Surfing Ruined My Life

NOVEMBER 2021 SURF SESSIONS

11-30-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 78
Another day, another grovel.  This fall rolled in all gang busters with swell and as of late has completely cooled off.  That being said it had still been way more consistent then previous seasons.  Once again I was plagued with fog.  There was slight rise in swell on the buoys though it was hardly showing.  I started at New Jetty, which was similar to yesterday only maybe a tad cleaner.  It was also way more crowded and definitely not enough on offer to warrant such.  I cruised to Strand where I heard it was small but surf-able.  No one was out and it looked as though the tide was already getting too drained for how small it was.  I saw a chest high set and considering I was out of time decided to paddle.  The first thirty minutes I actually got a few decent ones.  Then the tide got a bit too drained making most of the waves a bit too dumpy and the sections that were hit-able had a landing in such shallow water that a broken board or injury seemed almost eminent.  I got a few more and headed home.  The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.  

11-29-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 64
Talk about the swell absolutely dying out.  I knew it was going to get smaller today but I didn’t expect it to be a grovel.  Not to mention that a heavy fog bank rolled in as Jeffery and I were trying to make the call on where to paddle.  Ahead of me Jeffery checked Strand and thought Harbor was the better call. After scouting out Sea Cliffs to no avail we met at the Knoll.  It was pretty shapeless barely chest high and weak.  I cruised over to New Jetty where I thought there were a few more corners and the crowd was actually light for a change, probably because it was terrible.  We paddled and it was a bit more closed out and weak then I would have liked.  Jeffery got into a rhythm early on.  It took me half the session to really get into a groove.  There were only three other people out besides us and yet somehow it seemed someone was always in my way, which definitely got a little bit annoying.  Besides that I’d say we made lemonade out of lemons.  To my credit I stuck a few tiny airs.  The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.  The Clarks Surfboards Black Friday Sale ends at 10pm pst tonight.  It’s 15% off customs starting at $550 and up, plus a free leash and tail pad. 

11-28-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 78
This morning was predicted to be the peak of the swell.  By the looks of things it was the peak of the crowds too.  The points were still marginal and crowded.  I had a feeling the Ship was going to have waves and headed there first.  There was absolutely no parking anywhere leading me to believe I was correct.  When I got up to the beach it was stupid crowded and kind of average shape and size, especially for the crowd.  The best peak was at two trees and there had to be forty plus dudes on it with seven cameras on the beach, more then half with professional set ups.  Sets were inconsistent and everyone was paddling and burning each other on just about every wave.  Off the ship was junky. Over it I decided to go back to Hollywood, which was also more crowded then yesterday probably because it caught the Strand over spill.  I ended up paddling just north of Little Sunset where I found a peak almost to myself.  Once again like yesterday it was breaking all over the place so one spot wasn’t any better then another.  More then anything it was a patience game.  The big sets were over head but most were walled.  The shape was definitely not as good as yesterday.  The first half of my surf was so, so and a bit frustrating.  Then John showed up and must have been my good luck charm cause I began picking off some really decent waves and surfing them well to boot.  I stuck a gnarly ally-oop on my last wave to call it a day.  The rest of my day was spent at work where in my boredom I checked the news only to laughably see them touting a new Covid variant.  What a joke.  Just when we were all trying to get a handle on a semblance of a real life.  This is the reason why I haven’t got back into chefing yet.  The world is still to volatile. All we need is panic and hysteria to break out and Uncle Joe Biden will be shutting everything down again.  It’s a crazy twisted world of idiocracy and inconsistency out there folks.  One thing is certain: Chris Lisanti will surf 365 days in 2021.

