Surfing Ruined My Life

March 2024 Surf Sessions

3-31-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr 30m
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 12
The Easter Bunny may not have left me any eggs this morning. What he left me were gaping barrels at Hollywood Beach with a light crowd. I’m claiming it right now as the best morning I’ve seen in two months. Upon waking up I was pleasantly surprised that the wind was actually straight offshore with a healthy mix of NW/SSE wind swell mix. As always I started at The Ship. It looked fun but was packed. For the third straight morning I gave Hollywood a look. This morning it was firing. I called CC, Ryan and Salar and told them they needed to get here now. No time was wasted and I was out the back and into an over head bomb that barreled down the beach. I followed it up with another bomb left and right. CC paddled and the surf began to get a little funny as the tide started to come back in. The air and water were freezing. It was for sure one of the coldest days to be surfing this year. My adrenaline was running so high that I didn’t feel the cold at all. By the time Ryan and Salar showed up it may as well have been a different session altogether. I think the slowly rising tide came up just enough to stop the waves from feathering on the outer bar, which was allowing for a very nice roll in. Instead the waves were doubling up and dumping on the inner bar. Also the wind had shifted more SE by this point too causing a little bit of side chop. Still I was getting a few tubes but I definitely had to be way more selective. I pulled the plug on the session as the wind became predominantly south and I noticed a very black cloud on the horizon that screamed rain. My wife was on the beach filming. If she got wet I’d be in big trouble. I got one more and quit. Conditions pretty much turned to shit right after anyway. As soon as we got to the car it started to pour. Being another nasty day my wife committed her afternoon to painting while I began working on the new Clarks Surfboards YouTube edit which should be out by the weekend. If you haven’t checked out the Clarks Surfboards YouTube channel please do and give us a follow.

3-30-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 14
Despite the impending rain the morning window that was predicted to have favorable SE winds actually came through. My first stop was the Ship. There were chest to head high lines coming through up and down the beach. Unfortunately the ship was a little soft, the bowl a bit closed out and the wind angle a bit wrong for the North End. For the second day in a row I decided to look at Hollywood, though well overhead most waves were stretched with out any real semblance of a line up. I drove back to Strand and paddled the Ship. Not wasting any time I got busy on the weak but killable lefts coming through. At first my session was on the lackluster side only catching one turn waves. Then I got into the zone and caught a super fun three wave flurry. First, a tube followed by two turns. The second wave I managed five good turns on a head high runner and the third a two turn combo. After that the wind shifted more SW causing the waves to be even more flat faced then they already were. My wife was on the beach filming and this wind switch really chilled down the air temperature. I got a few more and called it a day. By early afternoon the rain began to fall. My wife and I just kicked it at home and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon/evening in front of the fire place.

3-29-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 14
I was shocked at the size of the swell this morning especially when I was set on a grovel. Strand was my first stop and though it had waves it was funky on the North End, a little closed out in the bowl and weird on the Ship side. I cruised over to Hollywood where it was almost do-able with over head bombs. It also looked a bit stretched and one thing about Hollywood is if there is any doubt about it being ride-able there is no doubt. With that in mind I decided to go back to Strand and paddle the Ship. Bizarro met me since it was the best day of the week thus far weather and waves wise to film. Once I got out there the incoming tide quickly took its toll. By the time Salar showed up only a half hour later conditions were more grovelly then fun. I was riding my good wave board and it was not the right tool for the job. That being said I did catch half a dozen three to four turn lefts all the way to the beach. The forecast for the weekend was looking pretty rainy. My wife and I decided to play twilight at River Ridge on their Vineyard course. It was our first time playing there and we really liked it. Unfortunately we got caught in a rain squall on the seventh hole but it passed and we powered through the back eleven.

