Surfing Ruined My Life

May 2025 Surf Sessions

5-31-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 10
I wasn’t sure what to do this morning, chase the south swell or stay local and surf more wind swell.  I had a catering gig in Santa Barbara in the afternoon so opted to check Strand hoping there would be at least be a similar wave to yesterday.  When I got there I was pleasantly surprised with chest to head high solid wind swell lines off the Ship.  Stoked I paddled and caught a hand full of fun waves.  It was a little on the inconsistent side and a tad bit more crowded since it was a Saturday but I had fun, maybe my favorite surf of the week.  I had to work a small fifty person wedding in SB that was easy as it gets. 

5-30-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 10
There was a bit weak wind swell getting into the ship.  Though small there were nice long lines running from the Ship to Tower 5 with no one out.  The surf looked fun enough to me, rather than having to drive anywhere I decided to paddle. When I first got out I had a couple of runners worth three to five turns that had me wondering if I should have called my filmer. As the tide began to fill in the waves began to get more broken up and then the wind came up.  At that point I was completely over it, which was fine cause the rest of my day was consumed glassing surfboards. 

5-29-25 AM Session: 2-3 ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 18
Today was just one of those terrible days of surf with minimal swell and crappy onshore wind. The tide was too low for Hueneme, Strand was tiny and Shores wasn’t happening.  With my back up against the wall I had no choice but to check Ventura Harbor.  It was pretty grim but New Jetty had a wave that was at the very least surf-able and the crowd was light for that spot.  I paddled and did my best to find a rhythm in the junky gutless surf.  It was basically just exercise though I was glad I surfed.  My afternoon was spent shaping.  A new team rider of mine in Florida asked for a refined more performance version of my Clarks Surfboards SPF Fish.  I modified the the tail a bit to add more of a performance swallow than the standard fish tail and I set the fins up thruster instead of two plus one or twin which that board normally comes standard with. I was pretty pleased with what we came up with.  Now I want to make one for myself. 

5-28-25 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 30
Since my wife decided to start her maternity leave early due to the fact that she didn’t feel comfortable driving anymore I have now taken on the role of chauffeur.  I had to drive my wife into Santa Barbara for two doctor appointments.  As it turns out in your last month of pregnancy you have to see two separate doctors every week.  I guess everyone is trying to cash in on this. We had to be in SB for a 10am appointment and a 1pm appointment.  I had a charity event to cook for at 4:30pm also in Santa Barbara.  There was a lot to juggle. We did all the doctor appointments and everything checked out fine.  I had about a two hour window before my gig. I got my mother in law to pick up my wife at the doctor’s office then I drove to Emma Wood to squeeze in a surf.  There was some very minor NW/SW combo swell running. Just enough to make some kill-able peaks.  Jeffrey was leaving as I was paddling and said it was fun.  There was a group Ventura guys on it about eight strong and they were completely controlling the better peak on the reef.  Not wanting to deal with any of that I sat a little wide and made the most of whatever did come my way.  I had a few airs and couple of turns.  One thing about Emma, the place is a skate park.  As I was walking back to my car I ran into two groms who recognized me and were stoked on the few airs I threw while they were checking it.  The compliment made my day.  With how hectic life has been I really needed that.  I got back to SB with time to spare. The event went down without a hitch.  By the time I got home I was exhausted.  It had been a very long day.

5-27-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
I was fixed on heading south when I noticed there was a bit of wind swell on the buoys.  I picked up CC and we had a look at the Ship.  There were some waist to chest high rip-able left bowls coming off the rocks.  The tide was getting higher and I was a little skeptical on if I it would break through.  CC was into and we ran into Mitch on the beach who was also down.  Our first few waves were fun enough but just as I had suspected soon after the tide got too high and we were basically riding shore break. The sess turned out to a bust. Once again I should have trusted my instincts.  My afternoon was spent shaping surfboards. 

