Surfing Ruined My Life

May 2022 Surf Sessions

5-31-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
I should have just paddled Hueneme, but with a healthy dose of solid NW wind swell in the water I just had to check the Ship. There was solid swell getting in. The wind was starting to get on it, as was the tide. Add to that a thirty person crowd and not too many decent ones and I was on my way back to Hueneme where I saw a decent right bowl off the south side of the pier. Whenever there is just the right amount of combo swell and a rising tide the south side makes this pretty fun suck up bowl off the pier. It’s a little tricky to ride but when you get a good one it’s super fun. Biz showed up to shoot some water. The water was chilly thanks to all the wind yesterday. I ended up having a blast. Then the tide got too high and wind went a little more NW killing the bowl I was frothing on. That was fine cause I had to be in Santa Barbara at 4:30 to cook for a fundraiser in Montecito for the Granada theatre. Today marks another perfect month of surfing going on 75 consecutive days.

5-30-22 PM Session: 2-3+ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 8
Miles Driven: 56
The next time I decide to go to LA for a surf on a holiday somebody please tackle me. The wind was already up out of the NW on all the Oxnard beaches, meanwhile it was south on all the north points that might have gotten surf from the wind swell. The LA spots still appeared to be clean. Once down there they also appeared to be very crowded. I checked everything to Dume, which was too small before throwing in the towel. Over it my wife and I decided to get some food and then go for a hike. She had been wanted to do a hike in the Malibu hills for some time now. Since we were at Dume already we went to this spot called Lily’s Malibu, a Mexican place off PCH in that vicinity. We had to wait nearly a half hour for our burritos and when we got them I kid you not it was he worse burrito I had ever eaten in my life. My wife was so disgusted by hers she barely ate half. I forced down three quarters of mine then gave up. For the rest of the day my stomach was very unhappy. All I have to say is avoid Lilly’s in Malibu at all costs. I would have rather eaten out of the trash. After the horrible repast I just described we went over to the Zuma Canyon hiking trail, also in that area. It was a decent hike minus the fact that it is also a horse trail. As a result there is horse shit all over the place. It’s not a bad loop if you can get past the excrement. I did find a pretty rad geode in the dried up river bed just off the trail. Following the hike we headed to Leo, which thanks to the now gale force NW wind and low tide had a somewhat manageable crowd. The good waves were inconsistent and the smaller waves would die out. I wasn’t really feeling it and after a handful of alright rides I called it a day. It didn’t help that my stomach was still upset from the nasty Lily’s burrito I endured for lunch. DONT EAT AT Lily’s Mexican restaurant near point Dume in Malibu.

5-29-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 2
For some reason I couldn’t get up and out of the house till after ten this morning. I got up the street just in time to witness the wind come up. There were still a few left corners going against the grain. I didn’t really know where else to go anyway so I paddled. The wind went from bad to worse and the waves followed suit. The only saving grace was that there it was a good air wind for the lefts and those same lefts were running into decent ramps. I packed a few in before throwing in the towel.

5-28-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 2
The south swell was still super solid and with the incoming tide I had a look out front. The surf was glassy and though still a bit walled was way more peaky then yesterday. Taking the bird in the hand I decided to paddle rockside. I definitely saw some tubes. Right off the bat I picked off three fun in and outs, followed by a few hits and airs on my next few. There were still plenty of close outs to be had but it was manageable thanks to a bit cross up in the water. I got one super deep right hand tube that I bit off way too much then I could chew and hit my head really hard on the bottom. The barrel of the day was this left I back doored then negotiated through a frothy thick section only to get clipped in the head right as I was coming out. Still unlike yesterday the makes out weighed the beatings so I’d say it was a fun morning of surfing. The rest of the day my wife and I just took it easy and kicked it around the house.

5-27-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
I was planning on cruising to Malibu with C.C. but once again he forgot to snag me and bailed. I thought I saw a few decent corners at Hueneme amid all the dumpy close outs. There were some tubes to be had as well. I’m a sucker for a potential barrel no matter how closed out it is. It’s true I paid no attention to the fact that out of the twenty or so guys out there no one was making a wave. I also ignored the dejected looks on the faces of all the dudes leaving as well. As soon as I got out there and got absolutely pulverized on my first three waves that I realized it was going to be a destructive surf. Biz showed up with the camera only to make matters worse. End result I cut both my hands, ripped my wetsuit after getting hit with my board on yet another failed tube attempt, bruised my ankle and hit my head. All of that carnage was a series of separate beatings through out the surf. Out of nearly two hours of surfing I only made one stinking barrel. Good times. I spent the rest of my day doing gardening work in my yard. Later that night I had to work a private pizza party in Montecito.