3-28-24 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 20
My day started with a quick Strand check where it was smaller and twice as crowded as yesterday. I forgot that Spring Break was in full force. Instead of paddling I went home to load up the shaped boards and head to LA. I knew if I left around 10am I could stay in between rush hours. Anyone who travels back and forth to LA knows how important that is cause at the wrong time an hour and a half drive could be as long as three. Biz came along for the ride and we got there at around noon. The staff at Aqua Tech was super nice and we went over all the glass work particulars for each board. The facility was very clean and organized. If there work is as good as their presentation and customer service I’d be happy to send down more boards and recommend them to others in my area. We grabbed a quick bite to eat then headed back home. I was hoping to find something fun along the PCH but the wind was on it in the South Bay and the swell too small for any of the Malibu spots except Zuma which was too drained and windy. Once again I was back at the North Strand for yet the second day in a row, except this afternoon it was windy. Luckily the breakwater and jetty were providing a little bit of protection from the wind. It was cloudy, there was a serious wind chill, the water was still very cold and sets were inconsistent. I caught a few ok rides but ultimately I was just too cold and not having fun thus pulled the plug early on the session.

3-27-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 12
There was a slow rising long period WNW in the water. I had a feeling Rincon might be worth the drive despite less then motivating reports. I checked the Ship first, but it was tiny. There were waves on the North End but there was also a fair amount of guys out. Hoping for a miracle I drove over to Hollywood, but it was too small for the bars. I found myself back at Strand in the north parking lot forcing a paddle on the weak looking chest high waves. North Jetty was producing an occasional decent right. Salar showed up and my boy Scotty was out as well. The water freezing and the time between sets was easily 15 minutes. The only plus was that the majority of the crowd had bailed. At one point it was just the three of us on the Jetty bowl. Had the water not been so cold I’d say it was fun. Taking that and the inconsistency of the sets plus how weak the actual waves were, once again it was just a get it done with kind of surf. The rest of my day was spent shaping since I have to drive a batch of boards down to Aqua Tech Glassing in Hermosa Beach tomorrow. Unlike all the glassers here in Ventura they were able to give me a reasonable price while my normal laminator is laid up.

3-26-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 12
The wind finally stopped this morning unfortunately so did the swell. I got word Rincon was tiny and headed to Strand. The North End was weak and burgered out, while the ship side had some do-able waist to chest high shore break. That’s right the bars have gone from bad to worse if that is even possible. I was highly unmotivated but also left with few options. After a brief moment of self pity I suited up and jumped in. The water was freezing, way too cold for the garbage waves I was trying to ride. There were two kids down from Cayucos and they said the water was cold even for them. If dudes from the Central Coast were calling it cold then I wasn’t just being a wuss. I blasted a couple of lips, pulled into a head dip or two before I completely succumbed to the deep freeze and bailed. The rest of my day was spent in the Shaping room. Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. We offer lots of sick grovelers, fishes and mid lengths to make the most of small waves. Turn around is only four weeks on customs, starting at $585. Get those orders in. Also we have a fair amount of used board inventory as well. Nation wide shipping is just $75!!!! Hit me up let’s make you a sick custom Clarks Surfboards.

3-25-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 12
I thought today was going to be the day the gale would subside, but upon waking up the NW wind was still very prevalent. Rincon was tiny once again. I had a look at Strand. The surf was solid overhead but still a mess. I drove over to Hueneme where it was also blown out. Over it I headed home. I had to be in Santa Barbara at 5pm for a catering gig and figured I would just head up a little early in the hopes of finding something on the way. C.C. called me around 10ish claiming he saw some decent rights off the pier and wanted to surf it. He picked me up and we paddled on a leap of faith. The water was absolutely freezing and the wind chill and lack of sun didn’t help. Oh and the surf was absolute crap, closed out, wonky, dumpy and mushy all at the same time. I did smash a few lefts and quit on a right I did six shitty turns to the sand on. Overall the session was hardly worth the effort. It was nice to surf with C.C. Ever since he hurt his back I have missed surfing with him. Later that evening I worked a social media influencer dinner sponsored by some new Hotel in downtown Santa Barbara. From what I gathered they put up a group of popular travel influencers to check out their spread and we were hired to do the food. I think as far as our part went in the experience the night was successful. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos, which was too bad cause there were some pretty cool menu options I would have loved to have shared on my own social media. Sometimes that’s the name of the game.

