Surfing Ruined My Life

May 2024 Surf Sessions

5-31-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 2 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 18
Considering there was still a bit of wind swell in the water my first stop was Strand. Unlike yesterday word must have gotten out cause the Ship was packed with easily fifty guys spread out from the Jetty to the Shit Pipe. I was still debating paddling the Bowl near Tower 4 where I saw a few decent empty lefts. Before I could make that decision ten guys paddled there as well. Still I was going to commit till I got back to my car and saw another twenty guys suiting up. That was it for me. I had a look at Shores but but wasn’t really happening. Jeffery said he thought New Jetty looked fun but when I got there it sucked. Ultimately Jeffery and I paddled Fruit Stands out of complete desperation. There were a few drifty peaks here and there. I actually picked off a few decent lefts and rights as did Jeffrey though I’d say it was still not as good as Strand. To surf chest plus waves with just your buddy out in Southern California is such an anomaly these days that I suppose I was stoked. The rest of my day was spent working a catering job in Santa Barbara.

5-30-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 10
Surprisingly enough the Ship was solid this morning with a light crowd. I jumped in and for whatever reason just couldn’t find my rhythm. It was a little wonky and on the weak wind swell side so I’m sure that had a bit to do with it. I managed a few but overall it wasn’t my best surfing. Hey anytime you can surf the Ship at the end of May with solid chest plus a waves is a score. I had a catering gig in SB that encompassed the remainder of my day and evening.

5-29-24 PM Session: 1-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 12
There was slight rise in wind swell though still the morning was barely pushing waist high. I had a high end luncheon to work on a private estate in Santa Ynez Valley leaving me with just the afternoon. Reports had the surf picking up all day and wind staying relatively light. I had a look at Hueneme around four when I got home and it was still looking rather meager. Considering the steep swell angle I cruised to Strand. The Ship had a waist plus albeit wonky and backwash riddled wave coming through with only a few kooks on soft tops, most likely Airbnb people sitting in the bowl. I paddled the Ship and made the most of it but it was definitely a weak grovel. Then towards the end of my session this family showed up with soft tops, body boards and some even swam. I’m talking like ten randoms completely clogging the inside directly in front of me. There’s hundreds of yards of beach to play in the ocean but they had to do it right in front of me basically putting the kibosh on my surf. I guess it was fine since I had to get home to prepare dinner for my wife anyway. Looks like more wind swell on tap for the next few days.

5-28-24 No Surfind: 1-2 ft,
Miles Driven: 2
I really wanted to surf today after not surfing the past two days. The tide was high early so I had a look at Hueneme but it was still way to small as was all the PCH cams. I had some Clarks Surfboard business to attend to over in Ventura and figured I’d get a little bit of work done in the morning, let the tide drop then head over and check Ventura Harbor. As I was in route I got a call from Jeffrey that the Harbor was completely not surf-able. Jeffrey is way more frothy then me so if he couldn’t find a wave then I was totally over it. Instead I bought a bunch of blanks for my latest venture to start making stock boards to put into some surf shops on consignment. I tried this about five years ago in the more premature days of Clarks and lost a bunch of money. Now that we are more established and the boards are really coming out sick I think it’s important customers can put my boards next to a lost, Pyzel and Channel Islands and see that my boards are in the same wheel house. Time will tell. Please, if your interested in ordering a custom reach out. For the time being prices still start at just $585.

5-27-24 No Surfind: 1-2 ft,
Miles Driven: 2
Today was yet another down day for surfing, maybe even smaller then yesterday if one could believe that. I could have found a grovel but want into that. Instead I enjoyed another lazy day in bed with with my wife followed by brunch and capped off with a round of golf. I’d say I made the most of my time. Looks like another shit day waves tomorrow as well.

5-26-24 No Surfind: 1-2 ft,
Miles Driven: 12
There aren’t too many days around here we’re it’s borderline not surf-able. Today was pretty darn close with knee high at best conditions at every beach within a forty mile radius of my home. Instead I enjoyed a lazy Sunday Morning followed by brunch with my wife. Bizarro needed a ride to the LAX in the evening. He was headed to NYC to chill with his Mom for a week. After we dropped him off my wife and I decided to be tourists and visit the Santa Monica Pier. In all the years I’ve lived and been coming to California I have never actually been on the pier. We experienced it in all its glory or lack there of. It was a fun time but I doubt I will be heading back anytime soon.

