Surfing Ruined My Life

October 2024 Surf Sessions

10-31-24 No Surfing: 1-2 ft
Miles Driven: 2
Ah Halloween, one of my favorite days of the year.  My entourage and I used to go all out spending over a month on our costumes.  These days now living in suburbia and retired from the party scene our enjoyment has been derived from handing out candy to the few children that dare frequent our corner of the neighborhood.  My wife even sewed her own Halloween dress.  She looked really cute in it.  You can check out my Instagram for pictures.  As far as the surf went it was pretty much flat barely even knee high anywhere.  Rather then freeze my ass off for such minuscule surf I took my wife to breakfast and after we stopped by the Port Hueneme Naval base to pick up our golf passes.  I also got a bit of ding repair finished as well.  This year the trick or treaters tally was a measly 45 children down a peg from the 63 we got last year.  I do believe Halloween is going be a bit more meaningful to us again in the years to come. Photo from tiny Hueneme.

10-30-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 2
There was a solid rise in wind swell as a result of the two day NW gale.  Unfortunately most of the beaches were still pretty torn up and buried in the tide.  The south side of the pier actually had a peaky chest plus wave coming through.  CC, AJ and I paddled, yes it seems my current surf friends all have initials instead of names.  The wind was light offshore creating nicely groomed lines out of the short period wind swell.  The fat tide made it a bit on the weaker side and rather inconsistent.  There were some good ones to be had but they were very sporadic.  The water was freezing, if it was in the mid fifties we were lucky.  Today was the first time I felt that my current 4/3 may be in need of updating.  Any wetsuit companies out there that want to send me a warm 4/3 I would be more then stoked to promote your product if it’s decent.  As a result of the cold and the less then stellar wave quality we made it a short one.  The rest of my afternoon was spent at the glass shop.

10-29-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 40
The wind was up yet again this morning.  I heard the north points were still tiny.  Leo looked like it still had a wave on the cam and thus I went back for another round.  The surf was significantly smaller, weaker and twice as crowded.  I should have just went home, but instead I forced the paddle.  The water was cold.  The air was cold and the waves absolutely sucked.  I got my grovel on but after a few tiny runners I decided to cut my losses and go to work.  This batch of surfboards isn’t going to glass itself. 

10-28-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Leo Carrillo
Time in Water: 1 hr 15m
Waves Surfed: 11
Miles Driven: 40
Gabe and Nina hit me up to surf.  Unfortunately the wind was on it early, the start of a multi day onshore NW gale coming down the coast.  Ventura was out and I got word the north points were small.  Leo looked like it had some size on the cam causing me to head that way.  Gabe decided to cruise back up to Santa Cruz and sort something out on the way. Leo was surprisingly solid though a bit funky and all over the place. The crowd was very light and I saw a few runners off the rock albeit a bit mushy.  With no other options except to not surf I paddled.  While I was suiting up a crew of professional long boarders showed up with their videographer.  I was bummed that they were going to clog it but they stayed all the way on the inside. Once out there I realized why those guys stayed inside.  It was tricky to find the waves that actually went all the way through to the inside reef.  Most were just breaking off the rock and dying out.  I  did find some gems but overall it was far from the score I was hoping for.   After the surf I had lots of glassing work to do for the remainder of my day.

10-27-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 10

A bit more WNW swell filled in over night allowing for Hollywood to have some chest to head high peaky waves up and down the beach.  It was glassy.  Gabe, his girl Nina and I paddled, while my wife filmed. I was pleasantly surprised about how rip-able it was out there and even managed a few tubes.  Once again I got crazy on my air game.  So much so that I had ended up creasing my board through the tail coming down too flat on one.  Luckily it was towards the end of my session anyway.  I wasn’t a big fan of that board.  When shaping it I pulled the rails down a little too much.  On my last few boards I have slowly been taking down the rail line.  I guess I finally reached the threshold.  After the surf my wife and I did our usual Sunday brunch.  We ended the day with 9 holes of golf at Camarillo Springs.  I shot a 64 and my wife took me out with a 62. 

