have given up on surfing. With an hour to kill I jumped in. A left came right to me that screamed down the line good for three turns. I got back out and stroked into my biggest and best ride of the day, a solid over head freight train that I ran the tube on then came out and hit three time to the beach. I had a few more and then the spot got super lully. Everyone left and I was out the back alone, a rarity at the Harbor these days. With the dropping tide the peak got very shifty, the current pushing north grew strong and there was a constant rip sucking out the back. I found myself in a constant state of paddling. The actual waves became more stretched too. I caught a few more and bailed. The rest of my day was spent shaping.

1-29-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 52
It was the first morning in a while that I woke up and the wind was already onshore. The surf was down too. With few options I decided to be a kook and drive up to Rincon. After all Surfline was calling for “3-4+ with good conditions”. I knew this report was laughable, but I had my wife with me and she hasn’t been up to the ‘Con in a moment. I brought my Clark’s Surfboards 5’3 Mr. Pocket Model (our version of a mini Simmons) cause that board can cut through small mush like no other. What I expected was exactly the opposite of what Surfline was calling. It was knee to waist plus, weak with onshore wind. The crowd was light, which is a rarity at Rincon these days. I saw a few runners worthy of my little grovel board and paddled. The surf was way more slow than I had hoped and weak. When a rare set did come in the line was fun on my little board. I got three decent ones that ran from mid cove to the bottom of the point. The reward of driving up was that we got to eat breakfast at Hugos in Carpinteria, our favorite spot when we used to live in Santa Barbara. My wife and I ate there every weekend on the way home from surfing. Now we only visit when we are up that way. It’s crazy how forty miles feels like a thousand sometimes. The rest of our day was spent grocery shopping and the usual Sunday errands.

1-28-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 42
My morning started at flat Hueneme. No surprise there. Then I cruised to Strand which was slightly better. The Ship was tiny and North End about chest plus and packed for what was on offer. I was torn between heading south towards Malibu to chase what was left of the south swell or running up to Rincon. I chose south. Of course as soon as I pulled up to County Line the wind went hard SE trashing most spots. My last refuge was Zeros where the wind at the very least was blowing side-shore/offshore. There was a bit of size too, easily chest with head high sets. The place was a little drained and dumpy with the low tide. There were only four guys out and all my options were basically spent provoking the decision to paddle. Between, the wind, the rips and constant drift north it was definitely a challenge out there. I made the most of it and even managed one decent little barrel. The rest of my afternoon was spent painting surf boards my wife. The art side is definitely a learning curve but I’m getting better.

1-27-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 70
The first south swell of 2023 and it came in January. I don’t know if that’s common or not, but it seems rare to me. Then again up until this year, living in Santa Barbara I never bothered to track south swells unless I had to. I was always all about the NPAC action. Now that I live down in Port Hueneme just a stones throw away from one of the best south swell magnets in California, Malibu my perceptions are different. So when I saw the south on the buoys I gladly cruised south to Malibu thinking I was going to score empty Second Peak. At least that was how it looked on the cam when I left. Everyone must have had the same idea and decided to paddle in the same window I had chosen. On top of that sets were very inconsistent and stretched. It’s always racy out there, today was even too fast for me. Add to that a frothy crowd with a lack of waves and it became a bad time fast. The water was freezing probably due to all the snow melt coming out of the River mouth. All of these elements left me very frustrated. By the time C.C. showed up I was completely over it. I did manage two decent rides in the Kiddie Bowl and one up at Third. I bailed hoping maybe I could get a few waves at Leo, which was substantially better then the ‘bu. The crowd was rather heavy when I checked it in my way back. I was over it and decided to go home. I had shaping to do anyway.

1-26-23 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft,
Miles Driven: 18
I woke up and at the very least I was able to walk around albeit with a bit of discomfort. The wind was howling off shore and there was fading WNW/rising South swell in the water. Considering the combo I had a look out front at Hueneme first. It was still tiny and wind way to hard to surf it. Strand was my next stop. The Ship was flat and there was a chest high stretched wave on the north end. From there I cruised to Shores, but there were no bars. I got a call from Jeffery from the harbor where it was crowded and average. I opted to go home and do a little bit of shaping and look again on the other side of the tide. I got a call from Ryan around noon. He wasn’t all that pumped on the Harbor. Considering I was in the middle of a board I decided to finish up. I had to pick up some blanks in Ventura around 2pm and had a look at the Harbor for myself since I was in close proximity. There were two bars working, each with a solid pack. Still I was resolved to paddle. As I was walking back to my car to suit up the wind switched hard onshore. That was my cue to bail. On the way home I noticed the wind was still stiff offshore in Oxnard prompting me to check Strand. There were waves on the North End. I was tempted to paddled except the longer I watched it the less enticing the weak wind blown inconsistent semi stretched waves looked. Considering my injury I decided to call it a day and head home. More south swell is suppose to fill in tomorrow. I think I will save up my strength for that. Here is a picture from North Strand in the afternoon.

