Surfing Ruined My Life

October 2023 Surf Sessions

10-31-23 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 2
This morning marked day three of the Santa Anna wind event. Unfortunately it was also one of the smallest days I have seen in awhile. Hueneme appeared to have a fun looking waist to chest high wave down by the River Mouth. Jeffery had just checked Harbor and confirmed that it was terrible, thus deciding to come join me. While we were on the beach stretching we saw a handful of fun waves. As soon as I paddled out I stroked into a six turn right hand runner. After that the place completely turned off leaving us scrapping for either close outs or waves too small to surf with the stiff offshore winds. I did luck into one left tube and one right tube but besides that the session was very slow. After the surf I had to go home and shape two boards.

10-30-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Zuma
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 54
Two days of Santa Anna winds, what a treat. Unfortunately the waves were on the smaller side today forcing me to go to Zuma, which was the only place with a somewhat decent wave in my proximity. I have a love hate relationship with Zuma. Some of the best barrels I have gotten in California have happened at there but most of the time I find myself lost out in the line up with 9 out of ten waves just close outs. When I pulled up it definitely looked a bit on the walled side. There were some corners. I found a peak in between Towers 12 and 15. My friend Steven met me who was also looking for somewhere to surf. Once out in the line up it was way more difficult to find an open corner then I initially had thought. I did manage one proper barrel on a left and a few decent turns. After about 45 minutes the slight change in tide began to really close the place out. It took me another thirty minutes to find something to quit on. The wave ended up being just a quick backside close out bash. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.

10-29-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Zeros
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 54
I was pleasantly surprised by Santa Anna winds today. They may have been predicted and I somehow missed it. All I know is that I was staring at Hueneme with 30 mph off shore winds. Unfortunately the high tide was basically killing everywhere. I headed home, did a bit ofding work and ate breakfast with my wife. Around noon I headed south after all my Ventura reports came back with don’t bother. Meanwhile the Zuma cam looked decent enough. It’s always a bit of a gyp when we get Santa Anna winds with a small swell and extreme tides. I got to Zuma around 1pm and it appeared I had just missed the window. The low tide had basically shut down all of the sets. I got word from Ryan that him and his boys were paddling Oxnard Shores and though it wasn’t anything special it was breaking. I headed back towards Ventura and on the way decided to have a quick look at Zeros. One guy was out and there were solid chest plus runners peeling from the rock reef all the way though to the beach break. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush thus rather than gamble on the Shores I paddled. As I was suiting up I ran into this dude Aron whom I used to surf at both El Capitan and Naples with all the time back when I lived in Santa Barbara. He was stoked to join me. The two of us traded off really fun surf shocked that no one else bothered to paddle out. I have surfed Zeros so many times where it was absolutely terrible and it was packed. I definitely got some of the longest rides I have ever had out there in my life and scored a legitimate barrel. I’m not one to claim a surf, but I’d say it was a total score. When I got home Bizarro prepared BBQ ribs for dinner and we had my sister in law over as well. What a decent Sunday.

10-28-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 2
The Pier was peaky and offshore when I checked it. Stoked I hit up Bizarro and suited up. In the short time it took me to get ready the surf completely changed. This is indicative of Hueneme where the windows are as short of a blink of the eye. It appeared that some odd very short period wind swell had rolled in turning line up into a mess of waves all over the place. There were still some corners to be had but overall it was just a mess out there even though there wasn’t any wind to speak of. I fought the good fight and put down a few clips but it was far from the surf I had hoped for. My afternoon was spent shaping. Later that evening my wife and I attended a fundraiser event for the Turning Point Foundation at the Bard Mansion on the Port Hueneme Naval Base. It was a rare opportunity to check out this historical gem that exists less then a block from our home but restricted to civilians. The event was dinner, a magic show and a haunted tour of the Mansion in the dark to end the night. I’d say it was a jolly good Halloween time.

10-27-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 10
Another day of lack luster surf was upon me. There was a bit of NW on the buoys. Hueneme was underwhelming for the hundredth day in a row. I drove over to Strand where the Ship had a small but rip-able waist plus wave coming through. I was waiting on both a Harbor and a LA report. Both came back with “stay there and paddle if it looks fun”. I jumped in with my Clarks Surfboards Bizzle Model. This short board groveler works so well in the small stuff I never ride my fishes anymore. Immediately I got on a tear and was having a blast. Jeffery showed up and the two of us traded off fun micro waves for an hour before the dropping tide killed it. The rest of my day was spent working a fundraiser at the Moxi in Santa Barbara.