11-27-21 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 74
Last night I had it out with my boss for scheduling me an extra eight hours over time over five days with out any prior notice to cover  a mistake he made. I wasn’t about to bend over and take it.  Needless to say I got my schedule back to the way it should be.  I really need to get out of this place.  I woke up to the same long period NW swell as yesterday except it was slightly larger with a slightly shorter period.  Rincon was ok but crowded.  I heard Strand was only breaking from Tower 3 north and crowded.   Over dealing with a holiday crowd I took a chance on Hollywood, which if the bars are decent does tend to have more corners on these long period NW swells then other VTA beaches.  The tide was a little fat, only a 3’ low.  The sets were breaking on the outer bar and were work-able to the shore break.  I found a peak to myself and though it wasn’t the best waves for the day it was nice to have some waves to myself.  I must have made it look fun enough cause after about a half hour six unrelated surfers paddled right on me.  No bother that there were dozens of other empty peaks up and down the beach of similar conditions. I love the mentality of most surfers.  It was fine cause the peak was really shifty, rip tough and sets inconsistent.  Even with them out there I still managed the best waves of the set.  After the surf my wife and I headed over to pick up a fresh batch of Clarks Surfboards from my Glasser.  I must say it was a good looking batch.  Traffic back up to Santa Barbara was absolute murder leaving me barely enough time to unload and get to work on time.   Just in case you didn’t know we are currently having a Black Friday weekend sale at Clarks: 15% off all regular price customs, plus a free 6’ leash and tail pad on short boards or a free 8’ leash on long boards and mid lengths. Check us out at www.clarkssurfboards.com 

11-26-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 78
There was some new long period WNW on the buoys.  These swells are never a real score for our coast.  I got word Strand was crowded and not that great.  Considering the numbers I had not expected it to be.  I was feeling a bit behind the eight ball having a bit too much food and drink last night.  For the first Thanksgiving in a long time it was more of the too much food.  I started a Rincon, which may have been my best bet in hindsight.  The angle and period weren’t very good, sets were inconsistent and there were a few too many guys for what was on offer.  My next stop was the Harbor where I was hoping some of those sand bars I scouted out earlier in the week might be able to focus and shape the other wise stretched swell.  There was plenty of size there, well over head, but it was pretty much closed out with the occasional corner.  I was not feeling up to that kind of surf.  From there I headed to Strand.  North Jetty was the best of it, but very crowded for what was coming through and my now very diminished time window.  I jumped in at the Ship where it was waist to chest, stretched and backwash riddled.  I had the place to myself and was making the most of it till the wind came up and trashed it.  The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.  My sister in law finally had her baby.  I guess that makes me a legit uncle.  Every child needs one bat shit crazy uncle in the family as a precautionary tale as what not to end up like. 

11-25-21 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, Surfers Knoll
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 78
I woke up less thankful then I could be considering there were hard Santa Ana winds ripping through Ventura essentially ruining what little swell was getting in.  My wife and I cruised to Strand where there was a small wave at the Ship.  There were thirty plus guys fighting for barely waist high waves that were inconsistent.  Over it we headed to the Harbor.  For a change it was rather uncrowded with better shape than Strand.  I paddled my fish at the Knoll while my wife went and did some birding by the River Mouth.  Considering how small and windy it was there was no reason for her to waste time filming me.  I decided to make a work out of it and catch as many waves as I could before she came back from her bird watching excursion.  After the surf we hit up IHOP in Carpinteria for breakfast considering it is always one of the few places open on the holidays.  From there we stopped by her grandfather’s home in Goleta for a quick Thanksgiving pop in.  After that we still had a few hours before I needed to cook so we went up to Goleta beach for a walk.  As far as dinner goes we did four courses: Butternut squash soup, a chef salad in a lavender red wine vinaigrette, the main course was a smoked Turkey accompanied by stuffing, mash potatoes and cranberry sauce and dessert was pumpkin pie and a New York  cheesecake.  Yum.  After cleaning up we all went into a food coma.  If you’re wonder about the baby he still was being obstinate and wouldn’t come out. 

11-24-21 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 33
Miles Driven: 78
There was slight touch of short period steep NW wind swell on the buoys.  I was sure that Strand would be fun.  Half way down to Ventura I got word it was pretty small still.  I checked the Harbor.  It was crowded, small, high tide and a bit walled.  I cruised over to Strand just to rule it out.  There were waist plus peaks up and down the beach but the fat tide was just killing it.  Today I should have spent the gas money and drove up north. The wind was predicted to stay light all day thus I decided to go run some errands and have a look on the receding tide.  I got back around 12:30 and it was definitely better though still on the small and weak side.  There was a hint of onshore wind picking up too.  Over the hunt I paddled the Ship.  There were a few guys spread out near Tower Five into the bowl.  I saw a few alright Ship sets and stuck to my guns.  The surf was marginal at best.  Still it was leaps and bounds better then yesterday’s surf and every once and a while a freak chest high pulse came through.  I had a few head dips, stuck a few small airs and would have surfed longer but the wind came up adding way more bump to the tiny offerings then I wanted.  Also I needed to get home to bake a pumpkin pie and get other various Turkey day prep done for tomorrow.  My wife’s aunt, cousin, and Mother were coming to dinner.  Initially it was suppose to be her sister and husband as well but said sister went into labor and as a result would not be able to attend. As of press time the baby had not been born.

