Surfing Ruined My Life

September 2021 Surf Sessions

9-30-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Rincon
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 56
After yesterday’s disappointment I really wanted to score something fun. Biz was up and decided to come along and film. We were planning on one of the points or Strand. As we were coming into Ventura I noticed the wind had already turned on shore. Rather then waste time on a fools errand at the Beaches we turned around and had a look at Emma. There were waves. It looked a bit too peaky and was a bit crowded for what was on offer. Pitas was too high, as was Little Rincon. The call was Rincon where there was a mushy inconsistent chest plus wave up top with a somewhat manageable crowd. The majority of the pack was focused up at Indicator. I found my usual niche at the River Mouth area. Overall it was less then enthralling. I did managed to pick off a seven turn runner and landed an air reverse at the end. At the very least we got that clip as a keeper. The rest of my day was spent grinding away at ding repair cause Im always hustling.

9-29-21 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Hollywood
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 7
Miles Driven: 78
There are some unwritten rules in surfing and one of those came into play for me today. Rule: if you make any non-surfing plans in advance you can be sure that the surf will be firing that same day/time. Sure enough that was the case today. My wife had got us entry to Lotus Land in Montecito months ago to tour the extensive grounds and gardens. As an amateur botanist/garden enthusiast the place is quite a treat. If you have been there you know what I mean and if you have not its worth a visit if you can get in as tours and visitation rights are limited. Of course the first solid WNW swell decided to grace us with its presence. Early in the morning I had an appointment to look at a rental at Strand forcing me to be down at the beaches while all the points had waves. My first check was Strand which was offshore and had plenty of size, but was lacking in shape. There were lots of close outs, waves breaking on top of each other and just an assortment of very junky waves. There were about thirty or so guys out, all good surfers and no one was really getting anything all that great. From there I cruised to Hollywood where it was a bit more peaky though a bit all over the place. Word from the points was that they were below average and crowded. Loren met me at Little Sunset where we saw a handful of solid rights peeling off into the channel. There appeared to be a bit of a current, though usually its not on the outside there. We paddled and right away in classic Hollywood fashion it was way bigger then it looked, easily pushing double overhead on the sets. The paddle and current were difficult to say the least. I picked off a bomb right and ran it into the channel and was immediately swept away and had to paddle my way back with all my might. That was pretty much how the session went for me, an hour of constant paddle till my arms were burnt out. I did manage a few really good rights but it was hardly worth the effort. Had I not been committed to Lotus Land with my wife I would have grabbed some lunch and headed back out for another surf at one of the points. It was not to be. Lotus land was splendid and I have actually never really gotten to enjoy the grounds leisurely only having been there for catering gigs. After Lotus Land I had a look around town. There were some little waves at all the spots, nothing that stoked me up to paddle. Can’t win them all.

9-28-21 AM 2 Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 12
Miles Driven: 39
Its rare when I decide to bail on a session to run to a different spot. Usually I just tough it out where ever I initially end up. Today was the exception and still in my suit we bolted over to Shores, ran up the dunes and paddled. Ofcourse by now the wind had got on it added quite a bit of chop. Hugo and Oscar were out fighting the good fight. Why they didn’t just stay Malibu is beyond me. If I did not have to work that is where I would have surfed today. I took my frustration out in my fist couple of waves and actually forced out a few ok rides. The kept building and it didn’t take long for it to completely trash what little shape was out there. I managed to take one of the worst beatings I have received in a while air dropping into an over head bomb. The bottom dropped out and I got slammed then eaten alive by the white water. On the plus side I was running the wire on time and was sure that I was going to be late. Luckily there was no traffic and I got there on time. Don’t take any stock in the photo it is from when I checked it at 9:30 and it still sucked then.

9-28-21 AM 1 Session: 2-3+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 10
Miles Driven: 39
There were high hopes for today by all. Bright and early I received a promising photo from Shores. The buoys had north swell, west swell and south swell with very little wind. Stoked Biz and I cruised south. Harbor was our first stop where it was all mixed up. Even though there was no wind the waves all had a funk on them. Shores was my stop. It was a little better but still had lots of stretched sets and out of the thirty or so guys out none one was getting any good rides. Hoping some of the new long period NW would show I headed to Strand. The ship had very peaky waist high shore dump that wasn’t at all what we were hoping for. I saw some waves at North Jetty and headed there. The waves were a lot more organized though still small. Every now and then tower one showed a chest high left. The choice was to go back to Shores and make sense out of the dumpy weird combo swell or take my chances that Strand might get better as the tide filled in. I chose Strand thinking better take the bird in the hand. I pulled out my Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy Model and turns out I must have put a hole in my deck on that big ally oop I hurt my ankles on yesterday. I filled it with wax and paddled. Right off the bat I snagged a few decent ones. Then the sets just completely stopped coming in. Loren and Matt showed up right as I decided to bail for Shores in utter frustration.

