Surfing Ruined My Life

June 2022 Surf Sessions

6-30-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 2
After yesterday’s said harbor session I decided to look at Hueneme.  Ryan paddled Fruit Stands earlier and his report was less then enthusiastic.  Hueneme looked a little dumpy though peaky.  I saw a few potential barrels and as everyone knows I’m always a sucker for a chance to get shacked.  I paddled Rockside on my grovel board but after a few waves went back for my regular short board as the waves had a bit more juice then I had anticipated.  With the board change I was able to get in a little earlier and deeper allowing me to hunt down a few tubes.  Most were just views though I manage to pop out of a tube or two.  I was about to throw in the towel after a bunch of rip tides just about destroyed the line up.  Bizarro with his perfect timing to always come at the end of my session when I’m tired and over it.  Every so often he works as a good luck charm.  In the short time left in my surf I packed my three best tubes and got the clips.  After the surf I had to cruise into SB for a small wedding on East Beach that was a very smooth pleasant event. 

6-29-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 18
There was south wind on it at Hueneme making it less then desirable.  I headed to Ventura Harbor where it takes the south wind a bit better.  I hadn’t realized how rode sensitive the bars are over there.  What started out as fun chest plus peaky waves became a fat useless burger within a half hour.  I definitely missed the boat there and probably should have just paddled Hueneme where the rising might have improved things.  At the very least it’s good to know that the Harbor is a waist of time on high tide. 

6-28-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 2
Well at first glance the surf look as fun as yesterday.  The crowd was on it with easily twenty guys in Rockside and another handful at the pier.  I walked past the crowd and found a little peak to myself.  The waves were too peaky today making it very hard to get a good ride.  Most either died out or ran into another peak too fast to even utilize the section.  That being said I still managed a bunch of alright waves.  Once again it was very consistent out there too.  After the surf I had to go to  Ventura to pick up a blank before heading home to paint my shaping room. Looks like a bit more swell for tomorrow.

6-27-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 2
After yesterday’s frustration I needed to surf something today.  Not expecting much I took my grovelers up the street for a look.  To my surprise Rockside had a solid chest high wave coming through.  It was clean, peaky, had good shape, was pretty consistent and there were only three guys out.  I was out there and immediately got to work.  It was a froth till the tide got a little fat, though when I left it was still very surf-able.  I managed one really decent left tube.  It’s nice to know that mother ocean was there for me when I needed her.   After the surf it was straight back into working on the new shaping room.  Looks like we are on schedule to be finished by next week. 

6-26-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Miles Driven: 38
I had to work a very lucrative brunch in Montecito not allowing me to get the opportunity to surf after 3pm.  The wind was up by then as usual.  There was some minor long period south in the water and my plan was to wait till the late afternoon/evening and hope to beat the crowd.  Sunday afternoons are usually crowd manageable.  Around 4:30 my wife and I headed south towards Leo since the wind was blasting the VTA beaches.  My Sunday theory was completely off as Leo was beyond crowded and also very inconsistent and weak.  I watched it for about thirty minutes or so before throwing in the towel.  Even the garbage inside waves that I usually scrap had a pack of ten scrapping for it.  Instead my wife and I decided to play tourists.  We had dinner at Neptunes Net.  I have never eaten there in all the years I have lived and even traveled to California.  I always figured it to just be an over priced tourist trap.  I stand corrected on at least the former.  The pricing was fair and the food was actually very decent and worth eating.  The only downside is it takes a while to get your order and you have to be pretty aggressive to snag a table.  In that respect it’s sort of like surfing at all of the LA line ups.  Luckily my wife used her Latin skills and got to chatting in Spanish with a couple who was almost finished eating and they gave us their table.  After eating my wife wanted to climb the big sand dune adjacent to Thorn Hill Beach.  Now I have stopped there over the years with plenty of friends who insisted on me stopping so they could climb said dune.  None of them ever made it to the top.  Granted it’s usually in the heat of the day.  My wife charged it and we got to the top. We found a broken body board up there and attempted to surf it down.  There just wasn’t enough board to make it to the bottom.  We watched the sun set and headed home.  There was literally sand in every orifice of my body when I got home.  Good times. 