10-26-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 25
Miles Driven: 2
My good friend and former business partner Gabe Clark was in town to shape a few surfboards for himself and his lady.  There was a fresh south swell running coupled with some minor WNW.  The tide was high and Saturday crowds were out in full force.  Hueneme pier was chest plus with some right hand screamers running off the south side.  It looked fast but do-able.  Once out there we realized it was way more stretched and fast than it looked.  Add the steadily dropping tide and we found ourselves dealing with heavy dumpy closeouts.  Biz came to film and for whatever reason I got in the zone and just started launching huge backside airs and even stuck a few.  Maybe all the stress I’m carrying due to my current new life situation is causing me to take on a go for broke attitude.  As far as Gabe and Nina they were left wanting as is the case with most new comers to Hueneme as it really is an acquired taste. After the surf all of us went to brunch to catch up.  The rest of my afternoon/evening was spent working a wedding in Santa Barbara.

10-25-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 2
I was pleasantly surprised this morning with peaky fun looking chest plus Hueneme. Unless you live here you can’t understand what it’s like to look at weird sub par waves day in and day out and the subsequent excitement when “The Hueneme Window” is happening.  Of course when it happens it’s short.  I joke lots of times that if Hueneme looks fun then you’ve probably already gotten there too late.  I jumped in with my boy AJ and we had the north side of the pier to ourselves.  It was definitely a little more tricky then it looked but there were some real kill-able ones.  I managed a draining fifty yard left barrel that was most likely the best tube I’ve caught out here all season.  About forty minutes later the wind got funky and the tide got too low.  There were still a few fun ones but it was hardly a glimpse of its former self.  The Hueneme Window had closed.  I’ll take what I can get.  In the afternoon my wife and I went to Ormond Beach to relax and enjoy each other’s company.  We have been on a real emotional roller coaster this week and needed the some positive us time.

10-24-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Point Mugu
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 22
Hueneme was sort of surf-able though the shape a bit to be desired, and though in hindsight I should have just surfed it.  Jeffrey recently got a new base pass abs offered to take me in with him.  He had heard it was fun there yesterday.  The tide was a bit higher than one would like for it.  We saw a couple sidewinders roll off the rocks that showed some promise and paddled.  A south wind came up accompanied by an eerie fog that basically trashed whatever potential was out there.  I had a couple shore break hits but besides that neither of us really even caught a wave.  That surfing the base.  Sessions can go either way, from the best tubes of your life to completely not surf-able.  Like I always say I get skunked there more than I score.  I heard pretty much everywhere in my sphere of influence was terrible. Once again the rest of my day was consumed by the glass shop.

10-23-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 19
Miles Driven: 12
The south swell peaked allowing for Hollywood to have some weak albeit peaky rip-able glassy peaks up and down the beach.  It looked fun enough to me so I paddled.  Had the tide been dropping I think it could have been a super fun surf.  As it was with a rising tide sets were feathery and hard to read.  I did somehow manage a draining barrel.  As the tide got higher and the majority of the waves moved to the inner bar it became way more rip-able.  I had a full day of glassing to attend to and therefore got my fill and didn’t linger. My head is still pretty messed up too.  The inner battle I’m fighting may be the hardest I’ve had to under go.  Why is it that in life the right thing to do is always the hardest?

10-22-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Malibu
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 70
Some minor south swell filled in allowing Malibu to be a viable option.  CC and I cruised down mid morning.  It was rather crowded for what it was, especially up at third. I floated down to second.  Sets were really inconsistent and rather stretched when they did come in.   I caught one really decent right other wise the rest were just stretched out speed runs. Depending on the crowd out there it can feel like being back at my old high school cafeteria.  I never really fit into anyone’s click.  I guess that’s why I always sit down at second alone.  I had ding work to handle the rest of the day.  Should be a better pulse tomorrow.

10-21-24 AM Session: 0-1 ft, Port Hueneme
Miles Driven: 2
The surf was pretty much flat today, which was too bad cause I could have really used a surf.  It wasn’t meant to be.  My head was pretty messed up after yesterday.  CC was nice enough to allow me to tag along with him for majority of the day while dishing out his usual brand of advice.  I got a bit of ding work finished in the afternoon.  The evening ending with a very serious dinner out with my wife.  I was reminded what a strong team we make and felt somewhat comforted.  I know things will all be okay, maybe better even.  Now I need to believe it.  All in good time.  Photo from Hueneme. 