3-24-24 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 56
Taking into account the still hard WNW winds I opted to head up to Rincon in the hopes of finding something to surf. It was really tiny barely waist high and weak. I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of grovel. Taking into consideration that my back was still tender from Friday’s Leo mishap I just couldn’t do it. Heck I didn’t have to. The water and air were freezing and the surf didn’t look fun. I was happy to have the will power to walk away. Instead of surfing my wife and I got breakfast at our old favorite spot in Carpinteria Hugo’s and I must say my meal was much better then trying to grovel the weak surf at Rincon. After breakfast we headed home to get ready for a 4pm tee time at Soule Park Golf Course in Ojai. We got paired with a Father/Son duo who played ridiculously better than us. It actually worked out cause we picked up a few tips and pointers. On the seventh hole it started to rain quite heavy but we pushed through only to be rewarded with a spectacular double arch rainbow. Overall it was decent game and a fun course plus at $18 for super twilight you can’t beat the price.

3-23-24 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 2
I was awakened around 4am by the sound of heavy rain. I guess the rain came earlier then predicted. By the time I got up at 8am the rain had subsided and the onshore coastal gale that followed the front began to blow. The only thing I hate more then small surf is blown out small surf. I had a look at Hueneme for good measure but it was completely trashed. I’m sure Leo Carrillo had a small surf-able wave but I was too lazy to bother. Homeward bound I went and jumped back into bed. I haven’t slept in for over two months. It definitely felt nice. Around noon my wife and I went to brunch followed by an afternoon of running errands. I was planning on cruising up to Rincon for the evening session till Salar hit me up that it was barely waist high and weak. For once I decided to let the surf go. Picture is from the Ventura Point Surfline cam.

3-22-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 40
The south swell was waining. I headed back to LA. County Line was crowded and not nearly as good as it had been the past two days. Heavens was my next stop, but it was not heavenly at all. I saw a few waves come through at Leo and the crowd was actually rather light. With that I paddled and managed a handful of fun waves off the rock. The good ones were very inconsistent making the session the equivalent to watching paint peel off the walls. I pulled of a sick blow tail reverse that I unfortunately tweaked my back on the re-entry. Last night’s catering gig probably didn’t help my case either. After that wave I caught a few more then headed home. The rest of my afternoon was spent finishing up my ding repair cue.

3-21-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hrs
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 34
Why is it when I have the shortest time window finding good waves is a challenge. I checked Hueneme but it was a little too walled and fast for my tastes. Trading surf time for quality surf I drove to County Line. Though not as good as yesterday there were still some solid sets running down the reef. sets were less consistent then yesterday but shape better. I caught at least seven phenomenal rides. My longest wave I got eight turns on. I would have surfed another hour but I had to be in Santa Barbara by 1pm for catering gig. The job was a cocktail party for Direct Relief and it was well received.

3-20-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 34
After yesterday and quick check at Hueneme I decided to head to LA. There was more then enough south swell in the water that I was guaranteed to find something worthy. My first stop was County Line where there were some nice chest to head high clean lines coming in off the reef. The crowd was pretty light, just twenty guys spread out. Rather than waste time and gas I was out there. Right off the bat I snagged a solid head high screamer down the reef that I comboed up. Time between sets was a bit long making my wave count less then I like. Every wave I did catch was pretty quality. Towards the end of my surf the wind came up out of the south and tide started to drain. I had shaping to do back home and called it a day, a fun day.

3-19-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 16
There was some south swell/NW swell combo in the water. The smart money was to head to LA. I decided to have a look at Strand which was small. My wife said she saw a few guys walk into Fruits on her way to work. With that intel and lots of hearsay Jeffery and I made the walk. There were a handful of nominal bars up and down the beach with the best one being to the south halfway between the oil pumps and the power plant. There was a left and right off it. The current and rip were terrible forcing us to paddle the entire time just to stay in position. Add to that a bit of backwash and a shifty peak and you got a somewhat frustrating session. My first wave I lucked into a peeling left that I hit six times to the sand. I was hoping it might set the tone of the surf, but it was the last wave like that I caught. Overall I found the bars to be still very below average and way more effort then they were worth. We will have to see how things shape up there as time goes on. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.