11-23-21 PM Session: 1-2 ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 64
Today was about as small as waves get around these parts.  I am talking basically flat conditions for the majority of the California coastline.  Of course it was on a bonus day off for me thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday falling on my regular scheduled day off.  Normally I’d drive up north into shark territory and find something surf-able.  With gas at over $4.50 a gallon if you are lucky those idiot missions are a financial luxury I just don’t have.  The tide was high early leaving every spot that I could potentially surf flat.  I got caught up with some chores I had been putting off around my apartment.  At 2pm I decided to cruise to Ventura and just paddle the first ride-able wave I came to in order to get credit for my surf.  Rivermouth ended up being that wave.  Though it was absolutely pathetic I found this odd finger sand bar just north of the mouth that was forcing a right along a deep water trough which allowed the wave to stand up just enough to make a few turns on my fish.  The glare of the setting sun was killing my eyes and eventually gave me a headache thus I called it a short surf.  

11-22-21 AM Session: 1-2 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 78
The motivation to drive nearly fifty miles to go surf tiny waves was hard to muster when I woke up this morning.  If it hadn’t been for my 365 day surf campaign I for sure wouldn’t have bothered.  I cruised south and every place was just about the most flat I have seen in over a month.  I got word that Harbor and Hueneme were barely surf-able.  An acquaintance of mine had surfed the Ship and said though tiny it was surf-able.  I got there on full high tide and it wasn’t much more then knee high shore break.  With the dropping tide Jeffery and I decided to give it a go.  It wasn’t like we had any other options in our window.  Not up for the hard grovel I put up with yesterday I decided to grab my Clarks Surfboards Pop Fizz fish and just make the most on whatever ripple came my way.  I was glad I did because between the high tide and the off shore wind it was very weak out there.  At the very least the water was as clear as it gets and it was a nice warm sunny beach day.  That in itself made for a momentary existential juncture in which I sort of felt like I was a ten year old grom with out a care in the world.  Then I looked at my watch and realized I had eaten up an hour on shit surf and now had to race back to make it to work on time.  I think that is why surfing has stayed so important to me in my life, for moments like the aforementioned.  I always say that few people in the world can claim that they still get as excited about something as they did as a kid and that is a nutshell is what surfing means to me.  It’s a naïveté attempt to feel like a child even if only for a moment or two a day.  I paid for it cause I got traffic all the way home, had to inhale my lunch before racing off to a job that just makes me feel like my life is just passing me by.  Talk about a lot of contrast in just one day.  

11-21-21 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 82
I woke up and to my dismay saw hard Santa Anna Winds on the Ventura Point Cam. Normally if there was swell I’d be somewhat stoked, though I’m not really a huge fan of the hard off shores. I will surf it, but it’s not my favorite. Today the swell was down to not much more then some minor south swell and all that wind coupled with a six foot high tide was going to make my morning surf very difficult. My wife and I had a prospective home to see down in Port Hueneme and given the conditions that would most likely be my best bet for a surf anyhow. Bizarro came along for moral support. There was a tiny wave coming in off the pier. The north side had slightly more wind protection. I forced the paddle. Between the fat tide and the wind it was very difficult to get anything off and it was way too small to get tubed. Ultimately I spent the majority of the surf attempting to shoot the pier for the pleasure of spectators on the pier. As far as the house went. We were very pleased with it and decided to make an offer. This time we decided to offer a substantial amount over asking to hopefully avoid a bidding war. I am not about to get my hopes up cause I’m sure a cash buyer will show up out of no where and swoop the place up since these days in real estate it seems everyone has a million dollars in cash just sitting around in a bank account. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