6-25-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
More wind and shitty south swell was on offer this morning. I had a wedding to work at 3pm in Carpinteria and all reports I got from everywhere were lack luster.  There were a few peaks up and down the beach at Rockside and I paddled.  It was basically a throwaway.  I was tired and unmotivated and the water was cold.  All this lead to me just going through the motions.  I did manage a tweaked out backside air reverse to the flats on my last wave that I was happy with.  It’s stoke when a session that bad ends on a high note.  The event was at Klentner Ranch a venue I have actually never worked.  All I can say is that the place in now in my top 3 favorite venues.  The view is breathtaking and the grounds spectacular.  The wedding itself was nothing but top shelf all the way.  Everyone dressed in black tie to add to the effect. 

6-24-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 38
Of course the wind was on it in Ventura before nine this morning.  I decided to head to LA.  I heard Leo was too foggy to see and with the impending low tide I thought maybe I’d get lucky and beat the crowd.  This was not case as the place was packed.  With the wind there was not many options and rather the drive around for another hour or so I paddled.  I took out this older Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy I recently repaired from last summer.  It’s the one I spray painted yellow and green to commemorate the first ever Pop Fizz.  The sets were really inconsistent making it basically a shit fight for waves and when a set did come in it could have one wave or seven.  Overall it was very weak.  I was struggling on the short board and after a few went in and grabbed my new Clarks SPF Fish I was raving about a day ago.  I put in the up right fins as opposed to the keels I used last time.  This definitely made for an up tick in performance out there and at the very least allowed me to scrap for anything and everything under priority.  After riding both fin set ups I think thus far I like the way the keels feel better though neither session was decent enough for me to really judge objectively.  The water temp dipped again and minus two or three  waves it was hardly worth the effort.  That afternoon Bizarro and I finished putting up all the walls on the shaping room. It’s now ready for paint and lights.  Hopefully I’ll be done by the end of next week.

6-23-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Miles Driven: 18
My morning began more hectic then usual. As I was on my way out the door to surf I got a call from my wife that she was having car trouble on her way to SB for work. Luckily she wasn’t so bad off that she could turn around and make it home. My mechanic tenant took a look at it and thought it might be a fuel line thing. Whatever it is the engine is mis-firing. In all this excitement I didn’t get to leave till after ten and my then the wind was up. I had a look at Ventura Harbor. It would have been fun before the wind, but was at that point trash. I stoped by Fiberglass Hawaii to buy some reason and lucked into on of the last EPS blanks they had in stock and considering the fact that US Blanks isn’t going to be making any more EPS Blanks till maybe August I was stoked since they happened to have a blank that fit an order I had just received. The rest of the afternoon was spent putting up the walls on the frame of the shaping room. Things are moving a long nicely. I probably could have found some waves before dark but I was pretty spent from all the manual labor in the garage.

6-22-22 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, C Street
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 26
The swell was minimal this morning. Normally I would have automatically skipped it. I had just got a sick looking Clarks Surfboards SPF Fish back from the Glasser that I had shaped for myself last summer and basically kept it on ice. With summer conditions looming I finally decided to send it off for glass. Itching to try it I headed to Ventura Point where it was waist high and pathetic. I built this board for miserable conditions and that was exactly what I was going to try it in for its first go. I was mind blown by how amazing this board worked. I had made a few of these for customers and everyone had been raving about the model. I don’t really ride twins or have the surf personality for one. The SPF Fish may have just changed my mind. I have never had so much fun surfing such bad waves and I had good command over the meager waves too. What a board. I can’t wait to ride it again. Unfortunate I hit the rocks on an insider and have to fix it before I get to ride it again. Good thing I fix dings. That reminds me I am 100% set up to fix dings so if you need something repaired hit me up. I could really use the work.

