Surfing Ruined My Life

March 2025 Surf Sessions

3-31-25 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
The surf was definitely down today compared with the past few days.  With SE winds and a mid tide I headed over to the Ship.  There was a waist to chest high wave from tower 5 into the bowl with a handful of guys out.  Conditions were sideshore/offshore but weak looking.  Zach and Salar were into it and considering there probably wasn’t a better option I paddled.  The water was freezing and it was very tricky to find a decent one.  The rights were better than the lefts which allowed me to actually get a proper backside tube.  Besides that I wasn’t able to really get anything going.  Towards the end of the session it seemed like more swell was filling in as there were head high sets.  By that point I was too cold to surf anymore.  My afternoon was committed to shaping

3-30-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 12
Conditions were much cleaner today. Hueneme was tiny. I rolled the dice and cruised over to Strand.  The Ship actually had some clean solid waves to be had.  The tide was definitely a bit on the fat side but the crowd was almost nonexistent and it was super glassy.  I decided to paddled even if the rising tide was going to kill it. The thought being I’d at least get a few and I really didn’t know where else to go.  Not to mention my wife and I had a birthing training session with our doula at 1pm thus I couldn’t waste my entire morning trolling for surf.  I was pleasantly surprised because the surf ended up breaking through the tide and everyone got out leaving me head high Ship all to myself on a Sunday.   The water was still freezing putting a cap on the amount of time I could stay out there.  It was a good thing I got out when I did cause it was close to noon by the time I got home.  As far as birthing training went I highly recommend getting a doula over the dumb classes offered by the hospital.  A one on one personalized session is much better. 

3-29-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 2
Between the high tide, WNW/SW swell combo and my limited surf window the smart money was to just surf at home.  The Pier had a decent lined up runner on the south side that seemed like it would furnish a session.  I paddled while my trooper of a pregnant wife filmed.  Of course the wind came up onshore just as I hit the water and the water was absolutely freezing.  I managed a few decent rights and even a left or two.  My afternoon/evening was spent working my second wedding of the season up in Los Olivos.  It went rather smoothly from appetizers, to plate up to dessert. Two down 75 more to go.  

3-28-25 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 38
Miles Driven: 40
There was some really solid swell in the water from a storm up by Oregon.  The problem was it was a little too close causing very mixed up conditions and strange winds.  The morning was plagued with a very high tide too.  I should have just surfed Malibu but instead I headed up north.  I jumped in at Pitas which was well overhead and bombing.  My plan was to flow down to the Faria section and hope it got fun as the tide dropped.  In the end the session as about pure survival surfing, racing avalanche session after avalanche section.  Every time I tried to lay into a good turn I either got left behind or mowed down.  I had a couple of really long rides. My last one went all the way from the top of Faria to the top of Mondos.  After that wave I was too lazy to paddle back out and went in.  I had my fill of the conditions anyway.  The rest of my afternoon was spent finishing my project to set up my garage glass shop. 

3-27-25 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 40
There was some west still in the water from yesterday and some fresh south.  This combination with a high tide had me thinking County Line was the place to be.  When I pulled up the wind was already onshore and the surf wasn’t all that enticing.  Bummed I didn’t go to Rincon I drove to Leo, but it was small and crowded with logs.  I drove back to County and actually saw a decent set that enticed me to paddle.  Once out there I was pleased with my decision as there were plenty of chest plus sets that ran the reef.  After about twenty minutes the wind laid down and conditions glassed off. Besides one other guy I basically had the place to myself.  I’d say it was a decent surf.  My afternoon was spent cleaning and organizing my garage. Since I had to leave the glass shop I was working at in Ventura I decided to build out my garage to allow me to glass in there.  In order for that to happen I had to get my work space in order.

