October 2017 Surf Sessions
10-31-17 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 30
The long period swell had dropped in both size and period. I started at Rincon to get an idea on what was happening. It was on the smaller side of things, only about waist to chest high. The lines were pretty long and perfect through the Cove and definitely would be fun on my fish. Still I wanted to check the beaches to see if they had any more size and push. I was going to drive away when too friends of mine who live and Ventura and surf the same spots I like to pulled up. This was the indicator I needed to just suit and paddle. If those guys came north then nothing was good south. Besides having to wrestle waves off of all the long boards, as per usual in the Cove I got some really fun ones. Shit my fish loves the small stuff and kills the points. As it turns out later that day that a body was pulled out of the water. Man committed suicide as the body had a gun shot wound to the head. Crazy, I will have to add that one to the time I was surfing out at Pitas and they found body parts in the rocks.
10-30-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 44
The long period NW was still hanging around when I woke up this morning. With the high tide I thought that I might luck into a fun Hammonds session. Though a waist to chest high wave did exist it was inconsistent and very weak looking. I was not about to squander the swell on that. From there I had a look at Rincon. The Cove was flawless and crowd rather manageable. Stoked I headed back to my car to change. As I was turning my suit right side out about eight more cars and van full of like 15 groms pulled up. It was enough to turn the situation into crowded. Pitas and Hobsons were my next stop. Pitas was a bit too small and not very well lined up for me to believe it was worth waiting the tide out for. Hobsons was disorganized and mushy. At that point I resolved to just go back to Rincon, put on my battle armor and just stay out for as long as it took to get my wave count. Fuck no matter the crowd if you sit out there all day you will get your waves. The window must have been from first light to about when I paddled at 11 cause I saw some sick ones as I was walking up the point and my first one was pretty decent. After that it got weird and lully with some funky SW wind on it. It seemed my waves either died out or closed out. I got one or two connections but they were hard to find. It got a bit better toward the end of my surf though all the sitting and waiting had made me rather cold and ultimately I had to get out.
10-29-17 No Surfing: 3-4+ ft
The Hangover finally got me and still the inconsistent swell and lack of reports of stoke had me over it before I got started. From what I heard it was average at best.
10-28-17 No Surfing: 2-3 + ft
More small conditions left me seriously unmotivated to surf, plus as per usual in Lisanti Land we go hard for Halloween weekend. Tonight we were rolling out as giant well dressed Cats.
10-27-17 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft
I had work at ten and all reports had shitty wind and small swell. I thought I was going to be finished with work by 2ish, but as it turned out we were in the weeds and I didn’t get out till 5 pm. That night I was doing my biggest Halloween group effort ever, the entire Adams Family. It went off amazing, but I had to give my efforts toward that rather then surfing.
10-26-17 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 72
I got finished with work at around 3pm and was torn between going north or south for waves again. Ryan was pretty adamant about Oxnard Shores being bear epic and that I should do everything in my power to get there. On that I ran home, grabbed Bizarro with a lens and headed south. My efforts did not go in vain for when I walked up the beach all I could see were perfect glassy A-frames with barrels up and down the beach. There was no hesitation on our part to get to work. When I first got out there I was hard pressed to find a really good one. Then this bomb came right too me. I was a little behind the peak allowing for maximum barrel time. After that I got into the zone and seemed to be in perfect position for overhead drainer after overhead drainer. It was pure bliss. One thing about the Shores, when its good its good and when its bad its bad and nothing in between. Thirty minutes before dark I don’t know if the tide as too low creating back wash off the reef, but conditions went to shit. By that time I had more then got my share. Late that night Bizarro, Kirby , my chick and I went out as the cast of the Walking Dead. What a day.
10-26-17 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 56
With the bulk of the NW swell on the decline and a rise in the south swell Emma Wood my best bet and my second stop after first ruling out Pitas, which had a wave up top that I probably should have surfed. Emma had some doubled up mysto barrels that looked sick from the bluff. Virs and one other guy were the only surfers out so I paddled. The line up was all over the place and though there were plenty of sick ones being in position was like winning the lottery, I did manage two or three decent barrels, though overall the session was more frustrating then fun. Oh, and the water was freezing too.