6-21-22 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Miles Driven: 53
Not surfing was not how I had expected to spend the first day of summer, especially since there was still some solid wind swell in the water. I got word the points were smaller then yesterday this checked the beaches. Besides New Jetty, which was crowded and whatever everywhere was under whelming. I headed up to the points. A terrible south wind followed me trashing everything. It was too bad cause Little Rincon really had good lines coming in. Hoping it was just a phase I hung out in the lot till around noon hoping it would switch NW. I had plenty of things to do on my phone while I killed time anyway. At about 12:30 I threw in the towel. The wind wasn’t getting any better. Emma was the most surf-able on the way back home. I gambled on New Jetty still being alright. I lost. It was barely waist high, weak and still had a crowd on it. Over it I went home, but not before having one last look at the Ship. There was a tiny left bowl coming through that I could have attacked on one of my fishes. Not in the mood I called it day. I had plenty of other random things to do anyway.

6-20-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 52
The wind swell was still hanging around. I got word the points had waves and after yesterday’s horrible shocker I was not about to try my hand at Strand. I needed a change of venue. Bizarro and I cruised to the points. Pitas was solid but a bit broken up. Rincon looked fun, chest high with some of the better lines I have seen in a while, but the crowd was a bit heavy for what was on offer. Little Rincon was just right. It’s the story of Chris Lisanti and the three points. I ran into Jason Fiest in the lot, whom I haven’t seen in a while. It cool to talk shop with one of the shapers that basically got me my start. I jumped in off the pier and began snagging some fun ones. The only bummer was that I was a stuck on my grovel short board since I creased my step down short board at Malibu. I made it work and even got one really decent tube. Hopefully Bizarro got the shot. After the surf there were all sorts of errands to run. I’d say it was a worthy day of surfing.

6-19-22 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 10
I knew the points were going to be fun. I had a private dinner party in Montecito to work and I needed to bring all the food. This made cruising up, surfing and then continuing on to SB for work not an option. Strand had waves although not it was not at its best and a crowded for what was out there. Add to that a little wind and pretty much the only thing going for the place was that there was some size. I paddled hoping the tide push might help and the crowd would drop. Neither of that really happened. I was also exhausted from not getting home from work till after midnight, which also didn’t help my case. I had a shocker out there barely getting anything worth while. That is the Ship after all. One day it shines on you the next she shits on you. As far as my dinner party went the menu was three Pizzas to start, Margarita, Meat lovers (sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto) and a veg (green peppers, blk olive, mushroom). The main course was Beef Tenderloin, roasted vegetables and baked potatoes with all the fixings. Everyone was stoked as usual with the food. The budget on this job was small meaning I had to do everything myself including serving and cleaning.

6-18-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 20
This morning was a bit of a let down. There was some fresh NW in the water with the south swell. The tide was super drained and there was a bit of junky WNW on it too. I met C.C. at the Shores where we met up with a photographer friend of his from down south. It was borderline not surf-able. We cruised over to the Harbor where there were a few larger peaks. The waves were breaking all over the place with nothing that looked all that good. It was packed as well. I couldn’t get into and cruised. I had a look at Ship. There was a bit of wind swell getting in though pretty weak. From there I went to Hueneme. The Pier was doing its right bowl thing off the south side of the pier about chest high with one dude on it. I grabbed my grovel board and frothed on the bowl. The water took a dip from the previous day leaving me a tad chilly in my 3 mil. I stayed fairly busy and kept warm. After the surf I had to make some Pizza dough for a gig in Montecito on Sunday. Then I ran over to Larese Laminations to pick up a fresh batch of Clark’s Surfboards which came out great. I was especially amping on this new SPF Fish I made for myself. Look out weak waves cause Lisanti has got himself a twin fin! Finally my night ended with a wedding in SB.

6-17-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 68
Strand was tiny and Hueneme too low. There was a weak long period south swell in the water. C.C. and I decided to head south in hopes of scoring more size with less wind since the wind had been on it in Ventura since 9am. He lined up Raymond Joyce to come shoot us and his friend Kai from Hawaii. The surf was definitely a bit underwhelming when we got to the head of the trail at Third Peak. As per usual the line up was crowded with its share of ding dongs. I went into spastic Malibu mode, a persona I have just recently acquired with all the extra time surfing LA. Basically I just put on the blinders, get in the zone and go nuts on any wave that comes my way crowd regardless. Turns out though a bit weak there were good ramps everywhere and I began to put on an air show. Unfortunately I ended up creasing one of my favorite boards bringing down a frontside air reverse a little too far in the flat. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t continue riding it thus I surfed for another hour. The only hindrance was when I tried to really put it hard on rail, being that it was rather soft and mushy that wasn’t a problem. Kai was a chill dude and was so stoked on my Clarks Surfboards he ordered a PB&J Model. I’m stoked to build him a board. It’s funny how a dude you just met is stoked to support my company but guys I have been surfing with for ten years have yet to even try my boards. To each their own. I was supposed to have a wedding in SB that evening but it was canceled a week ago due to Covid19. I didn’t even think that was a thing anymore.