5-25-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
Wow today was actually a sunny day, the first I’ve seen since San Diego and of course I had to work a thing up in Solvang. At the very least I had the morning. My wife decided to join me on my surf for the first time since her surgery. Stoked, we headed to Strand as there was just enough wind swell on the buoys to warrant a look. Sure enough there was a waist to stomach high wave albeit on the weak side. There were two regulars out that I’m friendly with and plenty of weak shitty waves to go around. Overall it was a pretty grinding session that was only made worthwhile due to my ability to make terrible waves look decent. Then I grabbed a quick bite to eat with my wife before heading up two and half hours to the Santa Ynez Valley to cook food for a 90th Birthday Party. The highlight of the evening happened as I was about to leave and the client wanted some type of sugary sauce for the beautiful fruit platters I sent out. Why anyone would want to ruin really good fruit with a sauce is besides me. Somehow I managed to make a very tasty red wine/sugar simple syrup that I finished off with a shot of fire ball to add a bit of spice.

5-24-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 40
It was yet another morning of onshore winds and small waves. The smart money would have been to take the day off altogether but my new furniture was being delivered and I didn’t want to deal with it. My wife decided to work from home so she could be the point person. This gave me a pass to surf and any married man knows that if you get a hall pass you use it no matter how bad the waves are. I drove to Zeros finding absolutely nothing. On the way back I parked at County to try and talk myself into paddling. I couldn’t find the motivation. My boy Kai and owner of the Sparkling water company I surf for Rad Can was also checking it and talked me into paddling with him. The surf was as bad as it looked but Kai and I had not surfed together in a while making it more of a social affair. Every so often a real south set would show offering a bash-able section. It’s always better to surf. The rest of my afternoon was committed to a rush job ding repair for a customer who needed his board back in time for tomorrow’s Point Mugu surf contest. I’m not sure what degree of terrible waves they will be surfing but dude got his board back and was stoked.

5-23-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, County Line
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 40
There was a fair amount of wind swell on the buoys, enough that I was sure Strand would have a wave at the Ship. The wind came up hard onshore by 8 am forcing me to head south to chase whatever left over south swell was still in the water. I checked everything to Zeros ultimately paddling County Line. I started on the beach break but wasn’t really feeling it. There were some inconsistent rights peeling on the reef thus I paddled over there for the remainder of my surf. It was a hard grovel but I made some diamonds out of coal. The rest of my day was spent running errands and moving all the furniture out of my bedroom because my new bedroom set is being delivered tomorrow morning.

5-22-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 2
I had a full day of catering up in Santa Barbara leaving me with a very short window to surf this morning. Luckily Hueneme was doing it’s thing courtesy of the NW/SW combo. The entire beach was peaky and looked like a skate park. I paddled the north side of the pier and snagged a handful of lefts and rights. In classic Hueneme fashion after about thirty minutes the surf became inconsistent and weird. It was still very surf-able but had it looked as it did now I definitely wouldn’t have paddled. I did my hour and bailed. As far as work went it was five hours of kitchen prep for a three hour appetizer gig.