10-25-17 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Hammonds
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 12
The swell was still very west and window perfect for town to still be good. Over all the miles I have been putting on my car I decided to just check Hammonds. Also I had work at 11 am and really couldn’t be late again. I saw a solid set as I was checking it and being that it was the best Hammonds I have seen yet this year I was compelled to paddle out. It was a bit more inconsistent then I would have liked and shifting all over the reef. I love that wave and have ample experience there with just about all conditions. End result I got my share and made it on time to work. I opted to take the afternoon off considering all of the surf I had been scoring as of late.
10-24-17 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Naples
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 37
Miles Driven: 34
At work all I kept hearing was how good every place was. Apparently the swell direction and period fell perfectly into the window for Santa Barbara. I was getting texts that Sandspit, Hammonds, El Cap, everywhere was firing. I worked like a bat out of hell and somehow fit four hours of prep work into two allowing an afternoon session. Now the only hard part was where I was to surf, north, south or stay in town. I had an inkling of hope that Naples would have a wave and thus headed north. Though not huge there was a solid chest to head high wave peeling perfectly at the Crack Peak. There were two heads on it, but by the time I suited up and paddled they had bailed leaving the entire reef pass all to myself. There I was shredding these perfect rights for a half hour before one other guy came out. For the next hour the two of us traded perfect, glassy 100 yard rights with not another surfer in sight, a feat hardly imaginable in California today.
10-24-17 AM Session: 6-9+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 8
Miles Driven: 72
I was planning another fun morning of point surf when I received a text from Ryan of a video of Oxnard Shores going absolutely ballistic. It looked solid over head to double over head with spitting barrels. Stoked I jammed it down that way despite my limited time window. If it was as good as it looked, work could wait. I went to Fifth first. It was sort of walled. The video sent to me was more near the south side so I drove over there. Sure enough I saw a few sick ones, though still a bit more walled then I would have liked. Truthfully if I wasn’t out of time I would have just headed back to the points. I was changing into my suit when I cop pulled up and told me that it was a street sweeping day and if I didn’t move my car I would get a ticket. I had to pack all my stuff up and then go searching for parking. This took the time away I needed in order to switch the fins into my step up. Being the idiot I am I decided to paddling over head to double over head off shore bombers on my 5’10. Not to mention that the tide was coming in and the swell had sheered up more west in the short time from checking it to paddle and from when that video had found its way to me earlier. My first few waves were though nothing amazing at least had some barrels I was able to sneak out of. After that then it just got crazy big and close out. I found myself in survival mode and no longer surfing mode, especially on a 5’10. Fuck my 6’1 step up would have been small for some of them. Then I found myself dodging sets then racing in for the smaller ones, then getting cleaned up, then getting sucked way out to sea from a rip only to find a double plus overhead bomb cloud break 100 yards in front of me. I ended up bombing into a double over head right I barely got down the face on, luckily found enough speed to out run the white water explosion and get into the beach feeling rather beaten and kookish. I was super bummed with myself till I spoke to a a bunch of other guys who were out there with similar stories as mine. There were some gems, but you really had to be in the right place and super comfortable with the conditions.
10-23-17 PM Session: 1-3+ ft, El Capitan
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 42
Work as a result to the extreme heat ended earlier then I had anticipated. The buoys had enough south and west in the water to lead me to believe that I could find a fun wave for my fish at El Capitan. The tide was a bit high when I first got there and on guy was out. I saw a three wave set roll through that had me stoked to fish it. Turns out it was really fun knee to stomach high waves with only about six guys at the height of the crowd. I wore my 3/2 cause the air was like 96F. The water was still a bit too cold for me and as the sun began to set I was getting the shivers. That was fine cause as the low tide set in the sets became really inconsistent and were not going all the way through to the cove as often. Heck I managed to sneak in a few tiny little tubes in there. El Cap is always a good idea. There is nothing like the peace and serenity of surfing in Gaviota.