3-18-24 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 10
I had to work a lunch in Santa Barbara leaving just the afternoon to surf. Rincon was my first stop and had it been empty I would have paddled but there were way too many people for what was coming in and the majority were riding bigger boards making my chance of catching a good wave slim. I continued heading south finding nothing worth surfing till I got to Silver Strand. The north end had a chest high wave with side shore/offshore winds. It was very weak and the wind wasn’t helping. I made the most of sitting mainly off the jetty. Eventually I got cold and over thus floated in. At the very least I ran into two guys in the lot that may be interested in ordering surfboards from me. I hope so cause business has been so slow I’m beginning to question if my phone and e-mail work. If your looking for a sick new custom surfboard please reach out. I could use the work and I’ll take $50 bucks off if you mention you saw this blog post.

3-17-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Surfer’s Knoll
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 18
There was a bit more NW swell in the water this morning. Strand was small yet again. I drove back to the Hotel but it was more inconsistent and not as good as yesterday. Desperation landed me at the Harbor where Ryan, Evan and I paddled some weird sand bar that was making a wonky hard to surf left off a rip. As the tide got lower the bar became more stretched and shifty. Then the rip got worse to the point where I was paddling with all my might to stay in place. I suppose I should have chased the south swell down to LA, but hindsight is always 20/20. After the surf my wife and I enjoyed a St. Patrick’s Day lunch at the Boat Yard Pub of corned beef and cabbage. What better way to celebrate a green based country like Ireland then to go play a round of golf. Since we still haven’t gotten our new base golf passes we have been forced to play on public courses. This week we decided to play Saticoy Municipal course out in west Ventura. On paper it was a 9 hole with $18 twilight rates on a Sunday. The reality was a course in the middle of a park surrounded by two freeways, a little league and soccer field. The fair ways were very close together causing stray shots to land all over the place and the hole’s adjacent to the range were covered in range balls. I don’t think we will play there again.

3-16-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, The Hotel
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 16
Some days you wake up and are pleasantly surprised. The buoys and reports were all small. Add to that an extremely low tide morning low tide and my options seemed pretty slim. The wind was light offshore, it was sunny and nice out and my wife wanted to come to the beach with me. I checked Strand first. Ship was tiny and the north side crowded with longboards, stand ups, foils, kooks and a few frustrated rippers among them. I didn’t want to be part of that insanity. On a whim I decided to have a look at the Shores. There was actually a surf-able wave that looked borderline fun. It appeared Hollywood was breaking better down the beach. The bars there were more stretched. Finally at the dunes by the Hotel did I find what I was looking for, chest plus peeling lefts running down a decent sand bar. Stoked, I paddled. Salar and Ryan with his son Evan followed. For about a solid hour it was a rip fest. I even got one little tube. As the tide began to fill in the bar quickly shut down. I’ll take it. Scoring some fun waves with no one but your buddies on a day when you thought it was going to be crap sounds like bliss to me. The rest of my afternoon/evening was spent working a 300 person fundraiser for one of the many Santa Barbara charities.

3-15-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 10
Surprisingly there was still a fair amount of swell getting into Strand, maybe even more then yesterday and actually it was the shape we needed with the offshores from yesterday. But alas we had light onshore wind making the waves a bit fast for what they were. Only about 1 out of ten were actually make-able. I was very choosy and managed a few decent tubes. I took a few shitty beating too. My best waves were caught towards the end of the session. It may have been getting better, but the water was freezing and my suit is getting a bit old, thus I was forced to succumb and called it quits. The rest of my day was committed to ding repair. My wife and I decided to do a little sunset birding at Ormond beach. All the birds are migrating, plus with the excessive rains there was more water then I had ever seen in the estuary. The sunset was breathtaking and it was just a beautiful evening overall. Another day in the life, living the life.