10-20-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 2
There was a brief window of offshore wind this morning.  With just a little bit of trace south swell in the water Hueneme was looking the best.  That being said it was still just tiny and with the fat tide borderline shore break.  I almost walked on it till I saw my friend AJ coming up the beach to surf.  I hadn’t seen the dude in a minute and decided to join him.  Small waves are always more fun when I surf with him.  We paddle about three hundred yards off the north side of the Pier where a meager bar coupled with the light offshore winds was making an A-frame.  Most waves were breaking so close to the sand they couldn’t be surfed and the ones that could be surfed pretty much ended right on the sand.  How I didn’t get hurt or destroy my board was dumb luck.  Later that morning my luck may have run out (I guess it depends how you look at it) as I got some news that was irksome, confusing and very disturbing.  Life changing sort of news.  I’m not at liberty to go into that at the moment, be sure that I will as soon as I’m ready.  I shook it and got one with my Sunday.  My wife took me to door this old historical home in Camarillo, The Camarillo Adobe.  She’s into that sort of thing and I always enjoy meandering about.  The afternoon concluded with a round of golf at River Ridge on the Vineyard course where I shot a 69 and my wife a 73. Minus the strange news it would have been an otherwise perfect day. 

10-19-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Surfers Knoll
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 18
Today was another Santa Ana day.  The swell was way down from yesterday, coupled with another seven foot high tide I was stuck along with everyone else that wanted to surf at Ventura Harbor.  There was a little bit of shape at the Knoll with about thirty guys fighting for inconsistent waves on about three maybe four peaks.  Weekend surfs are always the best.  I paddled into the swampy crowded conditions where I got burned, guys got in the way and the majority of the waves were shore break.  I managed one little tube that I suppose made it all worth it.  Besides that I almost killed a guy who burned me by kicking my board at him in frustration. Luckily for him and me I missed or the incriminating footage my wife got of the incident could have landed me in jail.  I really need to get a grip on my emotions sometimes.  After the surf I had to drive all the way up to the Santa Ynez valley to work a wedding. Just another day in the life. I heard the wind actually stayed off shore till around 3pm and Strand got rather fun. 

10-18-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 12
The first real Santa Ana day of the season came with a very promising Sold NW wind swell. Unfortunately it also came with a full moon seven foot high tide.  Strand would have been epic and was probably alright at dawn, but by the time I got there at 8:30 it was already swamped.  It looked sick on a first glance.  As I watched people trying to surf the dumpy shore breaky conditions I noticed even the body boarders were struggling and the waves guys were making didn’t have much to offer besides a thrilling drop or close out tube. I drove over to Hollywood which was also pretty fat but for whatever reason down by Little Sunset the was enough of a sand bar to allow for a surf-able chest to head high plus right and left.  There was also a lot of backwash and it looked tricky.  Left with no other real options Jeffery and I paddled.  Biz showed up to film and though it was nothing special we got a few good rides.  I’m glad I didn’t try and wait out the tide cause by eleven the wind went onshore super hard trashing it and the points didn’t real ever materialize.  If it wasn’t for yesterday’s hard lesson getting skunked I might have squandered today. The rest of my afternoon was spent at the glass shop laminating.

10-17-24 No Surfing: 2-3+ ft,
Miles Driven: 78
I hate when I make a bad call.  The tide was way too high for Shores or Hollywood. The only place really breaking was The Harbor.  Jeffery was paddling.  Surfline claimed for the wind to stay down most of the day thus I decided to run a few errands then have another look.  Of course when I got back to the beach only an hour and a half later the wind had come up hard enough out of the NW to wreck most places.  North Strand was clean but pathetically weak.  I got word Rincon had a little wave up at Indicator and considering the wind cruised. By the time I got up there the tide got way too low and a very short period wind swell on top of the drained tide made the place borderline not surf-able.  I checked Pitas and it was weak.  Ultimately I went into my glass shop to get some work done with my tail between my legs. I even had a look at Strand right before dark, which had gotten bigger but all windy and junky.  I couldn’t bring myself to paddle out.  I should have taken the bird in the hand and paddled Harbor with Jeffery in the morning. I kooked it. Photo from Hueneme.