6-16-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
Strand may not have been the best call and I knew it when I paddled out. There were still some NW leftovers coming through in the chest plus range. The surf was glassy too, though a little soft and definitely crowded for what it was easily twenty five strong. It didn’t help that there were really only two peaks working, right off the ship and just twenty yards away was the other. This made a tight lineup. It was a crowd of regulars for the most part, but everyone was frothy. The sets were a bit inconsistent and the tide was getting higher by the minute. Soon the frothy crowd became an angry crowd. It wasn’t long before some shouting and hassling began to take place. I was feeling very tired after yesterday’s near epic surf and four hours of framing out my shaping room after, plus I haven’t been sleeping all that great lately, even for me. When I paddled I figured the crowd would die as the tide filled in. Instead it just got more crowded. Over it I paddled down by the shit pipe where though not as good there were some weird wonky bowls to be had. Overall it was a throwaway surf for me and had it not been for the tail free backside nose pick reverse I somehow managed to pull off on my last wave I probably would have left a little dejected. As my younger friend Jeremy put it, “I pulled out the club sandwich to save the session”, whatever that means. I’ll take it. The rest of my afternoon was spent putting the finishings on the actual frame making it all ready for the walls to be put up next week.

6-15-22 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
There was still a bit of wind swell on the buoys. I headed to Strand for a look while I waited for reports from the north points. To my surprise the Ship was still well overhead and empty. It was also way cleaner and more lined up then yesterday. The reports that came in from the points was wanting. I called Bizarro to come film and I paddled. It was so much fun out there. I can’t remember the last time I surfed waves that big and that perfect. There was a lot of water moving around out there too though with sometimes eight to ten waves in a set. I definitely took my share of beatings. I was riding one of my old favorite Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw models I recently fixed and it was going great. I surfed till my arms were going to fall off. After the surf I headed home to work on my shaping room, which is coming along nicely.

6-14-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 62
Strand was absolutely macking. It was also packed, all over the place and junky shape. Bizarro and I watched it for about twenty minutes. I knew the majority of guys that were out there, all of them very good surfers and none of them were getting any great rides. It just looked like a lot of work. Jeffery and my wife both saw waves at the points. Biz and I headed that way. I stupidly decided to do the Rincon loop forgetting that the south bound Sea Cliffs exit is closed from like 9am-6pm for construction. Of course Rincon was weak and little ‘Con too high. I had to drive all the way back to Ventura, turn around and head back north to the Emma Wood exit. Emma looked fun though gnarly crowded. Jeffery was at Pitas. It didn’t look much worse then Emma and the crowd was just Jeffery and one other guy. The tide was a bit high, though it was still very surf-able. Biz shot water and as the tide slowly dropped the waves just got better and better. Conditions were glassy and the lines perfect. It’s a rarity when the top of Pitas isn’t sectiony or racy. Today the waves were just peeling. It was a full on froth with just Jeffery, myself and one other guy. I surfed till my arms were spent from paddling. What a score, especially on a day where I had already gotten quite frustrated driving around.

6-13-22 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft,
Miles Driven: 24
I blew it today. I probably should have just surfed Hueneme Pier in the morning. It was waist to chest with right runners. Surfline had forecasted a serious rise in wind swell for the afternoon. Hoping the points might get fun I opted to spend the morning working on my new shaping room. Around 2pm I got back on the hunt. Jeffery had confirmed that the points weren’t really happening and the only size was at Emma. I decided to have a look at the Ship. There was plenty of swell but the wind had come up rather strong. The North end had a wave, but it was decidedly smaller and I wasn’t really motivated. I headed home to get more work done and see if the wind would die like it was supposed to. It never did. I gave a last ditch check at Rockside Hueneme. There was plenty of swell, but it was sweeping down the beach and a bit more closed out then I would have liked. At that point it was 6:30. Ryan sent me some pictures of Emma. Head high plus. It was crowded and I just didn’t have the motivation to make the drive thus ended a 75 day run of surfing.