3-14-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 12
Finally we got a Santa Ana wind day. The intensity of the wind was gnarly with gusts up to 45 mph. The swell was also a little too small for what was on offer. My first stop was Hollywood, but the waves were too stretched for the size. The barely head high walls were not offering much head room from travel time. I drove over to the Ship, which wasn’t much better though I did see potential. Just like Hollywood the waves were just a little too small for how they were breaking. Most were doubling up and folding over, but the room in the barrel was a little too small to properly ride in it frontside. The body boarders and regular foots seemed to have the most success. I had about three tubes and nothing of any real significance. The surf appeared to be getting better when I quit but at that point I was freezing cold and poor Bizarro who was sitting on the beach getting sand blasted for two hours was over it. I can’t seem to get a surf day to work out for me lately.

3-13-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 10
Today was another day where I was torn between Strand or Rincon. I had more shaping to do and errands to run. There were actually some decent waves off the Ship. Bizzaro showed up to film and for about thirty minutes it was very rip-able. The wind steadily increased till it was completely blown out. Maybe I should have went to Rincon. Oh well, it’s still better then nothing.

3-12-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
I was torn between heading back up to Rincon or paddling the Ship. Word was the crowd was thicker and sets more inconsistent at Rincon then yesterday. I saw a couple of solid head high waves at the Ship and paddled. The peak was super shifty and there were a fair amount of close outs to contend with. The crowd was light and it was fun enough for about an hour or so before the wind and high tide killed it. My afternoon was spent shaping.

3-11-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 52
After yesterday’s horrible surf I needed to surf a point to get my morale back up. I got word that Rincon was solid chest to head high. The shape was a little odd, but very surf-able. At the moment the sand is kid of strange. There is a deep spot up at Indicator and then a spit of sand wide to the Rivermouth. This causes the wave up there to be very sectiony, mushy then dumpy. You can still get a gem but you have to be pretty selective. Then there is extra sand at the top of the cove that is sort of making it sectiony as well. Honestly I think the best wave at the moment is the Cove on high tide. There is so much sand over the rocks that it is almost a sand point. Finally there was a combination of swells and a little south wind on it to contend with. That being said I got a handful of sick waves and went home stoked. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.

3-10-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 20
There was a slight rise in the NW swell. Considering the high tide I drove over to the Harbor. It appeared that there was a decent left with only a handful of guys on it at the Rivermouth. I ran out there and as it turned out the wave was way faster then it looked and more dumpy. I couldn’t make a wave out there. Ultimately I drifted to the Knoll, caught a wave and did a close out floater. The experience sent me home feeling very dejected. I probably should have went to Rincon. Later in the day we played a round of golf at Camarillo Springs. It was our first time playing that course. The course was very pretty nestled along the Santa Monica Mountains. We really enjoyed ourselves with the exception of some of the low brow behavior of a few of the other patrons. At one point I saw a guy take off his shirt and continue to play topless. Another group were hammered and riding on the roof of their golf carts. We found beer empties littered all along the course. I guess golf is no longer the gentleman’s sport. It was quite the culture shock after just playing at my parents country club in Florida last week.

3-9-24 AM Session: 1-2 ft, Zuma
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 54
It’s like I didn’t get enough small waves in Florida so California decided to keep them coming. Today was about as small as it gets around these parts. Add to that a six and a half foot morning high tide and options were slim. There was some minor south in the water. My first stop was Hueneme where it was borderline grovel-able. Zuma looked like it had a touch more swell on the cam. It was a really perfect beach morning. I grabbed my wife and we headed south. Everything along the PCH was pretty dismal including the knee to waist high crowded burgers at Zuma. Like I said it was a beautiful beach day and my wife was actually looking forward to hanging on the sand. I had two brand new Clarks Surfboards Bizzle & Pop Fizz models with me that I just shaped . I had been sitting on the Bizzle for a few weeks and since it technically is a grovel short board I decided to give it a go. On this particular version I added a bit of flip in the tail and thinned out the rail line of the back half of the board a bit. To my surprise the board groveled the barely surf-able waves unreal. I couldn’t believe all the speed, power and flow I was getting out of each wave for how small it was. The board worked so well my fish, which was also never left the bag. Still the putrid surf was only worth an hour of my. That evening we went into Santa Barbara for my wife’s cousin’s 21st birthday party. Ironically I was sober the entire night having to be the DD for my wife. It was a nice party and the kid was stoked. Back in the day I would have taken him out for a VIP night at the Wild Cat. Instead I was back home in bed by 11pm. How times change.