5-21-24 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 38
Check out wasn’t until 11am allowing us to enjoy a lazy morning in bed, a luxury my wife and I rarely ever have. I was torn between trying to surf at one of the La Jolla reefs or head home and get a session at Trestles. My wife had never been over by that zone of La Jolla so that’s where we headed. It seemed like we had just missed it when we got to Wind and Sea. The wind was up, there was a solid crowd for what was out there and the waves that were coming in didn’t look all that fun. We stopped to get lunch at a small panini shop just down the street from Wind and Sea where we ran into professional surfer and YouTube sensation Jacob “Zeke” Zebriski. I’m a fan of his channel and shook his hand. The plan was to head north, look at lowers and if that wasn’t appealing just cruise home and sort something out along the PCH in Malibu. Lowers was packed and not that great and it was already too windy for both Cottons and Uppers. Onward home we continued. Leo looked the best of it even though it was a little inconsistent and definitely crowded. I didn’t want to be lazy and flake on another surf. Like I said a few posts earlier I haven’t been very surf motivated lately and if I start continually skipping surfs due to poor conditions that becomes a very slippery slope leading to not surfing at all. Every time I speak to an older guy about why they stopped surfing it’s always the same story. He stopped surfing bad waves and then days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, etc. Lets face it in Southern California the waves are always shitty or it’s windy or it’s crowded. It’s not hard to make excuses not to surf. I jumped in and the water was freezing. I left my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model, my groveler at home so I had to ride my Fly Guy model which in its own right can handle the small stuff and it was easily fifteen minutes between sets. My wife was feeling rather lethargic from all the traveling and opted to sleep in the car. Rather then leave her for dead for longer then needed I caught a few decent set waves that ran all the way down the point and called it a day. Seven good waves at Leo is all you need anyway. Finally we arrived home ready to relax.

5-20-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, No Surfing
Miles Driven: 34 (Chula Vista)
My wife’s flight was coming into San Diego airport around 9 am. I got up bright and early cause I wanted to stop and get her flowers. I bought a dozen red roses for my wife and a small bouquet of sunflowers for my sister in law. Rather then just pick them up curb side I parked and meet the ladies at the baggage claim. My wife was so happy she jumped into my arms. We got breakfast on the way home since she had been traveling since 4:15 am east coast time after which she went and took a nap while I cruised over the the Sunset Cliffs to see if I could sort out a surf. The wind was already on it hard and tide not the best. There were a few guys out at some of the various reefs but I didn’t see anything that stoked me out. On the way back I checked the Ocean Beach Pier but it looked god awful. Ultimately I decided to throw in the towel and not surf. My wife and I booked a night at the newly renovated Lafayette Hotel in the University Park area. The place was a historical hotel that was the it place to stay in the 1940’s. The new owners spared no expense to bring it back to its former glory. They did an amazing job of combining the feeling of the 40’s with some modern comforts. What an amazing place and I highly recommend even if you don’t stay at the hotel to stop in for a look around or a drink. Lobby bar is one of the coolest bars I’ve seen. For dinner we ate at Quixote this high Mexican/Spanish/Haute fusion spot that was in the hotel. The inside was actually a rebuild church that was brought piece by piece from the Oaxaca region of Mexico and then rebuilt. It was a tapas menu and food exquisite. We enjoyed duck carnitas, charred octopus, fried grasshoppers, a tasty crudité platter and house made guacamole. For dessert we got arroz con leche balls deep fried and sugared like a churro. I was very impressed. My only complaint was that the tables were very tiny making it hard to eat a tapas menu where you have multiple shared plates plus a bottle of wine and the lighting was a tad too dark for my tastes. I couldn’t see what I was eating. It did make for a very romantic setting. We finished the evening with a night cap at the lobby bar before heading off to bed. Photo from Sunset Cliffs.

5-19-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Blacks Beach, SD
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 48 ( from Chula Vista)
I woke up to my sister in law’s dog Charlie slobbering all over me wanting breakfast. It was past nine. I must have been exhausted to have slept in that late. I feed the beast then got on the road and headed to Blacks. Whenever I’m in town I always try and get one nostalgic session there from the days when I lived in La Jolla and surfed Blacks nearly everyday. Each year I get older the trek down and back up from the beach gets harder thus I usually only go once. The surf was chest to head plus mostly south sets and very inconsistent for the good ones. The wind was on it and there were more stretched waves then runners. I don’t know if my memory fails me but lately I feel like every time I surf Blacks it’s pretty walled. When I lived in SD back in 2000 I remember it being a lot more peaky. The crowd was insane with easily a hundred guys spread out from the entrance all the way to the Glider Port. One thing about Blacks, it’s pretty shifty and I can always get my waves off the pack. I sat in the middle of the beach where the life guards usually set up and when I first got out there managed a handful of fun lefts and rights. One right in particular was a well overhead bomb that I got two big turns on before it closed out that had everyone claiming it was the biggest wave of the morning. As the tide got lower the sets seemed to get more inconsistent and more closed out. The rights just about completely ceased to exist. Then the wind came up hard out of the WSW and completely trashed it. That was my cue to leave. I thought I might try and surf again but the reports just showed shitty wind for the remainder of the day. I got lunch and relaxed back at the house for the afternoon and night. The dog was stoked to have the company. My sister in law had already been gone for three days and he was for sure missing her. Tomorrow morning her and my wife get in from Baltimore and I’m ecstatic to see her. We have spent so much time together the past month that I was really missing my woman.