5-26-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 34
The south swell was up. The angle was a little steep and period a bit too long for the VTA beaches. Hueneme was junky as well. I decided to cruise south the LA. After checking Zeros, Leo, Heavens and County I decided county had the largest waves and most waves to crowd ratio. As I was changing I saw some bombs come in off the reef point. Once out there I realized it was very lully and when sets did come there were only a few waves and they were hitting all over the place. This made for a very slow and somewhat frustrating session. Add a lineup full of ding dongs who should have been at some tiki bar somewhere drinking piña coladas instead of getting in my way and it was even more frustrating. As usual I found a niche by getting something off the reef then paddling to the left off the beach break, which would then bring me back to the reef. I thought the dropping tide might help things out but it only got more rip tide riddled and junky. Over it I got one more and headed home to bring soup to my sick wife.

5-25-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 34
Miles Driven: 18
I got word that Harbor had a wave from Ryan and Jeffery. Meanwhile Hueneme was do-able but not all that inspiring. I cruised over. It was also not all that great. The three of us saw some peaks way down by the Rivermouth and decided to run down for a look and a paddle. There were some bars though a bit under formed we did manage to find some decent ones. There is definitely some potential down there on low tide but at high tide it’s mostly a burger. It may hold a larger south down the road. After the surf I had a ton of errands to run before coming home to get more work done in the garage.

5-24-22 AM Session: 3-4+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 18
There was a slight up tick in the NW swell, enough unfortunately to wall out all the good south swell beaches, but a little too small to really turn on the NW spots. I probably should have just surfed out front at Hueneme, but that little surfer voice inside that whispers “what if” had me on my way to the Harbor. There was plenty of size, well overhead, but the corners were few and far between and all over the place. There were a lots of rips and a current. Not I’m the mood for that kind of action I decided to head back and have a look at the Ship. There was a chest plus wave albeit a little weak. I was about to walk on it when I saw two sold head plus sets unload and peel. Stoked I ran back to my car, called Biz to come film and paddled. C.C. Met us as well. Unfortunately the session was way more inconsistent and slow then I had hoped. The holes in the bar were unfortunately weaken the weak wind swell even more. That being said there were some decent sections to be had and it was perfect for Bizarro to shoot water cause of the down time. There were some casualties as well. I creased my 5’10 on a big backside straight air forgone wrong and C.C. broke his nose on a tail free hit gone awry. Besides that I’d say it was fun enough. The rest of my day was spent tinkering in my garage trying to get my new shaping room together.

5-23-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 16
The same south was still running, coupled with a fresh steep NW. I decided to have a look at Strand in hopes the ship might pick up some of the new swell. There were some clean chest high peaks, but the bar being as bad as it was didn’t allow what could have been very rip-able waves to reach their full potential. Ryan was at Fruits and said it was similar to Sunday but with less wind. I hightailed it over there. Jeffery met me in the lot and we joined Ryan. There were solid lefts and some rights thanks to the wind swell. There were also some close out sets as well. Positioning was very tricky with the good ones hitting all over the place. I had a really difficult time finding anything to stoke me out. Jeffery and Ryan were having a bit better luck. I was about to bail when Bizarro showed up to film. I guess he gave me the motivation to try cause all of a sudden I clicked into another gear and began getting some decent rides. I even found a few tubes and nailed a couple of airs. I must have gone ballistic cause when I came in I noticed increased my board. Pretty sure it happened on this monster backside straight air I landed in the flats. Oh well, sometimes you have to pay to play.