9-27-21 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 66
Even though today was supposed to be the bigger day according to the forecast and even the buoy readings it was not. The NW swell though had dropped in period also dropped in size leaving the better sets for the south swell. Unfortunately it also lefts most waves a bit stretched. I was planning on heading to Strand when I got word it was all on the north Jetty and not as big as yesterday. Jeffery left Harbor for Fruits and since I never heard back from him I decided it must have been fun enough out at Fruits and just suited up and ran down the trail to the beach. It was definitely a bit on the funky side out there. There were four distinct peaks that looked fast but do-able. Jeffery, Tim and my boy Joseph were out each on their own respective peak. I jumped in on my own little peak just south of Jeffrey. There was a steady current pulling north and also some backwash with a tinge of wind funk on the face of the waves making it very tricky to surf. That being said I had one really decent tube and stuck a size able ally oop. I also landed hard in the flats on a different big ally oop that I didn’t make and as if press time my ankles feel a tad bit tender. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-26-21 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 1 hr
Waves Surfed: 17
Miles Driven: 78
There was some fresh long period NW swell and a rising south as well. Sure I could have chased the combo at some of the possible combo spots. Im over south swells and decided to head straight for the Strand and back track accordingly. The Ship as I expected was just about flat. There were solid lines hitting the north bowl to the north jetty. I drove over to investigate and sure enough there were some fast moving lefts sweeping down the beach. There was a rather heavy crowd from Tower One to the Jetty. Down towards Tower Two and beyond I could see well overhead stacking left drainers with no one on it. The waves looked pretty fast, but then again so am I. I waxed up a new Hacksaw that I hand shaped. The first of its kind. I was more then a little but nervous to take it out. My confidence level in every aspect of life besides my surfing has been seriously lacking and I wasn’t sure if I could handle the disappointment of a dud. As soon as I paddled I swung on a medium left just to get a warm up feel for the board. I raced down the line, got in a hit and an air which I stuck. Then I immediately paddled into a small against the grain right and the stick felt god in that one too. So far so good. Unfortunately the majority of the waves out there were close outs leaving my wave count a little light. When a corner came to me it was not squandered. On my last one I late dropped into an over head tube that I some hoe managed to pump my way out of easily fifty yards down the line. I had to squeeze out the doggy door, though I will take it. I only had another fifteen minutes left in my window and decided not to be greedy. My wife and I had planned on going to an open house at noon off Wooley. It was hust before eleven so we decided to go try this breakfast spot in Oxnard called Henri’s that I have actually been interested in for a long time now. It did not fail to impress. Great menu, awesome luncheonette janky environment, tasty food, reasonable prices and excellent service. I walked out completely in awe. It goes with out saying that I will be back. As for the open house though a nice spot it just wasn’t exactly what we were looking for. Then it was a mad dash back to SB so I could get to work by 1:30pm, an entire hour early cause I needed to take a refresher hazmat training course. Just another action packed ridiculously busy day in Lisanti Land. I’m pretty sure I do more in week then most do in two months. There is an awesome new edit of myself and Loren Bird ripping the last south swell on the Clarks Surfboards YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/krw22nGEIZY

9-25-21 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 64
My sister in-law was having her gender reveal party up in Goleta at noon today leaving me a somewhat shorter surf window then normal. I never really understand the point of these gender reveals. The whole business seems kind of silly to me, though when I worked in catering I did enjoy all of the of the extra money they brought in. I headed for the first decent waves that came my way, which ended up being River Mouth. It was more crowded then usual between the normal Saturday kookery and the extra spill over from NSSA comp at New Jetty. The shape was a little stretched too. There were chest to head sets and enough corners for me to make something out of it. I paddled at my usual spot down by the reeds and began my froth. The crowd was with out a doubt more annoying then usual as people were constantly taking off too deep or just blowing waves due to lack out ability that I could have ripped. This one kook blew three absolutely flawless rights that I was also in position for. Since he was just a hair deeper I was forced to concede and watch as he fell on the drop and the right peel off empty. I hate this new breed surfer and his ”its ok to suck at surfing and still mix it up with the good surfers even if I get in their way and waste decent waves” mentality. If you cant make the wave you are paddling for and the guy next to rips let him have it instead of wasting it with your surfing incompetence. You can get a sense of how my morning surf went. The gender reveal was a nice gathering of family and friends. Unfortunately I had to bail for work just moments before the actual reveal, but spoiler: its a boy. Maybe he will get into surfing, do it half ass and in fifteen years from now blow the wave of the day in front of me…nah, no nephew of mine will enter into surfing and not go full bore. I wont allow it.

