November 2016 Surf Sessions
11-30-16 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 3 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 22
I love the sneaker swells that on occasion grace Rincon very below the radar. Well as below the radar as a world class surf spot in plain view of a California major freeway. I wasn’t even thinking about surfing Rincon today. All buoys pointed to the Strand or Emma with the high tide. As I was driving by the ‘Con I did the look back of death and noticed there were some solid lines coming through at the Indicator. I found it a bit odd since my normal Rincon whistle blowers were flat. I almost got into a car accident I was so in awe. I turned around and on further reconnaissance proved that it was decent Rincon with no one out. I met up with Ryan and we paddled the River Mouth. Right off the bat I got sick on through that section respectively. Then I got sucked up to Indicator and got stuck in limbo between high and low Indy and high River. I kept getting close outs or mush burgers or there was a long boarder deeper then me. Frustrated I meandered my way to the River Mouth again and began finally getting some good ones. Unfortunately the wind decided to rear its ugly head out of the south adding annoying bump and crumble on the face and causing flat sections and close outs. I floated down to lower River Mouth and found a few race track runners before ultimately making way to the Cove and then home. I love the ‘Con would left Santa Barbara years ago if it wasn’t for her magnificence.
11-29-16 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 78
I got a call from my boy Angers this morning claiming Strand was off shore and fun. I met Ryan there and sure enough it was sick looking. Every which direction there were waves spinning, spitting and barreling. As it turned out it was very shifty and the good ones were very hard to find. The crowd was light and I found a peak to myself in front of the ship. I had a couple of deep tubes and a few rights I killed. The water was freezing and so was the are with the off shore wind. It was the first session I had this season that truly felt like winter.
11-28-16 PM Session: 1-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 22
Whatever wind swell was in the water form the previous had certainly disappeared. On top of that we were plagued by shitty south wind. I met up with Ryan at Emma Wood. There was still plenty of swell there, but it was all over the place. The tide had become boarder line too low. I watched some guy paddle out and then get swept down the beach with out catching a single wave. Over it I decided to bag the surf and head home. On the way back up the coast the wind changed NW so I had a look at Rincon. It was super small though there were a few runners out there. No one was surfing. I had my fish with me and like I have been saying I am trying to push its limits in every which way. As it turns out the board went well enough considering how small it was. I don’t think I have ever surfed waves that small or weak so well. I love this board.
11-27-16 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
The wind came up super hard and once again there was a super deep morning tide. The afternoon would have most likely had some fun Rincon Cove or other wind swell stalwarts. I had to work thus there was no party for me.
11-26-16 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
It was game day and I had one of the most difficult wedding this season. Despite the rain and other extraneous conditions it went off with out a hitch.
11-25-16 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
I had to work all day and there was a gnarly high tide with some shitty morning winds. From what I heard all I missed was average crowded surf.
11-24-16 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 56
Happy Turkey Day and happy every line up was crowded as fuck day. The tide was crazy high and all the points were packed. Emma was the best of it as far as crowd to wave ratio went. All the peaks were working and most people were relegated to the toll booth peak. The majority of the crowd didn’t seem to know what they were doing. I found a really fun left and right between the life guard tower and the inside reef. Despite the crowd I pretty much had what ever waves I wanted in that region. The rest of my day was spent cooking for my girl friend’s family who were more then appreciative of the final product.
11-23-16 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 64
The swell finally came down for the first time in a few weeks. Conditions were off shore and I knew I could find something at the Harbor. River Mouth didn’t really have any decent sand to speak of although there were a healthy dose of guys on it. New Jetty had a decent looking right running back into the jetty and a mushy left. It didn’t look amazing, but I had my fish in my car and am still testing its metal. Once again the board went great, though I did find that in beach break I might like to try it as a tri-fin. Overall the board worked amazingly and I have begun to get the board to pull off the bottom and go vertical.