5-22-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 16
There was more south in the water then NW wind swell. I had a gig in Santa Barbara at 3pm leaving me just the morning. The tide was very low making the best option in my mind Fruits. As soon as I got to the beach I noticed the wind was already up out of the NW. It was light enough that the waves were still surf-able. I figured I had an hour before it got completely trashed. There were fun chest to head high south peaks coming in up and down the beach with no one out. I jumped in and immediately got stuck in a rip. Turns out the waves were way shiftier than they looked. For first half of the surf I was constantly either too deep or too far on the shoulder. Classic south swell. Then I stopped paddling for waves and let myself drift allowing the waves come to me. This strategy worked a bit better. Ryan and his son paddled and must have brought the wind with them cause fifteen minutes after they came out the NW really picked up. This was fine since I had to get out for work anyway. As far as the gig went it was a fund raiser for the PAWS foundation at the Music Academy of the West. It should have been straight forward except it was an appetizer heavy event with twelve apps and two stationary sections with only three of us in the kitchen to cover that spread. We had two hours to feed 180 people. It was definitely a shit show. I was covering a six app spread by myself. At the end of the day the client was happy and we pulled it off. When I got home I was completely exhausted.

5-21-22 AM Session: 3-4+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 10
My wife and I had a rather busy day today leaving me a small surf window in the morning. We headed over to Strand chasing what steep NW wind swell was still in the water. There was a light WNW breeze on it adding a bit of bump and crumble, though it was still very surf-able. I saw a handful of decent lefts roll through off Tower 5 and the Shit Pipe to warrant a paddle. I took out my Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy model which functions as a perfect step down from their Hacksaw performance shortboard model. I jumped in with low expectations and had a blast. There were chest to head high runners out there and I was the only guy out. The wind didn’t hold off for long and after an hour it had really come up. Following the surf we had a quick breakfast before heading up to Santa Barbara to catch the last weekend that the Santa Barbara Museum of Art was to show their Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. My wife being in the industry had not yet gotten a chance to view the show. I haven’t seen a real Van Gogh since I was a kid in NYC at the MET so it was cool to take in a bit of his art as an adult. From there we had an early dinner at this new Sicilian restaurant on State Street called Bedda Mia. The food was exquisite as was the service and the atmosphere. It was definitely more on the pricey side for dining, but worth every penny. If you’re in the Downtown Santa Barbara area I highly recommend a meal there. I can’t wait to go back. We ate an early dinner cause we had tickets to the final performance of the Santa Barbara Symphony featuring the Marcus Sanders Trio playing Gershwin. The first act was the Symphony doing a classical piece followed by a very cool arrangement of Gershwin Concerto in F for the trio and symphony. I’d say it was a good listen though had I known the trio had played the Lobero Theater earlier in the week I probably would have just gone to that performance. Also my wife and I found it quite a discomfort to be forced to wear masks the entire show. I thought we were done with all this bs. You know I am getting old when I decide to head home at 10pm rather then continue on to the Wild Cat. Oh how times change.

5-20-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 52
There was lots of swell in the water this morning. Solid south swell and solid NW wind swell. I had a look at Strand again wishing it would work. It wasn’t, no surprise there. I went home, ate some breakfast, packed my boards and chef stuff and headed to Rincon. I had to work a charity event in SB in the afternoon and with gas now over six bucks a gallon I was not about to drive back to Hueneme from Rincon then back to SB in the afternoon. Rincon was solid chest to head plus. The crowd was moderate for what was coming through. It was one of those days where you could basically catch a runner from anywhere on the point. I paddled out at River Mouth and worked my way down to the Cove getting decent waves all the way through and a few burns here and there. I did three drifts before my legs were absolutely burning. I’d say it was a fun Rincon day to say the least.

5-19-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 16
It was glassy out at the beaches today, GLASSY!!!! I can’t remember the last time it was glass down in Oxnard. I cruised to Strand first where it almost looked fun. I might have paddled out had I not run into my friend Brady leaving, who said it wasn’t worth it and described basically how it’s been out there the past few swells. From there I headed to Shores. It was a little better then yesterday though the bars still had a lot of holes making the majority of the wave die out in deep water. On a last ditch effort before running up to the points which also had waves I met my friend Matt at Fruit Stands where we saw a few fast corners among the close outs. The points were still the best bet but it was hard to waste such a glassy day. We paddled and it was definitely faster then it looked, bigger too, sets pushing over head. I managed two decent left hand tubes and a handful of rip-able corners. Plus no one was out. After the surf I had to go shape. My evening was spent with my wife at the Santa Barbara Wine and Food walk in downtown Santa Barbara. Basically you could go into ten art galleries, eat a small bite and taste some wine. After that there was an after party at the Arlington Theater that was bit lame. It was nice to get out and about, but I don’t think I will participate next year.