5-18-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 20
The predicted south swell finally started to show. LA was really cooking but also packed. I had a fundraiser for P.A.W.S to work in Santa Barbara so I wasn’t really in the mood or had the time for crowded surf. Hueneme was too walled. The Shores had potential but the tide was too high. Hoping The Harbor might have a worth while wave I drove over there. New Jetty was packed and horrible and River Mouth wasn’t selling to me. I decided to go back and paddle Shores and make the most out of whatever came in. It was pretty inconsistent and the bars there are a bit scattered leaving holes and troughs everywhere. I got a few. The gig was on the more hectic side but well received. I got back to Hueneme around 7:30 pm then had to load up my car and head south to San Diego to dog sit my sister in law’s dog in Chula Vista. Sometimes it feels like I’m just constantly in motion. I guess that is life in the fast lane.

5-17-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 40
After yesterdays shitty New Jetty session I decided to head back down the PCH. My hunt lead me to Zeros cause I’m a sucker for that place. There were a few chest plus waves coming through with only three guys out. Zach showed up cause he saw my car parked out front and we got on a tear. Can’t go wrong with clean fun lefts with just you, a bud an two other guys out. The rest of my day was spent working a catering gig in Santa Barbara.

5-16-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 18
Small was the call today. I had a look at Hueneme but it wasn’t happening with the lower tide. I got word from Jeffery that New Jetty was surf-able and considering I had a ding repair to give back to him I headed over. There was a waist plus wave with five guys or so on it that was very surfable. I brought out my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model and that board can cut through small mushy gutless conditions like no other. I managed quite a few mini fun ones despite this three pack of kooky twenty something’s that were constantly being aggressive and back paddling even though they sucked at surfing. The rest of my day was spent catering in Santa Barbara.

5-15-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 40
With similar swell in the water as yesterday I didn’t hesitate to head back down the PCH. County was crowded and not great as was Heavens. Leo was packed. Zeros had a handful of guys sitting out the back waiting for the sets while there were some very scrap-able insiders that looked appealing to me. I paddled and got into my usual inside grovel mode picking off anything remotely surf-able. I got my exercise and actually had a surprisingly good time. From the surf I went home and finished my ding cue. My wife was leaving for Baltimore for a work conference for five days via San Diego later in the evening thus I devoted the remainder of my afternoon to her. I was planing for a mellow evening to catch up on some office work when I got a call from my friend Dave who moved to Spain last year that he happened to be in town and wanted to meet up with Ryan and I to catch up. Catching up with old friends is always a fun time.

5-14-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 40
After yesterday I was completely done with trying to sort out waves in Ventura. The PCH zone had been fun for days. Of course I checked Hueneme just for good measure and as usual it sucked. County looked fun on the reef and I was going to paddle but I noticed about six guys also eyeing it and suiting up. There definitely wasn’t enough waves on offer for that. I looked at Heavens but it wasn’t happening. Leo was too drained and crowded. Zeros was surprisingly empty and decent enough. When I say empty I mean no one was out and there were some occasional chest high runners. Yeah the wind was starting to get on it and the incoming tide was about to take its toll, but with no one out I figured I could at the very least make a good hour out of it. That’s basically what I did. After an hour it pretty much turned completely to shit. Zeros gets a bad rap but if you’re a goofy foot and a tech surfer like myself there’s a lot more to that wave then meets the eye. I have probably stuck some of the better end section blasts and airs of my career out there. Just about every really sick left air clip you’ve seen of me in the past three years most likely happened at Zeros. Maybe I shouldn’t give the wave props cause it will be even more crowded. The rest of my day was committed to ding repair.