6-12-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 2
I was pretty much expecting just another full on grovel and decided to sleep in a bit this morning. Around nine I got up and headed up to Hueneme. I was on the way to check the pier when I saw that they were having a car show. Over that mess I cruised to Rock side for a look. To my amazement there were waist to chest plus peaks up and down the beach. There must have been a bit of south in the water coupled with the wind swell. I didn’t contemplate where the waves came from. I just paddled. Every now and then I have a session where I am just on fire and today was that surf. I hit 80% of my airs and pulled a few sick inverted rotations. Biz and my wife were both on the beach filming so we are bound to have gotten something. After the surf we got some brunch followed by an afternoon of yard work, the reality of home ownership: constant up keep. Looks like some fresh wind swell for tomorrow.

6-11-22 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Surfers Knoll
Time in Water: 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 18
There wasn’t a whole lot of swell in the water. The wind swell from yesterday was on a steady decline and there was some trace south swell. I had a look at Hueneme, which was tiny, then headed to the Harbor. It was small, weak and terrible. It was also my best bet to get some surf in my window. I was on the fence on whether to surf New Jetty or the knoll. I decided to leave it up to chance. Whatever side showed the best set when I walked I up I was going to paddle. The Knoll side seemed to be the best. It was weak and a grovel at best. Then the wind came up and left the waves even farther to be desired. Over it I bailed, opting to make my wife happy by taking her to breakfast. The rest of my day was spent in SB working a wedding at the Sunken Garden at the court house.

6-10-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 52
Thanks to my wife’s report on the way to work I got word early that the points were solid, Jeffery confirmed this as well, though said it was still a little fat with the high tide and advised I wait. I had some office work to do anyway. Once finished around ten I woke up Bizarro and we cruised north. First stop was Rincon which had the biggest waves there I had seen all week. It was also the most crowded. Little Rincon on had four guys out. It was a little small, but the shape was perfect with lines running all the way to the hotel. Not super stoked we cruised to Pitas where it was crowded and the worst of the three spots. The call was Little ‘Con. C.C. met us and it was on. It turned out to be a full on rip fest. Out of twenty one waves I must have got eighteen all the way to the Hotel. I even found a few barrels. After two hours I was spent. As I was leaving it was still firing even with the incoming tide. What a surf. Talk about some crazy late season wind swell.

6-9-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 38
I was on my way to just grab some waves at Ventura Harbor when I got a call from C.C. that he was heading to Pitas. Jeffery and my wife had also confirmed there were small waves on the north points though smaller then yesterday. I had to be in Santa Barbara for another event at 1pm thus it made sense so just surf something on the way up. Pitas looked weak and inconsistent with Jeffery plus four other guys out. If we paddled out it would have definitely been a shit fight. With a limited amount of time I had a look at Emma. The tide was ready too low for it. Now out of time I just had to settle for crowded junky New Jetty. If there were only five guys out it would have been fun. All the usual super groms were on it with handful of other randoms. I did manage a few good lefts and was surfing well enough not to embarrass myself. Then it was off to SB to cook for a middle school graduation dinner. On the way up it looked like all the points had picked up a bit with the lower tide. I guess I made a bad call bailing. It was a prep, cook and serve affair. Everything went well and everyone involved was happy.