3-8-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 10
Although Rincon had waves again I opted to stay close to home and surf the Ship. The surf was nothing epic but rip-able enough and the crowd was light. I did my surfing thing. Salar paddled as well. I’m pumped he’s getting back into surfing again. The surf was nothing to get excited about. I did my thing and left. There was plenty of work to be done around the surfboard shop since I had been gone a week.

3-7-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 52
My first day back in California and ironically we had Florida like conditions, with hard onshore winds and scrubby wind swell. I had a look at Strand but it was already too windy, which is too bad cause there were some solid waves coming in. I got word that Rincon had a wave and considering the wind it was my only option. After not surfing for days you can bet that I was paddling something. ‘Con was waist to chest and a little on the weak side but very surf-able and the crowd was light. On the windy days I always jump in at the Rivermouth and get as many waves as I can till I get to the freeway then get out and walk back and do it again. The water was pretty gross as it had rained basically the entire time that I was in Florida. Though nothing special I managed a few gems. Salar paddled towards the end of my surf and it was good to catch up, not having seen him for like a month or so. It was wasn’t great and I was exhausted from all the traveling. Rather then run myself ragged in quit while I quit while I was ahead.

3-6-24 No Surfing: 0-1 ft, Juno Beach FL
Today was another travel day. We were finally heading back to California, though not until the evening. It was raining, so we all enjoyed a lazy day. Once again the surf was completely flat. Around 4pm we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport. Jet Blue continued to prove itself as the worst airline I have ever flown. At check in the teller demanded me to open my board bag ready to charge me an obscene amount for my three boards. Luckily I packed the bag so that at a glance it only looked like I had one board on me. Then on the actual plane, my power jack and my wife’s head phone jack did not work. No screens on the way there, and now this. I guess quality control isn’t a top priority on Jet Blue. We got in around 10pm, Biz picked us up and we headed home. It was an exhausting day.

3-5-24 No Surfing: 0-1 ft, Juno Beach FL
Today was actually the nicest weather day of the entire trip. The surf was still flat, but I wasn’t phased by it, because my Dad was taking my wife and I to play golf at the country club. We were excited having only played the beat ass course on the Port Hueneme base. Our tee time was at 1pm and ironically it was was the warmest and most sunny day thus far. That being said it was still very tolerable golf weather. We had a blast competing for double boogies all of being very below average golfers. I sent a wild shot into an pair of old ladies’ golf cart to their dismay. No one was hurt as the ball hit the front of the cart and ricocheted off. Besides that I’d say it was a fun outing. We caped off the evening with cocktails by the pool. I could settle into retired life just fine. Later we went to dinner at some horrible Mexican place called Rocco’s, which more like Cuban/Mexican fusion.

3-4-24 No Surfing: 1-2 ft, Juno Beach FL
Though there was still surf in Northern Florida here in south Florida it was barely thigh high, onshore and completely uninspiring. Instead of surfing my wife and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with my parents followed by some adventuring around the area. The evening was capped out with cocktails back at their house followed by dinner in the West Palm Beach downtown district. It was a splendid day even if I didn’t get to surf.