5-13-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 5
Miles Driven: 18
Initially my plan was to get some work done then try and sort something out along the PCH. Jeffery called me from the Harbor that there was a wave at Rivermouth and he was going to paddle. I had a custom Clarks Surfboards SPF Fish to get to him and pick up a ding repair. I got there just as he was about to paddle. I saw a few solid lefts and decided to suit up and join him. Being that it was already late in the morning the wind came up shortly after I paddled and that coupled with the high tide conditions just became terrible. I had a pretty busy day of ding repair and other Clarks Surfboard related work to take care of. Rather then sit out there in the cold scraping for terrible waves I decided to cut my losses and bail.

5-12-24 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
I woke up on the couch in my spare room this morning. Why is it I can manage to mess up a good thing by being a complete jack ass. When I was kid I never understood how Homer always managed to piss off Marge and get himself in trouble. Then have to spent the entire episode trying to get out of it. After being married I have come to the realization that every man is Homer Simpson in his own way constantly doing the wrong thing. I have been keeping a record of every time I end up on the couch so that I don’t end up there again yet I still do. At the very least my wife was more open to having communications by mid morning. Usually I get stuck on the couch for a few nights before she will even decided to talk to me. The only marital advice I have to give anyone man seeking it is to make sure you have at least one couch you like to sleep comfortably on. No matter what you may think at some point you will need it. We talked out our issues and decided to do some furniture shopping. We have wanted a king size bed for some time and decided to update the entire bedroom set as well. I guess I’ve entered the phase of my marriage now that is make up a fight with an expensive purchase. I sort of remember when my parents went through this phase. As far as surfing goes it was cold onshore wind with minor background south swell showing. I have decided that if the surf isn’t great on Sundays I am going to take it off and enjoy more quality time with my wife and for myself. Sunday is the worst day to surf crowd wise anyway. To be honest, lately I haven’t been really surf motivated. Most days I just feel like I’m just going through the motions to stay in shape. Word was that Harbor had a chest high waves as did county line and that zone. The photo is from the Ventura Point Cam on Surfline.com

5-11-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 18
The NW wind swell had just about completely dropped out leaving just some south swell in play. I cruised back over to the Harbor where I saw a surf-able wave down by the River Mouth with only a handful of guys out. The closest bars looked a little fat and each had a few guys on them. Rather then sit in a pack I kept walking til I found a peak to myself basically directly in front of the Mouth. It was a dumpy waist to chest high peak not worth much more then a quick air or hit section. Every so often a three turn runner would come through and even the odd ball tube but I blew all of those. Eventually about five guys came and crowded my peak. I was cold and over it anyway thus bailed. My wife has been wanting to go up to her family’s ranch in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara for sometime. It was too rainy for it all the weekends we were available. Then she got sick, which put everything on hold. Today she felt up to the journey. It is a trek being a two and a half drive from Port Hueneme. One of the things we miss most about not living in SB anymore is not being in close proximity to north county. I put together a nice picnic Chucuterie board and paired it with a lovely Rose from Beckman. Though the coast was all socked in we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day up in the hills. As usual I stepped in cow shit like I do every time we go there. Overall it was a very splendid day and I was super stoked that my wife is feeling well enough to finally go on some adventures again. You don’t fully appreciate how import the little things in life are or how important the happiness of your partner is until some tragedy like what we just went happens. One thing I can say is that I’m going to do my best to never take my Waite for granted again. The future is bright my friends.