10-16-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 14
Today was that Hat trick my friends.  Once again the morning was graced with glassy conditions and solid head high waves.  Hollywood looked the best and there was no one out.  Jeffery showed up and we basically had two peaks all to ourselves.  Biz showed up and filmed. As the tide began to drop the waves just kept getting more hallow.  I threw down a handful of incredible tubes that may have rivaled yesterday.  Eventually the lower tide began to shrink down the size and make things a bit dumpy.  It was still very fun but after three all time days in a row I was not about to force things.  My afternoon was spent cleaning up my glassing space in Ventura to get ready to glass a fresh batch of Clarks Surfboards.  Need a new board after this swell?  Customs start at $625 with a four week turnaround.  

10-15-24 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 2.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 14
There aren’t too many days a year that I will claim epic and this morning was definitely borderline at the Shores.  The crowd was super heavy at the Dunes by Almalfi so I cruised over to the north side of the beach near Fifth and it was solid head high plus top to bottom spitting tubes.  There were about fifty guys spread out over a number of peaks and the waves were rather shifty making the crowd not a big issue.  Jeffery and I paddled and man was it a barrel fest out there.  You had to be choosy for not every wave was good and there was so much water moving around lining up a good one was tricky.  Not to mention the crowd was a bit annoying at times as certain people out there were wasting good waves due lack of judgment and ability, but when you lucked into a decent wave it was a legit stand up tube. I definitely paced myself and only waited for the gems.   I can’t remember the last time I got tubes like that, maybe a year ago.   I surfed two and a half hours and it was still fun when I got out. My arms and body were spent and I was afraid if I continued surfing I was going to do myself an injury. When you’re an aging surfer you have to consider longevity vs. instant gratification.  I have been getting so many good waves lately I had to listen to my body.  I heard the afternoon/evening were fun too, even at the points.  I had shaping to do. Tomorrow is afterall another day.  Two great days at the beaches in a row, can I get a surfing hat trick?

10-14-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 12
The waves that were in front of me at Hollywood this morning had me texting the words “I would have to be a fool to not paddle out here” to Jeffery.  There wasn’t another surfer in sight, offshore winds with chest to head plus A-frame barrels.  I was very stoked.  For an hour I was getting sick wave after sick wave, tubes, turns and airs all by myself with my wife filming.  The wind went more south and as the tide dropped the waves began to get more stretched and dumpy.  There were still some solid ones to be had but it was not nearly as good.  At this point I began to struggle to find a decent ride.  I caught a few more and called it a day.  It was time for breakfast anyway.  In the afternoon my wife and I went pumpkin picking out a some farm in Moorpark that does it all, animals, entertainment, hayrides and a corn maze though I must say that the corn maze was very underwhelming.  I’d say it was a pretty awesome day. 

10-13-24 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 52
A solid WNW swell came up overnight offering surf at all of the north points.  Of course there was also a solid south running offering decent surf at all the LA waves too.  I was torn on what to do.  One thing was for sure all the Oxnard/VTA beaches were looking walled.  I got word Rincon was head high plus and that was all I needed to send me up that way.  Sure enough Rincon was doing its thing.  There was also easily 200 guys out.  Opening day is opening day and in all the years I’ve been out here I haven’t missed an opening day at Rincon.  I paddled up at the Rivermouth section and began picking off waves.  The good thing about that zone is its way more shifty and harder to surf then Indicator or The Cove allowing me more opportunities to pick waves off the pack.  There was a slight bit of south wind on it but not enough to trash it.  I ended up getting a solid hour window before the tide and swell began to back off.  I didn’t get a bunch of waves but it was certainly nice to get a few at my beloved queen.  After the surf my wife and I got breakfast at Hugos in Carpinteria, which has sort of become a Rincon tradition now.  When we lived in Santa Barbara we used to frequent the place quite often.  These days living in Oxnard we only get up there if Rincon has a wave.  We ended the day with our usual Sunday golf outing.  I played horrid shooting a 69, while my wife finished up with a 64.  Well done my lady.  I’d say it was a pretty good day.