1-25-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 50
I was hoping to maybe get some waves at Rincon this morning. Reports all came back that there were less waves then yesterday and even more people. Little Rincon and Pitas weren’t happening according to sources either. I had a look a Hueneme where it was tiny then headed to Strand. The ship was almost flat and the North End big and stretched. I had a look at Little Sunset which was barely waist high. Talk about a selective swell. I had heard County Line had gotten fun last night a decided to roll the dice. When I got there I couldn’t believe my eyes. County was solid chest to head plus and the reef was actually working like a real deal point break. The wind was light offshore grooming the long racy lines. I don’t think I had ever seen County Line look so good. There about fifteen guys out, but plenty of opportunity to catch waves. I jumped in and got busy finding a few fun rights. Pat showed up and while he was changing I got my three best waves. After about an hour the wind began to die and it seemed the dropping tide was forcing the wave to wall out a bit. The crowd also got heavier and rather aggressive to an annoying extent. Unfortunately I hurt my foot after getting up into the lip late because I had to avoid Pat on the inside. I came down in the flats and then got hit with my fin hard on my right foot. It hurt a bit but I still went and caught a few more. The rest of my afternoon was spent celebrating my wife’s Birthday. We did a sunset beach walk, a piñata smashing and a nice Romantic dinner here in Port Hueneme at our favorite Italian restaurant Little Tony’s. By the time the night was over my foot was very swollen and I was barely able to walk on it. I literally had to crawl up my stairs to go to bed. This doesn’t bod well for me being able to take advantage of tomorrows Santa Ana’s.

1-24-23 PM Session: 7-9+ ft, C Street
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 4
Miles Driven: 64
Imagine spending your entire day chasing surf to only catch four waves. Those four waves better count. My longest of those four was 696 yards and the shortest 432 yards according to my Rip Curl watch. I suppose it was worth it. My morning began looking at sad tiny Hueneme. The Ship had some waves coming in but they were buried in the tide. The North End was producing some bombers though the shape was a bit to be desired. I decided to head home for two hours, get a little work done then look again around noon. Whatever potential I thought the Ship had earlier was no longer evident. I came home, picked up Bizarro and we headed towards the points with a quick stop to pick up some blanks for some smart customers taking advantage of Clarks Surfboards 10% off all custom orders sale. The sale ends in five days 1/31/23. Don’t miss out. Contact me for more information. Our first stop was Pitas where it was very inconsistent, only about chest high and barely breaking. Hobson’s was a little better, but very crowded for the meager offerings. Thanks to CC I got word that Rincon was flawless but about as crowded as it gets out there. I was seriously considering surfing the left at Hobson’s when Ryan called and convinced me to just man up and surf C-Street which was macking. I rarely surf C-Street unless the surf is going off the richter, which it absolutely was. Sets were easily pushing double overhead with fifteen to twenty waves in a set and running all the way to the pier from Stables. I jumped in and lucked into a dry hair paddle out. It would be the only lull of the session. My first wave was a way over head bomb that I banged out five good turns on before some random surfer who decided to transform into a deer in headlights forced me to adjust my line thus losing the wave after my next turn. In his defense he did apologize. As he was mid apology I swung around and caught a solid overhead inside double up that ran all the way to the pier. Both waves came in at over 400 yards each. My next paddle out was gnarly as I got caught by a solid set half way out. Twenty duck dives later I was in position just as the next set was bearing down on me. The first few hit further up the point. Then the next couple swung more down where I was sitting and began blacking out the horizon with their massiveness. No one deeper then me wanted anything to do with it so I whipped my 5’10 Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw model around and went for it. I was in a free fall for a few sections till I hit the bottom, then pumped super hard to get around the giant foam ball onto the open face. From there it was an array of big carving turns with a snap or two for good measure all the way to the pier, a 600 plus yard ride. Between the walk back twice and the fact that my last paddle out took me nearly fifteen minutes cause sets were unrelenting I knew I only had one more in me. Once again when I finally made it out an easily double overhead bomb came right for me. I was a little deep, but was worried about how much bigger the next one would be and if I might get cleaned up by it and risked having a go. I don’t know how I cleared the first section and got onto open face but after that I had two massive hacks off the top before the wave ran into deep water forcing me to go to big sweeping carves. As it doubled up on the inside I was afforded three more top to bottom turns, a few floaters then an end section hit that allowed me to redirect and surf about fifty yards back left to the beach. This wave came in at 696 yards. Put a fork in me, I was done and went home feeling rather victorious.

1-23-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 12
Every now and then I manage to make a good call. High tide was 6ft at 9am. I decided to get a few things done around the house then head over to Strand around ten or so. When I got there it seemed like the tide had just dropped enough for it to start breaking. I could feel a little bit of onshore wind on my face. Surfline had predicted “moderate onshore” wind by noon. Usually what that translates to is completely blown out surf around these parts. I decided to paddle with the feeling that the wind would hold off wrecking it for about an hour. I hit the nail on the head cause right on that hour the wind came up. For about 45 minutes the waves had good shape, crowd light and very fun. I had blast and really liked how my new Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy Model was working. After forty five minutes the wind came on like a light switch. I looked back to the beach and of course Bizarro has shown up. I can almost guarantee that if he shows up to film the wind will turn bad, or the tide get too high or the crowd will get heavy. I love getting footage, but come on man, have better luck. I went home and banged out some ding repair. Looks like that swell that allowed the Eddie to run in Hawaii is supposed to hit tomorrow. I wonder if we will score.