3-26-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 44
Talk about a swell under performing.  All the reports, buoys and models showed promise that it was going to be a fun day at the points.  Rincon and Ventura Point were fun but also maxed out crowded, as was the case with Strand.  Jeffery said Pitas looked fun and I met him up there.  Of course I saw a solid chest high wave come through and barrel that sent me running back to my car.  Once out there I found out it was really inconsistent and rather stretched.  There were five of us out  with barely enough waves for one.  I floated down to the Faria section where I actually found a few screamers down the point.  When the tide dropped it completely sucked out all the swell. Though not what I hoped, I had that section of the point all to myself and the surf was so glassy it was surreal.  The shape was pretty perfect too.  If only it was six feet bigger.  The rest of my afternoon was spent fixing dings. 

3-25-25 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
Every so often the North End surprises me on how fun it can be.  With most spots tiny there was a fun chest plus wave rolling into the North Bowl and Jetty.  It wasn’t spectacular but definitely worth a paddle. Jeffery showed up cause I had a stack of ding repairs to give back to him.  We paddled and albeit a little inconsistent there were definitely a few fun rides to be had.  After the surf I had two rush ding jobs to finish cause their owner decided to fix them just 48 hrs before a trip to Hawaii.  I worked my magic and got it handled.

3-24-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 10
Finally today was an empty day at the Ship.  It was also too foggy to even see how big it was from the waters edge.  Salar and I estimated it was around chest high or so.  From what we could tell the lines were clean enough so we paddled.  My boy Guy paddled as well.  I had my Israeli friend on one side of me and my Iranian friend on the other.  Both customers of mine and both chill dudes.  All three of us were stoked sharing waves.  That’s the beautiful thing about America it’s people of all backgrounds living together.  Take what you want out of that jargon.  The three of us had blast on the racy but fun chest plus waves.  It had been days since I’ve gotten to enjoy an empty line up there.  The rest of my day was committed to ding repair. 

3-23-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 10
For the third straight day in a row there were solid waves at the Ship.  This morning had the worst shape and heaviest crowd.  I was too lazy to go anywhere else plus being Sunday any place decent would be crowded too.  I paddled and as soon as I did a hard south wind picked up making conditions even more funky than they already were. I picked off a few decent ones at the ship straight away followed by absolutely nothing worthwhile the rest of the session.  It got really lully and I got cold.  Somehow I managed a three turn combo on my last wave and called it quits. Later in the afternoon my wife and I went for a walk out to the light house in Hueneme.  On the way back we saw a sea lion pup suffering on the beach from most likely domoic acid poising due to a massive algae bloom offshore.  Word is that the bloom was caused from the fire retardant that was sprayed to fight the Palisades and other LA fires that subsequently washed into the ocean after it rained.  As a result sick and dead marine life has been washing up all over the coast.  A surfer in Oxnard got attacked by a crazed seal suffering from the poison.  It’s definitely a disturbing situation.  We called the local marine rescue in our area and hopefully they got to the little guy in time.

3-21-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
Spring time is arguably the best time of year to get decent waves at the Ship.  There’s lots of wind swell which can make for very fun surf.  Being a Saturday there was a fair amount of guys out, but there were waves all over the place and it was definitely one of those days where local knowledge can really count.  I paddled and picked off lots of good waves.  Once again I stupidly decided to take out my 5’7 leaving me a little squirrelly on some of the bombs.  Zack was out making it happen and my wife decided to come and film.  The back half of my surf was atrocious.  I couldn’t get a decent wave to save my life.  That’s how it goes sometimes.  My wife claimed Zack won the heat.  In the evening I had my first wedding of the season, a budget affair in Carpinteria.  It went very smoothly.  Hopefully it is the start of a hassle free season. DONT FORGET WE ARE OFFING $100 off ALL CUSTOM SURFBOARD ORDERS.  Hit me up or check out Clarks Surfboards for more details.