10-23-17 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 56
I had work at 11 leaving me with a limited time window. Of course I over slept limited my window. I was hoping to just sneak a few in at Rincon. The place was packed. Apparently its fall break for Ventura and Oxnard schools or something. Not to mention all the yahoos who came in for the swell. From there I headed to Emma thinking it would be peaky and fun with the combo swell. There was way too much ground swell making most of the waves closed out. I saw some bombs up a Pitas. Normally I wouldn’t bother with an incoming tide, since I only had an hour I figured why not just jump in for a couple. Turns out there were a few pits out there and there was a lot of push behind the waves. With the tide being super high I was able to get runners anywhere on the point. Getting in on high tide is always a chore. The waves crashing up on the break wall were a bit more ferocious then I was willing to attempt a climb out. Instead I paddled north around the point break wall to Father Johns, which had a pretty sick left tube coming through. Thanks to the paddle I was 15 minutes late to work.
10-22-17 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 56
Last night we rolled out to Wild Cat to make up for the lack of party at the wedding. Between staying up late and taking a beating in the hot sun I decided to sleep in and let the masses get it out of their system early. I went looking around in the afternoon. On intel that Emma was good I went there first, but not before pulling off at Rincon, noticing that the parking lot was completely full I bailed. Emma may have been sick on the high, now that the tide was steadily dropping it was far from ideal. I could see waves breaking at Pitas in the distance and had a look. It was still pretty fat, though the potential was there for it to be steadily getting better. No one was out and I paddled. It definitely took me a few waves for me to get into the groove. Once I found my feet in the wax I could do no wrong. I was in perfect position for every good one and was throwing up crisp turns and throwing a few boosts in the mix. Sometimes its really stoke when you flare up. Unfortunately I hit my shine on the right tail rail of my board blowing out the rail in the process. Good times.
10-21-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 30
After watching waves crash at Hammonds and not being able to surf them last night the first place I looked this morning was Hammonds. Also I had a very tight time window having to be in Lompoc for a wedding at noon. It was only about waist to chest out there and all torn up with the same residual channel chop we had been dealing with all week. Let down, but not ready to bag it I ran to Rincon and just suited and booted without even checking it. Sure enough there was a chest to head plus wave coming through with a light crowd for a Saturday. Once again it was all broken up, though a few were peeling through the point. I started up top and found a handful of alright waves, before getting a string through the Cove. Then with about a half hour left I paddled back up top for a few more. This time I lucked into a few good ones that got me into the Cove. I was hoping to get a good one in through there, but due to the ever increasing weekend crowd and the rising tide, along with a shitty cross wind that became rather difficult. With my time waning I took an insider and bailed. The wedding was as good as an alcohol free, Baptist wedding outside in the middle of the day getting beat down by the hot unrelenting sun could be. I will let you use your imagination on what that could have been like. No photo cause I was too short on time to run down and take one.
10-20-17 No Surfing: 3-5+ ft
I was double booked for catering work today. I did leave the morning open for a quick surf. Of course the wind and tide were shit not allowing me to get a surf in. The rest of the day was spent blasting through prep at one kitchen and then an evening dinner party. The dinner party happened to be in one of those estates directly on Hammonds. The kitchen had a perfect view of the break. Though a bit drained I still got to watch off shore waist to chest high lines coming through virtually not ridden. How’s that for a slap in the face. That is how it works out at times I suppose.
10-19-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 3 hrs
Waves Surfed: 43
Miles Driven: 56
Fat high tide, combo NW wind swell/south swell, funky south wind, there is only one place in my mind that shines and that my friends is Emma Wood. There was a solid pack on it, but I knew nearly everyone out there and was stoked to grab a session with everyone. As it turned out the waves were way more tricky then I had suspected. It looked super kill-able from the beach. The faces went really fat or ran away back out to see making it very tough to put together a proper backside attack and it was mostly rights. The few lefts that were out there seemed to just die in deep water after the drop. I soon found myself feeling like a kook. Then Angers paddled out and had equal difficulties, though it was a bit easier on his forehand being a regular foot. I did manage a few good ones here and there, but overall it was one of those sessions that lasted as long as it did cause my stubborn ass couldn’t call it quits till I got the share I thought I deserved.