9-24-21 AM Session: 2-4+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 38
Miles Driven: 78
I had a feeling the Ship was going to have waves this morning. Word was Hueneme was fun too. I figured I would check the Ship and if it was no good head to Hueneme. Sure enough there were clean peaky chest to head bowls up and down the entire beach from Jetty to Jetty. The tide was a little high but there were still some fun ones to be had. All the usual suspects were out too. I paddled right off the Ship where I found a fun left and right inside bowl to myself. John paddled over and joined me and the two of us traded fun waves for over an hour before the high tide began to add lots of backwash and other funk to it. Still I was getting plenty of fun ones and decided to surf another hour. I only got out cause I was freezing from the unseasonable cold water. The rest of my day was spent in the shaping room sculpting magic carpets for Clarks Surfboards.

9-23-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Silver Strand
Time in Water: 2 hrs
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 78
I definitely had a few too many glasses of wine last night leaving me a bit behind the eight ball getting my act together and making it down to Ventura. All the reports I was getting were far from motivational anyhow. I ended up at Ventura Harbor around 10:30 where it was messy weak and crowded with groms. Judging by the heavier then usual grom contingent and absolute crap of the waves I can only assume that there must be an NSSA comp there this weekend. The buoys were reading a fair amount of west swell which lead me to check the north end of Strand. Though a little high it was solid head high plus with lines sweeping down the beach. Of course I left my good wave board at home anticipating not much more then a grovel. I found myself rather undergunned out there on my little 5’7 groveler. John showed up and joined me. There were some really decent lefts to be had. There was also a stiff current sucking north towards the rocks and some tricky rips up and down the beach. I scored some decent waves, but if was a lot of hard paddling. I heard it got a little more organized in the evening not that it matter since I was locked in the Clarks Surfboards shaping room the remainder of the day.

9-22-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 22
Miles Driven: 82
Once again it was another morning with high tide and fog, except today we also added some onshore NW wind to our surfing enjoyment. Jeffery was at Hueneme and considering conditions it was shaping up to be the best of the worst. Loren and I showed up and found Jeffrey down by the Jetty ripping some fun looking high tide bowls. It was a tad backwashy but the three of us made the most out of what was on offer. Considering it was the smallest day we had seen in ten days we still managed to have a blast. Later that evening my wife had a new gallery opening at her museum. I got all dressed up to support the cause. As per usual she did an amazing job impressing all in attendance. After that her father and I took her out to Arnaldi’s to celebrate.

9-21-21 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 82
There was plenty of swell out in the water to be had. Loren said Harbor was fun and paddled as did Jeffrey. Biz and I headed there. The incoming high tide really stretched out all of the waves. Pat was at Hueneme and we met him. It was chest high, clean and peaky but completely fogged in. Not being able to film we moved on. Strand and shores were just as foggy. Then when we got to Fruits there was this picket of blue sky just there. I dont know if it had something to do with fumes that come off the oil pumps or what but we were not complaining. Pat showed up and it was on. The sets were still a bit stretched and there was some wind, but every once in a while the right combination of swell happened and there was a sick one. Surprisingly we did score a few decent clips. The rest of my day was consumed by ding repair