3-20-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
As bad as yesterday was today was back on again.  Ship was head to overhead with some solid bombs and clean.  There was even a light crowd.  Salar and I were all over it.  For whatever reason I stupidly grabbed my 5’7.  Why not be completely under gunned the entire session.  That being said I did get some really fun rides and had a couple of sick turns.  I’d say it was a score.  In the afternoon I spent an exuberant amount of money at Fiberglass Hawaii buying glassing supplies.  Currently I am moving my glassing operation into my garage to help diffuse the cost of doing business.  I don’t want to raise my prices cause I understand everyone is having a hard time right now and making this move will allow Clarks Surfboards to still produce custom surfboards for $625.  If you act now till the end of the month you can get an additional $100 dollars off all custom orders. 

3-20-25 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 28
As good as the past few days have been that was how bad the waves were today.  I should have just paddled North Strand as it turned out that was the best wave I had seen all day.  I had to meet a customer at Ventura Harbor and hoped the surf might be better there.  They have begun dredging the harbor and ruined all the sand bars.  New Jetty looked terrible and was crowded.  Over it I headed into Ventura to run some errands.  I got word the surf was still terrible and didn’t bother looking on my way home.  The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.  I had one more look at the Ship in the evening but it was small and didn’t look fun.  I didn’t want to tarnish my stoke from the last few days with junk surf, plus the water is freezing. Photo from the afternoon at Strand.

3-19-25 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 min
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
Some days everything falls into place,  but when it happens two days in a row that’s a rarity.  I got word early that Strand had some solid waves coming through.  The points also had waves again.  I was torn on what to do as I stood in front of Tower 5 watched over head waves with light offshore winds break up and down the beach. The bowl was stretched and the ship was a little too peaky.  I was about to walk on it when I ran into my friend Mitch who put it into perspective for me by stating “if this were any place else people would be going nuts over it”. I suppose we are rather spoiled here in the 805.  I ran back to my car, suited up and called Bizarro to get his ass over here to film.  What a score it turned out to be.  I got some amazing waves and some well over head bombs.  Had the water not been freezing I probably would have surfed for hours on end.  Unfortunately there was like a twenty minute lull that froze me out forcing me to quit on my next wave despite the fact it was good shape, overhead, glassy and empty.  Whenever I get cold and try and force the envelope I always get hurt.  When you’re an aging surfer like myself you have to be smart and consider longevity over instant gratification.  The rest of my day was spent fixing dings. 

3-18-25 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 64
I begrudgingly had to drive up to Santa Barbara today because one of the main catering companies I work for as a freelance chef was bought by a larger LA conglomerate and they needed me to come in and fill out some paperwork.  Since Bizarro occasionally works with the company too he came along.  The plan was to try and surf one of the points either on the way up or back.  Heading into SB Rincon was plagued by devil south winds destroying what could have been chest plus lines.  We opted to cruise to SB and handle our business.   It was definitely an unpaid hour of my life I’m not getting back.   Before cruising south I had to stop by Martin Auto Paint to get a small can of paint mixed for my car.  I finally got my driver side mirror fixed from when it was destroyed by a garbage truck while parked at Hollywood Beach.  The part came not painted.  We got back to Rincon and though still a little wonky it had cleaned up a lot.  Not satisfied I rolled the dice and had a look at Little Rincon, but that was a bust.  We were forced to head back to the Queen.  This time I parked and just paddled.  In the time from when we checked it to paddling the surf had jumped up quite a bit with solid overhead sets.  Once out there I found myself a bit under gunned on my 5’7.  That being said I put down some really solid clips.  I got burned by some kid and when I called him out on it all he kept saying was that it was my fault for not calling him off the wave.  If you see some one coming down the line at high speeds you don’t go.  No one has respect anymore.  Besides that incident I had some really phenomenal waves.  I think it was the best Rincon I have surfed all year.  To top it all off the crowd was only about fifty guys. Days like today remind how powerful the magic in surfing is for me even after thirty five years of being her faithfully devoted servant.  The session would have never taken place if it hadn’t been for me being dragged up to Santa Barbara.  Talk about an inadvertent score out of what seemingly started out as a very frustrating day.