5-10-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 18
I had an appointment with my wife at noon in Oxnard not leaving me much time to surf. Strand was near flat. Chasing the south I drove over to Ventura Harbor. Though a little stretched there were some tubing corners to be had with only a handful of guys spread out from Knoll to Rivermouth. I ran down to the Mouth where my friend Mitch was sitting on a decent enough peak. I must say the surf was still solid and I was glad I brought my Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw Model because there were some really heavy ones to be had. I packed off two decent left hand tubes. As the tide filled in the waves got less hallow thus I went to turns and had just as much fun. That being said eighty percent of the waves were closed out. There were a lot of tough rips and positioning was also a challenge. Ultimately the higher tide and onshore wind turned it off. The water was freezing and I was over it. Considering my time window it was perfect since I got my waves and didn’t feel like I was missing out having to bail. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings then relaxing with my wife.

5-9-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 18
There was still a healthy amount of wind swell in the water as was there some south as well. What should have been another epic day was sadly plagued with south devil winds on all of the points from Ventura Point to Rincon. The Ship was unfortunately under whelming. Forrest called and said he thought Dredge looked fun and I should head over there. Jeffery was at Pitas unhappy with the wind and decided to come down as well. He beat me there and reported back that the higher tide had just about completely turned the place off. He decided to head back up north and take his chances with the wind. I drove into the Harbor to give New Jetty a look. As soon as I walked up I saw a solid set of overhead peeling lefts freight train through with only five guys out. It looked a little fast but totally doable. I watched one more set just to be certain I wasn’t being fooled. I suited and paddled picking off two left screamers that ran down the beach. As the high tide took hold it seemed the sets were getting more and more closed out to the point of borderline not surf-able. There were occasionally good lefts still to be had but I found myself dodging thirty or so close outs then attempting to get back into position for said left. Add to that a tough drift north and bad rips and the session became way more work then I had bargained for. I did get a few sick waves but the effort definitely did not equal the output. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.

5-8-24 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 18
Talk about a pleasant surprise! I woke up to plenty of NW wind swell on all of the buoys and reports of just about every spot from Malibu to Rincon lighting up. Strand was bombing with the Ship way overhead. There were only about thirty guys out and waves breaking all over the place. With the lower tide some of the sets were a bit walled, still there were overhead freight trains to be had and I was out there. That was until I got a call from Forrest that the River Mouth had spitting barrels. I was skeptical but he pulled the be a bud and come surf with me card. I actually needed him to help me deal with the sorry excuse of a boat that Pat left me charge of thus I left some of the best Ship I have seen all year to head over the Harbor where I knew it was going to suck. We suited up, walked all the way down to the Mouth only to realize what I had pointed out from the parking lot that it was too closed out and dumpy to be worth anything. So we drove all the way back to the Ship. I called Bizarro on the drive over to show up and film. Actually as it turned out the surf got better in the interim. I bolted out there and picked off five sick bombs. In his usual fashion Bizarro of course didn’t get there till after and by then the waves got very inconsistent and weird. There were still some good ones to be had. I made the most of it. After the surf Forrest came to look at the boat with me. It’s as I figured the only viable option is to strip it down and sell it for scrap. Another fun Lisanti project. If it weren’t for bad decisions I don’t think I’d make any at decisions at all. Call it the down side of being a dreamer. I got word Rincon was fun in the afternoon and somewhat empty but I was pretty wiped and passed.

5-7-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 70
There was still a healthy amount of NW wind swell around Ventura and there was also some fresh south swell filling into Malibu. I had to pick up a batch of boards from Aqua Tech glassing in Hermosa Beach thus swaying my decision to head south. Bizarro came along to film and we headed straight to the ‘bu. I paddled Second Peak where the waves were chest plus with a rather light crowd. Unfortunately it was a bit stretched though there were a few air sections to be had. Basically I spent the first forty minutes just blasting huge airs and falling when I landed. Towards the end of my surf I found a few runners that were good for three to six turns. With the crowd as light as it was I could have surfed all day but I knew if we didn’t get to Hermosa and back by 3ish we would be killed in rush hour traffic. We definitely stacked a few decent clips and I totally got my fill. There was no reason to be a surfing glutton. I get plenty of waves. We got to Hermosa with out any issues. All the boards came out sweet as usual. Aqua Tech does amazing work. Unfortunately we caught a bit of rush hour traffic on the PCH but still made it home in time to cook dinner for my wife.