9-20-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 64
I thought I was going to be chasing wind swell trying to find a wave that would make it through the five foot high tide at 10 am. Everything along Sea Cliffs and Rincon were surf-able but small. I continued on to the VTA beaches. Part of me wanted to head straight to Strand and then back track from there. Something told me to have a look at Ventura Harbor if for nothing else its always been a spot that I can check to get a feel how other spots are going to be. It was clean. New Jetty looked fun but there were easily thirty plus guys on it. Looking down towards River Mouth it was very peaky. The combo swell was actually balanced enough to do what combo swells are supposed to do: be peaky and fun. With the fat tide I decided to grab my Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy model, basically my groveler short board. Once I got out there I realized it was definitely more heavy then it looked. The waves were bigger too and the size seemed to increase while I was out there. Once again I found myself just a tad under gunned. This wasn’t a major issue, more of an annoyance as I had to adjust my approach to how I rode each wave, the lines I took and the maneuvers I tried based on the limitations of my board. If I had my Hacksaw I would have been unrestricted. Sometimes it can be fun to be under gunned. It totally teaches you other approaches rather then your standard routine. I had some really decent rides and it was empty out there too. I ran into a chef I used to work with. He opened a luncheonette recently in Ventura and offered me a Chef of Cuisine job. Should I get back to cooking? I haven’t worked breakfast line in twelve years back when I worked at the Canary Hotel in SB. I don’t think I’m going to take it, but will stop in for a post surf meal soon. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-19-21 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 minutes
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 82
The swell was down a bit though still in the water. Unfortunately there was a five foot high tide at 9:30am slowing everything down. After checking a very crowded and fat River Mouth the call was to head to Hueneme in the hopes of some high tide wedgey combo bowls. It was still solid chest to head plus. There was no wind but the water hate a channel wobble to it and most sets were pretty dumpy. I was out of time and options thus I paddled. Once out there I realized that it was way more tricky and heavy then it looked. Biz was on the beach filming so I had to perform. I took some beatings, nearly broke my board and got hurt, made a gnarly barrel and put down a few airs. Just your typical Hueneme session. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-18-21 AM Session: 3-4+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 1 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 20
Miles Driven: 64
Pat hit me up that Mouth looked fun and that he was on it. The last time I have surfed with Pat was easily a month ago. It looked chest plus and clean so I paddled. The crowd was light for a Saturday, which is a rarity these days. Maybe everyone was at Fruit Stands since that is the current envogue spot these days. I took out my freshly yellow and green Fly Guy Model since the surf looked a bit more weak then the previous days. Whenever I paint a board its always the kiss of death, usually cause I only paint my older boards as they begin too look too ugly to film on. As soon as I paddled into my first wave I got owned by the freight train speed it took off on. This happened on my next three waves. It became steadily apparent that I was a bit under gunned being that there were some head high plus sets rolling through and they were throwing wide and fast. Also my rails were a bit on the slippery side since I had painted them. I quickly made the appropriate adjustments and began finding some decent tubes, hit some hard turns and landed an array of airs. Why is it that when Im filming I cant stick an air to save my life but when I shoot stills I stick everything. Maybe I get too excited when we film. After the surf we went and got breakfast at the Golden Egg Cafe in Oxnard off Victoria. Then we had two open houses to look at, one of which we put an offer on that I can almost ensure will be out done by a cash buyer like every place else under a mil in the area. Like I always say you miss all the waves you don’t paddle for.

9-17-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Santa Clara River Mouth
Time in Water: 2 hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 35
Miles Driven: 64
Bizarro came along with me to film considering that it was supposed to be fairly clean all morning. We went straight to the Harbor. I was very surprised how much swell there actually was still left in the water. There still plenty of over head spitting barrels. It looked a little on the stretched side. Gordo was running out and said he looked everywhere else and this was the best of it. Gordo is definitely not a fan of River Mouth so if he was paddling then it had to be the most viable option around. Also I e want to waist the light offshore winds. We went down by the reeds where there were a handful of peaks with not too my guys on it. Right as I was paddling out I got rocked by a macking set. That would be the last one like it for over a half hour as the ocean settled in to a high tide lull forcing me to scrap close outs on the inside. Once the tide turned around the sets began rolling in with thick heavy double up tubes. They were a little bit small and fast on most. I pulled into mostly barrels I couldn’t make and I usually have a rather high barrel to make ratio. That being said I got a few keggers that definitely made my day. Towards the end of the session it got so glassy it was hard to even see the waves. It was not epic but I think it was a score. The rest of my day was spent back on the Postal grind for a welcome back ten hour day.

9-16-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 72
I actually had set out with Port Hueneme on my mind. Jeffery got there first and said it was mostly walled. I pulled off at Shores for a look. It was a bit wonky between the high tide and residual channel chop left over from all the wind that blew all night long. The crowd was minimal and I saw enough solid sets to paddle. With any luck it would get better on the dropping tide. I started on my grovel short board cause it looked a little soft from the beach. It only took my first wave to send me back to the beach for my Clarks Surfboards Hacksaw Model. The south swell still was at 17 seconds and had plenty more power to it then I had initially thought. the first half hour or so was fun. I caught a handful of fun lefts and rights with even the odd ball tube or two. We must have made it look too fun cause it didn’t take long before another fifteen guys paddled out. Then the wind came up out of the NW and added just enough bump and crumble, coupled with the already annoying back wash and it just became terrible as well as treacherous. I took a bunch of junky ones till I lucked into an overhead left I some how managed two turns with an end section hit. I didn’t hesitate to call it a session on that. The rest of my day was encompassed by ding repair as I still have three disasters on my hands that I need to finish and get out of my life.