5-18-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 35
Miles Driven: 18
Today was another blah morning of surfed. I checked everything from Hueneme to Shores. Considering the wind already blow kind NW and the incoming tide I decided just to go back and surf Hueneme. Rock Side was peaky and at the very least surf-able. I jumped in and found some barrels and boosts and as per Hueneme standard lots and lots of close outs. I had a terrible case of last wave syndrome that kept me out there way longer then I needed to be. After the surf I spent my day shaping some freshies for customers.

5-17-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 2
Of course the wind decided to come up at 9am this morning. Luckily for me there was sort of a surf-able wave out front. I was on the fence of paddling Hueneme or heading to Leo. As I deliberated on my options I saw a few decent wedges come off the south side of the pier with just two guys out. That side of the pier is almost never empty when there are waves. I paddled and it turned out to be more solid then I thought. It was way more tricky too. There was a stiff rip coming off the Piet which is what was forcing the waves to wedge up. This also forced me to constantly be paddling as to not get sucked too far outside. Then the wave was sucking steep and below sea level in the take off with a bit of backwash on it followed by a very fast running wall more times then not into a heavy dumpy close out. I took my share of beatings. I got six sick ones that made it all worth it. Water was still freezing maybe 52. I’m getting tired of chasing subpar surf in frigid waters. I have a gig this evening at the Natural History Museum in Santa Barbara. It will be my first time working there since the dreaded grill fire that put me out of business back in February of 2020. Stay tuned to see how it goes.

5-16-22 PM Session: 2-3+ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 62
There was some fresh south swell in the water and a slight increase in the wind swell. Feeling lazy I sleep in till nine then headed over to Strand where the surf had potential with a bit less tide. I knew Ventura Harbor would have something to ride but I just couldn’t do another surf on those shitty waves. I headed home to build some surf board racks for my garage. At one Bizarro and I cruised back to the ship where we met C.C. It was actually worse with the lower tide and the wind had come up. Over it we decided to chase the south swell down to LA. County Line looked ok, but didn’t quite have what I was searching for. We cruised on to Zeros. I ran into Hugo and Oscar in the lot. There were a few boost-able looking cross ups dumping on the beach that got me excited. Biz shot water. As usual it was more tricky and weird then it looked. Even though the crowd was light the sets were very inconsistent and the takeoff zone tiny making it a bit frustrating especially trying to film. I got some decent lefts. After about forty minutes the wind came up hard out of the NW, thanks Surfline for predicting light WSW winds all day. It didn’t take long before the surf was trashed and we were out of there. That was fine cause the water was freezing anyway. Looks like there should be a bit more south swell and wind swell mix for the rest of the week.

5-15-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Surfers Knoll
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 18
A pelican may not seem very large on the beach but when it’s in the back of your car with its wings spread out and attempting to peck your head with its fish tooth it is without a doubt a humongous creature. I’ll get to that story after the surfing. The forecast was rather grim for the day and with a mid morning high tide options were limited. I cruised to Ventura Harbor figuring it would most likely be the only option around. Not expecting much I only packed my grovel boards. New Jetty was similar to yesterday only a bit smaller, more mushy and back to its usual crowded self. Ryan and I decided to paddle the bar on the south side of the Jetty where there were fast mixed peaks up and down the beach. There were a few but over all it was a bit wonky and weird making it difficult to really lay into a good turn or section. Overall it just felt like I was reaction surfing. After the surf my wife and I were driving out of the Harbor when we noticed this Pelican just sitting in the middle of the road not moving when approached by cars. We pulled over and my wife got out with a blanket, threw it over the bird and carried it to the car. We made arrangements to meet up with a representative from the Wildlife Care Network in Santa Barbara to meet us by the Seward entrance to the 101 so he could take the bird to their center in Goleta. They do great work with sick and injured wildlife. As we were driving over there I stupidly took the blanket off the pelican’s head. Once able to see the beast decided it was in danger and lunged at me. Now it was me covering my head with the blanket as to not get pecked, while my wife drove throughout all this chaos. When we met with the guy for the exchange he had two other pelicans with him and apparently they had gotten over ten in the past twenty four hours. Something must have been awry. Hopefully our pelican got the care it needed.