6-8-22 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 52
Stoked on yesterday C.C. and I cruised back towards the north points after a quick stop at Ventura Harbor just to rule it out. Rincon was surf-able but not quite what we were after. I was stoked on Little ‘Con but C.C. really wanted to surf Pitas since we saw a few sets from the freeway. Sure enough it was popping. The crowd was a little stiff around twenty strong. The sets were somewhat consistent with three take off zones and even some sets wrapping into the Faria sections making plenty of waves for everyone. Stoked we paddled and both got on a real tear. I got pretty frothy and at one point it was just the two of us on the main peak. Then the bus from ding dong-ville must have showed up cause about ten dudes paddled out on everything from fun shapes, fishes, mid-lengths and even one dude on a FOIL!!! I was mortified. At this point I had multiple waves wrecked by guys in the way and even got burned a few times. Frustrated I caught a few more and shook it off. We would have surfed another hour except I had to be in SB by 4pm for work and my car was back in Ventura. I’d have to say it was a sick surf. I don’t claim goin off that often but this session definitely gets that distinction. The event in Santa Barbara I had to work was a political fundraiser for Democrat candidate for Governor of Georgia, Stacy Abrams, who was there in attendance in Montecito. I didn’t know anything about her or even who she was prior to the job. Her people forced us to take a photo with her for promotional reasons I’m sure. When it comes to making money I will work for anyone. The event was as per usual when I’m on the job executed perfectly.

6-7-22 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 52
Once again I had to be up at 6:30am to pick up some cut Blanks that I needed to shape since today was my only day off for the next six days or so. I also needed to move all my stuff out of the Ventura shop and over to my new Hueneme spot. Another busy day was ahead of me. After getting the blanks I was about to sort out some place to surf in Ventura when I got a photo from Jeffery of Little Rincon that looked pretty fun. To be honest I was pretty over surfing shitty beach break and jumped at the chance to surf a point. I cruised and sure enough there were decent little wind swell lines running down the point with no one out. As a result I couldn’t get a real scale on the surf, I also wasn’t complaining and was out there. As it turned out the waves were moving way faster then they looked, more sectiony too. I got smoked on my first five before finally towing a good line. Ryan and Dylan showed up and I began to pick off some fun ones. It didn’t help that I was exhausted from all the work I have been taking. I managed ten to the hotel from the pier that stoked me out. My last wave was my best thus I decided to end on a high note. From the surf it was straight into the shaping room where I had a few Clarks Surfboards Pop Fizzes waiting for me to sculpt into magic carpets. Then Bizarro showed up and helped me load up everything into the Jeep. I took one last look at the Ventura factory that I have shaped out of for the last seven years, turned out the lights and locked the door. Now to begin a new chapter for Clarks Surfboards, the Port Hueneme one.

6-6-22 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 2
After working so late last night I had to be up at 7:30 am to be in SB by 9am for a corporate lunch I got hired for in Montecito. The gig was pretty much going to encompass the entire work day thus I decided to save my gas and commute in with my wife. From what I heard the wind was junk and waves trash for my usual morning widow anyhow. The lunch was the first gig in a while which I actually had to prep and cook completely from scratch for thirty people. I had two other chefs, a bare tender and a sever on staff to help. Once again nothing but praises and offers for more work. Stoked. After the gig I met up with my wife and we headed home. I forgot how annoying the traffic south is these days during rush hour. There was some fresh new wind swell in the water showing. I had a look at The Harbor where there were chest plus waves though a bit more sloppy then I would have liked. I got to Hueneme, grabbed my board and just paddled the sweeping down the beach wind swell at rock side. I got a few, but those sweepy days are also tough to be in the right spot. It always feels like I’m just a bit too deep or too far on the shoulder. That being said there were a few decent ones and I skirted breaking either my board, my leg or both on a big frontside punt where I was blinded by the sun and landed hard in the flats.

6-5-22 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 10
I had to work two events in Santa Barbara causing me to have to be in Goleta by 1pm. This didn’t leave me much time to surf if I was to fit in my obligatory Sunday brunch with my wife. We headed straight to Shores taking the tide and conditions into consideration it appeared to me to be the best on check option. Sure enough upon getting there it was chest plus and peaky. The waves had a bit of south wind chop on them but not enough to ruin the ride especially on the lefts. Pat and McGil were on the dune checking it as I was running up to paddle and joined me. I picked off eight really good waves then stuck a solid air on my ninth. My time was waining and I figured why not end on an up note. Then it was off to brunch at Mamma Olsens so my wife could delve into their yummy mimosa selection. From there I raced up to SB where I had to work a 500 passed apt charity fundraiser event at the Stowe House for Direct Relief. Though I lot of work it went off so well they have already booked us for the next one. From that event I had to drive up to the Gainy Vineyard in Solvang for a wedding. I got there and the oven we rented wasn’t working. Luckily there were two older ovens in their tasting room kitchen that we were able to make work. After avoiding that tragedy my night ended washing dishes till ten pm cause we were short on scullery staff. I didn’t get home till midnight. Talk about a hectic day. So much for not getting full on back into the SB catering scene. It still beats the heck out of the Post Office.