11-22-16 AM Session: 2-3 + ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven:44
There were still a fair amount of WNW left overs in the water coupled with a small NW wind swell. I had a look at Rincon. It was weak and crowded for the less then average morsels coming through. I headed south having a look at everything on my way to Emma making that my final stop if necessary. When I got to Pitas there was a decent enough bowl coming in up top with only one other guy on it. With the short window of time I had before work it looked fun enough for me. As I was about to paddle the one guy out there left leaving me a solo session. I have not had waves to myself at a point in weeks. Pumped I picked off a few waves and it was way more fun then I initially had anticipated. Stoked I began to froth. Then two other guys paddled. It was no worries there were plenty of waves to be had by all. The wind came up toward the end of my session making it not terrible to have to get out to go to work. I guess I lucked into one of those special windows.
11-21-16 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 22
After hearing about how good Rincon was the past few days I wanted to get my piece of the pie. There were some waves in town and Sand Spit didn’t look terrible on the cam and there were only two guys out. With the dropping tide it could be have been a good option. Rincon was on my mind and when that happens there is no stopping me. There was some wind and the swell was on the way down, being it was a Monday I though I might have a chance of getting a few. The bottom lot was full when I got there and usually this for me is an indicator to move on. It was a holiday week and once again I really wanted to surf ‘Con. I had a look and the crowd wasn’t bad, mostly visitors and they were for the most part sitting in the wrong spots. The top was all torn up and sectiony. The Cove looked more organized, which is where I spent my time. Right off the bat I got a few fun ones. After that the crowd came in full force and it was a solid 100 pack. The majority were out of towners. I think I heard more languages being spoken in and around the line up then at the United Nations. With a non local crowd comes lots of jockeying, burning and overall bad manners. Shit I thought I was at Lowers at one point. The whole session became rather frustrating and had me wondering “who are all these people”? Ultimately I should have just surfed Sand Bar.
11-20-16 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Sharks Cove
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 12
These days when there is swell and it’s the weekend you can’t just worry about where the best waves are. You must also consider where you can find the best waves with the most manageable crowd. Luckily I had a some what flexible schedule, though I did have to work at some point. The decision was to stay in town for there was plenty of swell around. All the Mesa reefs were average at best and way more crowded then I wanted to surf them. Hammonds was a zoo as was the Coral. Sharks had only five guys on it and with the incoming tide I hoped there may be a few sets. It was way smaller then I would have hoped but every so often a chest high set would come peel halfway down the point. Everyone out there were all in the same boat I was, trying to beat the weekend crowd. Therefore it was quite the gentleman’s session. Everyone took turns and all were for the most part stoked. Sharks may not have been epic like some of the southern points, but I will take a hassle free session any day. No photo due to lack of ability to check the surf.
11-19-16 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
Last night went from a relaxing evening at home to a mad dash to Goleta, where I found myself at Zodo’s being serenaded by a Mariachi Band. Well with a pregame like that a trip downtown was eminent. Bizarro went a little to hard and I was kept up by his antics all night. I had two tasting for potential clients. I had to work from 9:30 to 6:30 leaving no time to surf.
11-18-16 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Solimar
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 48
I started out at Rincon and when I first got there it was definitely small but kill-able. I was about to suit up when the wind came up super hard SE. This would be great wind for Oxnard if the tide wasn’t so hard. I was going to go home and bag it when I decided I had already gone that far I ought to have a look at Emma Wood or Gold Coast. Sometimes with some south in the off shores those spots can be fun. Emma was closed out with the occasional corner. On my way there I noticed that Solimar looked about as good and lined up as the inside reef gets. There were only three guys out and upon further investigation it was peeling for easily 100 yards on the good ones. Stoked I paddled. Right off the bat I managed a few good ones. I was ready for an all out super session. Five seconds later the wind went SSE and like 30 knots. Like a light switch the surf was trash. The sets were still peeling but all the side chop made it nearly impossible to get a good ride. At least I got a few in the beginning.