3-17-25 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 52
The wind and shape was junky at all the beaches.  I had gotten word that Rincon had a wave and decided to grab CC and head up for a surf.  We checked Pitas on way but it wasn’t really happening.  Rincon was chest plus but a bit wind swelly and broken up.  There was also a bit of south wind chop to contend with as well.  That being said there were only a handful of guys out and some runners if you picked the right ones.  The first half of my session was decent enough.  I had a few fun connections from Indicator through the River Mouth.  The Second half I struggled to find anything worth while all the way down to my last wave. I ran into some kid who thought Clarks Surfboards were sick boards.  When I asked him why he was riding a Channel Islands and not one of my shapes his response was he got it for $300 bucks out of the blem room.  I can’t compete with that darn blem room.  Between it and the flood of decent used boards on the market it’s difficult to sell new custom boards.  It’s definitely a bit disconcerting as a shaper.  After the surf I went home and built some down racks for the new glassing bay I’m building out in my garage.  

3-16-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 12
There was an uptick in windswell bringing solid head high plus waves to the ship.  The shape was a little bit to be desired and the tide was a little high.  The crowd was rather light for a Sunday and I hate going on a goose chase for waves on the weekends so I paddled.  When I left my house I was expecting less swell than what was a front thus I only took my smaller wave boards.  There was no way I was going to drive home.  Considering the tide was getting higher I figured I could get  away with my 5’7 Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy Model.  For the most part I felt pretty good on it.  Only a few of the bombs were a tad sketchy.  I had a handful of really fun lefts.  The water was still freezing and despite fun waves and an empty line up I had to throw the towel in after an hour and a half.  My wife and I did brunch followed by a stroll through the Ventura Botanical Gardens.

3-15-25 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
Though not quite as good as yesterday the south side of the pier was still putting up a very formidable chest plus wave to be had with light offshore winds.  Fun waves at home with no one out is a no brained to me, especially on a Saturday.  With the sun out it was a little more bearable in the cold water.  I got on a froth destroying lefts and rights till the wind went onshore.  It was still very rip-able but not worth the cold at that point. I was stoked.  After a week in flat Florida I really appreciate where I live.  After the surf my wife and I did brunch then cruised over to Ormond Beach to go for a walk.  She has officially gotten too pregnant to play golf anymore, just shy of 28 weeks.  Walks are now her best source of good exercise.  It was a pretty afternoon out and thanks to the rains there was enough water in flats to have attracted a number of birds.  We even found a few pieces of sea glass on the beach.  Later that evening we messed around with our new baby monitor to see if it was what we needed and we were very pleased.  I can’t remember who bought it for us from our registry but thank you.  If anyone reading this wants to send us a baby offering my wife is registered at Amazon baby registry, search Adela Lisanti. Every little bit helps. 

3-14-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 2
Today was one of those days where there were good waves and offshore winds just about everywhere from Santa Barbara all the way to Malibu.  My first look was out front where the Hueneme Pier was head high plus on the south side with right hand reeling lines and a left bowl hook going back towards the pier.  No one was out!  I didn’t hesitate to suit up in the freezing rainy weather.  When I hit the water which I would later find out was 49F I almost passed out.  The surf was too good to not push through.  I got some screamers.  My best wave was good for six turns.  I had one super deep right hand tube I got slaughtered on while attempting to make an exit.  I would have surfed for hours but after about an hour I was so cold I was getting dizzy.  My feet were like concrete blocks.  I went home, turned on my fire place, made a cup of tea and sat there for an hour to get my body temperature back up.  My afternoon was spent getting some ding repair sorted followed by some shaping.

3-13-25 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Miles Driven: 2
It was cold, rainy and hard WNW wind tearing up every line up from Santa Barbara to Malibu.  Some of the more protected points would have been cleaner but there wasn’t a ton of swell.  The air was just hovering around fifty and the water temp was reading forty nine.  There was no way I was getting in that ocean.  Luckily the sun came out mid morning drying up the greens for my afternoon tee time with my brother in law.  The wind on the other had did not let up and we found ourselves contending with gale force gusts making the game rather interesting and cold.  We made it through 18 holes on the Lakes course of River Ridge.  My hands were freezing. Despite all that I managed to shoot a 71 on the front 9 and a 66 on the back 9, a total of 137.  Not my best but I still had a blast. Photo from Hueneme after the rain had passed.