5-26-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 40
There was still a solid amount south swell in the water.  Ventura was still super windy and not quite getting the full brunt of the waves.  CC and I cruised south down the PCH.  After yesterday I was not about to go back to Malibu. We had a look at County and Leo.  The swell was very inconsistent we hoped that County might have a little more opportunity.  When checking it I thought I saw a few good lefts on the backside of the reef.  I paddled there but after three waves realized it was just a flash in the pan and made my way over to the peak in-front of the stairs.  That proved to be weird and rather inconsistent as well though I did get a few runner whereas CC failed to find a decent ride and finally paddled over to the beach break.  He managed to catch the wave of the day over there. Eventually I made my way over and found a few lefts.  Ultimately as per usual on a south swell I was left wanting.  My afternoon was spent chilling around the house with my wife since that is about all we can do considering she is ready to give birth any day. 

5-25-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 70
Last night’s wedding was a success but I didn’t get home till after 11pm.  I woke up exhausted and after feeding my cats opted to climb back into bed with my wife.  Around 9 I picked up CC since his car was broken down again and we headed south.  The swell was definitely peaking. County and Leo were packed and inconsistent.  We decided to just head to Malibu and take our chances with the crowd and crowded it was. There had to be at least 150 guys on the entire point.  We paddled third and thanks the wind swell it was actually kind of peaky.  Ray came down to film.  In the first forty five minutes I snagged a bunch of waves that allowed me some decent air sections.  I almost landed a full rotation frontside air reverse just coming unglued on the ride out.  Then the crowd doubled and the waves began to get very walled with the dropping tide.  I took a really heavy wipe out narrowly escaping a head wound on the rocks and then when I came up my board missed my face by a millimeter.  On the paddle back out I nearly got ran over twice and had to dodge a handful of kooks who were unable to duck dive the set.  That was my cue to call it a day. Somehow through all the chaos Ray only got one decent clip of me.  I got home way later than I initially planned thus I was greeted by an angry pregnant wife.  If you have been in my situation then you understand there is no fury like the fury of a woman who is 9 months pregnant.  To make up for my insubordination I went and picked up a treadmill from deep Oxnard that may or may not have been hot that she wanted and washed and detailed her car.  The joys of child rearing even before they are reared.

5-24-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 36
The wind decided to really blow hard onshore from early this morning.  The south was beginning to show though very long period.  CC and I cruised to County Line where there were some solid chest plus sets coming in on the reef and it was way cleaner than the beach break with only a handful of guys out.  I was on the fence about paddling but CC stated: why are we going to drive away from surf.   On that note we paddled.  There was a lot of water moving around with the multiple short period wind swells and the very inconsistent south pulses making it a little tricky to find a really good wave.  I got lucky and somehow found about five really nice rides where as CC just wasn’t vibing with the conditions at all.  My window was short due to having to work a wedding in Los Olivos in the afternoon.  I was definitely glad I surfed. As far as the wedding goes the new owners of the primary catering company I work with came to observe making it a bit more stressful than I usually like.  We did a great job and they were, I believe happy with my performance.  So I think.  With my luck they will be handing me my walking papers in a month.  Let’s hope not for my sake.

5-23-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 42
I was torn on whether to chase what was left of the wind swell or the newly filling in south swell.  CC was without a working automobile again and convinced me to head south to LA in pursuit of the south swell.   The swell was really being slow to show leaving most spots less than what we had hoped.  We settled on paddling County Line.  CC opted to surf the beach break while I paddled up to the reef where it was less crowded and cleaner thanks to the kelp.  Though inconsistent there was enough to satiate my hunger.  My friend Dave paddled out towards the end of my surf and I hadn’t seen him in months so it was nice to catch up.  In the afternoon I finally after days of glassing and sanding finished a three pack of Clark’s Surfboards Time Machine Fishes that I’m sending to Florida.

5-22-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 .5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
Sadly this morning began the breaking down of the very fruitful wind swell that had been gracing us with waves since Saturday.  That being said there were still some head high plus waves coming through at the Ship that looked fun enough.  Right off the bat I got a few really good waves then as the tide dropped the waves got very inconsistent and more soft.  I could feel the swell dropping by the minute.  Then I started picking stupid waves and missing the few decent ones causing me to get very frustrated.  By the time I caught my last wave  my patience was spent.  What started out as a somewhat fun surf became a hate session.  Luckily I got a handful of sick ones in the first half. The red tide was still very prevalent as well.  I spent yet another afternoon sanding surfboards.