10-18-17 PM Session: 1-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 58
My lunch gig ended perfectly to get me out of town toward Ventura before rush hour. The the tide was super low and wind funky. Not really knowing where to go I started with all the Sea Cliff spots. Nothing there looked all that appealing. The wind was light over there thus I decided to check C Street. Of course when I got there the wind was howling out of the NW tearing the place apart. Lots of NW wind swell had filled in through out the day leading me to believe that Rincon would have something to ride on my fish up top. Although rather weak looking Indicator and River Mouth had a waist to chest high wave coming through. Unfortunately the wind was light south adding a bit of unwanted bump and crumble to the face. My fish eats crap waves for breakfast allowing me to attack the place with my usual vigor. As it turned out I got burned on my first wave of the season at Rincon by some chick. Go figure. Tis the season.
10-17-17 PM Session: 1-2 ft, Lead Better
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 0
I had a catered lunch that left me very little time to surf. I was hoping to make it to Rincon and get some of the new south at backside. When I jumped on the freeway it took me 35 minutes to just get from Mission St. to Milpas and that was only a distance of a few miles. Over it I decided to come home and hope for the best at Leads right before dark with the incoming tide. To say it was tiny and pathetic would be a compliment to the break. It was also plagued by this shitty south gale that from what I heard trashed Ventura too. So Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t get that far. I got another lunch tomorrow. We will see if I can do a little better
10-16-17 AM Session: 1-3 ft, C Street
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 58
Some days the wind just likes to be a dick. I suppose I shouldn’t complain considering that it has been some what cooperative the last two weeks or so. I was feeling a bit lazy this morning. The buoys were down and the tide was a five foot at 9 am. I got the the Harbor and it was small but surf-able. There were some peaks between River Mouth and the knoll. The wind steadily picking up out of the NW and given the small stature of the swell I was not about to deal with blown out conditions. Instead I took my fish to the point and made the most of the knee to waist plus combo background swell crumblers. The crowd was surprisingly thick for a Monday with poor conditions, especially after having nearly 8 straight days of alright swell. The waves were way weaker then I had expected also. The onshore wind wasn’t helping either. I basically went through the motions, got my wave count and got on with my day. I only went down for a surf cause I have two busy catering days tomorrow and Wednesday that are only going to leave with a short late afternoon window close to Santa Barbara if any. Too bad cause it looks like it could be a decent south swell.
10-15-17 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand.
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 78
After a twelve hour lucrative day at work I had to rouse the troops and hit the Wild Cat for a little celebration. I had not been there in about two weeks. As usual it was a fun night out, but had me getting to sleep well past 3 am. Luckily I woke up to Santa Annas in Ventura meaning I didn’t have to rush down. I took my time and by mid day my lady and I headed south. I had my sights on Ventura Harbor, when Ryan hit me up that he heard Strand had a fun chest high wave. I still had a look at River Mouth considering the off shore wind and combo swell. The tide had just about bottomed out when I was looking at it leaving me less then pumped on the small waist to chest waves coming in. It was too small to get barreled and a bit too fast to do much else. With all the off shore wind close out boosts were unlikely. Strand was my last option. By the time I got to the Ship the wind had switched to light SW. The faces were still clean and it looked rip-able as hell. Shit, if there are not going to be barrels I would rather a little bit of onshore wind to take full advantage of the punt-able sections. As soon as I paddled out the low tide lull took effect and I couldn’t find a good corner to save my life. Rather then get frustrated I relaxed and decided to enjoy the peace and sanctity of my environment. The water was crystal clear. It was a wonderfully clear sunny beach day. How could one get upset? I guess my good attitude was rewarded cause as the tide began to come back in I started getting tons of fun waves and brought the froth level up a notch, boosting and sticking all sorts of airs and combos.