10-26-23 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 20
Talk about a grueling surf this morning. High tide and small weak waves are not a great combination. Hueneme was small and hardly breaking. I cruised over to the Harbor hoping for a little more. Though it was a tad better the 6’ high tide was not helping my cause. Jeffery and Pat showed up and the three of us decided to paddle Rivermouth and hope for the best. The first twenty minutes of the surf we all picked off a few runners. The wind creeped up out of the south and the dropping tide began to suck the swell out to the next bar completely destroying what little shape was out there. By the end of the surf we nearly had to paddle in the waves got so bad. The rest of my afternoon was spent fixing dings.

10-25-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 20
There was a bit more south swell in the water than yesterday. Hueneme was still rather underwhelming as was strand. I was about to paddle the Ship anyway when I got a call from Jeffrey that the Harbor had chest plus waves and ok shape. I had to pick up a board from my glasser and some cuts in Ventura anyway thus drove over. I ended up running down to the River Mouth where there were some solid chest high running lefts and rights. It was a little fast but very rip-able. The wind was already creeping up onshore when I paddled and as the session wore on conditions steadily deteriorated. The dropping tide didn’t help either. The surf was fun enough for the about thirty minutes. When I got out it had completely turned to crap. After the session I handled all my Clarks Surfboards errands and still managed to shape a board when I got home.

10-24-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 12
The buoys had some solid short period NW wind swell on them, enough that I figured Strand would have a wave. I checked Hueneme for good measure and though it had decent shape I could tell the tide was already getting too low. When I got to the Ship I was surprised how solid it was with clean chest to head high sets. We haven’t had too many glassy days around these parts this fall. The crowd was about twenty five strong stretched from the Ship to the bowl and some what spread out. My only qualm was that most of the waves were a bit weak looking. I jumped in and apparently as I was told by the guys out there lucked into the best thirty minute window of the morning. In that time frame I got ten fun ones. As the tide dropped it began sucking the swell to the outer bar making the waves complete burgers. Of course this was right when Pat paddled out. I fought the good fight for another half hour or so ultimately having to quite because I was freezing. The water had dropped almost five the degrees over night and my old holey 4/3 wasn’t to cutting it. The rest of my day was consumed by ding repair.

10-23-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 12
After nearly three weeks of solid surf today was the first real grovel day. No where in my sphere of influence was over waist high. I saw a few messy peaks at the Ship that looked serviceable with no one out and paddled. Though there was no wind the channel was all choppy up making the surf very disorganized. I made the most of it but it was definitely a forced surf. At the very least it was nice to surf alone. The rest of my day was spent shaping.

10-22-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 70
The south was the dominant swell in the water and the Malibu cam looked solid. My wife needed to go to the Thousand Oaks Mall to pick up a gown for this black tie event we are attending next weekend. Heading down to the ‘bu made perfect sense to me. Sure enough it was chest to head, peaky and the crowd was rather manageable. Everyone was lumped together at 2nd and 3rd. I paddled down to the Kiddie Bowl where although a bit faster and a tad more walled then 2nd and 3rd, the place was empty and very rip-able. I got in the zone and put down a solid performance. Everything was going great till about an hour into the surf. I caught a bomb overhead freight train and banged off three solid turns then hit the close out section. I came down free fall onto basically dry reef. I forgot that as the tide sucks out the inside of the Kiddie Bowl can go dry with out being noticeable. I hit rock, felt my fins grind on the bottom before being tossed completely over the handle bars into ankle deep cobblestones with a head high foam ball bearing down on me. My board hit me square in the back and I bruised the left side of my rib cage when I got rag dolled over the rocks. Upon inspection I also damaged both of my rail FCS 2 plugs and scratched up these brand new CI fins I have been testing and so far not a fan of. At the very least my wife got the clip. After the surf we went to this luncheonette in West Lake Village called Ci Ci’s. They had a very extensive menu and food, ambiance and service was impeccable. They were on the pricey side with most entrees priced between $18-25. I’d say its worth a visit. Dress shopping was successful and painless as my wife found exactly what she wanted at our first stop. We ended the day with an afternoon round of golf.