3-3-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Mayport Poles
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 4
Angers was knocking at my bedroom door at 6am to go surf. The cams and reports looked small so I decided to let my wife sleep in rather than make her film. Kevin and I were determined to get one more surf in before I had to head back to my parents home in Jupiter. We cruised to Poles and it looked chest high, clean and fun enough. I have to admit that it had been a really long time since I saw the sun rise over the ocean. Those who know me know how much I hate dawn patrols. Since we were not filming we paddled over to the base side of the Poles where we found a kill-able sand bar. I’d have to deem it the best surf of the trip. We even saw a baby dolphin that was intent on hanging with us for a little bit. What was supposed to be a quick session turned into a two hour rip fest that I wished we got on film. Maybe it made the surf more special that it was just for Kevin and I to remember. After the surf Adela and I wanted to stop by an alligator farm in St.Augustine and all of the Angers clan decided to join us. Sort of an El Salvador trip reunion. The farm was pretty rad containing all sorts of species of crocs, gators and reptiles. There were even a handful of birds. We headed back to Jupiter from the gator farm, a three hour trek south and got there just in time for dinner and cocktails with my folks. Talk about a full day.

3-2-24 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Mayport Poles
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 4
We got word that Poles looked fun and decided to go out for an evening session. I definitely broke my “I only paddle out for a second session if it’s magazine quality” motto, cause it was far from that. There were some chest high clean looking lines with a light crowd. I was determined to put down a few decent clips. Despite the weak ass inconsistent waves I got into a groove and finally came into my own out there. Kevin was actually struggling to put together a decent ride. That being said I saw him slay a few. After the surf we went back to the Angers’ home for dinner and drinks. Good times.

3-2-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Jax Pier, Jacksonville Beach, FL
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 18 (from Mayport, FL)
The swell had dropped a touch and taking the high tide into consideration Anger’s made the call for us to go surf the Jacksonville Beach Pier. The south side was quite the burger though had a longer line then the south side. The north side had a wedgy shore break thing going on that sort of reminded me of Emma Wood. After last nights mush fest I was looking for something with some lip thus we paddled. As it turned out there was a stiff rip forcing us to paddle constantly just to stay in place. Then there was easily fifty plus guys packed into a very small area. Once again I was shocked by the number of surfers on both sides of the pier for such subpar conditions. Supposedly though it was the most swell they have seen in over a week. Most guys weren’t bothering with the pier bowl opting to sit just down the beach probably because of the intense current. Some kid paddled on me on my first wave ruining my 2 second ride. I didn’t get it but whatever. Once again Kevin went to town out there while I struggled to make anything happen. I did manage a few micro combos at the very least. After the surf Kevin Abby Vanessa took us to this awesome seafood spot on the water in Mayport called Singletons where we enjoyed fried alligator tail, soft shell crab, catfish and Manhattan clam chowder. I was very impressed and it was a great way to charge up for the evening session.

3-1-24 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Mayport Poles, Jacksonville Beach, FL
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 277 (from Jupiter FL)
Part of my coming down to Florida was to also visit and surf with my boy Kevin Angers. He moved to Mayport Florida just north of Jacksonville Beach over three years ago and I had yet to see his new home. I was also hoping he could introduce me to some people and help open some doors for a Clarks Surfboards Florida Hub. The latter didn’t happen but the first two were a success. I left my plans to visit him open ended surf dependent. It was looking like today through the weekend was going to be the best chance of scoring some trade/windswell mix. The drive from Jupiter to Mayport is around four hours. I forget how big of a state Florida is. Due to three accidents we didn’t get there till almost five leaving us just around an hour to surf at a spot just down the Street from Kevin’s house called “Poles”. It’s given the name because the spot is located on the border of a Naval base and that border is marked by a line of poles that go out about fifty yards into the Ocean. The surf was actually solid chest to head high and peaky up and down the beach. The waves looked a tad mushy but fun. Once out there I realized it was almost too peaky, most waves would die out into a flat shoulder or double up and dump on the inside bar. Classic Florida actually. Occasionally there were a few that lined up for multiple turns though the majority were one and done. Kevin was all over it ripping everything. I used kill surf like that but maybe I have spent too many years on the west coast cause I was definitely struggling. Somehow Angers and I managed to run into each other after taking back to back waves dinging his board. To my credit I did get one decent right. We surfed till dark then headed back to his house for Pizza and Gyros concluding the evening with a screening of The North Shore. This has become a tradition that every time Angers and I get together we watch The North Shore.