10-14-17 No Surfing: 2-3 ft
I had a catering gig over at the Maritime Museum in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Harbor Festival. We doing a baked parsley breaded yellow tail over ratatouille for the wine and food pairing portion of the event from 10-3pm. My plan was to to try and surf in the afternoon when I got off at four. As I was pulling out of the parking lot my boss came running out and wanted to know if I could work a super high end dinner at a private residence in Montecito. In the chef for hire business you never want to say know to one of your favorite and lucrative clients thus I accepted. I had a quick look at Lead Better since I had about an hour to kill. It was like knee high and packed with like 15 long boarders. I passed on that. This job was quite impressive. The contract was with a billionaire I can’t really get into details because of privacy issues with the client. All I will say is there is how the other half lives and then there is a cut above that. What I would like to say is how much more satisfying the the cooking that I have been doing lately. For years after leaving the French Restaurant in New Jersey I avoided doing anything really high end feeling a bit burnt out on it. It is nice to once again be doing food at the highest of levels again. This time when a door closed on me back in June a draw bridge opened. I don’t know how long it will last, but I am going to ride this train as long as I can.
10-13-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 34
Miles Driven: 78
Ironically I hadn’t given any thought to the fact that today was Friday the thirteenth. Considering how the session played out I guess it only made sense. Once again I pulled up to some really fun looking Strand for I think the fourth straight day in a row. Normally I hate burning all that gas, but decent waves are decent waves. I guess word got out that it had been fun yesterday cause the crowd was about double. There were waves from the Ship all the way through the bowl and for the most part every one was spread out. The beauty of Strand is that the peaks shift all over the place leveling the playing field as far as catching waves is concerned. I started right off the ship. There was a mushy but kill-able wave rolling right off the Jetty. That began to get coagulated with other surfers and was rather inconsistent. I spent the rest of my session between the Life Guard tower and the bowl. For the most part I always seemed to be in the wrong spot and I took some really heavy beatings attempting to make some questionable barrels. Later that evening I had to work a building dedication event at Westmont of all places. I guess the bright minds at Sodexo must have dropped the ball. The shit I do in catering these days makes what we did at Sodexo’s Westmont kitchen look like a Mc Donald’s value meal.
10-12-17 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 3 hrs
Waves Surfed: 34
Miles Driven: 78
The buoys indicated some solid steep NW wind swell in the water. When I see that I usually always head in the direction of Strand. The Ship was solid with the largest sets breaking deep in the bowl. Ryan, Angers and Rex joined me, though we all got there separately. I started right off the Ship, but was having little success. As soon as I got to the Bowl I lucked into a killer left tube and actually there was a sponger in the barrel as well coming at me on a right. It’s always cool to be pitted while staring at a dude also getting shacked. Immediately following that one I was late and deep for a bomb that I got to the bottom of and then just pulled right into a wide one that I could have parked my car in. Unfortunately I got clipped coming out on the inside as a result of some back wash. After that I ended up finding myself in the absolute wrong spot for a solid hour. I was either too deep, or too shallow, too far in or out. To break this hex I paddled back to the inside of the Ship. The wind had begun to come up and its always a little cleaner in there. Phil paddled out and almost ran me over twice, but at least I was getting waves again. The very end of my session, between the high tide, back wash, fatigue and the shifty conditions I was taking quite the beating. My last one was a bomb I got three solid turns to the beach on. It’s starting to feel like the season is upon us. Looks like the potential for more Santa Anna flow this weekend.
10-11-17 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 38
Miles Driven: 78
Another day at the River Mouth chasing left overs of the weekend’s south swell. That certainly could have been done. I don’t know if it was the sand or the swell direction or a combination of both, but I just couldn’t get into River Mouth this entire swell. This morning was no exception. Ryan said he had heard that Strand had a wave and a reliable source was paddling out. Since I wasn’t all that stoked on what was in front of me anyhow I made the drive. Sure enough the Ship did have a wave. It was very average, but there were some clean bowls coming in up and down the beach with only three guys out. It was already late morning and I could feel a hing of onshores on my face. I took the bird in the hand and paddled and I am glad I did because for the first hour it was perfect fun glassy chest high plus lefts and rights. The water was super clear blue and it was just one of those surfs where the environment around you made you feel like life was worth living. After that the wind picked up out of the NW and completely destroyed it. I still chipped away at the block looking for that perfect ride in till I finally just called it quits on weak right. I had a few tubes and some kill-able ones earlier I’ll take to the bank.