10-12-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 14
There was a bit of fresh south in the water.   I cruised to Shores where there was a chest plus wave coming in by the dunes on the south end of the beach.  The shape was a bit to be desired but I wanted to surf  and decided to paddle.  Apparently about thirty other guys thought the same thing and I was in the middle of an instant crowd.  I floated around and tried to pick off whatever I could.  Overall the surf was just too crossed up to be any fun.  I spend my session bobbing and weaving around the pack.  I did manage a few little tubes.  The rest of my day was spent working a wedding at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm up in Santa Barbara.

10-11-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Hollywood Beach
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 16
I guess you can’t have three good days of surf at the beaches, at least not these days.  I started at Hollywood, but it was a bit  stretched and smaller than I wanted.  My next stop was the Shores.  It was bigger but with funky shape.  Not satisfied I had a look at Strand, where the shape was perfect but size minimal.   I cruised back to Hollywood for one last look with my fall back possibly LA.  Over at La Brea I saw some do-able peaks and it seemed like the ocean had glassed off.  I paddled and got a few ok ones.  Then the wind came up out of the WNW making things a bit bumpy.  Between the wind and the tide dropping these weird rips began to form that kept pushing me off the bar.  I was completely over it and about to leave when my bud Anthony showed up.  I forced out another forty five minutes and actually managed to get some of my better waves in that interim.  After the surf my day was spent fixing dings. I got word later that LA wasn’t anything special. 

10-10-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hollywood Beach
Time in Water: 2 hrs 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 32
Miles Driven: 16
Once again we were graced by some solid combo swell that was sort of making the beaches peaky.  Overall most spots were walled. I checked everything from Strand to Shores, ultimately paddling Hollywood.  The waves seemed to have the most shape out of everywhere I checked towards the south end of the beach.  No one was out and I paddled alone.  Biz eventually came to film and Ryan and Evan showed up.  The first half of the session catching a decent wave was tough.  I was either too deep or too far inside.  Positioning was tough and the rip keep pulling me into the holes between the bars.  I had a miserable forty five minutes out there. Then I managed to regroup and shift gears.  All of a sudden I was picking off decent waves left and right.  Tubes, airs, turns, it was on.  The only thing was I had stick ratio below forty percent.  That being said I still managed to put down some solid clips.   The rest of my day was spent shaping. 

10-9-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Hollywood Beach
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 16
There was actually some solid combo swell in the water this morning. Hoping the beaches were going to be ripe for the taking I headed to Hollywood.  There were waves but it was a tad more stretched and tidy than I would have liked.  From there I checked the Hotel and Shores, both were kind of messy and stretched.  When all else fails I go for the Hail Mary Ship check.  It was tiny and too high tide.  Ultimately I ended up surfing La Brea at Hollywood cause I had to take a piss and the restroom is right there.  While on the beach I saw a few waves that looked solid enough and paddled.  Jeffrey met me and Bizarro filmed.  The waves  were definitely a hard read between stretched sets, backwash, and rogue peaks, classic Hollywood actually.  When a good wave did come in it was pretty decent.  I was patient and caught myself a handful of really fun ones.  As the tide came up it started to really slow down and shortly after the wind came up thus I threw in the towel.  The surf was far from epic but compared to the trash I have been surfing all summer I’d say it was fun enough.  The rest of my afternoon was spent shaping.

10-8-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 20
What I thought was just going to be another tiny day at the Harbor actually turned out to be chest plus.  The shape was rather walled.  I walked down towards the River Mouth where there was a rip that was forcing an awkward left corner.  Lining this up wasn’t easy and due to the rip I had to be constantly paddling to stay in position.   When I did catch a decent one it was fun, but definitely not worth the effort.  If it hadn’t been one of the flattest summers in history I probably wouldn’t have even surfed but as it was Jeffery and I frothed the crap out of the junky offerings.  After the surf I had a full afternoon of shaping.  Looks like the rest of the week should have some surf to speak of.