1-22-23 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft,
Miles Driven: 14
I had to be in Santa Barbara to attend a Birthday brunch for my brother in law. Normally I would weasel my way out of such an event except my wife’s Birthday was also a few days away and mine the first week of February. My wife’s sister whom organized the whole shin dig was coy and lumped our two birthdays in to be celebrated as well. Thus I found myself sitting at the EL Paseo Restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara instead of surfing Strand, which I heard was fun till about 1pm. I will say this I was highly skeptical about El Paseo’s ability to do a brunch as their dinner menu is edible at best. I was pleasantly surprised with the food and selection. For $26 a person with out alcohol, $35 with alcohol included it’s not a bad deal. That being said I still would have rather been surfing. Around one I headed back down south. The only thing that looked any good on the way home was Rincon and it was crowded, small and inconsistent. The wind wasn’t blowing that hard on the Ventura cams so I cruised back to Strand. I don’t know if there was too much wind swell in the water or there was a gale in the channel, but despite the fact that there was no wind the surf was a mess with waves breaking on top of one another. If I had to surf it I could have, but no one was out at Strand with head high waves on a Sunday afternoon with no wind. That should tell you how bad it was out there. I couldn’t find a line to surf anywhere. Rather then spin my wheels and get frustrated I decided to just head home and chill with my wife. Here is a picture of the ship looking like crap.

1-21-23 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 66
There was an unprecedented 7.8 foot high tide at 8 am leaving the just about every spot this morning around useless with the smaller swell and direction. Rather then go on a wild goose chase I opted to sleep in for a change and enjoy a relaxing morning in bed with my wife. Around 11am we set out camera in tow as I was hoping to get some clips of the Fly Guy modification I discussed in my post from 1/19 (scroll below to read). We arrived at the Ship and there were some rip-able peaks up and down the beach with a light crowd for the weekend. The wind was just picking up out of the WNW adding a very uninspiring bump and crumble to the already less than stellar conditions. In hindsight I should have just paddled for an hour, got a few clips and moved on with my life. Some where I got it in my head that Rincon might get fun in the afternoon with the negative low tide. Ah the stupid ideas we manifest sometimes. I took my wife to breakfast and a stroll along the Hollywood side of Channel Islands Harbor. Around 2pm we set out up north for Rincon. The low tide was a gnarly -2.9ft below sea level at 4pm making every spot we passed look rather unique all drained out. Rincon had a very inconsistent waist to chest high wave and had the tide been coming back in I definitely would have paddled, but with still over an hour to go before dead low and rather busy line up for the lack of waves coming through I decided to cruise. Thus an hour later I found myself back at the North End of Silver Strand suiting up to surf unruly drained out peaks. I guess the front runners from that new long period NW were starting to show cause when I first paddled out I got cleaned up by an over head eight wave set of bombers. There was this random lady out there on a soft board looking all wide eyed probably wondering how she got herself into that mess, as was I. It was no worries since the next big set washed her clear in. I looked back till I saw her on the beach to make sure I didn’t have to make a rescue. Beginners today really blow my mind with how cavalier they are in potentially hazardous surf. Despite the close outs, arduous current and rip tides I did manage one really decent right and a show stopping left. Good times, I spent an entire day chasing waves to surf five miles from my house, catch nine waves and surf for an hour.

1-20-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 10
I woke up to the happy sound of Santa Ana winds blowing. There was a bit of wind swell and mid period WNW swell in the water. The ship had a very cold uninviting weak looking chest high plus wave coming in. The tide was still a bit high and sets inconsistent. The crowd was light and I saw a few barrels worth chasing down. As soon as I jumped in it was apparent it was a tube riding day. I went ballistic and starting stroking into anything that had a somewhat make-able line on it. Surprisingly I was having a bit of success. As the tide dropped, which it was doing extremely fast thanks to the king tides the surf got progressively worse. I really wanted to quit on a tube and as a result ended up staying out an extra thirty minutes longer then I should have. I did at the very least get that barrel. The rest of my day was once again committed to ding repair.

1-19-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
A funky short period wind swell had moved in over night leaving very peaky/bowly conditions. It was for sure the weakest surf I had seen in almost a month. The air was cold too, my car thermometer read 54 F as I stepped out to check the surf. There were two guys out at the Ship and they weren’t really selling it. The tide was dropping, crowd was light and waves had potential so I paddled. I have been messing with this new low volume modification to my usual Fly Guy Model. The board is a trip. Basically what I did was dome out the deck leaving the actual rails paper thin, and I took all the volume out of the tail I possibly could to see how much flex I could get out of it. I left a harder rail line overall making the board very knifelike. The performance I’m getting out of this crazy board is nuts. This stick is allowing me to take off really late under the lip and draw some very interesting lines. I’m not sure if it’s a direction I want to pursue, but sometimes it’s good for my own personal surfing and my ability to design and shape surfboards to try something new. Tireless R&D has always been the corner stone of Clark’s Surfboards and always will. As far as the actual surf went. There were tons of short period waves coming in. The good ones were few and far between and all over the place. Then a three pack and an unrelated four pack of guys showed up and rather than find their own peaks everyone decided to just coagulate right where I was. I paddled down the beach a ways to the next set of peaks and was surfing that. Twenty minutes later the same dudes were swarming all around me. I was completely flabbergasted. I mean there were literally the same junky waves up and down the beach and if anything I thought the initial spot I paddled out at first was the best. Since these dudes decided to once again crash my party of one I paddled back to my original bar. Surfers are so strange. The sheep mentality is absurd. I caught a few more till I felt the wind begin to creep up and bailed. There was one really cherry tube ride I came out of that made it all worth it. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings. Don’t forget I do quality, affordable and fairly speedy ding work, located in Port Hueneme, and do pick up and delivery service in Downtown SB on a daily basis. Please keep me in mind for your next ding repair needs. If you’re sitting on a board that needs repairs, hit me up, what are you waiting for?