10-10-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 78
I was really hoping to score today. Early reports showed a slight south wind on it. Upon getting down to the beach the wind had gotten harder out of the SW causing an annoying chop on it. It was crowded as fuck as well and no one was getting decent rides. I thought I would have a look where I surfed yesterday. It had a few wedges, but was also plagued with the bad wind. At that point I thought why not check Strand. There was an alright wave in the bowl that was glassy with no on out. Had the tide been dropping I would have paddled, but with an impending 5.5 foot high I decided to just bite the bullet and paddled River Mouth. As I was changing everyone was bailing. The waves looked pretty similar to how they were when I checked it so I jumped in. Right off the bat I lucked into a few fun lefts. That basically set the precedent for the rest of the surf. I kept getting fun ones for the duration of the surf and surfed well too. Looks like maybe one more day of leftovers then a few days of light background swell.
10-9-17 PM Session: 4-6+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 78
There is something very exciting about the first Santa Annas for the season. I for one was super pumped when I got this morning to the news. Unfortunately they were whipping at 40 plus mph making scoring waves on the morning high tide tough. River Mouth was do-able, but very crowded and I knew I only had one crack at a surf and had to chose very wisely. With a day chuck full of errands with my chick I opted to let the morning go in hopes of less wind and lower tide in the afternoon. I started at Strand, which had an ok wave in the bowl and was going to paddle it when Ryan clued me into the fact that Shores had a solid sand bar working and I should cruise. On that note I did. Sure enough there were solid over head bombs throwing over and spitting tubes left and right. Stoked we jumped in. Though solid as the tide dropped it began to get more and more closed out. There were still corners, but they were harder to sort out. Then the towards the evening the wind completely backed off and with out its help the backwash from the shallow inside sand bar was causing a lot of chop on the face. At that point I decided to call, though somehow managed to get my best tube on my last ride. It may have been a short window, but it was a sick one none the less.
10-8-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 33
Miles Driven: 78
I thought I might luck into a morning of barrels at the River Mouth. As luck would have it two NW wind swells had moved in over night causing things out in that neck of the woods to be mostly closed out. I am sure there were a few corners, but I hate playing that game. The wind was SE and reports had it going SW by mid morning. Despite the impending deep 6 ft high tide I took the gamble and drove to the Ship. Sure enough there were solid chest to head plus wind swell peaks breaking up and down the beach. It was a bit fat, but after yesterday I wasn’t going to waste my window on the hunt. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush after all. Ryan had a look with me, but decided to pass on it. I paddled in front of the life guard tower and traded off fun bowly rights and lefts with only a handful of guys out. It wasn’t the ideal Ship conditions, but considering the flat spell we just got off of I had fun. Actually toward the end of my session when the tide was the fullest I got my best waves, though it was mostly shore break.
10-7-17 PM Session: 3-5+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 33 (from Ventura)
After Breakfast My girl and I had to stop by the mall to find her an outfit for an upcoming wedding we are attending leaving me with some surf time in the late afternoon. The wind had come up quite a bit despite Surfline.com claiming it was going to stay clean. Ryan was paddling the point, but that looked a bit windy and disorganized on the cam, plus I really, really hate dealing with that scene on the weekends. Emma was super drained. Hobsons was too low and all over the place. My time was running out and I knew that the Faria section would have something. Souths for the most part are not great out at Pitas, but down there one can get a few corners worth a few turns. I paddled and though a bit disorganized with the wind and fast with the south swell I got into a groove and had a blast. The past few sessions I have been surfing well too. I can’t remember the last time I surfed four sessions in two days. Tomorrow there should be more swell yet!
10-7-17 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hobsons
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 40
Sometimes I had when a good swell is in the water. I always end up spending too much time driving around looking for “the best spot”. Then couple that with the fact that the swell showed up on a three day holiday weekend and also that there has not actually been a swell in a month and things can get pretty hectic. I had a look around town first. Hammonds had a wave and I probably should have just paddled there. Backside Rincon was packed. People were even surfing out at La Conchita. Keep in mind also that the tide was quickly rising to a 6 foot full moon tide by 11. While passing Hobsons I noticed a solid four wave set come in and bowl both left and right down the reef with only six guys out. On a Saturday I like those odds. I even lucked into a parking space. With all this in mind I paddled. Right off the bat I caught a head high right that opened me up for three solid top to bottom turns. Then the tide seemed to take its toll fast and I found myself bobbing around like a buoy. There was too much swell to burn up on a dog. I cut my losses and got some breakfast with my girl friend.