5-21-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
After yesterday’s let down I decided to get an earlier start to beat the wind.  The Ship was still solid as was the red tide.  As a matter of fact it was so thick that there were soft ball size balls of foam floating around and the inside had about a one foot layer of foam resting on top of the water.  It smelled and tasted terrible but the waves were head high plus and bombing so water quality was the least of my concern.  Biz showed up and we began stacking clips.  Some of the lefts were really running down the beach.  I’d say it was a decent day of surfing.  My afternoon was spent sanding surfboards. 

5-20-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 52
Some days I just choose to make the dumbest decisions possible. I got to Strand about an hour too late, just in time to watch what was borderline epic conditions turn to complete crap as the wind came up right in front of my eyes. Less than stoked I decided to cruise up north and chase the wind swell.  Though the wind was hard WNW in Oxnard it was SW at all the points making them mushy, mixed up and terrible. I desperation paddled Pitas after watching Jeffrey surf some really garbage looking waves.  I was frustrated and out of options.  There were a few but mostly it was just broken up chop.  I got a couple of weak connections through the Faria section though ultimately it wasn’t worth wasting any real time on.  From the surf I had a bunch of random errands to run in Ventura then went home and did some glassing work. Tomorrow is another day. I did hear that Emma Wood was decent I the evening.

5-19-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
The wind swell continued to grace us with fun surf and even increased in size.  Strand was solid chest to head plus with some really nice lines coming through at the Ship.  The red tide was also hanging around. Biz showed up to film and of course as soon as we hit our stride low tide set in and it got super lully.  Still when sets came they were solid.  Anytime Strand has decent sized waves this late in the season it’s a thing of beauty. After the surf my afternoon was spent glassing surf boards.  I heard a super session went down with just about every pro in the area in the evening at Emma Wood.

5-18-25 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 32
Today was my last but hardest day of the week.  I had a 122 box lunches that needed to be out by 9:30 forcing me to be in Santa Barbara by 7am.  Then I had to work a chariot event at 1pm to 5pm that was run by actress Bo Derrick in Hope Ranch.  The day was long but I got through it despite having scolding hot oil spilled on me at the gig.  Luckily I moved fast and pulled off my shoes, socks and pants before the hot oil could really get to my skin.  Chef life lesson: if any kind of scolding liquid is ever spilled on your clothing if you can get out of said clothing before the liquid really gets to your skin you can avoid horrific burns.  I survived and still met all my obligations.  Around 5:30pm I headed back south.  There was some solid wind swell running.  Salar tipped me off that Emma Wood was decent and I headed straight there.  It was chest plus and glassy with only about twenty guys or so out.  I jumped in and surfed the toll booth peak.  It’s been over a year since I’ve surfed at Emma.  Living down south now I’m most likely going to surf County Line before I surf Emma Wood.  The waves were fun for what they were and I got on a pretty good tear.   I would have surfed till dark but I promised my wife I’d be home for an 8pm dinner and one thing I have learned through trial by fire is you don’t keep a hungry pregnant woman waiting for her meal.  After dinner I passed out on the couch watching Around the World in Eighty Days, the Jackie Chan version.  It was a well deserved sleep after a very hard work week. 

5-17-25 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Sliver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
My window was rather short this morning as I had to be rSanta Barbara for a wedding at 1pm.  Considering that there was a bit of wind swell and a low tide I headed to Strand.  The Ship was small but had a waist plus wave with ok shape albeit a tad on the weak side.  I wanted to surf and paddled .  Once again the red tide was gross.  Most of the waves were super grovely.  I did put together a few connections and the odd ball air.  It’s always nice to surf no matter what the conditions. No one was out so that’s a nice feeling in this day and age of heavy crowds.  As far as the wedding went it was routine and easy.  One more day of this catering grind and then I have a week off to work on surfboards.

5-16-25 PM Session: 1-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
Once again I had to be up in Santa Barbara at 8am for a full days worth of kitchen work.  It was a solid day of chopping and cooking.  I got off around five and battled the rush hour traffic home.  Everything was pretty tiny on the way down so I cruised straight to the Harbor.  New Jetty had a wave but was packed for how junky it was.  I came home a paddled Rockside.  It was terrible, too low tide and dumpy.  Even the close outs weren’t boost-able.  There was a gnarly red tide making the water quality disgusting Bizzaro came and filmed water  but I doubt we got anything cause it was absolutely horrible.  I swear if surfing in the afternoon was all I was regulated to I might quit.  I don’t know how the 9-5 guys do it.  My hats off to you all. 