10-7-24 AM Session: 1-2+ ft, Surfers Knoll
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 20
Just when I thought we were finally getting back to our normal California 2-3+ ft surf this morning happened.  I walked up the  Hueneme Pier only to be greeted by barely knee high waves.  Conditions were glassy.  Jeffery was at the Harbor where he claimed it was waist plus.  I drove over and was greeted by a perfect set of waist plus clean peelers that got me out there.  As soon as I hit the water the five and a half foot high tide swamped it leaving just Jeffery and I.  Jeffery quit shortly after.  I was out there and decided to make the most out of the tiny shore break.   To be honest it was just nice to be out in the ocean alone.  I miss the solace of a good solo session, an anomaly these days. After the surf I had a million errands to run that completely consumed my day and my wallet.  Anyone else feel like every time you go to the grocery store you spend the same if not more money and come home with less groceries.  Things are definitely getting tough. My way of life is getting harder to sustain.  You can help by ordering a Clarks Surfboard.  At $625 for custom you’ll have money to spare for groceries. Throw your boy a bone. 

10-6-24 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Surfers Knoll
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 20
There was south wind on an already less than stellar Hueneme.  I got word that the Harbor had a wave and cruised over there.  It was ride-able but that’s all I was able to give it.  With twenty or so guys out at the Knoll my motivation was seriously lacking.  I sucked it up and paddled my groveler.   You know the saying that it’s better than it looks.  Today definitely wasn’t.  It was weak, walled and backwashy.  I suppose it was better than not surfing.  My brother-in-law was in town and wanted to play a round of golf.  We played River Ridge on the Vineyard course.  The weather was beautiful when we started but by the eleventh hole visibility really began to lack as a thick layer of fog rolled in.  By the time we got to the sixteenth hole we couldn’t even see our balls thus we ended the game early.   We met our wives at the Outback Steak house for a nice little repast.  I haven’t ate there in years and must admit the quality has certainly dropped.  For the money we spent I could have cooked us the best dinner we ever.  Just another disappointment like so many others these days.  Maybe it’s just me growing old.

10-5-24 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 2
Hueneme was actually peaky and somewhat fun this morning.  Upon checking the pier I saw three really good rights roll off the south side of the pier.  I didn’t hesitate to get dressed and paddle.  Two other guys I know from Strand also paddled seeing the same set from the south parking lot.  It was fine, there was enough waves for all of us to get a few.  The three of us were having a decent enough session trading off Pier bowls when a gang of about eight life guards showed up on mostly soft tops and decided to sit right on us clogging the line up.  On top of that they proceeded to burn us on every wave.  Finally I said a few words cause this happens every weekend when these clowns come on duty.  Of course they gave me the usual kook entitled answers.  “Chill out”, “the ocean is for all of us to enjoy”, “what are you getting mad over two foot waves”.  Ultimately I was out numbered and forced to paddle down the beach relegated to a lesser stretchy left.  When I left the kooks had the nerve to sarcastically wave to me.  Fucking Beach Jocks!!!  Whatever, at the end of the day I always get mine.  I had a wedding to work in the Santa Ynez Valley that turned out to be a complete nightmare of an event.  I was scheduled an hour late and got there with only twenty minutes to appetizers.  This left my entire kitchen in the weeds the whole night.  As always the guest were none the wiser.  Overall I’d say it was not the best Saturday I’ve ever had.