11-17-16 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 22
After yesterday I saw no reason why I couldn’t have a repeat of the previous day. Back to Rincon I went. There was a winter chill in the air. The first of the season. Last the night the winds picked up a bit out of the NW. I was afraid the water would have cooled down. Luckily it was still very warm for the season. There was a tad bit more swell in the water though very wind swelly and weak looking. Once again I chose the fish to keep the learning curve going. I started in the Cove cause it seemed a tad bit more organized then up top. It was a bit inconsistent and with the light crowd that was there getting waves became a small hassle. I paddled up to the River Mouth and soon realized it was a bit bigger up there then I had anticipated. I finally found the threshold of the fish. At the same time it held in quite well all things considered. I must also note that I was more tired out there then usual, which may have had something to do with it. One thing I did notice was that the board has trouble cruising through long floaters and at times it maxes out on speed. Still a fun board none the less. My last wave through the cove was a real screamer.
11-16-16 AM Session 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 26
There was a slight rise in the swell and though the tide was still very high I decided to give Rincon a look. It was very fat and sluggish looking. The crowd was light and I still have Gabe’s fish so I figured why not paddled. Sure enough the little 5’2 motored through the flat sections. I am really enjoying learning this new board. I managed to stick a full rotation bs air reverse in the River Mouth section. All I can say is the fish turned what most likely would have been a frustrating day on my short board into a really fun time.
11-15-16 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Thanks to the super moon I have not stopped hearing about the past few days, it still looks like the moon to me, the tide was a whopping 6.9 feet. I have never seen a tide that high in California in all the years I have been here. The swell was on the way down and all the cams looked lackluster. I decided stay home and spend a little more time taking care of my girl friend, who had come down with a cold.
11-14-16 PM Session: 2-3 ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 36
There were all sorts of promises for it being a decent day of surfing then an ugly south wind reared its head followed by a good deal of NW wind. Don’t forget that the morning was plagued with a deep 6 foot high tide. I wanted to get a surf in and since I still have Gabe’s fish kicking around I decided to paddled small but surf-able Little Rincon and give the board another go in some different conditions then Sand Bar last night. As fast as the tide came in this morning is as fast it drained this afternoon. It didn’t take long for it to be a little too low and sectiony to be any good at all. Then again there were only three guys out and on the little fish it became a fun session of seeing just how hard the board could be pushed. Lets just say there may be some gnar in the future from this little guy.
11-13-16 PM Session: 1-2+ ft, Sand Spit
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 2
I am not going to lie I was about as lazy as I could possibly be today. First off this was the initially weekend my crew and I went out downtown on our current Wild Cat boycott. Let me say it was hard to not want to regress back to what had become my second home. We actually found a few cool other spots and revisited some of our old stalwarts from back in the day. The one thing I forgot was just how expensive partying can be. None the less I am not going back to the Cat. As you all know I would cut off my nose to spite my face. Anyhow. I am sure there were some waves on the south points, but with holiday weekend evacuation traffic I was not about to go that way in the afternoon. I had a look around town. The negative low tide had most spots too drained to surf. I though about going north to some of the Goleta/Gaviota spots, then got lazy on that as well. Gabe recently made this little 5’2 fish that I have been messing with and I decided to try my hand at tiny Sand Bar on it. Despite the meager shitty conditions the crowd was still enticed for whatever reason. I used to surf that place alone most days under chest high ten years ago. That new surfline camera is a bitch. Fuck I actually would not have paddled there if it wasn’t for it either so who am I to complain. Though absolutely GI Joe wave heaven that fish killed it and I had an excellent time. I think I may have a winner to revitalize my small wave game that recently was robbed from me by my back injury. After my surf it was to the kitchen for a six hour wedding clean up session. Good times.
11-12-16 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
There was a super high tide in the morning and the new swell came in more steep then town would like. I had work at 9am and then a wedding at 1pm leaving me no real time to surf. I heard there were some fun ones to be had at the southern points.