11-20-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 82
What a pleasant surprise Hueneme was this morning. I showed up expecting even worse conditions then yesterday. Instead it was super peaky, fun chest high, kill-able skate park like conditions. The crowd was pretty stiff with easily fifty guys from the south side of the pier to the Flags on the rock side. There were also lots of peaks and everyone was getting waves. I sat on the north side of the pier where there was a wedgy left coming off the pilings and a decent right going back at the pier about fifty yards off the pier. Basically I’d get a left then catch a right back and so on and so forth. I stuck a sick full rotation backside air reverse that of course my wife missed cause she was so excited she forgot to hold down the trigger. That wasn’t the only highlight. There were lots of decent ones. I felt pretty darn good about the surf. Jeffery showed up towards the end of the session and though there was some wind on it and the tide was beginning to drain there were still some sick ones to be had. I watched Snapt 4 on YouTube the other day at work. The surfing was incredible. If you haven’t seen it yet it’s worth the 45 minute watch. I also caught Red Notice on Netflix with Ryan Reynolds and The Rock. I was excited to see it thinking the movie would be a funny farce action flick. Instead it may have been one of the worst movies I have ever watched. Do yourself a favor and avoid it. It’s pure drivel, with a bull shit plot, terrible dialogue, junk action scenes, one horrible cgi bull and terrible screen play. I only have time to watch maybe two films a week and I was sorry to have wasted one on this POS.

11-19-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 82
My time was limited due to the fact that I had to be at work an hour early for an interview to get me on the promotion list for a level seven position that is a glorified stock clerk. The interview doesn’t get me the job just on the list and it’s a seniority promotion job meaning I’m at the bottom of that list. The Post Office is such a great outfit to work for. I had a look at the Ship, though surf-able it was really fat with the tide and smaller then I’d like. I hear Hueneme was bigger and headed there. The shape was pretty closed out and dumpy. The size not much larger then Strand. In all truth I should have just paddled the Ship. I was out of time and had to surf. I got on a froth and crammed as many waves as I could into forty five minutes. At the very least it was boost-able and I actually pulled and stuck a handful of straight airs. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

11-18-21 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 78
Once again I decided to check the Ship first. It was smaller than yesterday and the tide higher. I saw a few sets in the chest plus range break off the Shit Pipe that got me to suit up. John joined me and we had the place to ourselves for over a half hour till Hunter paddled. As the tide dropped it turned into a full on rip fest. The rest of the usual suspects paddled out and we had a grand old time. Somehow I managed to ding my nose. I could have surfed all day, but had to head back to SB to handle some ding and fix the ding I had just incurred. It wasn’t epic yet another surprisingly fun day.

11-17-21 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 32
Miles Driven: 78
There was slight rise in the NW swell this morning. I heard Hueneme had waves, but I decided to just check the Ship to at the very least rule it out. The tide was still rather high. Shane was out not selling it at all. I saw enough potential to paddle and suited up. Ryan and his son Evan along with John paddled as well. It was very inconsistent with some stretched sets, but when a good one came through it was decent. I started off at the shit pipe. As the tide began to drop sets were slowly becoming prevalent off the actual ship. Since the crowd had grown exponentially where I was for the lack of quality waves I decided to paddle over and give it a go. Sets at the Ship were very inconsistent. The quality was far superior to what was coming through in the south bowl. I managed a really sick back door tube and lots of good rides. I had it virtually to myself for over an hour. As low tide got closer more and more guys began to show up. By this time I had already had my fill and decided to call it a day. My afternoon was spent running errands before heading over to the shaping bay to bang out some custom Clarks Surfboards Orders. FYI if you’re interested in ordering a board we are kicking down the starting price to $485!! I ended my evening serving up a very nice shrimp scampi for my wife and I.

11-16-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 78
The surf had really come down a great deal from yesterday. I’d say it was one of the smaller days I have surfed in weeks. This fall has been pretty darn decent. I’m not claiming it all time but consistently fun for sure. There have been lots of barrels too. The Ship though far from good, after conferring with Jeffery was decidedly the best of the worst in my window. It was waist to chest and a bit wind swelly with some backwash. The waves were clean except for a bit of channel funk. No one was on it, though after we got a few waves six guys paddled. There were lots of peaks up and down the beach and it was pretty consistent. My surf consisted of head dips, chop hops and lots of awkward hits. Between the backwash and weirdness it was sort of difficult to surf. Every now and then a clean decent line rolled in. I packed in a wave filled hour and called it a day. Should be a slight rise in the swell tomorrow. The rest of my day was spent or wasted for that matter at the Post Office where I trade my soul, integrity and sanity for a non-livable wage. Welcome to Joe Biden’s America. I’m not trying to get political but if you took an 50k pay cut and went from living large to barely being able to eat two meals a day you might feel the same way.