1-18-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 16
The wind was light offshore and the swell had finally dropped a few pegs. All signs pointed to a beach break sort of day. I cruised over to Strand, though it looked fun the crowd was out in full force. To be honest most waves were either just drops with shrinking shoulders or close outs. One out of ten were actually really good rides. With sixty guys out from the Ship to Tower 4 and another thirty changing in the lot I wasn’t too jazzed on paddling. I got a call from Ryan that Hollywood was still a little fat but had potential. I cruised over for a look. Gordo was also there and it was determined that Little Sunset was the best call. The surf might have been a little smaller, there were nice clean rights peeling into the bay with only three guys on it. I called Bizarro to come film since it was the first clean sunny day we have had around these parts in awhile and footage was necessary. As usual Little Sunset always looks more perfect and inviting then it really is. The line up shifts between a fifty yard take off zone and good ones can hit and run anywhere within that zone. They all look good when coming in. Most will either die out or close out. If you manage to pick just the perfect line that wave can stretch out as good as any point break around. The water was freezing from all the wind and excessively cold nights, that plus the inconsistency of solid sets made the session a bit difficult to bare. Despite the drawbacks all three of us got a handful of great waves. There was debris floating everywhere including some very large logs and half a tree that had gotten stuck in the impact zone. The obstacle course just made the surf all the more interesting. I had fun except for the fact that my core temperature dropped a degree or two. The rest of my day was spent running errands and ordering blanks. If you haven’t heard yet Clarks Surfboards, which are shaped by me, is offering 10% off the base price for all custom orders the entire month of January. Sale ends on the 31st so get those orders in.

1-17-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 52
This morning I was feeling slightly better. I got a call from C.C. Apparently the dirty water blues had finally gotten him sick as well. Around ten I headed to Rincon after Jeffrey let me know it was the best place to be. The wind was howling out of the NW again and the air was barely in the 50’s. There were disorganized waves coming through up and down the point, with the cleanest wave in the cove. The lines were very sectiony and the crowd rather thick for the messy conditions. It looked like I had just missed the window to beat the crowd. I was still considering a paddle, till I got back up to the lot and there were easily another thirty guys changing. Over it I headed to Pitas. I saw some lines down the point on the drive up and sometimes the NW winds can almost be side-shore/offshore in that section. No one was out. It was definitely a gamble. I suited up and jumped in. Though messy there were some runners at about half way down the point. I had one that ran easily for 300 plus yards. After that wave the wind went more west and picked up intensity. Shortly after conditions fell apart. I horsed around for another thirty minutes trying to find a decent one in, ultimately settling for a four turn with an end section hit combo. On the walk back up courtesy of all the storms I found a plethora of sea glass. When I got home my wife had tasked me with fixing our leaky shower. I know absolutely nothing about plumbing, another skill I’m slowly picking up as a homeowner. I took the handle and tub spigot apart. At this point I still couldn’t figure out what the problem was. In the process I managed to make the leak worse to a point where the tub spigot was spitting out water uncontrollably. My wife has an uncle and two cousins who are plumbers and I implored her to make the call. It was determined that my shower had a bad cartridge and needed to be replaced. Then it was out to Home Depot for that plus a Cartridge puller tool. A hundred bucks later Bizarro and I were yanking at this damn cartridge trying to pull it out for at least a half hour. It ended up breaking in half but we did manage to succeed in pulling it out and installing the replacement. Believe it or not I got my shower back working better then before. Chalk that one up to a first time homeowner success story.

1-16-23 No Surfing: 4-6+ ft
Last nights gnarly surf left me completely wiped out. I woke up and was feeling horrible. My sinus were so full of junk that I could hardly breathe. I decided to sleep in. Upon waking up I was borderline considering going to urgent care. Then I shook it off and got on with my day. I kept to just light work and relaxed a bit. Around noon I was going to head out and look for some surf. The Santa Barbara cams looked clean despite the wind and there was some swell still getting in. I stepped out of the house and it was freezing. That was enough to send me back into the house and huddle under a blanket. Here is a picture of Rincon from the morning before the wind came up that a friend sent me.

1-15-23 PM Session: 6-8+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 64
Some days I just don’t understand what goes through my head. Finally we had a dry morning with a little bit of sun between rain squalls. I had a rough night of sleep thanks to my sinuses acting up, the dirty water blues. Storm surfing doesn’t come without its consequences. I got a text from C.C. at around 7am that Rincon was fun and empty. Around 9am I decided to set out with my wife in tow. This whole run of swell has been a filming nightmare. It’s either rainy, windy or grey. I needed some footage and she was nice enough to cruise with the camera. I headed straight for Rincon figuring with the swell being down and not great the crowd should be light. It wasn’t till around 10am that we got there on low tide and the place was packed with easily 150 guys and the conditions were okay at best. I wasn’t feeling it. On the way up Little Rincon looked empty thus I headed back that way. The break was empty because it was terrible. Even with the lower tide the chest plus inconsistent sets were barely clearing the mueller rock. There was only one guy out and he could have it. Then we looked at Pitas which also sucked. I was torn between running up to EL Capitan or heading back to Strand. The wind seemed like it had calmed down on the cams back in Ventura. I decided to head back and hope for Strand. When I got there, though the wind was just light onshore the waves were all torn up and dumpy. No one was out and corners were few and far between. Frustrated I conceded to getting breakfast and try and regroup for the afternoon. Surfline claimed the wind was supposed to turn SE before dark, which would totally clean up the Ship. The wind was absolutely still around 3pm. I was busy with a surfboard customer and didn’t get out of my house till four. Strand was definitely cleaner and there was an over head wave off the ship. No one was out. I was frothy and decided to paddle. Of course as soon as I put my suit on the wind went hard SW and it started pouring. Once my suit is on I’m committed so I paddle. It was well overhead and unruly out there, borderline victory at sea. I got out there and are shit on an eight foot bomb that swallowed me whole at the bottom. Then I took some lumps getting back out before dropping into a bomb close out. I got a few corners before darkness began to take over. There was all sorts of debris floating around including a few giant logs. I got one in and cut my losses. I probably shouldn’t have even paddled, but I was so frustrated from my stupid bad calls and car surf in the morning I had to get wet if not for any other reason but to punish myself for the bad choice. That will show me.