3-12-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 12
I woke up and it was rainy and cold out.  Talk about a climate shock just coming from Florida where the air was in the mid 70’s to 80’s and ocean in the 70’s.  It was flat there and almost always is so who cares.  I’d rather be cold and have surf.  Considering the high tide I had a look at Hueneme but it was too small.  Strand had a wave in the South Bowl though it was a tad too high.  I got word from Jeffrey that Harbor was ok.  I decided to hang in my car and wait out the tide a bit.  Unfortunately the sand on the South side of Strand has really shifted back to being a lower tide game.  I did manage a couple over by Tower 4 but overall it was wonky and hard to track down.  The water was bone chilling cold maybe just hovering around fifty.  Still even the worst waves I caught were better than anything I caught on my trip. I spent the afternoon fixing dings. 

3-11-25 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
Our last day in Florida had finally arrived and not a moment too soon.  It had been a great trip but six full days in Florida with no surf and be rather taxing.  We had an 8pm flight out leaving us one more day to hang with my parents.  Since the weather had cooled down we went to this wild animal rehabilitation center in the area that also has a small zoo made up of the animals that can’t be released back into the wild.  I like the place and always pay it a visit if time allows.  Then we got pizza and calzones and were off the airport.  For whatever reason airport security felt the need to frisk me and the TSA agent got a little more handsy with my private parts than I think was appropriate.  What do I know, Florida is a weird place.  By the time we got back to our home in Port Hueneme it was 2am.  Talk about a very long day.  My wife and unborn child were both real troopers.  It was just another flat day in Florida. In Ventura and Oxnard all the beaches were lit up with fun surf and offshore winds.  I’ll get mine in the rain tomorrow. 

3-10-25 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, New Smyrna Inlet, Florida
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 338
Whenever my wife and I are in Florida we always try and meet up with the Angers’ and when they are in California they do the same.  Had there been surf we probably would have spent a few days up at Jacksonville Beach with them at their home.  According to the forecast today was going to be the only chance to score anything remotely surf-able. We decided to meet up at New Symra Beach which is arguably the most consistent spot in Florida.  If we were to get any surf-able waves that was the spot.  It conveniently was equidistant from both our locations.  My wife and I were just making the trip to see our friends and our god daughter. The drive up was rather uneventful minus driving through a ten minute squall of torrential downpour. We got there early and ate lunch at this little seafood place on the intercostal where we saw little dolphins frolicking while we dined.  Post lunch we met up with the Angers at the northern most beach entrance, loaded in their van and cruised down the beach towards the Inlet. It was offshore and perfect shape but also barely knee to thigh high, with the occasional larger wave by the inlet banks.  Kevin thought it might get better as the tide came up so we set up on the beach and built sand castles with his kid, then took her body boarding. In this time we definitely saw a potential window and paddled.  It was tiny and gutless with the stiff offshore wind not helping our case. The water was just under 70F which was definitely nice.  I managed three that I groveled well and Kevin got a few head dips. After not surfing for nearly a week I was stoked to get wet.  It was hugs all around knowing that it would probably be a year before we all got together again considering in a month or so each of us will have a new born to care for. I may have not scored but definitely was stoked to surf and see my friends.