11-15-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 78
Even though it looked similar to yesterday’s Strand disaster I still paddled the Ship again this morning. I needed a bit of vindication after yesterday’s poor showing. Once again I didn’t catch shit for the first thirty minutes. It also was very closed out and kind of slow out there. As a result the majority of the thirty plus crowd bailed leaving just a handful of us spread out. It completely glassed off. I got into the zone and started stroking into keggers. You still had to be choosy for 7 out of ten were dumpy close outs. That being said I snagged some pretty nice gems. On the way home I got absolutely murdered by traffic on the 101. Apparently there was a roll over in Summerland and they shut down the 101 north for a bit. It took me an hour to get through Carpinteria and I was stuck between exits leaving me SOL. As a result I was a little late to work not that anyone really cares at my job anyway. Some genius decided it would be fun to throw oat meal all over the walls and ceiling of the restroom. They must have accomplished this earlier in the day cause it was hard and caked on. If you know anything about oat meal is that once it’s dry it might as well be cement. I had jolly old time scrubbing that off. On a lighter note there is a new YouTube edit on the Clarks surfboard YouTube channel highlighting some of the surf you have read about here from the early fall. Click here https://youtu.be/QLYj2uiRK-c

11-14-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 78
Sometimes I need to trust my first impression when checking a surf spot and not rationalize why I should paddle. While checking Strand this morning it looked stretched and hard to get a good wave on top of the fact that it was crowded and tide dropping fast. My time was short and I didn’t want to blow it checking more spots and paddled. It was exactly as I had feared, near impossible to get a good wave. My first few were all close outs. I got scorpioned attempting to back door a bowl and got clipped by the lip. I was glad I stretched thoroughly before I paddled out or I could have gotten seriously hurt. I didn’t complete a wave for the first fifty minutes. Then in the last ten I scored two decent tubes and then somehow pulled off a double barrel on my last wave. It was a terrible surf to say the least, but I ended strong. After the surf my wife and I got lunch at Channel Islands Harbor before heading back to SB. The rest of my day was stuck on a ten hour shift at the Post Office. With any luck I will get run over by a riding pallet jack and be put out of my misery.

11-13-21 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 78
First day back home and there was a decent NW/SW combo and the hot weather followed us home to SB. My first stop was the Harbor to get a scale on what was happening. From what I saw I had a feeling that Strand would have a wave and headed over to the Ship. There was chest to head high waves with a pretty stiff crowd for what was out there. I was short on time and saw enough for by with no takers to paddle. I started at the shit pipe but soon got lured to the ship by the south sets that would occasionally pour in. It was crowded with a bunch of randoms minus CC and a few other guys I know. I lucked into some fun set waves and overall felt good about my performance. My only complaint was that it was a tad inconsistent and coupled with the crowd it kept my wave count lower then I’d like. The rest of my day was spent back on the Postal grind.

11-12-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Pico Creek
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 2
We got upgraded to an ocean front room which was cool. For the first time a trip up north was actually warm. We left the windows open and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing. In the morning it was glassy and the new south swell was beginning to show. The tide was still a little high for Pico to really do it’s thing. No one was out and I paddled knowing it was only going to get better. The south lines were long and fast. It was definitely speed runs but completely kill-able. I even got a few tubes. I was all by myself stoked for the solo surf when five college kids showed up and paddled. It was cool, there were plenty of waves for all of us. That was until one of these guys decided to get in my face for a wave he claimed I back paddled when in reality I was paddling back out fifty yards deeper when a solid set wave came right to me while he had to scramble from the outside and the shoulder. Made a point to close out the section on me. We had some words before kissing and making up. I suppose it was just a confrontational kind of trip this time around. I think the over crowding that Covid caused is really starting to get to all of us. Maybe we all just need to accept that surfing is overcrowded and you either have to deal with it or go surf someplace else. After the surf my wife and I got lunch at this new Mediterranean place in Cambria. It was literally just the owner, his wife and their daughter so the service was a bit slow, but the food was phenomenal for its genre. Then we stopped by Black Hand winery for a tasting and our club pick up. On the way home we made a quick stop in Cayucos where I took a few runs in the skate park cause my wife didn’t believe I was a skater at one time. Finally we grabbed dinner in Solvang at this spot called Toscana only because Cecco was closed. The atmosphere was great and pricing decent. The pizza was absolutely terrible and we ordered pistachio gelato for dessert and the pistachios were burn giving it a terrible flavor. I am talking borderline not edible.