1-14-23 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 13
Miles Driven: 10
Last night my wife and I met up with Ryan and his wife, and Dave and his wife at Copper Blues in The Collection to see Ryan’s kids’ band play. It’s been since NYE that we have been out. It was a fun venue to say the least. I knew there might be a window before the south wind came up early in the morning so I only indulged in a single drink and left by eleven. I was glad I made that decision cause as I stood on the beach at Strand I was greeted with glassy overhead peaks up and down the beach with only about twenty guys spread out. Stoked I jumped in by the Ship and got a handful of fun ones right off the bat. Then as the tide dropped a little bit sets had gotten more inconsistent yet were growing in size. At this point it was easily ten foot on the bombs. The shape was either too peaky and just a drop or just a big close out. Finding the good waves became difficult. I floated around for another half an hour not able to get anything magical. At the very least I had a nice tube on my third wave that made the surf worth it. The rest of my day was spent up in Santa Barbara working my first wedding of the year. Rainy day weddings are always a bummer and energy not the best. The guests and bridal party are way more irritable and therefore service and food must be flawless. Besides that I’d say it went well.

1-13-23 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Mira Mar
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 72
What a crazy few weeks of swell and trying conditions it has been. I woke up to a very stoked CC telling me to get up to Pitas where there was bombing over head runners. I raced up only to see that wind had gone south. I had a look. The waves were already tattered up and a bit stretched. It definitely didn’t look great. I was torn on what to do. Then I saw C.C. already walking back up the point over it. Apparently the wind turned south as soon as he had paddled. Not stoked on his surf he decided to jump in the car with me and cruise up to Santa Barbara. Plenty of swell was getting in up there and the cams appeared to be cleaner. Our first stop was to check Loons. There was a wave but the tide was a bit too high for it. Then next stop was Hammonds. The waves were solid overhead with some bomb sets. The swell was almost too big for Hammonds as the waves were just rolling flat burgers down the reef. Every now and then a decent one came in but they were few and far between with a pack of twenty guys on it. I was ready to make the Hail Mary run up to El Capitan when I saw C.C. looking down towards the top of Mira Mar. Normally that section is just a dumpy close out not even worth a second glance. Today there were head high plus runners grinding down the point. It appeared that all the flow from the riverthat let’s out at the head of the Hammonds trail had made a crazy mud bank that was forcing the wave to stand up and peel. It definitely looked fast and tricky. We were still going to walk on it when we saw this eight foot four wave set come bombing down the point, peel and barrel. That set had us running back to the car. The south wind had come up a little bit, though the faces were still pretty glassy. My first wave was a five turn screamer down the point. C.C. followed me up with three monster turns on the next one. Then we were trading off fun runners for about half an hour when this bomb set came in bigger then anything we had seen, maybe larger then anything I had ever surfed out at Mira Mar. C.C. went on the first one but was too deep. I was a little further down the point on the paddle back out and lucked into an eight foot freight train that lined up in front of me. I had the gas on the entire time and by the time I was finished I was past the stairs at the bottom of the point. I think that might have been the largest, longest wave I had ever rode out at Mira Mar. After that set the wind got a little more funky and the waves got harder to connect to the inside. They were still good for for three turns or so. We put in another hour before we called it a day. I wouldn’t say it was a score, but definitely a cool novelty session that I’m sure we will both talk about for a while.

1-12-23 PM Session: 5-8+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 min
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 12
Finally this morning was the session I have been looking for. I feel like all I have been doing the past two weeks has been running around in circles chasing a score. Crowds, wind, swell angle and timing have all been against me. My head has been all over the place too. I’m constantly second guessing myself and a big part of that is living in Hueneme. Coming down south from SB I had to pass all the points and SB spots first and if I found something good I’d always just paddle. Now I’m constantly in a debate on where to go, beaches or points. I had a look a Hueneme after yesterday, but in classic Hueneme fashion lighting doesn’t strike in the same place twice. The wind was offshore and tide staying medium the majority of the morning. I cruised over to Strand. There were solid head to well over head sets. The majority of waves were close outs with escapable corners. The bulk of the pack was in the bowl fighting the good fight. I was borderline going to walk on it when I saw a decent set off the ship. Considering the fact that I had a catering gig to work in SB in the evening I conceded to paddle. I was torn between taking out my step up or short board. Most of the bombs were stretched or closed out thus I grabbed my short board knowing I wasn’t going for the bombs anyway. As soon as I paddle out I snagged a sick tube. Then on the way back out I grabbed another decent barrel. That set the tone for the session. I haven’t had a Strand surf full of barrels since Christmas. One thing I will say is that it was a little slow out there. Sets on the Ship side were few and far between and out of those sets there were only a few good waves. I played it very choosy. As the tide got more full the consistency slowed down even more. At least eighty percent of my waves were proper barrels. I’d say it was a fun surf and very needed. I had my first gig of the year up in SB, a corporate retreat for 75. The event went smoothly enough. Looks like more swell on tap for tomorrow.