3-9-25 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
This has really been a long run of not being able to surf for me.  First I missed three days due to my eye injury before I left and now I’ve been trapped in flat Florida for days.  No matter,  I didn’t come here to surf and I’ll get plenty when I return home to California.  For today’s fun filled excursion we cruised over to downtown West Palm Beach to take in the sights.  Apparently there is a gigantic boat show that is to take place next week and the majority of the area was in the process of building docks and other boat show related edifices.  We wandered about the downtown area for a bit till we got tired of being harassed by homeless and vagrants.  For dinner I decided to use my talents to cook us up some very nice dry aged New York steaks I scored at Whole Foods.  My parents almost never get to enjoy my cooking cause when I come visit I’m on vacation and they are respectful of that and don’t ask me to cook, nor do they ever make feel obligated.  I was happy to feed us so well tonight. Photo from the Ventura point cam

3-8-25 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
I don’t know how east coasters do it.  Shoots, I don’t know how I did it for the twenty something years I endured the flatness of that coast. I’d be lying if I said by this point I wasn’t going just a little bit stir crazy not surfing and spending all my time with two seniors and a pregnant wife.  I definitely wasn’t getting the level of physical stimulation I am accustomed to.  The temperature was a bit warmer today leaving everyone reluctant to want to do anything.  Finally in the afternoon we did a bit shopping and a brief stop at the beach, which was as flat as flat can be, though there were still a few guys trying to ride soft tops.  For dinner we went to a seafood spot called Seasons 52 that my folks really like. Today’s photo was of flat Jupiter, but report is that of Ventura since my trip to the beach was not at all in pursuit of surf. I just thought you’d like to see that flat here really means flat.

3-7-25 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
First off let me extend a very happy birthday to my sister Val. Once again the Atlantic was a complete lake.  My wife has been dying to see Miami for years and my parents obliged.  Our first stop was this Ancient Spanish Monastery, from the twelfth century that was disassembled by Hearst in the 1920’s then boxed up and shipped to NYC.  For years until the fifties it was completely forgotten about in a warehouse in Brooklyn.  Once discovered the pieces were shipped to the Miami area and reassembled as a tourist attraction.  The place was quite a feat and completely worth a visit if you’re in the area.  On the premises there is a feral cat colony containing around fourteen cats of which I saw ten and got to pet one.  If you go don’t forget to spend a moment in the Labyrinth and if you do please let me know your thoughts on it.  We wanted to check out some botanical gardens over near Coconut Grove but got there too late.  Instead we ate at some famous seafood tourist trap on the harbor there called Monty’s.  No visit to Miami is complete without a drive through South Beach.  Unfortunately it was Spring Break and many of the roads were closed or packed.  There were police everywhere.  We opted to just drive through rather than stop anywhere.  My wife was very pleased and that was all that mattered in the end to us.Like yesterday from the looks of it on the cams all I missed at home was lots of wind chop.

3-6-25 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
I always forget how peaceful my parents lovely golf course home in Jupiter can be.  It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot or humid. The surf was completely flat as per usual in that zone.  This wasn’t a surf trip and after consulting the forecast which was rather putrid I decided to forgo even bringing boards.  I did pack a wetsuit if by some miracle ride-able surf did show, I had two boards at Angers house up in Jacksonville Beach.  That was a real long shot.  The purpose of this trip was for my parents to get to spend a little quality time with my pregnant wife and I and maybe help give us a little insight on parenting.  Living on the east coast I didn’t want them to feel completely left out of this whole process. We all enjoyed a mellow brunch in their solarium. After which my wife was exhausted from traveling and needed the afternoon to rest.  In her stead my father and I decided to play 18 holes of golf.  In my adult years this seems to be the only real common ground we share.  Both of us being absolute terrible golfers and have the same non-competitive love of the game makes us a quite compatible pair up.  I love and respect my dad more than any other man I’ve ever know and I can never aspire to even be half the man he is. Golf for us is an equal playing field.  When we play together I get a small sense of that we have some semblance of a father/son relationship.  We played a majority par 3 with short holes and narrow fair ways a course that played to his strengths and my weakness.  We had a blast, plus like myself he loves to walk rather than use a cart.  I shot a 101 and he just edged me out with a 98.  The next time we play I’ll be a father as well and it will be on my home turf at a course of my choosing. Him and I got back, scooped up our ladies and the four of us went out to a nice Italian restaurant.  From the looks of the cam I didn’t miss much back in Ventura.