9-15-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, The Hotel
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 29
Miles Driven: 73
After a day of near epic surfing one is almost always going to be let down the following day. This morning was no exception to said rule. Jeffery and I spent the morning driving around in circles wasting the good wind and tide. Finally we decided to paddle the Hotel for lack of crowd and there were still plenty of solid looking sets out there to be had. Of course as soon as we hit the sand the wind came up out of the WSW adding a bit of bump and crumble to it. The slight tide drop also began to stretch and make the waves dump on the inside bar. To top it all off there was a stiff current pushing north as well. I did five drifts and caught a handful of fun ones. There was on against the grain right hander I backdoored that really stood out. After the surf I cruised into the shaping room to get some orders done. From shaping I met up with Bizzaro and my wife at Oxnard Shores to look at a trailer for sale in that beach front mobile park on Fifth Street. The spot was alright but between the HOA fees and spot rental it didn’t make sense financially and there were already two offers on it anyway: We got some Chinese for dinner and headed home after yet another home buying failure.

9-14-21 AM Session: 5-7+ ft, Hollywood Beach
Time in Water: 1 hr 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 33
Miles Driven: 74
I hate, HATE, how loosely surfers use the words pumping, going off, firing, all time, etc to describe average at best conditions, cause when one does this it leaves no place to go when it actually is pumping. Well today was all these things with the exception of “all time”. Pretty much every spot from Rincon all the way down to Strand was really good. I ended up at Hollywood cause it looked fun as all hell, but also cause it was empty. It may have been more hallow at parts of Shores and River Mouth but less make-able as well. For me I had the best of it, tubes rip-able ones, plenty of size and very consistent to boot. It stayed glassy even after I left though the tide had killed most of the magic from earlier. There were some nutty double up shore break barrels to be had where I took more then one beating trying to make a tube or two. The water was freezing. Funny story about that. As we were getting ready, Biz and I this older dude parked next to us and immediately gave us the stink eye. Then continued to try and vibe us while we were gearing up. I didn’t recognize the dude and I know just about anyone who surfs regularly in the Ventura/Oxnard/SB area. Another random dude pulls up next to him and asks him if the water is warm and he says “yeah was pretty warm last time I surfed”. Now the past two weeks or so has been freezing up here, barely breaking 60 F. Obviously he didn’t know what was up. Dude paddled out, causing one wave, complained about the cold and bailed. Weird stuff. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office finally on the last day of this gnarly ten day ten hour a day work grind. That being said Friday’s pay check is going to be really nice.

9-13-21 AM Session: 4-6+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 16
Miles Driven: 78
No wonder nothing went my way today, it’s the calendar date the thirteenth. I hate terrible sleep last night after getting home at 1:30am after yet another ten hour day. I woke up and it was foggy once again though the wind seemed lighter. I cruised south. Jeffery was already ahead of me with a report that there was size at the Harbor but junky shape with the combo swell. Considering there was a slight increase in the NW swell I decided to have a look at The Ship. It was perfect shape and conditions except that it was also only waist high. Jeffery was at Hueneme where it was solid size though a little stretched. I was about to join him when I ran into my boy John who said he heard Shores was good. It was from a reliable source so I headed over. Sure enough it was bombing though a bit disorganized and all over the place and a few stretched ones that were questionable. Long period south swell with a Nw wind swell what can one expect. I was out of time and saw enough corners to warrant a paddle . It ended up being one of those surfs where I saw waves everywhere except for where I was and I chased phantom peaks up and down the beach to no avail. I should have thought that was the case since when I checked it out of the fifty guys spread out up and down the beach no one was really getting anything decent. On the bright side there was some cool dolphin wave riding taking place, probably to taunt me. Then I got home to find out my bath tube was leaking yet again. Bizarro was on it. Finally when I got to work I find out the other custodian called out forcing me to cover the entire building alone and having to work till 1am yet again. Happy 13th of the month.