1-11-23 PM Session: 4-6+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 54
Talk about a stupid car surf. CC hit me up early that Rincon was solid and empty on the high tide. I cruised out the door and headed up. On the way every spot was absolutely macking. Ventura Point had to be double to triple overhead. I think the town must have shut the place down cause I didn’t see anyone attempting to paddle and I’m sure someone would have. I got to Rincon and the lot was fairly empty. More guys were leaving than coming. I walked out on the bike path for a look. It was big, easily eight to ten foot with double overhead sets. The waves seemed a bit churned up. There was a lot of water moving around and the current pulling down the point was insane. I watched a couple of kooks climb out the break wall cause they got swept half way to La Conchita. Still I was going to give it a go even if I should have had my step up with me. Then I saw a twelve wave triple overhead set clean up everyone sending the majority of the lineup to the bottom of the Cove. That was enough for me to give up on it. I was going to drive into Santa Barbara to see what I could hunt down when I got a call from Pat that Hueneme was going off. I actually had heard this from two less reliable sources earlier. I ran back and paddled rock side. There is nothing more frustrating then driving fifty miles round trip just to come home and surf in front of your house. Once again as soon as I hit the water the wind went from offshore to south. It was still rip-able and there were some real bombs. I fought the good fight for over an hour and caught a handful of fun waves. I headed home to take a hot shower and relax. Unfortunately my garage door had other plans for me as the door would not stay closed. My afternoon was spent troubleshooting my garage door opener till I managed to get it to work again by tightening a few bolts and lubricating the door tracks. I’m not sure why it started working again but was stoked it did. This is one of the most annoying things about home ownership, all the little problems from shit breaking down and then doing random half ass repairs you hope will work, yet have no idea why they actually worked. Of course an hour after my surf the wind stoped and the surf got glassy. I have some of the worst surf luck.

1-10-23 PM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 12
I was awoken around 5am by the sound of heavy heavy rain. I could barely see out the window it was coming down so hard. Around ten it began to clear up. I cruised over to Hueneme for a look. It was definitely surf-able and the ocean didn’t seem all that dirty. The waves were still rather ugly looking. I decided to head home and meet my wife for a late breakfast and look again in the afternoon. The wind was light and I decided to head towards the points. My wife informed me that the 101 north before Emma Wood was still closed. Unable to get to the points I had a look at Strand. There was a light onshore wind but waves were somewhat glassy. Three guys were out surfing strange overhead south wind swell crossed up WNW bowls. The tide was dropping and I decided there was enough potential to paddle. I forgot to mention that I also woke up with a lousy sinus infection most likely from Sunday’s Rincon session. I paddled anyway. Sure enough as soon as I hit the water the wind began to howl out of the WNW trashing everything. Then some big overhead bombs began coming through leaving me under gunned on my 5’10. I did donuts down the the faces of a few before I successfully rode one in and went home. It was a bronco ride but I got to the beach.

1-9-23 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
Another round of heavy rain and stormy weather came upon us. I guess there was a window at Zuma from early morning to midday, though from the footage I saw it looked kind of side shore and more heroics then fun. The south wind pummeled the coast as torrential rains flooded just about everything around. All the rivers over flowed, the 101 got washed out in a number of spots forcing closures. There were flash floods. Downtown Santa Barbara and Ventura took some rather heavy flooding. It was brutal. We were lucky in Hueneme and didn’t sustain any real damages. The surf and water were a mess. Lots of raw sewage got dumped into the ocean as well. I decided to play it smart and stay home. Here is a picture of North Silver Strand to give an idea of conditions.

1-8-23 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 54
The surf was solid for the…I lost count how many head high plus days there have been in a row. I had a look at Hueneme. It was surf-able with some corners. At the moment conditions were high tide and being that it was a Sunday morning I decided to chance it and run up to Rincon. The wind was a little SE adding some rib to the faces, but besides that there were nice long lines stacked to the horizon. The sets were well over head with a light crowd. My friend Joe was the lot just finished and he seemed pretty stoked. I jumped in at the River Mouth which was running heavy and wide keeping the water quality poor and waves chocolate brown. Right off the bat I scored an over head screamer to the top of the Cove. Then picked off one from the Cove to the Freeway. The Cove was a bit more tattered with the south wind than up top though manageable. As soon as I jumped back in I stroked into a bomb that ran all the way from the River Mouth to the Freeway. Some inconsiderate kid burned me as I was coming into the Cove but luckily I was able to get around him and complete the leg burning ride. I got out and made another lap. Once again got another runner all the way through to the Freeway from the Mouth. This cycle repeated itself one more time. Then the crowd got heavier and so did the drop ins. It seemed I was getting burned on every ride. One dude literally dropped in right next to me and tried to fade me. I jumped off my board with enough forward lateral to grab the tail of my offenders board knocking him down in the process. I made sure to bark at him on the way back out as well. Another horrendous burn happens on a wave that was a shoe in to go all the way to the Freeway but I got burned by that same kid from earlier. This time he got smart and faded me beyond my ability to keep up, especially with all the south chop on the face. I gave him a stern old mad talking to. Soon after I stroked into a well overhead bomb at high Cove that stood up and ran all the way to the old Call Box. After that ride my legs hurt so bad I could barely stand let alone surf any more. I saw CC on the beach getting ready to walk back up. He is always claiming the points “look like J-Bay”. I told him that today he could claim it, cause ‘Con seriously looked like Jeffery’s Bay. That was by far one of the best surfs I’ve had in a while and left me grinning from ear to ear for the rest of the day.