5-14-22 AM Session: 3-4+ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 18
There was more of the same junky wind swell with light onshore winds on offer. I had a wedding to work in the Santa Ynez Valley to work at 2:30 leaving me a limited amount of time to surf. That being the case I headed for The Harbor. New Jetty had a weak burger coming in just off the Jetty. It was a tad larger then yesterday and with the dropping tide it appeared there were a few sections to be had. The crowd was light with only a handful of guys. I made the most out of what was coming in with two decent rights and a couple of ok lefts. At the very least it was exercise. As far as the gig went, first off I got hoodwinked into taking it. I was supposed to be at Elings Park in Santa Barbara, but got switched last minute. My stupid ass didn’t look at the confirmation text assuming I was replying to the Elings gig . When I checked this morning to see what time I had to report I saw that I had inadvertently agreed to work up at Foxen Canyon Ranch in Los Olivos. I’m a trooper and a man of my word thus showed up. The gig went smooth enough except for the fact that we lost power a number of times, which made keeping an oven running a tad bit difficult but we pulled it off as usual.

5-13-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 18
Today was the first real no swell day I have seen around here in over a month. With few options I met my friend Matt at The Harbor. The New Jetty pack was surfing my usual peak over at the Knoll. I would assume it was because New Jetty was a bit of a burger. I was a tad surprised that crew was able to think for themselves and surf a different spot even if it was just on the other side of the jetty. River Mouth was breaking way outside and all over the place offering little shape if any. Taking all of this into consideration we decided to just paddle New Jetty where at the very least there were a few peaks to be had. It turned out to be way more weak and wonky then it looked. As the tide dropped there were a few double ups that were almost surf-able. The real let down was with the lower tide surf stayed mushy but just mushed farther out. None the less I managed a few alright ones. I definitely did better then I had the past two days. After the surf I met up with my wife for some brunch and an afternoon beach chill over by Thornhill beach just south of Point Mugu. You couldn’t beat the weather. It figures as soon as we get decent conditions the surf turns off. The current forecast is looking a bit dismal too.

5-12-22 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 2
Once again I was screwed by Hueneme again this morning. First off the wind was on it from early light this morning out of the NW. There was a tad more north in it making conditions out front side shore/offshore. Rockside looked fun and not wasting anytime I paddled. As soon as I hit the water I was stunned by the icy cold upwelling that had moved in. That water had to be 45 degrees. It was so cold my teeth hurt. Right off the bat I picked off two decent rights. Then I think the fast dropping tide completely shut it down. All of a sudden there was nothing but close outs and the wind also steadily took its toll adding too much chop on the face. Taking all this into account and the frigid water I decided to end my session early. I drove home and took a hot shower cause my body was near hypothermic. My afternoon and evening was spent working a gig at the Santa Barbara Women’s Club.

5-11-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 52
Sometimes when you chase the two birds in the bush you lose. There I found myself looking at small, windy but perfectly rip-able North Strand this morning. I should have just paddled. Then I got word that Little Rincon had a wave. It wasn’t a “get here” now sort of report but a “it has potential”. I scored it on Monday with a similar report and decided to roll the dice. But I crapped out. The steadily dropping tide had all but shut down Little ‘Con, Rincon was tiny, out of options I cruised to Pitas. There was some broken up windswelly peaks with four guys on it about chest high. It was definitely nothing to freak about. I saw enough potential for two good turns, maybe an air. Jeffery and I paddled and as soon as we hit the water the wind went nuts out of the WNW trashing what meager offerings were out there. Everyone bailed and I was left out the back fighting the current for Florida chop crap. I got my exercise and got one three turn right that I finished up with a reverse for a 4.5 if the judges felt so inclined. I think I spent too much time watching the snapper comp the past few days. Tomorrow is another day.

5-10-22 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
The NW swell steepened up and gained just enough period to turn off the points leaving me looking to the beaches. Hueneme was small and junky. The Ship had size with zero shape. While checking it I could feel the WNW wind already on my face. Rather then waste my day on the hunt I decided to just paddle the North End. To its credit there were some decent bowls off Tower 1. I jumped in and got on an absolute tear. I ripped so hard I knocked the kick off my pad yet again. I love steep tall kicks but this one may be a little to much as it constantly gets ripped off either by my foot pressure or my leash. I ran back to the car where I always keep a tube of crazy glue just for such an occasion. Of course in this interim the wind went from light to howling. At North Strand this wind can sometimes blow into the lefts making them super punchy plus it’s great air wind. Being a bit tired from two point break days in a row I put my twenty waves in and called it a day.