11-11-16 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Hollywood by the Sea
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 15
Miles Driven: 76
My girl wanted to come down to the beach with. With super clean conditions and a drop in the swell the south beach breaks seemed like a very good option. Silver Strand was looking good, but packed. Over it I had a look at Hollywood. It was far from epic, but there were plenty of peaks coming in up and down the beach. It was well over head on the set. The problem with Hollywood when its not good is that it is such a deep water wave and a huge playing field. On top of that there is always a current, annoying rip tides and rouge sweeper sets. This makes trying to get the good ones really tough. I almost always end up out of position. It was lots of work out there, though I did manage a few fun ones in all the chaos.
11-10-16 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Little Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 36
After yesterday I was super jazzed on getting in a session before work. I was hoping to enjoy some leftovers at Rincon. When I got there the place was already packed. I had a look at Little Rincon, which was average at best. I would have normally had a further look around, but unfortunately my tank was just about empty. It was so bad I wondered if I even had enough to get back to Carpinteria. With no real other option I paddled. It was very inconsistent and rather walled or racy on the ones that did come in. As the tide got lower it got a tad better. Towards the end of my surf I drifted down to Mussel Shoals where I got a few really decent ones before I bailed.
11-9-16 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Naples
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 34
I saved up the past two days to allow my back to rest a bit so that I could take advantage of the new WNW today. I had a look around early in town and there were definitely waves everywhere. My boy Pat had taken the day off and wanted to get some fun no hassle surf time. We decided to give Naples a go with the incoming tide. Ryan and Gordo showed up as well. I really thought it might be bombing up there, but then it was only about head high plus on set. Still there were plenty of fun lines out there and all of the peaks were working with about twenty guys spread out along the entire point. Ryan and Gordo sat the Green Awning while Pat and I sat at Seals. Those two days I sat out really paid off cause I ended up have a rip fest out there and felt better on my backhand then I have in quite some time. Of course ten waves in the kick on my tail pad ripped right off. Luckily I brought my step up thinking it might be bigger then it was. Normally I would ride the board anyway but with my current injury I didn’t want to slip off the tail and hurt myself anymore. I grabbed my step up and went up top where there were some well over head sets. The problem was it was either closed out, mushy or sectiony making it an average time at best. None the less I would completely considered it a damned fine day of surfing.
11-8-16 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
I was still feeling a bit jacked up in my neck this morning. Swell was on the way out and there was an ugly south wind destroying everything. I decided to get in contact with a chiropractor and see if I can get some of these kinks worked out of my spine.
11-7-16 No Surfing: 4-6+ ft
Last night was gay prom at the Wild Cat and my last appearance as a full time supporter of the Santa Barbara Downtown party scene. Bizarro, Adela and I got extra fancy and even threw a bit of an after party none of us remember. I slept or passed out rather badly on my neck and I was so jacked up I could barely turn my head to the right. That being the case I left surfing out for the day. Being a member of the injury list sucks.
11-6-16 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Hammonds
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 12
I cruised down to Hammonds looking to get some town surf before work. Sure enough there were plenty of waves coming in and the crowd was pretty light. I saw more then one wave go through not ridden thus I went for it. I guess about thirty other guys thought the same thing cause it didn’t take long for the place to get shit house packed. Yeah there were some good ones, but good luck getting one and if you did good luck not getting burned. Surfing sucks on the weekends. I did stick one ally-oop.
11-5-16 No Surfing: 4-6+ ft
I over did it a bit yesterday. A double session was too much for my current condition. With the chance to get Naples how could I not risk it. I woke up and could hardly get out of bed. Instead I did a bit of stretching and my girl massaged me as well. I had a small wedding in the afternoon. Its no big deal. I have been getting tons and tons of waves. Saturday crowds are obnoxious and looks like there is plenty of swell coming through for the next week or so at least.