1-7-23 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 16
There was a solid drop in the swell this morning making the beach breaks a very viable option. My first stop was Hueneme which was do-able and ultimately where I should have just padded. There were waves up and down the beach. Overall it looked like classic Hueneme and had it been summer I would have definitely paddled out, but I had feeling Strand would be fun. I got to Strand and there were solid overhead sets. The tide was still very high, but the potential that the Ship would turn on was evident. People were everywhere checking it, hanging on the beach, chilling at their cars. I’d say the body count waiting around for the tide was fifty guys strong with about thirty guys already in the water. Taking the crowd into account I decided to go look at Hollywood. The tide was still too high and shape not quite what I was after. At this point I was on the wrong end of the tide for Hueneme. My only options were to head up to the points or go back to Strand. I chose the latter. To not get discouraged by the crowd I didn’t even look at the surf again. I just parked, suited up and paddled. The crowd had tripled with easily 100 guys from jetty to jetty. I jumped in by the Shit Pipe and hoped for the best. The waves although they had good lines were kind of funky dealing with the slow tide drop. It felt like the waves were either feathering on the outer bar or dumping on the inner bar. The sand was still far from decent, but with more rain coming maybe that will change. There were some good one though I never found my way into any. I Forced an hour and bailed. The rest of my day was spent taking down my outside Christmas decorations and running errands.

1-6-23 PM Session: 4-6+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 70
I woke up and my first thought was to cruise to Malibu. Last night was absolutely all time there and the cams looked overhead and peeling with a light crowd. The tide was a little high, but I knew by the time I got there it would be just right. I woke up Bizarro. After all we can’t overhype a hyped swell with out footage to post all over social media, which by the way if you go to my Instagram page I posted a few clips from this session. We got to Malibu around 10:30 or so. On the way every spot we passed was absolutely macking. Zeros had to be fifteen feet. Leo was closing out from the Cliff to the bay. I knew we had made a good choice. The crowd was a bit more busy then I had hoped but if it were summer with the same swell the place would have had two hundred guys on it. The River had opened wide all the way up near Third peak. As a result poor Bizarro had to walk back down the path and all the way around and up from First in order film Second Peak. I paddled out at third and caught three sizable waves in a row all the way down to first. I paddle back and the crowd must have doubled in that time cause the line up was packed. The thing about crowded Malibu is good waves can be caught all over the point. The wave is much more shifty and faster than it looks. Gordo and Ryan showed up about half way into my session and were stoked. The River Mouth really made an impressive bar up at the top of second. The wave felt more like a combination of Pitas and Sand Spit then Malibu. When the tide dropped I floated down to the Kiddie Peak and got on a roll catching draining screamer after draining screamer. After two and half hours my arms were beat and I was starving. I got one more and headed in. While I was waiting for Bizarro to pack up his gear I was giving my board a go over and noticed that one of my fin boxes was cracked. I guess I must have hit the rocks at some point in my session. A usual Malibu occurrence for me. On the way home there were about two dozen guys out at Super Tubes. I had already got my fill. It was the most fun I have had surfing in days.

1-5-23 No Surfing: 10-15+ with 20+ ft sets
Miles Driven: 18
Ah yes the fifty year storm as it was deemed had ascended upon us. The morning was plagued with ugly south winds and overall stormy surf. By late afternoon things began to attempt to shape up. I was getting mixed reports all day, everything from “its suicide out there”to “day of the century”. The majority of reports that were fielded to me were it was too big and out of control at most spots. My wife had to get new tires on her Jeep and had an appointment at Big Brand Tires at 1pm. I’m not a fan of Big Brand. It always seems that when I go in there they have some excuse why they can’t sell me the most affordable tires for my vehicle. Over the phone the sales person had quoted my wife a price that she was happy with. When we got there all of a sudden the tires we wanted didn’t fit the Jeep even though we were told they would. Of course the only ones Big Brand had in stock till Monday were $300 more out the door. Over it we left and called up America’s Tire, where I usually go, and they had what we needed at the price we were looking for and got us in that afternoon. By this point it was past two and I had to make a decision. All the information I was getting plus a quick check over at 20 plus foot Ventura Harbor made me decide to sit the day out. My gut was telling me not to surf. Since I have thirty some odd years in the game I trust my instincts. Right before dark a session went down at first peak Malibu that had me kicking myself for not being there. Supposedly an epic Sand Spit session went down though all the footage I saw looked like heroics as was the first hand accounts I got from friends who did paddle it. Such is life. Tomorrow should be interesting. People have traveled to California and specifically the 805 for this “50 year swell” or “Bomb Cyclone” from all over the world. For me it’s going to be about crowd evasion rather then surf. Here is a picture someone sent me of a hell man charger at Rincon.