10-4-24 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 18
Miles Driven: 12
The swell definitely kicked up a notch from last night.  The tide was still very high for the bulk of the morning.  Hueneme was my first stop.  The wind was SE making conditions less then optimal.  Hoping for a miracle I went over to Hollywood.  It would have been a super fun session had the tide been lower but as it was the place was already swamped and there was still an hour to go before high tide.  I cruised over to Strand for a look while awaiting a Harbor report from Jeffrey.  I heard Rincon was almost do-able had the tide been lower.  There was a chest to head high wave in the bowl at Strand that was definitely a little stretched but do-able. With the light SE wind it looked somewhat inviting.  Jeffery’s Harbor report didn’t stoke me out thus I paddled the South Bowl around Tower 4.  As soon as I hit the water the wind went south west chopping it up a bit, although the south end of the beach there can take a little south wind better then most places around here.   It turned out to be more fun than I expected.  That being said between the backwash, stretched out lines and dumpy sections the surf was challenging to say the least.  CC apparently got the  Hueneme Pier fun despite the south wind.  It’s always strange how that only happens when I’m not around.  Jeffery’s session at the Harbor was pretty stretched too.  I suppose if surf conditions were perfect everyday the sport would get boring.  Who am I kidding it would be awesome.  My evening was spent working a cocktail party in Santa Barbara with a completely vegan menu.  The majority of the guest were not vegans thus you can expect that I had lots of leftovers and plenty of tipsy guests. a common problem when vegan menus coincide with a fully stocked open bar.

10-3-24 PM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 14
Miles Driven: 12
Today was the smallest day I have seen in over a week.  The morning started out pretty windy out of the SW.  My bud Matt Anderson was coming into town and wanted to surf the afternoon.  Rather than knock myself nuts hunting for junky surf I decided to head home and do a bit of shaping.  Matt hit me up around two.  Bizarro and I met up with him over at Hollywood.  There were some chest plus sets rolling in.  Unfortunately with the low tide the majority were stretched.  I had gotten word that North Strand had a chest high wave so we headed over.  Overall the surf looked very weak.  Matt was game and I hadn’t surfed yet.  Poor Biz was conscripted into filming the very very poor conditions.  Once out there we realized it was even harder to surf due to all the rips coming up the weak mushy faces of the waves.  We fought the good fight for an hour before giving up.  I did manage a few waves but I think we should have taken our chances at Hollywood.

10-2-24 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 12
It’s funny how every year I forget how annoying the fat morning high tides can be.  Today was a perfect example of such.  Hueneme had a little wave off the pier and I should have surfed it.  I had to meet a customer over at Strand.  Once over there I noticed some chest high bowls trying to break through the high tide at the Ship.  I saw enough to warrant a paddle.  Jeffery met me and we tried our luck around Tower 5 to the Shit Pipe.  Actually right off the bat I managed a few airs on the backwashy close out wedges.  As the tide dropped the backwash got insane almost to the point where it was bigger then the wave coming in.  Then the waves began to really stretch out and the wind came up.  Though I paddled in the hopes it would have gotten better in actuality it got way worse.  I head CC got Hueneme Pier fun.  The rest of my day was spent finishing the overhaul on my shaping room.  I must say I am rather happy with how it turned out. 

10-1-24 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 22
Sometimes I just need to paddle when conditions look fun enough instead of searching for perfection.  The Ship was my first stop this morning and the crowd was light.  The tide was a little fat and considering the swell had dropped a peg from yesterday I was hoping for more.  I drove back to Hueneme but it wasn’t really happening.   In an attempt to wait out the tide I ran a few errands.  Around ten Jeffery met me at the Ship and though still high we saw some fun ones in the bowl.  The line up had gotten more crowded with the bulk of the crowd focused at Tower 5.  We paddled the south bowl by Tower 4 and basically had a number of peaks to ourselves.  For the first half hour I was scoring little tubes and some fun turns.  As the tide dropped it started getting very backwashy, dumpy and stretched.  Dane paddled out next to us and immediately the entire crowd shifted to our spot.  Over that I paddled down to Tower 5 which was now empty.  I’m always bobbing and weaving around the pack.  With the lower tide the waves were more rip-able there anyhow. As a bonus I got to surf with my boy Zach for a little bit.  I was hoping the Ship might do its thing as the tide got lower, but it just seemed that the shallower it got the smaller and dumpier the waves became.  I threw in the towel and went home.  My afternoon was spent rebuilding my shaping racks.  After two years I have noticed they have been slowly deteriorating and becoming less level and stable.  I decided it was time for an over haul and whole shaping room for that matter.