5-9-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 52
My morning started at The Ship, where there was plenty of size but not very good shape. The North Strand was clouding breaking way outside. As I was leaving I got a call from C.C. That Hueneme looked “like Backdoor” as he put it, whatever that means. I was about to go over there when he called back that the wind went onshore and it was shit. I rolled the dice and headed to Rincon. Word was there was a wave there though a bit junky with more WSW wind. The Cove had a few, but it was pretty small, very junky and a tad busy for the low quality. If I had my fish with me I might have paddled. Jeffery was at Pitas where it was also junky but larger. I headed that way with a quick stop at Little Rincon. I saw two chest high drainers roll through behind the rock that stoked me up to surf. Salar showed up and we decided to paddle. We must have lucked into a window cause for 45 minutes it was on. The current was on too. The drift was so intense I had to paddle the entire session just to hold position. I definitely was pleasantly surprised just how much fun it was. Then it just completely turned off and I borderline had to paddle in. We have a new YouTube edit up on the Clarks YouTube channel featuring some Strand, Hueneme and Rincon sessions from a month ago or so. Check it out https://youtu.be/tVJ4SiXvaCE

5-8-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 52
It used to be that I would go to bed each night with a very good idea of where I might go surfing in the morning. Lately figuring out where to surf is like betting on a tic tac toe playing chicken. This particular morning there was plenty of swell in the water but plenty of wind too. With hard NW wind pelting the VTA beaches I decided to try my hand at Rincon. The Buoys appeared to contain enough west on them to warrant the drive, though these days even the buoys are suspect. Of course the wind was WSW from Emma Wood up to Santa Barbara leaving an ugly bump on all the spots that way. Rincon had some solid chest to head high plus runners despite the south funk. With the size and the drained tide the chop on the face was rather manageable. I opted to surf the Cove where it was a bit more organized then up top. The crowd was light, maybe fifty guys on the whole point, but everyone could surf making competition for the sets tough at times. There was also a rather stiff current pushing down the point that kept even the biggest frothers in check. I snagged a handful of alright ones, mostly 3-5 turn runs. The really decent ones continued to elude me. I had one absolute drainer I was running the tube on till some kid got right in the middle of my line. Not wanting to risk a potentially horrible collision I pulled through the back. Honestly I doubt I was going to make it out of the tube anyway. I actually suck at riding the tube at Rincon. The barrel there is usually a high line set up making it rather tricky backside and though hallow there isn’t a lot of running room once inside making it hard to adjust on the backhand as well. I know, excuses, excuses. After three drifts I was pretty gassed. I still hadn’t got that one magical one I was looking for. I jumped back in, picked two bad waves, one that died out and another double up that ran away from me. This left me fighting the rip mid way down the Cove completely spent. As I was just about to throw in the towel I saw a set out the back. The first two rolled through the outside ridden. The third rolled through and then doubled up right in front of me. It was one of those special moments at Rincon where you just feel like you have one a prize. I stroked into it, small at first but as soon as it hit the inside bar the wave stood up overhead and drained. I got a few hits, skirted the tube a bit then got in a few more bashes to the freeway. That was all she wrote for me. Sometimes the surf gods shine on us. Later that afternoon I cruised to Home Depot to pick up more 2×4’s so that I could frame out my new shaping room. Don’t forget if you’re in need of a new board I shape all the Clarks Surfboards now and would be more then stoked to build you a board. Customs start at $550 and if you mention you’re a reader and subscribe I’ll take an extra 10% off your order!!!

5-7-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10
There were high hopes set on this morning. The NW swell was supposed to calm down a bit and the south swell still to go strong. I visions of glassy crossed up beach break barrels in my mind only to wake up at 7am to onshore slop everywhere. Once again Rincon and the north points were small. I did the most sensible thing and paddled North Strand. My window was only till about noon having to once again work a wedding in Santa Barbara at the Moxi. There were some ugly looking peaks in the chest to head plus range. I got in the mix starting at the Jetty in the mood for some rights. After a couple I realized it was just too weak for my liking. Then I did what I always do drift down to Tower 1 and hunt for against the grain lefts. I lucked into a few but once again it was just a whatever North Strand.