9-12-21 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Emma Wood
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 78
This morning was just one bad call after the next. The wind was on it early yet again and the new south was getting all broken up by the current short period NW wind swell in the water. Then my wife wanted to stop at McDonald’s for some coffee and an sausage egg McMuffin since the waves were shit anyway I obliged. The drive thru at the Ventura McDonalds on Seaward was a shit show and when we finally got our order they gave her an egg McMuffin with ham. The Harbor was trash and New Jetty was as stupid crowded as it gets and terrible. I had a look at Shores where it was small and trash. On a Hail Mary I decided to peep Strand which had I got there maybe an hour earlier or if it was just about a foot bigger would have been fun in comparison for the day. The call was to head back and sort something out along Sea Cliffs. Emma wound up being the best of the worst thus I paddled. It was absolutely garbage. The swells were all mixed up making it too peaky and dumpy at the same time. Every so often there was a left that I was able to grab onto on the south end of the beach. Hopefully tomorrow we can get free of this wind pattern and get some decent waves. Looks like the WSL championships are on for tomorrow at Lowers. Though I’m not a fan of this new format I am very interested to see how it all plays out. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office where I lost on this dude who constantly ignores the restroom closed and wet floor signs I put up and consistently barges it anyway making a mess of the freshly mopped floors where if he waited just a few minutes they would be dry and there would no mess at all. I called him out and it got ugly so I’m sure I’ll get written up for employee Mal conduct tomorrow. I think I have been in this job way beneath my skill and education level long enough. It might be time to move on. If I get lucky maybe they will fire me and I can collect unemployment for a little while and figure something else out.

9-11-21 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Father Johns
Time in Water: 45 mins
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 64
Father Johns is always my fail safe spot after exhausting every other possibility when my surf time is limited. The Harbor actually had some size comparatively but the wind was on it hard by 9:30. New Jetty was still surf-able but packed for what was on offer. Ultimately I headed back towards SB. Emma was junk thus leaving me at Johns which showed enough that I could get my surf in for the day. I’m not going to lie it was bery grovelly out there. After I got out of the water I got the bad news that we got out bid on a home we were looking to buy in Hueneme. The rest of my day was spent in utter disappointment at the Post Office on a ten hour grind.