5-15-25 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
It’s rare I miss a surf for a day of work, especially a Strand day.  I had a twelve hour day of catering work in Santa Barbara.  While others were getting waves I was like the majority of the population grinding away for the man.  I’ll have a little bit of to surf at the very least in the next few days.  Next week I’m back to my usual schedule.  From what I heard the Ship was fun before the wind came up. Photo from the Ventura Point cam.

5-14-25 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 38
Today began the first day of a hellish string of catering prep and events.  I had to be in Santa Barbara at 8am for a full day of kitchen prep.  These days being the chef Diva I have become I do very little prep.  Mostly I just show up to the event and make sure it runs smoothly.  We were so over loaded with work that it was all hands on deck including yours truly.  To be honest I’ve been a little short on cash flow ever since I built out the glassing side of Clarks Surfboards so the extra money was welcomed especially since it’s been one of the slowest years I’ve had since I began building surfboards.  I make pretty awesome boards please give me a try if you’re in the market.  My morning was spent butchering 15 beef tenderloins, 20 lbs of Halibut, 10lbs of flat iron steaks and 30 lbs of tri tip, instead of surfing Strand. After lunch I had a wedding tasting to work.  I got off around 3pm and started heading home on the hunt for surf.  There was a bit of wind swell showing but also a bit of wind with it.  Ventura and Oxnard were trash with the wind and the tide was too low for Emma.  I desperation paddled Pitas cause it appeared that there was some organization to the wispy wind swell down the point.  The surf was pretty weak.  I managed a few connections through the Faria section but ultimately the highlight of the session was the sea glass I picked up on the walk back to my car. There was also a gnarly red tide showing.  When I got home I glassed a surf board before dinner.  It was a hell of a long day. 

5-13-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1.5 hr
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 42
It was yet another windy let down of a morning in Ventura and Oxnard.  I opted to test my luck along the PCH yet again.  County and Leo were both less than inviting.  Zeros had little bit of a south pulse showing despite the fat tide.  No one was out and I was at the end of the line.  I jumped in and immediately got itnaudated with endless chest plus sets for almost twenty five minutes.  The waves were super rip-able.  One forgets how good Zeros can be when it’s not crowded with kooks getting in your way, back paddling or dropping in.  By myself I was completely free to draw any line I wanted. Man did I have a blast.  Then an older guy joined me and it slowed down just at tad bit but was still fun.  After that a younger twenty something year old paddled and the three of us spanning generations of the surfing tradition traded off fun waves for another hour.  Even with the extensive crowds of kooked out people who think they know what surfing is all about, there are still these moments where the devoted few can get some wave time amongst one another.  When it happens it’s a very special occasion.  Then two guys on soft tops paddled out and one of them burned me.  This chick paddled out on a mid length and got in my way.  Three other randoms came running down the stairs.  Zeros had once again become Zeros and that was my cue to leave.  The rest of my day was spent glassing surf boards in my garage.  Please don’t ever question my core score.

5-12-25 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 42
There wasn’t much on offer this morning and the wind was howling WNW in Ventura.  I decided to head south hoping for better winds along the PCH.  The gale followed me down the coast and as I was checking Zeros I could feel the onshores I hoped I left beginning to puff up.  Leo was tiny but with the high tide it was doing that inside double up wedge that comes in just under the rock.  There were a handful of long boarders out but they were sitting outside while I just stayed inside of the rock and shredded whatever was too small to break outside. Though tiny I had some fun grovel waves.  If you know, you know.  I had to get some sanding and glassing done so I kept my surf short.  

5-11-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 12
Hoping there was enough NW wind swell showing I drove over to the Ship. There was a low quality waist to chest high wave.  Though surf-able the high tide was killing it and I figured with the SW combo I might do better going home to surf Hueneme.  The Pier had a decent bowl coming off the south side thar peaked my interest.  Bizarro showed up and we shot some water.  It wasn’t epic but man there were some completely rip-able wedges and close outs for me to really sink my teeth into.  I got gnarly with some air reverses big tail free hits and the odd ball tube.  If say it was a fun surf.  My afternoon was spent doing some final baby shopping for some last minute items since Adagio is due any day.  Before closing out the evening I painted a surfboard so I can glass it tomorrow.