5-6-22 PM Session: 4-6+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
I had to work a charity lunch in Hope Ranch up in Santa Barbara leaving me a small surf window in the morning. I got word that the points with the exception of Ventura point were on the small side. I had a look at the VTA beaches. There was plenty of size and swell but they were all mixed up as a result of too much combo swell. I headed north. Pitas had a wave but was junky as was Hobson’s. Just about out of time I pulled off at Rincon just for a look. When I walked down the trail I was greeted with a six wave chest to head high set. Apparently there was some very long period west in the water, which is why the reports I got were small. These sets were easily 15-20 minutes apart. I definitely didn’t have enough time to suit up and get a few. At the very least I could keep it in mind for a surf on the way home from my gig. The event was a plated lunch for 270 people and I was kept rather busy as a result. I got finished around 2:30 and started home. Rincon still had some waves but the wind had picked up out of the south. Between that and the fat tide it wasn’t looking all that inviting. Word was that the wind in Ventura was light WSW. I cruised to Strand. The Ship was junky, while the North End had solid head to overhead peaks. It was a bit sloppy but manageable. I was out of options and paddled. As usual I had a bit of a confusing surf. I never know where to be at North Strand or even which waves to pick. Most of the time I end up in the wrong spot or paddling around in circles missing all the good ones. Today was no exception. I luck into a handful of lefts but overall it was a lot of work for what was out there.

5-5-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
The channel had swell from just about every direction this morning. I needed to make a decision whether to chase the south swell to Malibu with C.C., run up to Rincon or take my chances at the beach breaks here. My Rincon report came back smaller then yesterday. I tried to catch C.C. to jump in with him and go down to the ‘bu, but he had already left. I cruised to Strand. The ship had consistent head high plus peaks up and down the beach of no real consequence. There were about thirty guys spread out. It looked fun enough so I paddled. Unfortunately I left my good wave board at home and was too lazy to go back for it. Strand can shut down so quickly these days that in the time I took me to go to Hueneme and back I might miss out. I grabbed my step down, which in its own right is a great short board. The board was fine except on a few of the heavier ones where it was a bit squirrelly. Sometimes being a a little under gunned allows you to draw lines you wouldn’t normally and thus makes for an interesting session. I realized also that I need to start getting back into airs. Lately all I have been doing is a plethora of turns. It also didn’t help that my body was pretty gassed from yesterday’s double session, three consecutive days at Rincon and a fairly busy catering week. Biz showed up to film a few and I managed couple of really decent clips. After two hours I was spent even though it was still fun with only two guys out. Timing is everything and today if I had come an hour later would have been the score. The rest of my day I took it easy, did a bit of yard work and some office stuff.

5-4-22 PM Session: 3-4+ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 52
My gig was easy, just passed apps for a cocktail party of 300 or so for the Santa Barbara women’s society. I had actually worked the same event before the pandemic under Pete Clements Catering. This time I was under the guise of Santa Barbara based Catering Connection. It was a rather easy event and I was done by 6pm leaving me ample time to grab a sunset surf at the ‘Con. Sure enough even with the incoming tide there were still plenty of chest plus sets coming through with a rather light crowd. The River Mouth had some runners and I started up there. The waves were larger but the pace just a tad too fast for me especially on a second session after working on my feet for three hours. I surfed my way down to the Cove which was more my speed. Right off the bat I got three good set waves. After that I cooled it on the inside for a few to allow other guys to get a few sets before paddling back into first position. I did a quick hour, got some fun ones then headed home.

5-4-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
There was more NW energy in the water. Once again I got word that Rincon was on. I had a catering gig up in SB at 3pm. My plan was to check Strand and if it wasn’t any good head up to Rincon and cruise to work after. I met C.C. at the Ship. Though it didn’t look great we saw some fun looking overhead lefts. The crowd was fairly light and I was in the mood for some beach break. Biz showed up to film so it was on. As it turned out the good ones were a bit inconsistent. That being said I scored three phenomenal lefts among a handful of other fun ones. I would have surfed another hour had I not needed to cruise to SB. I decided to pack my surf gear just in case there was enough daylight to score a few lines a Rincon before dark after my job.