11-4-16 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Naples
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 34
The plan was to meet up with my girl friend and cruise up to Naples for an evening surf. Since we change the clocks back Sunday this would really be our last crack at it. Half way there of course I get a text from Ryan that it was small. He wouldn’t answer his phone to elaborate. I had a look from up on the hill above and definitely saw a few sets. I knew it wasn’t going to be epic, but there was enough coming in to allow me to go for it. We got to the beach and it was small. Seals had around five guys on it and it was mushy and weak looking maybe around chest high. Up at Crack Peak and Dos Pueblos the waves were a tad bigger and more consistent. I paddled Crack Peak with a buddy of mine, Nate who I have shared plenty of fun days at both Naples and El Cap with. We traded fun chest to head high peaks all evening. It was a bit lully. On a Friday afternoon with a predicted swell to find a fun peak with only one guy out who could complain. It was a gorgeous sunset and a splendid night all together.
11-4-16 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hammonds
Time in Water: 1 hr 20 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 12
I had work at around noon and with all the new wnw in the water I decided to cruise to Hammonds. It was a bit crowded, but what wasn’t going to be with Surfline’s lofty prediction. I heard by 6:30 all of the points were packed. I paddled and though crowded I managed to find a few fun waves to surf. At first I let the pack frustrated me. Then I worked my way to the inside and began under scrapping anything and everything that went by thus staying busy. The swell was a bit stretched and fast across the reef making it hard to get a real kill-able one. Most close out or were race tracks. I managed to pick off a really good set wave that I hoped to be my last one only get stuffed by some idiot who decided I wasn’t going to make when I had already cleared a huge section and was mid bottom turn for a connection floater. I love people and crowds. Still I had gotten my share of fun ones. I decided to go into work an hour early and cruise to Naples for an evening surf.
11-3-16 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
Well we finally hit a day where the buoys had dropped enough to keep the points small. I had work at 11 and I could have probably found something to surf at Ventura Harbor, but I was good. I have caught so many decent waves and sessions in the past two weeks that I had no need to blow ten bucks in gas on what was likely to be an average at best surf. The prediction for this weekend looks insane so might as well save my strength.
11-2-16 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 3 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 26
I wasn’t really even planning on surfing Rincon today. The report was calling for Santa Anna’s down south and with the drop in swell I figured something in Ventura or Oxnard would be the call. As my morning contacts reports came in I was feeling less enthusiastic about driving south. Angers said he was paddling Dredge and it looked fun but crowded. I figured I would head south and check a few spots making that my fail safe stop. Rincon was first on my list if not for any other reason but to rule it out. Upon getting out of my car I ran into a few friends who said the top was worth a paddle. Sure enough although very fat with the tide there were some very nice clean lines coming in up top with only about 10-15 heads on it. I wasn’t about to go anyplace else. The surf was with out a double on the slow side. There were easily fifteen minute lulls and some really soft ones. Every now and then one would stand up along the rocks and run through the River Mouth. I can’t complain about any of the waves I got. Looks like Rincon has become my most popular spot this fall after surfing it for most of October and into November.
11-1-16 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 56
Gabe was finally feeling better after suffering from both his cold and a solid four day Halloween romp with Bizarro and I. We were hoping to get dropping tide Rincon, but had our plans dashed by SW devil winds. The point was all torn up and really fat with the five foot tide. There are very few options when the tide is high and wind south. Luckily Emma Wood is one of them. It was far from decent and had more guys on it then I wanted. From the vigor given by the surfers out it appeared they were probably on the end of their surf. With that in mind and fingers crossed it would get more fun as the tide pulled out we paddled. Gabe was super frothy after missing the whole weekend and shredded it on his new lemon lime colored small wave model “The Pop Fizz”. As for myself I was rather exhausted from all the surfing and Halloween festivities. Also with my current injuries tiny short fast waves have become a bit of challenge for me to say the least. I was definitely lagging out there and for the most part kooking it. Then I got on Gabe’s board and all of a sudden found a new stride. If anything this back injury has really taught me a lesson in humility. I think it might also be smoothing out my style and allowing me to look at riding waves from a different approach. I don’t really have the ability to manufacture rides out of trash anymore thus I have had to learn how to be more choosy. I do feel like I am healing however slow this process is and I really hope to surf at or close to my old capacity really soon.