11-11-21 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Moss Landing
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 41 (round trip from Pacific Grove)
We met Kooky at Moss Landing at 8am. The wind was offshore and surf well overhead. It was a tad walled but definitely had some solid corners and there were barrels. It was crowded, easily thirty guys on it. There were lots of waves so we paddled. Right off the bat I was scoring really good lefts. I couldn’t seem to get much happening on the rights. There were some really heavy tubes to be had too. We were having a blast till some dick head paddles over and starts yelling at me cause my wife was filming on the beach. I have been filming at Moss Landing for over ten years when I’m in the area. Never had a problem. This idiot and his stupid friends, my age and older by the way, all mediocre surfers at best went out of their way to block and burn Kooky and I on every wave. Over it we paddled fifty yards up the beach and actually found a more hallow peak. We got a few more choice tubes by ourselves then headed in for breakfast. When we got in apparently the same dude yelled at my wife, who yelled back at him that is was a State Beach that is a known listed spot on Surfline, called him a kook and continued shooting. Fucking donkeys. Surfers are some of the most annoying people on the planet. After the surf we got some breakfast said our goodbyes to Kooky and headed back south to San Simeon where we would be spending the night. Before heading back to SB the next day.

11-10-21 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Andrew Molera (Big Sur)
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 9
Miles Driven: 111 (from Morro Bay)
Last night my wife and I enjoyed a romantic stay at the Madonna Inn in SLO. It’s definitely one of those cliche kinky places, but every now and then we enjoy a night there. This trip we stayed in the Yahoo room which is a cowboy theme complete with a wagon wheel bed. It was fun to say the least. Next morning we headed up the route one to Monterey in search of a wave to surf. The wind was offshore with solid lines at Cayucous but it was very crowded and as per usual not much more then a close out. I decided to base in the hopes of finding something better up north. At both Moonstone and Pico the wind was light onshore and it didn’t look all that fun at either spot. All my favorite south Big Sur spots were too foggy to get a good read on. After a brief the lunch at Nepenthe I decided we should just make a run up to Santa Cruz. As soon as we got around the Big Sur light house the wind was wailing on shore. It was already 3pm and with it getting dark by 5pm the call was to just take the gamble and hike into Andrew Molera where the wind would at the very least be off shore. We made the mile plus hike in and though not huge there were waist to chest high waves coming through with on guy out off the rock. The bank was all messed up making the wave sectiony. I later found out they had gotten around 11 inches of rain last week, which would a account for the River Mouth opening too wide and leaving a deep hole in the bank. I was out of time thus paddled and made the most out of what was on offer. The good west peaks were very inconsistent and even harder to surf with the hard off shore wind. The south swell in the water didn’t help the already tough to make line either. I managed a few that I got two to three turns on. Overall it was just a novelty desperation session. After the surf we cruised to Pacific Groove where we were staying in Monterey. I had boards to deliver to both Gabe and Kooky Kyle, the latter whom just recently moved to Monterey. Those guys picked up their sticks and were stoked. Kooky and I made plans to surf Moss Landing in the morning. For dinner my wife and I went to this amazing sushi place called Sakura. All the food is prepared by this old Japanese couple who barely speak any English. The food is served you on little floating boats that circle around the sushi bar on a lazy River like water way. I have to say it was some of the best sushi I have ever had. If you’re in Monterey I highly suggest it.

11-9-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 34
Miles Driven: 78
I got mixed reports on Hueneme from a number of different sources. All I knew for sure was that it was smaller and less consistent then yesterday which had me thinking of looking elsewhere. The Ship side of the bowl had some peaks with a light crowd thus I paddled. What I didn’t take into account was the effects of the rising tide. This definitely took a bit of a toll on the surf. That being said when a NW set rolled through there were some nuggets to be had. I scored a really solid frontside tube and some decent turns and airs. It wasn’t a magical surf by any means but very serviceable. After the surf I had errands and packing to do cause this afternoon I’m heading up north to Monterey on a Clarks Surfboards delivery run to a few customers up that way.