10-21-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 min
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 54
I really wasn’t stoked about surfing the points after yesterday but after checking both Hueneme and Strand I really wasn’t left with any other option. I had to be in Santa Barbara at one leaving my window short. Against my better judgement I headed straight for Rincon. The crowd was actually very light. Of course the wind was on it hard out of the south trashing the place. I was out of time and either had to paddle or not surf. At this point I’m just ten days shy of a perfect month. I jumped in up at Indicator with the five other poor souls that were out. If you have ever surfed Rincon with the south “devil winds” then you know just how deplorable it can be. I found a few sections and even a couple of bumpy runners. My last wave went all the way through the Cove. The conditions might have sucked but I’ll take it over the shit crowd I had to deal with there yesterday. The rest of my day was spent up in the Santa Ynez Valley working a “cowboy wedding” that was actually in a legit working barn. It was an arduous twelve hour work day. I’m taking tomorrow off from all work and just going to surf and hang with my wife.

10-20-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 min
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 54
The first WNW swell of the season was upon us and bit of a (spoiler alert) non-performer. It also didn’t help that the tide was basically high all day. The Oxnard beaches were plagued with onshore wind and the entire coast was shrouded in fog. Filming was out of the question with the lack of visibility. I had to work in Santa Barbara at 1pm thus I decided to head up to the points. My goal was to avoid Rincon at all costs due to the excessive crowds that come with any swell. Besides Ventura Point which was equally crowded everything looked deplorable. I ended up paddling a 300 crowd at the ‘Con on high tide with an inconsistent swell. There was easily a hundred guys from Indicator to Rivermouth, another hundred spread from there to the Cove and another hundred in the Cove. The place was a shit show. Even the little tricky zones I use to get waves on crowded days were crowded. I either got burned, or back paddled or had to back paddle or burn someone to get my waves. C.C. burned me on what would have been my best wave and we collided with each. I was coming down from a turn and landed on him as he was bottom turning from a cut back. It worked out for my boy James who happened to be on the shoulder and scored the rest of the ride. Then some kook almost landed on me cause he got hung up in the lip. I did manage one decent wave through the Cove but it was hardly worth the frustration and headache. As a matter of fact I think it was the worst show of etiquette I have ever seen at Rincon. I left questioning if I should quit surfing, break all my boards and never shape another surfboard again. If this is the preamble to the winter I am not enthused. After the surf I had a ten hour catering day to get through.

10-19-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 min
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 70
I had a choice to make this morning, drive south or drive north as there was equal amounts of WNW swell and South swell in the water. Considering the massive crowds and lack luster reports I was getting from up north and the fact that the Malibu cam looked fun and empty my decision became rather easy. I picked up C.C. and we cruised. The tide was a bit fat but there were solid chest to head high lines running down the point with only about twenty guys out from 3rd to 2nd. I saw a few good ones in the Kiddie Bowl and since there wasn’t anyone down there that was where I focused my efforts. I had bast and got plenty of four to six turn freight trains. There was even this fun backwash wedge that occasionally ran down the point cause the tide was so high. I had a blast and it was as glassy as glassy gets. The water was a toasty 65F and the air was 75F but sunny. I’d say it was a great morning to be a surfer. Meanwhile I heard Rincon was packed, foggy, cold and junky. I’d say we scored. The rest of my afternoon was spent shaping.

10-18-23 PM Session: 2-4+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 min
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 52
The wind was already onshore at the beaches and all of the reports I was getting back from everywhere else was less then inviting. The call was to get some ding work done and look around in the early afternoon before the after school and work crowd showed up. Around 1pm I got a call from Pat. He was at Rincon and rather unimpressed though he claimed it was the best of the worst. I showed up and it definitely looked smaller than I would have liked and some what busy for what was on offer. Pat decided he was over it and bailed. I made the drive so you can bet I was sure as hell paddling. I jumped in up at Lower Indicator and did the majority of my session from there through Lower River Mouth. Though the size was there the majority of the waves were broken up and very soft. A lot were coming straight into the point almost as if it were a beach break. It made for some kill-able corners and sections but one doesn’t go to Rincon for such a wave. The goal is to combo as many big maneuvers for as many yards as possible. Every so often a one wave overhead runner would come through with that classic Rincon shape. Like I said there was only one and it came so sporadically that lining such a wave up was like scoring a winning lotto ticket. I could only believe these rogue waves were the forerunners of the “giant” west swell we are supposed to receive tomorrow. Somehow the surf gods shined upon me and I did catch two of these, one that was a racetrack that ran from the Rivermouth to the top of the Cove, which I may have been able to make all the way through had I not been burned by a guy on a longboard. This is a common occurrence for me as most guys know how critical that section is to carry speed through, add the water disturbance of someone dropping in and it’s impossible to get around the section. Rather then even try I just smashed it. Immediately after while paddling back out I snagged a solid head high runner through the Cove all the way to the Freeway. It was a leg burner and on that note I decided to call it a day. Maybe I should be stoked I got burned on the previous wave. Apparently Pat got Ship fun before dark. Let’s see what tomorrows swell will bring. Opening day at Rincon?