6-4-22 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 20
There was a bit more WNW wind swell in the water along with a pretty solid long period SW swell. My plan was to go try and get a few at Shores especially after I heard it was really fun the day before. Of course the wind was an ugly WNW with lots of channel chop on it. I got word Shores was crap and that North Strand had an alright waist to chest high little wave. I met Pat over there and though it had a chest high wave it was super weak and way more crowded then we would have liked. Pat sat he thought Shores looked better thus we cruised over there. It was bigger but all over the place. Then we got the crack pot idea that drained out tide Hueneme would be better. It wasn’t and just like that we found ourselves back at the North Strand. Ryan and his kids showed up, meanwhile Pat bailed over it. Right off the bat I scored a few decent left boosts and right. Then the ocean turned off like a light switch. I couldn’t catch a decent wave to save my life. So I paddled around making a kook of myself for another half hour before basically paddling in. Fun times. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding in Santa Barbara.

6-3-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 18
I did a bit of checking before paddling this morning. First off I made my usual Hail Mary Strand check. Then I hoofed all my gear and two boards into Fruit Stands expecting it to be firing. Though there were solid south sets they were very inconsistent and not really hitting the bars right. Ryan and Jeffery were at Harbor and from their reports it sounded like it was better there. The shape was better at the Harbor, though still rather lully and many waves were just racing away down the line. Jeffery and I decided to run down to the River Mouth while Ryan opted to surf out front at the Knoll. I had a shocker of a session not even catching a wave in the first half hour. I kept getting stuck in the south drift and was always just out of position for all the sets. I saw sick waves everywhere except for where I was. Then I managed a few junky ones of little consequence before having to get out and run back down the beach. On my next drift I got a few more so, so rides and the wind came up out of the WSW. Bummed I seriously contemplated throwing in the towel. I decided to take one more run down the beach. As soon as I got back out a bomb left came right to me. I was super deep and the wave was a bit all gurgling between the wind chop and rip up the face. I stroked into it anyway, free fell into the bottom and luckily my fins caught right in the trough and rocked me into the tube. I came out and belted it three times critically. Stoked I paddled out and stroked into another double up that I got another tube on followed by three hits. Then I somehow managed one more runner in front of the Knoll that I ended up working all the way to New Jetty. That was enough to stoke me out. I’m glad I was able to over come my frustration and get a few. I had a gig in Santa Barbara in the evening, a birthday party for fifty people that went off perfectly.

6-2-22 PM Session: 3-5+ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 13
Miles Driven: 42
Between the drained out tide, a junky SW wind and a slowly building long period wind swell I opted to shine the morning session. I had a stack of boards that needed ding repair and got on it. Around 2pm Bizarro and I headed out to take advantage of the new south swell. Hueneme was plagued with junk wind causing us to head south to LA. With the wind the only options were either Leo or Zeros. Leo was packed making Zeros the best choice. There were some overhead bombs but the sets were really inconsistent and when they did come through they hit all over the reef and many just closed out. Leo was probably the better option. As usual it was ding dong central out there. I got burned three times, back paddled a few times and had guys get in my way too. That only left a few good rides to be had. I did manage a few decent airs and turns. Unfortunately I landed a frontside air in the shallows and hit my ass on a rock. As of press time it still hurts a bit. Don’t cry for me. I’ll live.

6-1-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 18
After checking both Hueneme and Strand I found myself on the Dunes at Ventura Harbor deciding if I should surf weak mushy River Mouth or knoll or weak mushy New Jetty. I choose the latter. Though weak there were some alright lefts and rights. The crowd was on it but manageable. I was surfing well enough which always makes any conditions fun. I caught my twenty waves and was on the way out when I noticed that Ryan and his son Dylan surfing on the south side of the Jetty. I paddled out for a few more just to say hi and actually got a really decent right. It wasn’t a score but definitely fun enough. The rest of my day was spent running errands.