11-8-21 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 82
I really wasn’t too motivated to go back to Hueneme after yesterday. Word was it was bigger and better shape then yesterday. I had to at the very least go and rule it out. I got there and met Matt at rockside to give him back his Clarks Surfboards Time Machine Fish I fixed a fin box on. There were some real over head bombs coming through up and down the beach. It was very peaky. There were about ten guys on the peaks in front. Jeffery had paddled the pier and we decided to give it a look. The south side had some fun ones but also had more guys then I’d like. That same peak I surfed yesterday about a 100 yards north of the pier was doing its thing again with two kooks on it getting absolutely destroyed. We paddled and right off the bat a nailed a deep right hand tube and got spit out. Then backed it up with a left tube. After that the wind creeped up out of the WSW making it still very rip-able but sort of made coming out of the tube difficult. Finally the wind and fat tide completely killed the waves. It still was a fun surf. Performance wise I am sort of in a bit of a slump that has been going on ever since Rincon was all time Cove on Tuesday. The only way to get out of a slump is to keep surfing hard. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office watching the paint chip off the walls.

11-7-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 82
Early on I got word from Pat that Hueneme looked fun. Out of any of my sources at the moment I think he is the most credible. I had to be in Hueneme at 1pm anyway to look at some prospective homes. Upon pulling up to the pier I could see head high plus peaks up and down the beach with a few heads on each one. There were even some tubes. For Hueneme it was pretty darn solid. Pat was surfing a peak a hundred yards north of the pier. He was leaving as I was coming. I jumped in a got a couple of solid ones including a right and left tube. As the tide reached full high the surf started degrading. I had definitely caught the tail end of the window. By the end of my surf I could never seem to be in the right position no matter how hard I tried. I left a bit frustrated since I didn’t really get a good one in but was over beating a dead horse. The houses we looked at were trashed and over priced for what they were. Just a little more discouragement on an already discouraging weekend in the midst of a very discouraging year. I’m over Covid, I’m over wearing a mask. Why won’t people get their heads out of their asses, think for themselves and then maybe we can get life back on track. I don’t know how much longer my psyche can hang. The rest of my day was wasted at the Post Office. Looked liked the west swell rebounded in the afternoon. I hope some of you scored.

11-6-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 41
It was yet another grey morning with dropping swell along with a 7ft high tide at 10:30. Needless to say I had little motivation to get out of bed other then the fact that I am only three weeks away from surfing 365 days in a row. Also I wanted to take my wife to an open house in Carpinteria to make the call on a town house literally three miles from Rincon. I needed her to make the call since my judgment was completely clouded by the proximity to the Queen. The high tide left me few options. I paddled Indicator in the hopes it would be more fun then it looked. It was mushy, wonky, inconsistent, and crowded for what was on offer. I rode my Clarks Hacksaw when I should have been on my Clarks Fly Guy. I got burned a few times, back paddled way too many times to count. That being said I managed a few runners even if my wife was less then stoked on my performance. Her take on the open house was about the same as mine. All it was worth was the location for it was very over priced for what it was. I always thought buying a home would be a fun exciting experience. These days with a limited budget and fucked up inflated market it isn’t very fun at all, which sucks since we are spending all the money we have in the world. Speaking of things that are no fun. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

11-5-21 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Naples
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 48
Last night when I got home the surf was booming outside my apartment. I knew just by listening the swell was peaking over night. I woke up and the buoys were still solid. Unfortunately it was yet another foggy morning meaning we couldn’t film and it was a 6.7 foot high tide at 10am swamping just about everywhere. I drove to Hammonds to see where the swell was at. Though really high and foggy I could see enough to tell that there was enough swell in the water to surf Naples. I headed home to let the tide drop a little bit. I only work a few miles from Naples allowing me to easily grab a surf and then head straight to work. Jeffery met me in the lot and we hit the trail. It was still really high tide when we got there. A handful of guys were out at Seals. It didn’t look any better up at the Crack Peak or the Green Awning thus we paddle Seals. The inside section was doubling up pretty hard on the sand bar that is currently covering the reef. It was good for two to three solid turns after negotiating the outside mush burger. The tide was dropping fast forcing the line up to constantly be shifting. The good ones were inconsistent and hard to line up. I managed a few really classic Seals rights and snuck in a few lefts. It was far from all time, but I do think it was the best I was going to find in my window. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office. I had to turn down a gig playing sax at the Wild Cat tonight cause this is an overtime shift so I get eight hours of time and half pay. At the moment I need the money. Life is sort of a bummer when you have to live pay check to pay check and can’t do the bigger better things that you were meant for. When I play the saxophone for an audience it’s a special experience for myself and them. It’s a shame both are getting robbed of that experience tonight because a bunch of politicians made a big deal about a glorified cold, forced me to loose my lucrative cooking business and now I have to slave away at the Post Office for a barely livable wage that gets even more meager by the day as inflation continuously increases. The people who died of Covid were the lucky ones and maybe the crooks who profited off it. For the rest of us there has been a lot of hardships and sorrows.