10-17-23 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 min
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 20
I should have either went back to Malibu or waited for the tide to drop in the afternoon. Instead I let Pat talk me into paddling the River Mouth. I had a look at Hueneme, which was walled and closed out. Pat had been raving about the River Mouth for days thus provoking me to drive over. When I got there it was gnarly foggy. All week the coast line has been ensconced in a springtime like marine layer. At times it’s been so thick checking the surf from the water’s edge has been impossible. This morning while standing at the Knoll I couldn’t see a thing. I was about to bail when I saw some random dude walking back from Mouth. I asked how it was and his reply and I quote “It’s really fun, 4-5 ft and barreling”. I was skeptical, but considering that Pat was still out there I took his word for it and pulled out my Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw Model, my good wave board. When I got to the River Mouth it was running and Pat was on south side of the bank. The fog was still so thick that I couldn’t see anything. Pat and I paddled and I will give that random dude some credit for the sets were well overhead and after my first wave I almost didn’t make it back out. As far as barreling goes most were pretty walled out and a decent corner was few and far between. It didn’t help that with the fog I couldn’t see a wave till it was bearing down on me. This made positioning very difficult. Jeffery showed up just as the fog actually began to lift and at this point I got my best waves. Overall it was mostly closed out with good ones few and far between. After the surf I had to pick some blanks then went home and shaped them up.

10-16-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 70
After basically three days in a row of subpar beach break surf I was in need of surfing a point. Just as I was thinking this I got a text from C.C. of a screen shot of the Surfline Malibu cam showing solid lines. I jumped in the car with him and we cruised. By the time we got there the tide was super high. That being said there were still some solid chest to head plus waves rolling through. It was oil glass and only a handful of guys out. With the high tide the waves were a little bit lully. I struggled to find a good one at second and after about thirty minutes floated my way down to the Kiddie Bowl. That is usually where I get my best waves at the ‘bu anyway. For about an hour I had the peak completely to myself and basically had a shred-tastic time linking any where from four to seven turns on a wave. I felt like a surf gluten. I would have surfed another hour had C.C. not wanted to bail. That was fine, I had already gotten my share and had a full day of ding work to get done. Finishing my ding cue was necessary since I had a full day of shaping to do on Tuesday. This was definitely the surf I needed.

10-15-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 54
There was some fresh NW swell in the water along with some solid south swell. Hueneme looked like it’s usual closed out self and I got word that the Rivermouth wasn’t great either. I decided to go on a retard mission up to Rincon, when I should have headed to Malibu, which by the way was firing. Rincon had a waist plus wave and if the tide had not been a six foot high I may have paddled but instead the whole point was flooded. I found myself on the cliff over looking Emma Wood staring at absolutely terrible waves attempting to talk myself into paddling. I did notice the morning crowd was beginning to dissipate. I paddled knowing I could at the very least pick a few terrible waves off a momentarily light crowd. I actually scored a half hour window where I got some good ones before the crowd got gnarly and tide too low. I did manage a few decent barrels and airs worth something. My wife and I spent the afternoon playing our usual Sunday golf on the base. I played a below average game but my wife shot her all time best.

10-14-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 2
Stupid is as stupid does. Once again I let Hueneme fool into thinking it was make-able and I brought along Bizarro to document it. What I ended up with was an hour plus beat down trying to make a decent tube. At one point Bizarro was yelling at me to come in and quit before I got hurt. I did make a couple of quick in and out doggy doors and stuck a frontside straight air. Besides that the pier murdered me. Meanwhile I heard Ventura Harbor was pretty fun and Malibu was on. Oh and that eclipse was a load of bull shit. I didn’t see any thing. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding in Carpinteria.