3-5-25 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
We awoke at 5:30am in preparation to catch a 10:30am flight out of LAX to go visit my folks in Jupiter Florida.  Normally we just take the PCH all the way to the airport but thanks to the Palisades fire it’s closed shortly after the Malibu Pier.  With that route impassable my wife and I were forced to endure the torturous 405 at the cusp of morning rush hour.  What in theory should only be an hour and twenty minute ride could take up to three hours.  LAX is always a mission.  We got there in plenty of time and Coconuts our pilot as he referred to himself, got us there safely despite taking off in pouring rain and landing in heavy wind. We grabbed a rental car and headed to my parent’s home.  It only took a moment to get settled before the four of us went out for a nice Italian repast. As far as the surf goes it was just rainy and small in Ventura. I didn’t miss too much. Photo from the Ventura Point cam.

3-4-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 10
The wind finally stopped giving me a window to get a surf in post eye mishap.  Zach hit me up early that he was paddling the Ship, but that is was small and weak. I slow rolled the paddle waiting to hear other reports.  It seemed like nothing was worth driving to and it was chest high and very surf-able at Ship.  I jumped in and the water was freezing.  Last night I slept with my neck all crooked and it was very stiff.  As soon as I hit that cold water it completely seized up.  I was barely able to turn my head which really hindered my overall enjoyment of the surf.  Zach gave me a few stretches to adjust myself. Though it helped a little I was still in some discomfort.  As a result I kept it a short one.  Still, I was stoked to have got in the water after being out for three days.  Since I was leaving for Florida first thing in the morning my afternoon was spent finishing my ding cue so my customers could have their boards ready and not have to wait for me to get back.  Then I had to pack.  The surf forecast looked worse than usual even for Florida prompting me to not bother packing any boards.  Angers has two of my boards up in Jacksonville if by some miracle surf decides to happen.

3-3-25 No Surfing: 4-6+ ft
My eye felt just about one hundred percent today.  I really wanted to surf since I haven’t surfed in three days and on Wednesday I’m going to Florida and the forecast looks flatter than it usually is.  I got word that any spots that had swell were a mess and any of the really protected spots in the Santa Barbara and Malibu zones were tiny. Rather than drive around like a chicken without a head I spent the days entirety on ding repair.

3-2-25 No Surfing: 5-7+ ft
There was a strong NW Gale that followed the front which passed last night.  All the line ups except for the most tucked away spots were complete trash. I suppose it worked out for me since it was best to give my eye one more day of healing.  My wife has wanted to eat at the Waypoint Cafe at the Camarillo Airport.  The place has rave reviews but every time we go there is easily over an hour wait to get a table.  Without having to get a surf in we got an earlier start and were told that it was only a 45 minute wait.  Normally I wouldn’t wait that long for anything but we had nothing else to do.  Sadly I will say that the food though decent was not worth the wait and fanfare.  They say the cafe is way less crowded on the week days so maybe that is a better time to give it a go.  After brunch my wife needed to buy a few new dresses cause when one is pregnant her cloths constantly don’t fit and finding outfits she feels comfortable and attractive in can be a feat.  I’m just happy I could be around to support her through the process.  The rest of the day was spent doing chores and hanging around the house.

3-1-25 No Surfing: 4-6+ ft
I woke up feeling quite a bit better than yesterday.  My eye still hurt but I didn’t need the patch and had full vision back.  I probably could have surfed if I had to.  The ocean isn’t that clean and I didn’t want to risk any extra infection nor did I want to aggravate it more from prolonged salt water and sun exposure.  Better safe than sorry.  There was solid WNW swell everywhere but once again more south winds.  My wife and I visited the Sea Bee Museum on the Port Hueneme Naval Base and were shocked at the size and thorough nature of the place.  The Museum is open to public and totally worth a visit if you have time to kill. Photo from the Ventura Point Cam.