9-10-21 AM Session: 1-3+ ft, New Jetty
Time in Water: 1hr 15 mins
Waves Surfed: 28
Miles Driven: 66
There was a tad bit more south swell in the water this morning. Not enough to allow the WSL to run the finals at Lowers and definitely not enough to get excited about at home. Meanwhile the east coast scored with Hurricane Larry. With the tide being a little bit lower Jeffery and I decided to check the Harbor. It looked more fun then I have seen it in a while with clean peaks up and down the beach. We decided to look at Fruit Stands since the bars were decent earlier in the week. It was terrible there so we went back to Harbor just in time to witness the wind come up hard out of the WSW trashing what was shaping up to be a fun surf. To salvage the surf we decided to paddle New Jetty which was slightly more organized. Considering how weak it was I grabbed my grovely little 5’3 Clarks Surfboards Pop Fizz Fish to cut through the chop and flat spots. There was the flock of surf scooters, over a dozen or so swimming very close to the line up. This was rather odd behavior for them to be so close to surfers. Then two of them floated very close to the rocks. One of the pair dropped dead right there in the water. Its mate poked it a few times before bailing to join the others. That was the first time I have ever witnessed something like that. We made the most out of an otherwise absolutely terrible day of surfing. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-9-21 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 35
Miles Driven: 82
Less swell and more fog made me less then motivated to surf this morning. I cruised to the Harbor where there were some waist high burgers on offer. No feeling it Jeffery and I cruised to Hueneme where it was also on the small side but a little more power behind it and borderline shore break. It was deemed the best of the worst and thus we paddled. It was by far the worst waves I had surfed in a week. There were a few corners. Should have quit earlier but came down with a horrible case of last wave syndrome and beat a dead horse for an extra half hour trying to find what was not there. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-8-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 24
Miles Driven: 82
The fog was back in full force this morning after a refreshing two day break. I don’t mind a marine layer as long as I can check the surf with out an issue. When it takes twenty minutes a spot check the fog really hinders my ability to pick the best possible spot for my time window. Jeffery had a look at Harbor and Fruits, while I peeped out Shores. All left a bit to be desired especially with the steadily rising high tide. The call was to make it or break it at Hueneme. At the very least we knew it could handle the tide. Upon checking it the waves were a bit dumpy. Shores was definitely more peaky but with the fat tide going back was not an option. We paddled right in front of the south set of flags and made the most out of what was on offer. I got into an ok groove and managed to link up with a couple of corners though I couldn’t stick an air or make a barrel to save my life. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-7-21 AM Session: 3-5+ ft, Fruit Stands
Time in Water: 1hr 45mins
Waves Surfed: 27
Miles Driven: 72
I had a feeling that this morning was going to be fun. Then I got a report that it was looking smaller then yesterday. Still I had trust in my instincts and woke up Biz to film. Half way down I got a call from Jeffrey that Fruit Stands was firing and pushing well over head. I have not surfed Fruits in months mainly because I don’t have time in my schedule to walk the extra distance but also its usually just as crowded out there as any other spot. I cruised to Shores first where it was peaky, chest to head and fun with a few dozen guys spread out. Normally I would have ran out there. I couldn’t get Jeffery’s report out of my head. I had to go look if for no other reason then to make sure I was not missing out. Rather then waste time checking it I suited up and brought both my Clarks Surfboards Fly Guy and Hacksaw Models down to the beach with me. It was clean, head high plus and very hallow. I jumped in and a barrel fest ensued. Those were some of the best tubes I have scored in 2021. Of course Biz missed the wave of the day where I dropped straight into the tube and ran an easily 50 yard deep draining barrel, came out and smashed it twice. Towards the end of the surf I caught a right that I bashed all the way to the inside. I went up for a last hit thinking I had enough room before the shore. I was wrong and landed directly on a pile of rocks hitting both my elbow and knee. It was a bit of a bummer on an otherwise super fun surf. I have to say the session was one for the books. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-6-21 AM Session: 2-3+ ft, Oxnard Shores
Time in Water: 1.5 hrs
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 72
Labor Day plus a promising forecast of fresh south swell when there hasn’t been really any waves for two weeks equals ridiculous crowds everywhere. That’s basically what I had to deal with. I started at Harbor where the bars were still terrible at both River Mouth and Knoll. Between that and the high tide it was a burger fest. The crowd was stupid with easily seventy five guys from Knoll to Mouth with another forty plus at New Jetty. Man, was it every kook, random and his brother out there. I saw more then one surfer run out with just a shorty on. This is perfect indication that they haven’t surfed since the last swell cause the water has been just hovering between 58-60 the past week or so. I cruised to Shores where Loren met up with me. It was pretty tidy there too, but at the very least there was a backwashy shore break that looked boost-able. It was crazy crowded with easily fifty plus guys spread out. I had to wait to get a parking spot. It wasn’t firing. It was maybe waist to chest and below average conditions. There were a good number of the Strand boys out keeping the kooks at bey. At first the surf started out really slow and I was getting frustrated that I picked the wrong place to surf. Then after the first thirty minutes it began to pick up and I got into a real rhythm and just began destroying everything that came into my path. It was for sure a fun little surf. The rest of my day was spent at the Post Office.

9-5-21 AM Session: 1-3 ft, Father Johns
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 23
Miles Driven: 56
Today was definitely one of those days where my 365 days of surfing challenge became a chore. The swell was minimal on the buoys and we were plagued by yet another foggy morning. It’s been more like springtime conditions then fall between the fog, surf conditions and cold water. Looks like the tell tale signs of another La Niña winter. The wind already was up on the drive down. I saw through the fog that there was more local wind swell showing then I had anticipated. Considering the wind and high tide I pulled off at Emma for a look. It was mostly just junky shore dump with limited scoring potential and a decent enough holiday crowd for what was in the water. I decided to have a look at Father Johns which also likes high tide and wind swell. Right when we pulled up all I saw was kill-able wave after kill-able wave. I was out there. Four random kooks were doing their thing but there were plenty of waves to go around. I always forget that Johns always looks way better from up on the bluff then it ever actually is. That being said the first thirty minutes were alright. Then it completely began to turn off as the tide dropped. At one point I thought I was going to have to paddle in cause I was out of time. For my time window and travel limitations I’d say it was the best I was going to do. The rest of my day was spent on a 10 hour shift at the Post Office.

9-4-21 AM Session: 2-3 ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr
Waves Surfed: 26
Miles Driven: 82
There was even less swell this morning then the previous day. The south was no more then very minor background pulses leaving not very much but a very small short period NW wind swell. Harbor had a wave over by the Knoll, but the wind was already coming up. I was actually graced with the day off because due to some scheduling conflicts at the Post Office after today I am going to be on a 10 day grind. It will be a lot of work but also lots of overtime pay. My wanted to get a better feel for the Hueneme water front thus I paddled down by the Jetty. It was waist to occasional chest with lots of weak but kill-able bowls to be had. The tide dropped surprisingly fast sucking the size down with it and forcing more close outs. I got my hour in then called it day. I took my wife to Mama Olsens at Channel Islands Harbor for breakfast because she was in the mood for mimosas and they always do a decent job all around there. After breaky we decided to cruise around some of the neighborhoods of both Oxnard and Hueneme to figure out where me might be interested in purchasing. It was a very informative cruise. We started heading home but traffic back to Santa Barbara was obnoxious. Rather then sit and fry in the hot car we pulled off in Carpinteria over by the Carpinteria Bluffs Preserve to do some birding. There are a number of cool trails and some secluded beach access there. We had never actually explored that area before so it was a nice afternoon spent. For dinner we picked up some Halibut pieces and made some scrumptious fish and chips. What a fun filled day off. It has to be since I won’t be seeing another one for quite some time.