10-13-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 12
There was some fresh south swell coming in with a little bit of NW wind swell combo. I had a look at Strand. There were some solid sets in the bowl with about thirty guys on it. With the incoming five and half foot high tide still coming in the waves definitely looked a bit wonky. Considering conditions I decided to drive over to Hueneme where I saw some barreling corners on both sides of the pier. The south side looked better but had about eight guys on it while there was no one on the north side thus I paddled there. I had a few lefts and rights but with the fat tide the waves were a bit dumpy. After about thirty minutes the crowd really tapered off on the south side till only one guy remained and I paddled over. Though fast the right wedge off that side was substantially better then anything I had experienced on the north side. It was short lived as the steadily dropping tide completely walled out the wave after thirty minutes. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding at the Carousel Pavilion in Santa Barbara. The guests got especially hammered and all sorts of chaos ensued including the father of the bride crashing his car in front of the venue. As I was walking back to my car after cutting the cake I caught two guests having sex behind a tree in the park. Luckily they were to busy in their task to notice me as I walked by. Nothing but classy people getting married in Santa Barbara these days.

10-12-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Pitas
Time in Water: 1hr 30mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 52
Today was the Peak of the NW swell. There was also a 5ft high tide at 9am flooding all the points. Pat decided to paddle Hueneme where he only made one decent tube in an hour of surfing. I heard Strand was big an unruly with the occasional gem. Everyone who I got reports from all said if I could wait for the afternoon that it would be the optimal surf. Ding repair called. Around 1ish Bizzaro and I headed north. Pat had looked at Pitas and wasn’t enthralled thus we took the Rincon loop. ‘Con was crowded and average at best. Little Rincon had the lightest crowd but the shape was all messed up due to the sand issue I mentioned yesterday. The call was to just paddle Pitas. I dropped Bizarro off at Mondos so he could walk up the point from there while I jumped in up top. The high section of the point was either closed out, too racy or weak and crowded for what it was. I caught a few there and floated to the Faria section. It was a little smaller and more inconsistent but there were some rip-able runners to be had. I was in the zone stacking easily a dozen A clips. Pat paddled and got a few too. As the session wore on the crowd kept getting worse till it was a shit fight for waves and the sets began to get less consistent, plus the wind was coming up. I had more then gotten my share and bailed. I wouldn’t say it was a score but I was definitely pleasantly surprised.

10-11-23 PM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 64
Some days I wonder if my instincts can get any worse. Considering it’s only been two years since I moved to Hueneme I’m going to blame it on lack of understanding my bearings. I had a look at Strand and Hueneme in the morning both were surf-able but hit or miss corners. Nothing looked all that good. Rather then hate my life for an hour I decided to hedge my bets at a point session in the afternoon. After yesterday’s lost work day I used the time to get some ding repair done. Around 1pm I set back out on the hunt. My first stop was Pitas. In hindsight I should have just paddled but the peak was shifting all over the place, the lines weren’t very good and there were a few more guys out then I would have liked. I did the Rincon loop. Rincon had a wave but it was overall small, broken up and weak. Little Con had the best shape but currently there is a deep hole next to the molar rock causing the wave to go completely flat. My instincts told me to go back and just surf Pitas. Salar sent me a text that he was paddling North Strand and it looked fun. I bypassed Pitas, made a brief stop at Emma and decided to stupidly go back to Strand. This broke my number one rule, If I drive north I stay north or if I drive south I stay south for nine out of ten times I come back to Ventura the surf is way worse then what I was looking at else where. I also need to remember that Salar’s reports are spotty at best. Therefore I found myself looking at some really junky Strand with more wind on it then I would have liked. I forced the paddled and it was worse then it looked out there. Almost every wave was a close out. To add injury to insult the wind came up 25 mph out of the WNW completely trashing what little was out there. Completely frustrated I came in and went home. Talk about a waste.