5-3-22 AM Session: 3-5+ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 62
I got word early that Rincon was overhead up top and fairly uncrowded, Little ‘Con too. There was a bit of wind already showing at my house thus I headed up north. On the drive up I could see swell energy everywhere. This winter in Spring theory is no joke. I walked down to Rincon to see what was happening. Sets were solid but it looked a bit soft. I bailed to little ‘Con. There were some screaming head plus rights rolling through. It looked fast then slow and there were about fifteen guys on it. If only the break had only five guys I would have paddled, but with fifteen there was no room for me. Instead I went back to Rincon and paddled River Mouth. I had a bit of a frustrating start to my session. I found myself out of position or someone deeper then me on the first ten waves I paddle for. Then a solid runner came right to me and I snagged it only to get burned royally by some dude on the shoulder. I could have chased him down but decided to pull through the back and save my energy. I didn’t give the situation another thought till the dude who burned me paddled back out, sat next to me and claimed he went cause I back paddled him and he had been waiting for that wave for a while. Back paddled him!? I guess you could say that if you consider back paddling catching the wave fifty yards deeper up the point and being in the perfect spot. I was flabbergasted. We had a few words before I just paddled away deeper up the point. On my next wave, a solid overhead runner the same dude paddled on me again. This time I smashed it right in his face then absolutely destroyed the rest of the wave all the way past the River Mouth. That was the last I saw of that guy. From then on my luck turned around and I just got in the zone. It was one of those days where no matter where on the point you sat you could get a runner. When this is the case I end up surfing from indicator all the way down to the Freeway taking waves the entire way. I did three of these runs. On my last wave through the Cove 534 yards according to my watch my legs were spent. At my age surfing longevity is my main priority, so when my body tells me it’s time to quit I listen. Besides I had more then surfed my fill. The rest of my afternoon into the wee hours of the night was spent watching finals day at the WSL Margret River comp. I’d say it was a decent day off.

5-2-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 52
I must be the biggest surf jinx to ever walk the planet. When I lived in Santa Barbara Strand went off for years. Finally I buy a house down in Hueneme, five miles from the Ship and it’s been the worst year I can remember out there. On top of that it’s been a really, really slow start to the south swell season, while the NW swells which had basically eluded us the majority of the winter are in full force. It begs the question of global climate change for sure. This morning there was a fair amount of solid NW mid period swell. I got word that all the north points had waves and Rincon was head high. I met C.C. at the ship where there were some head high plus lefts coming in. With the incoming tide it was a bit soft and sectiony. The wind was beginning to come up out of WNW which put the final kibosh on surfing there. Over it we jumped in his car and cruised up to Rincon. It wasn’t as good as we had hoped but that being said the waves were chest to head high with a little chop on the face and the crowd was very light. We paddled up at Indicator and after a few waves realized that the waves were a bit weak and tricky with a bump on the face. It took a lot of work to put together a good ride. I felt really squirrelly on my first few waves and then ate it on a big backside hit. When I got back to my board I realized that my tail kick had ripped off my pad. This explained my weak performance. Luckily for me I was able to bum a little wax on the beach. Still having an uneven footing on the back of my board left my ability to fully utilize the waves wanting. We got a few more and bailed. Later that evening I had to work a wedding on the beach in Santa Barbara. It went smooth enough except for the fact that the event Capitan cut me after two and half hours when I was scheduled for four. I was able to finagle an extra half hour doing clean up and break down, but still it’s a long drive to have your hours cut. Thus is the downside of the freelance catering racket.

5-1-22 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 10
Today was Kevin’s last day here in California. I was feeling a bit bummed. Having him in town the past few days I was reminded of the old days tearing up whatever the ocean threw our way. The wind was up early and with the NW wind swell the predominant swell in the water we had our sights set on North Strand. It was rather scrubby, small and sloppy out there. We saw a few weak looking chest high ones roll through . Anthony pulled up all psyched and was the hype man we needed to make the paddle. For me it’s a rarity when the waves pan out to be worse then they look. Today that was that case. Once out there we realized just how weak it was and that most of set waves were just useless close outs. I suppose it’s only right to send Angers off with waves of Florida quality. After the surf my wife and I hung with the Angers family till they had to leave. While hanging out I met this dude named Steve who has his own contracting company and had a bunch of scrap wood he was throwing out. Currently I’m in the process of building a new shaping room in my garage and was more then happy to take it all off his hands. I’m always in a constant state of awe on the kindness of my friends.