9-3-21 AM Session: 2-3+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 1hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 21
Miles Driven: 82
The swell had decreased a fair amount and with a fat morning high tide the call was to head back to Hueneme. It was far less inviting then the previous two mornings. Loren, Jeffery and CC were already looking at it when I pulled up with the enthusiasm lacking. My time was limited and I saw enough waves to warrant a paddle. They followed suit. With the smaller swell the larger peaks were focused just south of the south flags. It was pretty weak, inconsistent and the sets were a bit walled. By far a very underwhelming session compared to the last two days. Today the ocean decided to favor me and I did get a few ok tubes and a fun couple of runners. Poor Loren got hit in the head with his board getting stuffed in a micro pit and put a dime size whole in his melon. Jeffery and I thought it was tiny and worth getting stitches. I had some peroxide in my car and poured it into the open wound for him. I guess it bleed for a few hours later and when his girlfriend saw it who is a nurse was disappointed in our lack of appreciation for the severity of his injury. As for me the rest of my day was spent at the Post Office where I got roped into a ten hour shift.

9-2-21 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 2hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 31
Miles Driven: 82
I was the lazy man in the group this morning. Loren spent the night in his truck down in Hueneme so he could be on it bright and early. Jeffery had gotten an earlier start then me. The plus side of being the dude who lags is that all the checking had been already done for me. The boys were claiming Hueneme again though it was a bit more crowded then yesterday. I stopped for a quick look at Harbor just to rule it out. Ultimately Hueneme was the call again. Though the crowd was over twenty guys it was spread out over a dozen or more peaks. The waves were way more peaky and rip-able then yesterday plus there were still plenty of barrels to be had as well. I started at the flags with Jeffery and Loren then paddled my way up the beach to the Jetty where CC and some friends were killing a wedgy peak. I got into the zone and began sticking ally-oops, straight airs and a handful of backside rotator airs not to mention some really decent tubes. What a surf. Everyone was going off out there. By one the wind came up hard, too hard even for Hueneme to handle. We were exhausted by then and called it a day. From there I had to roll by my Glasser’s shop and pick up a few boards. Then it was home to sit down with my wife and fill out a grip of mortgage applications. After over a year hiatus we have decided to get back into the home ownership market. Maybe our third time will be the charm as the saying goes.

9-1-21 AM Session: 2-4+ft, Port Hueneme
Time in Water: 2hr 15mins
Waves Surfed: 30
Miles Driven: 82
There was lots of combo in the water. Unfortunately we were plagued with a morning with a three foot tide with little motion and currently the bars at River Mouth are not set up for a small swell or high tide. Loren and I went to check Shores since I had some luck there yesterday. It was smaller and way more weak then it was the previous day. Jeffery was at Hueneme and gave it the green light. Loren jumped in my car and we cruised to Hueneme where we couldn’t believe our eyes. All we saw was chest to head high spitting barrels up and down the beach. In classic Hueneme fashion it was a little bit on the fast side but still looked very fun. We ran back to the car and tore on our suits. Jeffery was already out there and had a decent peak in front of the south set of flags. We joined him. It only took a few waves to realize it was way less make-able then it looked. In reality the waves were mostly closed out with a good one every ten waves or so. That being said there were some definite sick views to be had even if you didn’t come out. Loren was shooting POV stuff on his go pro and I can’t wait to see some of footage. Jeffery was the man of the hour. I think every decent waves came right to him while we were left chasing close outs. To my credit I did get a handful of really sick tubes and landed a few solid airs. It was too bad Bizarro had to work or we would have definitely put down some A clips. Before we knew it we had been out there over two hours with it still being rather glassy and very surf-able at 1pm. I had lots of ding work to handle and headed home. Loren hung around for two more solid sessions. Rumor had it the evening was even bigger. What a fun morning of surf.