10-10-23 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 20
Conditions were absolutely perfect this morning too bad the waves were about as small as it gets. Once again I found myself looking down towards the River Mouth at very poor surf. The only difference today being I was really doing the math on if it was even rideable. There were a dozen or so guys trying their luck at the Knoll to little avail. I ran down to Mouth cause I saw a few micro tubes running and spiting. If I could squat down into one of those and make it out I’d be stoked. If you have ever surfed with me you know I have an uncanny ability to fold up and come out of the tiniest of tubes. Though deplorable I did make it out of two micro barrels and had one runner that was actually kill-able. Besides that I surfed my way back to my car and went home. When I got home my neighbor caught me as I was washing my wetsuit and gave me a hard time about how my trees were growing into his yard. Fucking suburbia! Whatever, he had a pole trimmer and lent it to me. Instead of getting ding work done my afternoon was spent trimming my trees with Bizarro. My neighbor is just lucky I was in a good mood or I probably would have told him where he could stick that pole trimmer.

10-9-23 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 20
The surf was down and wind on it. Had I not been in pursuit of a perfect month I would have for sure bailed on surfing for the day, but I got it into my stupid head to go for it this month. The only place even remotely surf-able in the VTA was Ventura Harbor and it was pretty slim pickings. I saw a few peaks down by the River Mouth and gave it a go. There were some corners to be had. As the wind picked up the surf got progressively worse. Basically I walked all the way to Mouth, caught a few terrible waves then surfed my way back to the Knoll parking lot. At least I went surfing. My afternoon was spent pumpkin picking with my wife after which we decorated our house with said pumpkins.

10-8-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 70
I absolutely hate going anywhere near the ‘bu on a weekend but desperate times call for desperate measures. The wind was already on it in Ventura and with only a little bit of south swell in the water I cruised to County but it was shit, Leo looked good but was way too crowded and Zeros was just junky and crowded. With little options left I headed for Malibu. Little did I know that there was a WSL contest happening there. It ended up working out cause everyone was down by the contest watching or involved and besides a massive surf camp that was clogging third, second was basically empty with some racy but rip-able chest high runners. The sets were a bit lully but I definitely got a few fun ones. On the way back I met up with Zach, CC, Kai and Chase for a quick bro down at Trancas. The rest of my day was spent getting some organizational work done for Clarks Surfboards.

10-7-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 20
The NW/SW combo was not quite doing it in Hueneme. The south wind wasn’t helping either. With few options I decided to cruise over to Ventura Harbor for a look. Though crowded there were peaks up and down the beach from Knoll to Rivermouth. I ran down to Rivermouth where there were four distinct peaks on offer with about a dozen guys spread out. I floated between the northern two and managed a handful of lefts and rights. I even got a barrel and stuck a full rotation backside air reverse. It was far from good but palatable at the very least. The rest of my day was spent working a wedding in Santa Barbara.

10-6-23 PM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 2
The wind was on it this morning and conditions were overall looking junky. Considering the tide was just about a mid tide all day and the fact that Bizarro and I wanted to do a sunset session I opted to save my surf for the evening. That was fine cause there was plenty more ding repair to do. Around five we set out up to the pier for a look. Sets were a little stretched but I did see some racy tubes to be had down south by the river mouth that looked promising. As far as conditions went it was oil glass, about chest high and beautiful lighting. We decided to give it a go. Right off the bat I pulled into three solid little tubes, two lefts and a right. I also managed a few airs and hits as well. The tide dropped just enough to completely shut the bar down and we still had about forty minutes to go before the actual sunset light. The plan was to walk over to the pier and hope for some little wedge I could get gnarly with. There were slim pickings at the pier as well. I paddled the north side and at the very least got a couple of rights. What a perfect night conditions wise.

10-5-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 12
Bizarro and I were back on it again this morning bright and early. The lighting was beautiful as was the glassy conditions, unfortunately the waves were a bit on the smaller side and inconsistent. Thanks to Bizarro’s wide angle lens and some creativity we were able to get some real keepers on the right bowl of the south side of the pier. C.C. came out and got some gems as well. Look for lots of this content on my Instagram soon. I did manage a couple of huge suicide boosts and two gnarly barrels for the day of course. The rest of my afternoon was spent packing up the remainder of the boards heading to the east coast. My evening was spent admiring my wife’s new gallery opened at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.

10-4-23 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 30 mins
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 14
Over the next few days Bizarro and I have to amass a bit footage, photos and media for a collaboration we are entering into with Rush Surf Club in Laguna. It’s going to involve high end edgy art work to be available to be ordered onto any Clarks Surfboards model. We have been working on this project for months now and the launch is very near. It’s pretty exciting. About a month ago we made some prototype boards one of which was my personal Fly Guy Model. Today was the first day to begin shooting an array of content both in and out of the water. Considering the wind and conditions Rockside was our best bet, especially since part of the assignment was to shoot the board in an industrial setting. You can’t get a better back drop then Hueneme for that. The surf was definitely below average but as a result no one was out allowing us free reign to shoot water uninterrupted or hassled for that matter. Between the wind and currents it was difficult to get the exact angles or even lighting we were looking for. We did get a few keepers but we will have to try harder over the next couple of days. The rest of my afternoon was spent boxing up more surfboards to be shipped to South Carolina. I’m becoming quite the skilled box maker.