10-6-17 PM Session: 1-2+ ft, El Capitan
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 42
With my morning session being cut short I was resolved to attempt to surf again. Traffic going south out of town was a mess thanks to it being a Friday afternoon and construction near the SB Zoo on the 101. The swell period and direction, plus the extremely low full moon tide led me to believe that El Cap would have something to surf. I headed out there with low expectations. It was a tad smaller then I had hoped. Surf-able, but small, knee to waist at best with rare occasional chest high wave. Sets were also easily 15-25 minutes apart and solid sets were easily 30. When I checked it there were only about five heads on it and the sets had about 4-8 waves in them depending on strength. By the time I geared up and walked down to the point there were 15 guys out making it less then ideal and the waves were huging the rocks very close for comfort with such small waves. I knew rush hour traffic was going to be shit getting back into town through Goleta so I decided to hang out and watch it a bit. I had my Pop Fizz fish and that thing can turn even the smallest gutless waves on a point into a good time. Slowly the crowd dropped off one by one till it was back down to around five. By this time the tide had bottomed out and I knew there would be a bit of a push toward dark. I paddled and totally underestimated the power of my fish for turning something into nothing. I ended up frothing and had a ball. El Cap is pretty on its own but at sunset it is devine. I must say it was a very fine evening.
and t10-6-17 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 56
Was that a session worth dying for? That was my thoughts directly after almost getting crushed by a Semi-truck on the way back to Santa Barbara this morning for work following my surf. It all happened so fast and yet in my mind I saw the situation in slow motion. I was running a bit behind cause Emma Wood was super fun and I was in the zone. The last time I surfed that good was probably the Saturday of the last good south swell back at the start of September. My first wave I stuck an alley oop, ending with a solid tail free hit. My second was a right going into the shorey. I saw the back wash coming and eyed my section. For once my timing was perfect and I found myself way in the air into a perfect rotation to the stick, the best BS full rotation air reverse I have done maybe since I hurt my back last year. After that I ate up a few waves trying to make this strange suck up shore break left barrel just north of the life guard tower to no avail. The rest of the surf as short as it was managed to show me a few more choice lefts. Stoked on the surf I bailed for work at 11am. Fuck I would have surfed all day if I could. I hit the road and as I was coming through Carp I need to make up a little time and was definitely driving a bit fast, though not reckless. Its not worth speeding to save time if you end up dead or injured. Just before the 76 station in north Carpinteria I was embarking on passing this semi at 75 mph when out of nowhere with little warning he swerves into my lane. I slammed on the breaks (glad I spend the extra 1000gs on the racing package on my new car) and the truck passed me. Luckily there was no one directly behind me. At this point I had just about slowed down to 40 and traffic was steadily catching up. I threw it in 4th and got back up to speed. That could have went a lot worse. The potential for me to be crushed between the truck and the guard rail were high . I guess some one was looking out for me this morning. Then as I was just about at the exit for work I got a text from my employer that they didn’t need me in the kitchen today. FUCK!!!! I could have gotten a few more at Emma. That is how being a freelance chef works sometimes. Oh and in case you were wondering if I had died that wasn’t a bad session to end it all on.
10-5-17 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 56
I woke up not really expecting to go surfing today. According to reports today was suppose to be the smallest day of the week. There was some new short period WNW wind swell showing and with the high tide Emma seemed my best option. Though rather weak there was enough coming through to provoke me to paddle. As it turns out all of my regular surf cohorts decided to paddle out as well and it actually became a really fun surf as a result of good camaraderie. The waves on the other hand were nothing to speak of, though I did get a few fun lefts. After the surf I had got called for some quick spot catering work that appears to have leaked into tomorrow as well. Money is money.