11-4-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 56
My plan was to just go back and surf high tide Indicator. The wind was south, tide at maximum height and swell down from yesterday. I watched it for twenty minutes and although there were a few sets it was swamped and with the added wind chop (I absolutely hate south wind at ‘Con) the waves didn’t look fun. I headed to Emma where there were some fun looking peaks off the Life Guard Tower with only two guys out. There must have been others checking it too cause by the time I got out there the pack was ten strong on a peak that could at best handle six. I’m scrappy and got my share. After three days in a row at Rincon it was nice to get a few lefts. I only put in an hour cause I needed to get home to finish some ding repair before I cruise up north next week and that was fine cause the dropping tide was turning it off and about twenty guys paddled out. I’ll be in up in Monterey on the 10th & 11th dropping off boards to Gabe and Kooky. If you are in the area and want to surf drop me a line and I’ll do my best to meet up. The rest of my day after ding repair was spent at the Post Office.

11-3-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 30
Yesterday’s swell was a real hit and run. From what I heard the high tide window was actually the best of it. It’s rare I luck into a magic window so I’m stoked. The swell was smaller and steeper. There was six foot high tide at 8:30 swamping everywhere. Jeffery checked all the way to North Strand and was left wanting. I saw a few high tide waist to chest plus runners up at Indicator and paddled. Turns out the high tide was the window. That first half hour was uncrowded and I caught a handful of decent waves. My legs were still sore from yesterday. As the tide got lower it got more weak and the crowd kept growing. I surfed my way all the way down through the Cove and bailed. It was yet again a foggy morning. From the surf I cruised to Carpinteria to look at a townhouse. It was just one exit from Rincon and a pretty good fit. I may have to make an offer on it. I will take my wife to see it Saturday and see what she thinks. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office on an overtime shift. Due to short staffing I am working the next seven days straight. At least I’m make the small bucks.

11-2-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 30
Talk about a rare sneaker Cove day this morning. The high tide and under predicted swell certainly helped too. I got word before I even left my apartment that the VTA beaches were a bit walled. With long period west swell in the water I wasn’t about to second guess it. I headed straight for Rincon. The tide was pretty high but there were some broken up chest to head high plus peaks up top. As I was walking up to point to paddled Rivermouth I saw a five wave set of over head bombs hit the Cove and run all the way to the freeway. That was enough for me to paddle there. I got four that I call boxed and a handful of others that went to the freeway. My legs were burning by the end of the really long ones. I probably smashed fifteen turns on them. I guess it was a long summer of beach break. I’ll need to surf more Cove to get my legs strong again. Sets were inconsistent and the crowd got frothy thus my wave count was low. When you consider the length of ride, what I got was definitely the equivalent of thirty waves elsewhere. What a morning. From the surf I ran home and grinded out some ding work before heading off to the Post Office to do whatever it is I do there or lack there of. Let’s keep this fall going!!!

11-1-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 82
There has been real waves for so long I actually forgot what chasing background swell was all about. My motivation to surf such surf has been lacking as well. After today I’m pretty sure I’m back on the grovel program. This morning was even smaller then yesterday with a higher tide. It seemed the south was the predominant swell. Jeffery had an early start and was paddling Hueneme though asked me to check the Harbor just to rule it out. Had the tide been lower Harbor may have been the call but with the fat tide it was hardly breaking so I too headed for Hueneme. It was just small south lines there. Jeffery was sitting a few hundred yards south of the pier. I saw a few chest high sets that looked worthy and paddled the pier. The left wedge off the north side was actually doing its thing. Right off the bat I got four good ones. Then it just completely turned off. The dropping tide always takes a toll at Hueneme. The north side started completely closing out. Jeffery had moved down the beach to south side and I paddled over and joined him. We surfed about another forty five minutes. It was pretty meager. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office. Someone left a bunch Halloween candy in a big pile on a table in the break room, most likely all the candy they didn’t want their kids to have from trick or treat hauls. I grabbed a handful and enjoyed a little sugar high for the afternoon. Hooray for diabetes!!!