10-3-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand/Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 14
I don’t know about you folks but it’s been nice to surf at home for a change and not have to do so much driving. I’m definitely beginning to feel the hardship of the ridiculous price of gas in California. We are two dollars per gallon higher than the rest of the country. It’s getting absurd, not to mention hurting the economy and consequently surf board sales and catering work. If this keeps up I’m going to have to go back to sucking dick for crack and then selling the crack…nah. Anyhow, I met C.C. at the pier where we were hoping for a repeat of yesterday. The surf was smaller and way more closed out and dumpy. Whatever magic there was the previous two days was gone. There were a few peaks down by Rockside but I could already feel the south wind begin to come up. I was still about to paddle when I got a call from Salar that he had just jogged by the Ship on his morning work out and saw some fun little tubes coming through. That sounded more fun then what I was looking at thus I drove over. By the time I got there the tide was already affecting the surf. Still, the waves looked rip-able, were glassy, about chest high and no one was out. Salar, Jeffery and I paddled. Jeffery actual snagged a decent backside tube as soon as he hit the water. I found a couple of decent lefts and rights as did Salar. After thirty minutes the tide just completely killed it. Only a half hour in I wasn’t about to end the surf day there. Instead I kept on my suit and drove back to Hueneme and paddled the north side of the pier. There was definitely some south wind adding a bit of unwanted chop but the waves themselves were more then surf-able. I put in another forty minutes or so before the south wind wrecked it’s havoc on the break. The rest of the day was spent fixing more dings and packing up a load of boards that I needed to ship to the East Coast. By the way we are offering shipping anywhere in the continental US for under $75. With customs starting at $585 it’s never been a better time to order a custom Clarks Surfboard no matter where your location. Strand Pictured.

10-2-23 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 2
Once again Hueneme was decent though a bit more stretched and dumpy this morning. The south swell was a bit stronger, which always causes Hueneme to wall and the tide was just a little bit lower as well. That being said there were some barrels to be had. C.C., Pat and I had a look down by the little river mouth at the south end of the beach. There were some smoking left barrels coming through but most were moving too fast and the peak was super shifty as it usually is down there. We decided to give the north side of the pier another go. Bizzaro met us to film. Just as we walked up the beach we saw a sick set of lefts break off the pier, barrel and spit. It was on. Unlike yesterday the shape was way less perfect meaning you had to be more choosy. All three of us definitely got our share. Pat blew the wave of the day and I ate shit stalling for the barrel of the day. C.C. did his always impressive brand of power surfing. All in all it was a rather fun surf. The south wind slowly crept up as the surf waned on till the it got completely trashed. By then we had all gotten our share. The rest of my day was spent fixing dings.

10-1-23 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 2
It’s rare but every so often the surf gods shine down on Hueneme and it actually becomes a decent place to surf. When this happens the window is usually short and today was no exception to that rule. When I woke up I sort of had a feeling that Hueneme was going to be fun. The tide, period, combination and size of all the swells was right. I drove up to the pier and the entire beach both looking north and south was a skate park. I’m talking about clean chest plus peaky rip-able A-frames up and down the beach as far as the eye could see. Stoked I gave Pat, and C.C. the heads up. I also woke up Bizarro to come film the north side of the pier which is by far my favorite wave in Hueneme but also one of the most fickle. Pat opted to watch the Eagles game and by the time C.C. showed up the wind began to blow out of the south. As for me I sort of scored a super fun forty minute widow completely by myself where I indulged in barrels, airs, turns and some gnarly tail free hits. It was a blast. Look for clips soon on my Instagram and on the Clark’s Surfboards YouTube Channel. Later that afternoon my wife and I hit the golf course where my results were a little less impressive then out in the water. We are still figuring out the game and doing the best we can with the $20 clubs we share that I bought at a thrift shop. None the less we have a blast just being out there hitting some balls and enjoying nature.