10-4-17 AM Session: 1-2 ft, C Street
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 58
I don’t really know what possessed me to go for a surf this morning besides the fact that I must have been in the mood to waste $7 on gas. The cam at Ventura Point this morning was small but with a light off shore wind it looked pretty fun. I am still learning my new Clarks Surfboards Pop Fizz fish and thought at the very least I can go ride that at the point. Of course that being said everything was so flat on the way down and reminiscing how shitty the Harbor was yesterday I actually went right to C Street, parked and paddled. It was pretty meager and fat with the high tide, although I tend to enjoy Pipes better when the tide is high. I feel like the sets double up a bit more and hug the rocks, especially when its small. There were three guys out and everyone was super mellow. I actually met this kid from New York, Rex who I got a kick groveling with and gave my number to. Its not like me to look for a surf friend, but my current group of surf friends has ran a tad thin with Gabe moving to Santa Cruz and Ryan being a bit less motivated as a result of a current knee injury. He reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger and first moved here. In my older age I could use the stoke of the youth to keep me stoked.
10-3-17 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time In Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 64
This morning back in the 805 I was hoping to take advantage of some of the wind swell/ south swell combo that had stoked everyone out here all weekend. The buoys were an indicator that I may just be in luck, coupled with some off shore wind my stoke meter was high. Sure enough when I got to the Harbor the wind was straight off shore. New Jetty had a few guys on it and looked weak. River Mouth was rather fat with the 5 foot high tide had a few scattered peaks up and down the beach. I suited up and went for it. As soon as I hit the water the wind turned south not completely trashing it, but definitely taking away the whole reason I decided to paddle there. It didn’t really matter cause judging from the drive down there were not too many better options anyway. I found a few lefts and rights. Ultimately it was very weak and somewhat disappointing.
10-2-17 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Moss Landing, Monterey Bay
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 36
I was really hoping that this was going to be the score of the trip. The wind swell last night seemed poised to be solid and there was also some minor ground swell in the water. Winds were predicted to be light, despite an early high tide I was very optimistic. A quick check at Davenport proved my spirits to be falsely appropriated. The swell was the smallest it had been since I had arrived in Santa Cruz. Over it my girl and I decided to head south for home and see what we could find on the way. We made a brief stop at the Santa Cruz Mission, which after San Juan Bautista was a let down before heading to Moss Landing. Waves or no waves the slough at Moss Landing is a very special place and one of my favorites on the coast of California. I always make stop there whenever I am passing through, plus my girl had never been there and I wanted her to experience all the wild life. The surf was terrible. It was about chest plus with light onshore wind tearing things up. The banks were alright and I saw enough to force a paddle. I really wanted to get wet before taking on the three and a half hour drive home. I paddled with about five other guys figuring my odds of getting eating were now one in five. I was shooting for the mantra that it was better then it looked. It was exactly as it looked. I did my twenty and got out of there. For lunch I always stop at the Light House luncheonette right off Hwy 1 south and then enjoying perusing the adjacent farm stand. We happily arrived back in Santa Barbara late evening and were thrilled to be home. Santa Barbara is the only place I have lived that I am always stoked to come home to.
10-1-17 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Scott’s Creek, Santa Cruz
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 11
San Juan Buatista is actually a very impressive town and reminded me a bit of Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County. In the middle of this fast eastern farm valley there exists this cute little historical town with an nicely restored Mission at the heart of it. We thought we would take advantage of lucking into being in such a nice place and explore a bit before heading back to the coast. I may write something about San Juan Buatista at some point. All I will say for the moment is if you happen to be in that area of California on the 101 and have a little time I would take the exit and spend an hour or three. You won’t be disappointed. We didn’t get back to the coast until late afternoon, not that it had mattered for the wind had been up all day. Gabe and I cruised to Davenport and would have paddled at Shark Bite once again had it not been for about ten wind surfers buzzing all over the line up making it look rather hectic if we were to be sitting out there attempting to catch a few. From there we had a look at some other semi-protected spots further north, but the incoming tide left few options. Scott’s looked the best of the worst so we paddled. It was fairly mushy. Every now and then the second or third wave of a set would double up on the reef and allow some opportunity for top to bottom turns. Somehow I lucked into the right of the session that doubled up on the reef and allowed me four solid hard turns. It was far from an epic session. Gabe and I were stoked to get one more session in together before I had to depart.
Surfing Ruined My Life 