5-10-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 2
It’s officially summer time now and that means I’m quite partial to surfing weekends at home.  I rolled up to the pier but it wasn’t really doing its thing. Over on Rockside I could see it was a bit more peaky. I paddled the first set of flags and found lots of rip-able peaks, even the odd ball tube.  Sure it was still weird, closed out marginal Hueneme but if you surf the place regularly you know that any day with corners is a decent day in Hueneme.  After the surf I did brunch with my wife.  When I got home I needed to paint a board, which came out pretty sick.  I currently have two Clarks Surfboards Time Machine Fishes that are just about finished and are going to be for-sale as new stock at $585.  One is 6’2 x 21 x 3 and the other is 5’6 x 19 7/8 x 2 1/2 if you have any interest hit me up.  My evening was spent working a wedding in Ojai.  

5-9-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 72
It was super foggy in the VTA and windy.  I cruised south down the PCH but everything west of Dume wasn’t inviting.  I drove to Malibu in the hopes I might luck into a couple of fun ones up at third.  When I first paddled I managed a few runners.  Overall it was pretty stretched,   Inconsistent and crowded for what it was.  My afternoon was spent fixing dings cause when I stripped the wax off a few of my favorite boards I found little dings all over them.  In the evening my wife and I had to interview potential nanny’s.  Luckily we found one we really liked and she took the position. 

5-8-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 42
Even though this hasn’t been the best south swell on offer it has allotted plenty of fun waves for days. I was heading towards Malibu which looked pretty fun on the cam.  On the way I promised Zach I would drop his board off, which I had finished a ding repair on, at Zeros.  While completing this errand I saw enough sets to lure me out.  It was classic Zeros, crowed with annoying kooks, weird and wonky.  There was the odd ball good one and I’m always partial to the inside double up that comes in off the rock. It was enough to satiate my surfing needs.  My afternoon was spent glassing surfboards. 

5-7-25 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 70
My morning started off laminating a board while I waited for Jeffrey to get down here so we could maybe score the Base.  Though, solid it was just too closed out to really be worth anything.  If I had seen just one make-able tube I would have paddled.  Instead I cruised to Malibu since the wind was already blowing too hard for anyplace else and the tide too low for Leo.  Surprisingly there were some really good peelers albeit fast, rolling through both second and third with only a few guys out. CC was leaving as I was coming.  I ended up getting some screamers from third through to the Kiddie bowl and even caught a few at First.  I’d say it was one of the better days I’ve had at the ‘bu in a while. The rest of my afternoon was spent glassing surfboards.  Thank you everyone who has been kind enough to order a board it’s been a huge help to me.  I can’t wait to stoke you out with your new custom board. Customs are still at the affordable price of $625 with US shipping available.

5-6-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 18
I woke up this morning to some industry rumor that FCS was taking a break from suppling the US market while they try and figure out the tariff situation.  This seemed a little suspect to me but I decided to run over to Fiberglass Hawaii first thing and buy some extra boxes just in case.  FCS2 makes up the majority of my business.  Before I left home I had to hot coat a board.  I had a look at the Harbor but it was borderline stretched with some corners.  One thing about that zone is if there is any doubt about the make-ability there is no doubt and on said mantra I drove away.  My next stop was Shores but it wasn’t big enough for the bars to really do their thing.  The Ship had some waist to chest high wind swell left overs coming through and I was hoping it might get more fun with the lower tide.  That was a complete lie.  As the tide dropped the surf got more and more weak.  Every so often there was one real wave that kept dragging me back out there.  I beat that dead horse for way longer than I should have.  In the afternoon I played a round of golf at the newly re-opened San Buenavista golf course, which has been closed for like six years due to extensive flood damage. Four holes are still under construction and some of the others a bit rough.  The back nine was complete and I shot a 59.