5-6-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 22
There was definitely a bump up in the wind swell this morning. After all of the wind we experienced yesterday and last night I’d hope so. The channel was still pretty messed up. I drove over to Strand. The wind was already on. Ship had waves but was a bit messy while the north end was clean yet small and gutless. Hoping Hueneme might benefit from the combo I drove back home for a look. It was small and poor shape. I was on the fence whether I should chase the south swell down the PCH or just go surf junky Ship with Jeffrey. I chose the latter and what a mistake it was. With the incoming tide the messy waves I saw earlier were now also wonky and weird. Add to that some backwash and bone chilling water temperatures and you have a really bad time. The only saving grace was that it was just my boy and I out. I was so cold I couldn’t even make an hour. Today marked the first week my wife decided to return to full time work since falling ill. I’m stoked her recovery is coming along so well. As for me the rest of my day was incorporated to ding repair.

5-5-24 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
The wind came up very strong on the backend of the front and it didn’t do anything for the surf. The 805 was caught in the fetch and not the gain. I heard Malibu had a tiny wave as did the Cove at Rincon but both were too small for me to get exited. Instead I enjoyed a lazy day about the house with my wife. Hopefully we will get some wind swell tomorrow. Here’s a shitty photo of Hueneme before the wind got gnarly.

5-4-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 10
My time was limited this morning as I had to be in Santa Barbara by 11:30am for a wedding. I went straight to Strand and was paddling the Ship by 8am. There was some wonky wind swell left overs on offer with only five guys out. It was nothing special but I gave it an hour of my time. The wedding was my first for the year so far and it was up in the Santa Ynez Valley. The event itself was rather easy and went off with out any issue.

5-3-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 10
The surf was similar to yesterday but maybe a bit more stretched. I got word that Pitas had a wave but had about ten guys on it. Strand seemed to have enough waves to crowd ratio thus AJ and I paddled the ship with Bizarro manning the camera on the beach. We weren’t the only ones keen for it didn’t take long for the crowd to be fifty strong. To add injury to insult the wind came up within the first half hour and the waves got very inconsistent. It wasn’t the surf we had hoped for, but Bizarro did at the very least get a few good clips. The rest of my afternoon/evening was spent working a catering gig in Santa Barbara.

5-2-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 12
The points still had waves but Strand looked super peaky and fun. It was also crazy crowded with easily fifty guys out. We decided to have a look at Hollywood but it wasn’t really happening. Ultimately AJ and I paddled the Ship and Bizarro filmed. The place was a shit show. There were guys from SB, Ventura, LA plus the usual regulars. Not to mention every pro from said zones. There were easily six cameras on the beach not including mine. The waves were consistent and plentiful. The only problem with the crowd was people constantly in the way. I had more then one good section ruined by a random on the inside. That being said AJ and I stacked a bunch of clips. Stay tuned to the Clarks Surfboards YouTube channel for new monthly edits. We considered surfing again in the afternoon but everyone was pretty exhausted plus I wanted to spend some time with my wife who was still healing up from her recent surgery.

5-1-24 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 62
AJ was due to come back through and stay with us for another couple of days stint. I figured I’d have a look around, surf if it were fun, then regroup and surf with AJ in the afternoon. I looked at Strand and it was actually looking rather fun. In the interim that I was checking it the wind came up adding way more chop on the waves then I would have liked. Add to that another twenty guys who also decided to paddle and I was over it. Rather than waste my time and energy on sub par surf I went home and got a bit of ding work finished. Around 2pm AJ showed up and him, Bizarro and I headed up to the points. Rincon was solid chest to head high and borderline pumping through the River Mouth section. It goes without saying that we didn’t hesitate to paddled. Even Bizarro was excited and when he is excited I always paddle. Anyone who knows anything about Bizarro knows that he rarely gets excited about anything. Right off the bat I snagged a handful of really rip-able runners as did AJ. Then about an hour in it just completely turned off. I’m talking borderline not surf-able. I thought I was going to have to paddle in though managed to quit on a modest right I milked into the Cove. Rincon in May? I’ll take it.