1-4-23 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
Miles Driven: 34
Once again today there were plenty of waves but lots of ugly south winds. Even Ventura and Oxnard were taking the south wind on the chin. I had a look at Strand and Hollywood early. Both were small with Hollywood slightly bigger. It looked to me like the surf just needed a little less tide. I went home and ran some errands. Around noon I headed back to Strand. By this point it was pouring and wind an ugly SSE. There was a surf-able waist high wave by the Ship though far from inviting considering the cold wet conditions. Not wanting to get any more wet then I already was I opted not to check Hollywood as I figured with the increased southerly turn in the wind it would be not worth it. I cruised back home and made my wife lunch since she chose to work at home as to not get stuck in the steadily deteriorating weather. I was settling in to some writing and what not when I noticed the wind looked lighter at my house. Around 3ish I cruised back to Strand for one more look. It was still small and junky. The surf was not nearly fun. Rather than get cold and frustrated I conceded to defeat and went home. Looks like tomorrow could be a wash too. I guess I’m looking to Friday for some good surf and massive crowds. I have got calls from friends all over the place driving and flying in to surf the Santa Barbara/Ventura area for this “Mega Swell”!!! Whoot, Whoot!!!! I love Surfline… Also keep in mind wave heights on non surfing days are the mean average of my sphere of surfing influence. In other words Strand was waist high, but Ventura Harbor was double over head and Rincon was head high. So I came up with 3-5+ as the mean average of conditions.

1-3-23 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hobsons
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 66
South wind is never my friend and today it decided to rear its ugly head in the wake of a very decent WNW swell destroying all the points that should have been super fun. The wind was offshore in Oxnard and Ventura except the Oxnard beaches were small and the Ventura beaches macking but mostly closed out. This left me with the decision to grovel Strand or gamble on a drive north and hope for the best. CC was up for the risk thus we struck out for the unknown. Though getting plenty of swell all the points were very torn up. We considered just forcing our way through the bump at Rincon in the Cove. The lines were long and crowd light. Then we resolved on using it as a fall back if Hobson’s was not good. Driving up I saw the left working and it takes the south wind more side shore. We saw a few bombs peel down the reef that looked good enough to paddle. Once out there the sets were way more inconsistent then we had hoped. That being said when they did come the waves were at least five strong, all over head and screamers down the reef good for three to five good turns. Most days the place is just a burger, but then you get that one special session where it lights up. The crowd was for the most part just us and two other guys. I wouldn’t say we scored, but I’d say we salvaged the day. The water freezing and all the sitting and waiting for waves didn’t help to generate warmth. After an hour we were popsicles and bailed. At the very least I think it was the calm before the storm. Looks like the weather and waves are about to go off the Richter scale the next few days.

1-2-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 10
Myself just like everyone else was frothy to go surf this morning after not surfing yesterday. A holiday with swell left just about everywhere with any semblance of a good wave crowded. I wasn’t in the mood for a car surf. Strand had peaky waves breaking up and down the beach. It was definitely crowded but the waves were all over the place keeping everyone honest. I opted to ride my all around board since it looked a bit on the soft side. All the rain has with out a doubt adversely effected the bars. Once out in the line up I noticed that there were some solid bombs coming in and borderline wanted my bigger board. Most waves were either too peaky and just a drop or closed out. As always there were some gems to be had. I didn’t find any. I did manage a few turns and hits. After an hour I was over it. At that moment I happened to catch my best wave of the surf. On that note I called it a quits. The rest of my day was spent smoking a brisket with Bizarro on our new smoker. The meat came out pretty good though there is definitely a learning curve to master. I love a challenge.

1-1-23 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft,
Miles Driven: 72
Let’s talk about last nights festivities. I had this gnarly red and gold embroidered tuxedo made for me through one of my business connections. It might be one of the loudest outfits I have worn to date, maybe the most fly as well. For shoes I had these gold/turquoise iridescent loafers. My wife wore a maroon dress with rose gold sparkle sequences all over it. We were ready. Considering it was our first NYE in Ventura County we wanted to do something local. My wife found a party the Crown Plaza was putting on up in their top floor banquet hall. Neither of us had ever been up there and it seemed like the place to be. We got to the party and the place was a bit less crowded then we had hoped with maybe sixty people. The mean age of the group was probably like 51. In that respect it felt nice to be out and be some of the youngest people in the room. The music was furnished by some horrid 80’s and 90’s cover band. I was reminded of many of the bands that play the weddings I usually work. The bar was supposed to be a premium all you can drink bar for $160 a ticket. It was more like the cheapest booze they could getaway with. There wasn’t even any champagne. I was left drinking a terrible California sparkling rose out of a wine glass. The bar apparently didn’t even have flutes. We made the best of it and after a few glasses it didn’t really matter what I was drinking. Half the crowd bailed before midnight leaving just about thirty of us to ring in the New Year. Considering our lack of enthusiasm for the event we got out by 12:30. That being said we were both fairly trashed from indulging in such cheap putrid alcohol. I was more then behind the eight ball when I woke up New Years morning. CC was cruising to Rincon. The wind was howling out of the WNW and it was freezing outside. Not motivated I went back to sleep till around ten. Around 11 I cruised to Rincon. Given the wind it was one of the few options. There was plenty of size but the surf was still just a point break version of victory at sea with a tad bit more conformity. The best waves were at the very bottom of the Cove where there was also the worst current. I watched a bunch of guys get dragged down half way to La Conchita. Not really feeling like doing all that work I drove up to Sharks since there was a little wave a Sand Spit. The swell wasn’t getting in there. I could have ran up to El Capitan but by then I over it. There has been plenty of waves the past few weeks thus I felt no need to go battle the mess at Rincon for maybe one good wave. Tomorrow is another day. Here is a picture of us at the party. Enjoy! Also I am going to include a photo of the waves I didn’t surf as a new addition to the surflog in 2023