5-5-25 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
There was all sorts of NW wind swell in the water solid.  The ship was just about doing its thing though maybe a little too peaky. The crowd was very light and I didn’t hesitate to paddle.  Bizarro came to film and we definitely got some A-clips.  Salar paddled and of all the guys out everyone was a regular.  It was just one of those perfect spring days.  In May you never know how many more days at the Ship you’re going to get.  The wind actually stayed down the entire day.  I couldn’t commit my whole day to surfing as I had glassing to do.

5-4-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 52
Last night I had a bear of of a wedding to work up in Gaviota, not to mention it was the culmination of a four wedding in a row run this week. I was exhausted.  I slept in till around 9am.  There was a bit of NW wind swell in the water allowing the north points to have waves.  I was torn between waiting for the afternoon and charging high tide Leo or make the run up to get the points.  The latter won out since I know that this time of year the probability of catching a swell up there becomes very rare, especially as the season wares on.  Word was that Rincon was chest high.  My wife decided to come along since it was sunny and being 34 weeks pregnant it would probably be her last opportunity.  Rincon was under whelming and had some south wind messing it up.  On the way north I saw some sets at Little Rincon and it appeared to be cleaner.  There were a handful of guys out but all were pretty kooky leaving plenty of room for me to get mine.  Though it looked fun enough from the shore the waves were actually a bit more weak and wonky than I would have liked.  As a matter of fact it was a bit of a struggle to put together a really decent ride.  I still managed a few use-able clips.  The high tide killed the surf pretty quick almost forcing me to paddle in.  The sand there just hasn’t been right the past three years or so.  After the surf we ate lunch at the little Cafe at Faria Beach Park and it wasn’t bad.  Apparently they are selling a Merrick Lager?  Channel Islands are making beer now?  Maybe they should focus on surf boards.  The rest of my afternoon was consumed building baby furniture since as the doctors put it our baby could come any day.  I feel like we are ready for the challenge. 

5-3-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 18
It was just another dismal May gray morning.  The Marine layer was so thick it was drizzling.  The buoys showed some wind swell thus I had a look at the Ship but it was tiny.  My window was limited the result of having to work at wedding in Gaviota.  I rushed over to the Harbor where I knew at the very least I would find something.  The same crap onshore wind that has been plaguing Ventura all week was present, maybe even a little harder today as the ocean appeared pretty beat up.  I saw some killable waves down by the River Mouth with just a handful of guys.  Despite the junk wind the faces were very rip-able and it was pretty consistent chest high plus.  Towards the end of my session everyone had left and it even began to glass off.  Of course dead low had set in and it got rather lully.  I made the most out of what was on offer.  The rest of my day was spent doing the wedding thing.  It was my last day of catering work till next weekend.  I like the money but four days in a row is a little bit intense. 

5-2-25 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 18
I was determined to surf this morning and luckily though still under the weather I was feeling way better than the previous two days.  Of course it was one of the smallest days of the week and the shit onshore piss wind was still hanging around.  I looked at Shores but it wasn’t big enough to break those bars.  there was some south showing leading me to have hope that the Harbor would have something to surf.  The River Mouth had peaky chest high waves with only a handful of guys out.  Salar showed up and we ran down for a paddle.  Once out there we were pleasantly surprised with how decent the shape and lines were.  The place was like a skate park.  I’m really happy with how the sand is shaping up out there. I got on a tear and landed a number of airs and some really good combos.  If I wasn’t feeling ill I could have surfed longer but around my eighteenth wave I had a coughing fit on my paddle back out and decided it was probably a good time to call it a day.  The New Clarks Surfboards YouTube edit is up on the channel if you’re interested.  It’s mostly my late winter highlights.  My evening was spent working a charity event in Santa Barbara.

5-1-25 No Surfing: 2-4+ ft
This morning was looking like a smaller version of yesterday which completely sucked in Ventura.  I heard the LA zone wasn’t bad but I had to be in Santa Barbara by 2pm for a wedding leaving me a tight window if I wanted to go that far.  Ultimately I still wasn’t feeling very well and decided to take the morning off.  Instead I finished the latest Clarks Surfboards YouTube edit.  My wedding was up in the Santa Ynez Valley at a private estate where the groom’s brother caused quite the commotion as he proceeded to land a helicopter on the property, rich people. Photo from Ventura Point Surfline cam.